2017 TaylorMade M1 fairway wood

Golf Monthly's 2017 TaylorMade M1 fairway wood review - technical editor Joel Tadman tests out the new TaylorMade M1 fairway wood

2017 TaylorMade M1 fairway wood review

The new 2017 TaylorMade M1 fairway wood benefits from the same technological upgrades as the M1 driver – most notably use of more carbon fibre on the crown, which is also lighter, helping TaylorMade make the driver more forgiving.

In the case of the new M1 fairway wood, it also allowed them to add in a Speed Pocket behind the face in addition to the sliding weight track, which has also been made longer to create greater draw and fade bias in the two extreme settings.

Down at address, the contrast between black and white helps the face angle appear more prominent while the added graphics and cosmetic details bolster the shelf appeal.

Make no mistake about it, the new M1 fairway wood feels incredible when you strike it out of the middle. Fast and powerful, it can send the ball out there some serious distances that aren’t far short of a slightly mishit drive.

We tested it both indoors on our GC2 launch monitor and out on the course and the Speed Pocket seems to really come into its own on shots from the turf. From positions where you’d expect more roll and less carry, the M1 fairway seems to launch the ball in the air with effortless ease.

Our indoor launch monitor testing showed an average carry distance in excess of 250 yards, far greater than expected off the range mat, with high launch and low spin combining to create the head-turning yardage.

Off the tee, it would no doubt have spun less and carried even further and with the sliding weight on the sole counteracting your miss or promoting your preferred ball flight, it really is the total package.

The only negative would be the amount of dirt that gathers inside the channel and around the sliding weight especially – it can be a nuisance and time consuming to remove with a tee peg.