TaylorMade Stealth woods and irons

David Dusek

January 4, 2022 at 11:31 AM·4 min read

Starting in early December, there were whisperings on social media that TaylorMade was going to release something very different in 2022. There were blurry photos here and there, but then the company submitted the Stealth driver to the USGA and R&A, who tested them and added them to the Conforming Driver lists, making the Stealth drivers legal for play in official competitions.

Shortly after that, Tiger Woods used a Stealth driver and 3-wood at the PNC Championship, and equipment junkies took notice. The face of the driver was red and the sole plate on the 3-wood looked different.

On Monday, TaylorMade released three Stealth drivers, two Stealth fairway woods, two Stealth Rescue clubs and the Stealth irons.

Stealth, Stealth Plus+, Stealth HD drivers

TaylorMade Stealth, Stealth Plus+ and Stealth HD drivers. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Gear: TaylorMade Stealth, Stealth Plus+, Stealth HD drivers
Price: $599.99 (Stealth Plus+), $579.99 (Stealth, Stealth HD)
Specs: Carbon-fiber and polymer face with titanium and carbon-fiber body, moveable sole weight (Stealth Plus+) and adjustable hosel.
Available: Feb. 4, 2022

For the past several seasons, TaylorMade has produced some of the most popular drivers in golf. The M3, M4, M5 and M6 were hits, as were the original SIM and last year’s SIM2 drivers. But while golfers such as Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa played those titanium-faced clubs, along with an army of recreational golfers, TaylorMade designers worked on a different concept on which they started in 2000, when Morikawa was just 3 years old.

With the release of the new Stealth Plus+, Stealth and Stealth HD drivers, TaylorMade believes it is entering a new phase in driver development, saying goodbye to titanium faces and hello to carbon fiber. More …

Stealth Plus+, Stealth fairway woods

TaylorMade Stealth fairway woods. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Gear: TaylorMade Stealth Plus+, Stealth fairway woods
Price: $429 (Stealth Plus+) with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Red shaft and Lamkin Crossline 360 grip. $329 (Stealth) with Fujikura Ventus Red FW shaft
Specs: Stainless steel bodies with carbon-fiber crowns and V-shaped sole design. Loft offerings: 13.5, 15, 19 degrees for the Stealth Plus+; 15, 16.5, 18, 21 and 24 degrees for the Stealth
Available: Feb. 4

For the past several seasons, TaylorMade’s fairway woods have been popular with pros and recreational golfers because they were designed to provide plenty of ball speed and distance while producing a high launch and steep angle of descent, so shots land and stop more quickly. Recent refinements have included Twist Face starting with the M5 and M6 in 2019, and starting in 2020 with the SIM fairway woods, an updated V-Sole design. For 2022, TaylorMade tinkered with the shape and weight distribution in its fairway woods, the Stealth Plus+ Titanium and Stealth, with the goal of increasing stability without sacrificing distance. More …

Stealth irons

TaylorMade Stealth irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Gear: TaylorMade Stealth irons
Price: $999 with KBS Max MT steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline 360 grips. $1,099 with Fujikura Ventus Red or Aldila Ascent Ultralight graphite shafts
Specs: 450 stainless steel face with hollow-body design and polymer vibration-dampening piece.
Available: April 4

For mid- and higher-handicap players, TaylorMade has game-improvement clubs such as last season’s SIM2 Max, which feature wider soles, distance-enhancing construction and feel-improving technologies. While better-player irons often see performance enhancements made slowly, club players tend to be more open to trying new things if they can deliver improved performance, distance and consistency. With the release of the new Stealth irons, TaylorMade believes it has a game-improvement club that can do all that, even while wrapped in a cleaner, more-sophisticated package. More …

Stealth Plus+ Rescue, Stealth Rescue clubs

TaylorMade Stealth Rescue clubs. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Gear: TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ Rescue, Stealth Rescue clubs
Price: $299 (Stealth Plus+) with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Red shaft and Lamkin Crossline 360 grip. $279 (Stealth) with Fujikura Ventus Red FW shaft
Specs: Stainless steel bodies with carbon-fiber crowns (Stealth) and V-shaped sole design. Loft offerings: 17, 19.5 and 22 degrees for the Stealth Plus+; 19, 22, 25, 28 and 31 degrees for the Stealth
Available: Feb. 4 for the Stealth, April 1 for the Stealth Plus+

In late 2019, TaylorMade hosted a commercial photo and video shoot with several of the company’s highest-profile players including Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa. Rory McIlroy was there too, and one of the clubs he tried that day was a SIM Max Rescue club. It had the same loft as his 5-wood, and McIlroy loved the ball flight and how easy it was to hit. The following year, that club found its way into McIlroy’s bag.

If there was a criticism TaylorMade heard from players regarding the SIM and SIM2 Rescue clubs, it is that they were too similar, with both clubs getting the ball up quickly and easily. Elite golfers wanted to see something more iron-like, so with the release of the Stealth and Stealth Plus+ Rescues for 2022, that is what TaylorMade tried to deliver. More …

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