TaylorMade M Combination Day!

TaylorMade M Combination Day - Discover what happened when we teamed up with TaylorMade and The Grove to put on a dream day of club fittings, lessons and golf for eight lucky readers

TaylorMade has been one of the market-leading metalwood brands – both on tour and at retail – for a significant period of time, and its already sky-high reputation in this field has been further enhanced by the introduction of the M1 and M2 product lines. Currently, six of the world’s top 11 players are using TaylorMade M woods on the PGA and European Tours, but the technological benefits can help golfers of all standards hit it further off the tee, reach more par 5s in two and attack long par 4s.

Keen to showcase the innovation packed into its M line of metalwoods, TaylorMade invited eight Golf Monthly readers to The Grove in Hertfordshire for a special #MCombination day. The lucky eight – who were selected from hundreds of applications – experienced tour-level custom fittings, clinics with TaylorMade tour players Jordan Smith and Guido Migliozzi and lessons from YouTube stars Me And My Golf.

They also took to the course – host of 2006 WGC-American Express Championship, won by Tiger Woods, and last year’s British Masters, where Alex Noren reigned supreme – in teams of three for the chance to win a custom-fit TaylorMade wood of their choice.

A number of experienced TaylorMade tour fitters were on hand to ensure our readers went through the same club-fitting experience as the likes of Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Masters champion Sergio Garcia. Using the latest technology, the fitters set about tweaking lofts, lie angles, clubs and shafts to ensure the amateurs found the right M Combination for their particular swings and styles.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the range, Piers and Andy were using video footage and their considerable teaching experience to diagnose swing faults and identify areas for improvement, with many readers showing almost instant progress after incorporating different drills and technical elements.

Before lunch, talented 20-year-old Italian Challenge Tour player Guido Migliozzi and Jordan Smith, who’s made an impressive start to life on the European Tour, wowed everyone watching with a dazzling display of power hitting, gave an intriguing insight into life on tour, fielded questions from the enthralled crowd and explained how specialist custom fitting had enabled them to find more yards with their M metalwoods.

After a short break, the eight Golf Monthly readers were split into four groups of two, with Jordan, Guido, Piers and Andy joining each in a two-from-three Stableford betterball competition over The Grove’s championship front nine.

Group one consisted of Kevin Aitken and Steve Markham, who were joined by Guido to get proceedings underway. They were followed by Tom Roebuck, Charlie Avis and Jordan Smith, Craig Thomson, Dan Manley and Andy Proudman and Gary Kennedy, David Wool and Piers Ward. It was a great opportunity for our readers to pick up more tips, ask questions about the golf swing and find out about life on tour, but given how well the M metalwoods had performed for every player during the custom- fitting sessions, all the competitors were determined to come out on top.

The Stableford best-two-from- three competition was a closely fought affair, but Craig, Dan and Andy ultimately reigned supreme with an impressive 44 points. Craig and Dan both opted to take home the TaylorMade M1 drivers they’d been fitted for during their tour-level session that morning.

“The fitting was awesome and it made an massive difference, especially with the driver. Piers was impressed how much difference the club made when I had my lesson,” said Craig.

“As long as you go into a fitting with an open mind, you will see some massive differences that will be really positive for your game. Chatting to the tour-level fitters and getting tips from Me And My Golf has made a real difference.

“The event as a whole has been brilliant. I think a lot of people would think something like this would only be available to the tour player – Sam who fitted me is a tour fitter, for example. It was such a great opportunity and I’m really grateful to have been involved.

“It was very, very impressive watching the tour players hitting balls and interesting to hear some titbits about life on tour that you wouldn’t necessarily get on TV. The Grove is a top-quality venue, too. I’d never played here before, but it’s a wonderful course and you realise it’s special when you drive through the gates.”

All the readers left the Grove waxing lyrical about the TaylorMade M1 and M2 range of metalwoods, the tour-level custom fitting sessions, the ability of the professionals and the quality of the venue. Everyone saw improvements in both distance and dispersion – a product of the technology packed into every M club and the skill, knowledge and expertise of TaylorMade’s team of fitters.

“The tour fitting was absolutely fantastic. Those guys seriously metalwoods and the penetrating ball flight they generate is incredible,” David added.

“The Grove is a terrific golf course and playing with Piers from MeandmyGolf was really insightful. He gave tips and instruction all the way round and you can learn so much just by watching how scratch players go about their business. Overall, it’s been a brilliant day and a fantastic experience.”

TaylorMade may be the number- one metalwood brand on the PGA and European Tour, but, as you’ve seen, its technology can benefit golfers at all levels of the game.