TaylorMade Kalea Gold Rescue Review
We put the latest rescue clubs from TaylorMade's new Kalea Gold women's collection to the test
Rescue clubs are designed to be super easy to hit and this one from TaylorMade doesn't disappoint. It looks classy, feels comfortable and solid through impact, providing accurate shots from a variety of lies.
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Easy to launch
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Confidence boosting
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Can generate power through impact
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Custom fitting is advisable to ensure correct makeup
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Building on the popular Kalea Premier, the Kalea Gold rescue is part of TaylorMade’s new range of women’s clubs that also includes a driver, fairway woods, irons and a putter. The rescue club, or hybrid as it’s also known, is one of the most popular clubs in the bag, and with four to choose from (4, 5, 6 and 7), did it top the list as one of the best women’s hybrids on the market?
I really like the aesthetics of Kalea Gold. In my opinion, the dark navy crown that’s highlighted with silver and gold is a far more sleek colorway than Kalea Premier, and like all the clubs in this collection, it’s fitted with a SuperStroke grip that is soft and squidgy. This might not be to everyone’s liking, but I found it really comfortable.
Overall the club feels fairly lightweight with a graphite ultralight shaft, although when you first pick it up, there doesn’t feel as much flex in the shaft compared with Ping’s G Le3 and Callaway’s Paradym Ai Smoke MAX Fast hybrid, so I was keen to find out how this slightly stronger shaft would impact my performance on shots from a variety of lies.
To gain a broad opinion, I tested the 4 and 7 rescue, and what I can say about both is that they sit really neatly behind the ball, and because I also like the look of them, I felt confident that I would make decent contact and hit a good shot.
Obviously, the shot that you believe you’re going to hit, and what you actually hit can be two very different things! However, like the Kalea Gold fairway wood, I was impressed how effortless it was to get the ball airborne with a noticeable high ball flight, which is thanks to the carbon crown as it is designed with a lower centre of gravity to enhance launch and spin.
I mentioned a slightly stronger flex, but I must say that I felt completely in control, I felt that I could attack the ball, and on my best shots, they felt powerful off the face with a lovely sound.
I really enjoyed using the 4 rescue on a long par-3, and I had no trouble using it from light rough. Equally, the 7 is a versatile club, but I often struggle to hit a rescue club like an iron, so the 7 didn’t work as well for me as the 4, but that’s me, not the club!
For women that prefer using rescue clubs to irons, or if you’ve got a gapping distance in your bag, then Kalea Gold is worth considering. The best option is to book a custom fitting session to find the right makeup and create one of the best women’s golf sets.
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Alison Root has over 25 years experience working in media and events, predominantly dedicated to golf, in particular the women’s game. Until 2020, for over a decade Alison edited Women & Golf magazine and website, and is now the full-time Women's Editor for Golf Monthly. Alison is a respected and leading voice in the women's game, overseeing content that communicates to active golfers from grassroots through to the professional scene, and developing collaborative relationships to widen Golf Monthly's female audience across all platforms to elevate women's golf to a new level. She is a 16-handicap golfer (should be better) and despite having had the fantastic opportunity to play some of the best golf courses around the world, Kingsbarns in Scotland is her favourite.
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