Taylormade Stealth Irons Review - Good for High Handicappers & Forgiving?

Taylormade Stealth Irons Review – Good for High Handicappers & Forgiving?

Taylormade Stealth Irons

“The Taylormade Stealth irons have a very reassuring look if you’re a high handicapper and they promise more accuracy.”

This is pretty much the basis of these irons. The Taylormade Stealth irons aren’t nearly as revolutionary as the Stealth woods that were released last year.

With the Stealth irons, Taylormade took a more traditional and subtle approach. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

After all, with the success of the SIM2 irons, we can understand why Taylormade would be reluctant to change much.

Still, there are changes that have been made – they’re just harder to see compared to their wood counterparts.

So in the following review, we will be telling you what you need to know about the Taylormade Stealth irons.

The Taylormade Stealth Family

“It should be noted that there are two versions of the Taylormade Stealth irons: the standard Stealth and the Stealth HD.”

For the sake of this review, we tested the standard Taylormade Stealth irons. However, the HD versions are almost like hybrid irons.

They have a much thicker sole profile and internal draw bias. So if you are struggling with a slice as a high handicapper, the Taylormade Stealth HD irons may be best for you.

Are They Good for High Handicappers?

“If as a high handicapper, you are struggling mostly with accuracy, then the Taylormade Stealth irons will surely be able to help.”

One of the most notable performance aspects of the Taylormade Stealth irons is that they produced low spin rates for us. This accomplished two things for our testers.

First, the low spin resulted in an increase in carry distance. Second, it made for straighter shots since there was little side spin to send the ball careening off-line.

So right off the bat, you get distance and straighter flight from the Taylormade Stealth irons.

The Taylormade Stealth irons also have a naturally low and penetrating ball flight but there has been more mass placed in the sole right under the striking zones of these irons to combat the strong lofts a bit.

High handicappers will also love the look of these irons at address. They have moderately wide soles and toplines and deep face profiles.

They also have a soft feel on mis-hits so overall, we would say these irons are good for high handicappers.

Is it Forgiving?

“We didn’t get as much punishment as we thought we would on mis-hits with these irons.”

The sweet spot is pretty wide and even low-face shots were still picking up good ball speeds.

Of course, as Taylormade irons, the Taylormade Stealth irons are almost obliged to have the Speed Pocket. And there’s no reason not to, really.

It is very effective for preserving ball speed on low-face strikes – a zone where many high handicappers tend to hit.

And as we mentioned, it’s very hard to bend the ball off-line. Only severe mis-hits were hurt by increased spin and a draw that never managed to straighten out in the air.

The only real gripe we have in terms of forgiveness is that there is not much difference between the feel you get when you pure the ball as what you get when you mis-hit.

We were expecting a much softer feel on true strikes; but we could hardly tell from the feel alone when we mis-hit because the feelings were so similar.

Difference Between the Taylormade Stealth Irons and the Taylormade Stealth HD Irons

“You can determine many differences between the Stealth and Stealth HD irons just by looking at them.”

The Taylormade Stealth HD irons can be considered super game improvement irons.

They are big, they launch higher than the standard Taylormade Stealth irons and have a more squat face profile for the sake of improved lateral forgiveness.

Behind the ball, you can see the cavity undercut stick out beneath the top line of the Taylormade Stealth HD irons.

With the standard Taylormade Stealth irons, the cavity undercut does a better job of hiding beneath the topline so you get a cleaner, more pleasing look.

Available Shafts

Fujikura Ventus Red (stiff, regular, amateur flex)
KBS Max 85 MT (stiff flex)

Are the Taylormade Stealth Irons Worth it?

“They are worth it for a specific type of high handicapper.”

If you want tighter shot dispersion off the deck, there are fewer GI irons on the market that would be more beneficial to you than the Taylormade Stealth irons.

They will also help you get the ball in the air with less effort.

Taylormade Stealth Irons

In 20 Words Or Less

“The Taylormade Stealth irons will help you improve your accuracy and improve your carry distance with lower spin.”

Taylormade Stealth Irons – First Impressions

“The Taylormade Stealth irons have a pretty unique look with the new cap back and toe wrap design.”

Mass was essentially removed from the toe and placed in the sole of these cavity back irons.

The result is a fairly chunky sole and a thinner top line at address.

Taylormade Stealth Selling Points

Tight shot dispersion
Speed Pocket
Good launch
Low spin
Considerable offset

Who Are the Taylormade Stealth Irons for?

“If you want to improve your accuracy, the Taylormade Stealth irons are a good choice for you.”

In general, the Taylormade Stealth would be good for players in the 17-25 handicap range.

They don’t offer much workability and the low spin might be a problem on approach shots; but these are concerns of players whom these irons weren’t really designed for.

If your iron game can use a boost in launch, a moderate boost in distance and a whole lot of help with accuracy, then the Taylormade Stealth irons are a perfect fit for you.

Taylormade Stealth Family of Irons

Of course, if you are a 20+ handicapper, the Taylormade Stealth HD irons are also available. They are even more forgiving than the Taylormade Stealth irons.