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2020 TaylorMade SIM and SIM Max fairway woods: “Shape in Motion”

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The new 2020 Taylormade SIM fairway woods: V Steel is back in a beefed-up package.

It was 2001 when TaylorMade Golf launched the V Steel fairway woods, and over the past 19 years, it’s not uncommon to see one occupying a spot in a player’s bag. It was that snowflake fairway wood that launched high with low spin, it looked great, and it basically stood the test of time. It’s now 2020, and TaylorMade is bringing back the V Steel spirit in a package that is beefed up in every way.

The new 2020 TaylorMade SIM and SIM Max fairway woods offer a very popular sole from the past (V Steel) with some aesthetic upgrades from the previous package that add up to a club that is high launch, low spin and very forgiving. Themes we are used to with all the OEMs. Fairway wood technology has made quite the leap in the past decade with carbon, titanium, and clever weight placement to make them into mini drivers. It’s been a very fun ride for golfers everywhere.

95 percent of the fairways that hit the market go a mile in the air with no spin and fly forever. Like the drivers, gains for the season to season switcher won’t be huge, we just don’t live in that world anymore. What we are looking at now is trust across the face, for me it’s the gains I get when I hit it center thin. With my current fairway (off the ground) its the difference between a shot that carries 265 (flush) or a shot that carries 240 (thin). Personally I’m looking for that bottom number to get closer to 250 knowing the top number won’t move much, and I don’t want it to.

Let’s see whats going on with these things…

2020 Taylormade SIM fairway woods: The tech

SIM fairway

With a 180cc Zatech titanium face, and an even heavier (than M5) 80g steel sole weight, keep in mind that the sole weight is now fixed—unlike the M5 that could be moved for left or right preferences. It was very uncommon for players to manipulate that weight, so it was decided that its a better golf glub locking it in place. I agree with that choice.

The new 2020 SIM fairway is the Mercedes Benz AMG of fairway woods, and I’m not saying that to stroke anyone either: it’s the best of everything a player would want. It feels very heavy-headed, has a ton of playability, and it looks like a TaylorMade fairway wood should. For those who like the real granular info, Zatech titanium is a high-end, small-batch titanium that more or less gives TaylorMade the ability to tune up the face to be hot as well as forgiving across the hitting area.

SIM Max

I am a huge fan of the M6…huge. Especially if you get it dialed in, for me it was really easy to hit, very versatile, forgiving, went far enough, and you could hit little knee-high fastballs if you needed to. A living unicorn. The new 2020 SIM is basically the same fairway wood with V Steel tech and some small optical tweaks. At 185cc and a familiar bonded hosel (I love that part), the SIM Max has already caught the eye of Dustin Johnson who had it in play at Kapalua, and if I was going to guess, Rory and Fleetwood (non-staffer) will have it in play as well. Try ’em both, but definitely don’t make a decision until you have given this one the business.

SIM Max-D

190cc chassis in a draw-biased package that will be a hit with the players that long to hit that soft high draw. Simple enough.

Overall looks

At Address: SIM (Pictured Left) and SIM Max (Pictured Right)

As you can see in the picture, the lines of the New 2020 SIM fairways woods are softer from top to bottom. The goal was to give the V Steel technology some harmony to work with and with the rounded leading edges that allow the club to glide a bit easier into the turf, they accomplished that. For players that like to beat down on it, sweep it, or anything in between, the new 2020 SIM fairway woods have the tech to please any of them. What I noticed (especially in the SIM) was that thin strikes not only flew a bit farther but felt closer to flush than in the past. I spoke with a mini-tour player buddy of mine and he reminded me of what made the V Steel really work…

“Off the tee it was awesome because outta the top of the face it was REALLY hot but what made it magical was it felt really solid outta the bottom for fairway shots, for the tournament players that’s a big weapon to have.” -Anonymous WRX member

Overall feel

This is where TaylorMade really gets it right, and it’s been a pattern with the M Series and now bleeding into the new 2020 SIM Fairways Woods. They feel solid. Not soft, smooth, bouncy but hammer-like solid. That experience got better across the face when Twist Face was introduced. If you like a heavy hit, you’ll get it here. And let’s be honest, there are a lot of OEMs chasing this feeling, it’s awesome, but TaylorMade has been doing it well for years now so gotta give credit where credit is due.

Overall opinion

It’s fairly obvious in my writeup that the new 2020 SIM fairway woods are a winner, and yes I am a bit biased. I have been playing TaylorMade woods for a long time. However, in a job that gives me a look at everything, it becomes less about what’s best and more on what the experience is. Allll the OEMs make great stuff: it’s a fact. There are very few lemons out there anymore.

