TaylorMade Stealth Irons Review

Bryson Bujak
February 26, 2023
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Golfers are always on the lookout for the latest golf equipment that can improve their game. One of the most important pieces of equipment for any golfer is their irons. The right set of irons can make a significant difference in a golfer’s performance, especially when it comes to precision and accuracy.

The TaylorMade Stealth Irons are a popular choice among golfers who want to take their game to the next level. These irons feature advanced technology and innovative design elements that can help golfers hit straighter, longer shots.

In this review, we’ll take an in-depth look at the TaylorMade Stealth Irons and evaluate their features, performance, and overall value. We’ll explore how the irons are designed to help golfers improve their game, including their sleek and stylish look, the technology used in their construction, and their performance on the course.

Whether you’re a seasoned golfer or a beginner, the TaylorMade Stealth Irons could be the perfect addition to your golf bag. By the end of this review, you’ll have a clear understanding of whether these irons are right for you and your golf game.

Where can I buy these irons?

The Golf Warehouse

Global Golf

TaylorMade Golf

TaylorMade Stealth Design Features

Cap Back Design

The new Cap Back design implemented by TaylorMade promises faster ball speeds and more forgiveness than previous models, which use a traditional cavity back design. This feature utilizes a toe wrap construction that makes the face more flexible.

A flexible face allows for additional forgiveness and makes it easier to make square contact with the ball. Combine that with more ball speed and you’ll have a straighter, longer ball flight.

Increased Forgiveness

The TaylorMade Stealth irons also have a larger sweet spot than the SIM2 Max iron design. After doing some research, TaylorMade discovered the most common impact positions on the clubface and added more forgiveness to these areas.

Additionally, the Stealth irons use an inverted cone technology. This is essentially the same as variable face thickness, and it’ll help you increase your accuracy even more.

This will give you a tremendous boost in accuracy and confidence, as you can strike the ball quite close to the heel or toe and still have a straight ball flight.

Higher Launch

Although the toe wrap construction was instituted into these irons, TaylorMade was able to take some weight out of the toe and position it in the sole of the club. This results in a low center of gravity, which helps golfers obtain a high launch angle.

Higher launching shots will help you gain some carry distance with a beautiful ball flight, and it’ll also provide better stopping power on the greens.

Since your shots will have more height on them, they’ll land at a steeper angle on the green. This will reduce the roll of the golf ball after landing, helping you stick it closer to the pin and keep it there.

Advanced Feel and Sound

These TaylorMade irons will additionally provide you with great sound and feel. Using a new ECHO damping system, the TaylorMade Stealth irons remove harsh vibrations from mishits and poor turf interaction.

Instead, this technology will soak up these vibrations and make every shot feel much better and sound incredible. Whether you thin shots or fat shots, the TaylorMade Stealth irons will make them feel tenfold better than before.

Thru Slot Speed Pocket

The thru slot speed pocket technology is a staple of not just TaylorMade irons, but drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids. This feature provides ultimate forgiveness on thin shots, something so many golfers struggle with.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Faster ball speeds
More forgiveness
High launch angle for a soft landing
Extra distance

Cons

Somewhat expensive
Decreased shot shaping
Large distance gaps between irons

The TaylorMade Stealth irons are a prime example of a well-rounded game improvement iron set. These clubs offer elevated ball speed that will help you put extra yards on your shots.

In addition, they are incredible forgiving. The extra forgiveness of the Stealth irons will help you keep the ball much straighter.

When you are able to keep the ball straight, you’ll automatically notice an increase in your distance. Combine that with increased ball speed and you’ll be splitting the fairway with great looking shots.

On the downside, the Stealth iron design is on the more expensive side. So, if you are looking for a budget friendly game improvement iron set, you may want to look into some other clubs.

Additionally, these irons are not as great for shot shaping. Game improvement irons are made to keep the ball straight. As great as this is, it also means that hitting a draw or fade is much more difficult.

