Is the Taylormade Aeroburner Driver Still Good? Is it Forgiving for High Handicappers?

Is the Taylormade Aeroburner Driver Still Good? Is it Forgiving for High Handicappers?

“The Taylormade Aeroburner had the unenviable task of succeeding the popular SLDR driver.”

The Aeroburner came out in 2015 – two years after the SLDR driver. The SLDR was near infinitely adjustable so you would think that the Taylormade Aeroburner driver would also be adjustable, right?

Wrong. For whatever reason, Taylormade decided to take a hard left and incorporate absolutely no adjustability into the Aeroburner. However, adjustability isn’t the end-all be-all for a driver. Today we are going to be revisiting the Taylormade Aeroburner to see if it’s still worth picking up for high handicappers.

Is the Taylormade Aeroburner Driver Still Good?

“The first thing you notice about the Taylormade Aeroburner driver is the white crown.”

This was sort of an unfortunate choice for the Taylormade Aeroburner driver. Not only does it simply not look great; but it makes it harder to frame white balls. I’m honestly not sure why they chose to go with a white crown since it doesn’t seem to work on a practical or aesthetic level. But I digress.

At address, the Taylormade Aeroburner looks very chunky. This is a beefy 460cc driver. So as long as you are a high handicapper and can get past the white crown, the Taylormade Aeroburner actually looks pretty good. You can tell at address that this is going to be a forgiving driver.

The Taylormade Aeroburner has another peculiar feature: a fin on the hosel. The whole concept driving the Taylormade Aeroburner is, as the name alludes to, aerodynamics. This driver was designed to move fast in the air and to increase club head speed by lowering drag. This is what the fin is for. It looks a bit odd and it can actually be a distraction at address.

But it would all be worth it if it actually works. That is, if the Taylormade Aeroburner actually does increase club head speed. For me, it did. My average club head speed with the Taylormade Aeroburner was 101.7 MPH. I’m usually in the 98-100 MPH range. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that the increase in club head speed was due to the light shaft and the light club head. The stock shaft weighs 50g and the club head is less than 200 grams.

So the Taylormade Aeroburner plays fast and is very forgiving. It also launches very high. My average launch angle was 16.2°. This was too high for me but it may be just right for the right kind of player. If you are looking for a lightweight, speedy, forgiving and high-launching driver, the Taylormade Aeroburner is definitely still good.

Is the Taylormade Aeroburner Forgiving for High Handicappers?

“If you aren’t looking for a forgiving driver, I can’t figure any other reason you would be considering the Taylormade Aeroburner.”

The Taylormade Aeroburner is very forgiving – especially if you are fighting a slice. This driver’s sweet spot is very wide and it has substantial draw bias. I naturally hit a draw so I was flying a little wider with the Taylormade Aeroburner than I normally like. But if you need to eliminate the right side of the fairway, the Taylormade Aeroburner will work well for you.

The Taylormade Aeroburner also has a wide Speed Pocket so the entire bottom portion of the deep face flexes very well. Thin shots get good flight, good ball speed and good distance.

That all being said, if you’re like me and you already hit a straight shot or a draw, the Taylormade Aeroburner might exacerbate it a bit. And the draw bias may be unnecessary. But if you tend to mis-hit near the toe as many high handicappers do, the Taylormade Aeroburner will be very forgiving.

Taylormade Aeroburner Vs Taylormade Jetspeed

The Taylormade Jetspeed driver is pretty much the polar opposite of the Aeroburner.”

It has a matte black crown, a shallow face profile and instead of a low back CG, it has forward-positioned CG. The idea behind the Jetspeed driver is to increase distance by muting spin and increasing swing speed.

The Jetspeed feels very light through transition and I liked the forward CG for my swing speed. The Jetspeed played longer for me and was more pleasing to the eye. It may not be as inherently forgiving as the Taylormade Aeroburner for high handicappers though.