We not too long ago had the chance to take a seat down with Mark Greaney, Chief Engineer for TaylorMade Golf to debate the know-how and design behind the Stealth 2 franchise. On this interview, we focus on the adjustments to the favored Stealth franchise by way of aesthetics and efficiency, and the challenges behind constructing what many thought of the most effective drivers launched this 12 months.
Stealth 2: A Story of Farewell
What made TaylorMade initially enter the market with a carbon face and what are the benefits of carbon over titanium?
Nice query, we began this undertaking nearly 23 years in the past, so we have been engaged on it for a very long time. I began engaged on the undertaking in 2003, so nearly 20 years have handed. In the event you bear in mind the early 2000s, riders have been smaller than 400cc, just like the 400 sequence. So initially it was about maximizing quantity and redistributing mass. Composites are considerably lighter than titanium, we knew we wished to make the motive force larger and decrease the steadiness level of the motive force as a result of the drivers have been spinning much more than they’re now. We knew that by reducing the middle of gravity and shifting the weights again, we may decrease the steadiness level, enhance launch, lower spin, and on the similar time maximize inertia.
We have been altering the a part of the golf membership that was extraordinarily heavy and changed it with one thing that was actually mild. It is one thing we have labored on and developed through the years, and at the moment it is all about most ball pace. We knew 20 years in the past that what we had with composite was higher, however as a result of it was so costly, we could not justify passing that on to the buyer and launching the product. We really had an R7 composite face and an R9 composite face, we might all the time prototype it in composite so we may straight examine titanium and composite.
TaylorMade Steath 2 Plus Driver and Fairway
(Picture credit score: TaylorMade Golf)
The unique Stealth product was highly regarded, particularly within the fingers of higher gamers, what are a number of the key design options that have been applied to make the Stealth 2 sequence profitable?
You hit the nail on the top, the unique Stealth was extremely common with the higher gamers. Our tour gamers did rather well final 12 months and we gained the Masters, which was implausible. Throughout the board, we noticed ball pace enhance in any respect swing speeds, however one suggestions we heard from the market was that when hit close to the center of the face, it went a mile, however when missed in the course of the face, it did not present as a lot forgiveness as it might have these golfers wished. That is why we targeted on forgiveness whereas making an attempt to keep up that ball pace, so the design of the Stealth 2 was targeted on holding the ball pace, however increasing the COR space and rising the inertia, in order that off-center pictures would journey additional than these on the unique Stealth.
15g tungsten weight on the again of the Stealth 2 Plus Driver
(Picture credit score: TaylorMade Golf)
There was an try at forgiveness within the Stealth 2 vary, which made TaylorMade keep it up as a substitute of focusing their efforts on issues like, for instance, increased ball pace and the way did the motive force change into extra forgiving?
Velocity and forgiveness are all the time issues we search for, and we have already discovered pace. Each are very troublesome and technically difficult, however we knew we already had it from the composite ring, with the carbon crown and sole within the SIM, however we did not have time to implement it within the unique Stealth. We all know the place we need to go, it is simply that the clock is all the time ticking and we now have to maximise the product within the time allowed.
We already had the ball pace just about on the boundaries, however the forgiveness was one thing we may enhance on. We do not need mass within the crown as a result of the ball will spin like loopy and we do not need mass in the course of the only as a result of then you definately lose inertia. We wish low mass additional again and that is why we now have that piece of metallic within the again with composite in between.
(Picture credit score: TaylorMade Golf)
Why is the face made from 60 layers of carbon and do you consider that quantity could possibly be elevated or decreased sooner or later to vary the efficiency?
Ball pace is decided by face flexibility, and face flexibility is decided by face stiffness. In the event you have a look at a beam and cargo it at three factors, the stiffness of the beam is basically vital and that is a property of the fabric, however the thickness can be vital. Thickness really has a a lot larger impression than modulus and materials.
So the rationale we now have 60 layers is the fabric we use and the ball pace limitations. We may change the fabric in order that the composite is fiber and resin, or we may change our thickness or each, so we’re actually restricted by way of the thickness of that face. Quick motion is not the difficulty, it is increasing the COR inside rule limits and optimizing the fabric and thickness to maximise ball pace.
TaylorMade Stealth 2 60 TX carbon face
(Picture credit score: TaylorMade Golf)
The aesthetics have seen some tweaks, was there a specific cause for going from a matte end again to a shiny end this 12 months within the Stealth 2?
The suggestions from speaking to the fellows which are within the participant testing conferences and the efficiency testing conferences, it was largely a beauty resolution. They like that premium gloss look, however it’s a polarizing difficulty since some folks like matte and a few folks like gloss, so quite a lot of it’s a matter of non-public choice. There is a bonus of gloss by way of fingerprints and as foolish because it sounds, there was suggestions that the matte end left fingerprints behind. Now we use a particular paint that does not go away fingerprints, in order that was one side of the efficiency in some methods. We have a look at different industries such because the cell phone business to see how they resolve issues to provide you with our personal options.
TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus Driver
(Picture credit score: TaylorMade Golf)
What impression did the carbon strengthened composite ring have on the Stealth 2 fashions?
It is a technological problem that I feel is basically being ignored. That was an enormous problem, it is an injection molded composite, so it is brief fibers which are melted and injected into the injection molding device and it is considerably stronger than your customary plastic half, as a result of it is strengthened with the composite. It permits for precision as a result of it isn’t a metallic half that’s hand-ground or polished, it comes out of the device and is sort of able to be related to the top. Generally a little bit trimming is required, however for probably the most half what comes out of the device is similar each time. It is really the body that holds the entire construction collectively, so the crown, sole and again mass are additionally proven in it.
Making it sturdy was the toughest a part of making the ring, it is composite, however composites are plastic so plastic itself is much less robust than metallic. Steel that you would be able to stretch will break at about 10 to fifteen p.c stretch, however composites break at two p.c. The ring goes a little bit bit additional as a result of it is not steady fiber, it is brief fibers so we will stretch it a bit extra, however it wants to face up to Rory McIlroy’s ball pace of 185mph each day, so its sturdiness is certainly at its highest. problem.
Deconstructed Stealth 2 driver
(Picture credit score: TaylorMade Golf)
Within the final two years we now have seen the introduction of the Carbonwood age in drivers, is it seemingly that we’ll ever see this in fairways or hybrids?
That is an attention-grabbing query as a result of clearly fairway woods and hybrids have a a lot smaller face profile than the motive force, so our present development is that we now have a composite faceplate that is bonded to a titanium shelf. As you scale back that, your infrastructure does not get that a lot smaller, however your face does, so the ratio between the floor space of the face and the mass of the infrastructure behind it’s much less helpful. We might really lose mass by way of discretionary mass if we squished it right into a small bundle. I will not say by no means, however below our present design which is a face standing on a shelf, it does not make sense from an engineering standpoint.
TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus Fairway and Hybrid
(Picture credit score: TaylorMade Golf)
With an emphasis on forgiveness within the Stealth 2, all heads are 460cc, previously the TP fashions or the now well-known Plus mannequin can be 430cc. Is that this one thing we’re prone to see once more to fulfill a greater striker?
It is an attention-grabbing query as a result of there’s a subset of gamers who like to take a look at a ‘smaller head’, however 430cc continues to be fairly large. Why is that so? A few of that could possibly be legacy, as a result of they bear in mind the 510 TP and different 430cc riders we launched and since they have been smaller. That allowed us to have deeper faces and a decrease steadiness level and so my very own concept is that these gamers do not forget that and they also like that prime launch, low spin really feel and they also affiliate that look and head dimension with that.
We have got all the advantages we have had previously from smaller quantity drivers, now in a bigger, extra forgiving bundle. In the event you have a look at the best way the Stealth was adopted on tour, everybody instantly put it within the bag. Tiger requested to launch it earlier than it was even launched, which is one thing we’ve not had earlier than – we have had folks ask for it, however their names weren’t Tiger Woods. Tour acceptance with that form, particularly at that dimension, has been actually good and so I feel we’re maximizing efficiency by switching to a 460cc head. There are undoubtedly some individuals who suppose they like it, and possibly they do, however we simply haven’t got the market demand for it.
Stealth 2 Driver carbon sole and crown
(Picture credit score: TaylorMade Golf)
The Stealth 2 vary has double the quantity of carbon in comparison with the unique Stealth, how did you handle to maintain the weights shifting and an identical really feel to previous riders?
So mass is one thing we all the time attempt to discover. If we may make a zero gram driver body and solely have one piece of tungsten someplace within the head, we might. The rationale we use composite is as a result of it is so mild, I really constructed a 460cc driver that has 140gi that was a part of the efficiency testing I used to be doing to see the place the candy spot was by way of motion pace and ball pace. So I ran a take a look at from 140g to 240g in 20g increments and introduced it to our participant testing committee, which is a gaggle of 100 guys that take a look at each week. The funniest factor is that each single particular person beat the 140 gi driver they have been all scratch golfers however the first swing was all the time prime. That is as a result of it simply does not ‘drop’ anymore as a result of it is 65g lighter than what they’re used to. On the finish of the research, we discovered that the candy spot was round 200g, and that mass hasn’t modified a lot through the years, so it is wonderful that golfers have gone for it and not using a launch monitor and simply figured it out.
TaylorMade Stealth 2 Driver
(Picture credit score: TaylorMade Golf)
Will Carbon keep?
That! I am new supplies and processes and we’re typically 5 to 10 years out, however I have not discovered a fabric that is higher than carbon composite. I think about we’ll see several types of fibers, possibly stronger fibers and several types of resins, but when you understand of a fabric that’s simply as robust and lighter than composite, I might like to know as a result of I have not discovered it.