About this review: This review is my own honest opinion of the driver, which I bought with my own money in February 2021.

My Take

The TaylorMade SIM Max Driver is great for hitting long off the tee and shaping the ball. It certainly isn’t a beginners club, but +10 and lower handicaps will benefit from this piece of equipment.

About the club I own

• Model: TaylorMade SIM Max Driver
• Loft setting: 9 Degrees
• Shaft type: Ventus Blue Stiff
• Shaft flex: Stiff

About me

• Average score: Mid to high 70s
• Handicap: 6
• Experience: 8 years
• Right/Left-Handed: Right-handed
• Typical ball flight: Mid-low
• Golf ball used: Callaway Supersoft
• Club swing speed: 105 mph

Test conditions

• When I bought the club: February 2021
• Days tested: 120
• Where I’ve used it: Lansbrook Golf Course, Wentworth Golf Course, Eastridge Country Club, Innisbrook Golf Club, 265 Golf Academy
• Weather and wind conditions: Everything from rainy, windy and cold, to sunny and hot

How it performs

What I was looking for

I was on the hunt for clubs because the clubhead on my previous driver, the TaylorMade R1, actually broke off. I needed something with more distance, a larger sweet spot, and forgiveness, for off-center hits as well as a higher launching club, hence the Ventus Blue shaft.

Why I chose this club

I decided to buy this club because there was a killer deal on it at the time and their marketing listed it as one of the best drivers and that was incredible, not to mention I really like TaylorMade as a brand. I already had their wedges in my bag and I was super pleased, so I hoped that the driver would follow suit!

I considered buying the Callaway Mavrik, but in the end, I chose the TaylorMade SIM driver because of the price point and all the positive reviews online. The only downside to purchasing this option over the rest of the family was that it didn't offer the sliding weight technology, which is the model that the likes of Dustin Johnson, and Tiger Woods had in the bag. It does come with the thru-slot speed pocket and reshaped sole design perfect for different ball-flight preferences.

TaylorMade used terms like "speed injected" and "twist face" as well as mentioning how aerodynamic the clubhead was to boost clubhead speed. I saw that the Mavrik didn’t offer as much distance, and as a hungry teenager, I needed something that would feed my appetite for hitting it long. Not only did the club boast crazy long distances, but there was also discussion about the brand new inertia generator positions that amplify the already high MOI, the extreme rear weight at the back, and the titanium face that promotes straight shots, increase accuracy, and improve off-center strikes that are low-face. Now, who wouldn't want that?!

What I love about it

• Distance: I love the distance on the club when I perfectly hit the center. It's pretty insane as the weights in the back of the club helped launch it higher on impact and increase club head speed. I’ve hit several shots that are over 320 yards but also had some that were barely mis-hits that went around 260 yards—hit or miss sometimes. TaylorMade really dialed it in with the inertia generator and aerodynamics of this club with the sole flexibility and it shows with the distance when you find the sweet spot.
• Forgiveness: This is not the most forgiving driver but the forgiveness of extreme mis-hits is somewhat impressive. This is due in part because of the built-in “Twist-Face Technology” that contours to the impact of the ball on the clubhead; this is essentially a corrective face angle device built into the driver for the most critical part of the swing. This speed-injected twist face provides ultra-low CG. Though this club is advertised as a super-forgiving driver because of the slightly larger face, low CG, and the new aerodynamic asymmetric sole shape, it’s hard to compare it to some other models outside of the SIM family on the market as their center strikes feel and look better.
• Feel: The feel is super solid in the middle and also feels great on both the heel and toe (I would know).
• Sound: The sound that this driver makes is hard to describe; it almost sounds like a spaceship! On impact, it has a super low and deep sound to it.
• Workability: The SIM Max model offers a great amount of workability but does not have a fade bias or any bias preferences. I feel very confident trying to work the ball right to left or vice versa. Occasionally, the ball overhooks or slices when I try to work it around too much and it feels like the club can very easily turn over. For the player that fights a slice, there is a sim max d driver head option that has a draw bias built-in to help promote straighter shots!
• Shaft Performance: The performance is undeniable compared to other stock shafts like Project X, Ventus Red, and Mitsubishi Diamana. The Ventus Blue was one of the shaft options. Within my first couple of shots, I found that I was launching the ball much higher than my previous shaft, which was one of the stock shafts for the TaylorMade R1 in regular flex. No issues with the performance. The shaft does exactly what it was designed to do!
• Aesthetic Appeal: The club is absolutely gorgeous, there is no doubt about it. It seems almost otherworldly—and is certainly a design breakthrough for golf club companies with its revolutionary new shape and progressive face height throughout the SIM family. I personally love the shape of the driver and wouldn’t change anything. My favorite part of the design is the clubface and its multi-material construction. It comes down to preference when you look at the club, and this is certainly my preference!
• Launch Angle: The trajectory is high, especially for a 9-degree driver; exactly what I’ve been looking for though! The shaft paired with my degree setting is working wonders with giving me a high launch. In addition to the 9-degree face, the club has a 2-degree loft sleeve where you can change initial launch and spin numbers. This loft sleeve technology can allow the individual trajectory to be adjusted for each golfer's trajectory.
• Spin: The spin stays low for me which is great for keeping the ball running in the fairway. I haven’t had any problems with high spin, even on super high-launching shots. Sometimes, the spin seems to be a little too low and I find that the ball doesn’t spin enough to where it holds a fairway. Because of the loft sleeve though, you can change not only backspin but also sidespin. When you turn down the driver loft, it slightly opens that face, and vice-versa; this creates a driver with a ton of playability, especially if you're looking for one with low spin!

