For 2018 TaylorMade has once again produced two ranges of golf clubs: the M3 range is designed to suit the better golfer and the M4 range is designed to be more forgiving and suit all golfers.
With much of the hype focused on the Twist Face technology in the drivers, the rest of the M3 and M4 woods and rescues have fallen into the shadow of the drivers. But it is not to say these clubs don’t perform well. In fact, the new fairway woods bring a totally upgraded performance over their predecessors both in forgiveness and distance. And as mentioned before the M4 fairway wood brings added forgiveness to a category that many consider the toughest to hit.
For the sake of clarity this review is only about the regular M4 fairway wood, as it differs in quite a few ways to the M4 Tour fairway wood. It is larger in clubhead size, produces far more spin and doesn’t offer much workability making it the easier to hit option for the greater population of golfers.
TaylorMade M4 Fairway Wood
Our Assessment
It all comes down to the type of golfer testing a club as to how to really assess it and in the case of the M4 fairway wood it was a difficult test. As someone with a fast and consistent swing the M4 was quite difficult to control thanks largely to the lightweight, soft stock shaft and increased backspin.
However, when it’s in the hands of a golfer who wants a little more launch, spin and speed off the face at impact this club performs to the highest level. In fact, you will battle to find a fairway wood as easy to hit as the M4 for the masses.
All it takes is a custom fitted shaft and it produces the goods for the better golfer looking for a consistently straight hitting wood, of which there are plenty of such players.
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Pros
Cons
Key Facts
Features | Details |
|---|---|
Launch RRP | $250.00 |
Gender | Mens & Women's |
Handicap Range | Low to High |
Hand Availability | Right & Left |
Swing Weight | Men’s – D3, Women’s – C9 |
Lofts | 15° (men’s only), 16.5° (right hand only), 18° (men’s only), 21° (right hand only), 24° (right hand only) |
Length | Men’s – 41.75-43.25”, Women’s – 40.5-42” |
Shaft Type and Name | Fujikura Atmos 5. Fujikura Atmos 6, TaylorMade Tuned 45 (Women’s) |
Manufacturer's Website |
Official Video
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TaylorMade M4 Fairway Wood Detailed Review
Design & Appearance
With the M4 fairway wood being designed to be as forgiving as possible, it obviously means the size of the clubhead will be larger, as this means weight is pushed further away from the face increasing the MOI.
It also sits very square, almost closed at address to promote draw spin on every shot, so even if you push the ball out slightly it should turn back in towards your target.
The crown is now silver and carbon instead of the white and carbon finish on the M2 and the silver and in my honest opinion it makes the clubhead less distracting at address.
It also gives it a more premium look with the silver being a satin finish as opposed to the shiny white before.
Build Quality
The M4 fairway wood features the same stainless steel material in the body as the previous M2 fairway wood. The face material is the same too, but in the M4 it has been made slightly thinner to produce faster ballspeeds at impact.
This combines with the Inverted Cone technology on the inside of the face area to ensure a solid hit no matter where on the face you strike the ball.
The carbon crown is also improved over its predecessor and this time features five layers instead of seven. The weight saved by doing this is shifted into the sole to lower the CG and therefore increase the launch without adding too much extra spin.
The larger clubhead means better perimeter weighting for a higher MOI and therefore more forgiveness. This has been further increased by splitting the weight pad inside the clubhead so that added weight is placed behind the heel and toe sections of the club.
Lastly the fluted hosel design found in the M2 fairway woods has been continued in the M4 as this reduces weight above the crown and improves the aerodynamics of the clubhead through the swing.
Control & Performance
The M4 fairway wood is built to fly high and consistently straight and this is exactly what it does.
For the golfer with a slower swingspeed the lightweight stock shaft options ensure more clubhead speed while remaining firm enough in the right areas to maintain a high level of stability and control.
As mentioned before this is one of the easiest to hit fairway woods on the market, producing a high trajectory, good backspin, not much sidespin and plenty of distance. And there is no adjustability so you get a straightforward result every time you swing this club.
Value for Money
The M4 is certainly not as expensive as the M3, but also doesn’t have any of the adjustability, so it rightfully so should be cheaper. Having said that $250 for a non-adjustable fairway wood is quite a chunk of change.
But once you see how easy this club is to hit and the performance it produces you won’t mind forking out that little extra, and will probably buy a 5-wood along with the 3-wood.