An Honest TaylorMade Stealth 3 Wood Review for Everyday Golfers | 2024

Looking for a definitive TaylorMade Stealth 3 Wood review? Look no further. There was a large buzz over the TaylorMade Stealth driver which turned golfing equipment on its head by introducing the first carbon club face. Do TaylorMade Stealth fairway woods also have a carbon face? How does it stack up against offerings from Titliest, Callaway, PXG and Ping? When you are paying top dollar for equipment, it is important to have considered all the information available before making a purchase.

The objective of this article is to provide an honest, and in-depth review. As always, we will aim to decrypt jargon and technical terms so the content is digestible for beginner and intermediate golfers.

Overview- What are we going to cover?

TaylorMade believes ‘titanium has gone as far as it can go’ and now views carbon as the future when it comes to drivers and woods.

Let’s take a quick look at what we will specifically cover.

• Is the stealth 3 wood carbon?
• What is the difference between the Stealth and Stealth Plus 3 wood?
• Is the TaylorMade Stealth fairway wood worth the money?
• Which tour pros use the TaylorMade Stealth fairway wood?
• Is the stealth 3 wood easy to hit?
• Should I adjust the loft, and what loft should I use if I’m a beginner/ intermediate golfer?
• Regular or stiff shafts?

For those skim readers among you who are just looking for a brief summary giving the bottom line: see below. After that, we will get into the questions above.

Do I recommend the TaylorMade Stealth 3 Wood?

Yes. There is absolutely no doubt that the TaylorMade Stealth 3 wood is one of the top choices on the market.

As far as the main metrics are concerned; distance, speed, durability and sound it is comfortably as good as any of its competitors. The SIM 2 was TaylorMade’s previous model, and significant upgrades have been made.

The carbon crown (shell around the top) is designed to free up weight so they can add weight lower and deeper into the club head. This means more weight is transferred on impact, generating greater distance.

Fairway woods are notoriously hard to hit. The Stealth 3 wood has benefitted from a shaping improvement. The face being lower to ground makes it easier for golfers to hit (especially off the floor). The new twist face design does genuinely reduce the margin for error, making your shots straighter even if you hit the heel or the toe.

It is one of the most expensive fairway woods on the market, but that’s no surprise. You are paying for the carbon tech and the brand: TaylorMade’s Stealth is the fairway wood of choice for the biggest stars in golf.

There are less expensive options that will work just as well for beginners and intermediates, but if you have disposable income and like to turn heads, then this is the 3 wood for you.

TaylorMade Stealth 3 Wood Snapshot: Key data

TaylorMade Stealth 3 Wood: Pros and Cons

We will go into more depth later, but below are the main pros and cons of the Stealth fairway wood.

Pros

• You do get added distance
• Solid acoustics
• Twist face design means less curve on shots

Cons

• Price is high

TaylorMade Stealth 3 Wood: Key Questions Answered

Let’s look at the main factors you should consider if you are thinking about making the Stealth your new fairway wood.

Is the stealth 3 wood carbon?

In short: yes, but not in the same way as the driver. The TaylorMade stealth fairway wood has a carbon crown, but the face of the club is made from stainless steel, whereas the stealth driver has a carbon face as well. The face of a fairway wood is judged to be too small to benefit from being carbon.

The benefit of having a 3D carbon crown is that less weight is distributed at the top of the club, meaning it can be loaded at the back creating more forgiveness.

What is the difference between the Stealth and Stealth Plus 3 wood?

There are a few major differences. Firstly, the club head size is greater. The stealth 3 wood comes in at 190cc, as opposed to the stealth plus at 175cc. At a very high level, a smaller head means more weight loaded into a smaller area. More distance/ force but less margin for error.

Secondly, the stealth plus has a titanium face, as opposed to the steel used on the regular stealth. You get additional performance and ball speed, allowing advanced players who are happy to sacrifice forgiveness to carry those extra few yards. Titanium does contribute to the higher price point of around $430, which is $100 higher than the original stealth.

The final big difference with the stealth plus is the 80G V Steel Sole Plate.

Let me explain.

If you look at the two clubs side by side, you will notice the stainless steel sole on the stealth plus.

Loading extra weight in this way creates a balance between launch speed and forgiveness that has been a hit with tour pros. This is largely felt when hitting off the floor. This enhanced ‘turf interaction’ helps golfers glide along fairways and cut through rough (hopefully something you don’t have to test too much).

It should be noted that even though the stealth plus has a smaller face, it is 12% larger than the SIM 2 (previous model). Users of the TaylorMade Stealth Plus fairway wood have noted that even though a 3 wood is not always called on regularly, they trust the extra playability this club has over its predecessor.

Is the TaylorMade Stealth fairway wood worth the money?

The TaylorMade Stealth fairway wood is definitely not the budget choice if you are looking to add fairway woods to your bag. They are priced at around the $330 mark for the standard Stealth and $430 for TaylorMade Stealth Plus depending on where you buy it

So why does it cost so much?

Let’s be real, $430 for a fairway wood is a LOT of money. My advice is to look at your game honestly, and decide whether the incremental gains you get from this kind of equipment is worth it for your game.

Allow me to explain.

The Taylormade stealth fairway wood is essentially a small driver. TaylorMade have spent a whopping 20 years developing carbon technology, and have invested countless millions of dollars into bringing it to fruition. Additionally, the titanium face does yield superior performance, but it comes at a cost.

Outside of the technical points, it is the fairway wood of choice for many of the top pros like Tiger, Rory and DJ. This obviously comes with prestige and the price tag to match.

