Taylormade Stealth Driver Un-Official Review by JonMusc08

[JonMUSC08]

Intro
Welcome My Golf Spy addicts. In lieu of the Spring Season, I’ve been fortunate enough to win, test, and use the Taylormade Stealth Driver. This was not sponsored by MGS but WAS semi-sponsored by Taylormade and the AJGA (American Junior Golf Association)…. But let me tell you about later… More about me and my game

The Personal Questions

•     I’m out of Charleston, SC and mainly play Dunes West Golf Club and Yeamans Hall. 
•     I’ve been golfing for about 22years 
•     Driver club speed about 100-105mph, Ball speed abt 145-150mph. 
  • Current gamer: Taylormade M6 9*
•     I’m a casual golfer but definitely enjoy competition. 11.2 hdcp averaging mid to high 80’s per round. 

 

 

 

My Review Summary (TLDR)

• As part of the un-official MGS Instagram tagging crew I entered and won the TM Stealth+ “influencer Box” from the AJGA page with the following items:
  • RH TM Stealth+ 9* driver w/ tool & HC
  • Leather Sunday bag
  • Personals bag
  • Ball mark
  • Divot tool
• My goal was to determine if I wanted to game the new driver (compared to my TM M6) or cash in.
• To stay in the bag, I needed better consistency/ Accuracy and/or better distance 
• My results after 2 range sessions and 2 rounds: 86.5/100

As a member of the MGS forum and the un-official MGS Instagram tagging crew, I’ve been able to win and test an awesome amount of equipment:

•    MGS Tester '20 - G710 Iron Review 
•    MGS Tester '19 -Precision Pro NX9 HD Pro laser rangefinder
•    Birdieball 10ft x 2.5ft putting green
•    TourAim alignment tool
•    UST Mamiya Lin-Q Purple driver shaft
•    Year supply of Taylormade Amateur(a) golf balls

I grew up loving Taylormade products, mainly their drivers. I started with the Supersteel, R580, R9, R1, and then most recently the M6 a few years ago. Though that may seem biased, I have always had a comfort with the look and feel of their products. By no means does it mean they are better, but my ability to hit TM drivers has always been better than that of other manufacturers. The TM M6 I was previously gaming was selected from a full open-minded driver fitting at David Ayers golf in Mt. Pleasant, SC (Charleston). I tried the Ping G400, Callaway Epic Flash, Titleist TS2… but the M6 was most consistent FOR ME. 
 

Having entered and won the AJGA/ Taylormade promotional giveaway on Instagram, I was sent an awesome box of Stealth items! Of course, it was a Right-handed Stealth+ Driver at 9* which would be awesome except… I play Left-handed. Not too big of a deal, the driver has never been hit and David Ayers was open to swapping out a lefty model for me. BUT was the Stealth+ the right driver for me (of the Stealth models). Well, I wasn’t planning to pay for a fitting for only ONE driver so the guys over at David Ayers Lowcountry Custom Golf squeezed me into a booth to check out how I hit the demo Stealth+ and the regular Stealth.  After hitting the Stealth+, the spin was WAY too low; like 1500-1900 rpm. We tried out the regular Stealth and that was the ticket. What was even better feeling was the stock Ventus shaft. 

 

To provide the best feeback to real-world testing, I am reviewing this as a put-in-play testing and trying to get some numbers from my Rapsodo MLM. Though the MLM will be beneficial, the confidence on the course will be more important. 

Grading
•    Real world, on-course playability: 50 pts
•    Rapsodo MLM numbers: 10 pts 
•    Workability: 10 pts
•    Feel & Sound: 20 pts
•    Looks: 10 pts

First Impressions 
This is the new age of the Carbonwood. No more titanium faces. We’ve had the carbonfiber crowns but not its into the face! Blacked out and with red accents, this thing looks mean. I love it! The face is red with the carbon fiber pattern showing through. Its an aggressive color scheme. The matching headcover is great in my book as well. 

