MEMBER TESTING: 2017 TaylorMade M1 Driver Reviews

[davo32683]

Did you notice any difference in sound/feel with those weight chips?

 

I think they made it feel a little softer. That was probably due to better contact with a proper swing weight for me though.

[Milez28]

Here is my review I made of the 440 during a fitting.

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1431584-the-m1-440-is-long-and-forgiving-im-impressed/

[KK44]

Well, order is in. 10.5 440 with tp6x

 

I'm interested to hear your thoughts on that combo as I have the 460 head.

 

I was able to get out again and play today. I'm liking this combo more and more. I have the high/low weight all the way forward now and I think it's helping my spin and launch. I was hitting a baby fade when I got it dialed in. It was pretty long for me. I've been using Game Golf to track my yardages so it's been good to see some real distance data at least.

 

The best thing about this head has to be the forgiveness. It keeps you close to the fairway when you don't square it up and you don't lose much distance either.

 

At first I didn't know if it would be better than the GBB but as I get more used to it, it seems like it's starting to separate itself.

[JStang]

I had some time to waste yesterday so I went to Golf Galaxy. I really wanted to try the stock Hzrdus shaft and saw some pretty good results. It may launch a degree or two too low but that's more me than the shaft as I hit a few that launched in the 12-14 range which is perfect for me. I really need to focus on a good spine tilt at address and sometimes I get a little lazy.

 

My swing speed was in the 110-113 range and i was consistently getting ball speeds around 160 with a predictable draw. It was good to get this club on a launch monitor before I have a Trackman fitting in a couple of weeks. Toe strikes spun really low but still traveled a decent distance.

[KK44]

I had some time to waste yesterday so I went to Golf Galaxy. I really wanted to try the stock Hzrdus shaft and saw some pretty good results. It may launch a degree or two too low but that's more me than the shaft as I hit a few that launched in the 12-14 range which is perfect for me. I really need to focus on a good spine tilt at address and sometimes I get a little lazy.

 

My swing speed was in the 110-113 range and i was consistently getting ball speeds around 160 with a predictable draw. It was good to get this club on a launch monitor before I have a Trackman fitting in a couple of weeks. Toe strikes spun really low but still traveled a decent distance.

 

What do you think about the Fuji so far?

[JStang]

I had some time to waste yesterday so I went to Golf Galaxy. I really wanted to try the stock Hzrdus shaft and saw some pretty good results. It may launch a degree or two too low but that's more me than the shaft as I hit a few that launched in the 12-14 range which is perfect for me. I really need to focus on a good spine tilt at address and sometimes I get a little lazy.

 

My swing speed was in the 110-113 range and i was consistently getting ball speeds around 160 with a predictable draw. It was good to get this club on a launch monitor before I have a Trackman fitting in a couple of weeks. Toe strikes spun really low but still traveled a decent distance.

 

What do you think about the Fuji so far?

 

I only have 18 holes with it so far and a few range sessions. I was swinging it awful over those 18 holes so I can't give a fair review on it yet. I am playing this afternoon and will get some on course numbers and let you know my thoughts.

[FOOTJOY16]

Really liking these discussions. I picked up the M1 440 with the stock Hzrdus yellow. I have not even hit it, yet. I also have a GD-TP on the way. Curious to see how it performs.

 

Thanks to everyone that is contributing to this topic.

[tnord]

it'll crack 60 this weekend after the cold snap the past few days. i'll have some more input for sure.

[Homerun2Birdie]

I have found that centered shots on the 440 just seem to go for ever. I've always been a really high ball hitter - Never had a big problem with spin, but due to the height I've never really experienced much roll out if any. I am noticing a much flatter trajectory and penetrating flight, and a TREMENDOUS amount of roll. As a whole the total distance is a massive improvement for me due to the roll out I am experiencing.

[tnord]

I have found that centered shots on the 440 just seem to go for ever. I've always been a really high ball hitter - Never had a big problem with spin, but due to the height I've never really experienced much roll out if any. I am noticing a much flatter trajectory and penetrating flight, and a TREMENDOUS amount of roll. As a whole the total distance is a massive improvement for me due to the roll out I am experiencing.

 

i've put a couple drives into places i've never been, but i've been hesitant to draw any conclusions from cold, windy, dry conditions in the winter.

