HONOLULU, HAWAII - JANUARY 15: Nick Taylor of Canada prepares to putt on the ninth hole during the second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at the Waialae Country Club on January 15, 2021 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
Like all other sports leagues, the PGA TOUR keeps on rolling in the face of COVID-19 as they head to Monterey Peninsula for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with a twist, no amateurs.
With the tournament feeling slightly more traditional, players will be logging regular rounds over the first two at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Club before wrapping the weekend at Pebble Beach.
The biggest news of the week is Dustin Johnson’s withdrawal from the tournament as he opts to rest and spend time with his family coming off a victory at the Saudi International.
His absence leaves Pebble Beach with zero top-10 players as the tournament shapes up to have its weakest field in decades. Patrick Cantlay comes in as the betting favourite who’s currently ranked 11th in the world.
COURSE EXPECTATIONS
The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am will be played on two courses – three rounds on Pebble Beach Golf Links and one round at Spyglass Hill Golf Club.
Both courses play as Par-72s and are on the shorter end on tour. Pebble Beach is listed at 7,051 yards this week while Spyglass Hill is 6,858 yards.
The two holes to watch will be the 7th and the 18th. The 106-yard par 3 is as picturesque as they come with wind and club selection really being the key. With 18, you get one of the most famous finishing holes of any course on tour – a demanding tee shot that goes over the coastline with only the longest hitters being able to reach in two. It’s the ultimate risk-reward finishing hole.
Key Stat
Considering how short both courses are, the key will be avoiding trouble when attacking the greens. Driving distance is once again less of an advantage this weekend so expect golfers with strong approach games to be in contention. The last three winners have all finished within the top-20 in strokes gained: approach-the-green.
CANADIANS IN CONTENTION
Nick Taylor
What’s Working – Taylor heads to Monterey Peninsula as the defending champ after an impressive performance last year. He was the first wire-to-wire winner at this tournament since Phil Mickelson in 2005 and was four strokes ahead of runner-up, Kevin Streelman. How did he do it? He was T3 in GIRs and 2nd in strokes gained: putting. That’s a winning formula at any course on tour.
What He’ll Need – Last season he came into this tournament with similar momentum; he made 5-of-8 cuts with a T10 finish as his season-best up to that point. This year, he’s made 6-of-10 cuts with a T11 finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Putting seems to have the biggest correlation to his success of late. In his last three made cuts, the Winnipeg native ranked 50th, 5th and 11th in strokes gained: putting. At the Waste Management Open, he was 103rd before missing the cut by one shot.
Roger Sloan
What’s Working – The Calgarian is having his best season ever off the tee (41st on tour) anchored by his irons. With Pebble Beach’s well-protected greens, his precision will be necessary to stay out of trouble and keep bogey-free.
What He’ll Need – This can be said for any tournament, but Sloan will need to get hot with his putter. So far this season, he’s trailing tour average in putting stats but if he can find his form at Pebble Beach, he should be in the mix. In three of his last five cuts made, his ended up carding his lowest round on day one. His best opening round this season is 67 so if he could post a similar score, that success could snowball into his other rounds over the weekend.
David Hearn
What’s Working – After missing the cut by a stroke in Hawaii and finishing T64 at The American Express, Hearn’s putter couldn’t save him in his last appearance at the Farmers Insurance Open. On the year, Hearn’s putting is 12th best on tour and he’ll need that form to return at Pebble Beach. Even though he’s never profiled as a bomber off the tee, his accuracy is amongst the very best as he’s ranks 24th this season in driving accuracy.
What He’ll Need – The 19-year pro will need to capitalize on all those fairways he hits and translate those lies into GIRs. As Jordan Spieth demonstrated this past week, if your putter is on, you’ll be in contention. With both courses this weekend registering on the shorter side, this could be a great bounce back spot for Hearn.
Michael Gligic
What’s Working – Gligic continues to profile as one of the better drivers on tour as he ranks 23rd in the PGA for strokes gained: off-the-tee. He’s hit 69 percent of his GIRs over 28 rounds, which would be a career-best if the season ended today.
