Three weeks before the first PGA Tour event of 2022, the USGA and R&A have added the TaylorMade Stealth and Stealth Plus+ drivers to their Conforming Driver lists, making them legal for play in official events.
TaylorMade has not officially released information on either club, but if history is a guide, we can expect them to be launched in early January as the game’s best players return to action in Hawaii after a holiday break.
The USGA Conforming Driver list provides only a few visual details about the clubs, but they are interesting.
First, the word “Carbonwood” has been printed on the sole of both the Stealth and Stealth Plus. For years TaylorMade, like many manufacturers, has referred to drivers, fairway woods and hybrids as metalwoods. TaylorMade has used carbon fiber in the crown and pieces of the sole in drivers for years, so adding carbonwood infers that this driver is something different in TaylorMade’s eyes.
The USGA’s description states that the words “60X Carbon Twist Face” have been added to the face of the clubs. It is not clear to what the 60X carbon refers, but Twist Face is a technology that debuted in TaylorMade’s 2018 M3 and M4 drivers. It bends back the high-toe and low-heel portions of the hitting area to encourage the most common mis-hits to fly straighter.
The overall shape of the Stealth and Stealth Plus+ drivers is similar to the SIM and SIM2 shape we have seen the past two years, with what appears to be a fixed weight positioned in the back of an asymmetrical sole piece. The sole’s shape is designed to be more aerodynamic, while the added weight in the SIM and SIM2 drivers helped boost the moment of inertia for increased stability.
Both drivers have an adjustable hosel mechanism and Speed Pocket slot positioned behind the leading edge. TaylorMade has used Speed Pockets in the past to reduce spin and protect ball speed on low-struck shots. The Stealth Plus+ also has a 10-gram moveable weight in a channel behind the Speed Pocket. We have seen moveable weight designs like this from TaylorMade in the past, but last season’s SIM2 drivers lacked a moveable weight. Bringing it back should allow golfers and fitters to increase the draw or fade bias of the club.
According to the USGA description, the Stealth is available in 8, 9, 10.5 and 12-degree versions, while the Stealth Plus+ was tested in 8, 9 and 10.5-degree versions.