TaylorMade Golf Company Enters New Frontier in Iron Design with Introduction of Revolutionary M5 & M6 Irons.
Last week, TaylorMade introduced their new M5 and M6 metalwoods and today they completed the family with the introduction of the M5 and M6 irons.
We have two words for you: Speed Bridge.
“You’d gather from the name that you’re going to get more ball speed out of this,” says Matt Bovvee, TaylorMade’s Irons Product Category Senior Manager. “But the other key is you get great sound and feel as well.”
Yep, TaylorMade is issuing the follow-up in its game improvement category. It is a segment that’s now more defined, especially with the emergence and success of the P790 irons, which offer a great mix of tech with the look of a player’s iron. In contrast, M5 and M6 are about offering speed, distance and forgiveness in equal measures.
How do you gain more distance without simply strengthening lofts and turning your 7-iron into a 6-iron? For TaylorMade, that’s accomplished through a mix of returning more energy through the strike, as well as offering a low centre of gravity and an ultra-thin clubface. Those are the ingredients TaylorMade says increase ball speed by nearly two miles per hour over previous generations, and as much as five mph over competitive irons.
Key technologies
Speed Bridge
How do you increase rigidity in the face of an iron so it generates more ball speed? TaylorMade says it has pulled this off through “Speed Bridge,” which links the top of the iron to the bottom of the club, delivering increased ball speed, while also providing improved sound and feel that is so often lacking in game improvement irons. Speed Bridge allowed TaylorMade engineers to create a more flexible Speed Pocket. The new Speed Pocket also allowed TaylorMade to create flexibility in a large area of the clubface, a key for dealing with mishits.
HYBRAR Compression Damper
Feel is a key to opening game improvement irons to the widest audience. TaylorMade’s new HYBRAR damping system and use of multi-material badges make the club sound softer. That’s right—engineers will tell you the ball isn’t on the clubface long enough for a golfer to feel the difference in faces. Instead, they are reacting to how the shot sounds. And in both M5 and M6, that is the sound of a player’s iron.
M5 or M6?
M5 – Mid-handicap players seeking the best of technology.
This is a game improvement iron for players who don’t want to admit they are playing a game improvement iron. This doesn’t look like your father’s game improvement iron; instead it offers a great mix of aesthetics, with all the gains from TaylorMade’s technology. Speed Bridge is present on the irons, and TaylorMade used a multi-material construction and a flexible Speed Pocket for more ball speed. TaylorMade also lowered the centre of gravity on the longer irons to increase launch conditions, and improved turf interaction.
M6—Higher handicap players who want a streamlined game improvement iron.
Offering the new Speed Bridge technology and a colourful aesthetic, M6 is an iron for a player who needs help generating speed and getting the ball in the air, but also wants maximum forgiveness when they don’t quite catch the center of the face. With a thin face that utilizes inverted cone technology, as well as a thru-slot Speed Pocket, these irons have a low and deep centre of gravity. TaylorMade engineers worked diligently to move as much discretionary weight as they could to the lower parts of the iron head, making shots launch high and penetrating, even if the shot isn’t perfect. With a high moment of inertia (essentially the club’s forgiveness) this is an iron that is easy to hit and get into the air.