by Derek Murray and David Williams
It’s no secret that there have been a few troubled seasons at Taylor Made HQ. A somewhat lack of direction with numerous product launches, plummeting public support, complicated product lines which has led to an overall “there may be trouble ahead” vibe. It would suggest that the new M1 product line could be make or break for the Taylor Made design delivery team.
The DRIVER
The FAIRWAY WOOD
The M1 HYBRID RESCUE CLUB
The Driver is quite superb and if you’ve seen any of the promotional adverts you will have seen Mr. Rose and Mr. Johnson ripping drives much longer than anything before and this is indeed true.
The driver works really well up at around the 160mph ball speed mark. I also believe the 430cc head is the better of the two heads with a lower spin rate and crisper feel of the face. The reason the driver is going much further for the Pro’s than their R15 or anything else is the new M1 driver chassis design keeps the ball spin very low and allows for a better, higher launch angle.
I also believe that this M1 head feels much better and stronger off the face than anything before, so the Tour Pros will move for higher launch, lower spin and great feel.
There is also a ball speed gain of approx. 6-8 MPH off this incredible face design.
Faster ball, higher launch and lower spin = in the bag!!
Go up in loft on the driver especially if you are buying one of the 430cc heads, you’ll need it. Correct Loft is critical to the success of this head.
The sliding weight in the back section doesn’t really do a whole lot to change the spin for most golfers.
Leave it centred or right at the back of the track, here it will aid with a better launch angle and higher MOI but make sure you get the right loft from the start !
Don’t rely on the “FADE and “DRAW” sliding weight to affect the fade and draw bias of this new head. I suspect the weight is too close to the face to pull the CG and affect the rotation of the head.
I also believe the track itself is too heavy in design to have the 15 gram weight pull CG enough to make a significant difference.
If you want/need to create more draw or fade bias on this M1 head it is best to use the hosel adaptor to open and close the face.
I only wish that the markings on the hosel were “DRAW” and “FADE” as well as the Higher and Lower descriptions. I think the hosel needs to have both on it.
So, go Higher for more DRAW and Lower for more FADE.
You must remember that:
If you LOWER the loft, you OPEN up the face
If you go to a HIGHER loft, you CLOSE the face.
I found the 430cc head to be the best for the higher speed application. The 460CC did not fail to impress but the smaller size I believe manages the higher swing and ball speeds better.
A combination for the way the internal chamber is designed inside the driver and the face design allow for better speed transition and longer drives through spin and launch control.
Bottom line is this head produces 6-8 MPH more ball speed than anything we’ve ever seen before.
With all these new adjustable parts to the driver and lightweight head design the new M1 driver head is very complicated to adjust. In order to get all the different parts working together, the shaft choice is very important to allow all the moving parts to align to suit you.
The 3 shafts that Taylor Made give as standard aren’t quite the high launch, mid launch, low launch shafts that they suggest. It’s a little more complicated than that. In order to get the last drop of ball speed for this driver whatever your level and handicap you MUST get the right shaft and right length of shaft.
Correct fitting with a trained technician is vital to unlock the secrets of this club.
If you own an R15 or even an SLDR and your swing speed is lower than 100MPH, I don’t think you need to change to this head for more distance. Get fitted and see if the ball speeds increase and the grouping/dispersion decreases. If it does, then go for it but don’t buy this M1 and expect it to be brilliant right off the rack.
It is a very complicated piece of technology and needs specialist application by a trained expert and PROPER fitting. (Not just a few clicks of the wrench and a quick look on the range).
Taylor Made’s website says: “M1 gives golfers a tour-level fitting without the truck” this is indeed true but, the Tour Truck also has 6 highly trained professional technicians who oversee all their players adjustments…
The M1 Fairway Woods are superb for flight and adjustment and the new carbon fibre crown positions the weight low and back in this head so it’s really easy to flight the ball.
Add to that the incredible feel ( I can’t stress how good this entire product range feels) and this time the split weights of the track system make for a very well balanced head and ball flight. It’s a winner all round.
Remember, the hosel works the same as the driver, so be careful if you Higher or LOWER the ball flight – the face also closes and opens as a result.
Last years R15 hybrid was pretty good but in every lineup it’s usually very difficult to get a hybrid that works well for the strong ball striker with a mid to low handicap. That golfer who wants a neat strong looking head with the technology to adjust the face angle and affect ball shape.
The M1 Hybrid/Rescue ticks every single box as a good player club. The two adjustable weights are right at the edge and in the extremities of the club head (this is where I believe adjustable weight should be to properly affect head CG).
The ability to swap the weights around is also genius. It allows for a more fade biased adjustment that will hold the head off at impact, or in the back edge to help flight the ball a little better with a more neutral head position.
A big question mark for a lot of golfers will be the pricing of this new range. The Driver will come in around the €550 mark and the Fairway Wood will be a staggering €300 with the Rescue following in at €280.
This product requires a serious investment so be careful when purchasing and make sure your investment will do the business for you. Do the homework and get the right advice – this is not an impulse purchase item!!
So overall, the M1 range from TaylorMade with its huge technological advances has its pluses and minuses which means it needs the right application.
Get the best from the M1 Range at ForeGolf
Book Your Custom Fit Online
1 Hour Custom Fit €100 (Full Bag)
30 Minute Custom Fit €50 (One Club/Driver Only)
Want to read other ForeGolf TaylorMade Reviews, check our archives
Why do ForeGolf custom built clubs perform so well ? It’s simple, because we build your clubs in our WorkShop. The process is from custom fit to custom build, no misinterpretation of the specifications. We have a ClubRoom where we put together heads and shafts from all the major brands to figure out what suits. Then we build the best performing club in our WorkShop, measured and built just for you this is what happens at ForeGolf
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