What He’ll Need – His putting will dictate his success this week. Looking at his scorecard from the Farmers Insurance Open, it’s easy to see how the tourney got away from him. Through his first six holes of the tourney, he was four over after three-putting the first three and four-putting hole 15 (he started on the back).
Notables in the Field
Patrick Cantlay – The top ranked player in the field, Cantlay comes into Pebble Beach in top form. He’s already logged a win this year at The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP back in October and finished second in his most recent PGA event – The American Express. His game currently has no weakness as he ranks 11th on tour in strokes gained: total. He’s fifth in strokes gained: around-the-green which will be in play at Pebble Beach more so than other stops on tour.
Phil Mickelson – A five-time winner of this event, in his age-50 season, Mickelson still profiles as a legitimate threat to take home the trophy. Sure, he hasn’t been his best in 2020-21, but on a course that requires such a variety of shots, no one would be shocked to see him take home the top prize. He’s finished top-3 in four of the last five tourneys.
Jordan Spieth – The most compelling story from last weekend prior to Brooks Koepka stealing the show, Spieth will hope to continue his resurgence after finishing T4 in the final grouping. While he made several highlight worthy putts, it was his approach game that kept him in contention finishing number one in strokes gained: approach to the green.
Golf Canada names 10 athletes to 2021 Team Canada Young Pro Squad
OAKVILLE, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the 10 athletes who have been selected to represent the 2021 Team Canada Young Pro Squad.
Comprising the 2021 Women’s Young Pro Squad will be returnees Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.), Jaclyn Lee (Calgary, Alta.), and Maddie Szeryk (London, Ont.). After becoming a first-time mom in July, Golf Canada is also pleased to welcome back Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Quebec City, Que.) to the Young Pro Squad as she makes her return to the LPGA Tour.
The 2021 Men’s Young Pro Squad features a six-pack of familiar athletes led by Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.). Other members of the Men’s Young Pro Squad for 2021 include Jared du Toit (Kimberley, B.C.), Chris Crisologo (Richmond, B.C.), Stuart Macdonald (Vancouver, B.C.), Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.), and Hugo Bernard (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.).
For the bulk of the athletes returning to the Young Pro Squad, 2021 is an opportunity to build of off the adversity of 2020 and take a next step in their developing careers.
“This is a very exciting time for young professional golfers in Canada, and we are really looking forward to seeing their continued success in 2021,” said Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer Kevin Blue. “For most of the athletes returning to the Squad, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on scheduling, training, and competition in 2020. With the support of our key partners and the drive these athletes have to overcome adversity and succeed, I’m positive we’ll see even more great results from this talented group of athletes.”
Men’s and Women’s National Team coaches Derek Ingram and Tristan Mullally – both award-winning PGA of Canada members – will continue as head coaches for the Young Pro Squad.
Now in its eighth year, the Team Canada Young Pro Squad helps to bridge the gap for top-performing amateurs transitioning into professional golf.
Click here to read Team Canada Young Pro Squad player bios.
Emerging Player of the Year Award
The Golf Canada Foundation has also announced the creation of a new award – the Emerging Professional Player of the Year Award, presented by Andrew Cook. The inaugural recipients of the award are Young Pro athletes Taylor Pendrith and Maddie Szeryk who will each receive $10,000 towards their continued development in professional golf.
Andrew Cook, a proud Trustee of the Golf Canada Foundation and past President with Golf Canada, established a $20,000 fund to annually recognize a top male and female emerging Canadian professional golfer from the Young Pro Squad having success on golf’s developmental.
“I am very pleased to partner with Golf Canada and Golf Canada Foundation to launch the Emerging Pro Player of the Year Award, as an additional incentive to Canadian professionals around the globe,” said Cook. “As a long-time volunteer of the game, I appreciate the power our heroes have in inspiring the next generation of young players, and my wife (Anne) and I are excited to help continue the tremendous success of the Young Pro Program.”
“We are so excited to announce Taylor and Maddie as our first Emerging Professional Players of the Year,” said Martin Barnard, CEO of the Canada Foundation. “Thanks to the continued generosity of Andrew Cook, we are able to reward these two deserving young professionals with additional financial support that will have an important impact as they chase their dreams.”
