Does anyone else think Taylormade drivers have gone downhill in terms of sound/feel?

[Grizzly92]

15 hours ago, ahenderX said:

I have a 2016 M2. I put a piece of black duct tape on the bottom to dampen the sound some. Have not tried any newer versions. I’m happy with it.

First I've heard of this, could be worth a shot.

[Grizzly92]

13 hours ago, ago33 said:

I don’t love the feel of the stealth 2. It’s hard to tell where I am striking it on the face. However the ball speeds across the face are way up so I don’t really care.

I think that's what bothers me the most with the newer heads... Hard to tell where I'm catching the face and the "good" strikes don't feel as "good".

 

More ball speed is obviously nice, but why can't we just have it all? 

[Grizzly92]

15 hours ago, Chunkitgood said:

So, they give you more distance, straighter ball flight and you’re gonna complain about the way it sounds?  The sound is what’s so important it requires comment?  The sound interferes somehow with your game?  The sound it makes more difficult to swing?  The sound?

 

Sorry, my self-censor and quality control circuitry were both off line for a moment.  Glad they came back before I said something I shouldn’t have.

 

My actual opinion is that any hollow golf club is, if not actually an abomination, a travesty, and it was grave error to allow them to be used in the first place.  So the awful sound they make is not what bothers me, usually.

First world problems, what can I say?

[RoyalMustang]

15 minutes ago, Grizzly92 said:

First world problems, what can I say?

 

There is something awesome about smoking a drive from the tucked-in tips teebox that usually behind stands on its own, surrounded by trees, and hearing a huge "whack" reverberating off said trees after you hit the ball.   

 

I wouldn't trade distance or accuracy for it though. But still, it's a great feeling, second only to flushing a forged long iron. 

[ahenderX]

3 hours ago, Grizzly92 said:

First I've heard of this, could be worth a shot.

Can’t remember where I saw/heard this. I use Gorilla tape, which is the best I have found regarding durability.

[JAM01]

2016 M2 was the peak for me, 2017 was close. Twist face became my nemesis. 

[Hougz79]

OG SIM was my favorite feeling driver ever.  I also really enjoyed SIM 2.  

[Glock917]

I feel that last 8 years give or take TM drivers did a great job in retaining their trademark "crack" they produce off center impact. If was blindfolded I can instantly recognize their sound.

 

Feel is obviously subjective and while some have different vibrations that give us more or less feedback, to say one was drastically different where it doesnt feel like a TM driver is a bit of a reach imo. 

 

One thing to note too is when comparing the different heads is the type of shaft used as well. There are some shafts that make a head feel way harsher than others.

 

And we are judging this feel aspect off center strikes right? Cause all their drivers feel like $hit when its 3 inches off the toe 😆

[KrazyTrain18]

Interesting, I think it's subjective to whatever preference you have.  I never loved TM driver feel in the past but the Stealth has been an awesome club for me since it went in the bag.  

Edited March 14 by KrazyTrain18
Edit

[nosedive32]

Swing speed generally is right at 100 MPH. A bad stretch it might be around 95 and it might get around 105 during a good stretch.

 

2016 M2 and Sim 2 Max were two of my favorite drivers of all time. I thought they felt amazing.

 

All 3 generations in the carbon face era feel absolutely dead to me. Maybe it isn't a problem for higher speed players but for the average guy I am not a fan of the feel of the Stealth / QI10 series of drivers.

[Joesti]

My last taylormade driver was the sim 2. When they went to the carbon face I never even looked at them again. I hate how it feels/sounds compared to the twist face.

[boggyman]

On 3/13/2024 at 1:07 PM, ahenderX said:

Can’t remember where I saw/heard this. I use Gorilla tape, which is the best I have found regarding durability.

Where exactly did you place it??

[ahenderX]

1 hour ago, boggyman said:

Where exactly did you place it??

8

[dmeeksDC]

Did not like twist face. Did not like the Stealths. But I think the Qi10 feels great, very responsive and a nice crack at impact. I like its sound the best of all the new releases. The performance is hard to beat. 

[A.Princey]

I still love my gamer ‘16 M2 🥰 

Edited March 16 by A.Princey

[lefty1978]

SIM2 Max was the last great feeling TM driver in my opinion. I've owned both Stealth and Stealth 2, and hit the new Q. The only other great feeling driver has been the BRNR Mini. However, TM fairway woods have all been great. 

[nitram]

On 3/12/2024 at 1:21 PM, Grizzly92 said:

2017 M2 = loved it

M5 = loved it even more

 

Since then I've tried just about every head in the SIM/SIM2 and Stealth/Stealth2 lines and I just can't get used to the sound/feel. I've been trying to upgrade from the M5 for years but I just keep going back to it.

 

To me, the M5 feels way better off the face than any of the newer heads, and it's not even close. It just feels softer, like I'm hitting a tennis ball or something.

 

Does anyone else agree or am I crazy? Will Taylormade ever make another head that sounds/feels closer to the M5?

