2023 TaylorMade Unveils Stealth HD Irons

[ole gray]

6 minutes ago, russtopherb said:

Did you still have the TA Max in the bag when you switched to these? What sort of differences were you seeing between sets?

 

No, I sold the TA Max irons a while back. I'm currently playing with the Cleveland Launcher Halo irons which are outstanding IMO however I was intrigued with these new Taylormade HD irons so I went to Taylormade Kingdom and got fitted.  These new puppies should be arriving very soon so I can get them on the course next week.  I'll be opening a thread exclusive to my thoughts on these new irons once I've had a few rounds under my belt. 

[russtopherb]

1 minute ago, ole gray said:

 

No, I sold the TA Max irons a while back. I'm currently playing with the Cleveland Launcher Halo irons which are outstanding IMO however I was intrigued with these new Taylormade HD irons so I went to Taylormade Kingdom and got fitted.  These new puppies should be arriving very soon so I can get them on the course next week.  I'll be opening a thread exclusive to my thoughts on these new irons once I've had a few rounds under my belt. 

Ah that's right, I had forgotten that you had the Halos after trying the driver. Between you and Rob I can't keep the WITB straight anymore LOL!

[ole gray]

1 minute ago, russtopherb said:

Ah that's right, I had forgotten that you had the Halos after trying the driver. Between you and Rob I can't keep the WITB straight anymore LOL!

Yea I've gone through a ton of stuff over the last few years. Rob and I are brothers from another Mother.... 

[ole gray]

My irons will be delivered back from Carlsbad, California today to the Taylormade Kingdom at Lake Oconee for my fitter to do a final inspection to make sure they are up to spec.  I will go back down there for a test run and if any modifications need to be done they can adjust on-site.  You pay a lot but you get a lot to make sure you are getting what you paid for. I will be cooking with Crisco once the dust settles!

[Golfspy_CG2]

I got my demo iron in yesterday, 6 iron.  And took it out to the range along with the Paradym X to compare.  Both same shafts. SteelFiber  I70

The first shot with the HD I thought....Oh Sh*& I'm going to have to buy another set of irons.   It was straight tinto the sky wit a very small 5 yard or so fade.   The LM was showing 136 carry, which is pretty much a solid shot for me.

Fortunately there is a flag on that part of the range that I lasered at 135.   Several shots after that fell just short of the flag and all had readings from 124 to 131, so pretty accurate I'd say.

Then the Paradym X had 139 on my first shot and every shot after that was at least 134.  So I took a sigh of relief

That said, these irons...Stealht HD are stupid Easy to hit.  I don't htink I missed one shot, they all had pretty much the exact same flight...High! and slight fade.   I don't think you canhit these anywhere but high.

And the sound is fantastic, a nice little click at impact, pretty much the same sound each time, and the feel well they aren't hasrsh at all, just a normal regular feel.  Certainly not butter knife soft, but not frying pan hard either. 

If I was in the market for a set they'd defintiely be a contendeer.

Yeah, the looks are the not prettiest slimmest in the crowed, but I didn't vomit looking down at them.  I know some blade purists probably will.  But give me performance like that anytime and I can go with most any look.

 

[ole gray]

@Golfspy_CG2 My irons came today and I don't care what anyone says about these being fugly, I think they are HAWT!  I have a fairway wood fitting tomorrow and the HDs are in the mix.





 

[sirchunksalot]

12 minutes ago, ole gray said:

@Golfspy_CG2 My irons came today and I don't care what anyone says about these being fugly, I think they are HAWT!  I have a fairway wood fitting tomorrow and the HDs are in the mix.





 

Those look good in the bag paired with those Cleveland wedges. I can't wait to hear how you play with them. 

[ole gray]

6 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

Those look good in the bag paired with those Cleveland wedges. I can't wait to hear how you play with them. 

I'll do a little mini-review for ya'll     I had to slop the hogs for a whole month for Uncle Rufus to save up money for these puppies. The fitting was $300.00 and the irons were $1100.00+ so hopefully, they will earn their keep and help me shoot my age (72) this year! 

[ole gray]

On 3/2/2023 at 7:10 PM, sirchunksalot said:

Those look good in the bag paired with those Cleveland wedges. I can't wait to hear how you play with them. 

 

Maidan voyage with my new HD irons today was good!  I shot  37 on the front and 40 on the back.  I three putted 16, 17, & 18 or it could have been 74 instead of 77. I had two bogies and seven pars on the front with one birdie on 15 before my putter left the building.  I was getting tired so my stroke was not balanced.  Not blaming my putter. 

