Updated June 20, 2023. This article was thoroughly audited by multiple golf experts and coaches for its accuracy. You can read more about our rigorous testing protocol here.
The TaylorMade SIM2 Max irons deliver fast ball speed, boost distance, and a design that optimizes forgiveness. A dramatic improvement over the SIM Max irons, the new SIM2 Max irons are ideal for casual players that want to improve their consistency from the fairway and rough.
Each club in the SIM2 Max set offers superior technology that improves every aspect of shotmaking, including spin rates, landing angle, and reliable distance. The long irons are accurate weapons from the tee box, while the shorter scoring irons produce high spin that gets you close to the cup.
In this SIM 2 Max irons review, I’ll provide a comprehensive look at what makes these clubs accessible for most players looking to improve their game at the golf course.
TaylorMade SIM2 Max Irons Review
Most Forgiving Game-Improvement Irons for Mid Handicappers
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Specs (4-PW)
- Loft: 19°-43.5°
- Lie: 61.5°-64.5°
- Length: 35.75″-39.125″
- Weight: D1
Pros
- Thick top line provides muscular confidence
- Intelligent sweet spot delivers solid forgiveness and improved ball speed
- Reduces harsh vibrations with smooth feel
- Medium trajectory offers spin control
- Exceptional feel when hitting the golf ball
Cons
- Strong lofts create length disparity
- Marginal workability of a game-improvement iron
- Only the regular shaft comes with a graphite option
Specs and Stock Info
TaylorMade offers a variety of iron set combinations, starting with a 4 iron and offering four wedges to add onto the final Max irons set, including a sand wedge, lob wedge to go with the gap and pitching wedge.
The stock steel shafts are from KBS, as their Max 85 MT comes in only a stiff shaft flex. For graphite shafts, TaylorMade uses the Fujikura Ventus Blue. The Ventus Blue has three flexes; regular, stiff, and senior. The graphite shaft comes with a mid-high launch and mid-high spin rating.
For the stock grips, TaylorMade has installed the Lamkin Crossline 360. The textured grips weigh 52 grams and come in black with a standard size.
Taylormade SIM2 Max Irons Features
Cap-Back Design
Along the back of the club head of the SIM2 Max iron, TaylorMade has added a Cap-Back made from multiple materials. Made to stiffen the clubhead and add power. The Cap-Back helps offer impressive distance, boost forgiveness, and minimize sidespin.
The Cap-Back also helps increase stability through the impact zone, a feature you’ll find on the SIM2 Max OS irons.
Full Hollow Body Construction
Filled with TaylorMade’s patented Speedfoam, the hollow body of the SIM2 Max irons take advantage of a recent trend among equipment manufacturers of making lighter golf clubs that increase ball speed and improve overall feel. With the SIM2 Max irons, the hollow body technology helps make this collection one of the longest iron sets the company has ever produced for mid handicappers and high handicappers.
Thru Slot Speed Pocket
TaylorMade has included their popular Thru-Slot Pocket behind the face of the SIM 2 Max irons. The Speed Pocket improves face flexibility, increasing forgiveness for impact points that leak toward the toe. On shots that strike low on the face, the Pocket delivers a solid feel and minimizes thin response.
Like Wilson’s patented Power Holes, the Pocket allows the face to produce maximum energy transfer at impact to fuel long, high shot shape with superb spin rates.
Intelligent Sweet Spot
TaylorMade has covered the most common impact areas within the sweet spot to increase ball speed, tighten accuracy, and deliver more consistency. The Sim2 Max irons also use the Cap-Back Design and Speed Pocket in concert with the intelligent sweet spot for higher launch with exceedingly high velocity.
The irons also feature a low center of gravity that works with the intelligent sweet spot to produce lightning-fast speed after you hit the shot.
Inverted Cone Technology
The Inverted Cone Technology (ICT) rests behind the face of the SIM 2 Max irons to boost distance, ball speed, and carry. Along with the fast face, the ICT offers more forgiveness with the short irons to minimize the common right miss and helps you find the optimized launch angle to maximize spin.
The progressive ICT, an improvement over the original SIM Max irons, also works to produce the mid-low spin with the long irons for a pure penetrating flight that stays along the target line.
ECHO Damping System
TaylorMade looked to minimize vibration with their new ECHO Damping System. Even on thin or off-center strikes, the SIM2 Max offers a forged-like feel primarily due to the ECHO system removing all unwanted vibrations.
The polymer blend helps supply improved vibration damping across the sweet spot. Even on off-center strikes, the vibration quickly dissipates by moving outward, away from the point of impact.
