Is the Taylormade M5 Driver Still Good? – Is it Forgiving for High Handicappers?

Taylormade M5 Driver

“The M series of drivers from Taylormade are always exciting. We didn’t think that Taylormade could improve much from the M3; but we were wrong.”

It seems that with the launch of every new M series driver, Taylormade makes some minor (and in some cases major) tweak that completely changes the game.

Such was the case for the Taylormade M5 driver when it was released in 2019.

The biggest change from the M3 and the M5 driver was the orientation of the T-Track weighting system. In the M3, the top of the “T” was positioned near the face.

In the Taylormade M5 driver, the top of the “T” is flipped so that it is near the rear of the club head.

Still, the Taylormade M5 is a four year-old driver which begs the question, ‘is it still any good?’ We definitively answer that question in the following review.

Is the Taylormade M5 Driver Still Good?

“In a word, yes.”

We recently revisited the Taylormade M1 driver and concluded that it was still one of the best game improvement drivers on the market.

The Taylormade M5 is an updated, souped up version of the M1 so what conclusion do you think we came to about it? Of course the Taylormade M5 is still good in 2023.

Like the M1, the best thing about the Taylormade M5 is the fact that it is incredibly versatile. The T-Track weighting system allows players to adjust shot shape and spin rates to their liking.

Furthermore, the Taylormade M5 finally does away with the two-tone crown color scheme. This coloration of the crown was our biggest gripe about the Taylormade M1 and M3 drivers.

Granted, the Taylormade M5 still has a two-tone theme; but the strip of silver near the face is much thinner and a lot less distracting.

Is the Taylormade M5 Forgiving for High Handicappers?

Taylormade M5 Driver1

“The forgiveness factor is one of the main draws of the Taylormade M5.”

Like the other entries in the M series, the Taylormade M5 features a carbon fiber crown to help keep weight down.

So if you are a high handicapper who struggles to get your club head speed up to par, the Taylormade M5 may help.

And of course, if you are dealing with a hook or a slice, the Taylormade M5 can be adjusted to virtually any kind of shot bias.

The Taylormade M5 will improve your accuracy as a high handicapper. You just have to be willing to get fitted or take the time to dial in the weight settings yourself. Luckily, it’s not that hard.

Shot dispersion isn’t as tight as with the Taylormade M1 driver; but divergence still remained under 12 yards for our testing group.

And as long as you have the weights in the right positions for your swing, it’s not outrageous to expect carry distances of 265+ yards.

Taylormade M5 Vs Taylormade M3

“The Taylormade M3 features a Y-Track sliding weight system.”

The weight that dictates shot shape essentially reaches farther back in the head.

While this promotes better MOI (how the club head resists twisting/warping at impact) it is certainly less intuitive than the simpler T-Track system.

That’s probably why they did away with it for the Taylormade M5 driver. Overall, we liked the Taylormade M5 more even though it is very similar to the M3.

Taylormade M5 First Impressions

Taylormade M5 Driver2

“Our first impression of the Taylormade M5 was that it looked a lot better than previous M drivers.”

The thick white/silver strip that adorned the crown has been shrunken down to a thin margin.

For us, this thinner silver lining is a lot less distracting at address. However, we must say that we were a little let down by the shot dispersion.

It wasn’t as tight as the M1 driver. It may have something to do with the “Speed Injected” twist face which makes dead-on strikes a little less predictable, amazingly.

At the end of the day though, the easy distance and optimal launch overshadowed the dispersion.

Taylormade M5 Selling Points

  • T-Track sliding weight system
  • Twist Face technology
  • Speed Injected
  • Hammerhead Slot
  • Rear-oriented shot-shaping weight placement
  • Easy adjustability

Taylormade M5 Key Features

“The Taylormade M5 features are still handy to modern high handicappers.”

T-Track Sliding Weight: This allows you to achieve a draw, neutral or fade bias. The front-to-back weight allows you to dial in your optimal spin rates.

Hammerhead Slot: This is essentially the Speed Pocket on steroids. It basically increases forgiveness (preserves ball speed) on low-face strikes.

Twist Face Technology: The curvature of the face is supposed to straighten out your high-toe misses and preserve ball speed on low-face misses.

What Handicap is it for?

“The Taylormade M5 can work for a lot of different types of players.”

The sliding track weight system can be dialed in to optimal positions whether you have a fast, moderate or slow swing speed.

Plus, there is a lot of forgiveness here. Overall we would say that the Taylormade M5 would work best for handicappers between 8 and 20.

Taylormade M5 Options

  • 9°, 10.5°, 12° lofts
  • Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange 60 shaft
  • Project X HZRDUS Smoke 70 shaft
  • Regular, stiff, extra stiff flex

Who Should Buy the Taylormade M5?

Taylormade M5 Driver

“The Taylormade M5 would be a good driver for a vast array of players.”

What the Taylormade M5 does better than other entries into the M series is inspire confidence.

For high handicappers, this is a huge bonus. At address, high handicappers will love the looks of the Taylormade M5 and be able to concentrate on aligning the ball.

The Hammerhead Slot will also help low-face strikes go further than normal. The Taylormade M5 is probably most ideal for high handicappers; but single-digit handicappers can get good use out of it too.

While it isn’t super workable, the Taylormade M5 can be made to accommodate a fast swing speed.

Distance: 97/100

Forgiveness: 97/100

Workability: 96/100

Value: 96/100

Taylormade M5 Driver

Overall Score: 97/100

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