Ok for some thoughts on these new HD low-profile irons.  They are FORGIVING! I hit some greens today that I had no business being anywhere near the flat surface. Maybe it was an illusion or maybe it was a ghost in the air pulling that ball back toward my target but these irons are outrageously forgiving. They feel super sweet on center strikes however you do get feedback when shots are hit off either side of the center although it doesn't seem to bother the end result of the shot. Do you like beautiful high shots that land like a butterfly with sore feet, then you need to try these. 

They are set up for draw bias so during my fitting I definitely had that in mind since my stock shot is right to left. The only time I saw anything that resembled a snap hook was on the driving range when I was trying to pound my 7 iron over the 150 into a direct wind. You overcook these and you will see the ole lady in the red mini skirt show up. Otherwise nice high draws that just want to belly over onto your intended target.  For you slicers of the ball these irons could be the cat's meow! 

The size grip my fitter suggested was mid-size although I've been playing jumbo grips for the last few years now and love the feel and security of them. Although I played well today with the grips he ordered they felt awkward so I will be pulling those puppies off tomorrow and blowing on some jumbos. Is anyone interested in six mid-size Golf Pride CP2 Wrap Grips for $50.00?  They go for $10.00 ea. and being I used them once you'll get 10 bucks off. 

My Cleveland XL Launcher Halo irons WERE the most forgiving irons I had gamed up until now. With the HD irons, I really put them to the test today with thin shots, fat shots, and slap ya momma in the mouth shots and they all turned out very respectable. 

Lots more to come guys/gals as this was my maiden voyage with these silly easy-to-hit irons.

[rlb4]

39 minutes ago, ole gray said:

 

Maidan voyage with my new HD irons today was good!  I shot  37 on the front and 40 on the back.  I three putted 16, 17, & 18 or it could have been 74 instead of 77. I had two bogies and seven pars on the front with one birdie on 15 before my putter left the building.  I was getting tired so my stroke was not balanced.  Not blaming my putter. 

Ok for some thoughts on these new HD low-profile irons.  They are FORGIVING! I hit some greens today that I had no business being anywhere near the flat surface. Maybe it was an illusion or maybe it was a ghost in the air pulling that ball back toward my target but these irons are outrageously forgiving. They feel super sweet on center strikes however you do get feedback when shots are hit off either side of the center although it doesn't seem to bother the end result of the shot. Do you like beautiful high shots that land like a butterfly with sore feet, then you need to try these. 

They are set up for draw bias so during my fitting I definitely had that in mind since my stock shot is right to left. The only time I saw anything that resembled a snap hook was on the driving range when I was trying to pound my 7 iron over the 150 into a direct wind. You overcook these and you will see the ole lady in the red mini skirt show up. Otherwise nice high draws that just want to belly over onto your intended target.  For you slicers of the ball these irons could be the cat's meow! 

The size grip my fitter suggested was mid-size although I've been playing jumbo grips for the last few years now and love the feel and security of them. Although I played well today with the grips he ordered they felt awkward so I will be pulling those puppies off tomorrow and blowing on some jumbos. Is anyone interested in six mid-size Golf Pride CP2 Wrap Grips for $50.00?  They go for $10.00 ea. and being I used them once you'll get 10 bucks off. 

My Cleveland XL Launcher Halo irons WERE the most forgiving irons I had gamed up until now. With the HD irons, I really put them to the test today with thin shots, fat shots, and slap ya momma in the mouth shots and they all turned out very respectable. 

Lots more to come guys/gals as this was my maiden voyage with these silly easy-to-hit irons.

Keep us posted. Definitely want to hear more direct comparisons to the Cleveland Launcher XL Halo's. Turf interaction, fats, thins, toe, heel... I can do it all . Also, want to know about the draw bias, especially relative to the XL Halos which have a very minimal offset. Thanks.

[ole gray]

On 3/4/2023 at 6:50 PM, rlb4 said:

Keep us posted. Definitely want to hear more direct comparisons to the Cleveland Launcher XL Halo's. Turf interaction, fats, thins, toe, heel... I can do it all . Also, want to know about the draw bias, especially relative to the XL Halos which have a very minimal offset. Thanks.