[Lemonde]

Really liking these discussions. I picked up the M1 440 with the stock Hzrdus yellow. I have not even hit it, yet. I also have a GD-TP on the way. Curious to see how it performs.

 

Thanks to everyone that is contributing to this topic.

 

Well, it's either the tp or the gp to try in this head. I've ruled out the rip i/o as this is too low spinning a head. The gp remains an option. But I think I made the right decision on a slightly higher launching shaft - until I get it and hit it of. Course lol! The gp 6x bend profile is just short of being an anti hook shaft which the gp7s is per the Maltby Playability Factor on golfworks so remains an option. And to think just a few years ago I had a rip phenom nl tx 60'gram in a Tm sldr 430 and had excellent launch. I believe the last two years have been game changers from a low spin driver perspective.

[FOOTJOY16]

Really liking these discussions. I picked up the M1 440 with the stock Hzrdus yellow. I have not even hit it, yet. I also have a GD-TP on the way. Curious to see how it performs.

 

Thanks to everyone that is contributing to this topic.

 

Well, it's either the tp or the gp to try in this head. I've ruled out the rip i/o as this is too low spinning a head. The gp remains an option. But I think I made the right decision on a slightly higher launching shaft - until I get it and hit it of. Course lol! The gp 6x bend profile is just short of being an anti hook shaft which the gp7s is per the Maltby Playability Factor on golfworks so remains an option. And to think just a few years ago I had a rip phenom nl tx 60'gram in a Tm sldr 430 and had excellent launch. I believe the last two years have been game changers from a low spin driver perspective.

 

Thanks.. I'm familiar with the GPx... playing it in my D4... I'm hoping I made the right choice with the TP in the M1....

[JStang]

After 36 holes with my 2017 M1 I can honestly say that this club hasnt been any longer than my 917 D3 and I might even go out on a limb and say it has been a few yards shorter. I did hit a lot of fairways today but it hasn't been longer which I had hoped for. Maybe this isn't the the right shaft for me and I will find that out in a couple of weeks after my Trackman fitting. If I can even get this equal to the 917 I will bag it because I prefer the looks of the club over the 917. I will check back in after my Trackman fitting. I do have a pretty high end shaft in the KK Dual TiNi TX in the 917 so maybe this shaft would bring the best out of the M1 as well.

 

The hoe in me picked up a Tensei Blue Pro TX shaft fot the M1 to see if it can improve numbers. I should have it next week.

[Z1ggy16]

Sorry it's taken me so long to post my initial thoughts - I've been on travel for work until yesterday since Jan 23rd. This is going to be an on going review as I feel like hitting just a few shots indoors is not enough to give a club a solid chance to perform.

 

About me: 28years old, played baseball my entire life and started golfing when I was 11. Quit after about 2-3 years because it was quite expensive for my parents and I wanted to focus on baseball more. Fast forward to 2 years ago and I was finally financially secure enough to play again.

Current driver: Picked up a Fly-Z last year and loved it. The only issue I have with it is that it's an absolute spinning machine. I simply swing too fast to keep this ball below decent heights & spins well into the 3000's when I hit indoors. When I catch it a bit higher on the face though i can get the spin down to about 2600, but that's still a little high. Shaft plays a part, but I don't really like the feel of total boards.. I need a little bit of play (more to come on that).

 

My M1 Set up: So as I said above, I do need a bit of a stiffer tip in the shaft, but still like having some "feel". I've swung the HC HZRDUS Black and felt that profile was too stout. I swung a black tie in a chain store and liked it. So I got the 460cc head in 9.5* with a 60M4 Black Tie XS.

Comments on Set up: Well, a few things may have happened, but for whatever reason I'm not loving this shaft. It feels pretty stiff from tip to butt which is odd because the black tie I tried in Golf Galaxy felt incredible. It was the 70M4 XS and I was getting awesome numbers with it using an old M2. Potentially this shaft in store was not a "true" black tie and was a "made for" version, or maybe my shaft was tipped a bit, even though I did not ask for any. Regardless, I think TM needs to get me another shaft with a touch less torque or tip stiffness so I can get better strikes. This is a work in progress still. I'm not going to bombard you with pics of the driver itself as plenty of the posters above me have done so. I think ya'll know what it looks like by now.

