You want honest? We’ll give you honest.
The new TaylorMade SIM fairway woods are great. Problem is: they are so overpriced that it makes us ashamed to be a part of the golf industry in some shape or form. Who in the world has $300-$400 to spend on a fairway wood? Goodness.
I know what you are looking for by reading this article. You want to hear about all of the reasons why you should buy these clubs. You want to hear about all of new technological gimmicks and how each one will add a few yards to your current gamer.
We are going to take another direction. Don’t get us wrong: these clubs are awesome. Super long, great feel, overall pretty forgiving. But the price?!? No. As we always do, we recommend buying clubs that are 2-5 years old to get the best bang for your buck. A good alternative to TaylorMade SIM fairway woods would be the TaylorMade Rocketbladez series. They are a little bit older than we typically recommend, but we’d wager they’d perform nearly 95% as well as the SIM series, for roughly 10% of the price. Hard to beat that!
Quick Comparison
Picking which SIM fairway wood fits your game is relatively easy: do you want adjustability and distance (SIM), distance and forgiveness (SIM Max), or forgiveness and a draw bias (SIM Max-D)?
The main differences between the three fairway woods come down to adjustability, forgiveness, and profile size. The SIM is the only adjustable one of the three. Personally, I’m not a fan of adjustable drivers. Seems like overkill, plus they are an entire $100 more expensive than the non adjustable SIM fairway woods. When it comes to forgiveness, the SIM is the least forgiving, while the SIM Max-D is the most forgiving. Along the same lines, the SIM has the smallest club face, while the Max-D has the largest club face.
TaylorMade SIM Fairway Wood Review
Best for: golfer that wants adjustability and great distance
If you want an adjustable fairway wood, the standard TaylorMade SIM fairway wood will be your only option. You can adjust the loft (2 degrees up or down), lie, and face angle. It also comes with adjustable, removable weights on the bottom of the club to adjust launch angle.
It’s $100 more expensive than the two non adjustable options. We typically don’t recommend adjustable fairway woods, as they are not worth the extra money in our opinion.
The SIM is also the smallest profile fairway wood of the three. The compact club head and shorter club face make this driver more enticing to better ball strikers, but most would still benefit from the extra forgiveness of the Max to be honest with you. It’s much easier to work the ball with the SIM, but most golfers don’t see that as a benefit, considering they curve the ball too much as it is.
Pros: Adjustable weights to dial in ideal launch angle
Cons: More expensive, smaller profile, less forgiving
TaylorMade SIM Max Fairway Wood Review
Best for: golfer that wants the best mix of distance and forgiveness
The most popular fairway wood of the three will be the TaylorMade SIM Max. It’s focused towards the largest audience: those that want great distance, but not at the price of forgiveness. Nothing fancy here. Just a well made fairway wood with a larger club face, a low center of gravity, and a fast club face for high ball speeds. Will it make you a better golfer automatically? Heck no, but it couldn’t hurt.
Compared to the SIM, the SIM Max has a taller club face. That extra additional 1/4 could be the difference between a skied shot and a solid shot off the tee. It doesn’t sound like much, but most golfers could benefit from a larger club head in our experience. The only exception is for golfers that consistently hit the center of the club face, as they wouldn’t benefit from a larger sweet spot.
Compared to the SIM Max-D, the SIM Max has a slightly shorter club face and isn’t biased towards draws or fades right off the bat. The Max-D, on the other hand, is draw biased, so it’s best for slicers and those that often leave the club face wide open.
Pros: long and easy to hit; $100 less than the Max
Cons: Still ridiculously overpriced
TaylorMade SIM Max-D Fairway Wood Review
Best for: golfer that often leaves the club face open and that needs the most forgiveness possible
It’s OK to be honest with yourself. If you struggle with hitting fairway woods in general, the TaylorMade Max-D is probably the best model for you. It’s as forgiving as they come. Super large club face & huge sweet spot.
An extra benefit that most high handicappers would benefit from is the heel weighted design. More weight towards the heel decreases the amount of hand action needed to square the club face at impact. More toe towards the toe of the club, on the other hand, forces you to work harder to close the club face. More weight towards the heel is a popular way to make a club draw-bias.
Pros: one of the most forgiving fairway woods on the market for 2020
Cons: a little chunky looking at address; still an insane price
