I think that the forgiveness factor is going to be a huge piece. Especially for the weekend golfer who may not have a ton of time to spend at the range, the leniency of a driver that offers forgiveness without sacrificing distance could be a huge selling point.
I wasn't expecting it to be much of an improvement, but it does seem to be. Not in speed, but in spin. From all the reviews I've seen it seems to have a very small, consistent spin window. I think that will help the average golfer more than the Pro. I've seen a lot of players hit good drives 280 or more with 2200 spin then 245-250 with 3500 spin. If the low and heal strike spins 2700 max compared to 3500 + it should really help.
The thing that scares me is the technology of softball and collegiate baseball bats that use carbon fiber. They have a break in period and the carbon fiber starts to soften giving it the trampoline effect when it hits the sweet spot of BREAK IN . Then once it goes past that sweet spot you get a rapid deterioration of that bounce.
Third video I've watched on this club and I'm seeing a trend: Low, consistent spin Better Dispersion IMO, that's a marked improvement. I don't know how much more distance we can get form the head of the driver but making them consistent and forgiving is the route. Had I not gotten a fitting last year, Id probably buy one of these but ill get one in 2023 lol
I've watched 2 other reviews on the stealth and it's some what the same. The big difference is how it looks at address. Its fun to see the opinions of other golfers. But yours is the one that makes sense to me. Thank you Pete
I’ve been swinging the SIM Max for two years and it’s the 5th Taylormade driver I’ve owned. I personally haven’t had many problems with lack of forgiveness from the SIM Max. It’s by far the best driver I’ve ever owned. I use to have the Cobra F8 and yes that club can hit absolute bombs but that’s a driver with almost no forgiveness (even though many people claimed it did) swung the SIM 2, couldn’t tell a big enough difference to spend the money for it. Especially that I already had the SIM Max dialed for me. I think the stealth looks nice, but I feel the SIM’s series is still elite compared to other top brand drivers.
Just got my Sim2 Max for Christmas. Was broken hearted seeing a new Driver released by Taylormade. After seeing your video I don't feel so bad. I am a high handicap and will take any help that I can get. Each of these Drivers are some of the best help someone like me can find.
Sim to this maybe not but M5/6 or later versions......it makes sense. What I love about TM is that the fitting sleeve is still the same so I can run my favorite shafts into this without an issue. I have the Diamana and the Autoflex with this custom Stealth Plus coming with the Ventus once the customization gets applied and shipped. We will see ! Three wood was a big upgrade for me from the Titleist 917F2
Interesting new driver from TM. I bought a (fitted) SIM2 last year and saw a great improvement on my 10 year old driver, From everything I am reading, improvements year by year are very small so unless your swing has changed dramatically my feeling is it is not worth looking at replacing a new driver for at least 5 years. I think there might be some amazing deals on SIM and SIM2 drivers out there soon.
Yea I wouldn't worry about it unless a new driver gave you less spin or increased forgiveness. Those sim drivers are serious so you're definitely squeezing your max out of it.
Definitely interested in the longevity of the new stealth. Are we talking a year before the face caves in or is it going to be as durable as a titanium driver
@@lburwell99 yea but that’s like a poly coating. If anything I’m thinking that coating will eventually peel/tear. But will the face hold is the real question. Either way I’m happy for the release, because I just bought a used sim2 in great condition for 270
Great review Pete! Just notice your Walter Peyton doll on your desk! I’m from Illinois and a die hard Bears fan, so really appreciate that! Keep it up Pete!!
Pete with the best review I've seen yet... "It's a good starting point" are words to live by in regards to going stealth off the tee. The Stealth 2 is going to be awesome!!!
Great review Pete. I think the fact that they've done something so new and it's already comparable, and even marginally better than an established technology, on such a fundamental aspects of the club, is really impressive. That said, are we ready to be the early adopters and pay €600+ for the privilege? Hmmm
Having bought the sim2 max D 3 months ago , I won't be rushing out for a stealth!! What I would say though, is that it would be good for 90% of club golfers if you tested the 'D' drivers more ,as that is the model most mid+ handicappers should be going for.
Great insight into the evolution of the TM drivers. I loved the look of the SIM driver too, but hated the lack of forgiveness particularly in shots off the toe (is that twist face not working for in to out swings?). So after years of playing TM drivers, I swapped out for a Callaway Epic Speed which is so much more forgiving. Not sure Stealth will bring me back to TM, maybe next year? 😎
Bag it. Improvement is Improvement. A little is a little. A lot is a lot. At your level I think you've done most of the things that would be considered big gains. I feel like as long as there's not a trade-off or sacrifice from another aspect of your game and you can grab just a little more it's the way to go, i.e. Vice golf balls. Not a huge stride but every little bit helps. Thanks for taking us along.
I really like the look of the stealth driver the black and red combo is very striking to me. but the sim2 was also a very nice looking driver especially with the way you could customise the colour of it. TM are always the ones to beat when it comes to drivers and other brands are playing catch up all the time
Oh it's been a while but here I am Mr Finch. Great job reviewing this amazing club. It looks so classic yet so unique I will say that. Definitely try putting it in your bag and seeing how you do with it. Hopefully you and Rick can have a head-to-head soon in the future who knows. God bless you sir
Petition for TM to make a Stealth X edition, with a brighter red face and insanely different sound - really lean-in to it being different, like Pete was saying. The looks of the Sim2 are wayyyyy out there compared to other clubs, and it was a hit - so why not roll with that on the new gen? Great review, I’m at least going to put the stealth plus up against my RADspeed when I get the chance. The option of a slider to adjust pre-round based on my flight pattern of the day is appealing, and I’m a sucker for carbon fiber. 🤷🏼♂️ #JammyDriver
@@AlexSteenOlsen no, I love the sim2 looks - I’m saying that visually it’s very different than what it’s competitors have to offer. In fact, even with the stealth releasing, the Sim2 is still my favorite driver looks-wise of all time.
