TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver review
What’s new? How much does it cost? And how does it perform? Tom Irwin brings you the low down on TaylorMade’s new Stealth 2 driver
Stealth is back, so what can you expect from the new TaylorMade Stealth? Find out in our TaylorMade Stealth driver review.
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Taylormade Stealth 2 driver review: NCG Summary
NCG SUMMARY
I currently game the SIM2 driver. It is hot and straight, and I love the acoustics. Having skipped Stealth I was looking forward to hitting its 2nd gen.
It is 2 years since my SIM 2 fitting and I was amazed at the step forward here. I had to jack the loft to get the best performance out of this head but when I did a surprisingly high club head speed delivered ball speeds that I thought were a thing of the past.
PROS
- So long
- Very forgiving
- Love the looks
- More great acoustics
CONS
- Not loads of stock shaft options
First Impressions
The looks here are really classic, understated even. Red and Black is bold and unfussy. Even the sole so often a haven for marketeers to tell the technology story is comparatively simple. The big screw in the heel looks properly engineered and the build feels really high quality.
There is nearly double the amount of Carbon in this iteration of Stealth than the first generation. That weight saving means that weight can be distributed into more helpful areas, such as the toe. Thank you TaylorMade engineers.
You can tell. On the range, without looking at data I am immediately impressed with the flight from my mis hits. I know when I have hit one out of the toe but the ball flight is still workable. This is is huge for me, that difference between off centre and centre strikes, even to the eye, is not marked.
I am not a high spinner and certainly do not launch the ball high so 9 degrees of loft in a modern low-spinning driver is testing me. I jacked the loft to the maximum 10.5°, and my performance leapt up.
NCG Review
After a few swings, we turned the Trackman on. I actually hate this bit. You can be quite happy swinging away, getting good, straight ball flights. Then you start to get the truth and you want to try and beat the last swing from a club head speed point of view, or ball speed or carry.
This club makes me want to hit it hard. I feel like I am getting more and more out of it the harder I swing and that speaks to its incredible forgiveness. It feels great off the face, sounds great and makes you want to hit it again and again.
The data was mind-blowing, like crackers. If someone asked, I would have my club head about 108, and I think that is probably stretching it a bit.
The Stealth 2 was having me swing at 109.2 average, which was a real buzz. I think loads of this is down to confidence as one good shot after another just makes you want to hit it harder.
To get up to ball speeds of almost 170 and spinning at just over 2000 rpm is serious performance. I have never been able to really get driver airborne and with a peak height average of mid 80s and a couple over 100 feet. I genuinely felt like a new golfer hitting long, high bombs.
The distance feels natural and that is shown in the dispersion. There are no tricks here, just a very well balanced golf club that is helping you deliver it correctly time and time again. That down range dispersion is obviously really important and I think in Stealth 2, TaylorMade have a product that is genuinely longer and straighter than what has gone before.
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TaylorMade Stealth 2 Driver: The Details
Available: Now
RRP: £499
Lofts: 9°, 10.5° & 12°
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Red TR 5 (S, R, A) Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60 (X, S)
Grip: Golf Pride Z-Grip Plus2 Black/Red 0.600 52g
More information: TaylorMade Website
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Tom Irwin
Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.