 

Data from my current driver:

This is how she looks at address

The Fly Z has a bit more offset than the M1, and seems to have almost a closed face when soled. I kind of like this as it gives me confidence knowing that fades won't turn into slices.

 

Generally speaking on a normal day on the course, I tend to roll out to about 260-270. Every now and then I get a tailwind or harder fairway and I have been able to get this driver to get me over 300 yards a few times, so despite the monitor data, the spin can be managed.

 

Here are a few shots I took recently on a monitor at my local range:

As you can see, this puppy gets the ball high. I suspect if I take out the red strike, peak height and spin would come down a bit. Still high though.

 

Thoughts on M1:

Feel - Much more muted and solid feeling than the Fly Z, there's no doubt about it. SW is also a tad heavier feeling, although that's not a good or bad thing for me. Very close to the sound and feel of the Epic actually.

Looks - Very cool looking and easy to frame the ball. I love the contrast between the black face and the white crown & I like how they made that section smaller as well. It sets up very neutral to the eye, which took some getting used to I must admit, but I think better players will prefer this, especially ones who tend to hook. I don't know the measurements, but based on how it's framed I still think this is going to be one of the more open faced drivers this year.

Forgiveness - Pretty good here. On mishits by ball speed doesn't dive too far down, but overall I wasn't super impressed by the speeds I was getting to begin with.

 

Data from the M1:

Hit 10 shots today, took out 4 of the worst ones. This is the result:

 

As you can see, spin has dropped 400rpm, and launch has dropped a whopping 5 degrees. This was in all neutral weighing and lie, which is probably why my shot is now a fade with this head, coupled with the shaft that I "feel" is a bit too stout. Also ball speed went up 3mph, but that's not a massive difference. Total distance also only went up 2 yards which is basically negligible, although I suspect in the real world this would prove to get me a few more yards due to the lower spin.

 

I also played 18 on St Andrews using the software. Shot an 86, with longest drive being 275, average drive of 260 and 40% fairways hit. I actually had impact tape on, which showed all of my strikes being about 1/8'' heel side of center, and about 1/4'' high of center. So my efficiency is still suffering a little bit due to strike location. I just can't seem to find the sweet spot yet.

 

Edit 2: Now data from 2nd shaft which is a Rogue Silver 70S trimmed to play at 44.5''

Okay here is data now from my 2nd shaft in this club:

 

So oddly enough these are about equivalent results from the Black Tie. Efficiency is actually better here which I attribute to the shaft entirely, with it feeling more like what I need and having a little bit more feel than the extremely stout 60M4. Also, I like the slight draw bias I was able to promote here instead of more of a fade in the Black Tie. This data would indicate I am striking the ball low and potentially toe-y on most hits... But from my ball strike tape this is not true. Most hits are actually a touch heel side of center, and also a tad high of center. I almost never hit the ball toe side which is something I'm actually working on, since it seems most modern drivers love to be hit a little high and toe-y.

 

I may do ONE last shaft in the M1 if I can get a good deal on ebay. I'm going to try it with more of a mid/mid condition shaft like a blueboard, etc. Regardless, I do plan on keeping this driver at least for a few rounds of 2017. I really don't trust simulators simply based on real numbers I've gotten out of the Fly Z in the past compared to the results I get indoors. I think this is a great sounding and great looking head, but it really does need the right shaft (for me) get the ball flight desired. If I can get M1 to get consistently longer (or more accurate) off the tee in real rounds, it will stay in the bag. Otherwise I may end up just keeping the Fly Z in play and put my money toward new wedges or a putter this year.

[JStang]

Sorry it's taken me so long to post my initial thoughts - I've been on travel for work until yesterday since Jan 23rd. This is going to be an on going review as I feel like hitting just a few shots indoors is not enough to give a club a solid chance to perform.

 

About me: 28years old, played baseball my entire life and started golfing when I was 11. Quit after about 2-3 years because it was quite expensive for my parents and I wanted to focus on baseball more. Fast forward to 2 years ago and I was finally financially secure enough to play again.