Pendrith, a long-time part of Golf Canada’s National Team as an amateur and now a professional, had a breakout year on the Korn Ferry Tour. He currently sits second on the Korn Ferry Tour’s Season Long Points List thanks to five top-3 finishes in 2020. Pendrith also finished T23 at the U.S. Open (finishing as Low Canadian) and jumped from 399th to 128th in the Official World Golf Ranking – all of this just one year after he played on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada.
Szeryk notched her second win as a professional in 2020 in her second year as a pro. In 2020, she also recorded her career-low Symetra Tour finish (T11, FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship) and ended the year as Top Canadian on the Symetra Tour. There were only 10 events on the Symetra Tour last year and the gap between men’s and women’s professional golf opportunities widened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Current and former team members of the Young Pro Squad, which was established in 2014, have accounted for 43 wins across various professional golf tours including a record nine LPGA Tour wins by Brooke Henderson along with PGA TOUR wins from Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners.
Funding for this program, in large part, comes from the Golf Canada Foundation with generous contributions from founding partners RBC and Canadian Pacific, as well as supporting partners Citi Canada and Bear Mountain Resort – the Official Training Centre of Golf Canada’s National Team program.
“RBC is proud to support the next generation of Canadian golfers through the Young Pro program” said David Agnew, CEO, RBC Wealth Management Canada, “It’s exciting for us to watch golfers we supported as amateurs, like Corey Conners, Brooke Henderson and Mackenzie Hughes, succeed as professionals.”
“From the CP Women’s Open and our deep involvement with Team Canada to ambassador partnerships with Brooke Henderson and Lorie Kane, CP is proud to support these talented athletes representing Canada on the world stage,” added James Clements, Canadian Pacific. “As the best team in the railroading business knows, precision and excellence require a strong team. We are extremely proud to be part of the great team supporting these young professionals in their golf journey.”
Like most of us, Ann Holmes is at home in Prince George, B.C., looking at a snow-covered landscape and wistfully thinking of the coming golf season.
Unlike most of us, she’s preparing daily for that first swing of the year. And, thanks to YouTube, she can make a virtual house call to help the rest of us do the same thing.
Early in the pandemic, in partnership with BC Golf, Holmes created a series of 11 Facebook Live videos intended to improve flexibility, mobility, strength and range of motion, all with a golf focus.
There’s no question she’s qualified. A PGA of Canada professional, she’s the golf coach at Prince George Golf and Curling Club and the former coach at the University of British Columbia. She’s got a Masters in Human Kinetics and is a certified personal trainer, among numerous other credentials. She, along with Tracie Albisser, also a certified exercise physiologist, operates the Active Health Solutions facility (www.activehealthsolutions.ca ) in Prince George.
“There are lots of online fitness resources but they are mostly for the elite golfer,” says Holmes. “These videos are aimed at the average golfer.”
A large proportion of those “average golfers” this winter are snowbirds and other seniors who, because of travel restrictions necessitated by the pandemic, are stuck north of the border. Holmes suggests they see this not as a disappointment but as an opportunity.
“Off-season training will help maintain the flexibility, endurance and strength you gained in your golf swing over the summer,” she explains. “Instead of taking the winter off, work on all of these fitness essentials for the sport you enjoy.
“The golf swing is a single-action, single-sided, ballistic movement and the goal is to create rotational power for distance. This can be hard on the body, especially the back and shoulders. And when the golf swing is repeated over and over, injuries and issues can crop up. Compounding the concern is that, as we age, we lose muscle mass, flexibility and endurance, which are all fundamental to the golf swing.”
Holmes says one of the most common issues for older golfers is that their posture becomes hunched, with a rounded lower back and an inability to rotate the pelvis into a proper spine angle at address. Her translation: “You need to stick out your behind instead of tucking it under.”
What all of that means, she says, “is that the rotation for the backswing is compromised and people swing with their arms instead of turning their shoulders. Ultimately,this causes a reduction in clubhead speed and weak shots that fade. This position also means that people tend to generate more shearing forces on their lumbar vertebrae (equaling pain in their lower back).
