TaylorMade Stealth iron: A new level of game-improvement

TaylorMade's Stealth iron.

TaylorMade Stealth iron pushes game-improvement iron limits and takes styling to a new level.

Having cornered the player’s distance iron market with the beautiful and brilliant P790 iron, TaylorMade are now on a mission to reinvent cavity backs in a bid to lure more mid and high-handicap club golfers to the brand.

RELATED: TaylorMade reveal carbon-fibre-faced Stealth drivers

Cavity backs have been a staple in golf since the 1970s and ’80s, but TaylorMade reckon the modern ‘Cap Back’ technology in their new Stealth iron offers a significant performance and cosmetic step forward in 2022.

“When we were thinking of the next level of Cap Back Design, we centred our thinking around the fact that the majority of golf shots happen at centre face or lower,” Matt Bovee, TaylorMade’s Headt of Product Creation for Irons, told TG.

“In order to drive performance lower in the club face, we needed to drive the centre of gravity lower in the club face because where CG goes, the sweet spot follows.

“With the addition of toe wrap construction and the ability to move weight lower in the club, Stealth irons provide a perfect harmony of technology and design for the golfer who is looking for a performance advantage on the course.”

The irons complete the Stealth family, which includes the revolutionary red carbon-faced driver, fairway woods and rescues. You’ll find everything you need to know about the Stealth drivers, here, and the fairways and hybrids, here.

But first, let’s take a closer look at the iron and the tech.

TaylorMade Stealth Iron

RRP £849 (s), £949 (g); £122 per iron (s), £136 (g) | Availability 4-PW, AW, SW, LW | Left hand Yes (except LW) | Stock shafts KBS Max MT 85 (R, S); Fujikura Ventus Red (5A, 6R, 7S); Aldila Ascent Ladies 45 (L) | Stock grip Lamkin Crossline 360 48.5g 0.600 Reminder (Black/Red); Lamkin Ladies Sonar 38g 0.580 Round (Grey/White) | 7-iron loft 28º (with the option to go 1º stronger and up to 2º weaker) | On sale Pre-order now, available April 1

What is Cap Back?

TaylorMade say it’s a decent step forward over cavity back irons. The hollow head and Thru-Slot in the sole disconnect the face from the body, and with nothing bonded to, or behind, the face there’s no barrier to attaining maximum flex and rebound.

Inverted Cone Technology (a cone-shaped pattern on the back of the face) helps optimise and protect ball speed at golfers’ typical impact locations across the face throughout the set.  

Why no OS model?

TaylorMade believe one Stealth iron, with a head optimised for the traits of both mid and high-handicap players, works better for both parties.

You’ll get to choose between (28° 7-iron), stronger (up to 1°) or weaker lofts (up to 2°), which is a simple but very clever idea. It means naturally stronger, faster speed players can gravitate to the standard and stronger lofts, while more moderate speed players will benefit from the extra loft.

RELATED: Tested – Best Irons

New sole and toe shape

TaylorMade have wrapped the Cap Back around the toe, which they say removes an additional 10g of inefficient weight.

Engineers have used that mass to expand the Stealth iron’s sole width by 3mm beneath the centre of the face, and there’s no trailing edge relief on the sole. The rejig helps improve performance from lower on the face, where lots of club golfers impact shots.

A mid-handicap player’s iron

Stealth have a similar blade length and hosel offset to the SIM2 Max, but from the back they have a sleek look that really isn’t too different from Titleist’s CNCPT irons – and they cost £500 a club! TaylorMade drew inspiration from the P700 series in the hope of contemporising the looks of game-improvement irons.

Inside, a toe rib supports the topline and works together with an internal polymer Echo damper to tune sound and feel to the levels of a single-piece forged iron.

Stealth vs SIM2 Max iron

TaylorMade say that compared to the SIM2 Max, the Stealth iron has a 0.8mm lower centre of gravity, so the mid-long irons especially will launch higher shots without sacrificing launch angle, peak height or descent angle.

Even though the standard 7-iron loft (28°) is 0.5° stronger than the previous SIM2 Max, approach shots will stop on a green.

Watch: Stealth Irons Technology

TaylorMade Stealth Iron Specifications

RELATED: Full TaylorMade Stealth Iron review

How Stealth fits into TaylorMade’s 2022 irons line-up

With five different models available this year and the ability to mix and some of the sets to build your perfect bag, we run through who each of the brand’s irons is aimed at. Click an iron’s name to read our full review.

We’ve also tested them all to find out which TaylorMade iron is right for you.

TaylorMade P7MB Irons

RRP £1,299 | Category Blade/muscleback | Handicap range 4 and below

A one-piece, forged, muscleback blade that’s designed to allow the world’s best ball strikers to shape and work shots into the tightest, tucked away pins on tour.

TaylorMade P7MC Irons

RRP £1,299 | Category Player’s iron | Handicap range 4 and below

A one-piece, forged, muscle cavity player’s iron. Only 10% of tour players choose musclebacks, the rest opt for irons such as the MC as they offer a smidge of forgiveness.

TaylorMade P770 Irons

RRP £1,299 | Category Player’s iron | Handicap range 8 and below

A modern hollow body iron that combines the compact size decent golfers love with the benefits of faster ball speeds and extra forgiveness. 

TaylorMade P790 Irons

RRP £1,149 | Category Player’s distance iron | Handicap range 14 and below

A modern hollow body, player’s distance iron that combines the looks of a muscleback blade with the playability of a mid-handicap iron.

TaylorMade Stealth Irons

RRP £849 (s), £949 (g) | Category Mid-handicap iron | Handicap range 10 and above

A brilliant cast option for club golfers who put a premium on great-looking irons, but don’t quite have the ball-striking prowess of a single-figure handicapper. High-launching with a neutral flight.

READ NEXT: TaylorMade’s Stealth Fairways and Hybrids