TaylorMade Stealth 2 vs Ping G430 Max Fairway Wood: Read our Head-to-Head Verdict

Taylor Made Stealth 2 vs Ping G430 Max Fairway Wood: Read our Head-to-Head Verdict

The fairway wood can be one of the hardest slots to fill in your golf bag. We don’t hit them as much as irons, drivers, wedges and putters but when we do pull the headcover off, they really have to step up and perform. 

These clubs can be used all around the course; from the rough to those little bump and runs on the greens, they are a very useful club and it can pay off getting the right metal wood for your game. We also don’t tend to hit them as much in practice and it’s fair to say that golfers typically replace fairway woods less often than others clubs in the bag.

The good news is that evolutions in multi-material construction and the use of A.I (artificial intelligence) in face design, means that the best fairway woods now deliver more distance and consistency off the tee. They are easier to pick off the fairway, can be hit well out of rough and even used around the green from collar rough or mown aprons.

In this head-to-head we take a look at two of the very best on offer from two of the biggest brands and break down which one is best for your game. 

The Ping G430 range features three fairway models, the SFT (Straight Flight Technology), LST and the Max. The Max is the model that will suit the majority of golfers, ranging from tour professionals to the weekend warrior. 

The TaylorMade Stealth 2, meanwhile, was one of the most anticipated launches of 2023 following on from the success and buzz caused by the original Stealth franchise last year. Three fairway wood options are available in the Stealth 2 range. There is the Stealth 2 HD (for those seeking more forgiveness and draw bias) and the Stealth 2 Plus (which is adjustable, more compact and designed for the better player), but our focus is on the Stealth 2 - which is suitable for the majority of golfers.

So which one should you buy? Let's find out.

Looks

Ping has introduced a Carbonfly Wrap which is visible across the top of the crown from head to toe designed to save weight (10g) and lower the centre of gravity for less spin and more ball speed. This carbon finish along with the dark grey and neon green accents give the G430 Max fairway a more premium and modern look, which we believe gives it more shelf appeal than the G425 fairway it has come in to replace. 

The club sits low to the ground appearing shallow, inspiring the ability to really launch the ball high off the fairway or a tee.

Image 1 of 4

With a new refined look, featuring a clean carbon gloss crown, the TaylorMade Stealth 2 certainly boasts shelf appeal and a premium look, making it one of the best TaylorMade fairway woods to date. The iconic black and red colorway carries over from the previous generation and is featured in the shaft and head cover also.

The new gloss carbon crown contrasted well against the jet black topline, which was then supported by a white stripe on the top of the face. This three-step alignment aid really made setting up square to target much easier than I found with the original Stealth fairway wood. 

The club sat fairly shallow, which for me inspires confidence and makes me feel as though I can really launch the ball, even when hitting off the fairway. This seems to be a trend in fairway woods for 2023 as both the Callaway Paradym and Ping G430 Max both hug the turf in exactly the same way.

The aesthetics run parallel with all of the best fairway woods released this year and the option of lofts from 15° all the way to 24° mean this versatile fairway wood will not only suit low handicappers, but make it one of the best fairways for mid-handicappers.

Feel

The feel from centre strikes with the Ping G430 Max was a firm powerful one and I was pleasantly surprised with the feeling of mis-hits. It's a pleasure to hit this club.

The TaylorMade Stealth 2 also produced exceptional feel and a muted yet powerful ‘thud’ through impact. 

Performance

Compared to its competitors, the Stealth 2 fairway appeared to come off the face quicker than most. The ball flight was an extremely high trajectory, producing a peak height of 113ft when struck off the deck. Its impressive performance on poorly struck shots off the bottom or toe definitely saw the Stealth 2 as one of the most forgiving fairway wood options of 2023.

The versatility of this club is actually something that surprised me more than anything. I knew the Stealth 2 fairway would come loaded with an abundance of power, but would it perform from various lies and could it conjure up varying ball flights? Well I'll to cut straight to it, yes! 

Despite being a bonded head in a world of adjustable hosels, the Stealth 2 fairway was super impressive and really brought out my creative side on the golf course. I normally find bonded heads sit slightly closed, but this was certainly not the case with the Stealth 2. In fact it sat almost perfectly square which really encouraged workability off the tee and into greens. 

The V-Steel sole design continued to offer tremendous turf interaction, while gliding through damp first cuts of rough like it’s wasn't even there. Because of the revised center of gravity, this head launched extremely high and so hitting out of more buried lies was less of an issue than what I have found in the past from TaylorMade fairway woods. There is even the option of a HL model which comes set at 16° for those seeking even more assistance in launching the ball.

The G430 Max fairway features Facewrap Technology which provides a stable connection between sole and crown, resulting in more flexibility on the face to produce faster ball speeds and higher launch. This allows for more consistent ball speeds and spin rates off the face regardless of strike location - an impressive addition to Ping fairway woods already notorious for being some of the most forgiving fairway woods on the market. 

In our testing, thinly-struck shots popped up and flew just shy of an optimum peak ball flight, rather than coming out low and not achieving good carry. When playing into the wind, it was harder to keep the G430 Max down and it felt the ball often climbed a touch. The feel from centre strikes was a firm powerful one and I was pleasantly surprised with the feeling of mis-hits.

By using a Foresight Sports GCQuad Launch Monitor, we were able to gather data inside to back up our findings on the course. The data remained fairly consistent across the shots hit, quickly becoming one of the best Ping fairway woods we have seen. 

Overall Ping has continued to impress us with the ability to create a fairway wood that continues to deliver exceptional forgiveness, yet see ball speeds that crept up to match some of the longer fairway woods in the game. The sleek look of the G430 Max fairway makes it even more appealing to hit and is certainly one of the best fairway woods available this year as vouched for in Editors Choice.

Value

Both of these are at the high end of the market in the US at $349.99 but in the UK the Stealth 2 comes in a little cheaper. You can expect to pay around £279 for that compared to £329 for the G430 Max.

Which one should you buy?

Choose the Ping G430 Max if…
- Your need plenty of forgiveness
- You want a clean, traditional look at address
- You want an incredibly consistent flight

Choose the TaylorMade Stealth iron if…
- You want a club with a high launch
- You want something with good workability
- You want extra distance