Opinion & Analysis
New and Old: TaylorMade 2017 M1 460 driver vs. TaylorMade SLDR S 460
What happens when you hit TaylorMade’s 2017 M1 460 driver against the company’s SLDR S driver?
I wanted to do this test because when the SLDR came out more than three years ago its radically forward center of gravity changed the way drivers were designed, sold and talked about by golfers.
How much has changed since then? Enjoy my video above, which shows my on-course and launch monitor tests of the clubs.
This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.
I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.
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Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.
With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.
Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!
Club Junkie
Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast
The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.
Brian also heads into the workshop to discuss several putter projects currently on the bench. From head options and shaft choices to build ideas and testing plans, he shares what he’s working on and which putters could become serious contenders for the bag this season.
If you’re a gear junkie who loves equipment testing, club building, and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect setup, this episode is for you.
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Club Junkie
Tour Edge Exotics mini driver review + TaylorMade Spider ZT Max first look – Club Junkie
On this episode of Club Junkie, I put the new Tour Edge Exotics Mini Driver to the test and break down the performance, forgiveness, distance, and where it fits compared to a traditional driver or strong fairway wood. If you have been curious about adding a mini driver to the bag, this one is worth a look.
I also dive into the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putter that was recently spotted and discuss the growing zero torque putter trend. Plus, there is a closer look at the new Project X Titan Yellow shaft showing up on the PGA Tour and what makes it different from other profiles currently out there.
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John Delirious
Jan 15, 2017 at 7:57 am
Posters knocking Mark because his tests don’t validate their purchase of an M1, are utter and complete morons.
DB
Jan 11, 2017 at 9:55 pm
Only thing this test tells me is that Mark is consistently inconsistent with any driver.
He’s also stating the obvious… with any driver it will simply come down to how it suits you swing, nothing much to do with the new tech. FWIW, I’m about to drop my Ping G for a Cobra F7. Is it longer or straighter than the G? Yes, for me it is, but that is simply a function of how it fits my swing, nothing to do with the clubs themselves. In someone else’s hands the G may be better. As much as I tried I just never could get along with the Ping, but the F7 just feels right to me, so the result is longer, straighter drives. I could probably save some coin and find an older model that works too, but I won’t, so not even going to pretend that I’d even entertain that idea.
james day
Jan 11, 2017 at 1:43 pm
Typically stupid test which tells us nothing other than the old spec of a standard Taylor Made club suits him more than the new spec. Mark Crossfield and many others are the mud in the muddy waters. Maybe he believes this is worth while which makes him a moron. Maybe he understands its a stupid test which makes him a total fake…
Egor
Jan 18, 2017 at 2:20 pm
You ok dude? Link us to some of your videos.
jgpl001
Jan 10, 2017 at 4:42 pm
SLDR 430 TP still the king for distance, can be very unforgiving though….the only reason it left my bag
W
Jan 10, 2017 at 3:29 am
Mark, can you please test the SLDR 430 against the 2017 M1 440? Thank you
Double Mocha Man
Jan 10, 2017 at 9:56 pm
Just for you…
G.W
Jan 9, 2017 at 7:55 pm
When you are swinging well it’s tough to beat the sldr for distance but when your swing is off a touch it is a punisher.I still have my sldr as a back up.
MrPoopoo
Jan 9, 2017 at 7:46 pm
Yet to see a review or comparison that tells me that I should get the new club. All launch data I’ve seen comparing 2017 M1 to [insert TM driver post 2014] shows no distance improvement over previous comparable models.
The only thing the 2017 M1 has proven in the closed data sessions is that it may be slightly more forgiving since the clubhead is stretched out longer from front to back.
McPickens
Jan 11, 2017 at 6:23 am
USGA put limit on clubhead COR in 1999, meaning no more gains in distance from clubhead to ball energy transfer. Only gains players can make are from technique, ball, ball flight/launch conditions, clubhead forgiveness.
DS