Equipment
There’s a TaylorMade M1 440: More photos of TaylorMade’s 2017 drivers leak
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
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.”
Related: Join the discussion about TaylorMade’s 2017 M1 drivers in our forum.
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.
Related
- Photos of TaylorMade’s 2017 M1 fairway woods and hybrids
- 2017 TaylorMade irons being tested at the RSM Classic
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Equipment
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
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Whats in the Bag
Matthieu Pavon WITB 2024 (May)
- Pavon’s WITB accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 Max (9 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6 X
3-wood: Ping G430 LST (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7 X
Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 10 X
Irons: Ping i230 (3-PW)
Shafts: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: Ping Si59 (52-12S, 58-8B)
Shafts: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 X
Putter: Ping Cadence TR Tomcat C
Grip: SuperStroke Claw 1.0P
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Align
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Check out more in-hand photos of Pavon’s gear here.
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Equipment
Spotted: Tommy Fleetwood’s TaylorMade Spider Tour X Prototype putter
Tommy Fleetwood has been attached to his Odyssey White Hot Pro #3 putter for years now. However, this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, we did spot him testing a new putter that is very different, yet somewhat similar, to his current gamer.
This new putter is a TaylorMade Spider Tour X head but with a brand new neck we haven’t seen on a Spider before. A flow neck is attached to the Spider head and gives the putter about a 1/2 shaft offset. This style neck will usually increase the toe hang of the putter and we can guess it gets the putter close to his White Hot Pro #3.
Another interesting design is that lack of TaylorMade’s True Path alignment on the top of the putter. Instead of the large white center stripe, Tommy’s Spider just has a very short white site line milled into it. As with his Odyssey, Tommy seems to be a fan of soft inserts and this Spider prototype looks to have the TPU Pure Roll insert with 45° grooves for immediate topspin and less hopping and skidding.
The sole is interesting as well in that the rear weights don’t look to be interchangeable and are recessed deep into the ports. This setup could be used to push the CG forward in the putter for a more blade-like feel during the stroke, like TaylorMade did with the Spider X Proto Scottie Scheffler tested out.
Tommy’s putter is finished off with an older Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 grip in blue and white. The Mid Slim was designed to fit in between the Ultra Slim 1.0 and the Slim 3.0 that was a popular grip on tour.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
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Mark
Nov 18, 2016 at 8:18 pm
Nothing to see here. Move along folks.
golfrnut
Nov 18, 2016 at 5:23 pm
440 CC M2 please…and you might get me away from my R9 V2 heads.
JJ
Nov 18, 2016 at 5:10 pm
Thanks TM!! Now if Callaway would just man up and show the Epic!
Rex
Nov 18, 2016 at 1:42 pm
JJ is a tool
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.
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…..?
Rex
Nov 18, 2016 at 11:01 am
thank you for your comment
JJ
Nov 18, 2016 at 11:45 am
Yes, RyanRuc, you are the only idiot Nike fanboy. Thank you.
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.
HOP
Nov 18, 2016 at 1:06 pm
no
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.
Tom
Nov 18, 2016 at 2:13 pm
Hmmmm….interesting theory
Jnak97
Nov 18, 2016 at 2:30 pm
Also, the enlarged crown graphic is very Nike
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! 🙂
NW
Nov 18, 2016 at 10:25 am
I WANT TO HAVE BABY WITH THE DRIVER!
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.
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.
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
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.
mhendon
Nov 22, 2016 at 8:43 pm
Of course it will all be made by Muira! 😉