About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the club, which I tested in April of 2022.

My take

The TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ Rescue Hybrid is for low-handicap players shooting in the 70s consistently and playing several times a week. It is also good for mid-to-low spin players seeking a club for workability and finesse. It provides solid accuracy, sound, and feel with feedback.

About the club I own

• Model: 2022 TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ Rescue Hybrid
• Loft setting: Varies—standard is 19.5°
• Shaft type: Project X Hzrdus Smoke Red RDX (60g)
• Shaft flex: Regular and stiff (I purchased both shafts)

About me

• Average score: 75–85
• Handicap: 6
• Experience 35+ years of golf
• Right/Left-Handed: Right-handed
• Typical ball flight: Mid
• Golf ball used: TaylorMade TP5
• Club swing speed: 98mph

Test conditions

• When I bought the club April 2022
• Days tested: 20 days
• Where I’ve used it: TPC Colorado, Mariana Butte Golf Course, Olde Course at Loveland, Saddleback Golf Club
• Weather and wind conditions: Wind, rainy, hot, and sunny

How it performs

What I was looking for

I have been upgrading my clubs for better length and gapping. I was also looking to improve overall feel and performance from my prior Adams Idea Pro.

Why I chose this club

I chose the Stealth Plus+ Rescue Hybrid to match the TaylorMade Stealth Plus Driver and 3 wood as this would give me the same brand, shafts, and proper loft manipulation into irons. I did consider the Callaway Rogue ST Max, the Mizuno ST-X 220, the Honma T//World GS, and the Cobra LTDx. I chose TaylorMade specifically to play the new Carbonwood Age technology. I wouldn’t say any of these other hybrids were a bad choice, I just needed to see how the carbon-crown clubs would perform.

What I love about it

• Distance: Getting length from a hybrid is not my biggest concern—accuracy and trust is. This hybrid, however, is very long, lower flighted, and length is not a problem.
• Forgiveness: This club has mid forgiveness with smaller sweet spots and is made for center hits more often than not.
• Feel: I love the feel of this face. It does not produce much vibration and sound. It’s very pure on hits and offers very good feedback on shots. It lets me know when I am missing the center sweet area, and it does not sound like I am hitting a tin can.
• Sound: It’s not a noisy club, but rather very muted. This is related to the tech inside the club and face which is designed to create the best vibration and sound for a player.
• Workability: This club allows me to hit lower burner-hook stingers and more controlled draws. Neutral face settings and lack of offset provides a slightly open feel to this club, and it feels natural as a standard set up for easy fading. The workability of the ball can be overworked (too much spin) if not striking efficiently and can create errors on target reliability.
• Adjustability: The adjustability for tinkering with flight and face bias and the flexibility to change this club to fit my needs for particular yardages and ball flight carry, due to having +/- 1.5 degrees of loft changes in face bias adjustments from square. Just remember that the face opens when it’s lofted down and the face closes when it’s lofted up.
• Shaft Feel: I am a big fan of the mid-to-low spin Hzrdus line. I had been waiting to see this shaft, as the torque is not as low as the Hzrdus Black 60 gram shaft. So far I have been pleased. I do like the benefits of this shaft, but sometimes I do feel the twist of head on extreme toe hits.
• Shaft Performance: I targeted the Hzrdus Red line for various reasons. It is lighter, not as tip stiff or stable on impact as other versions. However, it is still very competitive in what it offers away from the low spin lines.
• Aesthetic Appeal: It’s a beautiful hybrid with a more compact and traditional player look. The clubface is framed in a nice gloss black with a more matte, dull look on the crown. I have noticed a lot of wear-and-tear marks on the bottom of the club. It is as to be expected, but for an expensive club it hurts to see such a change from a smooth black gloss finish to rough beat marks.
• Spin: I think this hybrid spins low to mid, but that is not a bad thing for players specifically looking for that quality.
• Other: I also love this club for driving off tee boxes and using it with a tee. I can hit penetrating draws that are fairway finders and stay in control. I have not had as much success as a club attacking the green on par 5, but I do feel more comfortable at the moment just teeing it up and hitting it 235–255 yards.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Forgiveness: I honestly prefer the Stealth hybrid, not the Stealth plus, for my ball-striking ability. Playing a few times a month is not enough to maintain the consistency needed for this club in general and more casual practice routines.
• Grip Feel: It comes with a standard grip that I plan to change later. I suggest getting stock grips. As I adjust the hosel, my grip will change position as well. After I figure out my desired and more permanent setting, I will regrip with the wraps and grip I prefer for alignment and feel. The feeling of the grip is three out five.
• Launch Angle: I would like higher, but that is not the club’s fault. It is mine for purchasing a lower-launch and more player-version low flight, low spin hybrid. This is compared to the standard option hybrid Stealth meant for mid-to-high launch characteristics.
• Other: I prefer to use this club on well-maintained golf courses and tighter-overall lies. Using this from the rough is great, but only up to a certain point. It is more appropriate for fairways and in manicured conditions for best play versus some slower and more unkempt tracks.

Best shot with this club

My best shots have just been in-play fairways and second shots on par 5’s. I have not had great success yet on par 5 approaches, but that’s more because of not having the right yardages to attack yet.

Value for the money vs. other options

This is a very expensive club regardless of handicap, but it is worth it for the top quality and performance. There is a very small category of players that might benefit from the improvements this club offers. For example, I would probably recommend this to a specific player (a low handicapper) with specific needs (lower ball flight and spin). So considering the cost, I think some better options are available like Cobra LTDx or even the TaylorMade SIM2 line.

Final verdict

This club is not for all golfers, but there are some who will fall in love with this hybrid. I would enjoy this club more if I was hitting the course more frequently, practicing more often, and just generally ball striking like a better player would. For the more average golfer that is playing two to four rounds a month, I would go with the regular TaylorMade Stealth, and not the Plus. It provides a better launch and is a more friendly hybrid. For a competitive golfer playing often and/or in tournament conditions, this is an outstanding hybrid with shot versatility, superb sound and feel, and good performance overall.