TaylorMade has introduced the new SIM family, highlighted by drivers, fairways and hybrids.
SIM Drivers
With an asymmetric sole design and enhanced Inertia Generator, SIM drivers rely on geometry for performance.
A series of shape-inspired innovations work in unison for forgiveness and to increased aerodynamics and clubhead speed at the most critical stage of the swing – the last three feet of the swing prior to impact.
SIM, SIM Max and SIM Max•D drivers feature a raised crown and sole to reduce drag and improve airflow throughout the swing. While raising the crown and sole improves aerodynamics, it typically comes with a tradeoff in the form of higher centre of gravity projection.
However, the SIM family of drivers counteract that with the Inertia Generator positioned low and back with a heavy steel weight at the rear of the club. This design element moves the CG projection very low to enhance launch conditions and increase MOI for additional forgiveness.
During aerodynamic testing, TaylorMade discovered the need to rotate the Inertia Generator to match the direction of airflow within the speed generation zone. The result is air that moves smoothly across the sole on the downswing and enhanced clubhead speeds in company tests.
“The history of driver design has been about prioritizing tradeoffs. You could have great launch conditions, but poor forgiveness. You could have great forgiveness, but at the sacrifice of distance. You could have an aerodynamic shape, but with less than optimal launch conditions,” said TaylorMade senior director of product creation Tomo Bystedt.
“With the use of multi-material technology, we’ve developed a new shape that optimizes performance in all three areas. It’s forgiving, fast and promotes the ideal launch conditions,” he said.
An Evolution of Materials
TaylorMade’s journey to SIM began with the lightweight carbon composite technology the company has developed over the course of the last 15 years.
The fifth-generation carbon composite material, which was refined throughout the lifespan of the popular M series, was the key to unlocking a series of new geometric opportunities for TaylorMade engineers.
By using carbon materials to construct the crown and sole paneling of SIM, SIM Max and SIM Max•D, designers saved a considerable amount of weight, which was then redeployed into the flagship design feature of SIM drivers – the heavy Inertia Generator that’s positioned low and back in the club.
New for 2020 is an ultra-light weight chromium carbon crown with a chalk white topline that creates contrast with the black clubface to help frame the ball at address and improve alignment.
Speed Injected Twist Face
In 2019, TaylorMade took Twist Face – the face curvature that’s designed to straighten ball flight – to the next level with Speed Injected Twist Face.
This technology allows the company to push ball speeds near the legal limit for every driver in the SIM family, particularly on off-centre hits. There are three key features that allow this to occur.
Ultra-thin Titanium face with redesigned Inverted Cone Technology (ICT).
Variable amounts of injected resin based on testing of the face.
A proprietary algorithm to tune each head.
Every SIM, SIM Max and SIM Max•D driver head is inspected, measured and tuned to maximize speed and to ensure conformity.
Sliding Weight Technology and Loft Sleeve
Continuing a history of adjustability and personalization, the SIM driver features Sliding Weight Technology that allows for up to plus-minus 20 yards of draw or fade bias.
For even further personalization, the two-degree Loft Sleeve allows for the adjustment of the loft, lie angle and face angle of the driver. The Loft Sleeve is available on all three models, while Sliding Weight Technology is only offered in SIM.
SIM
SIM allows the player who craves customization and adjustability to optimize ball flight characteristics by creating a plus-minus 20 yards of draw-fade bias through Sliding Weight Technology and a single 10 g weight. It features a slightly smaller face than SIM Max and SIM Max•D, appealing to players who place a premium on adjustability and control.
SIM Max
The SIM Max driver is designed to deliver forgiveness. The all-new Inertia Generator positions additional weight at the extreme rear of the club to further increase MOI, providing more forgiveness and slightly higher launch conditions than the SIM driver.
SIM Max•D
The SIM Max•D is engineered to help golfers cure a common slice tendency on the course via a strategically-placed heel-bias internal weight and divergent topline masking, which makes the driver look more open at address, helping golfers close the face at impact. The draw-biased design promotes the highest launch and offers the largest, most forgiving face in the SIM lineup.
Progressive Face Heights
Using data collected during the development of Twist Face, which shows the correlation between handicaps and mis-hit dispersion, TaylorMade implemented Progressive Face Heights in SIM drivers.
The SIM Max has an eight per cent larger face than SIM, while Max•D has an 18 per cent larger face. Data shows that the golfers most likely to gravitate towards the performance features of SIM Max or SIM Max•D will also benefit from the increased forgiveness of a larger face.
“We know that the player who generally purchases a draw-bias driver commonly has the widest area of dispersion across the face, so we wanted to give the golfer the biggest face possible,” said Bystedt.
“Using all the data we collected in the development of Twist Face and learning hw big the mis-hit zone is based on handicaps, we really tried to design them for the golfer who’s likely to purchase each of these drivers,” he added.
Specifications, Availability and Pricing
SIM, SIM Max and SIM Max D will be available for pre-order on Jan. 10 and at retail on Feb, 7.
