Equipment
GolfWRX Spotted: TaylorMade SIM2 drivers on conforming list
The highly anticipated and buzz-creating TaylorMade SIM2 drivers are now officially on the R&A’s conforming list. (Expected soon on the USGA Conforming Club List). The Monday, December 14 list includes the new SIM2, and SIM2 Max, but there is no sign of a SIM2 Max D (Draw) version like there was from the 2020 line.
It could be TaylorMade is dropping the draw-biased model from the 2021 line, but there could be another explanation—and we’ll get to that in a minute.
We’re not 100 percent sure what this means for the launch date, but with the PNC Championship (formerly PNC Father-Son) taking place this week December 18-20th—featuring TaylorMade staffer Tiger Woods along with his son Charlie—it would be no surprise to potentially see it in play during this “silly season” charitable event.
TaylorMade SIM2 driver
What we know
It appears the SIM2 will continue to be the flagship model geared towards faster players based on the previous model designations. The noticeable omission right off the bat is the removal of the sliding weight track in favor of a weight screw positioned behind a through slot Speed Pocket. Around the weight it says “High MOI – LOW Spin.” This is interesting because nowhere on the previous SIM did it say anything about MOI, and this most likely means that these new TaylorMade drivers add extra stability to increase MOI.
The Speed Pocket on the sole is not a new technology, but this new pocket looks to be one of the widest TaylorMade has ever put on a driver.
Without the sliding weight, the next noticeable thing about the driver and the other SIM2 driver on the list is the amount of carbon used on the sole of the club. This weight saving must be TaylorMade’s way of removing mass from the middle of the head to reposition around to increase stability, with the final piece of the puzzle being what looks to be a larger weight for the inertia generator at the rear of the head.
Other mainstay technologies assumed to again be built into the new head include the Twist Face and Speed Injected Face to keep the SIM2 right to the max for CT (Characteristic of Time). The only unknown aspect of the sole is a small port visible on the toe—this could be where another adjustable weight screw is being used to boost MOI or it could have something to do with the Speed Injection system.
TaylorMade SIM2 Max driver
What we know
The SIM2 Max looks very similar to the standard SIM2 except for the front weight being slightly more heel biased to make the head easier to draw.
It’s hard to tell from the black and white USGA image, but the shaping of the head also looks to fall in line with the previous Max, and it could have a slightly taller face height.
Where is the SIM2 Max-D (Draw)?
As mentioned off the top there is no sign of a SIM2 Max D driver on the list yet, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t one on the way. The USGA list is intended for competition and it is less likely there would be any players who currently have any plans to put it into play and thus TaylorMade has no desire to submit a draw driver.
Conclusion
With the huge success of the 2020 SIM driver line, TaylorMade is sticking with a proven formula of shape and design characteristics. If there is one thing engineers and designers know, it’s not to mess with a good thing and the 2020 drivers were very good.
To see what other golfers are saying check out the GolfWRX forums.
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- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Equipment
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
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Pingback: GolfWRX Spotted: TaylorMade SIM2 fairway woods and hybrids on conforming list – GolfWRX
Brandon
Dec 14, 2020 at 7:38 pm
Just glad they got rid of the shiny part on the fin.
Carolyn
Dec 14, 2020 at 4:34 pm
If your going to improve the driver every year maybe it is time to start offering one or two year leases on there clubs? Buying one means you pay $500 and 18 months later one round or a hundred the club is worth $98 cash or maybe $130 max on trade in. Be nice if they just charged $250 for use of the club and let you trade in in and get the next years model for another $250 we would all be ahead with that…
Craig
Dec 14, 2020 at 11:30 pm
There are shops that will do this. This is an Australian one, but I am sure there are similar elsewhere https://www.golfbox.com.au/golf-blog/golfrent-get-your-golf-gear-now/
Paulo
Dec 14, 2020 at 4:02 pm
The blue colour scheme is truly horrid on the actual retail model
Gunter Eisenberg
Dec 14, 2020 at 12:52 pm
Same old…same old…
SnotsaJerk
Dec 14, 2020 at 11:07 am
Buy the newest, bestest, and longest from the company that Needs to continue pay for play through minimal progress releases. I suggest some of us go play as a walk on and feel that “moneys worth” feeling of being “that’s You next”, multiple yards behind a Srixon, Tour Edge, or Titleist.I Love my SIM Dr, 3wd and Hy, first ever matching woods for me. My heads and covers are already painted over “custom” so B&W won’t sell me. If You still need 5 more yards You better find Yoga or Martial Arts, which You can do with Your families for a better value!!!
JP
Dec 14, 2020 at 9:49 am
Why don’t they just make a TP version. That would make a lot of golfers go crazy over it. Literally, offer a little smaller head with a TX shaft and put the TP stamp on the toe. Instant sales
gwelfgulfer
Dec 14, 2020 at 10:34 am
Because it was only the shaft that really made the old TP lines a bit better, heads were the same. So no point in todays day and age when everyone has shafts to swap out.
Travis
Dec 14, 2020 at 9:23 am
They look good in black and white, but wait until the public sees what the actual color scheme is. It’s horrendous… although European golfers might be happy =P
Bill Bogle Jr.
Dec 14, 2020 at 9:11 am
The back of the club is aluminum with a weight that Taylormade can swap out, not the consumer. Special screw. It will be interesting to see how durable the carbon fiber on the sole is when it it this prevalent. TM had some cracking with the M3&M4. It looks like the sliding weight has become a thing of the past with both Callaway and Taylormade moving on. Only fixed position changeable weights remain with TSi and G425.
matt
Dec 14, 2020 at 9:09 am
forged aluminum is the only thing i can see that’s a bit different. besides going with a crap ton of carbon on the sole, but that’s been done. isn’t this supposed to be a massive release? I mean you hear that constantly but from guys like Ian Fraser on TXG it carries a little extra weight.