Best Driver for 2017

[swaldron]

Ok, calling all you clairvoyants or people in the know

What will be the best driver for 2017?

I mean when we read reviews from Golfwrx, GolfDigest Hotlist, Golf Magazine, etc., what driver will get the highest marks?

[dcrocketman]

The best driver of 2016 the M2 didn't get the highest marks

[swaldron]

The best driver of 2016 the M2 didn't get the highest marks

Really? I thought I read nothing but great reviews about the M2 last year.

[the bishop]

oh boy, here we go....

[dcrocketman]

Sure the M2 had good reviews. Certainly wasn't considered the best driver by most revieeres. Usage and experimentation on the PGA tour indicated that it was the best driver of 2016.

 

From golf.com

BOTTOM LINE: In the right hands, with the right swing, the TaylorMade M2 driver can launch it a long way. That'll most likely be lower-handicappers, or those players after long-drive bragging rights. It's better than last year's AeroBurner, but many testers say the same thing: Pay up and try its big brother, the M1.

 

 

[Dpavs]

Any thread where I can post Scarlett Johansson and eating popcorn at the same time is a good thread....

 

 

[dcrocketman]

With that, I think it will be interesting to see what shakes out over time. The new TM, Callaway will fight out iMO for the top driver.

I do currently play a M2 with hzrdus black. But took a lot of shafts to get the M2 to perform, And as was shown when the proper combination was discovered for each player the M2 was the best driver of 2016

[tr881430]

Looking forward to seeing if the Titleist 917 D4 comes to fruition.

[swaldron]

With that, I think it will be interesting to see what shakes out over time. The new TM, Callaway will fight out iMO for the top driver.

I do currently play a M2 with hzrdus black. But took a lot of shafts to get the M2 to perform, And as was shown when the proper combination was discovered for each player the M2 was the best driver of 2016

 

Yes, I too play the M2. I found it to be pretty good until I put a Miyazaki in it, then it became the best driver for me.

[LaBraeGolfer]

For tour guys that hit the center M2 was great, for the average joe it is garbage. Ping G line was a great option for each type of player with some added forgiveness just enjoy the feel more of my G30

 

The 2017 M2 will be interesting with it's huge moi gain 4400 ish to 5000 is a huge gain. I think that Taylormade will have some success with the M2 and the average joe seems so obsessed with Taylormade that it probably still be the most talked about driver due to Taylormades marketing power. I think the Callaway Epic is going to be fantastic and there is all this hype around it in the online world, but I don't believe the average Joe is going to realize the gains due to the Jailbreak technology. I also think of Callaway from the average joes standpoint of not being innovative and your grandpas quality stuff.

 

 

I now this was extremely subjective, but just my thoughts. I am willing to admit I despise Taylormade with all that is in me, but my Spider flat out performs that is why it is in the bag.

[TollBros]

M2 was the best driver of 2016. In my segment of our test group, 9 of 15 guys play M2 as their golf course driver, and I know the other two segments are similar. And 4 more of our 15 play M1. So in my particular group, of guys that hit absolutely everything, and have access to everything, 13 of 15 play M1/M2. That tells you a lot.

 

As for 2017, every other company has a pretty big margin to make up, so I have no reason to believe M1/M2 2017 won't be the best line again this year. The only thing I feel has a chance to make up ground would be the Callaway stuff, due to past quality and performance. So far we haven't hit it, nor can anyone seem to provide any useful data about the line, so it's pure speculation on my part. So I guess until a competitor submits it, or someone just gets curious, I'm going with Taylormade.

[PreppySlapCut]

Tried everything, nothing could touch the LTD Pro. We'll see how 2017 shakes out.

[nic19]

Did not get on with the M2... AB TP for me much better!!!

I know I'm a broken record ?. .. hope the Ping offering in September is good!

[J_Birdie]

F7+ is a dark horse here.

[Sef]

The best driver of 2016 the M2 didn't get the highest marks

 

I hate when people post opinion as fact. The M2 was the best for you, fine. I got more distance and better ball speed with the M1, so for me the M1 was the best driver of 2016. Others on here say the King LTD was the best driver of the year. There is no single best driver for everyone.

 

Also, Tour usage doesn't mean much. They can set up any club to do anything the player wants. Read about the FW wood that was built for one of the guys on the Cally trip, tour players have access to a completely different level of customization.

