Starting in early December, there were whisperings on social media that TaylorMade was going to release something very different in 2022. There were blurry photos here and there, but then the company submitted the Stealth driver to the USGA and R&A, who tested them and added them to the Conforming Driver lists, making the Stealth drivers legal for play in official competitions.
Shortly after that, Tiger Woods used a Stealth driver and 3-wood at the PNC Championship, and equipment junkies took notice. The face of the driver was red and the sole plate on the 3-wood looked different.
On Monday, TaylorMade released three Stealth drivers, two Stealth fairway woods, two Stealth Rescue clubs and the Stealth irons.
For the past several seasons, TaylorMade has produced some of the most popular drivers in golf. The M3, M4, M5 and M6 were hits, as were the original SIM and last year’s SIM2 drivers. But while golfers such as Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa played those titanium-faced clubs, along with an army of recreational golfers, TaylorMade designers worked on a different concept on which they started in 2000, when Morikawa was just 3 years old.
With the release of the new Stealth Plus+, Stealth and Stealth HD drivers, TaylorMade believes it is entering a new phase in driver development, saying goodbye to titanium faces and hello to carbon fiber.
Here is everything you need to know about the new Stealth drivers:
Three weeks before the PGA Tour resumes in Hawaii, two new TaylorMade drivers have been deemed legal for play. Discover what we know.
Three weeks before the first PGA Tour event of 2022, the USGA and R&A have added the TaylorMade Stealth and Stealth Plus+ drivers to their Conforming Driver lists, making them legal for play in official events.
TaylorMade has not officially released information on either club, but if history is a guide, we can expect them to be launched in early January as the game’s best players return to action in Hawaii after a holiday break.
The USGA Conforming Driver list provides only a few visual details about the clubs, but they are interesting.
First, the word “Carbonwood” has been printed on the sole of both the Stealth and Stealth Plus. For years TaylorMade, like many manufacturers, has referred to drivers, fairway woods and hybrids as metalwoods. TaylorMade has used carbon fiber in the crown and pieces of the sole in drivers for years, so adding carbonwood infers that this driver is something different in TaylorMade’s eyes.
TaylorMade Stealth driver (USGA)
The USGA’s description states that the words “60X Carbon Twist Face” have been added to the face of the clubs. It is not clear to what the 60X carbon refers, but Twist Face is a technology that debuted in TaylorMade’s 2018 M3 and M4 drivers. It bends back the high-toe and low-heel portions of the hitting area to encourage the most common mis-hits to fly straighter.
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The overall shape of the Stealth and Stealth Plus+ drivers is similar to the SIM and SIM2 shape we have seen the past two years, with what appears to be a fixed weight positioned in the back of an asymmetrical sole piece. The sole’s shape is designed to be more aerodynamic, while the added weight in the SIM and SIM2 drivers helped boost the moment of inertia for increased stability.
TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ driver (USGA)
Both drivers have an adjustable hosel mechanism and Speed Pocket slot positioned behind the leading edge. TaylorMade has used Speed Pockets in the past to reduce spin and protect ball speed on low-struck shots. The Stealth Plus+ also has a 10-gram moveable weight in a channel behind the Speed Pocket. We have seen moveable weight designs like this from TaylorMade in the past, but last season’s SIM2 drivers lacked a moveable weight. Bringing it back should allow golfers and fitters to increase the draw or fade bias of the club.
According to the USGA description, the Stealth is available in 8, 9, 10.5 and 12-degree versions, while the Stealth Plus+ was tested in 8, 9 and 10.5-degree versions.
Gear: TaylorMade 300 Series Mini driver Price: $399.99 with Mitsubishi MiDr Proto shaft and Golf Pride Z-Grip Specs: Titanium body and face with carbon-fiber crown. Available in lofts of 11.5 and 13.5 degrees only Available: July 15
In 2000, TaylorMade released the original 300 Series driver family, a set of metalwoods that proved popular with pros and recreational golfers alike. Ten years later, the company was at the forefront of the fairway wood revolution with RocketBallz, a club that helped usher in an era of fairway woods with faces that were nearly as springy as a driver’s face. Today, TaylorMade announced that it brings several features of those two clubs together in the new 300 Series Mini driver.
