Best Taylormade Irons For High Handicappers
The following iron sets from Taylormade are all considered ‘game improvement’ clubs. This is another way of saying that they are ideally suited for high handicappers and beginner golfers.
If you fall into this group of golfers, you can’t really go too far wrong with any of the options in this round-up. However, you may run into stock availability issues if you opt for some of the older iron model sets (like the M4 and M2 irons).
Table of Contents
Taylormade Sim2 Max Irons
The Sim2 Max Irons are the latest game improvement irons released by Taylormade. They are reasonably similar to the original Sim Max irons, bar a few technological changes and cosmetic updates.
If money is no object and you just want everything that Taylormade has to offer at this point in time, the Sim2 Max Irons are your best bet. They are the very definition of high-launch, low-spin game improvement irons with maximum forgiveness.
Sim2 Max Irons - Key Features
Cap Back™ Design: Cap Back Design utilizes a revolutionary multi-material construction to support the entire topline from heel to toe. Crafted from a lightweight polymer, it provides stability within the topline and upper perimeter of the face to deliver improved sound and feel while working in conjunction with a reflexive Thru-Slot Speed Pocket™ in a design made to maximize face flexibility, ball speed and distance.
New ECHO® Damping System: The introduction of Cap Back Design created a full hollow body construction, making way for the new ECHO® Damping System. The fully encapsulated system uses a softer polymer blend and multiple contact points across the face to channel away harsh vibrations creating forged-like feel.
Fast Forgiving Face with Progressive ICT: The SIM2 Max irons use a fast and forgiving face to give golfers more performance exactly where they need it. An expanded sweet spot has now been intelligently positioned to capture more shots across the clubface. Designed to approach the threshold of the legal limit, the new face design is fast, flexible and supremely forgiving. Each face has been uniquely designed to position Inverted Cone Technology (ICT) for optimal forgiveness and minimize the common right miss.
Thru-Slot Speed Pocket™ : This patented and proven TaylorMade technology is engineered to maximize face flexibility for increased ball speed and forgiveness on mis-hits low on the face.
Low Center of Gravity: An array of technologies, such as a fluted hosel, 360° undercut and an ultra-thin face, work in unison to deliver an ultra-low CG engineered to produce a high penetrating ball flight.
Taylormade Sim2 Max OS Irons
The Sim2 Max OS Irons offer all the same basic technology as the Sim2 Max Irons, but with a larger face, higher launch conditions, and a built-in draw bias. If anything, the OverSized (OS) versions can be classified as the ‘beginner friendly’ option. If you need help hitting the ball high and the largest sweet spot possible, the Sim2 Max OS Irons are probably your best bet.
Also, if you struggle with hitting a cut or slice consistently, you should find that the draw bias design of the OverSized Sim2 Max irons offers a technological antidote to this tendency. In theory, this should help slicers hit the ball straighter, which should make the game more enjoyable to play.
Taylormade Sim2 Max OS Irons - Key Features
Cap Back™ Design: Cap Back Design utilizes a revolutionary multi-material construction to support the entire topline from heel to toe. Crafted from a lightweight polymer, it provides stability within the topline and upper perimeter of the face to deliver improved sound and feel while working in conjunction with a reflexive Thru-Slot Speed Pocket™ in a design made to maximize face flexibility, ball speed and distance.
New ECHO® Damping System: The introduction of Cap Back Design created a full hollow body construction, making way for the new ECHO® Damping System. The fully encapsulated system uses a softer polymer blend and multiple contact points across the face to channel away harsh vibrations creating forged-like feel.
Fast Forgiving Face with Progressive ICT: The SIM2 Max irons use a fast and forgiving face to give golfers more performance exactly where they need it. An expanded sweet spot has now been intelligently positioned to capture more shots across the clubface. Designed to approach the threshold of the legal limit, the new face design is fast, flexible and supremely forgiving. Each face has been uniquely designed to position Inverted Cone Technology (ICT) for optimal forgiveness and minimize the common right miss.
Thru-Slot Speed Pocket™ : This patented and proven TaylorMade technology is engineered to maximize face flexibility for increased ball speed and forgiveness on mis-hits low on the face.
Oversized For More Stability And Forgiveness: An oversized construction delivers stability at impact, along with a larger sweet spot and more forgiveness across the entire face. The longest iron in the TaylorMade family, SIM2 Max OS features a wide sole, stronger lofts and a draw-biased design to counteract common mis-hits.
Taylormade Sim Max Irons (Original)
Although the original Taylormade Sim Max irons are no longer classified as ‘new’, they are still top-quality performers that are extremely similar to the Sim Max 2 Irons.