You mention adjusting the slider 'pre-round'....are you saying that you cannot adjust it during the round? Same would go for loft adjustments....not allowed once you begin play?
@@recoilrob324 as far as I’m aware, it’s against the USGA rules to modify your clubs mid-round. Granted, no one is gonna stop you from doing it unless you’re playing an official round or a tourney etc..
I snapped my ping g5 driver a couple weeks ago and have been using my dads old 1998 callaway big bertha so i think this will be a suitable upgrade and i love that red face!
I was lucky when I was out buying a new iron set and driver, a guy from Taylormade were there showing off the driver. It looks absolutely beautiful. I love the head front, but I still prefer the color scheme of the old driver
If you have an original M2, there is no sense in buying a new driver. Same with the 5 and 3 wood. Those are the best woods ever and still hold up today.
@@el_duderino_man I own and played the M2 for 5 years because nothing could beat it. I did make the change last year to the Callaway Max LS - it was the first driver I demoed that could beat it - by beating it, I mean it has a larger sweet spot - specifically in the Toe - moving the slidable weight very slightly into the toe makes the Max LS just a better driver than the M2 - the original Sim could be longer, but it's so low spinning that misses are brutal
Owned an M5 Tour, SIM and now an M3 and TSI3 but the sound was the only defining characteristic of any of them. The M3 is loud. M5 was sweet like the TSi and the SIM was much the same but the SIM felt completely dead off the higher part of the head. But paired with an Oban Kiyoshi white it was one of the best drivers I ever used. So much so that I’m selling my TSi to get it back lol
I think I'll be sticking with my SIM. Did like the look of the new one, but also agree, if you're going to make the face red then go bold. I also prefer some more definition between the crown and the face like the have on both SIM and SIM2 models.
thanks for the review, especially talking about toe hits. im a feel player with scratch handicap and hate all the data you can look at that ultimately dont matter when it comes to hitting a drive on the course.... its nice to finally see what i thought i felt in the sim with the occasional toe hit actually be significantly bad and they addressed it in the stealth some it seems.
Reeeally happy to see the Sim/2/Stealth+ comparison, rather than only the Stealth+. Looks like they essentially took the distances of the Sims, and mixed it with Ping's forgiveness/consistency? Or is that overselling it's forgiveness? Gotta take a hard look at the old F9 in my bag now...
Out of all of the reviews that come out on the same day, you're the best. I sure wish Taylormade had made the new drivers flashy enough for you! Cheers!
Interesting to see how this fairs in the coming months. I have an old Nike ignite 10.5 degree driver and undecided on my next driver! #JammyDriver #TaylorsMadeJam
@@Gattuso_Golf I switched to a g425max from a Titlelist D910. Longer off the tee(I think due to shaft differences. I am not a stiff flex for driver for now) but way more forgiving
Thanks Pete, that is the most comprehensive review of the new Stealth Driver I have seen so far and the comparison with the previous SIM & SIM2 models make it the most useful for consumers. Also, the lack of marketing BS hype is refreshing. The bottom line is that because of the Performance limitations laid down by the USGA and R&A, the new driver can't be that much better than the previous models despite having a face made out of Carbon Fibre. The big question for me is how long will that Nano face material covering the face last? Because without it you are going a struggle to maintain consistent Spin rates across the face.
Personally think the red face makes the Stealth driver look really cheap. Like something you’d get from a Supermarket set. Interesting to see how many people go for it though and move away from the norm.
Was between the Stealth and Sim2 but then I stumbled across the SIM2 BLUE which is a model currently selling exclusively on Taylormade's website that has a black crown border instead of white. IMO it's the best looking driver Taylormade has on the market at the moment, and arguably still better overall than the Stealth. I wanted to like the Stealth so much, but the weird rubber feeling face combined with the red bbq grill face graphic just didn't provide me the confidence I was looking for in a driver head visually. So I went with the Sim2 Blue and I have had no regrets. Titanium ftw..
I said this during the PNC and people thought I was crazy, but, If Tiger Woods can consistently carry a ball 282 yds with a bad right leg and a years worth of rust on his game with this club, then imagine what it could do for the consistency of your mid-handicapper... It might not be a world beater, but for some, it could be a game changer.
I was never really a big fan of taylormade, until I a tried sim2 past summer & did like it. The new stealth looks great imo love the black to red & love even more the clean looks & finally a face that doesn’t get ugly in ball marks.
om the sound of the club my first thought was "ooo maybe it will have a more old school wood driver sound". i really like that nice THWACK you get too bad it sounds like it does
Great to see a review I can trust Peter, currently using the original sim and waiting for a fitting session in the new stealth [mainly to check out different shaft options and to get away from the unforgiving off centre shots] I can understand your disappointment regarding the muted red I too was hoping for fire engine red, I will be considering the cobalt blue option 😁😁 my main concern for the new design is durability over a couple of years it’s a lot to lose if you cannot get anything back when you upgrade. Keep up the good work 👍👋
Sound still seems to be a bit "dead" compared to a titanium driver, but as someone that thinks the titanium sounds tinny, I think it is a nice correction. #jammydriver
I hated the sim for the muted sound... I got fit for the stealth and bought it... it is different for sure... but for a picky guy like me it was a good different
Yonex did fully carbon woods back in the early 90s, and I read somewhere that McGregor created what Callaway call 'Jailbreak' also back then. Maybe the trend will be integrating old tech into newer club designs over the next few years.
Nice review, what I’ve gleaned from all the reviews, is that the new face is significantly lighter, meaning the redistribution of weight means the whole club face is more consistent. This is a huge plus, for a low spin driver! Will stick with the original SIM. Not a big fan, of the red club face, TBH!