After having a couple more rounds ( 86 & 84) with the HD irons I can tell you the two sets are pretty much the same club in a different package.  It depends on how they look to you and whether you're a digger or a picker.  I'm a picker so both sets work very well for me, however, the design of the HD irons helps diggers to not head all the way to China so that's a good thing for you ant eaters.  A plus you definitely have to consider is you can pick up 2nd hand Halos at huge savings now. It will take the HD irons a while before the prices drop. Both sets handle the off-center strikes very well. I suppose that comes from the SGI category they dwell in. The Halos are an awesome set of irons that just want to go at the target. Point and shoot. You can hit more draws over fades however fades definitely not out of the equation. 

I'm seeing a stronger right-to-left shot pattern with the HD irons. I have the setup at home where I can blow on/off grips in a jiffy. With jumbo grips, the HD irons are cool-looking baby draws for me.  With regular grips and when you get too quick for ya britches, a hook can show up. Tempo my man, tempo.

I've played standard everything with my irons for so long it's taking getting used to a set that is built to specs by my fitter. I'm bonding with the HD irons so more to come as we have a few sleepovers. 

[ole gray]

Bonding more and more with these irons and today I was able to hit a  fade out of necessity twice.  These irons are designed for a high draw however I had zero issues with fading two shots around the corner/trees close to the green. I shot 79 today on a cold and breezy day which makes this old man happy! 

[ole gray]

I've had nine rounds with the HD's now with two rounds (77 & 79) in the seventies, and the rest in the 80's with my highest round being 86. I sold my Cleveland Launcher XL irons as well as my Launcher Halo irons.   For the most part, the TM Stealth HD's want to go straight to a mild draw.  My natural shot shape has always been right to left so if they're not too much of a miss on the left for me, then I can see more drawers of the ball needing to give these a try. 

I do have a set of 2017 TM P970's coming in tomorrow as I'm going to compare the two sets to see which works best for my 12-handicap game.  It should be an interesting shootout. 

[ole gray]

After spending enough time with both the P790s and the HDs I must admit the HDs are overall a better fit for me.  If I was a couple of decades younger it would be hands down P790s however for the remainder of my golfing days I will go with the forgiveness the GI or SGI irons provide. Getting old ain't for sissies... 

[Parshooter36]

I had a terrible ballstrikingr  weekend where I could not get off the toe of the club.  I can't help but think the longer blade length on these would have saved me on multiple occasions.  A demo may be in my future.

[ole gray]

5 hours ago, Parshooter36 said:

I had a terrible ballstrikingr  weekend where I could not get off the toe of the club.  I can't help but think the longer blade length on these would have saved me on multiple occasions.  A demo may be in my future.

I find them very forgiving on toe strikes with little if any loss of distance. 

[HAC]

On 3/20/2023 at 7:02 PM, ole gray said:

I've had nine rounds with the HD's now with two rounds (77 & 79) in the seventies, and the rest in the 80's with my highest round being 86. I sold my Cleveland Launcher XL irons as well as my Launcher Halo irons.   For the most part, the TM Stealth HD's want to go straight to a mild draw.  My natural shot shape has always been right to left so if they're not too much of a miss on the left for me, then I can see more drawers of the ball needing to give these a try. 

I do have a set of 2017 TM P970's coming in tomorrow as I'm going to compare the two sets to see which works best for my 12-handicap game.  It should be an interesting shootout. 

Thanks for your thoughts.  I am a senior golfer and wonder about something like the HDs to replace my 6 and 7 iron.  [I currently play a 7 wood instead of a three or four iron and a 25 degree hybrid instead of a 5 iron.]  I have toyed with the idea of converting to hybrids instead of the 6 and 7 iron but then play well with them and decide to keep using them.  I have a friend who plays Cleveland Halo irons but I am not sure that they are for me.  The HD seems to be a cross between staying with irons for the 6 and 7 and converting to hybrids.  Would it be the best of both worlds or the worst?  I guess I would have to demo them at some point to see if I could find out.

As for ego, that goes out the window every time I hit my 7 wood.  Often get comments of good shot.  Never have received a comment of how the shot did not count because I did not use a 3 iron.

Edited April 11, 2023 by HAC

[ole gray]

7 minutes ago, HAC said:

Thanks for your thoughts.  I am a senior golfer and wonder about something like the HDs to replace my 6 and 7 iron.  [I currently play a 7 wood instead of a three or four iron and a 25 degree hybrid instead of a 5 iron.]  I have toyed with the idea of converting to hybrids instead of the 6 and 7 iron but then play well with them and decide to keep using them.  I have a friend who plays Cleveland Halo irons but I am not sure that they are for me.  The HD seems to be a cross between staying with irons for the 6 and 7 and converting to hybrids.  Would it be the best of both worlds or the worst?  I guess I would have to demo them at some point to see if I could find out.

