Equipment

2020 TaylorMade SIM and SIM Max fairway woods: “Shape in Motion”

Published

6 years ago

Jan 6, 2020

John Wunder

The new 2020 Taylormade SIM fairway woods: V Steel is back in a beefed-up package.

It was 2001 when TaylorMade Golf launched the V Steel fairway woods, and over the past 19 years, it’s not uncommon to see one occupying a spot in a player’s bag. It was that snowflake fairway wood that launched high with low spin, it looked great, and it basically stood the test of time. It’s now 2020, and TaylorMade is bringing back the V Steel spirit in a package that is beefed up in every way.

The new 2020 TaylorMade SIM and SIM Max fairway woods offer a very popular sole from the past (V Steel) with some aesthetic upgrades from the previous package that add up to a club that is high launch, low spin and very forgiving. Themes we are used to with all the OEMs. Fairway wood technology has made quite the leap in the past decade with carbon, titanium, and clever weight placement to make them into mini drivers. It’s been a very fun ride for golfers everywhere.

95 percent of the fairways that hit the market go a mile in the air with no spin and fly forever. Like the drivers, gains for the season to season switcher won’t be huge, we just don’t live in that world anymore. What we are looking at now is trust across the face, for me it’s the gains I get when I hit it center thin. With my current fairway (off the ground) its the difference between a shot that carries 265 (flush) or a shot that carries 240 (thin). Personally I’m looking for that bottom number to get closer to 250 knowing the top number won’t move much, and I don’t want it to.

See more photos and read the discussion in the forums

Let’s see whats going on with these things…

2020 Taylormade SIM fairway woods: The tech

SIM fairway

With a 180cc Zatech titanium face, and an even heavier (than M5) 80g steel sole weight, keep in mind that the sole weight is now fixed—unlike the M5 that could be moved for left or right preferences. It was very uncommon for players to manipulate that weight, so it was decided that its a better golf glub locking it in place. I agree with that choice.

The new 2020 SIM fairway is the Mercedes Benz AMG of fairway woods, and I’m not saying that to stroke anyone either: it’s the best of everything a player would want. It feels very heavy-headed, has a ton of playability, and it looks like a TaylorMade fairway wood should. For those who like the real granular info, Zatech titanium is a high-end, small-batch titanium that more or less gives TaylorMade the ability to tune up the face to be hot as well as forgiving across the hitting area.

SIM Max

I am a huge fan of the M6…huge. Especially if you get it dialed in, for me it was really easy to hit, very versatile, forgiving, went far enough, and you could hit little knee-high fastballs if you needed to. A living unicorn. The new 2020 SIM is basically the same fairway wood with V Steel tech and some small optical tweaks. At 185cc and a familiar bonded hosel (I love that part), the SIM Max has already caught the eye of Dustin Johnson who had it in play at Kapalua, and if I was going to guess, Rory and Fleetwood (non-staffer) will have it in play as well. Try ’em both, but definitely don’t make a decision until you have given this one the business.

See more photos and read the discussion in the forums

SIM Max-D

190cc chassis in a draw-biased package that will be a hit with the players that long to hit that soft high draw. Simple enough.

Overall looks

At Address: SIM (Pictured Left) and SIM Max (Pictured Right)

As you can see in the picture, the lines of the New 2020 SIM fairways woods are softer from top to bottom. The goal was to give the V Steel technology some harmony to work with and with the rounded leading edges that allow the club to glide a bit easier into the turf, they accomplished that. For players that like to beat down on it, sweep it, or anything in between, the new 2020 SIM fairway woods have the tech to please any of them. What I noticed (especially in the SIM) was that thin strikes not only flew a bit farther but felt closer to flush than in the past. I spoke with a mini-tour player buddy of mine and he reminded me of what made the V Steel really work…

“Off the tee it was awesome because outta the top of the face it was REALLY hot but what made it magical was it felt really solid outta the bottom for fairway shots, for the tournament players that’s a big weapon to have.” -Anonymous WRX member

See more photos and read the discussion in the forums

Overall feel

This is where TaylorMade really gets it right, and it’s been a pattern with the M Series and now bleeding into the new 2020 SIM Fairways Woods. They feel solid. Not soft, smooth, bouncy but hammer-like solid. That experience got better across the face when Twist Face was introduced. If you like a heavy hit, you’ll get it here. And let’s be honest, there are a lot of OEMs chasing this feeling, it’s awesome, but TaylorMade has been doing it well for years now so gotta give credit where credit is due.