SIM has an MSRP of $699.99 Cdn. and will be offered in eight, nine and 10.5-degree lofts.
Stock shaft offerings include Mitsubishi Diamana S Limited 60 and Project X’s HZRDUS Smoke Green 70, with numerous custom shaft options available at no additional cost. They come stock with a new Golf Pride Z-Grip (47g).
SIM Max and Max•D have an MSRP of $649.99 Cdn. and will be offered in nine, 10.5 and 12-degree lofts. SIM Max stock shaft offerings include Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 and Ventus Red 5, with numerous additional shaft options available at no additional cost.
SIM Max•D stock shaft offering is the UST Mamiya Helium, with numerous additional shaft options available at no additional cost. Both models also come stock with the new Golf Pride Z-Grip (47g). The women’s offering for both SIM Max and SIM Max•D include the Aldila NV Ladies 45 shaft and the Lamkin Ladies Sonar grip (38g).
SIM, SIM Max and SIM Max•D Fairways
The V Steel design has been reinvented with the new SIM family of fairway metals. Advanced shaping combines with a V Steel sole to improve turf interaction and playability from various lies.
A more rounded leading edge is used to improve the club’s initial contact with the turf, while the V Steel sole further raises heel and toe sections of the sole away from the ground and improves versatility.
These design features combine to significantly reduce turf contact area in SIM, SIM Max and SIM Max•D fairways, reducing ground friction which can positively influence both clubhead speed and ball speed.
Matching the aesthetics of the SIM driver family, the chromium carbon crown and contrasting chalk white colour help frame the ball at address and improve alignment.
SIM Fairway
The SIM fairway is a 180 cc titanium head that combines a lightweight carbon construction with a revolutionary new ZATECH titanium face and a heavy 80g steel sole weight. The strategically positioned weight creates an extremely low CG that allows for increased ball speed, higher launch and improved forgiveness on low-face hits.
The ZATECH Titanium face enables TaylorMade engineers to push the limits of speed in a titanium fairway wood. It’s the first time TaylorMade has used this rare and ultra-strong material in the construction of a metalwood. The ZATECH titanium is made in small batches using a unique process that allows engineers to improve the strength of the face, while maintaining a high level of ductility. The SIM titanium fairway is engineered for distance with adjustability through the Loft Sleeve.
SIM Max
The 185 cc SIM Max steel fairway woods are constructed using strong and durable C300 face material. Also featuring the reinvented V Steel for exceptional versatility from all lies, the SIM Max is designed for higher launch and peak trajectories, with added distance and improved playability.
SIM Max•D
The oversized 190 cc SIM Max•D has been optimized for forgiveness and golfers seeking a draw-bias design. Like SIM drivers, the fairway woods feature progressive head sizes to provide greater forgiveness to the players who need it the most.
Twist Face
TaylorMade introduced Twist Face to its fairway metal lineup in 2019 and has carried the revolutionary technology into each SIM offering. Like the SIM drivers, the faces have been modified to counteract the gear effect on common mis-hits in the high-toe and low-heel. Although the concept is the same as in the driver, the exact geometry is slightly different to account for the unique mass properties and impact location patterns in fairway woods compared to drivers.
Speed Pocket
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.
Specfications, Availability and Pricing
SIM, SIM Max and SIM Max•D fairways will be available for preorder on Jan, 10 and at retail on Feb. 7.
SIM has an MSRP of $499.99 Cdn. and will be offered in Rocket 3/14, 3/15 and 5/19-degree lofts. 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 $399.99 Cdn. SIM Max will be offered in lofts of Rocket 3/14, 3/15, 5/18, 7/21 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, 5/19 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).
SIM Max Rescue
As a long-iron replacement, it’s imperative that hybrids be versatile and playable in all conditions. That’s why TaylorMade has incorporated V Steel technology into a hybrid for the first time in the company’s history with SIM Max Rescue.
The clubhead is engineered to deliver improved turf interaction and reduced friction when playing from various lies. A reshaped leading edge works in conjunction with V Steel to further improve playability and strike conditions.
Designers rounded the toe and adjusted the face angle to give SIM Max Rescue a more confidence-inspiring shape at address for all levels of golfers.
It utilizes the same C300 Steel face used in the SIM MAX fairway woods to help improve ball speed, durability and overall performance. The corrective technologies of Twist Face and Speed Pocket offer improved performance and forgiveness on mis-hits on the toe, heel and low on the face.
Specifications, Availablility and Pricing
The SIM MAX Rescue will be available for preorder on Jan. 10 and at retail on Feb, 7. It has an MSRP of $329.99 Cdn. and will be offered in lofts of 3/19, 4/22, 5/25, 6/28 and 7/31 degrees. It will be offered in the Fujikura Ventus Blue stock shaft, with numerous custom shaft options available at no additional cost. It comes stock with the Lamkin’s Crossline 360 grip (47g). Women’s offerings include the Aldila NV Ladies 45 shaft and the Lamkin Ladies Sonar grip (38g).