A buddy said and I agree, the Stealth is obviously a bite on the Nike Covert drivers and Tiger of course adopted right away and the face looks so strange (almost like straight out of R&D department) but if the results are the same then who's to argue or complain about it. Switched to the Callaway Epic Max LS and have been loving the forgiveness for off center hits. Still doesn't help with the occasional topper for 50 yards though. :D
I played 9 holes with the standard stealth yesterday and it blew me away i have a very slow swing speed around 90 mph and the ball just flew my pkaying buddy said i hit some of the best drives he has ever sern me do as i dont regard myself as a good driver player at all i tend to sway towards 3 wood off the tee this will be going in my bag this season
Unfortunately TM was not the first to bring the Carbon Face driver, as Callaway released a bomber of a driver 2 decades ago in the Callaway C4. That club sounded amazing coming off the face- like a shotgun blast 💥 and went a mile! Great comparison vid though, exactly the info I was looking for!
Good review Peter. If the red colour was more vibrant and popped it would be hard to call the driver Stealth 😁. It is great to see all the newclubz that come out but the cost of all of them is an issue for me and I suspect many others of my age, now I am retired my sole income is from my state pension and here in NZ the cost of this driver would be more than 2 weeks income so really the new clubs are out of reach of many senior golfers. My current driver is an RBZ which I have always been pleased with following my previous R580 and I wonder what sort of gain, if any, I would get from a current model driver.
Great video and interesting new club. I have to say, I really liked the subdued sound when struck. What you mentioned, but didn't put numbers to, was the performance on mishits. I would have liked to see the circles on the screen to show the dispersion to get a better idea of what the club did than the average numbers really tell us.
Great video as always Peter! However I will say the way all these new drivers look makes me very glad I bought a Mizuno ST180 online last year. I love my blue driver and I wish there was more individuality in how they made drivers look.
Selfishly, please stick the stealth in your bag. I’m in the driver market and I want to see exteneded tests before cooughing up for much cash! Great review!
Hi I am hopeless with Drivers so use an M2 3 Wood -no driver ! I have an ancient Yonex ADX Carbon Headed and faced Driver! I keep it for sentimental reaso ns and to be honest it's still in one piece and hits fairly ok - though I have read about cracks in face in other peoples experience. I liked it and kinda thought other manufacturers would follow up and improve the technology ! Maybe TM have achieved this goal! Worth a look I suppose - that is if you can hit drivers !
Good review Pete…it looks good, only TM Marketing thought it would make a big difference I guess. Really interesting points on the consistency of it vs the others though especially Sim original 👍👍👍
Nice comparison Pete. Generally this looks to perform well. Negatives for me though, it does look a bit dull on the top (didn’t care for SIM 1&2 look either thought tbf) but don’t mind the red face. However, much like other companies basically £500 for a driver is just crazy. Just been fit for and purchased a PXG 0811 Gen 4 driver AND hybrid…£510 for both…that’s good value and I doubt much difference in performance. Never had PXG before so not a fan boy and moved from Ping G425 in both. Still have a white TM burner 3W in the bag which I still love. Everything going up in the world atm energy, fuel etc so it’s nice to get value where we can….
Pete, Great video as usual. Two things I noticed ... aside from the red face on the driver. Beautiful rainbow at about 2:48 and ... Check out the Walter Payton bobble head! .... I grew up in Chicago in the 1970's and 1980's and Walter Payton was my (and everyone else in Chicago's) hero. Nice video, brother. 2 thumbs up.
COR or speed off the clubface is limited. All drivers have been there for many years which is why you see very little difference in performance between brands. The only gains to be made are in optimizing launch and spin characteristics and retaining speed on off centre hits. If you're getting fit you should go in knowing your optimum launch and spin for your swing speed and pick the driver the feels best and gets you closest to those numbers.
Why would I pay $780 in Canada for the driver AND $860 for a 3w and 5w plus sales tax ($1850 total) if I'm not getting an extra 20 yards or more? Instead I paid $1000 for 3 clubs from PXG which included tax and delivery! Got a 0811x driver, a 0341 3w and 5w. All 3 were ordered with a Riptide 60g counterbalanced shaft. As a 13 hdcp I feel these clubs will be just as good as the TM clubs. The savings will cover about 75% of the price for a set of Takomo 101 irons and four Skyforger wedges.
I have a number of driver shafts I have been trying over the past year and put them in one of two Sim Max or one of two Sim Max 2 heads I have. I do find a difference from shaft to shaft but no difference between my 10.5 deg Sim Max to my 10.5 deg Sim Max 2 heads. I have ordered the Stealth with the new Mitsu Fubuki V 40g shaft and will put that in the mix and in a few months we will see if the head makes any difference.
I absolutely loved the Rainbow that appeared while hitting the driver, far more than the actual driver! TaylorMade has, to me anyways, gone away from fantastic professional looking clubs, to gimmicks and ridiculous looking crap, and that's why I haven't bought any of there clubs for several years now.
8yards extra carry could be crucial when trying to fly over trouble ie bunkers cutting corners and WATER etc so don’t underestimate the carry advantage!!
I've never found a TM driver that matched the R5 TP I could hit that down the centre of an alley, been on a hunt ever since. I do like the M5, buddy has one and it works fairly well.
Sound - the head is the resonator. While face does change sound, the head is more responsible for that. There will probably be more difference with the weight track as that should deaden the sound, more so even than with a metal face.
Sounds like the carbon face is the preferred river in wet conditions when you will get little roll out anyway, but the SIMS are the go-to for dryer conditions.