Overall opinion

It’s fairly obvious in my writeup that the new 2020 SIM fairway woods are a winner, and yes I am a bit biased. I have been playing TaylorMade woods for a long time. However, in a job that gives me a look at everything, it becomes less about what’s best and more on what the experience is. Allll the OEMs make great stuff: it’s a fact. There are very few lemons out there anymore.

What I’m hoping you get from any writeup I do is a sense of what you might feel when you hit a particular club. In this day and age, that’s the first selling point: the experience, and after that with a solid fitter, the math of it all can be solved. Enjoy the hit first, find a fitter, get the launch math done and go with God. In TaylorMade’s case, they do what they always do, they made another awesome fairway wood line that has something for everyone. Can’t argue with that.

TaylorMade SIM MAX fairway

Click image to enlarge

TaylorMade SIM Ti fairway

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Specifications, Availability & Pricing (Per TaylorMade Golf)

SIM, SIM Max, and SIM Max-D fairways will be available for preorder on January 10 and at retail on February 7, 2020.

SIM has an MSRP of $399.99 USD and will be offered in Rocket 3/14 degrees, 3/15 degrees and 5/19 degrees. It will be offered in the Mitsubishi Diamana FW Limited 75 stock shaft, with numerous additional shaft options available at no additional cost. It comes stock with the new Golf Pride Z-
Grip (47g).

SIM Max and Max-D have an MSRP of $299.99 USD. SIM Max will be offered in lofts of Rocket 3/14 degrees, 3/15 degrees, 5/18 degrees, 7/21 degrees and 9/24 degrees. Shaft offerings include Fujikura Ventus Blue FW 5 (R and A flexes) and Ventus Blue FW 6 (S and X flexes), with additional custom shaft options available at no additional cost.

SIM Max-D will be offered in lofts of 3/16 degrees, 5/19 degrees, and 7/22 degrees. UST Mamiya’s Helium FW is the stock shaft offering with numerous custom options available at no additional cost. Both models also come stock with the new Golf Pride Z-Grip (47g). Women’s offerings for SIM Max and SIM Max-D fairways include the Aldila NV Ladies 45 shaft and the Lamkin Ladies Sonar grip (38g).

See more photos and read the discussion in the forums

Additional TaylorMade SIM features

Twist Face (Per TaylorMade Golf): TaylorMade introduced Twist Face to its fairway metal lineup in 2019 and has carried the revolutionary technology into each SIM offering.

Speed Pocket (Per TaylorMade Golf): The Speed Pocket in SIM fairways has been engineered to provide increased ball speed to the entire face while improving forgiveness on low-face impacts. A slot insert has also been designed to sit flush with the sole to improve sole interaction and eliminate turf drag from the Speed Pocket, aligning with the performance goals of V Steel.

Loft Sleeve (SIM Only): 2-degree Loft Sleeve allows for the adjustment of the loft, lie angle, and face angle of the driver.

See more photos and read the discussion in the forums

Equipment

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

Published

2 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.

Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Titleist Vokey Proto Wedges 54M, 60T

Published

4 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @Putt4Dough is selling some prototype wedges from Vokey Wedgeworks. These include a 54 degree wedge with the M grind and a 60 degree wedge with a T grind.

From the listing:

(1) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 54M with a Tour Issue DGS400 shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet (logo down). Standard length, lie, and loft. BB&F ferrule. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

(2) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 60T with a KBS Tour 130X shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet. Standard length, lie, and loft. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.