TaylorMade continues to impress with the boomstick
By TJ Knapp
When breaking down what makes a driver different from models of years past, it can be easy to get lost in the jargon. CG (center of gravity) and MOI (moment of inertia) are two things we measure on every driver and they’re also two things that many don’t understand.
Today I’m going to simplify these metrics and show you why the new TaylorMade SIM stands alone in the 2020 class of drivers.
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Product review: TaylorMade SIM
So far, the SIM is the only driver that we’ve measured in 2020 that has a CG below center. Drivers almost always have a CG above center. So what does this mean? To put it simply, the higher the CG is on the face, the more the ball will spin.
Furthermore, CG can be moved across the face to accommodate your preferred ball flight. The closer the CG is to the hosel, the more draw-biased it is and vice-versa. There is a SIM model or setting to fit any golfer.
MOI, on the other hand, is the clubhead’s resistance to twisting and the metric used to measure a clubs forgiveness. MOI is measured in g/cm2 and the legal limit for MOI is 6000 g/cm2. As you can see in the 2nd graphic, the SIM has a higher MOI than it’s predecessors. It is truly impressive how forgiving the SIM is considering how low-spinning it is due to the lower CG.
Student success
Here at GOLFTEC, we get hundreds of reports on successful fittings every day. This is just one example of one of our students being successfully fit for a new TaylorMade SIM MAX D. As you can see, this student gained 4 mph in ball speed, lowered his spin rate, improved his dispersion, and gained 12 yards with the SIM MAX D.
These improvements can largely be attributed to the high MOI and heel-side CG of the SIM MAX D. A driver that is designed to be very forgiving and promote a straighter ball flight provided exactly that.
In the field
Last weekend golf icons Tiger Woods and Rory Mcilroy played their first PGA Tour event of 2020 at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torey Pines.
They did so with the SIM in their respective bags and while it is far too early to start comparing their numbers with the SIM vs the M5 from last season, they certainly passed the eye test. It will definitely be something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Ready to purchase clubs? Schedule a TECFIT with a local GOLFTEC Coach today!