Equipment

There’s a TaylorMade M1 440: More photos of TaylorMade’s 2017 drivers leak

Published

7 years ago

Nov 18, 2016

Thanks to GolfWRX Member BillMurrayGolfing, we have a fresh batch of 2017 TaylorMade M1 driver photos in our forum. The first photos of the driver hit the internet on Halloween, and showed off the 2017 M1’s expanded use of carbon fiber in the driver head, particularly in the toe area. These photos show TaylorMade’s yet-to-be-announced driver in even greater detail.

Update: 2017 TaylorMade M1 440 driver photos surface

TaylorMade_M1_440_Driver_2017-1

New photos have surfaced on our Facebook page of a 2017 TaylorMade M1 440 driver, which also shows a new M1 crown graphic.

“I’m playing the [TaylorMade M1] 440 this year and I’m gaining a few mph in club head speed, and carrying it about the same distance as the [TaylorMade M1] 460,” Facebook user Frank Casanova wrote. “But I really like the feel of this head. It has a unique sound as well, different from last years.”

For many years, TaylorMade has been offering consumers two versions of its flagship drivers: a 460-cubic-centimeter driver that offers more forgiveness, and a 430-cubic-centimeter driver that is more workable and offers lower spin.

For 2017, Taylormade appears to be releasing an M1 440, which also features a new M1 crown graphic. It seems safe to assume that an M1 440 would be slightly larger and more forgiving than the current M1 430 driver.

More photos of the 2017 M1 460

The new driver has slightly different crown graphics. The white section on the front of the driver crown has been made thinner. This change could showcase TaylorMade’s ability to use more carbon fiber on the crown of the club head (in place of heavier titanium) and position it closer to the club face, which would help move the driver’s center of gravity (CG) lower in the head. In theory, the lower a driver’s CG, the more distance potential it has.

The hosel adapter appears to be more tapered than previous models. This creates the appearance of a thinner, bonded-hosel driver at address, which many golfers prefer to bulkier hosel designs.

At least for its 2017 M-Series line, it seems TaylorMade will be using lime green and black as its flagship colors. The headcover looks great with its mostly black appearance and carbon fiber accents. The 2017 TaylorMade staff bags should look tremendous.

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20 Comments

Mark

Nov 18, 2016 at 8:18 pm

Nothing to see here. Move along folks.

Reply Report comment
golfrnut

Nov 18, 2016 at 5:23 pm

440 CC M2 please…and you might get me away from my R9 V2 heads.

Reply Report comment
JJ

Nov 18, 2016 at 5:10 pm

Thanks TM!! Now if Callaway would just man up and show the Epic!

Reply Report comment
Rex

Nov 18, 2016 at 1:42 pm

JJ is a tool

Reply Report comment
rechlo67

Nov 18, 2016 at 12:50 pm

I don’t love the lime green, hopefully it looks better in person than in photos.

Most likely will be a bomber though.

Reply Report comment
RyanRuc

Nov 18, 2016 at 10:27 am

Am I the only one who immediately thinks Nike is buying Taylormade…? Neon yellow graphics, Tiger playing Taylormade woods, Koepka using the driver, Rory switching to the woods, Jason Day signing an apparel deal with Nike, Adidas seeking buyers, and Nike stops producing golf equipment…..?

Reply Report comment
- Rex
  
  Nov 18, 2016 at 11:01 am
  
  thank you for your comment
  
  Reply Report comment
- JJ
  
  Nov 18, 2016 at 11:45 am
  
  Yes, RyanRuc, you are the only idiot Nike fanboy. Thank you.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Joseph
    
    Nov 18, 2016 at 8:08 pm
    
    Golf is a game. Golf manufacturing is a business. Nike was losing millions in golf. Adidas owns TM and is losing millions in golf. Adidas is Nike’s biggest rival as a company. So Nike is going to bail out Adidas and lose more money in golf. Uh. No.
    
    Reply Report comment
- HOP
  
  Nov 18, 2016 at 1:06 pm
  
  no
  
  Reply Report comment
- Jordan
  
  Nov 18, 2016 at 1:57 pm
  
  I agree with you 100% RyanRuc! It seems very odd that virtually all former Nike Golf athletes are switching to TaylorMade woods.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Tom
  
  Nov 18, 2016 at 2:13 pm
  
  Hmmmm….interesting theory
  
  Reply Report comment
- Jnak97
  
  Nov 18, 2016 at 2:30 pm
  
  Also, the enlarged crown graphic is very Nike
  
  Reply Report comment
- Mats B
  
  Nov 20, 2016 at 12:49 pm
  
  RyanRuc, I agree with you, wrote comments about it when the first pics were released of the M1 Driver and FW here at Golf WRX. Like you now, I received a few disagrees and silly comments. But I withstand my theory that Nike somehow will be involved in Taylor Made in the near future. Nike wants to be the biggest in all sports they get involved in. Getting TM under it’s wings is probably cheaper than continuing to try all on their own. 😉 We’ll just have to wait and see! 🙂
  
  Reply Report comment
NW

Nov 18, 2016 at 10:25 am

I WANT TO HAVE BABY WITH THE DRIVER!

Reply Report comment
Jonnythec

Nov 18, 2016 at 10:19 am

This driver will be lighter for sure..I think it’s already too light. I’ll stick with my 1st gen m1 thanx.

Reply Report comment
- JJ
  
  Nov 18, 2016 at 11:46 am
  
  No, it won’t. They’ll just pour more goop inside the head and make the weights heavier.
  
  Reply Report comment
Not Scratch

Nov 18, 2016 at 9:55 am

Tiger will have this new model is his bag in two weeks. You heard it first

Reply Report comment
- Jordan
  
  Nov 18, 2016 at 2:00 pm
  
  I suspect his entire bag will be TaylorMade with the exception being Vokey wedges and a Scotty putter.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - mhendon
    
    Nov 22, 2016 at 8:43 pm
    
    Of course it will all be made by Muira! 😉
    
    Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

6 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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