TaylorMade reveal new M5 and M6 drivers, fairways and M6 rescue

TaylorMade have revealed new M5 and M6 drivers, fairway woods and an M6 rescue, all packed with new technology

The new M5 and M6 range follows on from last year’s TaylorMade M3 and M4, which put Twist Face at the forefront of it’s story. This year, Twist Face has been added to the higher lofted fairway woods and rescue for the very first time, while being improved for the two drivers – which boast a consistency in speed across every single driver face. 

The new ‘Speed Injected Twist Face’ technology features in both the new M5 and M6 drivers to guarantee each driver face TaylorMade produces is as close to the legal COR limit for speed as possible.

Reviews
➤ TaylorMade M5 Driver
➤ TaylorMade M6 Driver
➤ TaylorMade M5 Fairway Wood
➤ TaylorMade M6 Fairway Wood
➤ TaylorMade M6 Rescue

In a nutshell, it means that TaylorMade have revolutionised their process. It starts with the brand producing the thinnest and hottest face they can, which starts above the legal limit, before dialing it back by injecting a specific amount of resin in to two ‘tuning’ slots on the heel and toe of the driver face to get to within 2-3% of the legal limit. The result is the ability to maximise speed across the entire face in every driver created, delivering to each golfer a boundary-pushing fast & hot driver head.

According to the TaylorMade, this process will ensure every driver is on the limit thanks to a proprietary algorithm which calculates exactly the right amount of resin to use in order to dial the speed in to each driver face.

Why is this a big deal? TaylorMade reckon across the board current production methods have made picking the hottest driver for club golfers a lottery, as brands were unable to hit the limit consistently – and the hottest were hand picked for Tour professionals. Numbers wise, TaylorMade reckon 70% of retail drivers fall outside the ‘hot range’ usually reserved for the pros. But now, by using their latest technology they are removing the lottery of picking the hottest driver and creating a level playing field by positioning every single driver face on the edge (within 2-3%) of the limit. For the regular golfer, it means a guarantee of getting a driver with a hot face. 

Click here to read more about speed injected twist face technology

Here’s what else you need to know about the latest M5 and M6 drivers, fairway woods and rescue from TaylorMade. 

TaylorMade M5 Driver 

Like its predecessor (the M3), TaylorMade’s M5 driver is designed for ultimate personalisation, and their latest technology is all about positioning every driver face on the edge of the legal limit for face flex.

The face, which is thinner and faster with a 66% larger sweetspot than the M3, is actually initially designed ABOVE the legal limit before going through the tuning process: Two new ‘tuning ports’ on the face are injected with the appropriate amount of resin (ensured by a proprietary algorithm) to systematically dial in the speed for each driver face to get to within 2-3% of the legal limit.

REVIEW: TaylorMade M5 Driver

There’s also 10% more carbon fibre (than the M3) and an inverted T-Track sliding weight system with 20g of mass (giving 1° launch and 600 RPM backspin difference) to dial in and personalise spin, launch and shot shape with 1770 unique CG configurations.

Twist Face technology means there’s more loft in the high toe and less in the low heel, which produces more consistent spin results and better accuracy from where golfers most commonly mis-hit.

“We’ve softened Twist Face a little, which was at the request of Tiger Woods,” says Bazzel. “Where M3 and M4 needed a 2° open face angle to look square, M5 and M6 are much more like 1 – 1.5°, we’ve also tweaked the top edge so it looks a little straighter too.”

Finally, a more flexible Hammerhead sole slot helps produce a larger sweetspot, preserving more ball speed on off centre hits. There’s also a 435cc M5 Tour head (9° and 10.5° lofts) available for golfers who prefer a more compact appearance at address.

TaylorMade M6 Driver

TaylorMade’s new M6 driver has an aerodynamic carbon sole design and is also built with a speed injected twist face, but features more forgiveness than the brand’s new TaylorMade M5 driver.

Like the M5, each new TaylorMade M6 driver head is individually speed tested and injected with tuning resin to optimize COR across the entire face and deliver maximum ball speed and distance. 

The M6 also features Twist Face technology, which, like last year’s M3 & M4 drivers and this year’s M5 driver, provides more loft in the high toe and less loft in the low-heel to produce more consistent spin where golfers commonly mis-hit. The face of the M6 driver is also slightly taller (1mm) than the M5.

REVIEW: TaylorMade M6 Driver

“Injected Twist Face delivers a hot, yet accurate performance package in the new M6 driver,” said Brian Bazzel, Vice President Product Creation.

