PLAYING WITH … TAYLORMADE GAPR MID
Cost: $369. Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Writer (GA Handicap 9.4)
The GAPR MID combines the best attributes of driving irons and hybrids into one sleek club, writes Jimmy Emanuel.
MODEL PLAYED: GAPR MID 3 with 18° loft, fitted with KBS Hybrid 80 S shaft. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Straight out of the box I knew I was going to enjoy the GAPR MID. I have always liked driving irons over hybrids and the MID possess a sightly bulked-up utility iron profile that sat perfectly square at address to my eye. The black finish also appealed and helped to hide some the chunkiness.
Off the clubface the first shot only enhanced my positive early thoughts; the feel one of a lively faced iron, with a ball flight that bored through the wind. HOW IT PERFORMED: As the middle option of the GAPR range, the MID performed as the name suggests – launching on the lower side for a hybrid of the same loft, but higher than an equivalent iron. The standard ball flight saw most shots landing and rolling on quite a significant amount.
Like the ball flight, the forgiveness of the MID falls somewhere in the middle of a hybrid and utility iron, with perhaps slightly more help than one would expect from a club possessing a very iron-like appearance. Mis-hits from both the heel and toe consistently flew similar distances to good strikes and rarely went way off line.
The feel of the MID really impressed. However, it was the utility’s workability that really stood out for me. The ball flight was easily manipulated every conceivable way, including being very capable of launching the ball nice and high when approaching long par-3s; a shot I have always struggled to produce with long irons. A low piercing shot from the tee was also easily delivered and suggested to me that even though the GAPR LOW was my instant first preference when looking at the new range, the variety of ball flights and forgiveness of the MID make it a very good option for golfers of a wide handicap range.
A slightly wider sole than most driving irons means the MID also manages to bring some of the benefits of a hybrid when playing from the rough. Although not as easy as a traditional rescue club from slightly longer grass, the hotter face meant the MID performed admirably during my testing – and I was more comfortable taking on second shots to par-5s and long par-4s with trouble short of the green than I would typically be with either a fairway wood or iron.
Despite an initial concern that the MID could be the victim of seemingly not trying to be either a hybrid or driving iron, it was this very combination that impressed me most. The ball flight control and consistency of a driving iron, coupled with the forgiveness and versatility of a hybrid makes the GAPR MID an extremely good option for players who play a variety of courses and conditions as well as those players who find one or the other to be slightly limiting. And the addition of the loft sleeve that allows players to exactly dial in distance themselves is a great benefit that few driving irons are able to offer.