TaylorMade extends M family with complete M2 line of products

CARLSBAD, Calif. — For TaylorMade Golf, the M1 line is a tough act to follow.

The company’s flagship driver, unveiled in September, became an instant hit when Jason Day put it in the bag and won at the BMW Championship. It was a fresh, new look for a TaylorMade driver, using a carbon-composite crown and complete with several levels of adjustability to help most any player dial in the club for their game.

The fairway woods and hybrids were built for players who want and need that kind of precision through the bag.

With a $ 500 price tag, however, the driver made it clear: to get modern technology, golfers will have to pay a modern price. Equipment technology, particularly with the driver, has made steady, incremental progress for more than a decade, yet manufacturers, until the last 18 months, have been reluctant to account for inflation just like everything else in the world.

So, the task for TaylorMade was to develop a parallel family of equipment that offered almost the same technology but at a price point accessible for more golfers. That’s what the company has developed and announced Monday: the M2 line.

The M2 driver features the most visible design element of the M1, using the same seven-layer carbon-composite crown, which saved 5 grams over the prior generation of TaylorMade driver. In an effort to control costs, the T-track adjustability system found in M1 didn’t make it to M2. However, the 15 grams the T-track system weighs were returned to designers to give them discretionary weight used to move the club’s center of gravity slightly back. An improved SpeedPocket, which allows the club to flex at impact to improve ball speeds, completes the product. Though there are fewer adjustability options, the club offers more forgiveness and offers a better ball flight for more players.

The fairway woods use the same carbon-fiber crown and sport the company’s most flexible SpeedPocket, made possible by elongating and fluting the hosel to protect sound and feel without negatively impacting the club’s center of gravity. The company calls the M2 fairways their longest ever.

The hybrids are a deviation from the carbon-fiber crown, but have the same fluted hosel with the look of a fairway wood for maximum distance and higher launch conditions.

The M2 line doesn’t stop with the clubs that get headcovers, however. TaylorMade developed two sets of M2 irons to complete the bag.

The M2 irons are a pure-distance, game-improvement iron. The clubhead is bigger, the offset is higher, the sole and topline thicker. Engineers made design decisions with distance in mind. They brought in the fluted hosel to add weight to drive the center of gravity low and back. The 360 degree undercut face allows the face to flex more at impact compared to prior generations, while a three-dimensional badge reduces vibration at contact and improves sound. The end result was a launch angle so high through the bag that engineers felt forced to strengthen the lofts in each club, anywhere from 1-1.5 degrees over the AeroBurner irons they replace. However, the higher launch is also combined with a softer landing to get the ball to stop more quickly.

The M2 Tour irons offer many of the same benefits as the M2, but in a more compact package. They’re built for players who want some game-improvement technology but also some playability to showcase their skill.

The M2 family will largely be available in stores on Feb. 19, with the exception of the M2 Tour irons, which hit stores March 15. The driver will cost $ 400, with the fairway woods running $ 250 and the hybrid carrying a $ 200 price tag. The M2 irons start at $ 800 for steel shafts, with a graphite-shaft option starting at $ 900. The M2 Tour irons, available only in steel, cost $ 900.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

Follow @RyanBallengee

LISTEN TO OUR WEEKLY GOLF PODCAST! This week: Is pros wearing shorts a big deal?

Devil Ball Golf – Golf – Yahoo Sports