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In this review, I’ll be taking a look at the TaylorMade M6 irons.
The M6 is the latest entry in TaylorMade’s M series, released alongside the players model M5. The M6 is unabashedly a game-improvement iron, engineered for maximum distance & forgiveness as well as a solid feel at impact.
The M6 irons have attracted a lot of interest from golfers since their release. But how do they actually perform when put to the test? How do they compare to other TM iron models like the M5 and M4? Who are they best suited for? Is it worth putting a set in the bag?
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 TaylorMade M6 irons earned a gold medal on the 2019 Golf Digest Hot List and enjoy mostly high ratings from critics.
The irons currently have average customer ratings of 4.9/5 on Global Golf and 4.5/5 (77% recommended) on the TaylorMade store.
What People Like
- super long
- a ton of forgiveness
- high launch with straight flight
- light and stable stock shaft
- soft feel
What People Don’t Like
- lower spin and stronger lofts reduce stopping power into greens
- poor durability means the head gets dings and scratches easily
The Features
Speed Bridge
The Speed Bridge is a strong, mass-efficient structural beam that connects the top line to the back bar of the iron. It serves three main purposes:
- It enables the use of TaylorMade’s most flexible Speed Pocket yet (more on that below).
- It supports the top line and reduces low-frequency vibrations for enhanced sound & feel.
- It adds additional stiffness and rigidity to the head resulting in higher ball speeds.
Speed Pocket
This is a slot at the bottom of the sole designed to increase flexibility, ball speed and forgiveness on shots hit low on the clubface, which is a common mis-hit area.
Inverted Cone Technology (ICT)
ICT is essentially a variable face thickness. It has the effect of expanding the COR zone, increasing ball speeds over a larger area of the face around the sweet spot.
With the M6, the off-center ICT is part of an ultra-thin face design, and it’s designed to promote a straighter ball flight.
Other features of the M6 iron are:
- HYBRAR Damper: this advanced compression damper filters unwanted face vibrations for a solid yet soft impact feel
- a 360° undercut and Fluted Hosel that lower the CG, lower spin, increase launch, increase ball speed, and improve performance low on the face
Stock Info
The M6 irons are available in 4-LW. 4-PW stock sets can be purchased.
The irons are also available as part of an M6 Combo Set which includes 3-5 M6 Rescue clubs.
The stock shafts are the Fujikura Atmos Orange and KBS MAX 85. The stock grip is the Lamkin Dual Feel Reminder.
If you’re interested, full information on shafts, grips and other customizations can be found here.
Below are the specs of the M6 irons. Click or zoom to enlarge.
The Performance
The performance section will primarily compare the M6 with the M4 which is TaylorMade’s previous model game-improvement iron.
Distance
With the M6 irons, you could potentially see a significant gain in distance (10+ yards or more) over your previous gamer, which means you’d be able to club down and take advantage of the higher trajectory.
Overall, the M6 irons are very long. On average, they produce around 1-2 mph more of ball speed than the M4. The issue, especially with the longer irons, is that there’s not as much spin which can make it harder to control the landing.
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is arguably the greatest strength of the M6. The ball seems to rocket off the face no matter where it makes contact, and in fact, moderate mis-hits might only see 2-3 yards of lost distance.
My test indicated that performance in the heel, toe, top and bottom regions of the face are all exceptional. And when you consider the position of the center of gravity (CG), you realize that this iron is set up to provide as much stability and forgiveness as possible.
Overall forgiveness, as well as forgiveness low on the face, is slightly better than the M4 in my judgement.
Playability/Trajectory
Trajectories with the M6 irons tend to be high with good penetration.
The CG is positioned low and deep, which leads to a nice high launch angle. The lofts on the M6 irons are much stronger than your typical iron, but TaylorMade was able to get away with this due to the CG promoting such a high launch.
Spin is not too high nor too low, but given the high launch the M6 produces, the RPMs aren’t sufficient to have a Tour level of control into greens. But if you’re anything worse than a single-digit handicapper, this shouldn’t be an issue.
The turf interaction of the M6 irons is particularly good thanks to the generous amount of bounce afforded by the wider sole. Workability is below average; the M6 is not a great choice if you like to shape your shots.
The Look
The M6 iron has a pretty typical “game-improvement” profile, with a thick top line, wider sole, longer blade length, and offset — all designed to be playable out of a variety of lies and reduce misses to the right.
It’s a look that is certainly going to give a lot of golfers confidence at address. And another plus is that you can’t see the cavity sticking out behind the club when set up behind the ball.
One of the things that stands out about the M6 iron is its fluted hosel. This hosel has a carved or thinned out appearance that generates discretionary weight savings.
Unfortunately, the finish TaylorMade uses on the face is not very durable. If you get any grains of dirt or sand between the club and the ball, the face will tend to get dinged and scratched up quickly, to the point where the iron will look years old after a couple of rounds.
The Sound & Feel
The feel of the M6 iron is solid for the most part. Impact produces a fairly quiet, crisp “click” sound, although the sound is slightly louder than the M5.
Because it’s a hollow cavity back style, there’s an element of hollowness (even clickiness) to the feel, but it’s very explosive, springy and responsive. You really feel like the ball launches off the face at impact.
The feel across the face in mis-hit regions isn’t as consistent as I expected going into my test. It’s clear that the M6 is an iron focused on forgiveness, but feedback is more clear and distinct than I think it should be relative to the M5.
Where To Buy These Irons Online
The M6 iron is a few years old now so there is less availability, but it also means that you can get it at a pretty sizable discount.
Global Golf, which is a main partner for used TaylorMade clubs, still has some M6 irons in stock. You’d best grab some before they’re gone. Check and see what coupon codes they’re running here.
Alternatively, you can find some fantastic deals from trustworthy and reputable sellers on eBay, but just be aware of their policies. If you look through the search results, you can find plenty of listings for both new and used irons.
Conclusion
The overall performance of the TaylorMade M6 irons is extremely strong: high ball speed with plenty of distance, forgiveness that is as good as anything, a high launch, a confidence-inspiring look, and a super responsive feel.
The main issue with the M6 irons is poor durability; many golfers have complained about this and I’ve observed it myself as well. The face gets scuffed up fast, so don’t expect these irons to retain a pristine look for long.
Having said that, the M6 irons are a terrific choice for mid or high handicap golfers looking to improve their scores despite struggling with inconsistent ball contact. They are a clear step up from the M4 irons which were excellent in their own right.
Are you interested in the M6 irons? Have you played them? What’s your experience? Tell us about it in the comments below.
