By: Zack Buechner

50 Words or Less

The TaylorMade SIM Max D fairway wood is ideal for the golfer who fights leaving the ball out to the right.  Easier to square the face at impact, the SIM Max-D fairway wood can be a simple fix for the average golfer who struggles with the right miss.

Introduction

TaylorMade might have longest hitting group of pros on their staff, which is fantastic marketing for a company that has put so much stock into their woods and hybrids.  Any company that has Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, and John Rahm all playing their products is going to find success at some level.  While its unlikely to find a draw bias fairway wood in one of these pro’s bags, TaylorMade’s 2020 SIM Max-D fairway woods will make the game a whole lot easier for the rest of us normal golfers.  

Looks

At first glance, the color scheme of the 2020 line is very reminiscent of the SLDR.  Thankfully however, the blue and grey might be the only thing that’s similar to the SLDR.  The SIM Max-D fairway wood is the draw biased version of the new line and has the largest footprint of the 3 different fairway wood offerings, coming in at 190 ccs.

The white and black two-tone contrast crown is unmistakably TaylorMade but the white is a welcome change from previous iterations.  The white is glossy and has a higher-end look versus the grey from 2018 and 2019.  The bonded (non-adjustable) hosel is also present for 2020 which allowed TaylorMade engineers to redistribute the weight savings to lower the center of gravity (CG) in the head.

Sound & Feel

The draw-biased SIM Max-D fairway wood felt the best of the three TaylorMade offerings.  It was easier to get the face closed and make solid, center-of-the-face contact with almost every ball.  The distinct “snap” or “crack” you find in previous iterations of TaylorMade fairway woods is also present in the 2020 lineup.  If you enjoyed the sound of the 2019 lineup, you’re going to want to test these out before your season begins.

Performance

Out of all three SIM fairway woods, this one performed the best and produced the best numbers for me.  Leaving balls out to the right is and always will be my weakness.  The SIM Max-D fairway wood surprised me with how it works to combat that miss, yet still allows for a baby fade.  Since the club is draw biased, it was easier to turn over and find the center of the face, so many of the shots felt more solid than the other SIM fairway woods.

Anytime I squared the face, the contact with the ball moved towards the center.  This was obvious to me as the ball speed and efficiency numbers jumped up slightly with this fairway wood.  Similar to the other two versions, the SIM Max-D fairway wood had no problem getting through any lie to make solid contact.  My distance improved because of a decrease in side spin and shots that flew straighter.  It still had enough backspin to hold a green for those longer approaches on reachable par 5’s and those big par 4s.  The distance plus stopping power is a clear benefit which really makes it stand out in the crowded fairway wood space.  This club has a good chance of making a splash in 2020.

Conclusion

The TaylorMade SIM Max-D fairway wood is a slice killer and made for the golfer who just needs a little extra help getting the face shut at impact.  It could even benefit someone who likes to see the ball draw a little more.  It also shows its teeth with the amount of stopping power it can generate.  If trouble on the right side of a fairway scares you, check out the new SIM Max-D fairway wood.

TaylorMade SIM Max D Fairway Wood Price & Specs

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Zack Buechner

Zack has been a contributor at Plugged In Golf since 2018. Zack has worked in healthcare for over 12 years and currently works from home in health care technology. His previous work experience includes stints in the NFL, NCAA D-1 athletics, and PGA Tour Champions. Zack lives in southern Connecticut with his wife Ashley and their 2 children (Beau (5) & Lunden (1)) and their dog. Although he only started playing golf after college, Zack is passionate for the game and the journey to getting better while regularly participating in state and national amateur events all across the northeast.

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