Equipment

GolfWRX Spotted: TaylorMade SIM2 drivers on conforming list

Published

3 years ago

Dec 14, 2020

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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Ryan Barath

Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

12 Comments

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.

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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…

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- 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/
  
  Reply Report comment
Paulo

Dec 14, 2020 at 4:02 pm

The blue colour scheme is truly horrid on the actual retail model

Reply Report comment
Gunter Eisenberg

Dec 14, 2020 at 12:52 pm

Same old…same old…

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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!!!

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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

Reply Report comment
- 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.
  
  Reply Report comment
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

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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.

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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.

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

2 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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