TaylorMade M5 Driver Review
Anytime you are considering buying a new golf club it must be better than what is in your bag or give you more options around the golf course. For players that have never been fit for their driver, the M5 is the ultimate tool for shot customization and distance. The M5 gives players more speed and more forgiveness due to the injection of Twist Face. Golfers looking for a new driver in the low spin category will love the shape, sound, and customized performance of the M5.
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TaylorMade continues to push the boundaries of metal performance. This year, it has given every golfer tour-inspired treatment. The new M5 driver is first built beyond the tolerances of legal competition but is then injected with speed reducing resin to make each club conform at the very limit allowed. By constructing a golf club that brings golfers to the boundaries of playability TaylorMade is making everyone faster while giving golfers more adjustability and the best performing driver ever.
Key Features
- Players get specialized performance because every M5 driver head is individually speed tested to ensure maximum ball speeds across the entire face.
- Twist Face has been retained to help golfers find more accuracy with heel and toe strikes.
- The inverse T-track on the M5 driver gives players more adjustability and shot shaping control for an optimized spin and trajectory.
TaylorMade M5 Driver Detailed Review
Design and Technology
The TaylorMade M5 is designed with Twist Face, Hammerhead 2.0, and a multi-material carbon head to bring golfers more speed. On Tour each driver is meticulously tested to ensure that each club is near the legal limit without be deemed nonconforming. TaylorMade has brought this hand-picked selection to the entire driver line by taking each club head past the legal tolerances and then dialing speed back with its injectable resin technology.
The M5 driver is the ultimate tool in dialing in player preferences and shot shapes. The inverse T-track is great for giving players of all abilities and swing speeds the perfect amount of backspin and sidespin for longer, straighter drives. The adjustable loft sleeve helps players control launch and get their ideal ball flights. The contrasting crown of silver and carbon-black make the M5 driver easy to align behind the golf ball and fill the player with confidence.
My first impression of the M5 during my fitting experience was how great it felt and sounded. TaylorMade excels in making golf clubs that go a long way and are a pleasure to hit. I have always loved the advanced adjustability to dial in spin rates and my shape of shot preference. Another piece that goes unnoticed with the M5 is the ability to precisely dial in player swing weight as the sliding weights are freely interchangeable. Overall, I thought the M5 to be an outstanding driver and one of TaylorMade’s best ever.
During my fitting, I was hitting the M5 in a 10.5-degree head opened down to 9.25 degrees. Lofting the driver down helps me to eliminate my miss of overdraws and gives me a greater affinity for hitting the golf ball in the middle and upper part of the club face. I was fit into a familiar shaft with the M5, my gamer Tensei CK Pro Orange in 70TX. This is a shaft that I am very comfortable with and it makes a great companion for this low spin, high launching driver.
Anytime you are considering buying a new golf club it must be better than what is in your bag or give you more options around the golf course. For players that have never been fit for their driver, the M5 is the ultimate tool for shot customization and distance. The M5 gives players more speed and more forgiveness due to the injection of Twist Face. Golfers looking for a new driver in the low spin category will love the shape, sound, and customized performance of the M5.
- Speed injected face guarantees you will be getting industry leading ball speeds
- The M5 provides the largest array of custom fitting options due to the inverted T-track.
- The two-tone design of the carbon crown makes it easy to align and delivers great sound.
- The price of the M5 is too expensive for many players before customization sets in.
- The M5 driver is less forgiving than other models depending on the setting it is built in.
- Players currently with the M3 or M4 may not see substantial improvements in ball speed.
Specs
The TaylorMade M5 is available in a standard and a Tour model. The standard model is 460 cubic centimeters and the Tour version is 435 cubic centimeters. The smaller head size of the Tour model gives players a better chance to drop spin and hit any shape of the shot. Players that enjoy looking at a smaller profile will love the Tour offerings and those that enjoy forgiveness and higher launch will be best suited in the standard model.
The standard M5 is available in three lofts. 9, 10.5, and 12-degree heads all come with TaylorMade’s adjustable lost sleeve that allows club fitters and players to customize their loft in a range of 4 degrees. Each loft can be increased or decreased by either 0.5 or 0.75-degrees. This gives the golfer an available loft of 8.25 to 12.75.
The stock shafts for the M5 are the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange and Project X HZRDUS Smoke. These shafts are available in 60- and 70-gram weight options and regular, stiff, and extra-stiff flexes. The full custom shaft line up is available and can be ordered at various upcharge prices. Golf Pride MCC grips come standard but several options can be custom ordered for no additional charge.
Conclusion
The M5 driver is one of the fastest and most adjustable drivers ever created. Players of all abilities and swing types can get their ideal ball flight from the hundreds of configurations made possible by the loft sleeve and newly inverted T-track. Twist Face has been combined with speed injections to give every golfer Tour caliber tolerances and performance. Players looking to pick up distance from the tee or eliminate their misses should be testing the M5 from TaylorMade.
TaylorMade M5 Driver Video Review
How Does the M5 Driver Compare?
Callaway Epic Flash Sub-Zero Driver
The Callaway Epic Flash Sub-Zero Driver is the lower spinning compliment driver in the Epic Flash product line. This driver is made specifically for the player looking to reduce spin and pick up the distance. Callaway has combined Jailbreak forgiveness with an adjustable perimeter weight to deliver their highest performing and most adjustable low spin driver ever. Jailbreak gives players more forgiveness and high ball speeds across the face and the sliding weight gives players the ability to dial in their preferred shot shape.
TaylorMade M6
The TaylorMade M6 Driver is the higher launching, higher spinning alternative to M5. The M6 uses the same speed injection resin and hammerhead 2.0 technology to give players maximum speed and distance but in a more forgiving package. Mid and high handicap players may enjoy the added forgiveness on mishits of the M6 over M5. M6 is also available at a lower price than M5 so budget-conscious players looking to get their ultimate fit from TaylorMade can still do so.
TaylorMade M3
The TaylorMade M3 Driver is the previous generation to the M5 line. The M3 driver offers golfers an introduction to Twist Face technology. Twist Face works to give players more loft in the toe and less loft in the heel to deliver more balls to the fairway on mishits. The Y-track is used to dial in player ball flight preferences and eliminate balls being lost from play. The M3 is an excellent driver aimed at players looking for a completely customized fit and premium ball speeds.
