50 Words or Less
The TaylorMade 2017 M2 fairway wood is designed to be forgiving and long, and boy did they succeed in that.
Introduction
Aside from its bold looks, the TaylorMade 2017 M2 fairway wood has a fairly simple design. In an era where every club has 700 available adjustments, the 2017 M2 has a fixed hosel with no adjustable weights. You know what? It doesn’t need it. With a few simple design concepts, TaylorMade created an easy-to-hit bomber that just takes a good swing on the ball to get it flying.
Looks
Like the M2 Driver, the TaylorMade 2017 M2 has a white top line and carbon crown. The standard version is the M2 fairway wood is a little larger and rounder with a bigger face. The M2 Tour model has a smaller footprint with a smaller face and more of a pear shape. Flip the M2 over and the sole is fairly plain. You’ll see the updated M2 branding and the new longer and more flexible Speed Pocket. Other than that, there’s not much to see. It’s a super cool looking fairway wood with a confidence-inducing profile. I’m a sucker for that white/carbon look.
Sound & Feel
From an “every-man” perspective, the TaylorMade 2017 M2 fairway wood is pretty difficult to beat for sound and feel. With a forgiving face, most shots have a nice “whap” sound and a feel similar to the drivers. The M2’s feel is hot but precise on most of the face. When you hit terrible shots, however, you will be informed by the club as you should. As long as you don’t hit it off the sole, extreme toe or heel you’ll be fine. Of all the fairway woods I’ve reviewed so far this year, the M2’s face feels the most active without the sacrifice of response and club awareness.
I said at the start of this section that I feel this fairway wood has every-man appeal. A lot of better players say they want a solid and muted fairway wood, and a lot of higher handicaps say they want a more explosive and springy feeling fairway wood. What makes the M2 fairway wood widely appealing is that it’s a good compromise. It’s hot off the face so you get that jump high handicaps are looking for, but the precision the better player desires is absolutely there.
Performance
Looking at my data above alone doesn’t tell the story of the TaylorMade 2017 M2 fairway wood. With 112 mph club speed, of course I’m going to have good distance for a 3 wood (humble brag). What caught my attention the most was how effortless it was to achieve this performance. I’ve noticed this to be a common theme with 2017 TaylorMade clubs.
TaylorMade put a lot of fancy tech elements into this club like their Inverted Cone Technology, Geocoustic tech, carbon crown, extended Speed Pocket, and a lighter hosel. The whole point was to make a low CG that gets the ball in the air with as little spin as possible. My testing confirmed that the 2017 M2 fairway did those things and it seemed automatic to me. Being able to hit a fairway wood long and high with ease, repeatedly, is extremely valuable. When I just have to step up to the ball and mindlessly swing, it’s hard to argue with the quality of the club.
Conclusion
Easy distance, reliability, and forgiveness are the best words to describe the TaylorMade 2017 M2 fairway wood. Sure, plenty of players will have their personal preferences that may differ, but when properly fit, it’s tough to argue with the 2017 M2’s results. I won’t speak for all of you, but the fairway wood is a tough beast to tame, and the 2017 M2’s simplicity makes it reliable and a valuable asset on the golf course.
Buy TaylorMade 2017 M2 Fairway Woods HERE
TaylorMade 2017 M2 Fairway Wood Price & Specs
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Bill plays Scott Readman Concepts putters and accessories.
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7 Comments
Looks like a nice fairway that could really help someone like me.
u reviewed m2 in 2016 was that the hl model
I did not do that review. I’m not sure which model Matt actually used to conduct his tests.
I have a tendency to hook this club more than any other club in my bag. Since not adjustable can an adjustable tip be fitted or maybe lead tape near the toe?
John,
I don’t believe an adjustable tip can be added retroactively, at least not easily. Lead tape or a new shaft would be the easiest solutions.
Best,
Matt
I have the same issue with this club. The performance is there but its the only club in my bag that result in massive hooks. Did they release this club with an offset version?
Believe it or not I am still playing these fairways introduced eight years ago . I have the 16.5* HL Three and the 21* HL Five. I have tried several other newer models from Taylormade, Callaway and Ping with similar lofts and none of them work as well for me. Maybe it’s the weight, maybe it’s the shaft but these will remain in the bag until the fall apart.