50 Words or Less
The TaylorMade Stealth 2 HD fairway wood is ultra forgiving and very easy to get up in the air. A strong draw bias makes it a great choice for players who are battling a slice.
Introduction
In TaylorMade’s Stealth 2 fairway wood family, the Plus model [review HERE] has been the unquestioned spotlight stealer. However, if what you want is maximum forgiveness and some help hitting a draw, that’s not the club for you. Players battling a slice should turn their attention to the TaylorMade Stealth 2 HD fairway wood, a club purpose-built for the High Draw.
Looks
The first thing that caught my eye when I set down the TaylorMade Stealth 2 HD fairway wood is that it’s very long from front-to-back. It’s also a bit larger than average from heel-to-toe, creating a lot of hitting area. These dimensions are balanced by a shallow face that sits slightly shut at address. As you would expect from a draw biased wood, the alignment aid is shifted toward the heel.
In the bag, the white “Stealth” branding pops off the black sole. This club has a fairly clean look with the tech features getting subtle calls outs. TaylorMade’s Speed Pocket is camouflaged in black on black, and the V-Steel sole is noted in small text.
Sound & Feel
On quality strikes, the TaylorMade Stealth 2 HD fairway wood feels very crisp and powerful in the hands. There is no sting to the mishits, but the feel loses its snap and simply feels solid. With a modicum of effort, you can feel each strike location.
The impact sound of the Stealth 2 HD amplifies the feedback you get through your hands. Centered shots are mid pitch “snaps” with low pitched metallic undertones. When your shots strike the heel or toe, the sound becomes a disharmonious “clack” – a fairly stern reminder to get back to the sweet spot.
Performance
In my review of the Stealth 2 Plus FW, I noted that I was surprised by the solid level of forgiveness. With the Stealth 2 HD, there was no surprise – this club is billed as very forgiving and it is. TaylorMade tells us that this club has its highest ever MOI in a fairway wood, and that’s apparent in the way it deals with mishits. You need to put the ball way onto the toe or heel to get the club head to twist.
On the launch monitor, that forgiveness shows up in the ball speed. On center, the Stealth 2 HD FW is very strong, posting smash factors in the high 1.4s. More impressive, the smash factor stays north of 1.4 even when your ball striking gets shaky.
Moving to the namesake features, the Stealth 2 HD FW is launches the ball high and easily. This club has a shallow face and a low CG, two elements that help it to elevate your long shots. That low CG also helps it to tolerate thin shots better than most fairway woods. Additionally, TaylorMade makes the HD fairway woods with a little extra loft – 16, 19, and 23 degrees – to further boost the ball flight skyward.
Finally, this club does have a strong left bias. As I mentioned earlier, the face sits a little closed, and the club is internally weighted to promote a draw. When swinging naturally, I was hitting shots that started somewhat left with a strong draw, though they still flew quite high. With some fade intent, I could get the ball to fly fairly straight. For the player that naturally hits a fade or slice, the Stealth 2 HD fairway wood can easily produce a straight shot or even a tidy draw.
Don’t need the draw bias? Check out the TaylorMade Stealth 2 fairway wood HERE
Conclusion
If you’re tired of your long approaches being worm burners and weak slices, the TaylorMade Stealth 2 HD fairway wood is a club to consider this year. There aren’t many fairway woods that make it easier to get the ball up in the air with a pleasing draw.
Visit TaylorMade HERE
TaylorMade Stealth 2 HD Fairway Wood Price & Specs
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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4 Comments
Thanks Matt. How did it fare off the tee compared to the deck?
Steve,
It has a fairly shallow face, which doesn’t work well off the tee for me, but I’m not a player who hits any FW off the tee regularly. For a better FW player, this should be fine.
Best,
Matt
How does it compare with Sim2 Max FW?
Abedul,
I have a review of the SIM2 Max FW here: https://pluggedingolf.com/taylormade-sim2-max-fairway-wood-review/
-Matt