First Hit Special: Do face slots work?

Published:

When describing the look of an iron, we generally speak of areas like the topline, offset and finish. But now, there’s another conversation to be had – “Do your irons have face slots?”

Changing the traditional look of an iron was a brave move by TaylorMade but a) They’ve never been afraid to break tradition and b) If putting slots on the face was going to improve forgiveness and performance on mis-hits, most will agree that changing the face of irons as we know it was worth it.

We tested the 8-iron of the new RSi 2 (with face slots, without a Speed Pocket in the sole) against the 8-iron of the SLDR, the model it is replacing. Both had the standard stiff steel shaft and we used face tape to gauge impact location and Trackman to measure swing speed and carry distance. Testing took place at Thorpe Wood Golf Club in Peterborough (www.thorpewood.com)

- Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this page, we never allow this to influence product selections - read why you should trust us.