Looks: 8.5 out of 10 pts
●    Typical driver head shape
●    Clean look
●    Love the matte black and red combo with the carbon fiber
●    Deductions because the red face wouldn’t be my ideal pick but it is a mean look
●    Very little distractions if any on the crown. The one color tone on top keeps me focused a little better. 

 

 

 

 

Feel & Sound: 16 out of 20 pts
●    Due to the carbon fiber face, the sound is a bit more muted and less “pingy”. Less likely to turn heads.
●    For baseball fans, it’s like hitting or hearing a wood bat v. a metal bat. 
●    Deductions because it can be hard to hear and feel off-center hits. Everything sounds the same. 
●    Does it feel consistent across the face, or are mis-hits noticeably pronounced?
●    Solid center-faced contact sounds like you really crunched one. 

 

Rapsodo MLM Numbers: 6 out of 10 pts
Without owning a high end launch monitor (GC Quad, trackman, or even a Skytrack), it can be hard to trust the measurements the MLM is getting. But we don’t play in a simulated world so why only go off the digital readouts; this is meant for on-course gaming. Some players are great at practice, others are gamers! 
●    Accuracy – the dispersion seemed excellent. I attribute a lot of that to the shaft. It’s the Stiff Ventus (non-velcore) stock shaft be feels great TO ME. 
●    Distance – Maybe a slight edge to the Stealth compared to my TM M6. Just having a hard time believing those readings because the on-course numbers were much higher (260-280). 
●    Trajectory – Similar trajectory to the TM M6; a penetrating mid flight shot. MLM wasnt not reading launch angle very well. 
●    Forgiveness – Ideally I need to add some footspray to the face for better observance. But mishits closer to the toe still had great trajectories and rollouts. 
●    Control – The loft sleeve definitely helps zero in a great ball path. The weight seems heavier than say a Ping G400 (which I consider very light)

Stealth hitting into a net

 

Stealth Hitting at the range

 

Workability: 8 out of 10 pts

●    Workability – I prefer a straight trajectory but have worked it a few times. I have not had any difficulty working a fade or draw.  

On-Course: 48 out of 50 pts
This is where it all matters; you’ve practiced with them and have a good idea of the characteristics described above (accuracy, distance, forgiveness, trajectory, control, workability) and now is the time to put them to the test. Playing on the course is where it is truly going to matter. Do I really have confidence with the Stealth every time I take it out of the bag!  I have incorporated a little bit of Arccos data into the pictures below. 
●    Pressure – High confidence. Getting the feel on the range and then hitting the course, I knew I could blast one down the pipe. The solid matte black crown alleviated any distractions. 
●    Center strikes just felt really good. You could almost feel the compression of the face and ball. 
●    The 2nd round I played with it took me a little while to get going but that was a ME problem, not a club issue. 

 

Final Performance Comments:
●    The very first round with the Stealth I averaged 260yds with a long of 280yds in early morning, cool dew-filled conditions (little roll). I hit 57% of the fairways.
●    2nd round on May 1 and skipping the front 9 (I don’t wanna talk about it haha), I drove it from 268-311yds and hit 5/6 fairways that I used driver on. 
●    Based on Arccos, I improved 2.2 Strokes gained compared to my previous 10rds.
●    After a few great shots, I just felt GOOD. Especially using Arccos to see how far the drive went. Playing 6400yds, I felt like I only had a wedge left into most par 4’s! 
●    Taking such a large leap out of metal woods and into carbon fiber, this will be very interesting to see where the future goes with this technology. 

 

Play it or Trade it?
Have you see my listing on eBay for my TM M6 yet?? Is that the answer you need. That 2nd round with the Stealth sealed it into my bag. When I rip a drive, it just feels gggoooooooddd. That’s a fist bump kind of drive. 

Final Score: 86.5
•    Seems like a low score… but the on-course performance sealed the deal for me. Most point deductions were from the MLM readings. Ideally, its best to take the club onto the course to get the best feeling how it will game for you. 

 

Edited May 5, 2022 by JonMUSC08
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[cksurfdude]

Nice upgrade and nice improvement in driving!!

[revkev]

Very thorough treatment - thanks!

[xOldBenKenobiX]

Very Nice Jon