Many golfers see their existing fairway wood as one of the most reliable clubs in the bag, so it makes replacing it a tough decision. however, TaylorMade’s M2 range is finding its way into an increasing number of players’ bags with its great looks and state of the art technology which creates a strike that is true, straight and long –just what every golfer wants!  Worldwide Golf headed down to Al Badia Golf Club by Intercontinental to assess and compare the M2 18° 5-wood, 15° 3-wood and the high-lofted 16.5° 3-wood. Al Badia Teaching Professional, Joe Marshall, was on hand to kindly help David Storey and Matthew Board – two local amateurs in Dubai – test the products in the indoor studio, and deliver their TaylorMade M2 judgement.

Joe: What do you want out of  a fairway wood?

Matthew : An alternative from off the tee that can produce good distance but is more controlled than my current wood that can go here, there and everywhere. 

Joe Marshall:  You can see a big variation in the flight of the golf ball with these three fairway woods. There’s also a huge change in the dispersion rate of the shots. The most consistent by far is the higher-lofted 3-wood. How did this high-launching version of the 3-wood feel to hit, Matt? 

Matthew: It felt perfect when stood over the ball which certainly affected my shots. The weight of the head and many other elements suited my swing pattern to a tee. I think I was trying to push the 5-wood too much so the results weren’t great with that and the 15° didn’t give me the same consistency that I had with the higher lofted version, which was impeccable.

Joe: Matt’s clubhead speed in excess of 107 is achieving impressive ball speed for a mid-handicapper. One of the key factors that TaylorMade have introduced with the M2 is the Speed Pocket which reduces the spin and generates an improved amount of ball speed. You can see that Matt’s spin rate is quite low for a fairway wood. This is why he was achieving some fantastic distances with this club and could use it as a replacement driver. Why do you think the 3-wood performed better than the 5-wood when in your hands, Matt?

Matthew: I just didn’t quite get the feel for the 5-wood for some reason. I think after hitting both 3-woods, it was hard to get the best out of the 5-wood. The 15° 3-wood was harder to keep in the same direction on a constant basis, whereas the high-lofted version produced a beautiful ball flight and made me feel particularly confident at set-up position. Also, it sounded and felt incredible when I hit it. It was almost like the ball exploded off the face of the M2!  I was struggling to get the most out of the 15° version and have as much control as I would desire.

Joe: We often see improved confidence in a mid-high handicapped player when they look down at more loft at address. This often helps them produce a better swing, just like you proved in the test Matt.

Joe: How does the M2 compare to the fairway wood that’s currently in your bag, Matt?

Matthew: The fairway wood I use at the moment is about six years old so the technology in the M2 is fantastic and that is proven in the statistics from this test. I wasn’t losing any wayward shots into the trees as I usually do in a round when using these TaylorMade clubs, so that’s a significant improvement for me.

Joe: That is because the Speed Pocket enlarges the sweet spot on the M2 so that helps with forgiveness if you hit the ball off-centre.

Joe: Which type of M2 did you prefer out of the three Matt?

Matthew: The 16.5° 3-wood. It helped me produce some fantastic distances that were kept under control due to the low amount of spin. This was extremely satisfying for a mid-handicapper like me. I was very impressed with the M2 range.

Joe: What do you desire from a fairway wood? 

David: Something I can hit from the par-5 fairways to land soft on the greens from around 250 yards. That’s an ideal 3-wood for me because there’s not a lot of wind in the Middle East so the loft isn’t as crucial as it is in breezy conditions. Accuracy is the number one priority.

Joe: You can see a greater dispersion with Dave’s 3-wood but once we added a bit of loft, the club became tighter. You can notice much more control with the ball flight from the higher lofted clubs. It appears, though, that the 5-wood is a little bit too high for a player of Dave’s quality.

He wasn’t achieving the desired carry and was falling a long way way shorter than the 16.5, even though loft was only increased by 1.5.

The M2 has a light carbon composite crown that allows the weight to sit very low in the clubhead. This is helping Dave achieve that high flight he desires, and with the Speed Pocket we are able to combine this with distance. 

What is really interesting with the stats are that the clubhead speed and ball speed are less with the 16.5° but we are achieving more distance on average than the 15°.

He is carrying the ball up to 230 plus yards and hitting it a consistent height. With the 15° 3-wood we see much more variation with the peak height. The HL 3-wood seems a much more consistent golf club for Dave to attack those par-5s from the fairway.

Joe: How does the M2 compare to the fairway wood that’s currently in your bag?

David: It’s very unusual to use a wood that is 15° or higher and still get the ball 260 yards, which proves that the technology in the 3-wood is extraordinary.

The M2 got great trajectory, a low amount of spin and good distance, too, that are three characteristics that my current four-year-old TaylorMade 3-wood doesn’t produce.

The M2 looks great with a face that isn’t too shallow with excellent depth and then it gives you a feeling of supreme control when you swing. I could always feel where the clubhead was during my swing, which is a huge factor for a low-handicapped player. That’s why I am keen on adding this club to my bag.

Joe: Which type of M2 did you prefer out of the three, David?

David: With me seeking a fairway wood for par-5s, the higher lofted 3-wood ticked all the boxes.

However, if I were looking for a fairway wood from off the tee, the 15° version would have been far more suitable because of the extra distance it would provide and with it teed up, I wouldn’t need to see the loft.