Equipment

Classic Name, Max Performance: TaylorMade launches 2017 “M CGB” irons

Published

7 years ago

Sep 7, 2017

TaylorMade is holding nothing back in terms of distance and forgiveness with its premium M CGB irons, which revive a name and concept from the company’s past.

In 2006, TaylorMade released super game-improvement irons with a high COR (coefficient of restitution, a measure of energy transfer) that sold for around $1,300 at retail. They were called r7 CGB, or “Center of Gravity Back.” These irons stood alone at the high-end of the market in terms of performance and pricing, after which the iron industry began shifting toward higher-COR irons, according to Tomo Bystedt, Senior Director of Product Creation (Irons) at TaylorMade. Even standard game-improvement irons were being built with high COR, like the company’s Burner 2009 irons, which sold for half the price. The demand for max performance at a premium price dissipated.

“The CGB name is iconic and represents some of the longest and most forgiving irons we’ve ever created at TaylorMade,” Bystedt said in a press release. “The concept has now been re-created with all our latest technology to bring never-before-seen performance to golfers of all skill levels.”

Flash forward to 2017, however, and that demand is back. The problem today is, according to Bystedt, is that super game-improvement irons that offer big distance, a high launch and maximum forgiveness are all delivered in iron heads that he said are too big, waving a red flag to a foursome.

“Super G.I. irons have always been huge,” Bystedt told me. “It signals to people that you’re not that good.”

TaylorMade’s 2006 r7 CGB (left) vs. its 2017 M CGB

With its new M CGB irons, TaylorMade sought to provide golfers with a high-end product that provides the performance of a super game-improvement iron, but doesn’t look like it’s the size of a woodshed. Bystedt and his product development team also wanted to offer better sound and feel than super-GI golfers are used to.

That being the case, TaylorMade packed the M CGB irons with technologies from the company’s past, and a few new features as well, to make them the most forgiving and longest irons in the company’s stable.

Like the M2 irons, the M CGB irons have a fluted hosel to help displace center of gravity

Like the M2 irons, the M CGB irons have a fluted hosel to help displace CG.

Each M CGB iron in the set has four metal-injection-molded tungsten weights that sit deep behind the face to increase MOI (moment of inertia, a measure of forgiveness) and move center of gravity (CG) rearward to increase launch and forgiveness. The irons also use TaylorMade’s Inverted Cone design and a newly designed “Speed Pocket” to help golfers create faster, more consistent ball speeds. The irons also use an “accordion-style” undercut to create more distance, along with the company’s “Face Slots” that help expand the sweet spot of the irons. For better sound and feel, the M CGB irons use the company’s familiar “Geocoustic” technology, which includes a special geometry and a material called Hybrar in the badging of the irons to dampen vibrations for a better sound and feel.

TaylorMade's "Accordion" undercut for higher launch

TaylorMade’s “Accordion” undercut helps create a higher launch.

Each of the irons were given maximum COR, according to Bystedt, so there’s no progression or “holding back” on distance or forgiveness throughout the set. With TaylorMade’s M2 2017 irons, which are currently the company’s most forgiving iron model, the mid and short irons were not given maximum COR to help golfers create more consistent distance gaps throughout the set. The M CGB irons were to create the highest ball flight possible through the set. The result, according to TaylorMade, is an iron that achieves the highest peak height of any TaylorMade iron since 2012, which will certainly benefit golfers with slower swing speeds who need help to hit the ball higher and farther so they can hit more greens.

Since these irons launch higher and are created for golfers who swing the club a bit slower, their loft progression looks a bit different compared to TaylorMade’s M2 irons. The longer irons have higher lofts than the long irons of the M2 set (1.5 degrees higher in the 4 iron), and the shorter irons and wedges (9-PW, AW, SW) have stronger lofts. According to Bystedt, this differentiation in loft progression helps golfers with slower swing speeds hit ideal launch windows to create max performance.

The M CGB irons will be available on September 29 (4-PW and AW or SW) for $1,199.99 for an eight-piece set with a Nippon N.S. Pro 840 steel shafts. The cost is $1,399.99 with the stock graphite shaft option, UST’s Recoil 460 ES. The irons come stock with a TaylorMade Dual Feel grip. Custom shaft and grip options will be available, many at no added charge.

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24 Comments

George

Sep 12, 2017 at 10:20 am

Gentlemen I purchased new & still play the 2006 R7 CGB irons, graphite, 12 h-cap & 69 years old. The new M CGBs look similar, I cannot wait to test them out, maybe it’s time for a new shiny set after 11 years.

Reply Report comment
- steve2
  
  Jan 4, 2018 at 1:15 am
  
  Yes, they are the Viagra of golf clubs 😎
  
  Reply Report comment
Otis

Sep 11, 2017 at 6:06 pm

I really love the TM cosmetic plaques on the back of the clubs. They give you that powerful blingy stature which is so important in golf.

Reply Report comment
dcorun

Sep 9, 2017 at 2:19 pm

I don’t care about playing irons that make people think I’m bad. I played the old Cleveland HiBore irons and hit it past the ones playing their pretty clubs. I’m going to get fitted for the new Cleveland Launcher HB irons and start hitting it long again. They will cost around $800 with a real deal Miyazaki C Kua shaft and I’ll keep the change to play more golf.

