Are Taylormade M1 Irons Still Good? – Are They Forgiving for High Handicappers?

Are Taylormade M1 Irons Still Good? – Are They Forgiving for High Handicappers?

“Today, the entire M series of irons from Taylormade is the stuff of legend.”

Still widely available, the Taylormade M1’s in particular probably do the best job of marrying forgiveness with workability.

I should probably get the obvious question out of the way right now. Yes, the Taylormade M1 irons are still good. But they are not for everyone. Especially since the M line consists of so many other great irons.

Golf is not a one size fits all sport. You have to be really careful about the irons you choose – even if you are trying to decide between two sets from the same line. In today’s review, I will be telling you about my experience testing the Taylormade M1 irons. I will be judging the Taylormade M1’s based on their merit for high handicappers specifically.

Are the Taylormade M1 Irons Still Good?

“In a nutshell, yes.”

There are a lot of golfers who have told me that they think the Taylormade M1 irons look really nice but to me, their looks is one of their weakest points. The M1 irons have a cavity back design but there’s just a lot going on back there which is typical of modern Taylormade GI irons.

There are a couple of bracing arms, the M1 badge which is supposed to dampen vibration and what looks like a carbon fiber weave in the cavity. Again, it’s just too busy for my taste.

But that’s really the only gripe I have against these irons and it doesn’t even matter at point of address. The Taylormade M1 irons have a deceptively thin top line and a relatively short blade length. Their soles are definitely of moderate width and at address, everything just looks tempered.

The Taylormade M1 irons feature tungsten perimeter weighting which greatly improves shot stability on mis-hits. And this extra stability is very much needed because the face of these irons has been manipulated to a high degree.

I’m referring to the side face slots and the Speed Pocket. The Speed Pocket allows the lower portion of the face to flex more on, you guessed it, low-face mis-hits. The face slots improve flexion and ball speed on heel and toe mis-hits.

Usually, this weight reduction and channeling of the face would detract from shot stability. But the tungsten weighting does a good job of keeping everything in check. Couple that with the pronounced offset of the Taylormade M1 irons and you have a set that is indeed still good…for the right kind of player.

Are the Taylormade M1’s Forgiving for High Handicappers?

“As much as Taylormade tried to temper their GI tendencies with the Taylormade M1 irons, their heritage still comes through.”

I like that Taylormade says the M1 irons have “moderate” offset. That’s not how I would describe it. The 7-iron is opened up to 2.9mm for crying out loud. Still, they did do a good job of not going overboard with the blade length.

It is definitely more on the short side compared to other popular game improvement irons. And yes, the top line does look thin so overall, they should have mass appeal among high and mid handicappers alike.

But at their heart, the Taylormade M1 irons are game improvement irons. The face slots and the Speed Pocket work in tandem to provide forgiveness where high handicappers need it most. The 3-way beveled leading edge allows for smooth movement through the turf. As a result, high handicappers should have no issue losing club head speed on heavy swings.

The 7-3 irons also feature a high-density tungsten weight in the toe which lowers the CG and brings it closer to face-center. Of course, this also stabilizes shots made closer to the toe.

With the Taylormade M1 irons, I was able to take my full swing comfortably without worrying about accuracy. For high handicappers, these irons will surely do the same.

Taylormade M1 Vs Taylormade M2 Irons

“The M2 irons have a beefier look at address.”

And that’s really the biggest difference between these sets. In every other sense they look identical. But the size of the M2’s may make them more congenial to high handicappers and beginners.