They’ve been using carbon in baseball and softball bats for two decades now, until most leagues made carbon illegal, but not for saving weight but because you can make them way hotter than you can aluminum, but my question is this, in leagues where they are still legal they outlaw them after being used a certain amount or after a certain amount of time, and in fact the term “rolling” a bat is just putting it in a machine that bangs it up, which is illegal, I played highschool ball with a graphite bat but they were illegal in the conference I played in throughout college, but while I did use them I never used one in a game till I had spent time hitting it against a tree, it loosens up the carbon and the bat gets a lot hotter, one cool thing is the older your bat is the better, so you don’t want a new one till your old ones been declared illegal and In fact you watch the ncaa womens softball tournament where they still use carbon bats you’ll notice they all use the oldest version possible and some teams even the exact same bat so everyone’s hitting with it and making it hotter faster, so my question is will this stealth driver get hotter the more it’s used similar to a baseball or softball bat made of carbon? Again, this happens with carbon as the woven material it’s made of loosens through being hit with..
I asked this question on Rick's video as well but I'm curious if with the carbon face of the golf club works like a carbon baseball bat? where the more you use it and the resin in the carbon breaks down you get more of a trampoline effect off the face of the baseball bat. So the more you use it the further the ball will actually go. I am curious if the golf club will react the same way where the more you use it You will actually get more distance?
Potentially. I know that even titanium club faces can gain speed through “thinning” after being hit a lot. The only way of knowing for sure is to keep hitting it I suppose…so that’s what I’ll do 😅
Great video but I’ve already got Taylor made sim and as a senior golfer I’d need a miracle to gain any yards so spending £480 on a new driver don’t think I’ll bother 👍
Great review Peter. Given that it looks like it's going to Retail at AUD$1000.00 and the minimal if any improvement seen in reviews of this driver that I have seen so far Taylormade can keep it. The new Callaway Rogue looks awesome and if Callaway don't get greedy and keep the price right they will kick Taylormades arse. Let's see. Just based on the reviews and price point Taylormade can stick the Stealth.
In your hands Peter being a PGA Pro it was doubtful whether you was going to see massive gains. 1 yard is obviously nothing. However for amateurs like me who plays the original sim and does notice the drop off of distance with off centre hits the Stealth is probably a good bet. Bear in mind most amateur golfers forgetting the low handicappers of course don't find the middle of the driver often enough. It was a good comparison though from a Professional point of view
OK, as a Bears fan, that little Walter Payton Funko Pop just rocks....great review as well, it is a really good driver, but not much of an upgrade over last years is good to know, and pretty much what I heard a couple others say as well. Granted my driver is like 12 years old, so probably a huge upgrade for me if I can swing it this year. :)
Not a fan of any Taylormade drivers since the M6 came out. The shape of their heads doesn’t suit my swing. The club face is wide, but short top to bottom. I end up hitting sky balls more frequently with these head designs because of how I have to tee the ball up. I don’t have that issue on older TM drivers, or any other club brand. It was so bad that I traded my brand new M6 for a 2015 Cobra King Ltd.
wish there was more to the review. almost like when he picks between drivers for his bag for the new season. would have loved to see a spreadsheet with all the data to see.
I really love you're being so honest about this , I think if you look at even the last 5 years that are not many revolutionary drivers in terms of performance.. I know you did a H2H test with the M1 against the SIM drivers and I'm pretty sure you can still stack them against eachother comfortably. Also not really a fan of the SIM drivers as I look at them sort of like a finely tuned racing car , lovely when you do everything right, but they bite your head off if you get it wrong :D
The consistency with your swing was exceptional and made the test. I have the Sim2 driver and will be sticking with it this year.
I think that the forgiveness factor is going to be a huge piece. Especially for the weekend golfer who may not have a ton of time to spend at the range, the leniency of a driver that offers forgiveness without sacrificing distance could be a huge selling point.
I wasn't expecting it to be much of an improvement, but it does seem to be. Not in speed, but in spin. From all the reviews I've seen it seems to have a very small, consistent spin window. I think that will help the average golfer more than the Pro. I've seen a lot of players hit good drives 280 or more with 2200 spin then 245-250 with 3500 spin. If the low and heal strike spins 2700 max compared to 3500 + it should really help.
The thing that scares me is the technology of softball and collegiate baseball bats that use carbon fiber.
They have a break in period and the carbon fiber starts to soften giving it the trampoline effect when it hits the sweet spot of BREAK IN . Then once it goes past that sweet spot you get a rapid deterioration of that bounce.
Third video I've watched on this club and I'm seeing a trend:
Low, consistent spin
Better Dispersion
IMO, that's a marked improvement. I don't know how much more distance we can get form the head of the driver but making them consistent and forgiving is the route. Had I not gotten a fitting last year, Id probably buy one of these but ill get one in 2023 lol
I've watched 2 other reviews on the stealth and it's some what the same. The big difference is how it looks at address. Its fun to see the opinions of other golfers. But yours is the one that makes sense to me. Thank you Pete
Nice work as always Peter and loving the insta engagement too. Can’t wait for that fake Peter Finch to tell me I’ve won! JammyDriver
He’s telling everyone else, I’d feel disappointed to be left out
Sorry I have just been told I won by the real Peters finches. Sent my card details so he can send the driver 💪 now #jammydriver
The real Mr Peters Finches Golfers! You are so Jammy!
WTF???? Seems legit yeah!
Love fake Peter, it's like having a friend when I get that notification of a reply to my comment.
I’ve been swinging the SIM Max for two years and it’s the 5th Taylormade driver I’ve owned. I personally haven’t had many problems with lack of forgiveness from the SIM Max. It’s by far the best driver I’ve ever owned. I use to have the Cobra F8 and yes that club can hit absolute bombs but that’s a driver with almost no forgiveness (even though many people claimed it did) swung the SIM 2, couldn’t tell a big enough difference to spend the money for it. Especially that I already had the SIM Max dialed for me.
