TaylorMade Stealth & Stealth Plus+ Fairway Wood Review

Carbon crowns and new soles boost forgiveness in TaylorMade Stealth fairway woods.

The faces of fairway woods are too small to benefit from the carbon fibre face you’ll find in the new Stealth drivers, but that doesn’t mean the carbon story ends with the big sticks.

TaylorMade have developed a new carbon fibre crown, which frees up weight to create uber-forgiving and highly stable clubs.

RELATED: TaylorMade Stealth drivers reviewed and tested

The brand’s two-pronged attack at fairway woods continues with Stealth and Stealth Plus+ in 2022.

Players willing to pay for the performance of titanium fairways should take a look at the Stealth Plus+, but the majority of club golfers will flock to the powerful, forgiving stainless steel Stealth.

Along with Speed Pockets to improve performance on low face impacts, both models share new Infinity Edge carbon crowns (freeing up weight for improved forgiveness) and laser etched face stripes to boost confidence and set-up accuracy.

Let’s take a closer look at the two Stealth fairway wood models.

WATCH: Best Fairway Wood 2022 video

TaylorMade Stealth Fairway Wood

RRP £279 | Men’s Lofts 15°, 16.5° 3HL, 18°, 21°, 24° | Women’s Lofts 16.5º 3HL, 19º, 21º, 24º | Adjustable No | Stock shafts Fujikura Ventus Red 6 FW (X, S); Fujikura Ventus Red 5 FW (R, A); Aldila Ascent Ladies 45 (L) | Stock grips Lamkin Crossline Black/Red 50g 0.600 Round; Lamkin Ladies Sonar 38g 0.580 Round

Fairway wood faces are too small to benefit from carbon fibre in the same way as the Stealth drivers, but the new toe-and-heel wrapped 3D carbon fibre crown pulls mass from the high toe area and allows it to be positioned further back for huge forgiveness benefits.

TaylorMade say you can expect a 5% MOI gain over the previous SIM2 Max fairway and a 13% gain over the original SIM Max fairway.

RELATED: TaylorMade Stealth irons reviewed

The Stealth’s forgiveness qualities are further boosted by the V Steel sole, which also aids launch, improves turf interaction and versatility.

The fairway uses Twist Face, first introduced in the 2018 M3 and M4 drivers, designed to produce straighter shots on mishits, and a Speed Pocket which maximises ball speeds and forgiveness on low-face strikes (a common location for amateurs).

‘Advanced Laser Alignment’ provides clear contrast between the face and crown, while the laser-etched alignment aid makes it easy to set-up accurately.

Stealth has a bigger profile than the Plus+ (190cc vs 175cc), from which you can expect a mid-high launch with mid-low spin and a neutral flight.

Stealth fairways also come with a women’s specific offering featuring a stand-alone bright silver PVD sole and a dark silver crown. The women’s Stealth fairways also feature modified specs in the form of lighter heads and higher lofts in some cases, all designed to promote better performance for slower clubheads speeds.

Verdict: TaylorMade Stealth Fairway Wood

Fairway woods have a longer life expectancy than drivers and irons in most players bags. They’re nowhere near as sexy as a new driver purchase and for most golfers they get used less frequently too, so updating them is often our last priority.

But if 2022 happens to be the year you’re looking at buying new fairway woods you simply cannot leave Stealth off your shortlist to try. TaylorMade have had a knack of making fast and long fairways ever since introducing the Rocketballz back in 2012, and thanks to a new wraparound carbon crown, Stealth just ekes out a fraction more performance over its predecessors.

A side from the Stealth sitting beautifully square at address, and us loving its completely non-offensive matt black crown the model was also our pro’s 3^rd longest fairway, whilst giving the smallest amount of carry distance drop-off, and hitting shots into our 3^rd smallest dispersion area. Which of course means it will deliver on both distance and accuracy on the golf course.

If you’re not the most confident fairway wood player, we love the High Launch 16.5deg 3 wood option, at more moderate speeds it’s highly likely to carry shots further and be more accurate than the 15deg 3 wood used within our test.      

How the TaylorMade Stealth and Stealth Plus compares to other fairway woods in data – Sheet 1 (shots hit by TG test pro Neil Wain)

TaylorMade Stealth Fairway Wood: Key Technology

3D Carbon Crown

The new 3D carbon crown pulls mass away from the high toe area, allowing more weight to be positioned rearward for optimal forgiveness and maximum playability.

Advanced Laser Alignment

Providing vital contrast between face and crown, the laser etched alignment aid is designed to highlight directional alignment for boosted confidence and accurate aim.

V Steel Sole Design

Refined weight distribution for enhanced forgiveness while maintaining optimal launch properties. It stays true to its heritage by improving turf interaction and versatility.

Twist Face

Uses corrective face angles designed to overcome inherent golfer tendencies on mishits and to produce straighter shots.

Thru-Slot Speed Pocket

TaylorMade’s most flexible Speed Pocket design is engineered to maximise ball speeds and produce additional forgiveness on low-face strikes.

