Equipment

Spotted: TaylorMade’s 2017 M1 Fairway Woods and Hybrids

Published

7 years ago

Nov 1, 2016

A slot and a sliding weight? That’s what we’re seeing in a photo of a new TaylorMade M1 fairway wood, which is making the rounds in our forum after being posted on Instagram by an account associated with custom club maker TourQualityGolf in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

A photo posted by TourQualityGolf (@tourqualitygolf) on Oct 31, 2016 at 4:49pm PDT

The photo of the fairway wood, which presumably is part of TaylorMade’s 2017 line, has the same graphics and color scheme as the M1 460 driver that appeared yesterday on social media.

The photo of the new driver was revealing because it indicates that TaylorMade will use more carbon fiber in the design of its 2017 drivers. While the new M1 fairway wood does not appear to use carbon fiber in the same way, there are some noteworthy changes.

For one, the fairway wood’s sliding-weight track has been moved to the rear of the sole. In previous models, the M1 and the R15, a front weight track was used. According to TaylorMade, the front weight track created a low, forward center of gravity that encouraged the high-launching, low-spinning ball flight most golfers want from a fairway wood. With the weight track moved rearward, it’s clear that TaylorMade has found other means of moving the necessary amount of weight low and forward in the clubhead.

The rearward weight track also allowed TaylorMade to add a slot to the front of the club sole, a design strategy the company has been employing since its debut of the RBZ fairway woods in 2011. The slot is of the flat, handle bar-shaped variety used on TaylorMade’s M1 hybrids that were released in 2015. It is said to increase the flexibility of a club face, leading to increased ball speed, a higher launch angle and reduced spin, particularly on shots contacted low on the club face.

A photo of TaylorMade’s 2017 M1 hybrid posted in our forum by user Ricky Ross shows that the company’s new hybrids will likely take the same approach as the company’s new fairway woods. It also appears to employ a rear sliding weight track and a flat, handle bar-shaped slot on the front of the sole.

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Related Topics:fairway woods hybrids TaylorMade

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24 Comments

suhdude

Nov 14, 2016 at 2:12 pm

taylorlame. sorry bruh.

Reply Report comment
Rimjob

Nov 3, 2016 at 3:05 am

The slot of the Jetspeed with the added adjustability. Best of both worlds. These are gonna be heaters

Reply Report comment
Mats B

Nov 2, 2016 at 6:33 am

One of the first Equipment signs that Adidas and Nike are discussing an Equipment deal with Nike as a new owner of Taylor Made. Look at the yellow/green colour of the 1 in M1. Same och very simular to the one used by Nike. The fact that McIlroy and Koepka has made a move to Taylor Made Woods is just adding to the fact that soon Taylor Made will be under new wings…..

Reply Report comment
- Rimjob
  
  Nov 2, 2016 at 2:19 pm
  
  Nah. But this comment is an indication that you’re an idiot
  
  Reply Report comment
- Yawn
  
  Nov 2, 2016 at 9:54 pm
  
  Cut n pasting your own dribble?
  Good effort.
  
  Reply Report comment
- TomyD
  
  Nov 3, 2016 at 2:41 am
  
  It’s Lime not Volt… and why would they stop golf equipment to focus on clothes/shoes and buy a equipment brand few weeks later which is on sale for the same reason they cut their production… make no sense.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Mats B
    
    Nov 3, 2016 at 6:32 pm
    
    Tomy,
    Who knows!? There’s more than one way to get to the Top! After 15 years of trying to be one of the big brands without being successful even though they had one of the greatest Sport stars in their team and then went on to sign McIlroy without any added success. I guess then it’s time for a change of direction. Even though Taylor Made has flooded the market with new equipment launches, using a 6 months lifetime cycle, they still remain in the very front edge of performance, especially on their woods, where they outperform most, if not all of the competition…..no further explanation needed….Adidas has had it for sale for quite some time now and I think it’s getting to a point where they have to let it go for a bargain, compared to what they expected. I think that Nike has made their fair share of calculations and this can be the right time to make a move and get straight to the Top, quicker and with a lot less effort than continuing to knock their own head’s into a concrete wall! I guess we’ll have to wait and see!? I may be wrong!? But I wouldn’t be surprised if Nike will be involved somehow in Taylor Made in the future. 🙂
    
    Reply Report comment
FNM

Nov 2, 2016 at 2:43 am

I am going to murder that 3wood, I know I will

Reply Report comment
JThunder

Nov 2, 2016 at 12:36 am

Actually M1 was just over a year ago, and M2 was end of Jan 2016. That’s only “dialed back” for TM, still fast for anyone else.

Reply Report comment
Clay

Nov 1, 2016 at 10:45 pm

That hybrid looks awful. I was looking for words like Talor-Fit. It looks like a Chinese knock off of an actual hybrid.

Reply Report comment
M1 Smizzle

Nov 1, 2016 at 4:31 pm

They look sweet!

Reply Report comment
rechlo67

Nov 1, 2016 at 1:47 pm

If that 3 wood has a combination between the M2 (front slot) and M1 (track) that thing is going to be ridiculously hot.

Reply Report comment
- G
  
  Nov 2, 2016 at 12:17 pm
  
  I agree it will be super hot
  
  Reply Report comment
Dat

Nov 1, 2016 at 11:35 am

M1 Hybrids are gonna require a clean pick of the ball…if you have a less than ideal strike or lie the weight track will be a mud track.

Reply Report comment
Chris

Nov 1, 2016 at 11:20 am

Any idea if the weight on the sliding weights is heavier or lighter than the 2016 M1?

Reply Report comment
- Greg
  
  Nov 1, 2016 at 2:51 pm
  
  Yes
  
  Reply Report comment
mitch

Nov 1, 2016 at 9:55 am

why do they need new woods out already! they just keep flooding the market!

Reply Report comment
- Sean
  
  Nov 1, 2016 at 10:02 am
  
  If they dont release until after the pga show the driver would have had a full two year cycle. Callaway and other companies have flooded more in that time period. Just saying
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Alan
    
    Nov 1, 2016 at 10:39 am
    
    How can it be a full 2 year cycle when the original M1 was unveiled and launched in September 2015?
    
    Reply Report comment
  - Shooters Tour
    
    Nov 1, 2016 at 10:42 am
    
    …word.
    
    Reply Report comment
- cgasucks
  
  Nov 1, 2016 at 10:09 am
  
  They’ve actually dialed back the release frequency. The last time they debuted new woods was a year ago and will continue to dial back its offerings, especially since it’s up for sale and don’t want to scare off any potential buyers that they’re back to their old ways (which got them in trouble in the first place).
  
  Reply Report comment
- rolltherock
  
  Nov 1, 2016 at 10:36 am
  
  Calm down Mitch
  
  Reply Report comment
- SteveID
  
  Nov 1, 2016 at 12:04 pm
  
  Mitch, does it affect you at all?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - mitch
    
    Nov 1, 2016 at 12:24 pm
    
    I guess time just flies and it seems like it has not been as long that they have been out idk..
    
    Reply Report comment

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Equipment

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

Published

2 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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