Martin Hopley
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The TaylorMade M2 irons literally took the high ground when they first came out as the aim was to launch the ball as high and as fast as possible for maximum distance and a steep landing angle.

This height went down very well in the market and now with the 2017 M2 irons TaylorMade has continued this philosophy and combined it with the proven face slots that first appeared on their RSi irons a couple of years ago.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

However it is the quest for a lower CG that was the driving force behind the 2017 M2 irons as the faces were already at the legal limit, so speed was not an issue.

The face slots help the forgiveness of the face as they reduce the loss of ball speed on off centre hits, but it requires some reinforcing at the ends of the slots as the cutaway below shows.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

Therefore lowering the CG elsewhere would give TaylorMade the spare weight to put the face slots back in. Firstly the top line of the head and the leading edge of the Speed Pocket were made 33% thinner at just 1mm thick.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

The face profile was also made shallower to reduce the proportion of material above the ball at impact.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

Finally the Fluted Hosel from the previous model was made thinner with 6 wider sections on it instead of the previous 8. This saved another 2g on top of the 3g the original version saved over a normal hosel and it is these factions that make all the difference.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

The result was a CG that was lowered by 1.2mm, which does not sound like much, but is about 7% lower so it is significant.

The Speed Pocket that features on the 4 to 7 irons was made a little thinner and 2mm or 20% taller to maximise ball speeds across more of the face.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

However the forgiveness comes from the Face Slots that you can see on the 4 to 8 irons on either side of the hitting area. In the past they made the clubs that have them sound a little bit hollower, but in the 2017 M2 irons this is reduced to a minimum, but it is still there.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

This improvement in sound is due to the ribs going across the back of the cavity from the synthetic badge and on the underside of the top edge.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

The ribs on the top edge look to be in a random pattern, but have actually been carefully placed to stiffen the face and optimize the sound and feel so that your hands and ears like them.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

This improvement is noticeable as in the past the transition from slotted to non-slotted irons in the set was quite noticeable and did not really enable the set to flow through the bag. The transition is still there, but is much less noticeable and as a result the M2 2017 irons feel more like a complete set.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

The shorter irons and wedges revert to a more traditional cavity back design with a cavity that closes in, until you get to the sand iron, which looks more like a cavity back/blade hybrid. The feel is still pretty good from this head too, but you may want to switch to a specialist TaylorMade wedge at this stage.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

The soles are generous, but in reality play thinner than they look. The three way bevel helps the leading edge go into the turf easily and on the other side of the centre section the trailing edge cambers off to make it playable and keep the weight low and back.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

For what is marketed as a distance game improvement iron the look at address is very playable with a reasonable amount of a offset with a mid to large head that will appeal to single figure players upwards.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

The wedge is reasonably compact for a distance set, but frames the ball very well and it is good to see something that looks playable rather than being all boxy in this type of set.

You can see the fluted hosel at address, but if that bothers you then you are looking at the wrong thing during the swing.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

Cosmetically the polished chrome look is a classier finish than the previous black and will enable the M2 irons to look better for longer.

As you go up the set, the head size and offset increases slightly to make them easier to hit, and the 4-iron with its big face is a very powerful club as it almost behaves like a hybrid. At the global launch in the USA I witnessed Dustin Johnson hit one 264 yards - carry!

Dustin Johnson

For the rest of us, you will find that the 2017 M2 irons give a solid flight that is maybe a little higher than average, but which delivers distance which is higher than average. Yes, the lofts are quite strong, as the 4-iron is 19° and the wedge is 43.5°, but they give the height of the number on the sole, even if the distance is something else.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

The overall feel of the club is helped by the excellent FST Reax HL 88 steel shaft which is light and stable and suits the profile of the M2 irons very well.

TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons

The forgiveness really is excellent and it is in the toe area and high on the outside of the face that the biggest speed savings have been achieved in the new design. Overall there is very little to fault on the 2017 M2 irons and these irons should be on your short list if you are a high single figure handicapper upwards.

You can see a lot of thought has gone into the construction and this shows in the sound and feel from the set which is much better than previous sets that have blended different types of head construction. The re-introduction of the face slots brings additional forgiveness to one of the fastest iron faces around.

Golfalot Rating: 5 stars
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TaylorMade M2 2017 Irons - Product Details

UK Launch27 January 2017
UK Launch RRP£699
USA Launch27 January 2017
USA Launch RRP$699.99
European Launch RRP€849
Handicap Range
Low
High
GolferMens
Hand AvailabilityLeft, Right
ManufactureCast
MaterialSteel
Shaft TypesSteel, Graphite
Shaft FlexRegular, Stiff
Shaft WeightREAX HL 88 by FST (Steel), M2 REAX (Graphite)
DesignCavity Back
Set Makeup4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, PW
Additional ClubsGW, SW, LW
Manufacturer's WebsiteTaylorMade Website

User Reviews

Gary Sholder-41/2 stars
May 2018

Just purchased these clubs today and after hitting 2 large buckets of balls I realised I was hitting mostly flush crisp shots. Very comfortable feeling and quite forgiving. I would strongly recommend these golf clubs.

