Equipment

WRX Spotted: TaylorMade SIM Drivers on USGA Conforming list

Published

6 years ago

Dec 30, 2019

The already much-speculated-about TaylorMade SIM drivers are now officially on the USGA and R&A Conforming Clubs List.

With the PGA Tour’s Sentry Tournament of Champions starting in just a few days on Jan 2, it would be no surprise to see these drivers in the bags of almost every TaylorMade staff member along with a few non-staffers too. Here’s what we know so far.

SIM

Based on the information gathered from the USGA list and a little bit of deduction, the SIM driver appears to be the flagship model geared towards the slightly faster or higher spin players looking for workability. There is a lot of visible technology packed into this head including a revert to the “SLDR-like” single front sliding weight track. The big difference compared to the SLDR is the long and protruding mass towards the back of the head to move CG much lower and away from the face—allowing for Higher MOI but still offering a low spin design, that and the use of carbon fiber.

No word yet if the different color of the protrusion means TaylorMade is using another material at the back of the head to push mass even further back, but if I had to guess, something is going on back there.

Like the previous M5 and M6 drivers, the use of carbon fiber appears to again be expanding to reaches of the head not seen before in a TaylorMade product, which could be allowing for a more multi-material construction.

Other technologies currently assumed to again be built into the new head include the proven Twist Face, and Speed Injected face to keep the SIM right to the max for CT (Characteristic of Time) and we already know it passed since these are on the Conforming List.

The other telltale sign that this is a club geared towards the better/faster players is the loft availability 8°, 9°, and 10.5° heads.

SIM MAX

If there is one thing golf companies seem to be able to agree on, it’s the “MAX” moniker equals greater forgiveness in any number of products, and the SIM MAX appears to be no different.

Offering the same sole shape as the standard SIM the MAX excludes the sliding weight track, probably much like the previous M6 compared to the M5, it has been excluded in favor of having a deeper, lower Center of Gravity to increase MOI. It doesn’t appear though that TaylorMade is just targeting average swing speeds with this driver either since the lofts also go from 8°, 9°, 10.5°, and up to 12°. If modern fitting has taught us anything, it’s loft is just a number to create a recipe for higher launching, lower spinning drives.

The carbon fiber on the MAX appears to wrap all the way up to the toe and around the back of the head—if we assume that the crown is also carbon than the TaylorMade SIM MAX could be TaylorMade’s most forgiving driver to date utilizing any number of multi-material advantages to push Center of Gravity lower than they ever have before.

SIM MAX-D (Draw)

Sim MAX D
Let me make one thing clear: there isn’t a driver on the market with the letter “D” being used to identify a model that is not in some way draw biased.

The SIM MAX-D looks to be using all of the same visible (and potentially hidden) technology as the other models but using more discretionary mass to move the CG towards the heel—notice the metal looking piece towards the lower heel of the head.

The MAX-D is also the first of the three models with the easy to read “Aerodynamic Sole Design” clearly visible on the head. Until proven otherwise, it also looks like it can be seen on the toe of the other two models as well.

Conclusion

The SIM Drivers from TaylorMade are going to be their flagship metal woods for 2020 and are using more carbon fiber than ever before. As it has been said many times, driver CT has been maxed out for years now, but that still doesn’t mean we have hit a wall as far as fitting, and finding ways to create speed through engineering.

More discretionary mass around the head and CG optimization are still the keys to helping golfers unlock more distance and consistency off the tee. If you add in new key face technologies to boost speed on mishits, and improved aerodynamics, then it looks like we could be going further again in 2020 with the TaylorMade SIM.

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Ryan Barath

Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

30 Comments

Steve Botica

Dec 31, 2019 at 11:43 am

Why is the sentiment so negative here?
People claiming to be real golfers because they don’t use Taylormade.??It is very clear Taylormade keeps the hype machine working 24/7, by attempting to lure you into buying a new driver every 6 months.Well,if you’re one of the sheep out there that can afford it,good for you.Contrary to that if you have any clue how consumerism works,you would not get duped by these elementary smokescreens. Find a driver that works and hit till its dull. Buy a 3 year old model off the rack and repeat. Taylormade,Ping,Callaway,Titleist what ever. Brand elitists need to check themselves.

Reply Report comment
Troy

Dec 31, 2019 at 8:37 am

I’ll stick with my PXG 0811X, keep pounding it and watch the release of probably two sets of TM product lines this year alone!

Reply Report comment
Kevin

Dec 31, 2019 at 2:05 am

Taylormade has lost its credibility in the driver game , can they not produce a driver that can last 24 months ? Come on , do they think we should be constantly changing $600 drivers , just for a new flashy head over .

Reply Report comment
Straight Driver

Dec 31, 2019 at 1:13 am

S.I.M. hmmm……stands for “Sucks, I Missed.”

Reply Report comment
dat

Dec 30, 2019 at 10:49 pm

Overpriced junk unless you buy the tour models for $899 a head.

Reply Report comment
JThunder

Dec 30, 2019 at 7:43 pm

The only thing more predictable than *every* club company releasing a “new” driver on a regular schedule is the litany of repetitive and meaningless commentary which follows.

TM – and *every* other company (including PXG) releases new clubs because their shareholders, their dealers, and their own marketing departments *demand* that they must. If you dislike this enough to comment negatively every single time, then vote for socialism.

I suppose you could argue that the almighty internet – fueled by social media and “comments” sections for most media – “demands” that you have an opinion and believe others are entitled to it.

One is a waste of money and resources, the other is a waste of time. Happy new year.