I think the stealth looks nice, but I feel the SIM’s series is still elite compared to other top brand drivers.
Respect for the Walter Payton funcopop! Awesome rainbow setting on golf course too. Excellent work Peter.
Just got my Sim2 Max for Christmas. Was broken hearted seeing a new Driver released by Taylormade. After seeing your video I don't feel so bad. I am a high handicap and will take any help that I can get. Each of these Drivers are some of the best help someone like me can find.
Sim to this maybe not but M5/6 or later versions......it makes sense. What I love about TM is that the fitting sleeve is still the same so I can run my favorite shafts into this without an issue. I have the Diamana and the Autoflex with this custom Stealth Plus coming with the Ventus once the customization gets applied and shipped. We will see ! Three wood was a big upgrade for me from the Titleist 917F2
Interesting new driver from TM.
I bought a (fitted) SIM2 last year and saw a great improvement on my 10 year old driver, From everything I am reading, improvements year by year are very small so unless your swing has changed dramatically my feeling is it is not worth looking at replacing a new driver for at least 5 years. I think there might be some amazing deals on SIM and SIM2 drivers out there soon.
Yea I wouldn't worry about it unless a new driver gave you less spin or increased forgiveness. Those sim drivers are serious so you're definitely squeezing your max out of it.
Yes it's the case that a new model will allow the previous model to be discounted. I got an ex rental SIM2MAX for £249.
Definitely interested in the longevity of the new stealth. Are we talking a year before the face caves in or is it going to be as durable as a titanium driver
I wonder about that. Carbon fibre has fantastic tensile strength and the ability to recover from bending, but it does not like impact and shock.
Only one way for me to find out I suppose, hit, hit, hit, hit
I'm already seeing pictures online of demo clubs with nicks in the face coating from tee impacts...
@@lburwell99 yea but that’s like a poly coating. If anything I’m thinking that coating will eventually peel/tear. But will the face hold is the real question. Either way I’m happy for the release, because I just bought a used sim2 in great condition for 270
Carbon baseball bats get more pop as they break in.
Great review Pete! Just notice your Walter Peyton doll on your desk! I’m from Illinois and a die hard Bears fan, so really appreciate that! Keep it up Pete!!
Pete with the best review I've seen yet... "It's a good starting point" are words to live by in regards to going stealth off the tee. The Stealth 2 is going to be awesome!!!
Great review Pete.
I think the fact that they've done something so new and it's already comparable, and even marginally better than an established technology, on such a fundamental aspects of the club, is really impressive. That said, are we ready to be the early adopters and pay €600+ for the privilege? Hmmm
Having bought the sim2 max D 3 months ago , I won't be rushing out for a stealth!! What I would say though, is that it would be good for 90% of club golfers if you tested the 'D' drivers more ,as that is the model most mid+ handicappers should be going for.
Agreed. $525 for a new driver or $275 for a sim2 max d that was never hit, which included a $200 Mitsubishi shaft. Save the $300 for lessons.
Great insight into the evolution of the TM drivers. I loved the look of the SIM driver too, but hated the lack of forgiveness particularly in shots off the toe (is that twist face not working for in to out swings?). So after years of playing TM drivers, I swapped out for a Callaway Epic Speed which is so much more forgiving. Not sure Stealth will bring me back to TM, maybe next year? 😎
My 15 y/o TM works great...bought it for $27 on Amazon..
Bag it. Improvement is Improvement. A little is a little. A lot is a lot. At your level I think you've done most of the things that would be considered big gains. I feel like as long as there's not a trade-off or sacrifice from another aspect of your game and you can grab just a little more it's the way to go, i.e. Vice golf balls. Not a huge stride but every little bit helps. Thanks for taking us along.
Looks awesome!!! But again no dramatic difference in performance. I think it comes down to design preference.
I really like the look of the stealth driver the black and red combo is very striking to me. but the sim2 was also a very nice looking driver especially with the way you could customise the colour of it. TM are always the ones to beat when it comes to drivers and other brands are playing catch up all the time
Nice review - I bought the 2021 Sim2 so won’t be changing but would definitely take a look if I had a much older driver.
Oh it's been a while but here I am Mr Finch. Great job reviewing this amazing club. It looks so classic yet so unique I will say that. Definitely try putting it in your bag and seeing how you do with it. Hopefully you and Rick can have a head-to-head soon in the future who knows. God bless you sir
Petition for TM to make a Stealth X edition, with a brighter red face and insanely different sound - really lean-in to it being different, like Pete was saying. The looks of the Sim2 are wayyyyy out there compared to other clubs, and it was a hit - so why not roll with that on the new gen?
Great review, I’m at least going to put the stealth plus up against my RADspeed when I get the chance. The option of a slider to adjust pre-round based on my flight pattern of the day is appealing, and I’m a sucker for carbon fiber. 🤷🏼♂️ #JammyDriver
Are you hating on Sim2 looks???
@@AlexSteenOlsen no, I love the sim2 looks - I’m saying that visually it’s very different than what it’s competitors have to offer. In fact, even with the stealth releasing, the Sim2 is still my favorite driver looks-wise of all time.
@@gohamm8629 Lol ok i misunderstood. To me the Sim 2 is the best looking club of all time, I will not change it with this Stealth gimmick
You mention adjusting the slider 'pre-round'....are you saying that you cannot adjust it during the round? Same would go for loft adjustments....not allowed once you begin play?
@@recoilrob324 as far as I’m aware, it’s against the USGA rules to modify your clubs mid-round. Granted, no one is gonna stop you from doing it unless you’re playing an official round or a tourney etc..
Remember when Yonex had a carbon faced driver,played by Mickleson
I snapped my ping g5 driver a couple weeks ago and have been using my dads old 1998 callaway big bertha so i think this will be a suitable upgrade and i love that red face!