Taylormade SIM2 Max Irons In-Depth Review
Looks
While I enjoy the appearance of the TaylorMade forged irons such as the P770 and P790 set, the game-improvement iron sets leave something to be desired when it comes to looks. The SIM 2 Max set has that bulkier look that screams utility over style, and if you are far more worried about performance over appearance, then you won’t care too much about how these irons look in the golf bag.
I do feel the blue, black, and chrome color scheme provides an excellent combination for the overall design of the TaylorMade SIM2 Max irons. When you place these irons next to the driver and fairway woods of the TaylorMade series, they provide a nice symmetry that works exceptionally well when playing or sitting in your bag.
Feel
When it comes to feel, the SIM 2 Max irons are incredibly successful, especially when compared to the original SIM Max irons. The hollow body design works with the TaylorMade Speed Bridge to stabilize each hit to provide great feel and responsiveness.
With the steel shaft option, the feel remains incredibly sturdy, even if you strike behind the ball. When I used the graphite shaft iron of the SIM2 Max set, the TaylorMade club offered a lightweight feel, producing a powerful downswing.
When evaluating the SIM2 Max wedges, the feel doesn’t disappoint, as the larger heads produce an incredibly solid sensation on three-quarter and half swings. The wedge bounce in the TaylorMade set remains high to help you get the leading edge underneath the ball’s outer layer.
Sound
The TaylorMade SIM2 Max irons offer a dynamic sound that won’t distract at impact. The club delivers a quick, crisp sound for fast swing speeds as you hit the ball, providing confidence and superb responsiveness.
If you carry a slower swing velocity, the sound is relatively heavy due to the size of the club heads, although the SIM2 Max irons don’t have the thick, clunky sounds of the SIM2 Max OS edition.
After a few rounds on the course and range, I can confidently say that the sounds produced by these irons rival the noise you’ll find on comparable top-tier iron sets.
Performance
TaylorMade’s SIM2 Max irons offer a springy feel that helps balls jump off the face with high-grade accuracy. The iron also has a balanced sole when you strike the shot.
On my TrackMan, I found the SIM2 Max offers outstanding ball speeds with a tight shot dispersion. Like most game-improvement irons, there is a wide yardage average with the SIM2 Max set, much like the original SIM Max irons. But that shouldn’t dissuade you from allowing these irons to improve your overall shot quality.
The turf interaction From the fairway excels, delivering crisp divots that promote clean contact. Even on shots where you hit behind balls, the SIM2 Max irons maintain power cleanly through the impact zone to produce the yardage you need to reach the green.
What’s dynamic about the SIM2 Max irons is the feel and how powerfully confident you get from the clubs after just a few practice sessions. These irons are incredibly forgiving and provide outstanding turf interaction that moves the club head through the soil without snagging or hanging. As a result, the swings deliver maximum energy transfer to the golf ball for mid and high handicappers.
On half and three-quarter swings, the SIM2 Max irons offer high spin rates that help you confidently hold the green. With full swings, the irons produce a tall peak height, generating the steep landing angle that advanced players crave to hold more greens.
I enjoyed how I could keep balls high or move them low from the tee box or fairway. Although these clubs don’t have the workability of forged irons, these improvement irons can adjust shot height relatively easily.
Overall, these irons offer extra yardage that doesn’t require super high swing speeds, plus solid forgiveness that increases the number of greens you’ll hit per round.
What do other golfers think?
TaylorMade’s SIM 2 Max irons have drawn the attention of mid and high handicappers looking to improve their distance and tighten their dispersion. With strong lofts that take care of an increasing length, the SIM 2 Max irons also offer a forgiving hitting area that redirects off-center strikes toward the target.
Compared to the previous SIM Max set, the new SIM2 Max irons are lighter and faster to produce more length with effortless power.
What Golfers Like
- Strong lofts boost distance
- Impressive feel and sound
- Outstanding high-launch performance
- Exceptional distance and trajectory control
- Larger top line offers confidence
What Golfers Don’t Like
- Lack of premium workability
- Bulkier club head looks large at the address
- Iron sacrifices feel for distance
Our Verdict
My well-informed decision gives the TaylorMade SIM2 Max irons high marks for their easy-to-hit design with impressive swing speed. I’m a big fan of the Max irons’ technology, as it delivers exceptional feel, works to optimize forgiveness, and delivers immediate responsiveness that helps you make swing changes on the fly.
On the course, I found that the SIM2 Max set also provides exceptional performance from the rough as the wide sole glides through the taller grass to ensure you will make ball-first contact.
Also, the SIM 2 Max offered revamped technology that provides better consistency when you hit the ball. Instead of worrying about hitting thin iron shots, the TaylorMade irons are more adept at finding the wide, inviting sweet spot.
And perhaps best of all, the SIM 2 Max irons offer advanced iron performance at a very affordable price, ideal for the struggling golfer looking to jump to the next handicap level without sacrificing a considerable amount of money.