Reply Report comment
y2zar

Dec 30, 2019 at 7:19 pm

Va, a club for bow. Vee’s fredishay golf

Reply Report comment
Mark

Dec 30, 2019 at 6:58 pm

Sim stands for Speed in Motion… Just so you know. And M6 will be 399.99 not 299.99, M2 is still 299.99. New driver every 12 months like they did the last 3 years. You people crack me up.

Reply Report comment
- Michael
  
  Dec 30, 2019 at 7:06 pm
  
  Oh look another OEM hater. Who gives a crap. No one is forcing you to buy one.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Scott Erdmann
  
  Dec 30, 2019 at 8:21 pm
  
  It’s Shape In Motion…
  
  Reply Report comment
Erik Filipiak

Dec 30, 2019 at 6:41 pm

Looks like an SLDR and an M6 made sweet love and this is what they spawned…..

Reply Report comment
Tyler Made

Dec 30, 2019 at 5:50 pm

I like it!

Reply Report comment
Brandon

Dec 30, 2019 at 4:23 pm

That might be the ugliest driver since the R1 era

Reply Report comment
Adam

Dec 30, 2019 at 4:07 pm

“OMG why do they make a new driver every year?!”
Jeez guys, I didn’t know the driver in your bag automatically disintegrates after one year forcing you to buy a new one.
Or you just bitter playing a slightly outdated driver? The best part about new drivers every year is the rate at which used drivers drop in price. You have year old drivers that are brand new selling for half of what they sold for a year ago.

Reply Report comment
Mike B

Dec 30, 2019 at 4:01 pm

TM SIM 2020… its more like Nike Vapor Fly Flex 2015! Their stuff is junk since the M1 2017 model, which I liked but dented in the face, replaced with a 2018 M1, which also dented. And that’s why i play a HONMA driver and MIZUNO irons. Nothing from TM will ever see my bag again. But there are fanboys and will sell a butt load of them.

Reply Report comment
- Liam
  
  Dec 31, 2019 at 3:47 pm
  
  It really is MI5 lol
  
  Reply Report comment
Tom54

Dec 30, 2019 at 3:44 pm

Not sure if all the readers “shanks” outnumbering the “likes” is an indication of what is thought about Taylormade drivers anymore but I was once fairly loyal to that brand myself until they kept coming out with something new every 6-8 months it seemed. I had a SLDR tp myself and thought it was the worst $500 driver I ever had. I gave them another shot with the M1/M2 but still wasn’t too satisfied. All my friends were using Ping models and I was reluctant to switch but I now am using the G410 lst and am not planning on switching anytime soon. I’m sure all the TM staff will be out in force with their new “SIM” logo on the hats to promote it but for me, the actual buying customer, that’s a no for me.

Reply Report comment
Rich Douglas

Dec 30, 2019 at 3:34 pm

For those of you who held on to your M1 drivers, congratulations. They’re back.

Reply Report comment
TacklingDummy

Dec 30, 2019 at 3:28 pm

I really like the sound of the graphite crown of TM driver. Not super tingy more of a solid rip sound.

Reply Report comment
J.A.

Dec 30, 2019 at 3:04 pm

Another Driver from TM.. what’s new ? They just change the color scheme, a little tweak here and there that doesn’t do jack s*** in terms performace and throw a new name on it to sell it to idiots in need of burning another $500-600.. only so they can do it all over again in 3 months.. TM = BS

Reply Report comment
HDTVMAN

Dec 30, 2019 at 2:34 pm

Just buy a Ping G400MAX. TM comes out with a new driver every other month!

Reply Report comment
- Plumpyl
  
  Dec 30, 2019 at 3:07 pm
  
  Sorry, when did the m5/6 come out? You’re fake news
  
  Reply Report comment
Alex

Dec 30, 2019 at 2:00 pm

A more forgiving SLDR sounds pretty good. SLDR was an absolute rocket ship…too bad your next shot was from the other fairway though.

Reply Report comment
Tenbuck

Dec 30, 2019 at 1:15 pm

I wonder how many copies of the Anser there are out there? Sooner or later with manufacturers getting closer to COR, some things will start to look the same including the techniques to get to that look. There are just so many difference looks you can give a club that hasn’t been used and still be pleasant to the eye.

Reply Report comment
Gunter Eisenberg

Dec 30, 2019 at 12:24 pm

Can’t wait to get the M6 at a discount in the coming weeks as they blow it out to make space for the SIM driver.

Reply Report comment
Billy Gunn

Dec 30, 2019 at 10:58 am

Hmmm…The name “SIM” makes you think that they used Artificial Intelligence to design the driver. Now, where have I heard that before?

Taylor Made ripping off Callaway and Cobra Technology and putting it into their drivers.

Also, the SLDR was a very inaccurate driver. The ball went a country mile but it was very difficult to control. I’m skeptical about reverting to that weight track system.

Reply Report comment
- Victor
  
  Dec 30, 2019 at 3:18 pm
  
  What’s SIM spelled backwards? I prefer not to have anything resembling a miss written on my clubs ????
  
  Reply Report comment
  - LoPro
    
    Dec 30, 2019 at 4:30 pm
    
    MIS is standard for this company to real golfers……in a year get it for $299
    
    Reply Report comment
Chris

Dec 30, 2019 at 10:44 am

Looks like a Cobra SpeedZone

Reply Report comment
- Jin
  
  Dec 31, 2019 at 8:33 am
  
  No look like a cobra f9…a copy with an old SLDR weight tossed in.
  
  Reply Report comment

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Whats in the Bag

Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)

Published

12 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100

Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400

Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.

Equipment

TaylorMade MySpider Tour and Tour X: More customizable build options now available

Published

12 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.

The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.

One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.

Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.

See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:

MySpider Tour

MySpider Tour X

Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

15 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.