TaylorMade M2 driver fitting: 22 handicap

When reader Lee Rowstron visited TaylorMade's Performance Lab at Wentworth for a TaylorMade M2 driver fitting, straightening out his slice was the No.1 goal

When reader Lee Rowstron visited TaylorMade's Performance Lab at Wentworth for a TaylorMade M2 driver fitting, straightening out his slice was the No.1 goal

TaylorMade's premium M1 driver launched to great fanfare last autumn with its ultra-light part carbon composite crown freeing up weight to be used more effectively via two adjustable channels in the sole - a Front Track to vary lateral flight shape, and a Back Track to vary launch and spin characteristics.

When the M2 was added to the M family recently, it offered less adjustability, with only the hosel sleeve to tweak, but maximum distance and forgiveness courtesy of a Speed Pocket behind the face to keep ball speed up even on mishits, plus a fixed non-adjustable low, deep weight that offers stability and a high-launch, low-spin trajectory.

When 22-handicap reader, Lee Rowstron from Oakridge Golf Club, visited TaylorMade's Performance Lab at Wentworth for a driver fitting recently, fitter Luke Peterken, quickly turned to the forgiveness and low spin of the M2 to help straighten out Lee's fade/slice, with a shorter shaft one of the highly effective solutions...

TaylorMade fitter's analysis

Lee’s natural shape is left-to-right which can become excessive at times. He has a 45¾in driver, which he tends to strike near the heel, so moving to a shorter shaft really helped.

Excessive backspin was another problem – around 3,300rpm - but by fitting Lee into the lighter-headed TaylorMade M2, with its composite technology and speed pocket, we reduced that down to the early to mid-2000s, unlocking more distance, more accuracy and greater consistency.

Lee Rowstron's feedback: TaylorMade M2 driver fitting

My left-to-right fade becomes a slice on bad days, so I was hoping for a little more distance. Luke suggested the TaylorMade M2 with a 3-wood length shaft and more loft than my current driver, and that seriously reduced my spin rates.

Launch angle was better too, and my dispersion was significantly reduced as a result. The club looks great too, so with 15 more yards and much improved accuracy, I’m going away very happy.

Jeremy Ellwood
Contributing Editor

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.

Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf


Jeremy is currently playing...

Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft

3 wood: Ping G425 Max 15˚ (set to flat +1), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 65 S shaft

Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft

Irons 3-PW: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Putter: Ping Fetch 2021 model, 33in shaft (set flat 2)

Ball: Varies but mostly now TaylorMade Tour Response