For years, many golfers have had something of a love-hate relationship with what have commonly become known as “game-improvement” irons. Why, you ask?
The answer is simple. Golfers love the performance ability of irons that offer forgiveness on shots that aren’t struck solidly. On the flip side, however, they often hate the look of those same irons, which sometimes resemble small gardening tools more than golf clubs.
With its new M2 and M2 Tour irons, TaylorMade has set out to remedy this dilemma for players of all ages and ability levels.
“These are game-improvement irons that offer the distance and ball speeds that the average golfer needs but also have good feel and a clean look,” said Tomo Bystedt, TaylorMade’s Senior Director of Global Irons. “But we also didn’t want M2 to be just for 10 handicaps and over.”
M2 Technology
In terms of performance, TaylorMade is promising an iron that delivers high launch and maximum distance, a combination that has been achieved through advanced technology, some of which has been in the works for years.
For example, in the M2 iron, TaylorMade is utilizing its Thick-Thin Fluted Hosel design, which Bystedt said the company began refining more than four years ago. This feature removes weight from the hosel and distributes it in the lower portion of the clubhead. The result is a lower center of gravity for the M2, which creates higher launch angles and faster ball speeds.
“When it comes to our irons, there’s more technology for the average player,” said Bystedt, who has been with TaylorMade for 10 years. “For a tour player, who’s going to play a muscleback or something similar, they don’t need the technology that the average player does in an iron.”
Other technological features that can be found in both the M2 and M2 Tour irons include the 360 Undercut and Speed Pocket. The 360 Undercut removes weight from the topline to also aid in lowering the center of gravity. It also expands the unsupported area of the clubface to keep ball speeds high on off-center contact. The Speed Pocket, meanwhile, helps M2 maintain high launch angles and ball speeds for shots struck low on the face.
Additionally, in each model, TaylorMade has incorporated a Sound Management System to improve overall feel by removing unwanted vibrations.
Higher Launch, Faster Ball Speeds
It’s also worth noting that because ball speeds and launch angles are so enhanced through this technology that Taylormade is utilizing stronger lofts in the both the M2 and M2 Tour. For example, in today’s marketplace, the average pitching wedge loft would be somewhere in the 46-48 degree range. In the M2, the pitching wedge loft is 43.5 degrees, while it’s 45 degrees in the M2 Tour.
Given the stronger lofts and the higher ball speeds that the M2 creates, these irons might not be the best fit for the longest hitters, who could wind up with significant distance gaps between each iron.
“The M2 isn’t a club that we’ll put in the hands of a tour player,” Bystedt said. “It’s so long that it will create gapping problems for a tour player, who doesn’t need the distance. This club is for the player who wants more distance and the ability to hit the ball higher.”
The M2 Tour, however, would be a sound choice for a player of any ability level, even a longer hitter. It was designed to be more of a “players club” but with the forgiveness, launch attributes, and ball speeds to make the game more enjoyable.
“The M2 Tour, we like to describe as small profile, small package, big distance,” Bystedt said. “We’re actually getting a lot of requests from guys on the Champions Tour to try this iron.”
M2 and M2 Tour Review
Of course, what golfers are wondering is whether or not TaylorMade has delivered on the performance expectations it has established for the M2 and M2 Tour irons.
I was in Carlsbad, California, recently with TGW colleagues to visit the TaylorMade headquarters and explore the company’s 2016 product lines.
As part of the day’s events, I had the opportunity to demo the M2 and M2 Tour irons at Taylormade’s renowned testing and fitting center, The KIngdom.
If you’re considering a switch to the M2 or M2 Tour irons, here’s some quick feedback that might help you make a decision.
Look
There’s no question that TaylorMade has succeeded in terms of creating a cleaner look in a game-improvement iron. Yes, the M2 has a thicker topline and a longer blade than you might find in some irons, but there’s far less offset than one might expect and the iron’s darker finish gives it a more compact look. At address, the clubface frames the ball nicely and none of the mass behind the clubhead is visible.
The M2 Tour, meanwhile, is even more streamlined. The blade isn’t as long, the topline is thinner, and there’s even less offset. The dark finish makes for a sleek look, and the M2 Tour looks more like a players club than a game-improvement iron at address.
Feel
I found that the TaylorMade M2 and M2 Tour irons had distinctly different feels. With the M2, there was a discernable click, both in terms of sound and feel, on pretty much every strike, whether I found the center of the face or made contact more toward the heel or toe. The click wasn’t harsh, loud, or distracting by any means, just noticeable and consistent.
With the M2 Tour, on solidly struck shots, there was a more muted sound and feel, something more reminiscent of what I’d expect from a forged cavity back for example. On off-center hits, however, the slight click that I experienced in the M2 was noticeable. But overall, how solid the irons felt came as a pleasant surprise, at least in terms of my expectations. I also was appreciative of the fact that in a game-improvement iron I was able to get valuable feedback on shots that weren’t struck perfectly.
Performance
TaylorMade said the M2 irons would launch high and go forever, and they did just that. I was impressed with how little I had to work to launch the ball effortlessly, even with the mid- and long-irons. And while I hit these irons, through the set, very high, they didn’t balloon at all. I was hitting directly into a 10-12 MPH wind while testing and came away impressed at how stable the ball flight was. The iron distances were also extremely long, probably a club and half longer than what I’m used to in my current set. Most impressively, shots that I missed seemed to carry as far as solidly struck shots and the dispersion was tight. In fact, it was somewhat challenging to curve the ball with the M2 or knock it down. The ball simply wanted to fly long, high, and straight.
The M2 Tour was also impressive in terms of how easy it was to launch the ball high, and like the M2, the distance also was impressive, as was the overall forgiveness of the club. As mentioned previously, an off-center hit was easier to discern in terms of feel with the M2 Tour, but the overall result rarely suffered much, if at all. Additionally, however, I found that the M2 Tour had an aspect of workability that wasn’t as prevalent in the M2. I found it easy to hit a knockdown shot with M2 Tour, as well as fades and draws.
Conclusion
TaylorMade has done some quality work with the M2 and M2 Tour irons. These are player-friendly irons that will make the game more fun for a lot of golfers, but they will also prove to fit more than just high-handicap players. In fact, one of TaylorMade’s professional fitters at The Kingdom, a scratch player mind you, told me that he had just put the M2 Tours in his bag, adding that “I just couldn’t pass up the forgiveness.”
So which model might be the right choice for you? If you’re someone who’s just getting started in the game or who needs a little extra help in creating distance and height with your irons, the M2 deserves a closer look, as TaylorMade definitely succeeded in terms of what it set out to do with this product. Additionally, the forgiveness that these irons provide is impressive, and the good news is that aesthetics haven’t been completely sacrificed for performance.
In terms of the M2 Tour, this is a club that I expect will end up in the bags of players with dramatically varying profiles. A high-handicap player who values a clean look will still benefit from the technological features of the M2 Tour, while lower- and mid-handicap players will enjoy the forgiveness that these irons provide without having to sacrifice look, feel, or workability. This is a product that simply oozes versatility. As a low single-digit handicapper, I would have no qualms from a feel, look, or performance standpoint about putting the M2 Tour into play.