I was lucky when I was out buying a new iron set and driver, a guy from Taylormade were there showing off the driver. It looks absolutely beautiful. I love the head front, but I still prefer the color scheme of the old driver
I'll be interested to see where this technology is in a few years, I'm still happy enough with my M2 for the foreseeable future though
M2 is still a brilliant driver
@@peterfinchgolf what’s its IQ?
If you have an original M2, there is no sense in buying a new driver. Same with the 5 and 3 wood. Those are the best woods ever and still hold up today.
@@el_duderino_man I own and played the M2 for 5 years because nothing could beat it. I did make the change last year to the Callaway Max LS - it was the first driver I demoed that could beat it - by beating it, I mean it has a larger sweet spot - specifically in the Toe - moving the slidable weight very slightly into the toe makes the Max LS just a better driver than the M2 - the original Sim could be longer, but it's so low spinning that misses are brutal
I still play the original M2 and nothing has persuaded me to change yet
Owned an M5 Tour, SIM and now an M3 and TSI3 but the sound was the only defining characteristic of any of them. The M3 is loud. M5 was sweet like the TSi and the SIM was much the same but the SIM felt completely dead off the higher part of the head. But paired with an Oban Kiyoshi white it was one of the best drivers I ever used. So much so that I’m selling my TSi to get it back lol
Keep doing "honest" reviews is my advice for you! It's working, and we are listening!
I think I'll be sticking with my SIM. Did like the look of the new one, but also agree, if you're going to make the face red then go bold. I also prefer some more definition between the crown and the face like the have on both SIM and SIM2 models.
thanks for the review, especially talking about toe hits. im a feel player with scratch handicap and hate all the data you can look at that ultimately dont matter when it comes to hitting a drive on the course.... its nice to finally see what i thought i felt in the sim with the occasional toe hit actually be significantly bad and they addressed it in the stealth some it seems.
Reeeally happy to see the Sim/2/Stealth+ comparison, rather than only the Stealth+. Looks like they essentially took the distances of the Sims, and mixed it with Ping's forgiveness/consistency? Or is that overselling it's forgiveness? Gotta take a hard look at the old F9 in my bag now...
Out of all of the reviews that come out on the same day, you're the best. I sure wish Taylormade had made the new drivers flashy enough for you! Cheers!
Interesting to see how this fairs in the coming months. I have an old Nike ignite 10.5 degree driver and undecided on my next driver! #JammyDriver #TaylorsMadeJam
Try the latest ping g425, bagged it after 10 years with my old driver
@@jd9799 thanks so much I’ll check the reviews definitely need an upgrade as I feel this is one thing putting me at a disadvantage.
@@Gattuso_Golf I found with it I gained minimum 20 yards off the tee but I hit alot more fairways too even on the bad shots
@@jd9799 I’m in need of a new driver but think the best thing is to get a fitting and find the right one for me
@@Gattuso_Golf I switched to a g425max from a Titlelist D910. Longer off the tee(I think due to shaft differences. I am not a stiff flex for driver for now) but way more forgiving
Great review. You are seeing exactly what I saw in my testing of the Stealth. And extremely consistent and forgiving driver.
The camera angle with the rainbow is amazing!
Thanks Pete, that is the most comprehensive review of the new Stealth Driver I have seen so far and the comparison with the previous SIM & SIM2 models make it the most useful for consumers. Also, the lack of marketing BS hype is refreshing.
The bottom line is that because of the Performance limitations laid down by the USGA and R&A, the new driver can't be that much better than the previous models despite having a face made out of Carbon Fibre.
The big question for me is how long will that Nano face material covering the face last? Because without it you are going a struggle to maintain consistent Spin rates across the face.
Hi Peter, The New TM Stealth Driver introduced here in The States is retailing for $579.00 USD!
Excellent unbiased review Pete! The best one I’ve seen today and I appreciate the comparison to prior models.
Cheers Zach
I’ll be sticking with my SIM 2 for now. Very helpful review thanks.
Personally think the red face makes the Stealth driver look really cheap. Like something you’d get from a Supermarket set. Interesting to see how many people go for it though and move away from the norm.
Screams Tommy armour
Was between the Stealth and Sim2 but then I stumbled across the SIM2 BLUE which is a model currently selling exclusively on Taylormade's website that has a black crown border instead of white. IMO it's the best looking driver Taylormade has on the market at the moment, and arguably still better overall than the Stealth. I wanted to like the Stealth so much, but the weird rubber feeling face combined with the red bbq grill face graphic just didn't provide me the confidence I was looking for in a driver head visually. So I went with the Sim2 Blue and I have had no regrets. Titanium ftw..
I said this during the PNC and people thought I was crazy, but, If Tiger Woods can consistently carry a ball 282 yds with a bad right leg and a years worth of rust on his game with this club, then imagine what it could do for the consistency of your mid-handicapper... It might not be a world beater, but for some, it could be a game changer.
I was never really a big fan of taylormade, until I a tried sim2 past summer & did like it. The new stealth looks great imo love the black to red & love even more the clean looks & finally a face that doesn’t get ugly in ball marks.
om the sound of the club my first thought was "ooo maybe it will have a more old school wood driver sound". i really like that nice THWACK you get too bad it sounds like it does
Great to see a review I can trust Peter, currently using the original sim and waiting for a fitting session in the new stealth [mainly to check out different shaft options and to get away from the unforgiving off centre shots] I can understand your disappointment regarding the muted red I too was hoping for fire engine red, I will be considering the cobalt blue option 😁😁 my main concern for the new design is durability over a couple of years it’s a lot to lose if you cannot get anything back when you upgrade. Keep up the good work 👍👋
Did you have normal sim or sim max? My sim max is so forgiving
Nice review Pete a lot more in depth than ricks review, looking forward to your reviews of other brands latest gear!
