TaylorMade Golf has long offered good options for players looking to cover the gap between their fairway woods and their irons.
For a lot of golfers, that answer is a hybrid (or a rescue, in TaylorMade parlance). For many golfers, though, the hybrid just doesn't work. They want something that looks and plays like an iron, even if it isn't really an iron. That's why the Ultimate Driving Iron (UDI) has been a winner for the company for years.
Now, TaylorMade is introducing the SIM UDI and a new product, the SIM DHY (driving hybrid), to create a sibling family of clubs that can fit the bill for golfers looking for a long-iron-like product.
So what's the difference between the UDI and the DHY? As you might imagine with the SIM moniker, shape is the answer.
The SIM DHY has a bigger footprint, thicker topline, wider sole and shallower profile. Basically, it's more like a hybrid: forgiving, bigger and designed to get the ball in the air without looking like a balky hybrid.
The SIM UDI has more of a players iron profile, with a thinner topline and sole for workability, along with score lines to complete the iron look.
Both products have a hollow-body construction with a C300 steel face and feature a rounded camber from heel to toe for better turf interaction in all situations. The face material is the same as the hybrids and fairway woods in the SIM Max line. SpeedFoam -- as found in the P-790 and new P-770 irons -- is inside both products, and both sport a Thru-Slot Speed Pocket -- both helping with ball speed efficiencies across the face and launch characteristics.
On the DHY, the SpeedFoam port also has a heavy screw to drive the center of gravity down lower for easier launch. On the UDI, the TPS screw port is on the rear of the club to slightly raise the center of gravity for a more penetrating ball flight.
The SIM UDI and SIM DHY both have bonded hosels.
The TaylorMade Golf SIM UDI and SIM DHY are available at retail on Sept. 4. The UDI retails for $250, is available in 18- and 20-degree heads (RH and LH) and is equipped with the graphite Mitsubishi Diamana Thump shaft (X 100g, S 90g). The DHY retails for $250, is available in 17-, 19-, 22- and 25-degree heads (RH and LH) with the graphite Mitsubishi Diamana Limited shaft (S 75g, R 65g, A 55g).
