Review: TaylorMade M1 3-wood

A Better Fitting 3-wood
If you have read any of my other reviews, you know how much I promote fitting.  While these reviews will give you a place to start and what to look for, you need to get fit for what works best for your game and swing.  The new TaylorMade M1 line came out this fall with a lot of discussion about the carbon fiber crown and adjustable weights, but for me the biggest thing they accomplished was a club that can fit more golfers.  The M1 3-wood can be a drastically different club depending on how you set the adjustments.  That wide variety means you can get a better fitting 3-wood right off the rack.
 

Let’s be honest, everyone makes good golf clubs these days, but some will fit you better than others.  TaylorMade has typically been the pioneer when it comes to adjustability.  The new M1 has the most adjustment of any 3-wood on the market.  The dual sliding weights and adjustable hosel make this a club that can fit many golfers.

The TaylorMade M1 line has striking looks with the two-tone white and black crown.  The shape is really good.  It is compact enough for the player with a shallow face, yet more than enough size for someone with a little less confidence in their 3-wood.  The stock Fujikura Pro 70 shaft looks great in the combo and plays very smooth, yet stable.  I was really happy with the consistency and feel of this shaft.  But even better is the fact that a large percentage of optional shafts are no-upcharge so you can get fit for a different 3-wood shaft if necessary without it costing any more.  The feel is really good as is the sound for a multi-material 3-wood.

I was fit at the TaylorMade M1 launch event.  I spent an hour in the afternoon on an empty range with a fitter hitting 3-wood after 3-wood.  At first I wasn’t too sure of this club.  I saw others really hitting it well, but initially I couldn’t do anything with it.  Low right, high left, worm burner, pop up, etc it seemed the more I tried to like it and hit it well, the worse it got.  The fitter adjusted the weights, changed the hosel and boom, I started hitting it really well.  This club is very sensitive to the hosel setting because of how it controls the lie angle, which isn’t talked about nearly enough.  The lie angle makes a huge difference with a 3-wood because it interacts with the ground.  Then once we were getting good contact we moved the weights to the edges to get a better launch angle and spin numbers.  Suddenly I had a 3-wood cannon in my hands.
 

Once I got back home in MN, it was time to put it to the test on the course.  The first thing that struck me was how much I liked how it sets up behind the ball.  The two-tone crown paired with this shape is just about ideal.  The feel is very solid and the trajectory is mid launch for me and was very straight.  That really is the key of what I want out of a 3-wood.  If it goes in the direction I want it to go, I will be happy with whatever distance I get.  Come to find out, this is no slouch in that area either.  I finally birdied a 240 yard par 3 with this club off the tee.  It just went straight at the pin the whole time and landed a few yards short of the pin for a short length birdie putt.  On long par 5s I was able to get on or close in 2 with this 3-wood in the bag. 

I was able to get it on my Flightscope X2 LM once a little snow fell and the numbers proved to be very good.  I was hitting it just about my desired yardage with really good launch numbers.  I did mess around some more with adjustments indoors, but it was pretty obvious where I needed everything set.

FlightScope Xi Tour Launch Monitor

TaylorMade M1 3-wood

  • Spin: 3136 rpms
  • Launch Angle: 14.3*
  • Dispersion: 6.9 yds
  • Club Head Speed: 100.7 mph
  • Ball Speed: 149.7 mph
  • Total Distance:  244.6 yds
  • Carry Distance:  232.9 yds

The TaylorMade M1 is their flagship product with a “flagship” price.  Don’t just buy one and assume it will be the perfect fit, I know I didn’t find “it” right away.  Take the time to either have a professional fitter get you set up with the right adjustments and shaft or at least take time to work on the range with the various settings to see what works best for you.  Take advantage of what this better fitting 3-wood offers.

For more information: www.taylormadegolf.com

Quick Hits
+Excellent head shape
+Nice looks
+Great stock options
+Multiple fitting options
+Solid feel

–“Flagship” model pricing