By Ari Fragen
In recent years, TaylorMade drivers have become among the most popular and frequently used drivers by the PGA Tour’s best players. Tiger Woods, world number one Rory McIlroy, and numbers two and three in Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka have played TaylorMade drivers and given them the validation and respect they need to have the biggest influence on consumers.
In 2020, the newest addition to the TaylorMade arsenal of drivers is the SIM and SIM Max.
The SIM is long and should be at the top of anyone’s list looking for a new driver. Aesthetically, it’s beautiful and TaylorMade claims it offers more consistency, forgiveness, and speed.
At address, the SIM gave an overwhelming amount of confidence because of its sleek and modern look.
The SIM is the first line of drivers to deviate from the “M” series of drivers released from 2016 to 2019.
SIM is short for “Shape in Motion” and represents TaylorMade’s mission to refine driver aerodynamics and help increase clubhead speed which in turn increases overall distance and ball speed.
Both the SIM and SIM Max feature a raised crown and sole aimed to reduce drag and improve airflow throughout the swing.
TaylorMade has also positioned an “inertia generator” lower and towards the back with a heavy steel weight in the rear. This moves the Center of Gravity – the point in a golf club head where all of the points of balance intersect, it affects launch angle and spin rates – into a low position and in-turn optimizes launch and slightly increases MOI (Moment of Inertia) leading to a more forgiving strike.
The Interia generator is also said to increase clubhead speeds up to five mph leading to more distance.
Continuing with similar tech in past “M” drivers, the SIM and SIM Max also feature a carbon crown aimed to decrease weight and allow for other geometrical modifications to be made in other parts of the driver. It also gives for a better-looking club at address.
The last major piece of tech in the SIM and SIM Max was something introduced last year in TaylorMade’s M5 and M6 drivers: Speed-Injected Twist Face. It provides the ball speeds of the SIM to travel as fast as possible even after an off-centered hit. The Twist Face aspect attempts to limit the damage of an off-centered hit; so a ball struck off of the heel won’t travel as far to the right and a strike off of the toe won’t travel as far to the left.
Although both the SIM and SIM Max share almost all of the same technological advances TaylorMade has previously used, there are still some minor differences.
The SIM features a sliding weight towards the front, seen in previous models, that allows for 20 yards of draw or fade bias. It also has a smaller face and head than the SIM Max and is aimed for the better player and those looking for maximum adjustability.
The SIM Max is aimed to deliver maximum forgiveness. Its inertia generator is slightly bigger than the SIM and increases MOI giving it more forgiveness than the SIM. Although it’s a more forgiving driver, the better players should still consider the SIM Max.
As stated earlier, both the SIM and SIM Max are an absolute must when considering a new driver. Its superior distance and barrage of technology make it one of the top drivers on the market.