“When you add optimised CG and MOI through the use of a full carbon crown and sole, the result is a complete driver that delivers on all fronts.”

In addition to the changes in the face, there’s 54% more carbon fiber than the previous M4 model which means 46g of weight (a quarter of the head weight) is located low and deep, creating what TaylorMade like to call the ‘Inertia Generator’. The face is slightly deeper with a smooth and fast crown, giving a more aerodynamic shape to help every golfer break their speed potential.

There’s also a more flexible Hammerhead sole slot which helps expands the sweetspot, preserving more ball speed on off centre hits.

An M6 D-Type driver (9° / 10.5° / 12° with a 45g Evenflow Max Carry shaft) is also available, which has more draw bias and a lighter overall weight to help golfers stay away from the right side of the golf course.

TaylorMade M5 Fairway Wood 

TaylorMade’s new M5 Fairway wood represents a complete re-engineering of their fairway wood, and is the first ever fairway to incorporate Twist Face technology – the feature made famous by the M3 and M4 drivers.

Like the M drivers, the faces have been modified to counteract the gear effect on common mis-hits in the high-toe and low-heel: For the high-toe miss (a hook) they “twist” open the face and increase the loft high on the toe to help straighten ball flight, and fix the low-heel miss (a slice) by twisting the face closed and de-lofting the face in the low heel area.

Although the concept is the same as in the driver, the exact geometry is slightly different to account for the unique mass properties and impact location patterns in fairway woods compared to drivers.

REVIEW: TaylorMade M5 Fairway Wood

The M5 Fairway wood also has a multi-material head construction made up of carbon and titanum, as well as a resdesigned sliding weight system with a lower CG location for higher launch and lower spin, and increased adjustability. The weight, which is 65g, makes up for slightly more than 30% of the total head weight, allowing for generous draw/fade adjustability

“The M5 fairway wood is a new super adjustable fairway wood featuring ground-breaking new titanium-carbon construction with a massive 65-gram movable weight,” sad Tomo Bystedt, Senior Director, Product Creation, Metalwoods.

“This is the first ever fairway wood to use our revolutionary Twist Face technology for unparalleled accuracy and game-changing performance.”

TaylorMade M6 Fairway Wood 

TaylorMade’s M6 fairway, like the M5, is the first series of fairway woods to use the revolutionary Twist Face technology made famous by the brand’s M3 and M4 drivers and results in an explosive, yet playable fairway from the tee or off the deck.

New in ’19 is the addition of ‘Rocket 3’, which is a 14° offering for those seeking reduced spin and slightly increased ballspeed.

The Speed Pocket has been re-engineered for the M6 fairway woods to provide even more ball speed on low face impacts, while a new TPU slot insert has also been designed to sit flush with the sole to improve sole interaction and eliminate turf drag from the Speed Pocket.

The M6 fairways also improve performance over the M4 by optimising CG placement directly behind centre face, producing maximum energy transfer at impact. Maintaining a very low centre of gravity, the face height of the M6 fairways is also slightly taller, creating a more confidence-inspiring look at address with more available impact area on the clubface.

The new larger carbon composite crown increases discretionary mass which is concentrated low in the head, lowering CG for a higher launch while maintaining high MOI for excellent forgiveness.

REVIEW: TaylorMade M6 Fairway Wood

M6 D-Type Fairway Wood

In addition to the M6 fairway, TaylorMade has also created an M6 D-Type fairway, engineered with the same technologies in a more draw-biased package. This is accomplished through divergent face masking and modified internal weighting that effectively delivers additional draw bias in the ball flight up to 15 yards.

TaylorMade M6 Rescue

For the first time ever, TaylorMade have produced a hybrid with Twist Face technology, following the lead of the new for 2019 M5 and M6 fairway woods and drivers and last year’s M3 and M4 drivers. 

The technology means the faces have been modified to counteract the gear effect on common mis-hits in the high-toe and low-heel, and produce longer and straighter shots across the face with more consistency. 

As the face of the M6 Rescue is significantly smaller than that of the M6 driver, the face curvature is thus more pronounced. As a result, the two-tone crown has been meticulously designed to mask its increased curvature.

REVIEW: TaylorMade M6 Rescue 

The M6 Rescue also features a low CG steel body construction with a stepped crown creating a lower CG and easy alignment. It also features a thinner and faster face for improved ball speed and overall distance.

A redesigned more flexible Speed Pocket with a TPU slot insert that sits flush with the sole delivers a larger COR area with better off-center performance, especially on low-face strikes and improved turf interaction.