Think of it as a fairway wood on steroids for accomplished golfers and players who want more accuracy off the tee while sacrificing as little distance as possible.
TaylorMade’s SIM2 drivers have an aerodynamic shape, distance-enhancing face along with carbon fiber in the crown and sole.
Gear: TaylorMade SIM2, SIM2 Max, SIM2 Max D drivers Price: $629.99 with Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw Blue, Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX, Mitsubishi Kuro Kage Silver, Fujikura Ventus Blue or Fujikura Air Speeder shaft and Golf Pride Z-Grip Specs: Titanium, aluminum and carbon-fiber chassis with adjustable hosel Available: Feb. 19
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In 2020, TaylorMade retired the M family and debuted three SIM drivers. The name is an acronym for “Shape in Motion,” a new philosophy embraced by the company’s designers that stresses better aerodynamic for more clubhead speed, along with a low and back center of gravity for enhanced stability and forgiveness. Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and a host of other players quickly added a SIM driver to their bag in early 2020.
For 2021, TaylorMade updated those clubs with the release of the SIM2, SIM2 Max and SIM2 Max D drivers.
As with their predecessors, the SIM2 drivers have an aerodynamic shape and a large weight in the back of the sole that TaylorMade calls an Inertia Generator. It is asymmetrical to allow air to move more efficiently across the sole on the downswing, yet still pulls the center of gravity down and back to create a higher launch.
The Inertia Generator in the back of the SIM2 pulls the center of gravity down and back. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Many golfers who are familiar with last season’s SIM driver will notice there is not a moveable weight in the new SIM2, but the biggest difference between the two clubs is really the multi-material construction and how TaylorMade used it to create more discretionary weight.
The SIM2 drivers feature a six-layer carbon crown that weighs only 11 grams. The sole is now also made from carbon fiber, a nine-layer piece, and it weighs only 12 grams. Finally, instead of designing the back of the chassis using titanium, TaylorMade made it with a forged aluminum ring that internally clips to the front of the head.
The SIM2 driver has a larger carbon fiber crown that last season’s SIM. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
In essence, TaylorMade has removed as much weight as possible from the top and middle of the club, where it does nothing to enhance performance, and shifted it to the front and the back
To enhance ball speed, the inner-facing side of the titanium hitting area is now CNC-milled to ensure it is made to the tightest manufacturing tolerances possible. TaylorMade also added a Speed Pocket slot in the sole to protect ball speed on low-struck shots and Twist Face to help golfers hit straighter drives. However, the SIM2 has just one port (in the toe) where the resin material is injected into the head instead of the two ports in the face, as with last season’s SIM drivers. Finally, all three SIM2 drivers have an adjustable hosel that allows players and fitters to increase or decrease the stated loft by as many as 2 degrees.
All three SIM2 drivers are 460 cubic centimeters in volume, but there are subtle differences between them. The standard SIM2 is the lowest-spinning option and produces the lowest launch. It has a larger face than last season’s SIM and a higher moment of inertia thanks to a 16-gram weight in the Inertia Generator, so it also should be more forgiving.
The TaylorMade SIM2 Max driver. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The SIM2 Max has a 24-gram weight, which helps make it the most stable and most forgiving of the SIM2 drivers. It produces about 200-300 rpm more spin than the standard SIM2 but should resist twisting more effectively on off-center hits.
The TaylorMade SIM2 Max D driver. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Finally, for golfers who battle a slice, the SIM2 Max D has its Inertia Generator designed more to the heel side, so the face should close more easily on the downswing to reduce sidespin. However, because its 22-gram weight is still all the way at the back of the sole, TaylorMade said the draw bias does not come at the expense of forgiveness.
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.
TaylorMade SIM2 driver (USGA)
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.