Reply Report comment
ob&chipolte&rnoobs

Sep 8, 2017 at 2:57 pm

I know, it’s crazy to think that people who like golf clubs would visit a site that mainly talks about new equipment.
Chipolte it seems foolish to visit a site that talks about what you don’t like.
Perhaps you could find a site more to your liking. Try Ilovebarbiedolls.com that should be more up your alley.

Reply Report comment
- OBnoob
  
  Sep 9, 2017 at 6:31 pm
  
  yes, this is a ‘safe space’ for gearheads to slobber all over the latest and greatest new equipment and fantasize with ignorant opinions like ‘love’ and ‘feel’.
  
  Reply Report comment
Chipolte

Sep 8, 2017 at 11:52 am

SGI clubs for hackers, duffers and assorted gearhead teens and struggling seniors.

Reply Report comment
rgk5

Sep 8, 2017 at 7:00 am

This looks like the end for the M2 and M1 irons. Why have three that are very close to the same?

Reply Report comment
- Steve S
  
  Sep 8, 2017 at 8:10 am
  
  Not sure that will happen. The price points for the M series is a lot lower. These irons are targeted to the golfer who has more money than brains…which seems to be a growing demographic. Full disclosure, I play 2016 M2’s.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - OBnoob
    
    Sep 9, 2017 at 6:29 pm
    
    “… the golfer who has more money than brains…”, but that covers all the gearheads on this fine forum!
    
    Reply Report comment
skull

Sep 7, 2017 at 10:57 pm

Nope, not at that price

Reply Report comment
David

Sep 7, 2017 at 7:44 pm

ok I like these!! but side by side I would like to see how much they DON’T outperform the 2006 model!! guarantee they don’t by much if at all.

also why is the graphite shaft cheaper than that spinner Nippon?? way cheaper. they never happens. has ust just sold itself out to every iron set for dirt cheap?

They don’t make ping’s shafts anymore so they must have to do something for the average golfer??

IDK man!! but ill take that m cgb 2 iron with a c taper 130x pronto. new beat stick.

Also, soon we will see rossa cgb putters!!!!!!!!!! and those were always a good look.

thumbs up

Reply Report comment
- JDS
  
  Sep 8, 2017 at 9:15 am
  
  Uhhh. It’s $200 more for graphite.
  
  Reply Report comment
- OBnoob
  
  Sep 9, 2017 at 6:33 pm
  
  Udaman, gearhead.
  
  Reply Report comment
Matt Hardy

Sep 7, 2017 at 5:13 pm

Delete

Reply Report comment
- Shallowface
  
  Sep 9, 2017 at 8:45 pm
  
  Wonderful!
  
  Reply Report comment
Ns

Sep 7, 2017 at 11:29 am

These are going to be the shiznit

Reply Report comment
Steve

Sep 7, 2017 at 10:44 am

JPX 900 Hot Metal with Recoil Shaft (or any shaft they offer) are the BEST GI clubs I’ve ever hit hands down. They are by far the longest, hottest, best feeling iron I’ve ever hit. Head to Head nothing beat it, not Apex, not the p series from TM, not the PING, and definitely not the new AP1 or AP3’s. It was also more forgiving and much better looking than any SGI club I’ve ever hit….. I also paid only $899 for 4-GW with REA, taper tip, Recoil shafts – not a ‘made for TM parallel tip cheap version’.

Now TM wants to compete with the JPX 900 Hot Metal by charging consumers $1200 for the blatant garbage fire of a head above?! Oh and also charge an extra $200 for a made for TM Recoil bs shaft?!

Good Luck TM, your decision making skills are impeccable….
– that was sarcasm by the way.

I guess that’s why I’ve seen more Mizuno sticks being used this year than I ever have before, while seeing less and less TM sticks at my club. Mizuno is back and growing fast. TM continues to spend outrageously in marketing, hoping consumers are dumb enough to listen.

I strongly URGE consumers to try the JPX 900 HM or JPX 900 Forged instead. Stop falling victim to over amplified marketing.

– Steve OUT (Mic-drop)

Reply Report comment
- OB
  
  Sep 7, 2017 at 11:40 am
  
  YES YES YES!!!! I’m going out this evening to buy these new club contraptions with all the undercuts filled with elastomer and embedded with fantastic hi-density tungsten plugs…. not to mention the cool bling graphics. I want that soft buttery feel that I lost with my old clubs.
  I will retire my old Hogan Radials with the big bottom flange that lowers the club CG but it has little MOI to correct for my really bad toe and heel hits. I need drastic help for my awful off-center hits and these new club designs should really really help… I hope.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - OBnoob
    
    Sep 7, 2017 at 5:09 pm
    
    What a fool. Sarcasm is not your forte. By the way it is certain some new technology will benefit your game. Those ratty old Hogans you hit are beater sticks for people that can’t play.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Chipolte
      
      Sep 8, 2017 at 11:50 am
      
      Gearheads slobbering over golf clubs are fools.
      
      Reply Report comment
      - OBnoob
        
        Sep 9, 2017 at 6:27 pm
        
        I agree gearheads are fools, but that’s no reason to insult them with sarcasm about new technology. Newer is always better.
        
        Reply Report comment
        
        Shallowface
        
        Sep 9, 2017 at 8:46 pm
        
        Mizark.
        
        Reply Report comment

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Equipment

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

Published

4 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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