Sound still seems to be a bit "dead" compared to a titanium driver, but as someone that thinks the titanium sounds tinny, I think it is a nice correction. #jammydriver
I hated the sim for the muted sound... I got fit for the stealth and bought it... it is different for sure... but for a picky guy like me it was a good different
Yonex did fully carbon woods back in the early 90s, and I read somewhere that McGregor created what Callaway call 'Jailbreak' also back then. Maybe the trend will be integrating old tech into newer club designs over the next few years.
Nice review, what I’ve gleaned from all the reviews, is that the new face is significantly lighter, meaning the redistribution of weight means the whole club face is more consistent. This is a huge plus, for a low spin driver! Will stick with the original SIM. Not a big fan, of the red club face, TBH!
A buddy said and I agree, the Stealth is obviously a bite on the Nike Covert drivers and Tiger of course adopted right away and the face looks so strange (almost like straight out of R&D department) but if the results are the same then who's to argue or complain about it. Switched to the Callaway Epic Max LS and have been loving the forgiveness for off center hits. Still doesn't help with the occasional topper for 50 yards though. :D
I played 9 holes with the standard stealth yesterday and it blew me away i have a very slow swing speed around 90 mph and the ball just flew my pkaying buddy said i hit some of the best drives he has ever sern me do as i dont regard myself as a good driver player at all i tend to sway towards 3 wood off the tee this will be going in my bag this season
Unfortunately TM was not the first to bring the Carbon Face driver, as Callaway released a bomber of a driver 2 decades ago in the Callaway C4. That club sounded amazing coming off the face- like a shotgun blast 💥 and went a mile! Great comparison vid though, exactly the info I was looking for!
Good review Peter. If the red colour was more vibrant and popped it would be hard to call the driver Stealth 😁. It is great to see all the newclubz that come out but the cost of all of them is an issue for me and I suspect many others of my age, now I am retired my sole income is from my state pension and here in NZ the cost of this driver would be more than 2 weeks income so really the new clubs are out of reach of many senior golfers. My current driver is an RBZ which I have always been pleased with following my previous R580 and I wonder what sort of gain, if any, I would get from a current model driver.
Great video and interesting new club. I have to say, I really liked the subdued sound when struck. What you mentioned, but didn't put numbers to, was the performance on mishits. I would have liked to see the circles on the screen to show the dispersion to get a better idea of what the club did than the average numbers really tell us.
I’ll probably get some posts done on this on social, it’s always tricky to know what to include and what to cut in the edit
Great video and nice to have you talking normal all the way through 👍🏻
Great video as always Peter! However I will say the way all these new drivers look makes me very glad I bought a Mizuno ST180 online last year. I love my blue driver and I wish there was more individuality in how they made drivers look.
Great review Peter. That's a big price tag for not much more performance. Sticking with my M6
Selfishly, please stick the stealth in your bag. I’m in the driver market and I want to see exteneded tests before cooughing up for much cash! Great review!
Nice use of "rainbow trajectory" after the entire intro was filmed with a glorious rainbow (double at that) in the background!
Glad to see Sweetness on your desk!!
I like Peter. very genuine and unbiased towards certain brands. Just calls it as it is.
I’ve never bought a first year production driver but I have some extra money 💰 so this might be the one! I loved the Burner series.
Peter you have such a smooth, synchronized golf swing regardless of the club you’re using. What is your average swing speed?
Hi I am hopeless with Drivers so use an M2 3 Wood -no driver !
I have an ancient Yonex ADX Carbon Headed and faced Driver!
I keep it for sentimental reaso
ns and to be honest it's still in one piece and hits fairly ok - though I have read about cracks in face in other peoples experience.
I liked it and kinda thought other manufacturers would follow up and improve the technology !
Maybe TM have achieved this goal! Worth a look I suppose - that is if you can hit drivers !
I absolutely love the Sweatness figuring you have there. Makes those driver heads looks awesome! ;-)
Good review Pete…it looks good, only TM Marketing thought it would make a big difference I guess. Really interesting points on the consistency of it vs the others though especially Sim original 👍👍👍
Nice comparison Pete. Generally this looks to perform well. Negatives for me though, it does look a bit dull on the top (didn’t care for SIM 1&2 look either thought tbf) but don’t mind the red face. However, much like other companies basically £500 for a driver is just crazy. Just been fit for and purchased a PXG 0811 Gen 4 driver AND hybrid…£510 for both…that’s good value and I doubt much difference in performance. Never had PXG before so not a fan boy and moved from Ping G425 in both. Still have a white TM burner 3W in the bag which I still love. Everything going up in the world atm energy, fuel etc so it’s nice to get value where we can….
Pete, Great video as usual. Two things I noticed ... aside from the red face on the driver. Beautiful rainbow at about 2:48 and ... Check out the Walter Payton bobble head! .... I grew up in Chicago in the 1970's and 1980's and Walter Payton was my (and everyone else in Chicago's) hero. Nice video, brother. 2 thumbs up.
I'm interested to see the durability over time. Already seeing pictures of demo clubs with nicks in the coating on the face from tee impacts.
COR or speed off the clubface is limited. All drivers have been there for many years which is why you see very little difference in performance between brands. The only gains to be made are in optimizing launch and spin characteristics and retaining speed on off centre hits. If you're getting fit you should go in knowing your optimum launch and spin for your swing speed and pick the driver the feels best and gets you closest to those numbers.
Dam Finch, I couldn't stop looking at that Sweetness POP you have!! Gotta watch the summary again!!
