If you were a fan of the white drivers TaylorMade has been making in recent years, you might have a new favorite model. The company’s is releasing its SLDR 460 driver in white.

“The white crown with black button-back delivers a remarkable appearance at address,” said Brian Bazzel, TaylorMade’s senior director of metal wood product creation. “Many golfers fell in love with white when it came out in 2011, and now we are delivering a limited-edition white SLDR with low and forward CG for more distance when you loft up.”

The SLDR 460 drivers (click here to read our review) were released this summer with glossy, charcoal-painted crowns that were a departure from the company’s three straight years of white-painted metal woods, which included the R11, R11S, RBZ and R1 and RBZ Stage 2 models. The move didn’t come as a total shock to the industry, however, as TaylorMade’s release of a black-painted version of its R1 driver in May 2013 hinted that the company was headed away from white.

When the company released its first white driver, the R11 in 2011, the launch was met with intense skepticism in the industry. It proved to be a runaway success, however, as TaylorMade’s share of metal woods sales swelled from 30 percent at the start of 2011 to 52 percent in May 2012, according to Forbes.

The amount of non-traditional painted driver heads among top equipment manufacturers has increased significantly in recent years, making a white driver much less polarizing than it once was. Nike’s flagship drivers, the Covert 2.0 models, are painted a glossy red color, while Cobra offers its premium drivers, the Bio Cell and Bio Cell+, in five different colors.

The white SLDR drivers ($399) will be available in lofts of 9.5, 10.5, 12 and 14 degrees with a stock Fujikura Speeder 57 shaft in senior, regular, stiff and x-stiff flexes. They’re currently available for pre-order, and will be available in stores on May 2.

Leadership Change



New Adidas Group North America President Mark King will continue his involvement with the Hack Golf organization he founded, and remain a part of the PGA of America task force dedicated to growing the game of golf.

TaylorMade also announced Thursday morning that CEO Mark King has been appointed President of Adidas Group North America effective June 1. He will be replaced by Ben Sharpe, the current executive vice president of Adidas Golf and Ashworth, and will report to Adidas Group CEO Herbert Hainer.

“Mark King’s appointment underlines our clear commitment to the North American marketplace,” Hainer said. “Mark has a proven track record of success and leadership excellence. In turn, TaylorMade-adidas Golf is in best hands with Ben Sharpe who has been part of the successful TaylorMade leadership team since 2006. I am convinced that Ben will lead our golf business into the next era of growth.”

King started with TaylorMade as a sales rep in the 1980s. He was appointed president of the company in 1999, when sales were $347 million. King has since grown TaylorMade to be the largest and most profitable golf company in the world, with sales of 1.7 billion in 2013.

Sharpe, 40, spent six years as TaylorMade’s managing director in Europe prior to becoming the EVP of Adidas Golf and Ashworth in 2006. As managing director, he doubled the company’s business in the region, and also represented Great Britain in the 2000 Summer Olympic Games as a member of the country’s field hockey team.

“Ben’s business savvy, vision, charisma and competitive drive make him the right man to lead TaylorMade-adidas Golf into the future,” King said “My role on the board will allow me to stay connected with the golf business while focusing my efforts on ensuring adidas Group reaches its full potential in North America.”