“And, finally, the rounded shoulders will reduce the space for the upper arm bone (the humerus) to move within the joint and people will start to complain of rotator cuff problems and injuries.”
One of her favourite catchphrases is “pre-hab.” Pre-hab is mobility and strength work done on an ongoing basis to address common weaknesses or muscle tension. “The body parts that are meant to be mobile, like your neck, hips, shoulders or thoracic vertebrae, should move with ease,” she says. “When these are tight, other parts will move to compensate during the swing.
“If you can prevent injuries or minor deficits before they become a problem, you will enjoy playing good golf and not lose any distance.”
Holmes’s folksy, friendly, cheerful and chatty “golf coach next door” approach requires no special equipment. A towel, key lanyard, wooden spoon, a thick book and a chair will do for starters. A golf club or similar is handy but not for swinging—just to help with extension. Each video is 30 to 40 minutes but, as she points out, “you can do these at your own pace and your own comfort level.”
Take it from me. The “pause” button comes in handy.
Canada Games Council Updates age categories for golf
New Brunswick’s Schaus & Melanson Claim National Awards
Author: PGA of Canada
The topsy-turvy nature of the 2020 golf season ultimately produced one of the busiest years in the history of the game. The sport’s sudden demand required innovation, flexibility, and, perhaps most importantly, hard work and long hours by PGA of Canada professionals from coast to coast. All members of the association are worthy of accolades for their efforts, highlighted by the 2020 PGA of Canada National Award winners.
“I’ve never been so proud to be a PGA of Canada member. The resilience and commitment to safety shown by our association during the early stages of the pandemic and throughout the 2020 golf season was inspirational,” said Teejay Alderdice, PGA of Canada President. “I’d like to congratulate our 2020 PGA of Canada Award winners and finalists. We experienced a year like no other in 2020 and this group led the way in achieving a successful season.”
The 2020 PGA of Canada National Awards ceremony was conducted virtually with TSN personalities Bob Weeks and Kayla Grey, along with St. George’s Golf and Country Club General Manager Ian Leggatt, serving as hosts.
“It is unfortunate that we could not gather in Orlando at the PGA Merchandise Show to celebrate as we normally would, but the show must go on and our virtual rollout ensured our winners were recognized in front of their peers as they so richly deserve,” said Kevin Thistle, PGA of Canada CEO.
2020 PGA of Canada National Award Winners Moe Norman Apprentice Professional of the Year – Krysta Schaus
From running tournaments to making merchandising decisions to custom fitting and teaching lessons, Krysta Schaus is an integral and versatile member of the Toronto Golf Club team. Krysta has a strong desire to grow the game among juniors and women — leading clinics at TGC for both groups — and she has been continuous in her pursuit of further education by seeking out mentors and completing various courses and seminars. The Erskine College and Gardner-Webb University alum also represents Toronto Golf Club in various competitive events.
Jack McLaughlin Junior Leader of the Year – Louis Melanson
Louis Melanson’s name is synonymous with junior golf in New Brunswick. He’s been the provincial coach for Golf New Brunswick for the past 14 years. He is the Atlantic Canada director for the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour. He serves on the New Brunswick Junior Golf Committee. And at the Louis Melanson Golf Academy at Fox Creek Golf Club there were a whopping 156 junior members in 2020 — more than 10 times the number from when Louis first took over the program. The 2017 Sports New Brunswick coach of the year is also a seven-time Atlantic Zone teacher of the year and presides over the only Sport Études program in Atlantic Canada.
Novelist Paul Theroux once said: “Winter is a season of recovery and preparation.” He could never have imagined just how true those words would ring right now.
Not that we have much choice. Most of us, the sensible ones that is, are staying home because of the pandemic and the precautions imposed to prevent its spread. Kudos to us.
So what’s a golfer to do? We’re mired in a Canadian winter with travel south of the border restricted and limited opportunities to congregate at public golf simulators, ranges or other golf-related activities.
Don’t despair!
If you don’t have the space, budget or inclination to have a home simulator, there are myriad options to pass the time … “prepare” as Theroux suggested … until, hopefully, golf courses across Canada reopen in spring. Online instruction, social media, podcasts (what?) … even, dare I say, books and magazines … all not only can improve your game but boost your spirits as well.