 

I chose the M1 because it was a little heavier head and the swing weight felt better. If they offered to take an M2 and add hotmelt exactly where I wanted to get the sw and bias perfect it may have worked better for me too.

[MBBG]

I think he said M2 not because it's the best for everyone, but because it seemed to be a runaway winner for the largest portion of golfers

[Sef]

I think he said M2 not because it's the best for everyone, but because it seemed to be a runaway winner for the largest portion of golfers

 

I would guess a lot more people bought it based on buzz and the lower price point than were actually fit and found it to be their top performer. When you look at comparisons with actual fittings, such as the gear trials on this site, how many testers listed the M2 as their top performer?

 

Just testing off the rack configurations I am sure it is one of the better all around drivers, but to me the best driver can only be determined with an in depth fitting, and we all know only a small portion of the golfing population does that. If someone said "the M2 is the best otr club of 2016" I might concede that point.

[Ivyguy]

The Triton

 

 

Bwahahahaha

[EntourageLife]

The best driver of 2016 the M2 didn't get the highest marks

 

I hate when people post opinion as fact. The M2 was the best for you, fine. I got more distance and better ball speed with the M1, so for me the M1 was the best driver of 2016. Others on here say the King LTD was the best driver of the year. There is no single best driver for everyone.

 

Also, Tour usage doesn't mean much. They can set up any club to do anything the player wants. Read about the FW wood that was built for one of the guys on the Cally trip, tour players have access to a completely different level of customization.

 

I chose the M1 because it was a little heavier head and the swing weight felt better. If they offered to take an M2 and add hotmelt exactly where I wanted to get the sw and bias perfect it may have worked better for me too.

 

Huh? Tour usage means everything my friend. Everyone who wasn't getting paid to play an exact driver was swinging M2. Heck, even guys endorsing another manufacturer were playing M2 by end of year.

[Boricua Golf]

I agree that the M2 was a big hit (no pun intended) in 2016, I think the right shaft fitting would help any clubhead to performs that much better...I am hoping to get my hands on an M2 head since I love my driver shaft (Rogue Silver 125 msi 60 TX)

[kiddoc]

I agree that the M2 was a big hit (no pun intended) in 2016, I think the right shaft fitting would help any clubhead to performs that much better...I am hoping to get my hands on an M2 head since I love my driver shaft (Rogue Silver 125 msi 60 TX)

 

Just got fitted from my M1 430 with same shaft as you to the 2017 M1 460....shaft in the new head was even better than before.

[Boricua Golf]

I agree that the M2 was a big hit (no pun intended) in 2016, I think the right shaft fitting would help any clubhead to performs that much better...I am hoping to get my hands on an M2 head since I love my driver shaft (Rogue Silver 125 msi 60 TX)

 

Just got fitted from my M1 430 with same shaft as you to the 2017 M1 460....shaft in the new head was even better than before.

 

Funny, I put it on an old SLDR TP head that was sitting in the basement for over 2 years, and now it has kicked the RFX out of the bag, just yesterday we had a weather anomaly here in VA and was able to play, it is very consistent for me, nice penetrating cut with plenty of roll...

[rcain1us]

Any thread where I can post Scarlett Johansson and eating popcorn at the same time is a good thread....

 

 

 

I just wanted to post this again.

[J_Birdie]

The best driver of 2016 the M2 didn't get the highest marks

 

I hate when people post opinion as fact. The M2 was the best for you, fine. I got more distance and better ball speed with the M1, so for me the M1 was the best driver of 2016. Others on here say the King LTD was the best driver of the year. There is no single best driver for everyone.

 

Also, Tour usage doesn't mean much. They can set up any club to do anything the player wants. Read about the FW wood that was built for one of the guys on the Cally trip, tour players have access to a completely different level of customization.

 

I chose the M1 because it was a little heavier head and the swing weight felt better. If they offered to take an M2 and add hotmelt exactly where I wanted to get the sw and bias perfect it may have worked better for me too.

 

Huh? Tour usage means everything my friend. Everyone who wasn't getting paid to play an exact driver was swinging M2. Heck, even guys endorsing another manufacturer were playing M2 by end of year.

