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TaylorMade built the SIM2 Max as a distance-and-forgiveness iron, and the spec sheet tells you exactly what kind of club this is. The 7-iron sits at 28.5 degrees. That's stronger than a lot of players' 6-irons from a decade ago, and it's the whole point. This is a cast, hollow-body iron designed to launch the ball high and send it far, not to sit on a tour bag.
The construction is the story. A thin face welded to a hollow, cast head lets the face flex more at impact, so even shots off the toe or low on the face hold their speed. TaylorMade filled the head with damping material to keep a hollow cavity from sounding tinny, and packed tungsten low in the head to get the ball up. The result is a chunky, confidence-inspiring iron that flatters an inconsistent strike.
What you give up is workability and any pretense of a compact look. These are wide-soled, thick-topline clubs. If you want to flight the ball down or shape it on command, this isn't the iron for that, and it was never trying to be. The SIM2 Max is for the golfer who wants the ball to go high, straight, and a club longer than they're used to.
In short
The TaylorMade SIM2 Max (2021) is a forgiving game-improvement iron built for consistent distance. The set runs 4-iron to PW with a 28.5° 7-iron. It carries a $949 MSRP.
Refresh due soon
Brands in this category update about every 2 years, and the SIM2 Max is 5 years old with no successor yet, so a new model could land any time. Grab it at clearance pricing now, or wait a few weeks to see what replaces it.
Based on release timing and this line's typical refresh cycle, not a live price quote.
Modeled from the $949 original MSRP and a 5-year-old release (about 22% of MSRP retained used).
Used market value
$175 - $235
Private sale, fair to like-new
Trade-in value
$105 - $165
What a shop typically pays
Get an exact quote
Estimate only, from a depreciation model, not a live quote. Search “TaylorMade SIM2 Max” on the sites above for the real number, which varies with condition, shaft, and demand.
The SIM2 Max is the 2nd of 2 generations TaylorMade has released in this line, from the SIM Max (2020) to the SIM2 Max (2021). It followed the SIM Max (2020) and came in up $50. It is the newest generation in the line.
| 4i | 5i | 6i | 7i | 8i | 9i | PW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.0° | 21.5° | 25.0° | 28.5° | 33.0° | 38.0° | 43.0° |
Stock steel shaft. Lofts are approximate and subject to manufacturing tolerances.
Typical carry by swing speed, adjusted for this set's actual lofts. Your numbers will vary with strike, shaft, and conditions.
| Club | Loft | Moderate swing~143y 7-iron | Average swing~158y 7-iron | Faster swing~172y 7-iron |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-iron | 19° | 170 y | 188 y | 205 y |
| 5-iron | 21.5° | 162 y | 179 y | 195 y |
| 6-iron | 25° | 153 y | 169 y | 184 y |
| 7-iron | 28.5° | 143 y | 158 y | 172 y |
| 8-iron | 33° | 133 y | 147 y | 160 y |
| 9-iron | 38° | 122 y | 135 y | 147 y |
| PW | 43° | 112 y | 124 y | 135 y |
Carry distances are modeled from TrackMan-based norms scaled to each club's loft, not measured for this exact model.
The hollow-body cast head is the engine here. Instead of a traditional cavity back, the face is a separate thin piece welded onto a hollow chassis, which lets it act more like a spring. TaylorMade added a slot in the sole to free up the lower part of the face, so thin strikes don't fall out of the sky the way they do with a blade. Tungsten weighting sits low and toward the toe to push the center of gravity down and center it behind the ball. Because the head is hollow, TaylorMade injected damping material inside to control sound and vibration. It doesn't feel like a forged blade, and it won't. But for a game-improvement iron that's built around a springy face, the impact feel is more muted than harsh, which is about the best you can ask for in this category.
The TaylorMade SIM2 Max's 7-iron is lofted at 28.5° - moderately strong - slightly stronger than traditional lofts. For a golfer with an 85-95 mph swing speed, this projects to a 7-iron carry of approximately 155-165 yards. The 5-iron (21.5°) to 7-iron gap of 7° is well-gapped, which may create overlapping distance windows with similarly lofted fairway woods or hybrids. The pitching wedge at 43° provides a conventional loft window that pairs cleanly with a 50-52° gap wedge.
TaylorMade strengthened the lofts to sell distance. A 28.5-degree 7-iron carries farther than a traditionally lofted one, so the number on the sole feels impressive. The tradeoff is that your set numbers no longer match older sets, and you'll rely on the hollow face and low CG to get that strong loft airborne, which is exactly what this iron is designed to do.
Probably. The PW comes in at 43 degrees, which is stronger than a standard pitching wedge. That leaves a wide gap down to a typical 54 or 56-degree sand wedge, so most players adding a SIM2 Max set will want a gap wedge around 48 to 50 degrees to keep even distance spacing into the greens.
It's a cast, hollow-body head, so it won't give you the soft, buttery feel of a forged blade. TaylorMade packs damping material inside to quiet the hollow cavity, which keeps impact from sounding hollow or clicky. It feels solid and muted for the category, but if soft feel is your top priority, a players iron will beat it.
Yes. The thin, flexible face and sole slot help hold ball speed on mishits, and the low tungsten weighting makes the ball easy to launch. The wide sole also helps it glide through the turf rather than dig. It's one of the more forgiving irons short of a full super-game-improvement model.
The standard SIM2 Max is the game-improvement version with a moderately sized head. The OS, or oversize, pushes everything further: a bigger head, wider sole, and even stronger lofts for maximum distance and forgiveness. If you want the most help getting the ball up and out, the OS goes further, but the standard SIM2 Max is a bit more compact at address.
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