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:
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.
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.
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.
