Up next in 10
TaylorMade RBZ vs Stealth | Test And Review
Apr 1, 2025
Retro Review: Joe Ferguson gets his hands on the iconic TaylorMade RBZ fairway wood from 2012, which launched with bold claims of an additional 17 yards! So we wanted to put this to the test to see how it performed today against the more recently-launched TaylorMade Stealth model. Joe puts them both to the test on the range, launch monitor and golf course to fully get to grips with the performance on offer and see if the RBZ can still hold its own on the market today.
View Video Transcript
0:00
Okay, welcome back to another retro review from Golf Monthly and today we've got an absolute humdinger and it is
0:06
the tailor-made Rocket Balls fairway wheel. Now this is a particularly favorite one for me
0:10
This was in my bag for probably over five years So I'm really looking forward to seeing how it stacks up against its modern-day equivalent
0:16
We partnered up with Golf Club for Cash, one of the leading retailers of pre-loved equipment
0:21
And they supplied us with some absolute gems to test. So if you want to check those guys out look in the description below. Let's get to it
0:30
Okay so the TaylorMade Rocket Balls 3, now this came out in 2012 to a lot of fanfare
0:41
and a lot of marketing from TaylorMade with claims of 17 extra yards and it was a really
0:46
clever marketing ploy and the other marketing ploy that was great was the white head. You
0:50
could see it from miles away on the golf course, anyone you saw on TV you knew they were playing
0:54
the TaylorMade Rocket Balls head. Now the tech story behind the extra speed was what
0:59
they called their speed slot which is this little carved out piece on the sole which increased the COR and had massive jumps in ball speed which is what people
1:07
notice. So let's get to the range test it out and see how it goes. Okay so come
1:11
down to the driving range now at the Oxfordshire Golf Club it's probably a good time to introduce what I'm going to be comparing the Rocket Balls to. So the
1:17
modern-day equivalent we're using is the tailor-made Stealth. When you put them down beside one another surprisingly similar in terms of dimensions the
1:25
overall footprints very similar, face depth very very similar, there's not a
1:29
lot of change in terms of its overall profile which is really interesting so I'm gonna I'm gonna hit a couple away and just see what I can tell in terms of
1:36
difference wise from the feel and the sound. I'm gonna go with the rocket balls first. It sits nicely behind the ball, very square
1:48
That a lovely strike it right out the middle nice strong flight Feels hot feels very quick off the face Let me go again there
2:04
Yes, it's quite a high pitch noise and it feels harsh wouldn't be the right word, but you can certainly feel the speed there
2:11
That's really interesting. interesting. But yeah, very strong penetrating ball flight. Let's have a go with the Stealth
2:16
Again, like I said, really similar look down by the ball in terms of its overall size and
2:22
footprint. Nice strong hit again. It's popped up a little bit more than the RBZ and felt
2:31
probably, again, less high pitch, a little bit deeper in terms of strikes. So different
2:35
sensations. I wouldn't say I preferred one over the other, but noticeably different in
2:40
ball flight so it's probably a good time to introduce some of the data that we've taken here
2:44
and as you'll see from the Rocket Balls the data I got there a fair bit less spin than with the
2:51
Stealth it's quite a hotter flight so it reached less of a peak height much more penetrating ball
2:55
flight ball speed numbers were very comparable and overall distance was very comparable they
3:01
achieved in two very different ways more launch from the Stealth a bit more spin stayed in the
3:06
air for longer whereas the Rocket Balls had a really penetrating strong flight
3:10
which again depending on the conditions you're going to be playing in could be
3:14
really beneficial. Okay so we've come out on the course to see how it performs in a
3:18
real-life situation I'm on the 17th the beautiful 17th at the Oxfordshire Golf
3:22
Club it's a tough par five I've got about 240 over water into a bit of wind
3:26
so it's a good test for it so I'm gonna hit three away with the Rocket Balls three with the stealth and see where we end up
3:36
Get a little bit out the neck Go in middle of the green left of the pin interesting to see if it made the carry Joel will tell us that shortly let go again Similar line
3:59
that's come off very flat with no spin. Very, very similar in terms of line. Let's see if
4:07
get this one holding up against that wind a little bit more
4:18
Touch heavy, it's going to make the carry, it's about 220 over it. I think I've got away
4:24
with it and just about got that on the green. All a touch left with the pin which might
4:28
be explained by the wind. So let's have a little look at Stealth
4:33
a nice lie again. A little straighter, a little higher than the RBZ, it's got a touch more
4:47
spin. Maybe just carried a little bit further that one, it was very well struck
5:03
That one could be really good, that started on it, holding against it was a fave
5:11
Last one, let's go and see where they end up. Just left of the pin, cutting back 10 or 15 feet left of it
5:24
Okay, let's go and take a look and see where they've gone. Okay so we up by the green now let me just show you where those balls have ended and then I give you my thoughts on maybe how and why they got there So first of all the one we got just here this was from the Stealth The other two Stealth that I hit are sat pretty on the green there The furthest one the closest to the hole
5:43
and the one on the right here. With the Rocket Balls one on the green which is great and then
5:48
another two in the bunker here which is probably eight to ten yards past pin high and about 20
5:54
yards 15-20 yards left of where I was aiming. And I noticed that in the fairway. I felt when I put
5:59
the Rocket Balls down. Face angle was slightly towed in, so I was probably expecting a bit more
6:04
left than I was in Stealth, and that's what I saw. But what I also saw was a lot more penetrating
6:09
ball flight from Rocket Balls. It probably had 10 to 12 feet less peak height and certainly less
6:16
spin. It kept penetrating a little bit further. That could be attributed to the fact that Stealth
6:20
I'm trying has a slightly softer shaft, which tends to add spin as well. But it was really
6:25
noticeable that the Rocket Balls did have that much more penetrating ball flight. So that was
6:29
interesting. Okay, so the key differences there that I noticed were there was a little bit more
6:35
left in Rocket Balls, but the main thing I noticed was the Ball Flight. Ball flight was a lot stronger
6:39
with Rocket Balls, a lot less peak height and less spin. On a day like today when it's really
6:44
really soft, not a huge problem. They both carried very similar distances, but that land angle would
6:49
change significantly between the two. Stealth coming in a little bit higher gave me that bit
6:53
more stopping power and maybe control there on the green but the Rocket Balls would have its
6:57
advantage in windy conditions particularly into the wind with that flight. Okay that concludes
7:02
the test for the Rocket Balls and if you like what you saw and you want to grab yourself a bargain
7:06
head across to Golf Clubs for Cash, link's in the description below and you'll grab yourself some
7:10
really good bargains there. So that's it from me at the Oxfordshire, we'll see you next time on Retro Reviews
#Golf
#Golf Equipment
#Sporting Goods
#Sports