Current driver: Picked up a Fly-Z last year and loved it. The only issue I have with it is that it's an absolute spinning machine. I simply swing too fast to keep this ball below decent heights & spins well into the 3000's when I hit indoors. When I catch it a bit higher on the face though i can get the spin down to about 2600, but that's still a little high. Shaft plays a part, but I don't really like the feel of total boards.. I need a little bit of play (more to come on that).

 

My M1 Set up: So as I said above, I do need a bit of a stiffer tip in the shaft, but still like having some "feel". I've swung the HC HZRDUS Black and felt that profile was too stout. I swung a black tie in a chain store and liked it. So I got the 460cc head in 9.5* with a 60M4 Black Tie XS.

Comments on Set up: Well, a few things may have happened, but for whatever reason I'm not loving this shaft. It feels pretty stiff from tip to butt which is odd because the black tie I tried in Golf Galaxy felt incredible. It was the 70M4 XS and I was getting awesome numbers with it using an old M2. Potentially this shaft in store was not a "true" black tie and was a "made for" version, or maybe my shaft was tipped a bit, even though I did not ask for any. Regardless, I think TM needs to get me another shaft with a touch less torque or tip stiffness so I can get better strikes. This is a work in progress still. I'm not going to bombard you with pics of the driver itself as plenty of the posters above me have done so. I think ya'll know what it looks like by now.

 

Data from my current driver:

This is how she looks at address

The Fly Z has a bit more offset than the M1, and seems to have almost a closed face when soled. I kind of like this as it gives me confidence knowing that fades won't turn into slices.

 

Generally speaking on a normal day on the course, I tend to roll out to about 260-270. Every now and then I get a tailwind or harder fairway and I have been able to get this driver to get me over 300 yards a few times, so despite the monitor data, the spin can be managed.

 

Here are a few shots I took recently on a monitor at my local range:

As you can see, this puppy gets the ball high. I suspect if I take out the red strike, peak height and spin would come down a bit. Still high though.

 

Thoughts on M1:

Feel - Much more muted and solid feeling than the Fly Z, there's no doubt about it. SW is also a tad heavier feeling, although that's not a good or bad thing for me. Very close to the sound and feel of the Epic actually.

Looks - Very cool looking and easy to frame the ball. I love the contrast between the black face and the white crown & I like how they made that section smaller as well. It sets up very neutral to the eye, which took some getting used to I must admit, but I think better players will prefer this, especially ones who tend to hook. I don't know the measurements, but based on how it's framed I still think this is going to be one of the more open faced drivers this year.

Forgiveness - Pretty good here. On mishits by ball speed doesn't dive too far down, but overall I wasn't super impressed by the speeds I was getting to begin with.

 

Data from the M1:

Work in progress still. I have hit this club but I feel that because this shaft isn't an awesome fit, I'm not getting "true" numbers. The Chrome Elements shaft I have in the Fly Z Is more of a mid/mid shaft and for my swing speed is likely some of the reason for the high flight and spin. I am working on getting a new shaft from TMag which I would like to get in the 70g range, but with a stiff flex to retain some of that "feel" I like. I'm going to get to the range tomorrow to get more data, then post that after I remove a handful of outliers.

 

Overall though I will say, M1 has definitely brought my spin and launch down some. I hit it to today with the stock HZRDUS yellow in 65S and was getting good numbers. Had a few roll out to 285 which I never see on monitors with the Fly Z. I'm not surprised I like this shaft, as it's very similar to the Elements Chrome in terms of feel. It's a bit more tip stiff, but still has enough feel to it for me. However, I would like to try out a slightly heavier shaft as I tend to keep spins down even more. For my usual swing speed and AoA, I would like to see myself right around 2300 RPM, but even 2500 would be ok.

 

Short list of shafts hopefully TM could send:

Kiyoshi Black 65

AD-BB 7

Rogue Silver 70

 

Will report back soon! Thanks.

 

I hope you aren't expecting TM to send you a different shaft in hopes that it will work for you. They've already sent you a $500 driver for nothing so IMO, it's up to you to find a better shaft fit.

[Z1ggy16]

^ They told me if I returned to them the first shaft, they'd send me another. Just waiting for confirmation on that from the rep.

[JStang]

^ They told me if I returned to them the first shaft, they'd send me another. Just waiting for confirmation on that from the rep.

 

That's really cool of them!

