Equipment
TaylorMade SIM2, one month in: How is the tour rollout going?
More than any big stick out there, the follow up to the TaylorMade SIM had more anticipation than anything coming to the market in 2021. SIM was such an overwhelming favorite in reviews, hitting bays, and on tour. So, anything short of Thor’s Hammer in End Game was always going to be a disappointment.
This, to me, is where the story gets interesting. SIM2 didn’t promise anything extravagant. What it did promise is that TaylorMade listened to the feedback (good and bad) from SIM and made the switches necessary to make it playable. That was the biggest critique of SIM on and off tour—the foul balls could be quite penalizing and a wide right shot at high speeds with no spin can be quite jarring.
I like how TM attacked this problem in a nuanced way—SIM was already plenty long, now the goal was to make the adjustments necessary to make it forgiving, add some spin and stability to spots on the face, and give players a golf course driver—for everyone.
We are now four weeks into SIM2/Max out on tour, and I wanted to get a sense of the early feedback on the SIM2 metal woods, so I went back to my buddy Adrian Rietveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager – Tour, and this is what he had to say.
JW: What is the most notable improvement you see thus far among players on tour who have switched into SIM2?
AR: From day 1 at the Floridian, forgiveness was the hot point across the board. With SIM, we had a part that gave us everything we could ever want from a speed and launch perspective. If there was one element we needed to address it was at times, it could be a bit punishing on mis-hits. SIM2 gave us everything SIM had and added a very playable face giving our players even more opportunities for speed. If you have trust that your equipment won’t penalize you, it frees you up to be more aggressive, and that’s exactly what happened here.
The nice little touch I would add is the look of the golf club. Subtle tweaks to paint lines, face angles etc. once again inspire just a bit more confidence to hit th shots our players visualize in their heads. SIM2 is just the next step to create that perfect harmony between athlete and equipment.
JW: Looking back at the mighty SIM, in your opinion, what did it do well and where did it have deficiencies?
AR: It was like a race horse, almost. It’s fun when you are flying down the track in a straight line, but if you need to move around a bit, things can get challenging. SIM had that profile. Ultimate speed and low spin product, but what it lacked was a bit of flexibility, workability and finesse. It was basically a missile launcher. Make no mistake, the best players in the world loved this head, but with SIM2, you add a softness to the head that gives players some shot shaping capabilities and a bit of love out of the toe and heel. That’s big on tour.
JW: For a player like Rory, where did SIM2 improve his numbers?
Rory McIlroy SIM2
AR: Rory has put a ton of time and effort into building his body for speed and stability. He pounded SIM, but as I mentioned before, it could be a bit unruly on an off day. With SIM2, his launch improved a touch, speed went up three mph, and most importantly, it freed him up to hit shots with little concern of a serious foul ball. You give Rory freedom with the driver, and he’s almost unbeatable.
JW: Do you think you have discovered exactly what this driver can do yet or is there still plenty of room to grow?
AR: Ask me after the U.S. Open (laughs). It’s still early days. I have my ideas to crack this thing open but still need time to experiment and test with players. Lots of feedback to receive, and obviously, the performance on tour in the first few months is a very valuable tool to make any adjustments. In short, yes, I’m sure this is a part I will learn something new about every day. As a fitter, you can’t ask for more.
JW: SIM2 vs SIM2 Max on tour—In a general sense, what’s the trade-off for players going from one to the other?
Matthew Wolff in a SIM2 Max 10.5
AR: Pretty easy. The trade-off is very little. SIM2 Max is a high MOI head but with a “lower spin” profile. If I had to break them down, I would say faders and anti-lefters will love SIM2 and your draw player will feel at home with SIM2 Max.
JW: In regards to the fairway woods, where have you seen improvements versus SIM?
AR: The speed is unmatched on SIM and SIM2. Our work in the fairway wood department over the past couple of years has been second to none. The difference in ball speed between driver and 3-wood has never been this close—3-wood is creeping ever closer to the driver. Hence, you are seeing guys like DJ going to higher lofted parts because the speed off of the SIM fairway family is insane.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Pelling
Feb 3, 2021 at 9:27 am
So good that Taylormade is up for sale!
Funkaholic
Feb 3, 2021 at 9:10 am
The SIM2 doesn’t look or sound good to me.
jgpl001
Feb 3, 2021 at 3:22 am
Brooks put an old M5 in the bag last week and out drove Rory regularly during their second round…
Max
Feb 2, 2021 at 1:58 pm
I do not like this trend of tour reps referring to heads and shafts as “parts”. Makes the equipment sound not special at all. Marketing department needs to squash it. I am not going to spend $500 on something that is just a “part”.
Funkaholic
Feb 3, 2021 at 9:10 am
That seems like a silly nitpick. They are “parts”, the head and shaft are separate parts made by different companies.