As for ego, that goes out the window every time I hit my 7 wood.  Often get comments of good shot.  Never have received a comment of how the shot did not count because I did not use a 3 iron.

The HDs are definitely more iron-like and deliver on height and forgiveness. I believe you should give them a try!

[ole gray]

I played some solid golf today with my HDs and brought home an 80.  I struggled around the green with some pitch shots so I know what needs work.  The more I game the HDs the better they feel and I have to say it takes time to become accustomed to the shape and size of these irons but once you do, it's on like donkey kong.  Anything I said earlier about forgiveness etc. was no doubt brought on by the Indian and not the arrow.  These irons are extremely user-friendly once you have a few trips around the block with em.  

[BobBC78]

@ole gray Thanks for your detailed comments on the TM HDs! I am likewise a senior golfer, who's next set of irons will be of this "hybrid-irons" type. The HDs are definitely in the mix and I've found your feedback, particularly how they compare with Cleveland HALOs, informative. 

In the WITB picture you posted earlier in the thread, I think I saw a standard Stealth PW. If I have that right, I'd love to hear your thoughts about the Stealth vs, Stealth HD PWs and why you went with the former.

[ole gray]

11 hours ago, BobBC78 said:

@ole gray Thanks for your detailed comments on the TM HDs! I am likewise a senior golfer, who's next set of irons will be of this "hybrid-irons" type. The HDs are definitely in the mix and I've found your feedback, particularly how they compare with Cleveland HALOs, informative. 

In the WITB picture you posted earlier in the thread, I think I saw a standard Stealth PW. If I have that right, I'd love to hear your thoughts about the Stealth vs, Stealth HD PWs and why you went with the former.

 

[ole gray]

11 hours ago, BobBC78 said:

@ole gray Thanks for your detailed comments on the TM HDs! I am likewise a senior golfer, who's next set of irons will be of this "hybrid-irons" type. The HDs are definitely in the mix and I've found your feedback, particularly how they compare with Cleveland HALOs, informative. 

In the WITB picture you posted earlier in the thread, I think I saw a standard Stealth PW. If I have that right, I'd love to hear your thoughts about the Stealth vs, Stealth HD PWs and why you went with the former.

@BobBC78 Thanks buddy!   Yea, I do have the standard Stealth irons in my bag now and for me, it's more of a visual thing when addressing the ball.  The standard Stealth PW goes further and that is due to the stronger loft.  HD PW at 44.5 vs Standard at 43. It's all about what you are comfortable with and no doubt the HD's will be filling a ton of bags before this golf season is over.  It's a great product!

[HAC]

On 2/22/2023 at 6:30 PM, ole gray said:

Yes, and I have a set on order now. I hit several balls at Taylormade Kingdom  Reynolds Plantation during my fitting and left knowing I had to have a set.  My golf swing was off on vacation however I could still tell these irons are no joke.  I'm a senior golfer (72) with a 12 handicap and my swing speed is less than impressive these days. I can see how these irons will help a multitude of golfers.  More to come once I have some time on the golf course during competition.

I am a senior golfer (almost 68) currently is a 12.5 index so am in a similar boat to you.  I have gotten less consistent with my 6 and 7 irons over the last few years - kind of have a love-hate relationship with them (as soon as I am ready to replace them, I hit them really well).  I have been thinking about replacing these two irons with hybrids but have never been comfortable enough to do so.  Now I am thinking about getting Stealth HD 6 and 7 irons as a compromise.  A TaylorMade rep came to our club a couple of weeks ago and I hit a 7 iron some on the range.  Boy was it easy to hit.  Really flies high.  One of our pros said to me that he would order a 6 iron for me to demo and that I could either keep it or they would use it as a demo.  I am thinking about this but want to try a few other things first when the manufacturers come to our club.  My biggest issue is making this fit into my set.  My 25 degree hybrid and my irons are about 5 years old.  Although I am a much better player now than I was then (retirement is wonderful), I am pretty sure I would be fit for irons with lighter shafts than I was then.  I think the HD iron I tried was lighter than my current hybrid and irons.  [The TaylorMade rep recommended a Fujikura Speeder NX Red IR regular shaft.]  I may be able to stay with slightly heavier clubs for my 8 iron on up, but likely would want a new 25 degree hybrid.

