When it comes to upgrading to a new driver people are increasingly looking for one thing – more distance.
But exactly how many of those precious extra yards are you leaving in the bank by not being properly fit for a driver that suits your game and upgrading to the latest technology available?
We wanted to find out, so we ran a competition to invite four lucky National Club Golfer readers to the TaylorMade National Custom Fitting Centre at The Belfry to find out.
What were we looking for? Well, we asked each winner to bring along their existing driver to compare it to the new TaylorMade Stealth.
We wanted to see just how much the Stealth helps golfers of all different abilities gain in ball speed and carry distance.
We also wanted to show you just how many options the fitters have at their disposal to help you get the most out of your driver, whether it is tweaking the hosel, or moving the adjustable weights, a custom fitting can really dial in your game and, ultimately, leaves you with something completely designed for you.
Keep reading for a little teaser of our day at The Belfry, or the video at the top of the page to find out how our readers got on…
TaylorMade Stealth Driver Test Team
Name: Brenda
Club: Blyth
Handicap: 20
Old driver: TaylorMade Tour Burner
New driver: TaylorMade Stealth HD Women’s (12°, Ascent Ladies shaft)
Ball speed gains: 7.1 miles-per-hour
Carry distance gains: 14.7 yards
“I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I’ve never been through anything like that before and it was great. The women’s driver was a lot easier to hit. It felt comfortable and it certainly seemed to be going straighter more often. I would absolutely recommend getting fitted to other lady golfers. It certainly makes a difference.”
Name: Charlie
Club: Lightcliffe
Handicap: 2
Old driver: TaylorMade R1
New driver: TaylorMade Stealth+ (8° set at 8.75°, RDX Blue 60 6.5 shaft)
Ball speed gains: 8 miles-per-hour
Carry distance gains: 23.6 yards
“My driver is very old, so it’s interesting to see the difference in the numbers. My old driver was going 260, whereas the new one was carrying over 290. I always knew I could get a bit more yardage, but not the numbers the Stealth was offering. My ball flight with my old driver was quite low, so it’s great to be able to get matched up to the right spin rate.”
Name: James
Club: Okehampton
Handicap: 7
Old driver: TaylorMade M6
New driver: TaylorMade Stealth (9° set at 10.5°, Riptide Black 60 6.0 shaft)
Ball speed gains: 5.6 miles-per-hour
Carry distance gains: 14.2 yards
“It was really beneficial to actually come in and speak to a rep from a company. To play around with all the different shafts and lofts is a really great experience. I was massively surprised by the difference, especially in terms of ball speed and carry distances. I was gaining yards even off the bad ones!”
Name: John
Club: Stratford-upon-Avon
Handicap: 14
Old driver: Callaway GBB Epic
New driver: TaylorMade Stealth (9° set at 10.5°, RDX Red 5.5 shaft)
Ball speed gains: 2 miles-per-hour
Carry distance gains: 5.3 yards
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“I was quite staggered with the adjustability. The fitter is doing all the work for you and you’re just seeing more and more benefit, then you settle on the right thing for you. And at the end you have a club that is completely bespoke to you. I just think that’s fantastic. You can really see the difference between my old driver and the new one.”
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