It must be said that it is not impossible to add a shaped ball flight to your shots, however a bladed iron design will give you the control of a performance iron set.

As is typically the case with most irons that fall under the game improvement category, the TaylorMade Stealth irons have large distance gaps between. This means that the distance you hit each club will increase by at least 10 yards, leaving you vulnerable to uncomfortable situations.

For example, you might have to choose between smashing a club or hitting a half shot on another. Neither of these choices sound appealing to golfers, and for players that struggle with consistency this can be their worst nightmare.

Nonetheless, these clubs do have great forgiveness to them and will help you get the ball airborne with ease.

Stock Shaft and Grip

For the TaylorMade Stealth irons, there are two stock shaft options. One option is the KBS Max 85 MT, available in stiff flex. The other is the Fujikura Ventus Red, which has stiff, regular, and senior flex options.

Choosing the right shaft will have a larger impact on your performance than you realize. When picking which shaft you want, it’s very important to keep your swing speed in mind.

For slower swing speeds (<95 mph), you’ll want to use a regular flex. This will better fit your swing speed and help you maintain ball speed and distance. If you were to use a shaft flex too strong, you would experience poor launch, less distance, and a lot more shanks into the woods.

If you have a faster swing speed, a stiff flex will help you the most. It’ll be able to withstand the speed of your swing and give you the ideal shot. So if you want to use the KBS Max MT grip, then go ahead and give it a try.

In terms of choosing between a stock steel shaft or graphite shaft, that comes down to your personal preference. Graphite shafts and steel shafts won’t have a major influence on your performance, but it will affect the feel of the turf interaction.

The stock grip of these irons is the Lamkin Crossline black/red design, but this can be changed by customizing your irons. This may cost you some more money, but having a comfortable grip will help you hold the clubs more confidently in your hands.

Lofts

Like most game improvement irons, the TaylorMade Stealth iron set is strongly lofted. The lowest loft of the set is an 18.5 degree 4 iron, while the highest is the pitching wedge at 43 degrees.

Strong lofted clubs are very helpful for beginners and high handicappers because it helps gain some distance throughout your bag. Rather than needing a fast, consistent ball speed to get appropriate distance, the long irons and short irons alike will go farther than some other golf clubs.

The only downside I can see to these iron lofts is the distance gaps between them. The long irons are separated by ~3 degrees, while the mid irons have 4 degrees of loft between them and the short irons have 5-6 degrees.

This can cause issues on the course, especially on par 3s. Because the gaps between each iron is quite large, you’re distances will vary by at least 10 yards, if not even more.

Therefore, you could be standing on the tee box of a 150 yard par 3, trying to decide between hammering a 9 iron or hitting a very soft 8 iron.

For many golfers this can shake their confidence, as they now have to hit a shot they’re uncomfortable with.

However, my personal opinion is that these distance gaps won’t cause tremendous issues. For most players using game improvement irons, their main concern on a par 3 is simply hitting the green.

Unlike the pros, they’re not too worried about sticking it close to the pin and being able to tap it in. So with that being said, you may leave the ball a little short or long of the pin on par 3s if you just grab a club and swing normally, but it will most likely still end up on the green with a birdie look.

Despite the difficulty that the difference in lofts can cause, these irons will undeniably increase your distance greatly. They produce low spin compared to the Stealth HD irons, and the strong lofts will help you send your iron shots straight and far.

TaylorMade also offers a gap wedge, sand wedge, and lob wedge. If you have a tight budget and want to save a few bucks, then these wedges would get the job done for you and complete the set.

However, for players looking to optimize their short game and get higher backspin, choosing a premium wedge would be the better bet.

Who should use the Stealth Irons?

The TaylorMade Stealth irons can truly be used by anyone, but they will have the greatest impact on high handicappers and new golfers. These irons have a large sweet spot that’ll help you improve your accuracy.

Although they are not cavity back irons, these irons still have a hollow head that helps to produce excellent ball speed along with more forgiveness. The TaylorMade Stealth irons are sure to help you increase your performance and lower your scores as a high handicap.