[JStang]

Sorry it's taken me so long to post my initial thoughts - I've been on travel for work until yesterday since Jan 23rd. This is going to be an on going review as I feel like hitting just a few shots indoors is not enough to give a club a solid chance to perform.

 

About me: 28years old, played baseball my entire life and started golfing when I was 11. Quit after about 2-3 years because it was quite expensive for my parents and I wanted to focus on baseball more. Fast forward to 2 years ago and I was finally financially secure enough to play again.

Current driver: Picked up a Fly-Z last year and loved it. The only issue I have with it is that it's an absolute spinning machine. I simply swing too fast to keep this ball below decent heights & spins well into the 3000's when I hit indoors. When I catch it a bit higher on the face though i can get the spin down to about 2600, but that's still a little high. Shaft plays a part, but I don't really like the feel of total boards.. I need a little bit of play (more to come on that).

 

My M1 Set up: So as I said above, I do need a bit of a stiffer tip in the shaft, but still like having some "feel". I've swung the HC HZRDUS Black and felt that profile was too stout. I swung a black tie in a chain store and liked it. So I got the 460cc head in 9.5* with a 60M4 Black Tie XS.

Comments on Set up: Well, a few things may have happened, but for whatever reason I'm not loving this shaft. It feels pretty stiff from tip to butt which is odd because the black tie I tried in Golf Galaxy felt incredible. It was the 70M4 XS and I was getting awesome numbers with it using an old M2. Potentially this shaft in store was not a "true" black tie and was a "made for" version, or maybe my shaft was tipped a bit, even though I did not ask for any. Regardless, I think TM needs to get me another shaft with a touch less torque or tip stiffness so I can get better strikes. This is a work in progress still. I'm not going to bombard you with pics of the driver itself as plenty of the posters above me have done so. I think ya'll know what it looks like by now.

 

Data from my current driver:

This is how she looks at address

The Fly Z has a bit more offset than the M1, and seems to have almost a closed face when soled. I kind of like this as it gives me confidence knowing that fades won't turn into slices.

 

Generally speaking on a normal day on the course, I tend to roll out to about 260-270. Every now and then I get a tailwind or harder fairway and I have been able to get this driver to get me over 300 yards a few times, so despite the monitor data, the spin can be managed.

 

Here are a few shots I took recently on a monitor at my local range:

As you can see, this puppy gets the ball high. I suspect if I take out the red strike, peak height and spin would come down a bit. Still high though.

 

Thoughts on M1:

Feel - Much more muted and solid feeling than the Fly Z, there's no doubt about it. SW is also a tad heavier feeling, although that's not a good or bad thing for me. Very close to the sound and feel of the Epic actually.

Looks - Very cool looking and easy to frame the ball. I love the contrast between the black face and the white crown & I like how they made that section smaller as well. It sets up very neutral to the eye, which took some getting used to I must admit, but I think better players will prefer this, especially ones who tend to hook. I don't know the measurements, but based on how it's framed I still think this is going to be one of the more open faced drivers this year.

Forgiveness - Pretty good here. On mishits by ball speed doesn't dive too far down, but overall I wasn't super impressed by the speeds I was getting to begin with.

 

Data from the M1:

Work in progress still. I have hit this club but I feel that because this shaft isn't an awesome fit, I'm not getting "true" numbers. The Chrome Elements shaft I have in the Fly Z Is more of a mid/mid shaft and for my swing speed is likely some of the reason for the high flight and spin. I am working on getting a new shaft from TMag which I would like to get in the 70g range, but with a stiff flex to retain some of that "feel" I like. I'm going to get to the range tomorrow to get more data, then post that after I remove a handful of outliers.

 

Overall though I will say, M1 has definitely brought my spin and launch down some. I hit it to today with the stock HZRDUS yellow in 65S and was getting good numbers. Had a few roll out to 285 which I never see on monitors with the Fly Z. I'm not surprised I like this shaft, as it's very similar to the Elements Chrome in terms of feel. It's a bit more tip stiff, but still has enough feel to it for me. However, I would like to try out a slightly heavier shaft as I tend to keep spins down even more. For my usual swing speed and AoA, I would like to see myself right around 2300 RPM, but even 2500 would be ok.

 

Short list of shafts hopefully TM could send:

Kiyoshi Black 65

AD-BB 7

Rogue Silver 70

 

Will report back soon! Thanks.