Why would I pay $780 in Canada for the driver AND $860 for a 3w and 5w plus sales tax ($1850 total) if I'm not getting an extra 20 yards or more? Instead I paid $1000 for 3 clubs from PXG which included tax and delivery! Got a 0811x driver, a 0341 3w and 5w. All 3 were ordered with a Riptide 60g counterbalanced shaft. As a 13 hdcp I feel these clubs will be just as good as the TM clubs. The savings will cover about 75% of the price for a set of Takomo 101 irons and four Skyforger wedges.
I have a number of driver shafts I have been trying over the past year and put them in one of two Sim Max or one of two Sim Max 2 heads I have. I do find a difference from shaft to shaft but no difference between my 10.5 deg Sim Max to my 10.5 deg Sim Max 2 heads. I have ordered the Stealth with the new Mitsu Fubuki V 40g shaft and will put that in the mix and in a few months we will see if the head makes any difference.
I absolutely loved the Rainbow that appeared while hitting the driver, far more than the actual driver! TaylorMade has, to me anyways, gone away from fantastic professional looking clubs, to gimmicks and ridiculous looking crap, and that's why I haven't bought any of there clubs for several years now.
8yards extra carry could be crucial when trying to fly over trouble ie bunkers cutting corners and WATER etc so don’t underestimate the carry advantage!!
I've never found a TM driver that matched the R5 TP I could hit that down the centre of an alley, been on a hunt ever since. I do like the M5, buddy has one and it works fairly well.
Sound - the head is the resonator. While face does change sound, the head is more responsible for that. There will probably be more difference with the weight track as that should deaden the sound, more so even than with a metal face.
Thank Peter! And great review and all the best for 2022! Love your channel! Cheers!
@2:42 spectacular rainbow
Sounds like the carbon face is the preferred river in wet conditions when you will get little roll out anyway, but the SIMS are the go-to for dryer conditions.
Put in the bag Peter! Let’s follow your experience through the season!!
Very important question. How do you get in and out from that desk?
They’ve been using carbon in baseball and softball bats for two decades now, until most leagues made carbon illegal, but not for saving weight but because you can make them way hotter than you can aluminum, but my question is this, in leagues where they are still legal they outlaw them after being used a certain amount or after a certain amount of time, and in fact the term “rolling” a bat is just putting it in a machine that bangs it up, which is illegal, I played highschool ball with a graphite bat but they were illegal in the conference I played in throughout college, but while I did use them I never used one in a game till I had spent time hitting it against a tree, it loosens up the carbon and the bat gets a lot hotter, one cool thing is the older your bat is the better, so you don’t want a new one till your old ones been declared illegal and In fact you watch the ncaa womens softball tournament where they still use carbon bats you’ll notice they all use the oldest version possible and some teams even the exact same bat so everyone’s hitting with it and making it hotter faster, so my question is will this stealth driver get hotter the more it’s used similar to a baseball or softball bat made of carbon? Again, this happens with carbon as the woven material it’s made of loosens through being hit with..
I asked this question on Rick's video as well but I'm curious if with the carbon face of the golf club works like a carbon baseball bat? where the more you use it and the resin in the carbon breaks down you get more of a trampoline effect off the face of the baseball bat. So the more you use it the further the ball will actually go. I am curious if the golf club will react the same way where the more you use it You will actually get more distance?
Potentially. I know that even titanium club faces can gain speed through “thinning” after being hit a lot. The only way of knowing for sure is to keep hitting it I suppose…so that’s what I’ll do 😅
Great video but I’ve already got Taylor made sim and as a senior golfer I’d need a miracle to gain any yards so spending £480 on a new driver don’t think I’ll bother 👍
Great review Peter. Given that it looks like it's going to Retail at AUD$1000.00 and the minimal if any improvement seen in reviews of this driver that I have seen so far Taylormade can keep it.
The new Callaway Rogue looks awesome and if Callaway don't get greedy and keep the price right they will kick Taylormades arse.
Let's see. Just based on the reviews and price point Taylormade can stick the Stealth.
In your hands Peter being a PGA Pro it was doubtful whether you was going to see massive gains. 1 yard is obviously nothing. However for amateurs like me who plays the original sim and does notice the drop off of distance with off centre hits the Stealth is probably a good bet. Bear in mind most amateur golfers forgetting the low handicappers of course don't find the middle of the driver often enough. It was a good comparison though from a Professional point of view
you are a robot with that dispersion in swing speeds😂😂
this is good for me as i just bought a TM SIM 2 MAX last week for 300 brand new.
OK, as a Bears fan, that little Walter Payton Funko Pop just rocks....great review as well, it is a really good driver, but not much of an upgrade over last years is good to know, and pretty much what I heard a couple others say as well. Granted my driver is like 12 years old, so probably a huge upgrade for me if I can swing it this year. :)
Love the review. Love the look. The Walter Peyton bobble head was the real winner
Not a fan of any Taylormade drivers since the M6 came out. The shape of their heads doesn’t suit my swing. The club face is wide, but short top to bottom. I end up hitting sky balls more frequently with these head designs because of how I have to tee the ball up. I don’t have that issue on older TM drivers, or any other club brand. It was so bad that I traded my brand new M6 for a 2015 Cobra King Ltd.
wish there was more to the review. almost like when he picks between drivers for his bag for the new season. would have loved to see a spreadsheet with all the data to see.
The rainbow in the back looks so cool
I really love you're being so honest about this , I think if you look at even the last 5 years that are not many revolutionary drivers in terms of performance.. I know you did a H2H test with the M1 against the SIM drivers and I'm pretty sure you can still stack them against eachother comfortably. Also not really a fan of the SIM drivers as I look at them sort of like a finely tuned racing car , lovely when you do everything right, but they bite your head off if you get it wrong :D
Great video
Agree with it is a starting point and at least they try to do something different not like Callaway with the "new" Rogue!
Great review as usual Peter, Love that you test it against it's predecessors, that's the biggest thing for me that I want to see. Thanks 👍
Love to see the channel growing 🙏