TaylorMade M2 Fairway Wood Review – Feel-Good Performance

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TaylorMade 2016 M2 Fairway Wood - 4 Perspectives

Here I’ll be comprehensively reviewing the TaylorMade M2 fairway wood.

Labeled “maximized distance and forgiveness” by TaylorMade, it combines the best of the previous-generation Aeroburner fairway and the M1. The M2 fairway wood is intended to produce excellent distance, playability and forgiveness at an affordable price.

Is the M2 fairway wood worth the buy? What are its strengths and weaknesses? Read on to find out what you need to know about it to make an informed purchase.

Note: Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.


Quick Verdict

Rating: 4.8/5 (Excellent)

Classification: Game-Improvement (with better-player qualities)

Pros

  • ball speed retention on mis-hits is arguably the best out of all TaylorMade fairway woods and perhaps out of all fairway woods period
  • impact sound and feel are unmatched
  • very playable out of a variety of lies
  • distances are long and consistent

Cons

  • left-handed version not available stock in womens and some HL variants
  • no adjustability for tweaking ball flight
  • a little on the expensive side

Recommended for: Any golfer who prioritizes distance, feel, playability and ball speed forgiveness and wants a less-expensive alternative to the M1 fairway wood.

Best Places To Buy Online

Now that this model is a few years old, there are two places where you can get it at a great discount.

The first is eBay, which is a fantastic source for new and used fairway woods.

The second is Global Golf, which offers many attractive policies and deals that make the buying process smooth. You’d best hurry before they run out of the stock you want.

Want a high-resolution look at the M2 fairway? Click on the composite image at the top of the page and navigate the photos on the left-hand side of the screen!


What are the reviews like?

The TaylorMade M2 fairway wood has a very positive reception overall, with average customer ratings of 4.6/5 (over 180 reviews) on Global Golf, 5/5 (100% recommended) on the TaylorMade website and on the DSG website among other places.

What People Like

  • exceptional sound and feel (thanks in part to a new fluted hosel)
  • classy and straightforward look
  • easy playability from a variety of lies
  • superb ball speed protection/forgiveness on mishits (arguably better than ever before)
  • consistent and big distance

What People Don’t Like

  • there is no adjustability whatsoever
  • even though customization is not desired as much on fairway woods as it is on drivers, some golfers would still prefer something on the M2 fairway to be able to customize their ball flight

What are the features?

Features and technologies of the M2 fairway wood are very similar to those of the M2 driver, with some differences.

TaylorMade claims that the M2 delivers their “hottest trajectory ever”.

Multi-Material Construction

The multi-material M2 fairway features a “fluted” hosel with a ribbed design (shown in the image) that saves weight while maintaining strength. This works together with internal acoustics engineering to reduce impact vibrations and pitches.

The result is a solid, hot, crisp sound with very clear and distinct feedback.

Other features are more or less shared with the M2 driver and include:

Carbon Composite Crown

A 7-layer Carbon Composite Crown allows weight to be placed low for optimal launch and spin.

Open Channel Speed Pocket

A new and improved Open Channel Speed Pocket located on the sole near the face effectively increases the size of the sweet spot and reduces unwanted spin.

It’s TaylorMade’s most flexible Speed Pocket, 22% more flexible than on the AeroBurner.

Stock Info

The M2 comes stock with the TaylorMade REAX 65, 55 and 45 graphite shafts. The stock grip is the TaylorMade Arrow.

Full details on shafts/grips and their specs can be viewed on the TaylorMade website. Specifications of the M2 fairway wood for men and women are below:

HeadLoftLieLengthVolumeSwing WeightRH/LH
M2 Fairway15° (3)60°43.25"156ccD3RH/LH
M2 Fairway16.5° (3HL)60°43.25"156ccD3RH/LH
M2 Fairway18° (5)60.5°42.25"142ccD3RH/LH
M2 Fairway21° (5HL)60.5°42.25"143ccD3RH
M2 Fairway24° (7HL)61°41.75"133ccD3RH
M2 Women's Fairway16.5° (3HL)60°42.25"156ccC9RH
M2 Women's Fairway21° (5HL)60.5°41.25"143ccC9RH
M2 Women's Fairway24° (7HL)61°40.75"133ccC9RH

How does the M2 fairway wood perform?

Distance

Solidly struck shots with the M2 fairway produce exceptional distance results through a lower spin rate and increased ball speed compared with previous models.

Many people report more carry and more roll over their previous fairway woods. Pro golfer Jason Day, for example, gained 10-11 yards of extra distance on average over his AeroBurner TP fairway wood during testing.

While exact results will certainly vary from person to person, the vast majority of players should be more than pleased with the M2’s ability to get it out there far. This applies even on off-center strikes, which retain ball speed as well as the best currently on the market.

Forgiveness

As I touched on above, and similar to the M2 driver, the M2 fairway wood is terrific when it comes to minimizing distance loss on off-center strikes; consequently, distances are very consistent over a large area of the face.

In terms of directional forgiveness, I found it to be average to above-average relative to other fairway woods in a similar class as the M2.

Playability/Trajectory

The intent for the M2 fairway wood was a higher launch and lower spin than the AeroBurner, and indeed, testing shows that it does appear to deliver in both respects, with around around a degree more launch and around 100 RPM less spin. The end result is a very “hot” trajectory conducive to distance.

Ball flight is typically mid to high, but the exact flight will, of course, depend on your swing speed and swing type.

Workability is good and playability is great; the shallow head design makes for a relatively smooth and friendly interaction with the the fairway and rough. It’s very easy to get the ball up in the air.


What about look, sound & feel?

The Look

As you might expect, the look and shape of the M2 fairway is nearly identical in many respects to that of the M2 driver, with its sole design, logo placements and black/white crown scheme.

Differences include the dark-gray fluted hosel, different Speed Pocket design (the traditional smile-shaped pocket is contained within a wider shallower pocket), less elongated and more shallow clubhead (naturally) and absence of a removable weight on the sole.

Overall, I think it’s a classy, low-profile aesthetic that looks great behind the ball.

The Sound & Feel

It turns out that sound and feel are one of the M2’s greatest strengths.

Thanks to TaylorMade’s fluted hosel breakthrough working in tandem with the light crown material, impact is hot, light, crisp and overall very pleasing to the senses; this is unlike the AeroBurner, which delivered the distance but lacked a satisfying sound and feel.

Also, the clear (but not jarring) feedback of the M2 means that you can quite easily identify and attempt to correct your mishits.

Another factor that can influence the feel of the M2 fairway wood is the shaft, and while the stock TaylorMade REAX shaft is awesome, there are other custom shafts available at no extra cost for those who prefer something different.


Where should you buy this fairway wood online?

Click the button and the links on this article to be taken to the best buying destinations.


Conclusion

The M2 fairway wood combines the best of the AeroBurner and M1 fairway wood models into a reasonably-priced package.

With top distance, ball speed forgiveness and an amazing sound/feel combo, it’s a great choice for all but the very worst golfers who could do without the extensive adjustability that the M1 provides.


Have any thoughts or opinions about the 2016 version of the M2 fairway wood? Leave them in the comments below!

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4 Comments

  1. Jon March 14, 2016
    • Paul March 15, 2016
  2. Paul March 14, 2016
    • Paul March 16, 2016

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