Sorry it's taken me so long to post my initial thoughts - I've been on travel for work until yesterday since Jan 23rd. This is going to be an on going review as I feel like hitting just a few shots indoors is not enough to give a club a solid chance to perform.

 

About me: 28years old, played baseball my entire life and started golfing when I was 11. Quit after about 2-3 years because it was quite expensive for my parents and I wanted to focus on baseball more. Fast forward to 2 years ago and I was finally financially secure enough to play again.

Current driver: Picked up a Fly-Z last year and loved it. The only issue I have with it is that it's an absolute spinning machine. I simply swing too fast to keep this ball below decent heights & spins well into the 3000's when I hit indoors. When I catch it a bit higher on the face though i can get the spin down to about 2600, but that's still a little high. Shaft plays a part, but I don't really like the feel of total boards.. I need a little bit of play (more to come on that).

 

My M1 Set up: So as I said above, I do need a bit of a stiffer tip in the shaft, but still like having some "feel". I've swung the HC HZRDUS Black and felt that profile was too stout. I swung a black tie in a chain store and liked it. So I got the 460cc head in 9.5* with a 60M4 Black Tie XS.

Comments on Set up: Well, a few things may have happened, but for whatever reason I'm not loving this shaft. It feels pretty stiff from tip to butt which is odd because the black tie I tried in Golf Galaxy felt incredible. It was the 70M4 XS and I was getting awesome numbers with it using an old M2. Potentially this shaft in store was not a "true" black tie and was a "made for" version, or maybe my shaft was tipped a bit, even though I did not ask for any. Regardless, I think TM needs to get me another shaft with a touch less torque or tip stiffness so I can get better strikes. This is a work in progress still. I'm not going to bombard you with pics of the driver itself as plenty of the posters above me have done so. I think ya'll know what it looks like by now.

 

Data from my current driver:

This is how she looks at address

The Fly Z has a bit more offset than the M1, and seems to have almost a closed face when soled. I kind of like this as it gives me confidence knowing that fades won't turn into slices.

 

Generally speaking on a normal day on the course, I tend to roll out to about 260-270. Every now and then I get a tailwind or harder fairway and I have been able to get this driver to get me over 300 yards a few times, so despite the monitor data, the spin can be managed.

 

Here are a few shots I took recently on a monitor at my local range:

As you can see, this puppy gets the ball high. I suspect if I take out the red strike, peak height and spin would come down a bit. Still high though.

 

Thoughts on M1:

Feel - Much more muted and solid feeling than the Fly Z, there's no doubt about it. SW is also a tad heavier feeling, although that's not a good or bad thing for me. Very close to the sound and feel of the Epic actually.

Looks - Very cool looking and easy to frame the ball. I love the contrast between the black face and the white crown & I like how they made that section smaller as well. It sets up very neutral to the eye, which took some getting used to I must admit, but I think better players will prefer this, especially ones who tend to hook. I don't know the measurements, but based on how it's framed I still think this is going to be one of the more open faced drivers this year.

Forgiveness - Pretty good here. On mishits by ball speed doesn't dive too far down, but overall I wasn't super impressed by the speeds I was getting to begin with.

 

Data from the M1:

Work in progress still. I have hit this club but I feel that because this shaft isn't an awesome fit, I'm not getting "true" numbers. The Chrome Elements shaft I have in the Fly Z Is more of a mid/mid shaft and for my swing speed is likely some of the reason for the high flight and spin. I am working on getting a new shaft from TMag which I would like to get in the 70g range, but with a stiff flex to retain some of that "feel" I like. I'm going to get to the range tomorrow to get more data, then post that after I remove a handful of outliers.

 

Overall though I will say, M1 has definitely brought my spin and launch down some. I hit it to today with the stock HZRDUS yellow in 65S and was getting good numbers. Had a few roll out to 285 which I never see on monitors with the Fly Z. I'm not surprised I like this shaft, as it's very similar to the Elements Chrome in terms of feel. It's a bit more tip stiff, but still has enough feel to it for me. However, I would like to try out a slightly heavier shaft as I tend to keep spins down even more. For my usual swing speed and AoA, I would like to see myself right around 2300 RPM, but even 2500 would be ok.

