Conforming Driver List – Page 2

TaylorMade SIM2 drivers added to USGA, R&A Conforming Club lists

TaylorMade’s SIM2, SIM2 Max and SIM2 Max D drivers are now legal for play in tournaments and official rounds of golf.

Three new TaylorMade drivers were added to the USGA and R&A’s Conforming Clubs lists on Monday. The yet-to-be-released SIM2, SIM2 Max and SIM2 Max D drivers are all now legal for play in PGA Tour events, European Tour events and any rounds played under the Rules of Golf.

While TaylorMade has not released any details about the new drives, there are some things that we can presume based on images of the clubs on the USGA’s website.

The SIM2 appears to have a similar shape to the original SIM driver that was released in January 2020. It looks like there is a weight in the back of the sole and an asymmetrically-shaped panel that holds it in place. Last season’s driver had a similar piece designed to lower the center of gravity and pull it further back, away from the hitting area, while being more aerodynamic.

We can also see a large slot in the sole, behind the leading edge, labeled Speed Pocket. TaylorMade has been adding slots like this to the bottom of drivers for years to allow the lower portion of the face to flex more efficiently at the moment of impact on low-struck shots.

There is an adjustable hosel mechanism and a weight labeled “High MOI, Low Spin” in the sole’s front. And, while it might be cosmetic, a significant portion of the sole appears to be made from carbon fiber. TaylorMade has used carbon fiber in the crown and panels on the sole for the last few seasons.

In the toe area, we can see a few words, with one being “injected.” TaylorMade has injected material inside its drivers’ heads for two seasons to ensure they are as fast as the game’s governing bodies allow without exceeding characteristic time (CT) limits.

The SIM2 Max appears to be very similarly shaped to the SIM2, but the sole’s weight is slightly more to the heel side, which could encourage a draw bias. Max drivers have been clubs that featured a higher moment of inertia (MOI) and extra stability compared with standard-model drivers in previous seasons.

The weight in the SIM2 Max D is positioned much farther into the heel. Previously, drivers labeled with a D have been significantly draw biased and designed to help golfers who have a slice.

As more details about the SIM2, SIM2 Max and SIM2 Max D drivers become available, Golfweek will report on them.

TaylorMade SIM2, SIM2 Max hit R&A Conforming Club list

The TaylorMade SIM2 and SIM2 Max drivers were spotted on the Conforming Club lists Monday. Here’s what we know about them.

Over the past few weeks, several manufacturers have started to release clubs that will go on sale in 2021. But before they can be used in an official event, each of those clubs has to be tested by the game’s governing bodies. The USGA and the R&A need to be sure they conform to the Rules of Golf. If they do, they get added to Conforming Club lists, which are updated every Monday.

Today, two new TaylorMade drivers were added to the lists, the SIM2 and SIM2 Max.

Officially, TaylorMade has not released any details about the new drivers. However, based on the photos on the R&A’s website, there are a few things that we can tell about them.

SIMilar shape

Last season, TaylorMade released three SIM drivers, and each of them had a uniquely-shaped, asymmetrical sole. The idea was to create a low-and-back center of gravity (CG) position but make the clubs as aerodynamic as possible (SIM stands for shape in motion). The SIM2 and SIM2 Max drivers have a sole design that appears almost identical to the 2020 SIM drivers.

Is that carbon fiber?

TaylorMade may have given the SIM2 and SIM2 Max drivers a woven pattern on the sole, but it appears that most of the sole is now carbon fiber. Removing titanium and opting for carbon fiber would save weight.

No sliding weights

The standard SIM driver used by Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods has a sliding weight that creates a draw or fade bias. Neither the SIM2 nor the SIM2 Max driver appears to have a sliding weight, but they appear to have a small weight near the center of the sole. Written on the weight are the words, “High MOI, Low Spin.”

Speed Pocket slots

TaylorMade has been designing a slot in the sole of drivers for years to protect ball speed on low-struck shots. The company refers to it as a Speed Pocket, and we can not only see the slots running behind the leading edge in the photos, the words Speed Pocket are written on the sole.

Forged aluminum?

Carbon fiber and titanium are materials commonly used in making modern drivers. Still, according to the Conforming Club list, the words “Forged Aluminum” are printed on the back of the heads. While we can’t see those words in the photos, there appears to be a metallic material holding a back weight in the pictures.

Last season, the standard SIM driver was the preferred option for most of TaylorMade’s tour staff because it created a lower ball flight and offered more adjustability. The SIM Max driver was more forgiving and offered more stability on off-center hits. It is unclear if the SIM2 and SIM2 Max drivers will follow the same pattern, but Golfweek will report on it as more information becomes available.

Titleist TSi2, TSi3 drivers on USGA Conforming Driver list

Titleist will begin to seed and fit PGA Tour pros into the new drivers a week before the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. Here’s what we know.

After a driver is tested and prototyped, there is an important hurdle it must clear before it can be used in PGA Tour events or during any round played under the official Rules of Golf. It has to be evaluated for conformance by the U.S. Golf Association and the R&A in St. Andrews, Scotland, then added to the Conforming Driver Head list.

The list continuously is updated by the game’s governing bodies, and on Sunday two new Titleist driver heads were added to the list, the TSi2 and the TSi3.

Titleist has not released either club at retail and is not divulging any details about them, but the company stated that beginning this week at the Silverado Resort in Napa, California, and the Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course in Algarve, Portugal, it will begin the process of fitting staff players and other pros into the new drivers. Those venues are hosting the next PGA Tour and European Tour events.

