TAYLORMADE SIM2 MAX

◆ LOFTS 3-15° / 3HL-16.5° / 5-18° / 7-21° / 9-24° ◆ STOCK SHAFTS Fujikura Ventus Blue FW 6/5

VERDICT If you want to hit your fairway woods as far as possible, because extra distance means shorter approaches into par 5s, or hitting an impossibly long par 4 in two, you absolutely cannot ignore the SIM2 Max in 2021. Our test pro was completely blown away by its performance. So much so, if it was our pro’s decision, the SIM2 Max would be our sole fairway wood of the year. For a few years now Taylormade fairways and hybrids have been right at the top of the tree when it comes to speed and power. So it’s not surprising the SIM2 Max was our longest fairway of the year. All that power doesn’t come with massive drop offs on off-centre hits either: the SIM2 dropped just 2.4% more carry distance than our very best performer, and it was 6.3% more efficient than our worst. No-one will argue the slightly bigger footprint SIM2 Max (over a SIM2 Titanium) isn’t more confidence inspiring, while still being a great looking head. And it sounds just as good as it looks. Our pro said he’d even consider going up in loft from 15° to 16.5° to add height and stopping power without sacrificing distance over his normal fairway.