 

Short list of shafts hopefully TM could send:

Kiyoshi Black 65

AD-BB 7

Rogue Silver 70

 

Will report back soon! Thanks.

 

Also, if your swing speed is 113 your distance should be closer to the 290 range. Your smash of 1.35 shows that you aren't finding the sweet spot. Ideal ball speed for a 113 mph swing is 169.5 at the highest achievable smash of 1.5.

[chickenpotpie]

I use this brand of simulator (aboutgolf) from time to time, and I don't put much faith in its measurement of club head speed. I trust the ball speed though...I get similar numbers on a GC2.

[JStang]

I use this brand of simulator (aboutgolf) from time to time, and I don't put much faith in its measurement of club head speed. I trust the ball speed though...I get similar numbers on a GC2.

 

That's what I dislike about simulators. GC2 reads too long. I bet that I hit 10 drives at Golf Galaxy yesterday that registered over 315. On course today, my longest was 292 which I am fine with.

 

It's all about what numbers you get on the course.

[Z1ggy16]

I use this brand of simulator (aboutgolf) from time to time, and I don't put much faith in its measurement of club head speed. I trust the ball speed though...I get similar numbers on a GC2.

 

That's what I dislike about simulators. GC2 reads too long. I bet that I hit 10 drives at Golf Galaxy yesterday that registered over 315. On course today, my longest was 292 which I am fine with.

 

It's all about what numbers you get on the course.

Right, GG presets smash to 1.45 for driver which is pretty stupid. I'm not sure exactly what system they use.. But I never use LM data as a end all be all. It's just a starting point, especially when comparing 2 clubs side by side. Of course real world golf shots on course 100% out weight any LM data.

 

FWIW I just went on flightscope's website and input my numbers from the photo above of my current gamer. It output a carry of 257 and a total distance 275. Peak height was lower which I assume is why I got more run out... However total distance is close still. My strikes do tend to be a bit heel-y and sometimes can be low which kills my smash. I've been trying to find a good instructor to help me get my strikes more middle, but that's been a fail so far. Basically to get half way decent carry I've been relying on having a higher swing speed.

 

I've put some strike tape on my M1 and 80% of the shots are middle to heel side.. nothing toe-y which I know just slightly toe and high of center seems to be the sweet spot now a days.

[Homerun2Birdie]

After 36 holes with my 2017 M1 I can honestly say that this club hasnt been any longer than my 917 D3 and I might even go out on a limb and say it has been a few yards shorter. I did hit a lot of fairways today but it hasn't been longer which I had hoped for. Maybe this isn't the the right shaft for me and I will find that out in a couple of weeks after my Trackman fitting. If I can even get this equal to the 917 I will bag it because I prefer the looks of the club over the 917. I will check back in after my Trackman fitting. I do have a pretty high end shaft in the KK Dual TiNi TX in the 917 so maybe this shaft would bring the best out of the M1 as well.

 

The hoe in me picked up a Tensei Blue Pro TX shaft fot the M1 to see if it can improve numbers. I should have it next week.

This is pretty interesting, most people have found the 917 to be on the shorter end compared to this years drivers. Are your spin numbers with the M1 no bueno or something? Keep us posted on if the shaft change helps at all.

 

Just goes to show there's never a one size fits all golf club - What's best for someone else doesn't mean it's going to be best for yourself.

[JStang]

After 36 holes with my 2017 M1 I can honestly say that this club hasnt been any longer than my 917 D3 and I might even go out on a limb and say it has been a few yards shorter. I did hit a lot of fairways today but it hasn't been longer which I had hoped for. Maybe this isn't the the right shaft for me and I will find that out in a couple of weeks after my Trackman fitting. If I can even get this equal to the 917 I will bag it because I prefer the looks of the club over the 917. I will check back in after my Trackman fitting. I do have a pretty high end shaft in the KK Dual TiNi TX in the 917 so maybe this shaft would bring the best out of the M1 as well.

 

The hoe in me picked up a Tensei Blue Pro TX shaft fot the M1 to see if it can improve numbers. I should have it next week.

This is pretty interesting, most people have found the 917 to be on the shorter end compared to this years drivers. Are your spin numbers with the M1 no bueno or something? Keep us posted on if the shaft change helps at all.