Here’s what we can tell from the pictures, as well as Ian Poulter’s Instagram account (Poulter is a Titleist staff player):

TSi2

In Titleist’s current driver lineup, the 460-cubic centimeter TS2 driver is designed for golfers that want distance with high stability and maximum forgiveness.

In the photo on the USGA’s website, the TSi2 appears to be longer from front to back than the TSi3. It clearly has an adjustable hosel mechanism that appears to be either the same, or very similar, to the SureFit hosel system that Titleist has used for several seasons. There is a large weight in the back of the sole that likely pulls the center of gravity down and back. All of that matches closely with the TS2 driver.

TSi3

The current 460-cubic centimeter Titleist TS3 driver is designed to appeal to players who want more distance and the ability to fine-tune their ball flight. It has a moveable weight cartridge in the sole, which can help create a draw or a fade bias, that the TS2 lacks.

In the image of the TSi3, the club appears to be slightly shorter front to back than the TSi2, but if it has a taller face – they could have identical volumes.

Like the TSi2, the TSi3 has an adjustable hosel mechanism, but its back section is much more interesting.

There is a sliding mechanism in the back of the head with five settings for what appears to be a moveable weight. While it is difficult to see it clearly in the USGA’s photo, Ian Poulter showed it on social media.

The middle setting is labeled “N,” which most likely stands for neutral. To the toe side, there is a setting labeled “T1” and another labeled “T2.” If those settings shift more weight to the toe side, it would create a fade bias. However, with the moveable weight being farther back in the head than the weight in the TS3, the TSi3 might have a higher moment of inertia and more stability in the fade setting than the current TS3.

To the heel side of the “N,” but there is an “H1” and “H2” setting. Moving more weight to the heel would encourage a draw, and again, with the weight all the way back in the head, the draw setting in the TSi3 could be more stable than the draw setting in the TS3.

Poulter also showed off a Titleist TSi2 fairway wood in his Instagram Story. The club has a back weight, like the driver, and also features a slot in the sole with the letters “ARC” positioned directly behind the leading edge. In previously released Titleist woods, ARC stood for Active Recoil Channel, a technology designed to allow the face of the club to flex efficiently at impact, especially on shots hit low in the hitting area.

The fairway wood also has an adjustable hosel mechanism.

Don’t look for TSi hybrids to be coming soon with the drivers and fairway woods. Titleist releases new hybrids in conjunction with the release of irons. If history is a guide, we’re about a year away from new Titleist irons arriving on the PGA Tour or at retail.

As more details about the new Titleist TSi2 and TSi3 woods become available, Golfweek will bring them to you.

TaylorMade SIM drivers added to USGA and R&A conforming driver lists

While not currently available at retail, TaylorMade’s newest drivers can be played by Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm and Matthew Wolff at Kapalua.

Three yet-to-be-released TaylorMade drivers were added to the USGA and R&A’s conforming driver head lists on Sunday night, the SIM, SIM Max and SIM Max D.

While the drivers are not currently available at retail, being added to the conforming driver head lists is noteworthy because the first PGA Tour event of 2020 starts on Thursday, and only clubs that are on the list are permitted to be used in official competitions. TaylorMade staff pros like Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa can now use one of the three drivers in this week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions at the Kapalua Resort in Hawaii.

TaylorMade has not officially released any information about the new drivers, but based on previously released clubs and the photos taken by the USGA, here are some things we already know:

TaylorMade SIM driver — TaylorMade’s SIM driver. (USGA)

The moveable weight

The SIM driver has what appears to be a single weight in a track system, along with labeled positions marked Draw and Fade. TaylorMade has featured several drivers with moveable weights in the past to allow golfers and fitters to shift the center of gravity position and encourage specific shot shapes.

The SIM Max and SIM Max D do not have the weight track system.

TaylorMade SIM Max driver — TaylorMade’s SIM Max driver. (USGA)

Speed Injected

The words have been placed behind the leading edge of all three drivers, where the sole meets the hitting surface. They could mean several things, but last season’s M5 and M6 drivers could give us a hint. Those drivers were given faces that were made illegally fast, and then a computer-controlled system tested each club and injected tiny amounts of urethane into the heel and toe areas to slow the hitting surface down and make it conforming. TaylorMade called the process Speed Injection and the words Speed Injected were printed in the same spot on those clubs.

Twist Face

You won’t see those words in the photos, but Twist Face is listed as being on the face in the USGA’s identification marking notes. This is a technology that involves pulling the high-toe and low-heel portions of the hitting area back and TaylorMade recently added it to drivers to help golfers hit straighter shots.

TaylorMade SIM Max D driver — TaylorMade’s SIM Max D driver. (USGA)

Adjustable hosel

TaylorMade has been giving its drivers adjustable hosels for years. Typically, they allow players and fitters to increase or decrease the driver’s stated loft by up to 2 degrees.

Max and Max D

Aside from the moveable weight, it’s tough to tell what the differences might be between the SIM, the SIM Max and the SIM Max D, but for the past several seasons, TaylorMade has offered one highly-adjustable driver and one driver that is designed to maximize forgiveness and stability, like the M3 and M4, as well as the M5 and M6. The SIM appears to have more adjustability, so perhaps the SIM Max is designed to be more stable. The SIM Max D, which has a silver-toned piece in the back-heel section, could have a draw bias for golfers who struggle with a slice.

TaylorMade has released new drivers during the first week of January the last two years, so official word on these clubs may be coming soon. Golfweek will report all the details as they become available.