TaylorMade SIM2 Max driver. (USGA)
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.
TaylorMade SIM2 Max D driver. (USGA)
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.
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.
Dustin Johnson using a TaylorMade SIM driver at the 2020 Tour Championship.(Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports)
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.
Billy Horschel is no longer sponsored by PXG. The PGA Tour pro is now testing new equipment.
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ORLANDO – The target was a man about 400 yards away who was wearing a green shirt. Billy Horschel wanted his tee shot to finish in line with the unsuspecting man, and after a brief chat with swing guru Todd Anderson, Horschel slowly took his driver back, reached the top of his backswing and made a powerful move down to the ball. It rocketed into the steamy Florida sky, which at 10 a.m. was heating up quickly.
Horschel, who enters this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge ranked No. 35 on the Official World Golf Ranking, liked what he saw. That’s important, because Horschel broke ties with his sponsor, PXG, on Feb. 24 and became a free agent in the equipment world. Starting last week, the PXG logos on his hat and bag were gone, and that drive he hit Wednesday morning was with a new TaylorMade SIM driver.
“My team and I are always looking at how we can get better,” Horschel told Golfweek after his pro-am Wednesday. “At our level, the leaps and bounds are not as big as they are for recreational golfers and it can be hard to find that little quarter-shot or half-shot that we’re looking to improve. Over a little time, my team and I discussed it and felt there may be some possibilities with some other equipment that could help us improve my game.”
In addition to the TaylorMade driver, Horschel has been testing Titleist Vokey Design SM8 wedges this week. He plans to continue using his PXG irons and the Ping putter he has used for most of the last two seasons.
Billy Horschel’s golf bag at Bay Bill, with a TaylorMade driver, PXG irons and a Ping putter (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Pros change gear all the time. Putters come and go, new shafts are tested almost weekly and prototype clubs are often made available months before they show up at retail. What makes Horschel’s move unique is it comes just a week before the Players Championship and a month before the season’s first major, the 2020 Masters.
“I would rather have done this a couple of weeks ago,” Horschel said. But he added that making equipment changes now has some advantages too. This week he is playing his ninth consecutive Arnold Palmer Invitational, so he knows Bay Hill well. And next week at Pete Dye’s Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, Horschel will be enjoying a home game.
“The Players is my home, I know that track and I’m comfortable with it,” said Horschel, who lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Since turning pro in 2009, Horschel, 33, has never been an equipment free agent. He signed a deal with Ping immediately after he finished at the University of Florida and moved to PXG in 2016.
When reached for comment, a PXG representative texted, “Billy has been a tremendous partner for the company since joining the PXG Troops in 2016. We are pleased and proud to have had him on staff and wish him nothing but the best in this new chapter.”
Horschel is not a fan of testing gear at PGA Tour events because there are a lot of distractions, but having access to all the club brands, shaft manufacturers and accessories makers in one place makes it convenient.
“Ideally, I’d be doing this stuff at home,” Horschel said. “I’ll do that going forward, but the driver testing is so crucial and you can do so much so quickly here with shafts and heads. Plus, these are all companies that I’ve never worked with before.”
Time will tell if Horschel’s gamble pays off. As the highest-ranked play in the PXG stable, he was paid well, but several golfers who play without equipment contracts have won recent major championships, including Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed.
“My team and I said, ‘Hey, if we can get something for Augusta that could possibly help us put on a green jacket, let’s not hesitate to do that.’ ”
Continuing a tradition, Rory McIlroy has given a key club he used to win the Players Championship to TPC Sawgrass for permanent display.
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Some of golf’s traditions are well known, like the caddie of the winner of the Masters being given bib number one the following year at the tournament. Other traditions are more subtle and less-known by the public, like the winner of The Players Championship being given a parking spot right in front of the clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass.
With just a week to go before the 2020 Players Championship, Rory McIlroy, the winner of last season’s tournament, is continuing one of the event’s traditions: donating a club that was critical for the champion’s success to the tournament.
