TaylorMade Stealth, Stealth Plus and Stealth HD Released, But $600?!?

As expected, only 48 hours before the first round at the Tournament of Champions at the Kapalua Plantation Course, TaylorMade has confirmed its official 2022 driver carbonwood lineup: the Stealth, Stealth Plus and Stealth HD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Arguably the most ambitious development in drivers, TaylorMade is the first to leave the titanium face behind and introduce carbon into the face.  TaylorMade maintains that this was a 20 year process, but has enabled its engineers to 44% lighter than a comparable titanium face.  After stacking 60 layers of carbon, which is then covered in a textured polyurethane cover, the 60x Carbon Twist Face has developed a new driver that promises better ball speed and forgiveness.  As best explained by TaylorMade Product Engineer, Michael Penney:

“Upon impact, a golf ball both compresses and propels forward off the face. The lighter the face, the less energy is lost to ball compression – leaving more energy to be applied to ball propulsion or ball speed. This is what we mean by a more efficient energy transfer, and this is what separates Stealth from any driver we’ve ever made and any current driver on the market right now.”

With the Stealth’s face being substantially lighter, TaylorMade engineers were also able to incorporate a face that’s ~11% larger than the SIM2’s.

But perhaps the most important aspect of the 60x Carbon Twist Face is the carbon itself.  To explain, carbon offers a higher COR (coefficient of restitution) than titanium and can be manufactured with tighter tolerances.  What that translates into for golfers is that TaylorMade can (as they previously tried with Speed Injection) make a face that gets closer to the legal limit, yielding more ball speed and, ultimately, distance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In addition to the 60x Carbon Twist Face, which (as the name alludes to) continues to offer the Twist Face technology, the Inertia Generator will be coming back and help promote optimum swing speed at impact.

But, as the title of this article noted, there are 3 different Stealth models: the Stealth, Stealth Plus and Stealth HD.  So what separates them?

Stealth 

With only hosel adjustability, the Stealth focuses on offering increased forgiveness: 15% more than the Stealth Plus.  The Stealth also is designed to generate 200-300 RPMs more spin than the Stealth Plus, which makes it a great option for golfers who could benefit from forgiveness and help squeezing out some extra carry yards. The Stealth will come in 9°, 10.5° and 12°, and offered with the following stock shaft options: Aldila ASCENT Red, Fujikura Ventus Red, Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 6 and Mitsubishi Diamana ZF-Series 60.  MSRP is set for $580.  

Stealth Plus 

The Sliding Weight Track has returned!  With a 10 gram weight, ball flight can be fine tuned which is important considering that the Stealth Plus is also the lowest-spinning option in the Stealth lineup.  The Stealth Plus will come in 8°, 9° and 10.5°, and offered with the following stock shaft options: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Red RDX,
Mitsubishi Kai’li White, Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 6 and Mitsubishi Diamana ZF-Series 60. MSRP is set for $600.  

Stealth HD 

The draw-biased option the lineup.  Like the Stealth, the Stealth HD does not have the sliding weight track, but instead focuses on forgiveness. Indeed, the Stealth HD’s Inertia Generator is produced to generate the highest MOI in the Stealth lineup. The Stealth HD will come in 9°, 10.5° and 12°, and offered with the Fujikura Air Speeder 45 as a stock shaft option. MSRP is set for $580.  

The pricing is highlighted because the Stealth now becomes the highest price driver offered by an OEM, with Callaway remaining at $550 with its Rogue ST lineup.  Yes, the Stealth offers an industry exclusive technology with the 60x Carbon Twist Face, but does that justify the additional costs?  Perhaps, and we’re very interested to find out.

And if you still have a few more dollars burning a hole in your pocket, it’s important to note that TaylorMade is offering the custom MyStealth program for $700.  The extra $100 unlocks the ability to customize every aspect of your Stealth driver, including the coloration of the 60x Carbon Twist Face.

TaylorMade’s Stealth, Stealth Plus and Stealth HD drivers will be available for preorder starting today, January 4th, and at retail  on February 4th.

Cover Image Via Instagram