Equipment

TaylorMade 2017 M2 Fairway Woods and Hybrids: What you need to know

Published

10 years ago

Dec 7, 2016

TaylorMade’s M2 line of golf equipment is designed to help golfers increase distance and accuracy by offering more forgiveness, at least when compared to TaylorMade’s M1 line, which targets better golfers. Generally speaking, the M2 drivers, fairways woods and hybrids have larger club heads and lower profiles to help golfers hit higher, longer shots.

Compared to the previous line of M2 fairway woods and hybrids, the new M2 models offer more forgiveness, better sound and improved feel. Learn more about how TaylorMade designed its new M2 fairway woods and hybrids below, and join the discussion of the clubs in our forums.

M2 Fairway Woods

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Like the M2 drivers, the M2 fairway woods have a lighter 6-layer carbon fiber crown that helps lower the center of gravity (CG) of the club heads to make them high-launching and more forgiving. Unlike the drivers, however, TaylorMade’s new M2 fairway woods have a recess, or a “step” between the white, steel portion used on the front of the crown and the black carbon fiber used on the rest of the crown. The new geometry also lowers the CG of the fairway woods.

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The M2 fairway woods also mark the first time TaylorMade is putting its Inverted Cone Technology (ICT) in a fairway wood. The technology, which serves to spread out the sweet spot of a club, has been commonly used in TaylorMade driver and iron designs, but never in a fairway wood.

“Inverted Cone” club faces are thicker in the center and get progressively thinner around the perimeter of the club face. The thicker center portion allows COR (coefficient of restitution, a measure of spring-like effect) to remain at the USGA’s legal limit in the center of the club face, and maintains COR on the outer portions of the face, thus raising ball speeds on off-center hits.

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The soles of the M2 fairway woods are designed with TaylorMade’s “Geocoustic” theme, as seen throughout the M2 metal wood line. It uses geometry to tune the sound of the club head at impact, moving weight structures from inside the club head to the outside where they can improve CG location while also managing vibrations from impact.

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The soles of the M2 fairway woods also have a Speed Pocket, a slot in the sole that’s longer and more flexible than its predecessors. It increases forgiveness across the club face, according to the company. As in the 2016 M2 fairway woods, the hosels of the clubs are also “fluted” to remove weight from the top of the clubs, ultimately lowering CG and dampening vibrations up the shaft.

The M2 fairway woods will be offered in 3 (15 degrees), 3HL (16.5 degrees), 5 (18 degrees), 5HL (21 degrees) and 7HL (24 degrees) options and will be available on Jan. 27 for $249 each.

M2 Tour Fairway Woods

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Despite their smaller club head size (about 156 cubic centimeters), the club heads of the M2 Tour fairway woods use all the same technologies as the standard M2 fairway woods. Their compact design can improve versatility and reduce turf interaction for better players, however, while providing the more compact look that many golfers prefer.

The M2 Tour (left) and M2 fairway woods.

It’s expected that the M2 Tour fairway woods will produce all the ball speed golfers have come to expect from M2 fairway woods, while producing slightly more spin because of their deeper club faces to help better players more easily manipulate trajectory.

The M2 Tour fairway woods ($299.99) will be available Jan. 27, 2017 in lofts of 15 and 16.5 degrees. Mitsubishi Rayon’s Kuro Kage Silver TiNi 70 (R, S X) will be the stock shaft.

M2 Hybrids

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The M2 hybrids have the same recess or “step” seen in the M2 fairway woods. And golfers who enjoy the black-and-white look of TaylorMade’s driver and fairway wood crowns will also be happy to see a new black-and-white paint scheme its added to the M2 hybrids.

The soles of the M2 hybrids have a Speed Pocket that TaylorMade says is “more active” compared to its predecessors. It’s larger, and is said to transfer more energy to the golf ball on off-center hits. The hosel of the new hybrids are also fluted, but shorter than their predecessor to help lower the CG of the club heads.

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Although the M2 hybrid heads are still larger and longer from front to back than the M1 hybrids, which makes them play more like mini fairway woods, the 2017 models are slightly smaller than the 2016 M2 hybrids. They also have more rounded soles for improved turf interaction.

TaylorMade’s M2 Rescue clubs will be offered in 3 (19 degrees), 4 (22 degrees), 5 (25 degrees) and 6 (28 degrees) options, and will be available for $199.99 apiece starting on Jan. 27.

Related Topics:fairway woods hybrids TaylorMade

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1 Comment

Mr Poopoo

Dec 10, 2016 at 4:01 pm

M2 Tour = RBZ 3.0

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Whats in the Bag

Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)

Published

16 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100

Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400

Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.

Equipment

TaylorMade MySpider Tour and Tour X: More customizable build options now available

Published

16 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.

The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.

One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.

Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.

See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:

MySpider Tour

MySpider Tour X

Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

19 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.