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The driver McIlroy donated is a 9-degree TaylorMade M5 fitted with a Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX shaft. McIlroy used that club throughout 2019 and finished the season ranked No. 1 in strokes gained off the tee (1.195) and No. 2 in driving distance (313.5 yards).
McIlroy has not used the club in 2020, opting instead to use 10.5-degree TaylorMade SIM driver.
The SIM drivers combine improved aerodynamics, a carbon fiber crown and speed-enhancing face technologies to help you hit better tee shots.
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Gear: TaylorMade SIM, SIM Max, SIM Max D drivers Price: SIM: $549.99 with Mitsubishi Diamana S Limited or Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green shaft and Golf Pride Tour Z grip. SIM Max and SIM Max D: $499.99 Specs: Carbon-fiber crown and toe section with urethane-injected titanium face, moveable weight (SIM) and adjustable hosel. 45.75 inches standard. Available in 8, 9 and 10.5 degrees (SIM); 9, 10.5 and 12 degrees (SIM Max, SIM Max D) Available: Feb. 7
Golfers want maximum performance from a driver but typically demand the club looks a certain way, and to some degree that handcuffs designers. However, by using different materials in strategic ways and tweaking the shape in places that golfers do not see when they play, TaylorMade believes its new SIM family of drivers will pass the eye test of discerning players and deliver enhanced speed, more forgiveness and better accuracy off the tee.
To create more speed, TaylorMade did three things to improve the aerodynamic qualities of the SIM drivers (SIM stands for shape in motion). First, the carbon-fiber crown’s height was elevated so air that slides over the topline stays close, which improves efficiency. Second, the back of the sole swoops upward more sharply, also to improve airflow efficiency.
The shape of the SIM drive has been made more aerodynamic to help create more clubhead speed. (TaylorMade)
The final piece of the equation was adding a keel to hold a weight in the back of the sole. The weight boosts the moment of inertia and makes the club more stable on off-center hits. And instead of extending it perpendicular to the face, which would punish the club aerodynamically, it was made asymmetrically and tilts toward the toe.
The sole plate of the SIM driver is asymmetrical, pointing slightly toward the toe, for better aerodynamics. (TaylorMade)
Why? On the downswing, a driver’s face twists and turns as it gets closer to the ball, so TaylorMade took prototype drivers to a 20-foot-high wind tunnel in San Diego and tested them to discover exactly how much angle and tilt would allow the keel to slip through the air more easily in key areas and help golfers maximize speed.
Speed Injected Twist Face
To get the most out of the extra speed, TaylorMade gave the SIM drivers a Speed Injected Twist Face, as with last season’s M5 and M6 drivers. The face peels back slightly in the high-toe and low-heel areas to help golfers hit the ball straighter.
The SIM drivers feature an inner chamber that contains urethane that slows the face and makes it legal for play. (TaylorMade)
Each driver’s hitting area is also made to produce more ball speed than allowed by golf’s rules, and each face is tested by a computer after it is attached to the head. At that point the system injects a small amount of urethane into the heel and toe areas, adds tiny screws to keep it in place and re-tests how much ball speed the club produces. The urethane slows the face down to the USGA and R&A’s precise coefficient of restitution limit, making it legal for play while ensuring maximum springiness and speed.
Difference between SIM, SIM Max
While all the SIM drivers have an adjustable hosel that allows players and fitters to increase or decreases the club’s stated loft by as many as 2 degrees, only the 460cc SIM driver has a moveable weight that can create a draw or a fade bias.
TaylorMade SIM Max driver. (TaylorMade)
TaylorMade said the SIM will be ideal for most golfers, but for players who want even more stability, the company is offering the SIM Max. It also has a 460cc head featuring a carbon-fiber crown, an aerodynamic shape and an adjustable hosel, but it also has more weight in the back to boost moment of inertia.
TaylorMade SIM Max D driver. (TaylorMade)
The SIM Max also lacks a moveable weight, and it has extra internal mass in the heel area to create more of a draw bias.