READ
As an author myself, I may be biased but I enjoy turning the pages of a book or magazine. My special area of interest is course architecture so, after rereading the essentials yet again, I look for Canadian authors. Keith Cutten’s The Evolution of Golf Course Design is a fascinating deep dive into the broader question of not just how course design evolved but why. James Harris’s Stanley Thompson and Icons of Canada has no equal in its in-depth examination of Canada’s most iconic architect as a master of his craft and a man. Although not Canadian and actually intended for green committee members and club managers, many of whom (wrongly) think they are qualified for DIY projects on a multi-million-dollar course, Designs on a Better Golf Course (published by the American Society of Golf Course Architects) is a must-read for armchair architects as well as folks whose hobby is second-guessing their course’s superintendent. For pure “golf porn,” there are few better options than Catalogue 18, a luxurious magazine published in Toronto featuring awesome photography and text from around the world.
WATCH VIDEO TIPS
We were all thankful when the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour returned to TV in January but if you need more than entertainment and climate envy, there are hundreds of videos on social media, many from PGA of Canada instructors. Derek Ingram, Team Canada’s Men’s Head Coach, posts indoor tips on Instagram. Women’s Head Coach Tristan Mullally offers helpful hints on Twitter. (Just between you and me, Ingram and Mullally are collaborating on an upcoming project that distills their extensive experience into instruction for folks like you and me. Stay tuned.
Once you’ve looked at those videos, you’ll want to practice, so order a putting mat and/or chipping net online. My Golf Spy picked the BirdieBall 4×14 as its best putting mat but the company has a variety of customizable products. Lots of other companies make comparable mats at various price points and in a full range of sizes. A chipping net is a compact and convenient way to hone your short game at a reasonable price. My choice would be the GoSports Chipster. It’s about $60, includes three nets of various sizes and can be used indoors with foam balls or outside with real golf balls.
Fantasy pools, such as PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, can be a blast if you need some heated competition to warm you up during the winter. Or you can organize your own fantasy league using online resources and invite your friends and colleagues to participate.
VIDEO GAMES
You may not have access to that Golden Tee game down at the local pub but you can order the home edition if you’re addicted. More affordable options are video games such as the highly rated PGA TOUR 2K21. Golf nut Shawn Bell of Kelowna, B.C., has not only played the game since its first release several years ago but has actually designed a course for it. He says he enjoys the experience for many reasons including the fact that “it provides me with an outlet to spend time thinking about and playing the game I enjoy so much. There is also the ability to play with others live which is pretty cool. Played a round with an acquaintance in Ireland the other night. It was fun and a social interaction, playing golf, that would otherwise be impossible.”
PODCASTS
If, like me, you were late to the world of podcasts, a podcast is a conversation or discussion you can download to your personal device and listen to at your leisure. Makes for great company when you’re walking the dog or when you’re just hankering for the sound of someone else’s voice. (Although I do get some odd glances when I bark back at them when they don’t share my own—indisputably correct—opinion.) There are lots of terrific golf podcasts including some with great Canadian content that I subscribe to like Flagstick.com’s TeeTalk, Golf Talk Canada and Swing Thoughts with Tim O’Connor and “Humble” Howard Glassman.
And, remember, in the words of Ernest Hemingway,
“When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be the happiest.”
Golf Genius Software signs multi-year agreement with Golf Canada & Golf NB
WAYNE, Penn. – Golf Genius Software, the leading worldwide provider of tournament management solutions, announced today that Golf Canada and Canada’s Provincial Golf Associations will begin using Golf Genius Tournament Management to manage their golf competitions beginning in 2021.
Golf Genius will provide Golf Canada-branded versions of its TM Club, TM Club Premium and TM Association cloud-based services to the Canadian golf market. Golf Canada and the Provincial Golf Associations will join a number of other national golf associations and tours in using the TM Association solution, which is purpose-built to meet the specialized needs of national and regional golf associations.
