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In this review, I’ll be taking a look at the TaylorMade M6 driver.
The M6 shares the same core performance technologies as the M5, namely the Speed-Injected Twist Face and Hammerhead 2.0 Slot. It replaces the T-Track with what’s called the Inertia Generator, which improves aerodynamics and stores weight low and back for added forgiveness.
How does the M6 actually perform out on the course? How does it compare to the M5 and M4? Is it worth putting in the bag?
Here’s what I’m going to be covering in this review:
- Ratings
- Features & Technologies
- Performance
- Look, Sound & Feel
- Where To Buy This Driver Online
- Conclusion
Read on to find out what you need to know 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.
What are the reviews like?
The M6 has some of the highest ratings of any TaylorMade driver given the sample size. It nets an average of 4.7/5 (over 46 reviews) on Global Golf and an impressive 4.8/5 on the official TM website.
It has also been given near perfect scores by professional critics and website reviewers. It earned a gold medal on the 2019 Golf Digest Hot List.
What People Like
- many people report big distance gains of 20-30 yards over previous offerings of comparable forgiveness
- the Inertia Generator is easy to keep clean and interacts smoothly with the turf
- generally more forgiving than the M5 and friendlier towards higher handicaps
- muted, crisp, solid feel at impact
What People Don’t Like
- distance is lacking for some
- those will faster swing speeds will likely get too much spin
- no adjustable weights means less flexibility for different swing types
What are the features?
In my mind, the two standout features of the M6 driver are the Speed-Injected Twist Face and Inertia Generator. It also has the Hammerhead 2.0 slot found in the M5.
Let’s go over each in more detail:
Speed-Injected Twist Face
The M6 driver makes use of the Twist Face first seen in the M4 driver, but it’s been taken to the next level.
First, note that most of today’s drivers are calibrated to be slightly under the speed limit. This speed is typically measured in the COR (coefficient of restitution) value, which has a legal limit of 0.83.
With the M6, TaylorMade first makes the face at or faster than the legal limit and then, if necessary, dials it back by injecting a special resin into two circular areas low on the face. This resin stiffens the face, making it a little less flexible.
The end result is a driver face at or just below the legal limit of speed. This gives maximum ball speed for any given club head speed, which directly translates into more distance.
Of course, this works hand-in-hand with the original benefit of the Twist Face: a corrective face angle that makes strikes in the toe and heel work back towards the target.
Inertia Generator
The Inertia Generator makes up part of the sleek, aerodynamic sole design, which is designed to generate more club head speed.
It stores 46g of weight, bringing the CG low and back. This keeps spin lower, but also increases launch and forgiveness.
Because the M6 is made of 54% more carbon than the M4, TM is able to redistribute weight to optimize performance.
Hammerhead 2.0 Slot
The new Hammerhead slot is now more flexible.
Located just behind the face, it helps improve ball speeds on the lower part of the face, thereby increasing forgiveness and distance.
Stock Info
The M6 driver is available in 9°, 10.5°, and 12° standard lofts at 460CC. Also available is:
- the M6 D-Type driver, which encourages a draw bias.
- the M6 Women’s driver in 10.5° and 12° lofts.
The M6 driver includes a 4° loft sleeve that allows you to adjust loft, lie and face angle. There are 12 possible sleeve variations that can increase or decrease the loft by 0.5-0.75°, the lie angle by 0.5-0.75°, and the face angle by 1-2°.
The stock shafts available with the M6 are the Fujikura ATMOS Orange 5 (mid-high launch) and Fujikura ATMOS Black 6 (low-mid launch). The stock grip is the TaylorMade Dual Feel.
If you’re interested, full information on the driver, shafts, grips, their specs, and any custom shaft options can be found here.
Below are the specs of the M6 driver. Click or zoom to enlarge.
How does the driver perform?
Distance
Depending on where you’re coming from and the kind of swing you have, the M6 driver could be a game changer in the distance department.
The Speed Injection automatically means that distance will be comparable to the M5, which is very long. If you have a driver model that is at least a few years old, chances are you’ll see a substantial increase in distance.
Golfers with fast swing speeds may see less distance than the M5; this is because the CG is towards the back and the aerodynamic shape isn’t as helpful in generating additional club head speed.
On the other hand, golfers who have slower swing speeds will likely do better with the M6. This is because the low/back CG helps get the ball in the air without increasing spin too much.
All things considered, distance with the M6 is very good, but it doesn’t quite compete with some “pure distance” drivers that I’ve tested.
Forgiveness
Because of the altered weight distribution that moves weight back, the M6 naturally tends to be more forgiving than the M5, and this isn’t surprising.
Compared to the M4, it’s hard to say either way, but the M6 does seem to have a slight leg up on mis-hit performance, particularly low on the face.