If you are a low handicapper, say someone trying to get from a 2 to scratch, then this is the kind of equipment investment that is necessary. Extra yardage, less spin and premium materials can certainly be a factor for an advanced golfer trying to shave off a shot or two. Also, if you do have disposable income and like to have the best in class, then they also tick that box as well.

The main features are outlined nicely in this video.

Which tour professionals use Stealth fairway woods?

This is obviously something that is subject to change at any moment as professionals are regularly testing new equipment in an effort to make incremental gains over their peers.

Currently, notable tour pros that have the TaylorMade Stealth fairway wood in their bag include:

• Tiger Woods
• Rory Mcilroy
• Dustin Johnson
• Scottie Scheffler
• Collin Morikawa
• Adam Scott
• Sergio Garcia
• Tommy Fleetwood

And lots of others.

Let’s be honest, this is essentially a who’s who of the best players in the world. If it’s good enough for world number ones, multiple major winners and the biggest stars in the sport, then it’s good enough for you and I!

Joking aside, this is certainly a contributing factor to the high price point.

If these golfers are willing to trust TayorMade’s fairway woods in high pressure situations, with sporting immortality and millions of dollars on the line: then that’s a huge endorsement for the product.

Is the TaylorMade Stealth 3 wood easy to hit?

Yes. TaylorMade has made forgiveness a priority with its stealth fairway wood. The main reasons for this are:

Weight Distribution

The crown of the club is made from carbon, making it super lightweight. This has allowed TaylorMade to load more weight deeper and lower into the club, making it more forgiving than a club that is weighted evenly throughout.

Twist Face technology

The club has been engineered so that ‘corrective angles’ have been built into the face. This means if you miss the sweet spot, it is far less likely to result in a mis-hit.

Laser alignment

This sounds super fancy, but there is essentially a silver line that has been etched into the top of the face by lasers. This creates a much needed contrast between the matt black crown and black club face when you are standing over the ball.

What fairway wood should I use if I’m a beginner/ intermediate golfer?

Each golf club in your bag will have a degree of loft, this is the angle that the club face is positioned.

Logic dictates that you will get a higher loft/ trajectory of flight with a 60 degree wedge than a 9 degree driver.

In very simple terms, as the numbers in your golf bag go up, your loft increases and your distance decreases.

So how does this relate to fairway woods, and what should the everyday golfer pick?

There are differing schools of thought, and a large element of it comes down to each individual’s unique swing.

With that said, you can use the following guidance and not go too far wrong.

The main two things to consider are swing speed and the height you generally generate when you hit a fairway wood. There is an obvious, but not foolproof correlation between these factors and whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced.

Be honest with yourself. Relative to friends and other golfers, do you have a fast swing? Do you drive the ball high or low?

As a general rule: the lower the loft, the less spin, greater distance but least forgiveness.

Fairway woods come in varying lofts. Let’s say you are opting for the TaylorMade Stealth Fairway wood. Do you buy a 3,5,7 or 9?

Loft options

Lots to choose from right.

As a general rule, the (lower lofted) 3 wood is better if you are predominantly hitting off a tee, as a more trusty, controlled alternative to the driver. The 3HL is the same, but for golfers who struggle to generate height.

The 5 wood is better suited if you are hitting off the floor, for example. The second shot on a long par 5.

7 and 9 irons are best suited as alternatives for players that do not get on well with long irons. If for example you struggle to hit 2 or 3 irons, but you tend to strike fairway woods better, then a 7 or 9 wood could be the way to go!

Pricing Breakdown

The TaylorMade Stealth fairway wood is at the high end of what you might expect to pay. That simply comes down to the innovation with the carbon, the quality and the fact that TaylorMade is one of the most sought after equipment brands out there.

You will be fine with a cheaper option from a competitor, but if you like having the best in class then this is one of the finest fairway woods you can own. It works perfectly well for Tiger and Rory.

In the US, it retails at $330 for the Stealth, $430 for the Stealth Plus.

In the UK you are looking at the £270 mark for the Stealth, while the Stealth Plus comes in at around £350.

The price difference owes largely to the V steel sole, speed pocket and titanium face used in the Taylormade Stealth Plus.

Comparison

Comparing clubs is always difficult.

If you are really into the detail side of things, there are sites that run tests where they compare fairway woods across the board. Their data ranks clubs by ball speed, launch angle, height and carry.

But how does this help? Do I just select the club that has the best test results?

The short answer is no.

Test results are a great indication, but it should not be forgotten that often it is just one golfer hitting these clubs. It might be a controlled environment, but we all know that sometimes you just hit good and bad shots. Sometimes it’s up to the club, sometimes it’s you. This is very hard to quantify.

Even if you increase the sample size with more golfers and shots, there are still so many mitigating factors.

Often, the results often yield similar results with incremental differences. This makes sense, as these equipment manufacturers are in the hands of professionals competing for major championships. If one brand of clubs gave you that much of an advantage, all the tour players would use them

So how can we compare TaylorMade Stealth Fairway woods to their peers?

Ultimately, the best we can really do is generalize which types of clubs suit different brackets of golfers.

Starting with the essentials, hopefully the below table gives you a hard and fast breakdown of what is available on the wider market.

As you can see these clubs are all very similar at a high level. This makes sense. The USGA has specific regulations and limits that manufacturers must follow which means similar costs, options etc.

Overall take

Perhaps more helpfully, we have listed below what we believe is the best option for each bracket of golfer.

Best Overall: TaylorMade Stealth

Best for Beginners: TaylorMade Stealth

The Best for Intermediates: Ping G425 Max

Best for Advanced: TaylorMade Stealth Plus

Best Budget Option: PXG 0311 Gen 5

I hope you found our review useful!