Equipment
Spotted: A TaylorMade “M4” driver (via Instagram)
We’ve spotted two photos of a TaylorMade M4 driver making the rounds on Instagram and in our TaylorMade M3/M4 forum thread. While Instagram username “Golfization” — whom we believe to be the originator of the photos — has been deleted, below is a screenshot of the original post. The photos have since been shared by a variety of other Instagram users, as well. TaylorMade currently has no comment on the photos or the driver.
Based on the photos of the driver, it appears that the TaylorMade M4 pictured has the company’s “Geocoustic” technology that uses geometries to improve sound and feel. It also displays a new “Hammerhead” technology, based on writing written on a slot in the sole of the driver in the photo above. Even if the photo does not picture an M4 that will hit retail, the photo at least shows that TaylorMade has made a driver that goes away from it’s popular white-centric color scheme, replacing it with silver, much like a previous SLDR S design.
Is this TaylorMade’s new M4? That question has yet to be answered. But click here to see what GolfWRX members are saying about the Instagram photos.
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Whats in the Bag
Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)
- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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Equipment
Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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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.
View this post on Instagram
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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Joro
Nov 13, 2017 at 11:46 am
Y’all better run out and get in line, cause with that amazing Driver you will be so much longer and is what it is all about, can’t play a lick, but long. And that is a promise from TM. No guarantee, but a promise. Hurry and get you one. lololololol
MuskieCy
Nov 11, 2017 at 8:18 pm
Raider Nation will eat it up.
Bernard
Nov 11, 2017 at 10:57 am
I actually like it quite a bit because it definitely has looks of BMW. Enough for a lawsuit or some agreement to be in place. Porche has trademark on their fonts, would be surprised if BMW did not go just as far.
Bobby Wallace
Nov 11, 2017 at 10:35 am
The silver looks horrible. Black and white looked amazing.
Had Enuff
Nov 10, 2017 at 11:58 pm
M4 — Febr’18
M5 — June’18
M6 — Nov’18
M7 — Mar’19
M8 — ??????
Val
Nov 12, 2017 at 1:14 am
STOP!!!! I’m getting dizzy.
Mr Muira
Nov 10, 2017 at 11:07 pm
Taylormade have only ever built one club (an iron) that was good, but they don’t even know it. They jagged the design of it. If they knew they would bring it back. The R9 tour.
Anthony
Nov 10, 2017 at 10:29 pm
HammerHead? Oh my god, it all started with rockets and nutz ????
TaylorMade, Your dead to many people!!!
F the French
Nov 10, 2017 at 10:04 pm
As long as it performs, and that the head isn’t too light like the retail M2, but as heavy as the SLDR
steve c
Nov 10, 2017 at 8:40 pm
Taylormade cash-grab? I think so…
Bob Rockwell
Nov 10, 2017 at 4:17 pm
The silver looks like sh*t. Go back to white with black.
Joe Dallas
Nov 10, 2017 at 4:47 pm
I agree, no comparison between this and the old M1’s and M2’s. Which are not that old LOL The white and black color schemes look amazing. This is so muhhhhhhhhh.
Bo Pence
Nov 10, 2017 at 4:49 pm
Hopefully they will have color options,(white on black, grey on black, and black on black etc) That would be great!
SUHDUDE
Nov 10, 2017 at 4:12 pm
The Ultimate Copyright Infringement Machine
Mr. Replier Guy
Nov 10, 2017 at 4:35 pm
This.
Pandering to wannabe Bimmerheads.
Taylormade Fan
Nov 10, 2017 at 4:05 pm
Can’t stand the grey with the black. The white looks so much better. Why can’t they just keep the crown like it was?
etc.
Nov 10, 2017 at 2:53 pm
Looks like no sliding or screw-in weights, just some fancy internal structures to reinforce the driver head and give the impression that it’s something important for performance. Another semi-annual WITB scam for gullible gearheads.
Brian
Nov 10, 2017 at 5:43 pm
I’m guessing there will be an “M3” version with the adjustable weights.
CB
Nov 10, 2017 at 1:41 pm
Does its engine catch fire and explode like made-in-USA junk BMWs too? lmao
Terry (TMAC)
Dec 14, 2017 at 9:03 pm
Hmmm……never had that happen to any of my BMW’s. SMH
John K
Nov 10, 2017 at 1:20 pm
Make the top all honeycomb black and I’m in. Really don’t like the multiple colors.
Bishop
Nov 10, 2017 at 1:20 pm
I wonder how much in royalties BMW will be receiving from Taylormade… if none, I’m sure we can expect to see a lawsuit in the near future.
I suppose the slogan can still remain the same for both companies, though: “The Ultimate Driving Machine”.
saveva
Nov 10, 2017 at 1:48 pm
lawsuits? I guess if BMW also applied their trademarks to golf equipment…
Bishop
Nov 10, 2017 at 3:20 pm
Or a trademark on the “M4” emblem…
Mr. Divot
Nov 10, 2017 at 4:25 pm
When you apply for a trademark, it has to be specified which category the trademark will be used. Then you have to prove usage in that category after receiving the trademark. Also, you can’t use a super broad description of intended trademark usage so that it covers a bunch of different industries and uses, when in reality, you plan to only use it in one or two particular industry categories. It’s doubtful BMW applied for usage of the ‘M4’ trademark in the golf club category, although they definitely would have applied for clothing, so there may be some overlap there.
xjohnx
Nov 10, 2017 at 3:52 pm
I’m not a lawyer so I wont comment on the legality of it but, I think calling them M3/M4 and using this color scheme is just flat out desperate and disrespectful.
Scott
Nov 10, 2017 at 1:15 pm
Boo ya baby! Gonna be an expensive spring. Can’t wait to read what tweaks they made. Is Sergio crying now or is he already dialing in on an epic now? Wow
nyguy
Nov 10, 2017 at 12:47 pm
meh… awful M4 logo like the m1 logo, just awful.. Taylormade needs a new art director… does this club come with the purchase of a BMW M-series???
dude
Nov 10, 2017 at 11:55 am
I thought RM said it was the ball anyway? Is that silver?
Spitfisher
Nov 10, 2017 at 11:54 am
M4, Looks like a BMW rear badge