For all the hype around the original Stealth driver, the majority of its composition was not carbon but the huge weight saving in the face allowed the club-design boffins at Taylormade to put more weight in the back, which helps generate more energy on impact.
However the Stealth 2 Driver is much more of a true carbon driver. In fact the 2023 version has 75% more carbon than the original. The crown, the reinforced composite ring, the sole and the face are all made from the ultra-light material. Only the collar (titanium) and the various weights – how they are used differs by model – are metal.
With all that carbonwood, the club designers have a lot of room for manoeuvre when it comes to putting the weight just where they want to in order to send the ball further, regardless of where the ball impact comes on face.
For the majority of us the really great news is our bad drives will go further. The much vaunted MOI rating (Moment of Inertia) is up 9% compared to the Stealth Mark I. This translates into your club being extremely stable when you hit one off the toe or the heel, offsetting the damage done. Golf is hard enough so these considerable gains you get from ‘mishits’ using the Stealth 2 should be accepted gladly.
Tomo Bystedt, Senior Director Product Creation, CarbonwoodTM and Metalwoods, said: “There are two main ways to produce forgiveness in a driver, by optimising the face and by optimising the body.
“Building off the 60X Carbon Twist Face in the original Stealth that led to ball speed gains for golfers across various skill levels, with Stealth 2 we challenged ourselves to bring more forgiveness in each of the three models.
“We accomplished that through introducing our modified face construction focused on forgiveness on the outside of the face, and a brand-new carbon-based modular body construction.”
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The three versions of the Stealth 2 have their own quirks. The top-end Plus model has a 15g sliding weight neatly incorporated into the sole. Unlike the new Callaway Paradym, which also has added this new feature, the Stealth’s ‘slider’ is near the face.
TaylorMade has also offered players the opportunity to personalise their new Plus. The MyStealth 2 Plus comes with following colour options (although at £599 there is obviously quite a premium on style):
• Face Colour: Red, Black, Yellow, Blue, Light Blue, Bright Green, Pink, Orange, Purple
• Ring Colour: Red, Black, Gold, Silver, White, Charcoal
• Crown Finish: Gloss or Satin
• Top Line: Black or White
• Sightline: Logo or No Logo
• Weight Colours: Black or Chrome
• Custom MyStealth 2 Headcover
The HD (High Draw) is aimed at higher handicap players who need help getting the ball in the air but no slider here. All the extra weight saving gained from the prodigious use of carbon is shifted to the very back of the club. A whopping 30 grammes of it and this contributes to making the HD the highest-ranked MOI driver TaylorMade has ever made.
The standard Stealth 2 is not far behind in the MOI stakes thanks to the 25g tungsten weight positioned at the back of the club and this can be altered when you get your club fitted. It is a fantastic tool to fine tune your driver as we all have different requirements.
Meanwhile, the Stealth 2 HD Women’s driver is designed to enhance clubhead speed. It maintains the high MOI head design for easy, high launch with a draw bias.
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Stealth 2 Plus/MyStealth 2 Plus
• Loft: 8° (Stealth 2 Plus only), 9° and 10.5°
• Shaft: Mitsubishi Kai’li Red 60 (X, S, R) and Project X HZRDUS Black (Gen 4) 60 (X/6.5, S/6.0)
• Grip: Golf Pride’s Z-Grip Plus 2 Black/Red (52g)
Stealth 2 and Stealth 2 HD
• Lofts: 9°, 10.5° and 12°
• Shaft – Stealth 2: Fujikura Ventus Red TR 5 (S, R, A) and Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 60 (X, S, R). HD: Fujikura Speeder NX Red 60 (S) and 50 (R, A).
Grip: Golf Pride’s Z-Grip Plus 2 Black/Red (52g).
Stealth 2 HD Women
• Loft: 10.5° and 12°
• Shaft: Adila Ascent Ladies 45
• Grip: Lamkin Ladies Sonar (38g) grip.
UK Prices
• Drivers: £599 (MyStealth 2 Plus); £529 (Stealth 2 Plus); £499 (Stealth 2/Stealth 2 HD)
• Fairways: £379 (MyStealth 2 Plus); £299 (Stealth 2/Stealth 2 HD)
• Rescues: £249 (MyStealth 2 Plus); £239 (Stealth 2/Stealth 2 HD)