In addition to being extremely long and extremely forgiving, the Original Sim Max irons also sound fantastic. This is thanks to the echo dampening technology which should give you a flush feel and sound, even on mishits.
If you aren’t sure if you should choose the original Sim Max Irons or the Sim2 Versions, price and availability could make the decision for you. From our perspective, if you can get the original Sim Max irons for a bit less than the Sim2 versions, they will win the ‘better value for money’ battle.
Taylormade Sim Max Irons - Key Features
Speed Bridge™: Revolutionary Speed Bridge technology strategically supports the topline of the iron to unlock explosive distance and forgiveness with improved sound and feel.
ECHO® Damping System: Designed with energy channeling geometry to quickly eliminate harsh vibrations at impact delivering forged-like feel without sacrificing face flexibility.
Speed Pocket™: Patented TaylorMade technology engineered to maximize face flexibility for increased ball speed and forgiveness on low face strikes.
Ultra-Thin Face: Ultra-thin 1.5mm face design with Progressive Inverted Cone Technology delivers extreme ball speed across the face with an enhanced sweet spot designed to promote a straighter ball flight.
Progressive Inverted Cone Technology: Engineers progressively positioned ICT towards the toe in both SIM Max and SIM Max OS to generate a draw bias in the longer irons and counteract the common right miss.
Forgiving Shape Design: The head is shaped to deliver an unmatched combination of distance, forgiveness, and playability. Designed with a large face area to increase stability and wide sole geometry for forgiving turf interaction.
Low Center of Gravity: A wide sole geometry, lightweight fluted hosel, 360° undercut and ultra-thin face shift mass from high in the clubhead down into the bottom of the sole for a low and back CG resulting in high, penetrating ball flights.
Taylormade M4 Irons
Before the Sim Max Irons were released, the M4 Irons were the best game improvement irons available from Taylormade.
Even though they are a few generations old, they are still very well suited to higher handicappers and beginners. You can look forward to high launch conditions, descent distance and a slightly lower price than the Sim Max range. However, stock availability could easily be an issue, given that they are a few years old now.
Taylormade M2 Irons
Taylormade’s M2 Product line-up put the company back on the map in terms of product desirability. Prior to this Taylormade released the Aeroburner and SLDR irons, both of which were met by a luke warm reception in the market.
However, the M2 irons, fairway woods and driver effectively righted the ship and initiated Taylormade’s current 4-5 year trajectory of producing world class products.
Interestingly, the M2 irons aren’t too far off the Sim2 Max irons in terms of basic characteristics. They are both considered game improvement irons that offer distance and forgiveness in a reasonably sleek and attractive design.
The biggest issue with the M2 Irons is stock availability. GlobalGolf and eBay are your best bet for actually finding M2 Irons, which will probably be second-hand. Nevertheless, if you can find a good set, it could be quite a bargain given how solid these irons actually are.
Taylormade M Gloire Irons
The Taylormade M Gloire irons were originally released to satisfy the interests of the Asian market. However, they proved to be a massive hit, which incentivized Taylormade to release the M Gloire irons globally.
If you decide to pursue th M Gloire irons, there are a few things that you need to be aware of:
- The Set Runs from 6 Iron to Sand Wedge: To fill the gap, Taylormade usually stock the M Gloire irons in a hybrid + iron set. In other words, the 4 iron and the 5 iron are hybrids. The 6 iron to sand wedge are normal irons.
- They Have Graphite Shafts: This can be preferable for players with slow swing speeds. Transitioning to graphite shafts is one of the easiest ways to re-capture some of the swing speed of your younger days.
- They Are Very Expensive: Make no mistake. The Taylormade M Gloire irons are the most expensive game improvement irons in Taylormade’s product line-up. You can definitely get better value for money by opting for a more recent set like the Sim Max irons, and simply opting for graphite shafts.
Lastly, if you can’t find these irons on GlobalGolf, eBay is your best best.
Frequently Asked Questions
What TaylorMade irons are most forgiving?
Right now, that is a toss-up between the Taylormade Sim2 Max irons and the oversized Sim2 Max Irons. While they are both considered world class game improvement irons, the OS versions have a larger face and a built-in draw bias. This makes them better to suited to high handicappers that consistently slice the ball. If you have a more neutral ball flight, the standard Sim2 Max irons are probably your best best.
Are TaylorMade SIM irons for high handicappers?
In a word, YES. The Taylormade Sim Irons and the Taylormade Sim 2 Irons are both designed for mid and high handicappers. These irons are built with virtually every ounce of game improvement technology