 

TaylorMade still pays out tee up money to non-staffers where others, like Cobra or Ping, don't which I assume is because they have tighter budgets but that's just my conjecture.

[chadillac65]

Krank Formula 6.5

[justwellsy]

Any thread where I can post Scarlett Johansson and eating popcorn at the same time is a good thread....

 

 

 

I just wanted to post this again.

 

Nothing like a little boob nudge to get the conversation started

[justwellsy]

The best driver of 2016 the M2 didn't get the highest marks

 

I hate when people post opinion as fact. The M2 was the best for you, fine. I got more distance and better ball speed with the M1, so for me the M1 was the best driver of 2016. Others on here say the King LTD was the best driver of the year. There is no single best driver for everyone.

 

Also, Tour usage doesn't mean much. They can set up any club to do anything the player wants. Read about the FW wood that was built for one of the guys on the Cally trip, tour players have access to a completely different level of customization.

 

I chose the M1 because it was a little heavier head and the swing weight felt better. If they offered to take an M2 and add hotmelt exactly where I wanted to get the sw and bias perfect it may have worked better for me too.

 

Huh? Tour usage means everything my friend. Everyone who wasn't getting paid to play an exact driver was swinging M2. Heck, even guys endorsing another manufacturer were playing M2 by end of year.

 

TaylorMade still pays out tee up money to non-staffers where others, like Cobra or Ping, don't which I assume is because they have tighter budgets but that's just my conjecture.

 

It probably helps that they also have the best woods on the market. A lot of top guys who are non TM staffers don't need the Tee up money, but it's an added bonus that comes along with playing the driver that's best for them.

 

about halfway through the year I had narrowed down my driver search to the following:

 

M1

M2

King LTD

G

 

These were the lowest spinning drivers of the 10+ that I tried. 2 quick notes to be fair.... I did like the XR 16 pro, but wanted to start moving away from Callaway as I've had all Callaway clubs for the past 5+ years. The only reason I had all Callaway clubs is because I had the luxury of buying them on a "pro deal" through my buddy at 40%+ off retail. I was never able to find the Sub Zero version, but from what I hear, it wouldn't have helped me a ton with my positive angle of attack. Also, I tried to like the Ping G LS Tec, but in the end the G just spun less.

 

Fast forward about a month and I had eliminated the LTD Pro and G. The G just didn't suit my eye and the LTD Pro was less forgiving for me.

 

Fast forward another 2 months going back and forth with the M1 and M2. I was within minutes of buying an M1 until someone urged me to hit the M1 430. Now I was back to 3 drivers to consider. Here is how they stacked up for me...

 

Distance:

1. M1 430

2. M1 460

3. M2

 

Forgiveness:

1. M2

2. M1 460

3. M1 430

 

Workability:

1. M1 430

2. M2

3. M1 460

 

Feel:

1. M2

2. M1 430

3. M1 460

 

Overall:

1. M2

2. M1 430

3. M1 460

 

I ended up buying the M2, but was so long with the M1 430. In the end I decided that for the first time in my life I would choose forgiveness and consistency over distance. Don't get me wrong, I still hit the M2 plenty far, but I know I'm giving up 10+ yards over the M1 430. In fact, I'd have the M1 430 in my bag right now had my bad misses not been so bad. The bad misses were few, but they were catastrophic. I didn't have any misses like that with the M2 and that's what made the difference.

 

This year I think I'll stick with my 2016 M2, but will only be interested in hitting 3 drivers... M1 440, M2, and GBB Epic. I don't think anything will pry me away from my 2016 M2, but you all know I've got to try what's new because I've got the sickness that most of us have!

[mintonma]

I've been loving the 917 D2 so far.

[DBill]

Hammer X Time in 2017. BOOOOOOM! POOOOOWWWWWW!

 

I mean, if you COULD drive it 473, why wouldn't you? I love going driver, sand wedge into a 580 yard par 5.

 

You guys are doing this all wrong.

[The Chicken Connoisseur]

I'd say the driver that has the low spin of M1, the forgiveness of M2, and better sound and feel than anything on the market was the best driver of 2016. Who can guess which that is?

 

2017 will be interesting tho. Both M drivers are more forgiving. Callaway has made their first true low/back CG head after going to composite crowns. I don't know much about the F7+ but I would guess it's quite similar to the Epic.