For mid and low handicap golfers, the Stealth irons will provide you all the same benefits they would for high handicappers, but that could be a reason to steer away from them.

As an advanced player you have a consistent swing that generates fast ball speeds with precision accuracy.

Since you don’t need as much forgiveness, you may want to look towards a forged iron that will give you more control over your shots. The need for a larger sweet spot decreases while being able to shape any given shot becomes a requirement to be competitive.

Alternatives

High handicap golfers

For high handicaps, you’re still going to want golf clubs that have more forgiveness and help increase your speed on the golf course. I’d recommend checking out the Callaway Rogue ST Max or Paradym irons.

The Rogue ST Max set was released last year and have a wider sole for better accuracy, while the Paradym irons were released this year and offer very similar features. Either way, both iron sets are sure to provide you with forgiveness and lower scores.

Mid handicap golfers

Once you work your way into the mid handicap, finding the right iron set can be very tricky. You still need some forgiveness on a few mishits, but you also want to adjust to a forged like feel and gain some shot shaping ability.

For this reason, I am going to recommend you to the Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metal Pro set or JPX 923 Hot Metal Pro. Both are new releases from Mizuno within the past couple years and combine the forgiving features of a game improvement iron with a performance iron.

These irons are truly amazing for mid handicappers and will be sure to help you in your quest for a low handicap.

Low handicap golfers

Now for low handicappers, you’re going to look for a forged iron that has a smaller club head. This will allow you to add shape very easily to your irons on every hit, and it gives you so much more control over your performance.

For this reason, I’m going to recommend the Mizuno JPX 921/923 Forged iron set. They aren’t quite as difficult to hit as the Tour irons, but they still have amazing turf interaction and complete control.

Final Thoughts

We’ve reached the end of this TaylorMade Stealth irons review, and it must be said that these are impressive golf clubs. Unlike other game improvement irons, they don’t have a cavity back, but instead introduce a new type of design that offers maximum flex on the face and more ball speed.

The qualities of the Stealth irons allow for a major increase in distance and speed, especially if you have a higher handicap. Additionally, they’ll help you stick the ball closer to the green with a higher launch angle.

The only true downsides to these clubs are the inability to add a ton of shape to your hits, as well as the distance gaps between clubs. But as a higher handicap, your main focus will be on keeping the ball straight and travelling far, which these Stealth irons promise to do.

For mid and low handicaps, these irons are more than playable, but other options will be able to offer your more benefits. For advanced players in need of more control over your irons, try looking for more of a forged iron that will help maximize your ability.

Thanks for reading our TaylorMade Stealth irons review, and I hope it gave you just the information you were looking for. As always, TaylorMade found many ways to set even higher standards with these clubs, and they will guarantee more distance and speed from every area of the course.

Happy golfing!

FAQs

Are TaylorMade Stealth irons any good?

The TaylorMade Stealth irons are great clubs dropped by TaylorMade in 2022. They provide incredible distance and speed, helping make your game more accurate from farther out.

Are Stealth irons for high handicappers?

TaylorMade Stealth irons fall under the game improvement category, as they have strong lofts and major forgiveness.

These irons are great options for high and low handicappers alike but will offer the most improvement to high handicaps.

What handicap are TaylorMade Stealth irons for?

TaylorMade Stealth irons are made for players of all skill levels but will help high handicappers the most.

Stronger lofts and faster ball speeds mean increased distance, while features like the new Cap Back design and inverted cone technology will increase your accuracy and lower your scores.

Is TaylorMade Stealth good for high handicappers?

Once again, the TaylorMade Stealth irons are great for high handicappers. They ensure more ball speed, distance, and accuracy which are all features higher handicaps are always seeking.

Bryson Bujak

Hey there, I'm Bryson. I love golfing and helping others improve their game. I own Golfer's Destination, where I review golf equipment and provide guides and how-tos.

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