50 Words or Less
The TaylorMade Stealth HD irons produce towering shots. Tremendous forgiveness and strong draw bias in the long irons. A great choice for players who want more help with their approach shots.
Introduction
Many of this winter’s iron releases have been geared toward the better player. While TaylorMade has certainly covered that group with their P7MC and P7MB irons [review HERE], they haven’t forgotten the players in need of more forgiveness. The new Stealth HD irons don’t replace last year’s Stealth irons, they’re an additional option for players seeking higher launch and more help hitting a draw.
Looks
The TaylorMade Stealth HD irons are unapologetically large irons. They have thick top lines and a ton of offset. Additionally, they’re long from heel to toe, something which is enabled by the shorter blade height.
As you can see above, the longer irons have some “extra” sticking out beyond the top line. There’s also a progressive shaping to the leading edge. In the longer irons, it’s straighter. The leading edge becomes substantially rounded in the short irons and wedges.
In the bag, the Stealth HD irons connect to the Stealth woods with a swath of carbon fiber across the back. The low contrast between the silver, black, and white keeps the branding toned down.
Sound & Feel
While the look and performance of the TaylorMade Stealth HD irons are far from traditional, they achieve a very conventional sound and feel. This is accomplished with TaylorMade’s ECHO Damping System which absorbs the extra vibrations on off-center strikes.
On center, these irons produce a solid “thunk” at impact. In the longer irons, the volume ticks up to create a strong “snap.” Mishits are easily identified by the noisy “clack.” It’s some of the clearest audio feedback I’ve heard recently.
Similarly, the feedback through the hands is amazingly precise for an SGI iron. Good strikes feel very solid without much pop or explosion. Mishits feel duller, and it’s easy to know where the ball met the face.
Performance
When I first heard about the Stealth HD irons, my assumption was that they’d be a bigger, stronger lofted version of the Stealth irons [review HERE]. However, I learned that TaylorMade was serious about the “High” part of “High Draw.” Despite being larger and lower profile, the lofts of the Stealth HD irons are 1.5 to 2.5 degrees weaker in the 5-9 irons. This combination of slightly weaker lofts and ultra-low CG helps these irons to produce shots that redefine towering.
The Stealth HD irons are extremely forgiving, so all your shots will fly high. Even thin strikes achieve playable trajectories, and these irons absolutely shrug off misses on the toe and heel. The ball speed is strong on center and remains high unless you strike the very edge of the face.
TaylorMade rates the distance of the Stealth HD irons as “Swing Speed Dependent” compared to “Long” for the Stealth irons. This is a nod to the higher launch and higher spin. No one will regard these irons as short – they have too much ball speed – but they aren’t quite as long as stronger lofted, lower spinning sets. It’s up to each player to decide if they want more consistency and height or if they’d rather squeeze every last yard out of each iron.
Finally, let’s get to the second half of “High Draw.” I started my testing with the short irons and was surprised at how straight the ball flew. Then, as I got into the middle and long irons, the draw bias showed up in a big way. For me, the stock shot with the 5I started a little left of center and had a medium draw. I think this design makes a lot of sense. Most golfers don’t need a big draw bias in the 9I; it’s the longer clubs that they slice. To counter this, TaylorMade put more draw bias in the longer clubs. Overall, if you’d like to see your mid and long approaches draw – or just not slice – this set can help.
Conclusion
The TaylorMade Stealth HD irons are the perfect set for players who favor draw biased woods like TaylorMade’s Stealth 2 HD models. They live up to both parts of their name, producing shots that fly very high with an easy draw. Get fit for the right shaft and specs, and you can expect more consistent, higher-flying approach shots.
Visit TaylorMade HERE
TaylorMade Stealth HD Irons Price & Specs
Matt Saternus
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I bought 5 and 7 iron to put in my bag! Very nice looking, easy to hit.
More golfers should test these if looking for some irons to “help you out”.
Aloha!
What would 8 thru sw cost
Second Swing has them at $143 per club, unless you want to upgrade the shaft or grips
I have worked on club s for 50 years and I impressed if the long irons due draw better than other older clubs do. If I could get the 4 and 5 iron I could give my opinion on how they do! sense i.play golf 2 to 3 times a week.
Who cares about your opinion? The opinion above is from an informed reviewer and readers can test for themselves. To find out if a club draws or not, use a robot – like I’m sure TM did.
9iron head flew off mine… had to be bad epoxy… but before it flew off… I couldn’t believe how close all of my groupings were. Only hit 15 haha so I’ll have to come back and mention how things are once TM sends them back to me
Is this model of club an option for women? My wife has 6 year old Big Bertha irons and we would like to get something new. She hits a pitching wedge about 80 yards
Clubs don’t know gender. That said, there’s also a women’s version of this iron set. Check out the TaylorMade website – there’s a link at the bottom of the review.
– Meeks
Are the shorter irons club head the same as the longer irons? Or are they more “normal” looking?
Christine,
The shorter irons are a bit smaller looking, but the set is pretty consistent from top to bottom.
Best,
Matt
Can the clubs be bent
Nat,
Yes, a good builder should be able to get a couple degrees out of them.
Best,
Matt
I’m a former high-handicapper looking to return to golf after 8 or 10 years off. I’m also a senior, having just turned 69, so flexibility and swing speeds are not great. I’ve never been a consistent ball-striker, and my last clubs, purchased maybe 20 years ago, were an early-generation Wilson game-improvement cavity-back that didn’t provide the degree of ease I expected over the old Haig Ultra forged blades I’d been struggling with for almost 30 years since college graduation. These Stealth HDs caught my attention, and in a brief test session at a local shop, they seemed to be a lot easier to hit, though truth be told, I’d never used a simulator before and found the experience a little disorienting. I guess my first question is this – am I correct in assuming that GI technology has improved a lot since I bought my Wilsons (which, BYW, were straight off the shelf)? I’d sure like to think these HDs would be a lot more fun out in the course.
Craig,
Yes, the tech in irons has improved a great deal in 20 years.
Best,
Matt
From the first day I tried them , I knew that I had to get those irons.
Love them