 

The M2 was the last one I really liked, and it wasn't as good as the SLDR 430. But it was a helluva lot more forgiving!! Anyway, the OG SIM was good and my choice for anything they've made in the past 4-5 models.

[Broken3wood]

I generally am not a fan of any Taylormade products. With that said, Every driver they have produced from the sim to stealth 2 has been in my bag at some point just to test. Some made it 1 round or less, others got up to a couple months. Taylormade drivers have never felt or sounded the best to me. I can tell when somebody is swinging a Taylormade driver 50 yards away on the putting green just by the sound. 

 

That shouldn't be what drives your decision on a club though. Are you hitting fairways, do you know where your miss will end up, is it as long as the other drivers on the market? Those are all things that influence my decision before sound or feel. Do sound and feel make the game more enjoyable, yes they absolutely do but they aren't the be all end all when it comes to my decision making process.

Edited March 16 by Broken3wood

[underwater]

I love TM driver's for their sound.  They have just enough crack mixed with carbon to give it a "swat".

 

This is a James Robinson review video where he hits 5 shots in rapid-fire sequence with the Qi10, and he uses an external mic to illustrate the sound - this is EXACTLY what my Qi10 LS sounds like and this is my favorite driver sound. (jump to 5:05 if my link below doesn't take you to that point):

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 16 by underwater

[Hotdocta]

I for some reason loved stealth 2.   It felt super soft and powerful.  Maybe I just did not hit all the others as well.  Stealth 2 plus was also the best I have hit a tm driver

[dmeeksDC]

30 minutes ago, underwater said:

I love TM driver's for their sound.  They have just enough crack mixed with carbon to give it a "swat".

 

There's a James Robinson review video where he hits 5 shots in rapid-fire sequence with the Qi10, and he uses an external mic to illustrate the sound - this is EXACTLY what my Qi10 LS sounds like and this is my favorite driver sound. (jump to 5:05 if my link below doesn't take you to that point.)

 

 

 

 

Completely agree. It has a nice crack sound. Qi10 is the winner this year on sound and feel IM0. I love the way it feels at impact. The core model is also the most playable standard TaylorMade driver that I can recall in quite some time. 

[Junior1988]

Ever since they went to the carbon face, I truly do not like the sound (very muted), but if it works, it works. Feel is fine for me. 

[Hawkeye77]

Whatever had the red and carbon face in the summer of 2022 was absolute crap for sound and feel, lol.  Gave it a fair test at a fitting, though. I think I had some black and yellow pro model TP something or other a long time ago, I only bought because I ran into Dr. Tom Davis at a fitting event and he was buying one, haha.  It was terrible sounding also, but the shaft was way too much for me, so never really had a fair shot.

 

The two TM Hi-Toe wedges I got last spring are the only TM clubs I've owned other than that driver and one of the first metal drivers they made.  Never been a big fan of the company.

Edited March 16 by Hawkeye77

[mgoblue83]

Mass production (more than any other company) and new models every year = less quality control and more variance in specs and performance.

 

Hand picked Taylormade heads the pros use are great. Average heads off the rack... not so much.

[wjdpar1]

I bought a IQ10 and the sound and feel have turned out to be terrible.  IMO the stealth2 was much better.

Is the IQ10 built differently?  It feels hard at impact and the sound is awful.  Tried an alternate shaft - no luck.

Did I just get a lemon? 

Going to take a bath on this one!

 

 

 

[Haber]

I loved the sound of my Sim max and really like the sound of my Stealth 2. Nice solid carbon crack.

[Phabs]

The carbon face was the end of the nice feeling taylormades.  They feel dead and mushy to me now the few times I’ve swung them.   The M3 I swung forever still feels and sounds fantastic 

[ZAS]

I prefer a metal face vs a carbon face

[North Butte]

I thought the original version of M4 was notably better than any driver I'd owned before, Taylormade or otherwise. No driver since M4 has consistently produced better results for me and yes I agree there was a certain "something" about M4 that later TM models did not have. Maybe sound/feel, who knows.

 

I'm not going to go back and buy an M4 at this point but probably would be better off if I'd never switched away to SIM MAX and then Stealth. Money spent for no real benefit. 

[ignitewvu]

On 3/16/2024 at 9:21 AM, underwater said:

I love TM driver's for their sound.  They have just enough crack mixed with carbon to give it a "swat".

 

This is a James Robinson review video where he hits 5 shots in rapid-fire sequence with the Qi10, and he uses an external mic to illustrate the sound - this is EXACTLY what my Qi10 LS sounds like and this is my favorite driver sound. (jump to 5:05 if my link below doesn't take you to that point):

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is wild he is hitting a 20 year old shaft further & more accurately than a brand new shaft!

I do find the LS model needs a shaft that helps to elevate the ball.  I also agree that 45.75 is insanely too long for 99% of golfers.  IDK why this standard changed but it is hurting way more people than it is helping.

Edited March 19 by ignitewvu