TaylorMade Stealth 2 Fairway Review

TaylorMade Stealth 2 Fairway Review

The TaylorMade Stealth 2 was one of the most anticipated launches of 2023 following on from the success and buzz caused by the original Stealth franchise last year. It seemed like the topic of conversation leading into the 2023 launch season was, what can TaylorMade do differently to improve on an already fan favorite model? Three TaylorMade fairway wood options are available this year, the Stealth 2 - suitable for the majority of golfers, the HD - for those seeking more forgiveness and draw bias and the Plus, which is adjustable, more compact and designed for the better player.

Watch: Sam De'Ath and Neil Tappin discuss the best fairway woods of 2023

The fairway wood is often considered the hardest club to hit in the bag, especially when struck off the deck, however with what TaylorMade has branded ‘a cheat code’ the Stealth 2 fairway looks set to wash that stigma away. With a new refined look, featuring a clean carbon gloss crown, the Stealth 2 certainly boasts shelf appeal and a premium look, making it look one of the best TaylorMade fairway woods to date. Weight has been saved in the crown and toe in order to be redistributed towards the rear of the head, helping create a lower center of gravity and therefore resulting in higher launch. The iconic black and red colorway carries over from the previous generation and is featured in the shaft and head cover also.

To see if the TaylorMade Stealth 2 was as impressive as it looks, I took a 15° model out on the course and tested it with a Titleist Pro V1x golf ball to see how it performed. I think what initially struck me was how easy I found the Stealth 2 fairway to set up to my target. The new gloss carbon crown contrasted well against the jet black topline, which was then supported by a white stripe on the top of the face. This three-step alignment aid really made setting up square to target much easier than I found with the original Stealth fairway wood. 

The club sat fairly shallow, which for me inspires confidence and makes me feel as though I can really launch the ball, even when hitting off the fairway. This seems to be a trend in fairway woods for 2023 as both the Callaway Paradym and Ping G430 Max both hug the turf in exactly the same way. However, compared to its competitors, the Stealth 2 fairway appeared to come off the face quicker than the already impressive Paradym, which produced ball speeds of up to 162mph. The ball flight was an extremely high trajectory, similar to that of the G430, which produced a peak height of 113ft when struck off the deck. Its impressive performance on when I hit poorly struck shots off the bottom or toe definitely saw the Stealth 2 as one of the most forgiving fairway wood options of 2023.

The versatility of this club is actually something that surprised me more than anything. I knew the Stealth 2 fairway would come loaded with an abundance of power, but would it perform from various lies and could it conjure up varying ball flights? Well I'll to cut straight to it, yes! Despite being a bonded head in a world of adjustable hosels, the Stealth 2 fairway was super impressive and really brought out my creative side on the golf course. I normally find bonded heads sit slightly closed, but this was certainly not the case with the Stealth 2. In fact it sat almost perfectly square which really encouraged workability off the tee and into greens. 

The V Steel sole design continued to offer tremendous turf interaction, while gliding through damp first cuts of rough like it’s wasn't even there. Because of the revised center of gravity, this head launched extremely high and so hitting out of more buried lies was less of an issue than what I have found in the past from TaylorMade fairway woods. There is even the option of a HL model which comes set at 16° for those seeking even more assistance in launching the ball.

The TaylorMade Stealth 2 produced exceptional feel and muted yet powerful ‘thud’ through impact. The aesthetics run parallel with all of the best fairway woods released this year and the option of lofts from 15° all the way to 24° mean this versatile fairway wood will not only suit low handicappers, but make it one of the best fairways for mid-handicappers. The TaylorMade Stealth 2 fairway is available now and will retail at £379.

Should you choose to buy the Stealth 2, take a look at our TaylorMade discount codes.