About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the golf club, which I purchased with my own money in January of 2023.

My take

The TaylorMade Stealth 2 Driver is perfect for golfers of all skill levels. This driver provides added forgiveness while minimizing spin to help drive the ball further.

About the club I own

• Model: 2023 TaylorMade Stealth 2 Driver
• Loft setting: 9.5
• Shaft type: Hzrdus Black 6.5
• Shaft flex: X-Stiff

About me

• Average score: 70
• Handicap: +2
• Experience: 5 years of golf
• Right/Left-Handed: Right-Handed
• Typical ball flight: Mid-High
• Golf ball used: TaylorMade TP5x
• Club swing speed: 120mph

Test conditions

• When I bought this club: January 2023
• Days tested: 35+
• Where I’ve used it: TrackMan and GC4 simulators, and various courses
• Weather and wind conditions: High and low winds as well as rain, warm and cold temperatures

How it performs

What I was looking for

I was looking at the newest drivers on the market and wanted to increase distance from my previous driver, the TaylorMade Sim. I felt I was losing distance in order to increase forgiveness with that driver. I also wanted a driver that had a very simple design and shape.

Why I chose this club

I chose this driver because I hit it further than any other driver released this year. I was at least 5–10 yards longer with the Stealth 2 while not sacrificing forgiveness.

What I love about it

• Distance: This was the longest-distance driver that I tested out of all the models released in 2023, such as the Callaway Paradym and Titleist TSR drivers. The new 60x-carbon Twist Face helps me increase my clubhead speed without making any changes to my swing. The Thru-Slotspeed pocket also helps increase ball speed, even on low strikes.
• Forgiveness: This driver has been extremely helpful for me to help hit more fairways, even when I miss the center of the face. The new red carbon ring around the perimeter of the driver helps to increase forgiveness.
• Feel: The Stealth 2 feels so soft yet strong whenever I hit it. This driver almost feels like it springs the ball off the clubface—creating a strong and powerful feel at impact.
• Sound: The Stealth 2 driver sounds just like when I hear professional golfers hit the ball. I found that this driver creates a firm, explosive sound rather than a loud, pinging sound that I hear with other drivers.
• Adjustability: The TaylorMade Stealth 2 has an adjustable loft sleeve to change the loft and lie angle by three degrees. Additionally, this driver has an adjustable weight system to maximize forgiveness and clubhead speed.
• Shaft Feel: The Hzrdus shaft line feels very sturdy and strong. These shafts are designed to feel very strong and have a stiff tip section to eliminate clubhead flexing.
• Shaft Performance: This shaft is a low-spin, low-launch model that helps to increase distance and optimize spin numbers. It has been amazing when paired with this head because it allows me to hit the Stealth 2 as far as the Plus model while having more forgiveness.
• Aesthetic Appeal: This is my favorite-looking driver on the market. I love the all-black crown and the red accenting on the sole of the club. At first, I was not sure what I thought about the red clubface, but it has become one of my favorite design aspects of this club.
• Launch Angle: The clubface has a nanotexture cover to help optimize launch in any conditions. I also noticed that this club still launches the ball really well on off-center strikes. I have hit the ball off the toe and heel of this club and they all launch relatively the same as when I occasionally hit the ball in the center.
• Spin: The nanotexture cover mentioned above also helps keep spin the same in all weather conditions and for strikes all over the face. This driver at first spun too much for me, but once I put in the low spin shaft, it was perfect. Most golfers with mid to low swing speeds will get great spin numbers from this driver to optimize distance and maximize yardage.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Workability: It took time to get used to how forgiving the driver is. I would try to hit draws and fades, but the ball would stay mostly straight. This is mainly due to how forgiving the driver is; it helps keep the ball as straight as possible. But once I switched to the low-spinning shaft, I now have much more control over my shot shaping. The other small problem with workability is that I find it hard to hit lower trajectory shots to keep the ball out of the wind. This is because of how well the ball launches, so it is both a great thing and a minor problem.
• Grip Feel: I had the Golf Pride Tour Velvet as the stock grip on this club, and very quickly elected to change it. The Tour Velvet is a great grip for the first month of use; however, I have found that it wears out very quickly and loses its grip. The MCC and Z grip are much better, long-lasting options from Golf Pride.

Best shot with this club

The best shot I hit with the Stealth 2 was at my local golf course on a driveable par 4. The hole plays 310 yards from the back tees. I hit a baby cut starting at the left edge of the green and having it cut into the middle of the green. The ball landed just short of the green and ran right up on the green to about 20 feet due to the firm fairways. I almost made the 20-footer but ended up having a tap in birdie, thanks to the great drive.

Value for the money vs. other options

In my opinion, this is the best driver on the market. I bought this club because it outperformed all the competitors in distance and accuracy while having the best-looking design. The second-highest-performing driver of the new models was the Titleist TSR 3. The TaylorMade Stealth 2, Titleist TSR 3, and Callaway Paradym all retail for the same price. This makes the Stealth 2 the best value driver for 2023. For players looking for cheaper options, the 2021 TaylorMade Sim 2 driver still provides a lot of distance and forgiveness.

Final verdict

The TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver is perfect for players of all skill levels. This driver will help produce the best spin and launch numbers to maximize distance and hit more fairways. The Stealth 2 should be at the top of everyone's list when searching for a new driver.