What I’m hoping you get from any writeup I do is a sense of what you might feel when you hit a particular club. In this day and age, that’s the first selling point: the experience, and after that with a solid fitter, the math of it all can be solved. Enjoy the hit first, find a fitter, get the launch math done and go with God. In TaylorMade’s case, they do what they always do, they made another awesome fairway wood line that has something for everyone. Can’t argue with that.

TaylorMade SIM MAX fairway

Click image to enlarge

TaylorMade SIM Ti fairway

Click image to enlarge

Specifications, Availability & Pricing (Per TaylorMade Golf)

SIM, SIM Max, and SIM Max-D fairways will be available for preorder on January 10 and at retail on February 7, 2020.

SIM has an MSRP of $399.99 USD and will be offered in Rocket 3/14 degrees, 3/15 degrees and 5/19 degrees. It will be offered in the Mitsubishi Diamana FW Limited 75 stock shaft, with numerous additional shaft options available at no additional cost. It comes stock with the new Golf Pride Z-
Grip (47g).

SIM Max and Max-D have an MSRP of $299.99 USD. SIM Max will be offered in lofts of Rocket 3/14 degrees, 3/15 degrees, 5/18 degrees, 7/21 degrees and 9/24 degrees. Shaft offerings include Fujikura Ventus Blue FW 5 (R and A flexes) and Ventus Blue FW 6 (S and X flexes), with additional custom shaft options available at no additional cost.

SIM Max-D will be offered in lofts of 3/16 degrees, 5/19 degrees, and 7/22 degrees. UST Mamiya’s Helium FW is the stock shaft offering with numerous custom options available at no additional cost. Both models also come stock with the new Golf Pride Z-Grip (47g). Women’s offerings for SIM Max and SIM Max-D fairways include the Aldila NV Ladies 45 shaft and the Lamkin Ladies Sonar grip (38g).

Additional TaylorMade SIM features

Twist Face (Per TaylorMade Golf): TaylorMade introduced Twist Face to its fairway metal lineup in 2019 and has carried the revolutionary technology into each SIM offering.

Speed Pocket (Per TaylorMade Golf): The Speed Pocket in SIM fairways has been engineered to provide increased ball speed to the entire face while improving forgiveness on low-face impacts. A slot insert has also been designed to sit flush with the sole to improve sole interaction and eliminate turf drag from the Speed Pocket, aligning with the performance goals of V Steel.

Loft Sleeve (SIM Only): 2-degree Loft Sleeve allows for the adjustment of the loft, lie angle, and face angle of the driver.

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2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. JD

    Jan 14, 2020 at 10:43 am

    The 5 wood sim max is the most inviting fairway wood i’ve even seen in my life. It is the perfect size. Now if only fitting carts had stiff 5 wood shafts in them… 5 woods are not just for old folks anymore! Half the tour uses them!

  2. John

    Jan 6, 2020 at 11:05 am

    Yawn

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Whats in the Bag

Peter Malnati’s winning WITB: 2024 Valspar Championship

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Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX

3-wood: Titleist TSi3 (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 70 X

Hybrid: Titleist 818 H2 (19 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 95 X

Irons: Titleist T200 (4) Buy here, Titleist T150 (5) Buy here, Titleist T100 (6-9) Buy here.
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White S400

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-08M, 60-04T @62) Buy here.
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron TourType Special Select Masterful Tour Prototype Buy here.

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow Buy here.

The winning WITB is presented by 2nd Swing Golf. 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.

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Whats in the Bag

Taylor Montgomery WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7 TX

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (15 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 8 TX

Hybrid: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (19.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT HY 100 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P7TW (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (52-09SB, 56-12SB), Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60-T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Ghost S
Grip: Elite

Grips: Golf Pride MCC

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Whats in the Bag

WITB Time Machine: Paul Casey’s winning WITB, 2019 Valspar Championship

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At the 2019 Valspar Championship, Englishman Paul Casey took the trophy at the Copperhead Course for the second year in a row. On a difficult Sunday, Casey’s 1-over 72 was good enough for a one-stroke victory over Louis Oosthuizen and Jason Kokrak as Dustin Johnson faltered.

Check out Casey’s clubs from five years ago below.

Driver: TaylorMade M4 (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX (tipped 1 inch)

3-wood: TaylorMade M1 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX Limited (tipped 1.75 inches)

Irons: Mizuno MP-25 (3), Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal Pro (4), Mizuno MP-5 (5-PW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 TX

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (52-08F, 56-10S), Vokey Proto (60)
Shaft: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X

Putter: Scotty Cameron Circle T 350-SSS
Grip: Scotty Cameron Matador

Grips: Golf Pride ZGrip Cord Midsize

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Mizuno’s Senior Club Engineer, Chris Voshall told us Casey’s somewhat surprising setup in his long irons is simply the product of Casey hitting the windows he wants to with the particular clubs in question.

“It’s all based on the height of the ball flight,” Voshall said. The MP-25 3-iron was more penetrating and better for him off the tee, so he kept it in there.”

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