Equipment

Highlights from the TaylorMade 2023 product testing and fitting experience live at The Kingdom!

Published

3 years ago

Jan 10, 2023

We have four extremely lucky members visiting TaylorMade’s Global Headquarters in Carlsbad, CA to experience their new Carbonwoods and irons for 2023 before they launch to the world. These members will be the first to experience TaylorMade’s new 2023 products. Follow along in the GolfWRX forums!

The four lucky WRXers — @Olde Maroon, @Kylekoz17, @gticlay, and @MFBach — got the full Kingdom experience as well as fittings for TaylorMade’s new Stealth 2 woods and irons.

Read more about the Stealth 2 family, below.

And check out some product introductions straight from The Kingdom.

TaylorMade Stealth 2 drivers

TaylorMade Stealth 2 fairway woods

TaylorMade Stealth 2 Rescues

And here are a few of the members’ comments.

@oldemaroon: “I’m sure you are all inundated with Stealth 2 content given the embargo date being today. I know personally I woke to about ten review video notifications up on YouTube, so I’m guessing you have all watched at least one of those (probably more). What can I offer you that those pros can’t? Well, for better or for worse, I can share the entire TM launch experience and the fitting experience from the perspective of a middling golfer.”

“So, a bit about me. I’m 41 with a couple kids and a busy job (like many of you), so golf has fallen to the back burner for me in the last five years or so. I currently sit at a 16 handicap (up from a low around 10) and I play about 15 rounds per year lately. I’m pretty sure I buy more clubs/shafts here on BST each year than rounds I play… As you might expect, I struggle with consistency. I’ve been a member of the GolfWRX forums for a bit over a decade, learning a ton, spending a ton, and enjoying the enthusiast environment.”

“Coming into this trip, I had never been fit before. My bag prior to the fitting was as follows:

SIM Max 9*, Tensei 1K 65x
Cobra F9 3w @ 15.5*, GD IZ 7s
Cobra F9 19h, 22h, GD IZ 85s
Titleist TS2 25h, Ventus Velo 8s
Srixon ZX5, MMT 105s
Cleveland CBX 2 wedges (50/55/60) Recoil 110 F4
Odyssey Stroke Lab 2-Ball

“As you can see, it’s a real mix of what I guessed would be correct for my skill level (limited).

“I’ll skip to the punch line and let you know where I ended up after my fitting with Chandler (who was incredible – more on that later):”

Stealth+ 9.0 (down to 8.75* and one click upright), Fuji Ventus Blue TR 6x
Stealth HD 3w (lofted up to 16*), Fuji Ventus Blue TR 7s
Stealth+ 4h, Fuji Ventus Blue HB 8s
P790 5-7, MMT 105s
P770 8-PW, MMT 105s
P770 GW (bent to 49*)
Milled Grind 3 (high bounce) 54 (bent to 53*) and 58*, MMT 125s wedge shafts

“Spider putter that shall remain a secret…but I can say that I went with a slight toe hang, which helped prevent a slightly closed face at impact.”

“I know I’m going to be jumping around, but I want to get straight into the fitting experience with Chandler (who also gave us the launch presentation for the new line of SGI irons). Chandler has worked in several roles around Taylormade and is a hell of a golfer himself, so he offers great perspectives on everything we covered. Most importantly for me, he was great at working me through my initial nerves and getting me comfortable quickly (except when the drone would buzz over my shoulder mid-swing).

“We dove straight into the big stick, which was my preference. I hoped to swing hard and punch through those nerves. Chandler had me hit my current driver (again, SIM Max 9* with Tensei 1K 65x). Historically, my preferred shot is a slight draw, and my miss is when I’m trying to control it and I get tight – then it’s a duck hook and I’m OB left. I swing around 105, a bit higher if I warm up and/or have a beer. Today, I had a bit of a block right, but the contact was okay. Launch was low at around 9* (pretty common for me). My launch angle was around neutral or even slightly negative, which isn’t typical for me but that’s the challenge with an inconsistent player.

“Chandler put me straight into a Stealth 9* lofted up one setting with a Tensei Orange 65s (because I have historically played counterbalanced shafts to help my AOA). This felt smooth and helped increase my AOA a bit, but it was a bit too loose for me and my dispersion suffered. It also spun up to above 3000 which killed my distance.

“Next up was a Graphite Design AD-XC 6s. This shaft felt great to swing and helped a bit with the dispersion, but launch was too low and spin remained too high. The result was low risers, which combined with the headwind at The Kingdom, meant loss of distance. We could do better.

“Chandler stuck a Ventus TR Blue 6s into the Stealth+ 2 head, and we saw some immediate results. The spin dropped a few hundred revs and the flight was more penetrating. Launch also went up a bit to just about 11*. The shaft felt great. I’ve previously tried the original Ventus Blue and it was a bit too spinny and loose for me. The Black was too manly for me. The Ventus Blue TR really hit that Goldilocks zone. Still, my flight started just a bit too right. Chandler said he had another tweak to make.

“He then switched it up completely, giving me a Hulk shaft. I’m pretty sure he just needed a quick pick-me-up so he wanted to watch me struggle to keep the ball on the planet. We had some fun laughing at block after block, and he casually handed me his real plan.

“Stealth+ 2 with the Ventus Blue TR 6x. When he gave me the club back, I didn’t notice that he had gone up a flex (I tried to never look at any changes he made). I immediately started belting drive after drive straight down the middle (which I cannot stress enough is not something I am usually capable of doing). Flight was noticeably higher and more penetrating. Turns out he had set it upright one degree, put the weight towards the heel, and dropped the loft a touch. With those changes, we had found the winner.

