TaylorMade M5 Iron

TaylorMade M5 Iron Review - Neil Tappin tests out TaylorMade's new M5 irons with Speed Bridge technology.

TaylorMade M5 Iron Review

Brand new for 2019, the TaylorMade M5 iron is replacing the M3 model and is crammed with the latest technology, which you can read about here.

The entire M-range of irons offered by TaylorMade are designed to offer more forgiveness and ball speed. Aimed at the majority of club golfers out there, the range has been manufactured to give as much help in regards to ball-striking as possible. The new M5 is no different.

Key Technology

Of course the most noticeable change is the introduction of the Speed Bridge technology. When hitting shots the two areas that vibrate the most are the top line and the bottom of the sole, but the structural beam on the back of the iron connects these two areas enhancing rigidity which therefore creates improved sound and feel with increased ball speed.

The M5 also continues with the Speed Pocket technology, however unlike the M3, there are no longer any pockets on the face of the club. Instead these new irons combine the Speed Bridge with the Thru-Slot design to shift the point of maximum deflection lower on the face. This is especially helpful when striking the ball low on the face with their being very little drop off in performance.

How We Tested

We looked to compare the M5 and M3 directly so we took both irons to Foresight Sports HQ to hit both of them on the GCQuad Launch monitor. We used a premium ball and both clubs had True Temper XP100 shafts in S300.

We attempted to make this test as comparable as possible however there are two things to note. The stock 7-iron of the M5 is half a degree stronger than the M3 and the stock shaft is also one quarter of an inch longer, both of which meant we expected the M5 to be faster.

Looks

There was very little to choose from between the two irons although perhaps the M5 looked slightly more compact when looking down on the clubhead.

Feel/Sound

Regarding feel and sound we then took the two TaylorMade clubs outside to gain a further understanding of them. After hitting a few shots the difference between M3 and M5 in terms of feel and sound was pretty minimal but what cannot be denied is that both performed excellently.

Performance

Overall, we saw an increase in ball speed from 127.1mph in the M3 to 128.7mph in M5.

Carry yardages went up from 182 to 186 from M3 and M5 but interestingly, the height of the M3 and M5 remained the same despite the newer model not launching as high or spinning as much. This gives me a great advantage when hitting into greens because the irons still allow me to stop the ball.

Importantly, it is worth acknowledging how the new M5 irons are indicative of modern golf clubs in that the amount of spin created is slowly but surely decreasing. During the test the M3 produced 5,479rpm whereas the M5 decreased further to 5,349rpm and these numbers prove just how important custom fitting is because you need to make sure the those spin rates are right for you and go the correct distance.

If you opt to add the M5 iron to your bag, take a look at our TaylorMade voucher codes.