TaylorMade Rescue Hybrid Golf Club

I don't know about you but I would love to consistantly hit a 2 or 3 iron. I'd kill to be able to consistantly have the accuracy of a mid-iron but hit it 200--230 and at the target. Sometimes I can, but the "sometimes" can result in high numbers on long par fours and fives.

A number of players in my (mid) handicap group have long gone with a "rescue"-type club. "Rescue" is what TaylorMade called their hybrid iron/wood or wood/iron and have set the standard in the industry. I haven't been a major fan of TaylorMade clubs with a few exceptions. I don't have a "Brand Identification" issue, I simply hit a lot of different clubs and have settled on their products only a couple of times. The Firesole driver was my first titanium club; the bubble-shafted fairway woods have had a place in my bag at one time or another.

When I finally decided on going with a hybrid, my first choice was the Hogan Edge CFT hybrid 3 steel shafted. I settled on the 3 rather than buying a 2 and a 4, which I had hit courtesy of a friend. I loved the feel and the distance initially, but after getting used to the club, disliked my tendancy to hook the ball. I couldn't fade a shot with the club and the persistance of the draw made distance control difficult.

I normally play Ping G2 fairway woods, and because the G5 hybrid hadn't been released, I traded the Hogan for a Cleveland Halo 19* graphite shafted hybrid because it most closely resembled the Ping technology and word of mouth was excellent. I really liked the Cleveland Quadpro fairway woods and only replaced them with the Pings because they were even more accurate and easy to hit. Unfortunately, the Halo had the same accuracy issues as the Quadpro woods. The club produced a straight ball flight, but, like the Quadpros(and incidentally, when I had tried them, the Launcher drivers), the line-of-flight was not necessarily the line I had setup to hit. I think the Cleveland stock graphite shaft's torque characteristics are not quite right for my swing.
Finally, I hit Callaway, Nike, Ping and TaylorMade hybrids on an indoor range and, mainly on the basis of feel, I traded the Halo straight across for a new Taylormade Rescue Mid 19* with a steel shaft.

The Rescue performs the job I'd been hoping for. It's a true utility club. I can hit it long, straight and on target. I can hit from tight lies and long rough, sidehill, up and downhill lies, knock it down, cut it, draw it, trust it.
As far as I can tell, the original Rescue mid does everything a utility club is supposed to do and can't imagine that the new Rescue Dual can be a gigantic improvement, but who knows, technology surprises me.

At the current price point, $99 new, the club's a great value and the resultant price drop at auction on ebay makes the TaylorMade Rescue Mid a must-have for players looking for a Hybrid that does what they're supposed to do.

Okay, first off, for those unaware, there were 2 types of clubs in the first Rescue series. The Rescue Mid and The Rescue Fairway

The Rescue Mid is a nice little club, but to be honest, it has a slight tendency to draw the ball, which I found really annoying, and is why Taylormade released the Rescue Dual model. Ask any pro or golf shop dealer what the general consensis was on the Mid range, and they will tell you a slight draw is common. But they are very easy to use, and from the rough, they are 2nd to none, producing long easy shots, as the shafts are a lot shorter than their cousin, the Rescue Fairway. The lofts come in the following:
2h - 16 degrees
3h - 19 degrees
4h - 22 degrees
5h - 25 degrees

The Rescue Fairway is a fantastic club. They come in 3 models, but be careful, they claim to be a 3Wood a 5Wood and a 7Wood, but the lofts are a little incorrect. All the Fairway models, produce a fairly high flying ball, but reasonably long and penetrating which is great. They do not fade or draw badly, and if they are hit well, they go dead straight, its amazing to watch.

The 3Wood is fantastic, but its 17 degrees, so it hits more like a 4 Wood. It is so so easy to hit long straight shots that I fell in love with this club.
I often prefer this club to a driver as it is often better to be only 190 yards down the fairway, than 240 yards into the water.

The 5Wood is also exceptional, but it is 20 degrees, so again, its tendency is more to be a 6Wood, and can sometimes hit quite a very high ball, but still gives fantastic accuracy.

The 7Wood is useless, its more like an 8 or 9 wood, and bubbles a lot, so that you're better off just using a 7 iron.
The lofts of the Rescue Fairway are:
3Wood - 17 degrees
5Wood - 20 degrees
7Wood - 23 degrees

Having said all that, I would strongly suggest that you try the Ben Hogan range of clubs aswell, and see which you prefer, as I found the Hogan and the Taylor Made were the best of all the rescue models that companies have made.

A while back, I purchased both a Rescue Mid (graphite shaft) and a Rescue Fairway (steel shaft) because: a) they were inexpensive, and b) I love to try new clubs, but I won't pay flavor-of-the-month premiums for them. I'm very satisfied to pounce on discountinued and outdated models - like the TM Rescue Fairway.

I fully expected to prefer the Mid and re-sell the Rescue Fairway, but it didn't work out that way. The 96 gram steel shaft in the Rescue Fairway is very much to my liking. I liked the 3 wood so much, that I then bought a 7 wood, and have just purchased a 5 wood to complete the set, which covers me from about 185 to 215 or so. The clubs are shorter in length, with more loft than standard fairway woods, and I appreciate the extra confidence this inspires. The profile address is also terrific. While being a bit deeper than the Mid, the head is fairly low profile and doesn't look in the least bit clunky. When I address the ball, I fully expect to hit it solidly, which is a feeling I haven't always had with fairway woods.

Another reviewer said the 7 wood is worthless; I couldn't disagree more. I certainly get a higher ball flight than I would with a 5-iron, but not balooning by any means. I'm able to approach greens and stop the ball in its tracks, which is tough for me to do with a long iron. I haven't received the 5 wood yet, but the 3 gives me a great piercing ball flight with a bit of roll.

The only problem I've experienced with the stock steel shaft, is that any time I overswing, I'll either hook the ball excessively, or pull it way off line. This is to be expected, since the shafts are regular flex, and I actually see it as beneficial. I need encouragement to stay within myself and swing in a controlled manner, and the steel shafts are perfect in this regard. I very much prefer them to the graphite shaft in the Rescue Mid.

In closing, you'll look far and wide to find any reviews,or even any mention of these clubs. They've long been forgotten by always changing club market; much more so than their cousin, the Rescue Mid. I obviously can't say whether you'll cherish these diamond in the rough gems as much I do, but I at least wanted to give some feedback from my perspective.

This is a very easy to hit club. I am replacing my 4 and 5 iron with the Taylormade Rescue Fairway 7 Wood. I would highly recommend this series of clubs to any high handicapper. I had previously bought a 3 wood of this series and love it. It is great off the tee on holes of 320 yards or less. The clubs are very accurate and easy to get airborne.

I bought a 3 wood in a store and a 5 wood off of ebay. I love them both.

These are great off the tee, out of the rough, and on the fairway. These clubs are hybrid-esque in their forgiveness and looks. Hybrids are iron replacements so these are almost like traditional wood replacements. They have a wide, short face that helps me get up under the ball better as a opposed to woods with a narrower and taller face (i.e. Titleist and Cobra woods).

I like how they feel and they have a great sound. I'm a 23 handicap and have had a lot of success with them.

These are also a great value at 40 to 60 bucks. There aren't a lot available for sale on pre-owned racks or on ebay, so I take that as a sign people hang on to these.

Be sure to not get these confused with the Rescue Dual or Rescue Mid because those are TaylorMade's hybrids.