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Taylormade Sim2 Driver
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Editor’s Conclusion
For a golf equipment junkie, nothing quite gets the pulse racing like a new Taylormade driver. They’ve been consistently offering excellent clubs for years now, with the R range and the M range both dominating the market respectively. Last year, Taylormade debuted their new range - the SIM - with spectacular results. Long, fast, and forgiving, it took the golf world by storm. Now Taylormade has followed it up with the new iteration: the SIM2.
Features
As expected from a premium modern driver, the SIM2 is absolutely packed full of tech. Most noticeable, and what sets the SIM range apart from other offerings, is the fin on the bottom of the club. This radical reshaping of the driver's head began in the SIM - literally standing for ‘Shape In Motion’ and is designed for maximum aerodynamic efficiency and speed. It also allows Taylormade to shove a sixteen-gram weight at the back of the club to reduce spin while increasing launch and forgiveness.
Another unique aspect of the SIM2 is its ‘Forged Ring Construction’, an aluminum frame at the back of the club. This gives strength and structure to the club, allowing the crown and bottom to be made of super-light carbon fiber - again, light club equals fast swing equals more distance. As well as this, the SIM2 also boasts Taylormade’s ‘Twist Face’ technology. This essentially consists of the toe of the driver being slightly lofted and open and the heel slightly de-lofted and closed - sounds complicated, but all you need to know is that it should help to compensate for off-center strikes in real-time.
Unlike previous Taylormade offerings, there is no adjustable weighting in the clubhead of the SIM2 - though it does have the now-standard adjustable sleeve, allowing some degree of customization of loft and lie angle. Instead, the SIM2 range consists of three clubs: the SIM2, the SIM2 Max, and the SIM2 Max D. To cut a long story short, the breakdown of the three clubs is this:
The SIM2 is designed for players with a high swing speed looking for low spin and launch to maximize distance. The SIM2 Max is more for the average golfer (but better players will enjoy it as well) offering slightly higher launch, spin rates, and forgiveness. Finally, the SIM2 Max D is for those of us who struggle with the dreaded slice - its weighting is set up for a draw bias (hence the D), and it also has the largest face and therefore the most forgiveness.
Looks are so personal, but I for one think the SIM2 range looks cracking. The white highlighting really inspires confidence looking down, and the electric blue decoration is just the right amount of modern and exciting without being obnoxious. The fin has been built more into the clubhead this time around, so it looks slightly less like an alien spaceship than the previous SIM model, which I think will make it more appealing to the majority of golfers.
Behind the ball, it sits - as most Taylormade drivers do - quite squat and tall, especially in comparison to the more classic, deeper shape of the Titleist TSi series. This, again, all comes down to preference - but while the Titleist looks like an artist’s tool, designed to craft a beautiful shot, the SIM2 looks like a weapon, designed to smack the ball as long and far as possible.
Another unique aspect of the SIM2 is its ‘Forged Ring Construction’, an aluminum frame at the back of the club. This gives strength and structure to the club, allowing the crown and bottom to be made of super-light carbon fiber - again, light club equals fast swing equals more distance. As well as this, the SIM2 also boasts Taylormade’s ‘Twist Face’ technology. This essentially consists of the toe of the driver being slightly lofted and open and the heel slightly de-lofted and closed - sounds complicated, but all you need to know is that it should help to compensate for off-center strikes in real-time.
Unlike previous Taylormade offerings, there is no adjustable weighting in the clubhead of the SIM2 - though it does have the now-standard adjustable sleeve, allowing some degree of customization of loft and lie angle. Instead, the SIM2 range consists of three clubs: the SIM2, the SIM2 Max, and the SIM2 Max D. To cut a long story short, the breakdown of the three clubs is this:
The SIM2 is designed for players with a high swing speed looking for low spin and launch to maximize distance. The SIM2 Max is more for the average golfer (but better players will enjoy it as well) offering slightly higher launch, spin rates, and forgiveness. Finally, the SIM2 Max D is for those of us who struggle with the dreaded slice - its weighting is set up for a draw bias (hence the D), and it also has the largest face and therefore the most forgiveness.
Looks are so personal, but I for one think the SIM2 range looks cracking. The white highlighting really inspires confidence looking down, and the electric blue decoration is just the right amount of modern and exciting without being obnoxious. The fin has been built more into the clubhead this time around, so it looks slightly less like an alien spaceship than the previous SIM model, which I think will make it more appealing to the majority of golfers.
Behind the ball, it sits - as most Taylormade drivers do - quite squat and tall, especially in comparison to the more classic, deeper shape of the Titleist TSi series. This, again, all comes down to preference - but while the Titleist looks like an artist’s tool, designed to craft a beautiful shot, the SIM2 looks like a weapon, designed to smack the ball as long and far as possible.
Performance
It almost feels redundant to say this about a Taylormade driver, but the SIM2 works. It is a brutal tool that hits the ball an incredibly long way with very little spin. It looks great, it feels great, and it sounds incredible. What’s not to like?
Well, there is a caveat. The SIM2 is not the most forgiving driver out there, not by a long shot. It’s designed for players with very high swing speed - think elite level - who are looking to get the most out of their swing. This means if you crank it out there, you’ll get some incredible results with the SIM2 in your hands. But it is so low spinning, if you can’t get your ball speed up you might find it dropping out of the air far too quickly, or worse, find it incredibly difficult to control. I swing the club at about 100mph and found that while the SIM2 felt great in my hands, I didn’t feel like I was getting it popping off the face, and I think that’s because it’s designed for people hitting it much harder than I can.
Luckily, this is where the MAX comes in. With its different weighting and more forgiving setup, it’s much more controllable for the average golfer, while still giving a very respectable output in terms of speed and forgiveness. The MAX D follows this trend, though it’s worth noting it has a slightly smaller draw bias than some of the other anti-slice drivers on the market, such as those from Ping and Callaway. So if you’re just trying to tweak your miss right, it should work for you, but if you’ve got the aggressive banana slices there might be other, more aggressive setups available from other manufacturers.
Well, there is a caveat. The SIM2 is not the most forgiving driver out there, not by a long shot. It’s designed for players with very high swing speed - think elite level - who are looking to get the most out of their swing. This means if you crank it out there, you’ll get some incredible results with the SIM2 in your hands. But it is so low spinning, if you can’t get your ball speed up you might find it dropping out of the air far too quickly, or worse, find it incredibly difficult to control. I swing the club at about 100mph and found that while the SIM2 felt great in my hands, I didn’t feel like I was getting it popping off the face, and I think that’s because it’s designed for people hitting it much harder than I can.
Luckily, this is where the MAX comes in. With its different weighting and more forgiving setup, it’s much more controllable for the average golfer, while still giving a very respectable output in terms of speed and forgiveness. The MAX D follows this trend, though it’s worth noting it has a slightly smaller draw bias than some of the other anti-slice drivers on the market, such as those from Ping and Callaway. So if you’re just trying to tweak your miss right, it should work for you, but if you’ve got the aggressive banana slices there might be other, more aggressive setups available from other manufacturers.
The Verdict
Finally, here’s my piece of advice for anyone looking to buy a SIM2 - know your specs. Go to a local club and get the pro to talk you through what you need, be it loft, shaft, lie angle, etc. There is so much going on in the SIM2 that you need to make sure you’ve got the right build for you. But once you have, and you’ve got yourself dialed in, the new Taylormade SIM2 driver range could be an absolute game-changer for many golfers out there.
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