Meet TaylorMade’s Stealth Fighters

STEALTH FIGHTERS

MEET THE NEW TAYLORMADE STEALTH 2 RANGE THAT IS READY TO TAKE 2023 BY STORM

TAYLORMADE STEALTH 2 DRIVERS

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

The TaylorMade Stealth 2 drivers take another bold step in moving to fully carbon composite constructions with special attention to making mis-hits more like centre hits. The changes include a new variable thickness carbon composite face that o ers improved ball speeds for o centre hits. Meanwhile, there’s even less titanium in the body, freeing up more mass to add more stability. The trio includes the low-spin Stealth 2 Plus, which o ers a sliding weight to tweak ball fl ight; Stealth 2, the neutral fl ight, highforgiveness option ideal for most golfers; and Stealth 2 HD, the most stable with draw-biased weighting to fi ght slice.

All models feature an adjustable hosel that changes loft by plus/minus two degrees. RRP AED 2,845-AED 2,945 (TBC)

COOL THINGS

TAYLORMADE HAS BEEN MAKINGGREAT strides in recent weeks, with their highly anticipated new-look Stealth range hitting the stores amid much fanfare.

If the news that the industry leaders in technological innovation have boosted their ranks with the signings of leading female stars Nelly Korda and Brooke Henderson joining the likes of Tiger Woods, Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Charley Hull in the TaylorMade stable wasn’t enough of a hint, now you can try the new range for yourself.

Here we take a look at each of the new drivers, fairway woods and irons that has the pros lining up to get a shot.

When TaylorMade debuted the carbon composite face last year, it made it 40 per cent lighter than a titanium face. In the Stealth 2 drivers, it’s lighter still, just 24g. That frees up more mass to explicitly pinpoint the optimal centre of gravity position and forgiveness. The face is constructed by 60 distinct layers of carbon fi bre that are arranged to provide a more fl exible perimeter with thinner means more fl exible sections, leading to more consistent ball speed all across the face. It’s more than just making a thicker centre and thinner perimeter. A new body construction also reduced the non-carbon sections to almost none, freeing up more mass for use in the sliding weight and at the rear base. The freedom to move mass to specifi c regions is what sets the Stealth 2 family apart, Tomo Bystedt, TaylorMade’s senior director of product creation for woods, said. “We’re starting to break the trade o between a low-spin, lowforward CG type of club and the forgiving one.’”

TAYLORMADE STEALTH 2 FAIRWAY WOODS

TAYLORMADE STEALTH HD IRONS

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

The Stealth 2 family of fairway woods and hybrids benefi t from a new lightweight carbon composite crown section that extends around the edges of the perimeter to save more weight and lower the centre of gravity for better launch and increased energy transfer. The line includes highforgiveness, draw-enhancing fairway woods and hybrids (HD), easier launching, faster-faced standard models and better player options with the more iron-like fl ight of the Stealth Plus hybrid and multiple adjustability and driver-like face of the titanium Stealth Plus fairway wood.

Prices TBC

COOL THINGS

Figuring out ways to lower the centre of gravity (to help shots launch higher) and fi xing mis-hits (because the vast majority of impacts occur below the centre of the face) seem crucial. For the new range, that meant the weight-saving benefi ts of a traditional carbon composite crown weren’t enough. These clubs extend the carbon composite around the edges of crown so that it overlaps into the rear and side skirt portions of each head. That allows the saved weight to be used elsewhere.

TaylorMade is on its 4th-gen better-player titanium fairway woods, but this one easily is the most playable for average golfers. Past versions have used a massive steel weight pad and that is now adjustable. There are eight possible positions that allow the user to up the forgiveness by nearly 20 per cent and increase the spin. “We wanted to see if there was something we could do to make that more appealing to a wider audience,” said Bystedt. “So this system completely changes the club without you having to change the whole club or put a di erent head on there.”

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Designed with the slower swinger in mind, the Stealth HD irons o er a low-profi le clubhead designed to create a lower centre of gravity to promote a higher launch with a draw bias. The step-down sole helps mitigate the e ect of shots hit a tad heavy.

Price TBC

COOL THINGS

The low-profi le clubhead is a di erent look, but when players start hitting better shots, any opposition to the shape tends to quickly melt away. Especially when the shape is a main contributor to helping get the ball in the air and promotes a draw bias.

The shallow face height combines with a wide sole to drive the centre of gravity low. The shape combines with a multi-material cap-back that is signifi cantly lighter than the steel it is replacing, driving the centre of gravity lower and making the club easier to square at impact. Further, because there is no badge bonded to the back of the club, it allows the face to move more freely.

The average player tends to make contact with more turf than they need to, so creating a sole design that helps the club exit the ground easier is almost a necessity. For the Stealth HD (HD stands for ‘High Draw’, by the way), that not only meant a wide sole, but one precisely shaped.

Specifi cally, the sole features a “step-down” feature in the rear of the sole that helps prevent digging while still being able to maintain a wide sole. But the design doesn’t stop there. There is a noticeable curvature of the sole from heel to toe that not only prevents heel and toe digs in certain lies, but promotes contact slightly higher on the face, which enhances launch and spin.