“Coming into this, I would never have guessed I would have ended up in the plus model. The tweaks Chandler made improved my strike so much, and the club has so much inherent forgiveness, that I had better dispersion than I’ve ever had.

“Chandler was an absolute genius throughout, spotting flaws and making tweaks to address my needs. He was full of surprises, too, but more on that in a bit (typing on my phone is so slow that this report is going to take about as long as the fitting itself).”

@kylekoz17: “As for the driver, I hit a few shots with my 9* TSi3 to establish a baseline. Was hovering around 165 ball speed and ~2500 spin, something I am pretty happy with for my January swing in the north east. One thing we wanted to do was improve my descent angle which was around 40. The goal was sub 35. We tried the 8,9, and 10.5* heads. The 10.5 wasn’t a fit right away, so we spent our time finding the right combination of head and shaft between the 8 and 9 heads. For my swing yesterday, the 8* was probably the right fit, but we were also talking about a mid season swing and taking that into account when ultimately deciding on which one we would go with. In the end we went with the 9* head with Tensei Orange 65x as it was a good combination of spin, ball speed, and descent angle that we think will also be a good fit in the summer. The 8 was awesome and the 30* descent angle would run forever, but I think spin was was just a touch too low.”

“Two things about the driver that really impressed me:

“1. the efficiency of ball speed as I started slowing down after hitting a lot of balls. A couple mph swing speed less as I got tired and the ball was still jumping off the face and distance really hadn’t changed

“2. forgiveness. If I remember correctly, I was as high as 167 ball speed with the Stealth 2 Plus at the same swing speed as my TSi at the same loft, so the couple MPH gain was nice, but my misses were so good. My miss is a high spinny right shot, so when I caught shots low on the face or heel, I would always go back and check to see what spin and distance were doing. It was shocking to see the ball speeds at 162-164 with spin staying below 3k. That is unheard of for me and frankly had my fitter questioning where I actually caught the ball on the face when I said I missed it, but we confirmed my strikes with trackman. Carry distances were about 10-15 yards shorter than solid strikes.”

@gticlay: “I was most excited about hitting the Stealth2+ fairway offerings. They threw us a curveball by introducing a new model – the Stealth2HD model. It’s a new large head, mid height faced 3w that will get the ball up fast. This was almost immediately after I thanked the presenter for keeping their fairways with a deeper face, so foot in mouth on that except for it’s built for someone that is newer to golf, or that has always struggled with getting the ball up with a fairway wood.”

“I hit both the 3w and 5w’s. For the fairways, we started with the 3w and based on my irons and driver fitting, my guy already had a shaft picked out for me – the Graphite Design Tour AD DI 7X shaft. At 75g, it’s only slightly lighter than the Ozik Black Tie 80M-X that I am playing in my TI R9 “paint break” 3w now. We started with the weight in neutral but ended up with it all the way forward to help the head work for my swing. I also hit the IZ-6 shaft but it just didn’t have that feel I like in a shaft (I hadn’t known I had such a strong preference for a certain type of shaft before this). In order to see the ball flight he wanted, my fitter put the weight all the way forward saying that he didn’t think I’d have a problem losing the forgiveness the rear position offers. The sun was in my eyes so it was difficult to see my shots when they started off but by the end of the 3w fitting I was hitting it at a white aiming pole as well as my swing allows with very good numbers.”

“When we hit the 5w, I was starting to get a little tired but he came out, gave me the club and said “I think you are going to love this setup”. I hit two perfect shots and one that leaked a little right – the club was maybe the most solid feeling fairway I’ve ever hit…. well ever. I allowed myself to look at what shaft it is and it was the Blue Ventus 9-X. I hit another shaft just to be sure but no, that 9-X was love at first flight. I’ve never even hit a Ventus shaft before, so that was a nice hello nice to meet you moment.”

“Although I hit it first, the Driver was my first wood fitting. He set something up similar to my current gamer – an Epic Max LS. I hit a few different shafts but the last one was the one and it was actually something that I gamed last part of 2021 and first 2/3rds of 2022 – the Tensei Orange 65-X. Due to the very obvious graphics, I knew exactly what it was (I tried not to look at the shafts when I hit them) and it instantly felt familiar and comfortable. With a 10.5* head turned down a notch we ended up where my fitter wants me to “live” and that’s 12* launch and high 1700, low 1800 RPM. The one time I looked at the numbers it said 12.1*, 1776rpm. I have to say it felt good when the fitter next to us watched, commented how the flight looked really good and asked “how many yards did THAT one go!”. It’s not like my SS is so high but the ball was really out there on a few nutted shots. Compared to the empty aluminum can feel/sound of my previous driver the Stealth driver sounds so very nice and solid.

“So if I were to describe the Stealth2 Carbonwoods in one word – I would say SOLID. Solid feel, solid flight, solid sound. I can’t wait to game them.

*one last note – the gen1 fairway woods did NOT have the inverted cone technology “donut” in the face but they have added that to the gen2 fairways so they should be more forgiving on more of the face.

*ok one more last note – I’m not sure if they changed the white line on the top of the face, but I can’t even remember seeing it during the fitting. I never hit gen1 Stealth fairways so I can’t speak to those, but I think you have to look for the line if you want to use it vs. it being “in your face” at setup.

Follow along in the GolfWRX forums for more!

Read more about the Stealth 2 family, below.

Whats in the Bag

Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)

Published

9 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

9 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

12 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.