Golf clubs and other golf facilities across Canada will also be able to utilize the Golf Canada versions of the TM Club at preferred rates and TM Club Premium services. Golf Genius will provide single sign-on support to club administrators through the Golf Canada Score Centre and will integrate with the World Handicap System (WHS) services provided through the Golf Canada Score Centre. Golf Genius will also provide French language versions of its TM services as part of its agreement with Golf Canada.
Mike Zisman, Co-CEO of Golf Genius Software, commented: “We have committed substantial resources to build a significant presence in the Canadian market, including our recent acquisition of two respected Canadian software providers. Our new relationship with Golf Canada will not only enable us to serve the tournament management needs of Golf Canada and the Provincial Associations, it will also help us more rapidly expand our customer base in the club and facility market. We are honored to have been selected by Golf Canada for this critical relationship.”
Adam Helmer, Senior Director of Golf Services at Golf Canada, added, “We conducted a rigorous process to select a tournament management solution which included an RFP last year and the evaluation of several prospective vendors. Golf Genius presented the most robust product, and most importantly, can meet the needs of Golf Canada, our Provincial Golf Associations and over 1,400 of our member golf facilities in Canada with one integrated solution.”
In 2020, Golf Genius has also announced national association agreements with England Golf, the Singapore Golf Association and Golf NSW serving New South Wales in Australia.
Job Opportunity – Club de Golf Fraser Edmundston Golf Club
Golf New Brunswick (Golf NB) is excited to share the following job opportunity with one of our Partner Facilities
Within the framework of the mandate given by the Management Committee and under the responsibility of the President, the General Manager will plan, direct and control all activities related to the operation of the golf club in order to ensure the efficiency and profitability of the golf club.
TAYLORMADE GOLF COMPANY UNVEILS REVOLUTIONARY NEW DRIVER CONSTRUCTION
SHAPE IN MOTION HAS EVOLVED, DELIVERING A NEW LEVEL OF FORGIVENESS, SPEED, AND DISTANCE
CARLSBAD, Calif. (January 19, 2021) – TaylorMade Golf Company builds on its history of metal wood innovation and groundbreaking technologies with the all-new SIM2, SIM2 Max, and SIM2 Max•D drivers.
With the original SIM, the company focused on reshaping the driver to deliver speed and aerodynamics at the most critical stage of the swing – those milliseconds right before impact. Embracing the evolution of design, now TaylorMade has reinvented the way drivers are constructed with an increased focus on enhanced forgiveness while maintaining speed and optimal launch conditions.
DRIVER RECONSTRUCTION
To unlock a new dimension of forgiveness, TaylorMade engineers were forced to completely rethink how drivers are built from the ground up. By fixating on the process and materials, they discovered a hidden key in the form of a new design called Forged Ring Construction. Utilizing a lightweight and high strength aluminum that’s precision milled, the adjoining feature unites the critical components of the driver head into a singular force.
As the defining component of SIM2, SIM2 Max and SIM2 Max•D, the forged aluminum ring is one of four crucial elements of the unique construction – each serving a vital function that allows the driver to be forgiving, fast and powerful. The other modules are the carbon crown, carbon sole and milled back face cup.
FULL CARBON CROWN AND SOLE
TaylorMade’s journey to SIM2 began with the lightweight carbon composite technology the company developed over the course of 15-plus years. The six-layer composite material, which was refined throughout the lifespan of the popular M series and SIM, is used on the crown of SIM2, SIM2 Max and SIM2 Max•D.
A new high-strength carbon was developed precisely for the sole and designed for enhanced durability in protection against damage from turf interaction and contact at high speeds. The nine-layers of advanced carbon span the entire sole while simultaneously shaping the asymmetric Inertia Generator, which is designed to produce faster club head speeds through precise geometry and aerodynamic analysis.
The expanded use of carbon saves a considerable amount of weight that’s been redeployed onto the Inertia Generator in the form of a heavy rear weight (16g SIM2, 24g SIM2 Max and 22g SIM2 Max•D). Placing this substantial weight low and back in the club moves the CG projection to centre face, optimizes launch conditions and maximizes MOI – more commonly described as forgiveness.
The black satin carbon crown and contrasting chalk colourway help frame the ball at address and improve alignment. A high-gloss black carbon on the sole provides an eye-catching look and premium aesthetic when paired with blue accents from the aluminum ring.