 

Just goes to show there's never a one size fits all golf club - What's best for someone else doesn't mean it's going to be best for yourself.

 

I don't see any sign of excessive spin on course but I won't know until I get on a launch monitor. The KK that is in my 917 D3 is known as a very low spinning shaft since it is the TX version. I'm not going to bail on it until I give it a fair chance during a proper fitting.

[J13]

Congrats and great info! 2016 M2 was a hit for me I look forward to trying the new stuff more when I get time and nice weather!

[JStang]

I use this brand of simulator (aboutgolf) from time to time, and I don't put much faith in its measurement of club head speed. I trust the ball speed though...I get similar numbers on a GC2.

 

That's what I dislike about simulators. GC2 reads too long. I bet that I hit 10 drives at Golf Galaxy yesterday that registered over 315. On course today, my longest was 292 which I am fine with.

 

It's all about what numbers you get on the course.

Right, GG presets smash to 1.45 for driver which is pretty stupid. I'm not sure exactly what system they use.. But I never use LM data as a end all be all. It's just a starting point, especially when comparing 2 clubs side by side. Of course real world golf shots on course 100% out weight any LM data.

 

FWIW I just went on flightscope's website and input my numbers from the photo above of my current gamer. It output a carry of 257 and a total distance 275. Peak height was lower which I assume is why I got more run out... However total distance is close still. My strikes do tend to be a bit heel-y and sometimes can be low which kills my smash. I've been trying to find a good instructor to help me get my strikes more middle, but that's been a fail so far. Basically to get half way decent carry I've been relying on having a higher swing speed.

 

I've put some strike tape on my M1 and 80% of the shots are middle to heel side.. nothing toe-y which I know just slightly toe and high of center seems to be the sweet spot now a days.

 

Sounds like a shorter driver might work well for you and bring those heel strikes to center.

[English13]

Just got my M1 2017 and I am quietly impressed. Have been having lessons all winter and thought i would splash out on a new Driver. Had the M2 last year and certainly i am longer with the M1 by about 20 yards. The ball just seems to explode off the face and when you only hit it 250 20 yards it makes a massive difference. I have not had time to mess about with the weights and really dial it in to my new swing. That's what i think is great, it appears to be as forgiving as last years M2 with the ability to change flight etc that with last years M2 you could not.

So far great, really looking forward to this season armed with this great driver.....

[Z1ggy16]

I use this brand of simulator (aboutgolf) from time to time, and I don't put much faith in its measurement of club head speed. I trust the ball speed though...I get similar numbers on a GC2.

 

That's what I dislike about simulators. GC2 reads too long. I bet that I hit 10 drives at Golf Galaxy yesterday that registered over 315. On course today, my longest was 292 which I am fine with.

 

It's all about what numbers you get on the course.

Right, GG presets smash to 1.45 for driver which is pretty stupid. I'm not sure exactly what system they use.. But I never use LM data as a end all be all. It's just a starting point, especially when comparing 2 clubs side by side. Of course real world golf shots on course 100% out weight any LM data.

 

FWIW I just went on flightscope's website and input my numbers from the photo above of my current gamer. It output a carry of 257 and a total distance 275. Peak height was lower which I assume is why I got more run out... However total distance is close still. My strikes do tend to be a bit heel-y and sometimes can be low which kills my smash. I've been trying to find a good instructor to help me get my strikes more middle, but that's been a fail so far. Basically to get half way decent carry I've been relying on having a higher swing speed.

 

I've put some strike tape on my M1 and 80% of the shots are middle to heel side.. nothing toe-y which I know just slightly toe and high of center seems to be the sweet spot now a days.

 

Sounds like a shorter driver might work well for you and bring those heel strikes to center.

Yeah I ordered mine to play at 44.5 I believe but I didn't measure. I'm heading back to the range shortly and I'm going to choke up a touch to see if it helps.

[Z1ggy16]

Edit, my original post #164 has been updated with data for M1.

[MYounginer]

These seem to benefit from hitting slightly higher on the face than most. Like the '16 model, gonna be hard to beat

[IvanDrago]

couldnt get this years M1 to beat last years M2, tried 5 different shafts, weights in all positions and it was consistently 5-10 yards behind. oh well, hopefully the epic will live up to the hype