Shane in the OC
September 2017

After some reading, I purchased The M2 4 - PW irons from the local PGA Superstore here in Irvine, CA. After many years away from the game I decided to come back, playing for the previous two months with my set of old Titleist AP2 irons.

It’s been two weeks and I’m still struggling to get the feel of these clubs, but when I hit them right, no doubt I’m gaining distance on my PW through 7 iron. Having played recreational hockey for 25 years, my swing isn’t the graceful loop of the slope-shouldered mat jockey, but accuracy has always been my priority over distance. I’m still working to gain that quality with these clubs as I had with the AP2's. It will come, the M2's are fun to swing.

Bub
September 2017

Best irons out there unless your on Tour or play 7 days a week.

Richard
August 2017

Used my clubs for 2 weeks and the 6 and 7 iron started to show problem. The centre of the face pulled away from the vertical slots. (more on the toe). TM are replacing them but I have to wait 2 - 3 weeks for the replacements?????????????

Nathan lewis
August 2017

Brought these irons 4 months ago 4-Pw and 5 iron has been replaced by TM twice and 6 iron once and it has happened again face slots failing by caving in which results in damage to the face. I think the clubs hit the ball well but now I am concern to hit them as don't want to damage more irons I am not happy at all and want to be fitted to M1's or something completely different. 😡👎

RGS
July 2017

Didn’t want to love these as they were simply going to be an interim set until the G400s showed. No more interim. They are staying in the bag! The 4 iron alone was enough to keep my loyalty as I have consistently hit a quite a few long, soft landing shots to places I’ve never reached with my G irons. I went to pick up my G400 order today and hit all the irons of both and 4 thru 7 the M2 bested the G400 in all categories but spin. 8 thru A was a draw. I left without the Pings as I simply can’t give up the power, feel and performance of the 2017 M2. G400 s are great but M2s are wicked good as are the memorable shots I’ve already hit with them.

bertie white
July 2017

Face slot in M2 7 iron started protruding on second replacement club. Waiting for third 7 iron. If still a problem, must consider different irons.

yo
July 2017

I love these irons. They are super forgiving and long. I tend to hit on toes, but still only short about 10 yards or so. I am hitting about 10 to 15 yard longer compared to S3 max that i used to play and more forgiving.

Like a few others said, plastic inserts on 5 and 7 irons popped out on my first rounds. They replaced with them with new ones and i haven't had any issues since then after about 10 rounds.

Ryan A.
July 2017

I love the irons. I love the sound and the feel. The lofts are much more generous than what would be standard. A 6iron is more like a 5iron, thus people are getting more distance than they are used to. What I hate about these clubs is the durability! They are way too prone to scratches, scrapes, dings, etc. My last set of clubs (TaylorMade Rac OS) I had since 2005 and when I got these, they were in much better condition than my M2s after playing with them maybe 7 rounds. For the money, they are not worth it. I am afraid I am going to have buy new clubs in a year or two. That is a shame because I really like these.

Rob
July 2017

I'll keep it brief and simple, amazing, not a better set of irons out there. Only negative is the inserts that come away.

Jay
July 2017

I had the RSi1 irons with the face slots and the slots started breaking. My RSIs were only 9 months old so TaylorMade sent be 2017 M2's as replacements.

These things go far. My 7 iron goes 190 to toe strikes. Only played 2 games on them so I don't know about durability yet, hopefully they don't break like the RSI1s.

PatS
June 2017

Love the irons, but I am also seeing the insert on the toe protruding. Noticed first on the 6 iron called TaylorMade and they replaced it right away. Now noticed that same thing happening to the 7 iron.

Moonpie
June 2017

Bought a set of TM 2017 M2 hybrid/iron on 4/9/2017, consists of 3 & 4 hybrid, 5 to P wedge. I live in Michigan and the clubs have only been in play for roughly 2 months now. The black insert on the toe of my 6 iron is already starting to protrude a few millimeters and makes me question what happens when the ball hits that area. Also is this going to happen to all the face inserts at one time or another. In all fairness to TM at this point I have not contacted them because its Saturday and apparently they keep bankers hours. Will follow up with a review once settled with TM or TGW where they were purchased.

BR
May 2017

Bought these irons 5 - W, great hit the ball miles but the black inserts on 5,6 & 7 on the toe are coming loose and protruding up to 2mm. Any one else had this problem.

May 2017

Just started playing these irons. They perform as good as any clubs I ever had. Thank you

April 2017

Best irons I have ever hit. Playing in 40 to 60 degree weather I have picked up 10 plus yards per iron. Five star rating.

March 2017

I'm 69 years old with a 6 handicap and last year hit a lot of greens(9.9). This year I'm playing the 2017 M2 Irons and like them even more!

March 2017

When I hit the sweet spot I got everything advertised, I also seemed to come over the top more than when I was using my Apex's. All in all a good club.

March 2017

69 yr old golfer with 6 handicap and I have just purchased these irons. They are very nice with good look and feel. Better than my former AP1's.

February 2017

I love it and I feels solid. I hit the m2 irons further than the cobra F6 irons.

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