Issues I’ve encountered

• Adjustability: I wish that the SIM Max came with an adjustable face angle like the regular SIM or a movable weight. This club only has loft adjustments, but sadly there’s none to adjust face angle/lie. The loft change is nice, but I keep mine on the standard 9-degree option. Looking back at it, I might have looked more into the other head design because it offered more face angle preferences/options, and that way you can really dial it in.
• Shaft Feel: The shaft does feel a bit too stiff, but I know that I have to play a stiff shaft. I would maybe try a shaft that is a little heavier to match the clubhead weight. The shaft feels very stiff, even for a regular stiff flex. It almost feels like a metal pole on the end of the clubhead, which isn’t ideal.
• Grip Feel: I am not a huge fan of how the grip feels worn down after very little use. I would swap out the stock grip for a thicker and softer grip as opposed to the stock Golf Pride Z-Grip. I truly believe you would get a better performance and feel out of a different grip.
• Weight: The club does feel quite heavy, especially in the downswing, which is a critical stage of the swing where you want the most feel. My shaft is 60g and the clubhead does seem to weigh down occasionally and create some drag. The weight can feel great when I have a slower swing speed because it feels like it has a faster clubhead speed and gains some additional ball speed, but sometimes when I let loose, it feels like it holds my true distance back, especially if you catch it on carbon crown/bottom—it then has a much higher launch.

Best shot with this club

The best shot I have ever hit with this club was on the ninth hole of the Lansbrook Golf Course. It is a dogleg left hole that runs around 390 yards from the tips (par 4). I hit the SIM Max off the tee and skirted the left side of the fairway, carrying two dead trees. It hit a speed slot on the downward area of the fairway and left me with around 40 yards to the green. I still reminisce about this shot when I step up to the ninth tee box.

Value for the money vs. other options

For the price point that I bought this club at, I don’t know if there are any better options compared to other golf drivers. If you can catch the club on sale or find a good deal, don’t hesitate to pick it up. I have hit other drivers in the meantime and find that the value in the TaylorMade is just flat-out better. Comparing the TS1 from Titleist and the Mavrik from Callaway, the SIM seems to outperform on distance and looks.

The SIM Max driver was released in February 2020, and several models from other companies such as Cobra, Wilson Staff, Taylormade, Ping, Mizuno, and Callaway have been released. The biggest competition from these companies compared to this driver would be the Ping G425 Max driver, the Callaway Rogue ST Max, the Mizuno ST-X, Callaway Epic Max Driver, Cobra lTDx Max, and several others. Of course, comparing a 2-year-old club to a brand new model is difficult, but all of those options target the same type of golfer: the high handicap golfers that aren't looking to shot shape, but rather hit straighter drives.

I would say that the SIM Max does a great job at keeping up with the distance of these others, but lacks in the forgiveness department as the jailbreak technology and twist face technology seems outdated and don't offer the maximum forgiveness the others do.

Final verdict

The SIM Max is a great club for someone who can consistently find the middle of the clubhead and is looking for a distance machine. It beats the competition with length but lacks forgiveness for a high handicapper. I was saying this is NOT for golfers of all abilities, but for the more distinguished player. This new shape of driver performance will revolutionize the golf world and change clubs as we know them forever!