Fairway Wood Comparison: TaylorMade SIM vs. Callaway Mavrik

By Drew Mahowald -- 2nd Swing staff writer

Every year, driver releases receive the most attention among new product launches. TaylorMade and Callaway are both industry leaders when it comes to metalwoods so it’s no surprise that the new TaylorMade SIM drivers and Callaway Mavrik drivers are among the most talked-about clubs so far in 2020.

Fairway woods, while not as glamorous as drivers, certainly fill an important role in every golfer’s bag. TaylorMade and Callaway also develop excellent fairway woods year in and year out that include many of the same technologies as their drivers in an effort to deliver explosive distance, easy launch, and forgiveness from the tee or the turf.

I recently had the chance to do some testing of all three SIM fairway woods and all three Mavrik fairway woods to compare and contrast the two families.

They each have distinct, unique appearances. The SIM family includes a gray crown with a white stripe along the leading edge, while the Mavrik family includes a traditional glossy black crown. Those who prefer a traditional look will gravitate toward the Mavrik, while those open to a more modern look might prefer the SIM.

For me, it felt like the SIM fairways were just a bit easier to line up. The white stripe contrasted nicely with the black clubface and helped me identify if I was lined up correctly to my target. However, both models do have a logo placed on the center of the crown for the purpose of alignment.

The SIM and Mavrik fairways also present different feel and sound characteristics. On solid contact, the SIM models appeared to be more muted with a softer feel than the Mavrik models. The Mavrik models, meanwhile, were slightly louder and firmer.

With that said, the Mavrik models seemed to hide vibrations better on mis-hits to preserve solid feel and sound when contact was made outside of the center of the face.

As someone who doesn’t always find the center of the clubface, I was intrigued not just by the distance of each club but also the forgiveness on mis-hits. Whether it’s from the tee or the turf, keeping the ball on the short grass is priority number one with a fairway wood.

The TaylorMade SIM models also seemed to spin less than the Callaway Mavrik models. The SIM Ti spun the lowest and presented a slightly different pop at impact than the other SIM models, likely due to the ZATECH ultra-strong titanium clubface that the SIM Max and SIM Max D don’t have.

The SIM Max and SIM Max D feature a C300 maraging steel face in a larger footprint than the SIM Ti, creating more forgiveness and a higher launch, whereas the SIM Ti launches lower. 

One other observation I made about the SIM fairway woods is that the SIM Max D was extremely easy to get the ball in the air with. The clubhead is slightly larger, but the added degree of loft made a big difference and would be a benefit for golfers looking to increase launch angle.

Due to indoor testing, as we’re still enjoying winter here in Minnesota, I did not get to see the effectiveness of the V Steel sole design from various lies. However, it was highly successful when first introduced in the mid-2000s and I see no reason why it won’t be effective in 2020.

The TaylorMade SIM models generated slightly more distance than the Mavrik models due to lower spin. However, I was really impressed by the forgiveness of the Mavrik models, even the Mavrik Sub Zero.

My mis-hits still remained competitive in terms of distance and were actually straighter in most cases than when I would hit the center of the clubface. It seemed as if when I missed, sidespin was almost reduced, producing more of a knuckleball flight versus a spinny, volatile trajectory.

The Mavrik Sub Zero has two interchangeable weights on the sole of 14 grams and two grams that allow golfers to adjust the center of gravity to optimize trajectory. With the weight forward, golfers that play in a lot of wind will get a terrific option off the tee that is much easier to control than a standard driver. Meanwhile, with the weight back, the club played a lot like the standard Mavrik but in a low-spin package.

Speaking of the standard Mavrik, it performed just as so many Callaway fairway woods have in the past. I still use an XR 16 fairway wood because it delivers that combination of high launch and low spin. Mavrik is no different and will definitely appeal to the widest range of players.

The Mavrik Max also has two interchangeable weights of 14 grams and two grams with ports located in the back and in the heel. With the 14-gram weight in the heel, my face angle was more shut at impact and my tendency to miss right was minimized. With the 14-gram weight in the back, the Mavrik Max offers supreme forgiveness and perhaps the highest launch on the market.

Golfers looking for a new fairway wood in 2020 are presented with several terrific new options. In my testing, the TaylorMade SIM models generated slightly more distance due to lower spin. The Mavrik models, meanwhile, delivered a little more performance on my mis-hits.

Interested in a SIM or Mavrik fairway wood? Our team of certified online fitters can help you select the model that’s right for your game. Call (612) 216-4152 to speak with a member of our Online Fitting and Support team.