TaylorMade Stealth irons
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 peice.
Available: April 4
TaylorMade has a full selection of irons for accomplished golfers who have repeatable swings in its P Series, including the P•7MB (from $1,399 at PGA Superstore). P•7MC (from $1,224.99 at PGA Superstore), P•770 (from $1,244.99 at PGA Superstore) and the P•7790. For golfers such as Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa and Dustin Johnson, they are designed to deliver feel, precision and workability.
For mid- and higher-handicap players, TaylorMade has game-improvement clubs such as last season’s SIM2 Max (from $799.99 at PGA Superstore), 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.
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3D Cap Back Design
The 3D Cap Back system creates discretionary weight to improve performance. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Golfers who shoot in the high 80s and 90s typically want to hit the ball farther and get it into the air more easily, so TaylorMade designed the Stealth irons to be hollow, which allows the 450 stainless steel face to flex efficiently at impact for increased ball speed. However, instead of making the back of the club using stainless steel, TaylorMade designed a cap that covers the back of the head using a polymer.
This saves a significant amount of weight and still provides the support the club needs. TaylorMade has used this Cap Back system before, in the SIM and SIM2 irons, but for the Stealth designers removed about 10 grams of mass from the high-toe area, wrapped the Cap Back around the toe and redistributed the saved weight low in the head. This updated 3D Cap Back Design does a better job driving down the center of gravity to encourage higher-flying shots.
The Stealth irons have moderately wide toplines and soles with offset to help golfers make solid contact more often. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Looking down at the Stealth irons, golfers will see a topline, blade length and offset that matches the SIM2 Max, but the sole of the Stealth is 3 millimeters wider in the center than the SIM2 Max. TaylorMade created it by removing the trailing-edge beveling. It is a small detail, but it allowed designers to position weight farther back, away from the face, which in turn helped lower the center of gravity even more.
To help pull the sweet spot down – because golfers who struggle with consistency often hit iron shots thin – TaylorMade designed the Stealth irons with a Speed Pocket slot in the sole of the 4-iron through 8-iron. It runs behind the leading edge from toe to heel and allows the lower portion of the face to flex more at impact.
Echo Dampening System
The internal Echo Dampening system makes the Stealth irons sound and feel better. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The sound of a solid-struck shot is something elite golfers hear all the time and recreational players love, but large, game-improvement irons often sound tinny or high-pitched. To enhance sound and feel in the Stealth irons, TaylorMade gave them an Echo Dampening system similar to the one in the SIM and SIM2 irons.
Made using a soft polymer, it is an accordion-shaped piece that rests inside the head of each iron and gently presses against the back of the face. At impact it does not impede the hitting area from flexing, but it does soak up excessive vibrations so shots sound more like what might be expected with a forged, better-player iron.
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