I have Titleist irons now and like them so I likely won't make a decision until later this summer when (based on rumors I have read) Titleist comes out with new irons.  Could replace my hybrid and all of my irons,  Could replace just the hybrid and 6 and 7 irons.  Could do nothing.  We will see.

I play in a senior group at my club every week where the prizes are shop credit.  We have about 100 members who are part of the group and only about 30 play week to week, so there is a good chance of winning more credit (most events are based on net scores, with A, B, C, D teams, etc. so giving everyone a chance to get money - generally 12 players win something each weel).  Because of something else also, I am already over $100 in shop credit and can almost buy an HD 6 iron for shop credit.  So, waiting until I am comfortable to decide will make the clubs cheaper.  

[HAC]

On 4/11/2023 at 2:21 PM, ole gray said:

I played some solid golf today with my HDs and brought home an 80.  I struggled around the green with some pitch shots so I know what needs work.  The more I game the HDs the better they feel and I have to say it takes time to become accustomed to the shape and size of these irons but once you do, it's on like donkey kong.  Anything I said earlier about forgiveness etc. was no doubt brought on by the Indian and not the arrow.  These irons are extremely user-friendly once you have a few trips around the block with em.  

Great play.  I see you go down with the HDs through pitching wedge.  Do you like them as well for shorter irons as for longer irons?  I have been thinking about a mixed set as indicated above, but would love to have your thoughts.

Edited May 14, 2023 by HAC

[ole gray]

29 minutes ago, HAC said:

Great play.  I see you go down with the HDs through pitching wedge.  Do you like them as well for shorter irons as for longer irons?  I have been thinking about a mixed set as indicated above, but would love to have your thoughts.

The HD irons are easy from the 5 iron down to the PW.  Great height with plenty of forgiveness to boot. I'm currently gaming the regular Stealth irons as I have my HD irons up for sale.  I developed a case of the shanks (Indian fault as I later noticed it was going on with another brand of irons. )  I went out to the range yesterday and just for fun pulled out my HD 5 iron.  I've been working on my takeaway as my balance has been shifting to the right causing all kinds of poor shots to include shanks. With my weight staying more forward and turning around my spine I'm back to solid golf.   Anyways I was blasting the HD 5 iron beautifully with long high baby draws.  If the HDs don't sell soon I will keep them as they are damn good irons.  By the way, I am 72 years old and my HDs have senior flex Recoil shafts which are awesome for us old dudes. 

[ole gray]

My sore back is much better so I pulled the HD's back out today for a little range time.  I sure am glad they didn't sell!  These irons are just hard to beat and the way they launch the ball is pure money for us old guys.   I'm thinking I hurt my back trying to launch the lower lofted one-length irons high.   Thank ya Lord for the HD's not selling !!!

[russtopherb]

12 minutes ago, ole gray said:

My sore back is much better so I pulled the HD's back out today for a little range time.  I sure am glad they didn't sell!  These irons are just hard to beat and the way they launch the ball is pure money for us old guys.   I'm thinking I hurt my back trying to launch the lower lofted one-length irons high.   Thank ya Lord for the HD's not selling !!!

These seem to be the type of irons that just flat out work for you, OG. 

[ole gray]

2 hours ago, russtopherb said:

These seem to be the type of irons that just flat out work for you, OG. 

Yes Sir I'm becoming a believer

[hohjoe]

I was fitted for a set of these, and they were delivered yesterday. I already had plans for a quick nine with the grandson, so I unboxed the clubs, picked him up and went to the course.

The clubs are clunky looking to a degree, but I don’t care and neither does the ball or the cup. These work great for me. I get the ball in the air, and I’ve gone down two clubs from what I was using. I plan on a full course test Monday and I can’t imagine I’m going to be anything but happy.

[ole gray]

On 6/10/2023 at 9:12 AM, hohjoe said:

I was fitted for a set of these, and they were delivered yesterday. I already had plans for a quick nine with the grandson, so I unboxed the clubs, picked him up and went to the course.

The clubs are clunky looking to a degree, but I don’t care and neither does the ball or the cup. These work great for me. I get the ball in the air, and I’ve gone down two clubs from what I was using. I plan on a full course test Monday and I can’t imagine I’m going to be anything but happy.

 Welcome to the club now go out there and bag some birds!