M1 Driver

[mbbg]

Had a chance to hit and then play 9 with the new M1 from TM. I know most of you guys don't care much about US gear but I do think TM makes excellent drivers that seem to work well for me. I still have it, Fuji Pro 60S 460 9.5 set at standard with weight in middle and rear weight in N--actually hope to slip out tomorrow for another 9.

Sounds more muted than their typical drivers, very soft crunchy impact feel. I had my longest drive of the year on #1 and maybe the longest drive of my life on #9. Mid launch and flat flight with more roll than I am used to. I think the 358/XT out carries it but it's always been at the borderline of too high launching for my swing and I don't knock it down well. Might have to pick one up, really solid results and gives me something to change things up on windier days where the 358 tends to get pushed around some. On launch monitor the TM launches about ~12-13* with 2000 spin on good strikes and the ONOFF is ~15* and 23-2400. Course performance bears this out.

[hardboiled]

The new PRGR Egg or this one.... Hhhmmmmm

[DaleUK]

I wonder if there will be a Japan version ?

[Shacco]

What would be the difference if there was a Japan version. Anyway, this M1 is the first TaylorMade driver in a long time that has my attention.

[DaleUK]

What would be the difference if there was a Japan version. Anyway, this M1 is the first TaylorMade driver in a long time that has my attention.

And Mine....

I've been told it's £400?, does that sound rite??

[nobwas]

I want one with no white paint on the crown,   
Hope they show more carbon weave or use black paint over the titanium section, a la Mizuno MP.001
I actually want to try one of these.

[mbbg]

I wish they'd have done all carbon crown. Would have been awesome. It really doesn't look bad in person as it is though and it frames the ball very well. If I end up with one I might send it to continental golf and have them do something with the white part of crown.

[unclej]

I wish they'd have done all carbon crown.  If I end up with one I might send it to continental golf and have them do something with the white part of crown.

You'll be defeating TM's purpose of making it recognizable for all to know what you're playing....

[mbbg]

Trust me no one watching me playing it will be inspired to buy it

[DaleUK]

What shaft options are there on this, I was told the GD Di is one!!

[mbbg]

They have like 30 shaft options. I think DI is an upcharge shaft.

Anyone hitting this remember it's a 56* lie. I was missing it right a lot. Switched to upright lie setting on hosel and had one my best driving days of my life with it today.

Feels very solid and muted. Soft off face. Very vague on feedback. It's REALLY hard to tell where you hit this driver on the face. Might feel a little shaft twist but otherwise it felt great. Look on face and it's high toe. I keep wiping the face off every drive just so I can tell where the hell I hit it. I think it's quite forgiving, have had some shots that weren't the best that ended up in great shape.

Ultimately switching to the upright setting made a world of difference for me, which makes sense since I normally do better with upright clubs. I'm 6' tall with a shitty hands high impact position. Upright is good.

[JanKo]

How much influence on flight has the weight forward / back position?

This driver really got my interest, if I'm switching, it will be the M1.

[DaleUK]

Matt.

What made you go for the 460 head?

[mbbg]

I played the JDM 430 SLDR most of 2014 and the R15 430 about half of this season.

I definitely liked the looks of the M1 430 better than the 460 and the feel was a bit better too. It really just boiled down to the fact I hit the 460 more consistently after hitting both heads quite a bit.

I think part of this is that the R15 460 looked closed to my eye. Hate that appearance. Don't feel like I can put a full swing on it. It wasn't really closed but it had a lot of bulge to the face that made it look that way to me. The 430 didn't have that. In the M1 they both sit square to open which just appeals to my eye at address.

[Blackman]

I had a chance to hit the 460 and 430 on the launch monitor today.
The shaft was an Aldila Rogue in stiff (not a perfect shaft for me, but to limit the variables I decided to stick with it during the session).

Looks:
Not my cup of tea at all. The carbon part looks quite nice. The white parts are distracting. Even if you don't see it at address, the bottom side does look very busy.

Feel / Sound:
Ok for a composite head. Not too loud and medium soft. Very difficult to judge where you have hit the ball on the face. Might have been due to the shaft. To me there was a little difference between the two heads. Especially with the 460 I was not feeling it - very vague. The 430 was a little better, but still not what I would expect from a high end club.

Performance:
Good ball speed, but relatively high spin no matter what settings I have been trying. The 460 was 1000rpm worse, the best ones of the 430  700 rpm higher than my current gamer. Carry distance of the 430 has been shorter than with my gamer.

All in all:
the results could be very depending on the shaft. Distance on good hits is ok, but not great (how should it be different within the given restrictions for drivers). Even if the performance of the 430 would be on the same level than my gamer (which might be possible with a different shaft and dialling the whole thing in) the looks would be a show stopper too me.