TaylorMade has unveiled its latest in drivers with Stealth, Stealth Plus and Stealth HD. Here’s everything you need to know:
WHAT STANDS OUT: One word: carbonwood. With the Stealth, TaylorMade marks its transition from titanium face to a face made of carbon, specifically a 60X Carbon Twist Face that is comprised of 60 layers of carbon sheets strategically arranged to optimize energy transfer. The company says the technology is over two decades in the making, stemming from a 2003 prototype and later the 2013 limited-edition Gloire Reserve driver, as TaylorMade searched for a way to transfer more weight from the face to the head and/or other features. The carbon face in the stealth is not only 40% lighter (26g) but also 11% larger than the SIM2 and SIM2 Max drivers. This unlocked more ball speed, while a nanotexture cover made of thin polyurethane adds durability and ideal surface conditions for optimal strikes. Tiger Woods, who debuted the club at last month’s PNC Championship, said of the Stealth: “Truly an amazing product.”
OTHER FEATURES: The lighter, larger face not only improves MOI with more weight added to the rear of the club but it also doesn’t sacrifice speed thanks to the asymmetric Inertia Generator. In the Stealth Plus, the shed weight is re-added via a 10g sliding weight track that influences shot shape. And as for the sound, a key drawback in past carbon experiments has been a muted sound on impact, but the Stealth uses fine-tuned acoustic precision to create a “bright and powerful” sound.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “In the mid-2000s, our Research team developed an understanding that the weight of the face can affect impact efficiency, more specifically, the lighter the face, the more efficient the impact and the better the ball speed. We realized Titanium faces could only take us so far and carbon would be the face material of the future. This breakthrough design of a lightweight carbon face in Stealth, has created a whole new starting line, a new era of drivers, a new threshold of performance and a new platform for more innovation.” – Brian Bazzel, Vice President Product Creation
SPECS AND PRICING: Stealth Plus (8, 9 and 10.5 degrees) with numerous custom shaft options ($599.99); Stealth and Stealth HD (9, 10.5 and 12 degrees) with numerous custom shaft options ($579.99)
AVAILABILITY: Jan. 4 (pre-order); Feb. 4 (retail)
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