TaylorMade M1 Irons Review

TaylorMade M1 Irons Review - we test out the latest iron from TaylorMade said to offer forgiveness and distance in a compact package

TaylorMade M1 Irons Review

Technology Weight has been removed high in the clubface to allow 15g of tungsten to be added in the toe section of the 3-7 irons, creating a more centred CG that aids both feel and forgiveness. Face Slots increase flexibility of the clubface in the heel and toe to preserve ball speed and accuracy, assisted by a Speed Pocket on the sole that has a thinner front wall to improve performance on shots hit a little thin.

The M1 irons use a fin badge that works in conjunction with Face Slots to dampen unwanted low-frequency, long duration sounds, aided by a thin yet stiff head geometry with strategically placed reinforcements in the topline.

Aimed at The TaylorMade M1 is similar to last year’s M2 Tour iron in that is designed to offer similar distance and forgiveness levels to the M2 iron but in a more compact profile and with a softer feel.

How we tested them We hit the 7-iron on the range using our GC2 launch monitor, taking note of the distance and accuracy on what we considered centre-face hits as well as those from the heel and toe to see how effective the slots were. You can see how the address profile strikes a nice balance of inspiring confidence without being too chunky.

Looks At address the M1 iron boasts a mid-to-thin top line with the square edges perhaps making it look thicker than it actually is. There’s a small amount of offset to help slicers and the brushed finish is a little lighter in colour than the M2 iron.

Feel/sound While the M2 offers a louder, clicky sound the M1 iron is much more subdued. At impact there’s more of a dull thud and while it’s certainly softer than M2 and most other out-and-out distance irons, it’s not quite in the ball park of better player forged clubs.

Ball flight The lofts are fairly strong here (7-iron is 30.5°) but what was refreshing to experience was a mid-to-high towering ball flight thanks to the low CG. The low spin provides the distance assisted by the healthy launch angle, which should also provide the stopping power upon landing on the green.

Forgiveness The combination of Face Slots and Speed Pocket mean that every potential mishit is catered for. Whether you strike the ball from the heel, toe or low on the face, you won’t experience a significant drop off in ball speed, which meant the distance consistency was excellent for an iron of this size and the accuracy was very good too.