Forgiveness is definitely a strong suit of the M6, both in terms of distance and direction. When you combine the Speed Injection that increases ball speeds across the face, the corrective Twist Face, and the more flexible Hammerhead slot, you can’t go wrong.
If you’re looking for a big stick that’s going to really help you stay in the fairway, the M6 won’t disappoint.
Playability/Trajectory
On average, trajectories with the M6 are high — a bit higher than with the M5, but it depends strongly on the type of swing you have.
Swing speeds that are too fast for the M6 or the fitted shaft will likely have problems with ballooning tee shots. In such cases, you should try decreasing the loft using the loft sleeve and see how it improves performance.
I did seem to notice a slight draw bias in my testing, which was a little surprising considering TM offers the D-Type which is specifically built to produce a draw.
Despite the forgiveness and corrective nature of the face, I still found workability to be fairly decent. It doesn’t offer a Tour-level amount of precision, but it’s still very possible to shape shots to an extent.
What about look, sound & feel?
The Look
Looking top-down, the M6 looks almost indistinguishable from the M5, with its matte black patterned carbon fiber crown and silver leading edge region.
The sole, on the other hand, is quite different. The Inertia Generator weighting region sits prominently where the weight track would normally be.
You would think that shape of the Inertia Generator might have a negative effect on the aerodynamics, and you’d be right, but the difference is very small and is compensated by the higher launch of the low CG.
Compared to the M4, the M6 sits more square at address. The red speed injection screw holes are clearly visible on the face.
I prefer the look of the M6 over the M5 and the M4. Despite the fact that it’s 460CC, it just seems more compact and efficient, so it feels that much better when you hit a great tee shot.
The Sound & Feel
During the first 20 minutes of my testing session, I was under the initial impression that the M6 was both quieter and more “tinny” than the M4.
The more I used the driver and hit the center of the face consistently, the more this impression changed. I find that the sound actually tends to be a bit on the loud side, but the feel in the sweet spot is very solid and powerful — more so than even the M4, whose feel I praised at the time.
Combining the sound and feel together, you get one of the most satisfying feelings you’ll ever experience in a driver. Don’t get too pumped up, though — you don’t want any added tension to ruin your groove.
Moving away from the sweet spot towards the heel and toe, feedback isn’t very distinct, but a keen golfer can still tell where they make contact pretty easily. This is about what you would expect considering the M6’s game-improvement qualities.
Where should you buy the M6 driver online?
The M6 driver is now more than a season old. At this point, there are a couple places where I recommend getting it online.
One place is Global Golf, which is the certified pre-owned source of TaylorMade golf clubs. They offer many attractive policies and deals that make for a smooth buying process.
The other place is eBay. They are a fantastic source for golf equipment, and you may be able to find M6 drivers in new condition there as well.
You can still buy the M6 from the TM website, but I expect that the listing is going to be taken down soon.
Conclusion
TaylorMade’s M6 driver is ideal for those who want oodles of forgiveness and plenty of launch, while still enjoying the impactful distance technologies that make the M5 what it is.
It’s nice to be able to just “grip and rip” the M6 without needing to tinker with any slidable weights.
I also find that it does a really good job of keeping the spin down to a manageable level, even for those who have higher-than average swing speeds. This opens up the driver to a wider subset of golfers.
If you don’t mind the lack of adjustable weights, you should seriously consider the M6, especially given the fact that it’s slightly less expensive than the M5.
Are you interested in the M6 driver? Have you played it? What’s your experience? Let us know in the comments below.
I have an M6-D ,I like the feel and the swing ability but I am not able to draw the ball the way I could with my old Calloway. Is there a helpful tip out there? that will help me out.
With the M6 D-Type, much of the draw bias comes from the appearance of an open face angle at address, which is meant to encourage golfers to “turn over” the face at impact. But your results can depend on the shaft. I would first try a different shaft, and if that doesn’t do the trick, you can shift your alignment right or adopt more of a strong grip. Beyond this, sometimes certain models just don’t work out for people and you may do better with a Callaway or something else. Good luck!
hi can you please tell me if the M6 D (Draw) Driver has any degree of closed face in the Standard loft position or does it measure a square face in this position.
Can you set the club to Low Loft + Low Lie angle + Closed face. I have a flatter swing yet it seems to me the only way to set this club to be more closed is by Increasing lie angle ie. more upright.
Hi Mark. I believe the M6 D-Type driver face technically sits square at address, but the design makes it appear more open which encourages you to turn over the clubface at impact.
As for the loft sleeve setting, how it works is that the lowest loft settings are associated with an open face, not a closed one. Reducing loft or closing the face will also increase the lie angle and there’s no way around this when using the adjustable hosel. Your best bet is to get the 9-degree model.