We sent two readers to The Belfry for a TaylorMade fitting and to learn about the fascinating new methods used to get the most out of their M5 and M6 drivers
Golf clubs built to illegal specifications? That can’t be right. Along with two NCG readers, we went for a TaylorMade driver fitting to find out more.
The face is so thin it is initially built over the legal limit for spring effect. Each individual clubhead then goes through a fine-tuning process, which involves resin being injected into the clubface to reduce the spring effect and bring the flexing back to a legal level.
TaylorMade use a proprietary algorithm to tune each head to receive the correct volume of resin for the driver to be under the legal speed limit.
This process ensures each driver provides maximum speed whilst being inside conforming levels.
“Utilising a new manufacturing process, each head has been individually speed tested on multiple locations before being strategically injected with a tuning resin to achieve the tightest tolerance possible.” Brian Bazzell, TaylorMade’s vice-president of product creation, explained.
The idea behind this manufacturing process is that it is easier to make the driver face over the legal limit and then bring it back to conforming, than to try build each one consistently to conforming level.
Previously, using traditional driver manufacturing processes, clubfaces could only be made faster not slower. This made it more difficult to get the club as close to conforming without going over the legal limit and having to scrap that driver head.
Every M5 and M6 driver head is inspected, measured, and tuned for maximum speed and to ensure conformity – a process truly unmatched in the golf industry.
Current drivers on the market have a level of variation from one to the next. TaylorMade’s new engineering and development processes deliver a level of precision that ensures every golfer gets a hot and fast driver head.
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So how did our readers get on with their TaylorMade driver fitting? Head to the next page to find out…
TaylorMade driver fitting: Low handicapper
Name: Kris Jones Handicap: Scratch Golf Club: Ludlow
Before the fitting
Kris has been custom fit before but not for at least a decade.
“I class myself as a feel golfer, I’ve always bought clubs based on the custom fitting I had 10 years ago.”
“For me it is about my misses, I’ve played predominately from right to left for 15 years now, I just want to make sure it’s coming back.”
What the fitter had to say
“Kris’s fitting shows the importance of all types of golfers getting custom fit. One of the first words that Kris said to me was he doesn’t like a driver that looks open at address. He was actually playing a driver that was four degrees open.
“First we tested the M5 460 and we ended up in a 9-degree head. His numbers backed everything up, his launch was a little bit higher but the spin was a little bit less. So ultimately he was hitting more fairways and he wasn’t seeing the right-hand side of the golf course anywhere near as much.
“But his distance was up 7-8 yards, his ball speed was up 3mph on average, one in particular was up to 4mph, which we are seeing and hope to continue seeing with the products this year.
“It varies golfer to golfer; you’ll get a golfer who just wants to pick up distance. But with Kris it’s not that he needs the extra distance, for him it was very much consistency and dispersion of where his shots were finishing.”
After the fitting
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On average Kris gained 3.8 yards in carry, which led to 11.4 yards gain in overall distance.
“It wasn’t a case of me changing the swing or anything like that, I almost felt myself swinging easier because the club was doing all the work for me and I’ve gained 10 yards extra distance which is exactly what you need.
“I’m one of those people who think do drivers need to come out [of the bag] that often? Do irons need to be changed that often? But seeing today the technology that goes into everything and all the different options that you have, if you aren’t custom fitting yourself and if you aren’t going to these places and getting the benefits from it you are missing out.
“It’s a perfect opportunity for golfers of all standards to improve, see what they’ve got whether it’s right for them and see whether they can improve without actually having to change their swing. The technology is there; there is a club for everybody.”
What Kris was fit into
TaylorMade M5 (10.5°, Proforce V2 7 F5, Adjustable Weight set to draw, FCT set one click lower)
Head to the next page to see our high-handicapper got on with his TaylorMade driver fitting…
TaylorMade driver fitting: High handicapper
Name: Andrew Monk Handicap: 14 Golf Club: Castle Royle
Before the fitting
Andrew had never had a custom fitting before and has played with the same driver for 10 years.
“I’m looking forward to the experience. I felt like now is probably the right time to tune my clubs in and see if they can improve on the clubs I have got.
“Distance for me is important, but I’m really looking for consistency and if I get a bit more distance then that’s great too.”
What the fitter had to say
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“With Andrew it was all about seeing more ball speed with actually less club speed and increasing efficiency, to see if we could give him a bit more speed and a bit more distance and keep it under control.
“Andrew was fitted to the M6 as he didn’t need the adjustability of the movable weights in the M5. His path is very good and his face to path it excellent as well. Plus the M6 is probably going to feel more like what he currently has than a M5, and again he hits is own well so we didn’t want to take him away from that feeling too much.”
After the fitting
On average Andrew was gaining 7-8 yards with his best shot gaining 15 yards on his previous driver.
“I enjoyed the experience. The good thing about it I tried quite a number of club heads and shafts. Once he had tuned me in I was getting that consistency and a little more length as well. I felt that the club was very comfortable.
“Really looking forward to golf going forward and hopefully getting more consistency and improving my game generally. The experience is really good and I’m sure the overall result will give me that consistency I’m looking for.”
What Andrew was fit into
TaylorMade M6, D-Type (10.5°, Project X Evenflow Max Carry 45)