MILLED BACK FACE CUP WITH AN INTELLIGENTLY OPTIMIZED SWEET SPOT
The milled back face cup is the only part of the driver head that’s crafted from titanium. The strong and resilient material facilitates energy transfer to encourage faster ball speeds. Behind the face, internal CNC milling varies face thickness and pinpoints performance where golfers need it the most.
Relying on the data used to develop Twist Face®, the company mapped the most common impact locations among golfers of all skill levels – which revealed a mis-hit pattern that extends from low heel to high toe. The milling process allows the company to precisely tune the thickness of the face to promote peak speed in those areas. This intelligently engineered sweet spot has an oval shape and stretches diagonally from the high toe toward the low heel. Ultimately, it results in a sweet spot that’s designed to capture more shots where golfers are more likely to hit it on the face.
In addition, a larger face size enhances forgiveness across the lineup of SIM2 drivers. SIM2 is 12% larger (vs. SIM), SIM2 Max is 5% larger (vs. SIM Max) and SIM2 Max•D is 5% larger (compared to SIM Max•D).
THE EVOLUTION OF TECHNOLOGY – SPEED INJECTED TWIST FACE & SPEED POCKET
In 2019, TaylorMade took Twist Face® – the iconic face curvature that’s designed to straighten ball flight – to the next level of performance with Speed Injected Twist Face, exposing the false narrative that speed limits had been reached for metalwoods. The industry-leading technology continues to provide massive benefits with SIM2, SIM2 Max and SIM2 Max•D, as each driver head is inspected, measured and tuned for maximum speed and to ensure conformity; a process truly unmatched in the golf industry.
In recent years, golfers grew accustomed to seeing the Speed Injection Ports on the face of the driver. New for 2021, the port has been relocated to the outer toe. With the CNC milling now across the entire back of the face, designers were able to precisely tune the thickness of the titanium to promote peak speed on a specific area slightly to the toe side. With that development, the company is now able to efficiently manipulate speed across the entire face using a single port. The result is a level of precision that ensures every golfer gets a hot and fast driver head.
The patented Thru-Slot Speed Pocket rests on the sole of the driver, maintaining the marquee purpose of protecting ball speed and performance on shots struck low on the face.
DRAW WITHOUT COMPROMISE
Historically, draw bias drivers have not been forgiving – as the higher CG needed to create the necessary spin led to a lower MOI. Company research indicates that design is counterintuitive. As you may expect, data suggest that high handicap players with severe right-miss tendencies gravitate to draw bias clubs. This group needs the forgiveness more than others.
That’s why TaylorMade has flipped this design convention on its head. SIM2 Max•D delivers powerful draw-bias with a level of MOI and forgiveness not before seen in a draw driver from TaylorMade. By shifting the entire asymmetric Inertia Generator towards the heel, engineers were able to obtain draw-bias properties while also keeping its full function of aerodynamics and forgiveness.
SIM2
Traditional driver designs come with a tradeoff, but TaylorMade journeyed beyond tradition to obtain power, speed and forgiveness in a low spin driver. The reconstructed SIM2 delivers high MOI properties with a heavy 16g steel weight positioned on the Inertia Generator. The TPS Front Weight is strategically located behind the face to encourage optimal launch with low spin characteristics, delivering a complete performance that’s low on spin and high on forgiveness.
SIM2 Max
With an intense focus on speed and forgiveness, the SIM2 Max delivers high MOI properties with a heavy 24g tungsten weight positioned on the Inertia Generator. The TPS Front Weight is strategically located on the sole of the club to encourage the optimal mid-to-high launch with mid-to-low spin properties, delivering complete performance and max forgiveness.
SIM2 Max•D
Traditional draw-bias drivers come with a tradeoff, sacrificing forgiveness for a left-to-right ball flight. The all-new SIM2 Max•D features a repositioned Inertia Generator that’s closer to the heel, encouraging a heel CG that’s low and back for more forgiveness – designed to deliver a higher launch with the largest, most forgiving face in the SIM2 lineup. The end result, a draw-biased driver without compromise.