TaylorMade Stealth Fairway Wood Specifications

RELATED: How to choose your perfect fairway wood

TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ Fairway Wood

RRP £349 | Lofts 13°, 15°, 19° | Adjustable Yes (+/- 1.5°) | Stock shaft Project X Hzrdus Smoke Red RDX 70 FW (X/6.5, S/6.0, R/5.5) | Stock grips Lamkin Crossline Black/Red Grip 50g 0.600 Round

TaylorMade titanium fairway woods have been a massive hit among tour players who love the smaller but forgiving heads, which deliver both workability and shot control.

The Stealth Plus+ has a refined 175cc size, yet there’s a 12% larger face area and a 12% MOI gain over the SIM2.

The ultra-strong and thin titanium Zatech face allowed TaylorMade’s engineers to push the limits of ball speed and promote straighter shots through the Twist Face technology.

The 80g V Steel sole plate has a clever fang-shaped design, with weight stacked at the front so the head wants to roll forward and control spin.

‘Advanced Laser Alignment’ provides clear contrast between the face and crown, while the laser-etched alignment aid makes it easy to set-up accurately. The Speed Pocket maximises ball speeds and forgiveness on low-face strikes (a common location for amateurs).

Expect a mid launch with low spin and a neutral flight.

How the TaylorMade Stealth and Stealth Plus compare to other fairway woods in data – Sheet 2 (shots hit by TG test pro Neil Wain)

Verdict: TaylorMade Stealth Plus Fairway Wood

Very few amateur golfers will spend £349 on a new fairway wood, but it’s important to understand, thanks to a titanium and carbon fibre chassis the Stealth Plus+ is essentially a mini sized driver, so it comes with extra production costs.

The Plus was our joint 2022 longest fairway wood (tied with the Callaway Rogue ST LS) at 251 yds carry distance (6 yards longer than the Stealth), but more importantly our data shows exactly why TaylorMade elite staff players love putting this model in play.

The titanium and carbon fibre construction launches and flights shots higher (whilst lowering spin) which gives a steeper descent angle, and pro’s love that because they can loft up whilst losing no speed or distance and gain a slight advantage on getting shots to drop out of the air and stop on very long approaches.

A brilliant but costly fairway wood.      

TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ Fairway Wood Specifications

TaylorMade Stealth Fairway Wood: Key Technology

80g V Steel Sole Design

Mass from the heavy 80g V Steel sole has been reengineered for forgiveness while improving turf interaction and versatility. 

Titanium Zatech Twist Face

This breakthrough in materials technology enables TaylorMade engineers to push the limits of ball speed using an ultra-strong and thin face. It pairs with Twist Face to promote straighter shots.

Advanced Laser Alignment

Providing vital contrast between face and crown, the laser etched alignment aid is designed to highlight directional alignment for boosted confidence and accurate aim.

Enhanced Playability

A 175cc head has been shaped to meet the needs of the world’s best players while inspiring confidence for all skill levels. The face is now 12% larger as compared to SIM2, but maintains a similar address size for enhanced playability and shot making. 

Thru-Slot Speed Pocket

TaylorMade’s most flexible Speed Pocket design is engineered to maximise ball speeds and produce additional forgiveness on low-face strikes.

What TaylorMade say about the Stealth fairway woods

“For most golfers, the fairway wood doesn’t get used on every hole,” Tomo Bystedt, TaylorMade’s Chief of Metalwood Creation, told us. “But when those moments arise, it needs to deliver. No matter what the shot requires, whether it’s forgiveness, distance or playability, you need to know your club can produce the desired results.

“That’s why we designed the family of Stealth fairway woods with increased MOI for added forgiveness without sacrificing the high launch and low spin results that produce the marquee distance golfers have come to expect from TaylorMade fairways.

“The new advanced laser alignment system and refined profile, especially on the Stealth Plus model, help inspire shot-shaping confidence with optimal control at every level of the game” 

READ NEXT: Best Fairway Woods

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rob Jerram is the Digital Editor of todaysgolfer.co.uk
He has been a journalist for more than 20 years, starting his career with Johnston Press where he covered local and regional news and sport in a variety of editorial roles across ten years.
Rob joined Bauer Media in 2010 and worked as the Senior Production Editor of Today’s Golfer and Golf World magazines for ten years before moving into the Digital Editor’s role in July 2020.
He has been playing golf for almost three decades and has been a member at Greetham Valley Golf Club in Rutland for eight years, playing off 12.

      

TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ Fairway Wood

RRP: £349

Lofts: 13.5° - Rocket 3 / 15° - 3W / 19° - 5W

Stock shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Red RDX 70

Stock grip: Lamkin Crossline 360

Adjustable hosel: Yes (+/- 2°)

TaylorMade Stealth Fairway Wood

RRP: £279

Lofts: 15° - 3W / 16.5° - 3W HL / 18° - 5W / 21° - 7W / 24° - 9W

Stock shafts:

Fujikura Ventus Red 6 - (X & S Flex)

Fujikura Ventus Red 5 - (R & A Flex)

Stock grip: Lamkin Crossline 360

Adjustable hosel: No

Visit the TaylorMade website here