There are not a lot of things that feel better on a golf course than stepping up to a perfectly teed up ball on the first hole and ripping your driver deep and down the middle of the fairway.
When that first drive is perfect, you feel like the rest of the round will be too…at least until you shank your approach shot and double bogey the first hole.
The TaylorMade M3 Driver is a great choice for those golfers who like the control and adjustability of a players club.
This TaylorMade M3 Driver Review will help you learn about the pros and cons of this driver and give you the tools to decide whether or not it is the driver for you.
Things to Consider Before Buying The TaylorMade M3 Driver
The M3, along with the M4, was the first driver to feature the Twist Face technology that TaylorMade has made famous over the past few years.
It is great technology as TaylorMade took the most common mishit areas (high in the heel or low in the toe) on the driver face and angled those areas to promote straighter and longer shots on mishits. T
he aerodynamic design looks great behind the ball and the adjustable hosel allows players to adjust the loft of the club. The M3 and M4 drivers were also the first to feature the Hammerhead technology.
Hammerhead was TaylorMade’s answer to the Callaway Jailbreak and provides more stability and less loss of energy from the club face. Both the Twist Face and Hammerhead technology are still being used on the new M series drivers and the SIM drivers for TaylorMade which means they have been very successful and continue to work.
The adjustable weights on the bottom of the clubhead are really what set the M3 apart from many other drivers on the market. The “Y-track” on the bottom of the club head allows you to move 2 11g weights to the left or right of the club. This allows you, without changing your swing at all, to adjust the draw, fade, or straightness of your shot with the simple movement of a weight.
Pros
- Twist Face technology reduces the ill effects of mishits and helps to keep your ball straight and long.
- Hammerhead Technology has allowed maximum energy transfer to the ball which increases distance and ball speed.
- 11g of adjustable weights allows you to set the driver up for a draw or fade.
- The ultra-thin face is hot and produces high end ball speed.
- The Tensei graphite shaft is top notch and comes in different flex options.
- Produces more spin than most game improvement clubs, but less than most players clubs.
- Easily workable around the course.
- With the correct weight adjustment, it is almost as long and straight as drivers like the M6 or M4 that focus more on distance.
- A very easy club to hit with a great launch angle.
- Very forgiving with a pretty big sweet spot.
- Built more for low to mid handicappers.
Cons
- Not as long as some comparable TaylorMade drivers.
- If you cannot find it on sale, it is the same retail price as the newer M5 and M6 drivers.
- There are longer drivers, more adjustable drivers, and more workable drivers. The M3 has to be the best combination of those 3 features since it is not the best at any.
Features and Benefits of The TaylorMade M3 Driver
Construction (5 out of 5)
Head
There are a lot of innovations in the M3 driver head. The Twist Face Technology was the biggest addition to this driver and it was so good that it has continued unchanged for the past 3 years since it was introduced. It keeps off center shots straighter and more accurate with the use of angles on the club face. The Hammerhead technology created a thinner and hotter face for more ball speed, and the adjustable weights on the bottom help with workability and control on the course. For any driver, the construction and technology of the head is what really sets it apart, and the M3 was a big technological advance for TaylorMade.
Shaft Options
The Shaft options are all Tensei CK shafts with either R, S, or X flex. Tensei makes a terrific graphite shaft, and the stock shaft of the TaylorMade drivers are known for their quality and durability. For the M3 driver, you can choose between the Tensei Red, Blue, or White shafts each one comes in either R, S, or X flex. The difference between the shafts is the weight and subsequent launch with the Red setting up for a high launch, Blue for a mid launch, and White for a lower launch. The Lamkin grip is a high end option as well.
Club Specs
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- Hand: Left or Right
- Lofts: 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, and 12
- Material: Carbon and Titanium
- Head Volume: 460cc
- Length: 45.5 inches
- Swing Weight: D4
- Shafts: Tensei CK Red (high launch), Blue (mid launch), or White (Low Launch)
- Shaft Stifness: R, S, X
- Grip: Lamkin UTx Cord
Performance (4.5 out of 5)
Forgiveness
Some drivers focus on forgiveness and distance at the expense of everything else, and a lot of golfers value those features as supreme. The M3 does not focus solely on distance and forgiveness though it is long and accurate. The sweet spot is a little smaller and more difficult to hit than some of the other drivers out there, but the adjustable weights and improved workability more than make up for the slightly smaller sweet spot and slightly less forgiveness. While they are not the most forgiving drivers on the market, they were not created for that purpose, but they are easy and fun to hit.
Control/Shot Shaping
It is important to note that the M3 is a game improvement club. It focuses on distance and accuracy at the expense of control and workability. At the same time, the M3 is a very workable club and the weights on the bottom help players who cannot naturally fade or draw the ball to do just that. It is an easy driver to hit straight, but without changing your swing, you can simply adjust the weights to hit the ball higher, lower, left-to-right, or right-to-left. It is not the most workable club, but it is probably TaylorMade’s most workable game improvement driver.
Distance
The M3 is not TaylorMade’s longest driver, we reserve that designation for either the M6 or SIM Max. However, the M3 is one of the best in terms of combining workability and shot shaping with distance and control. The M3 is setup like the M4 with a little added spin and adjustability that takes away from the distance and straightness that it can produce. The bottom line is that for a somewhat workable club, it maintains excellent distance, it would just not be your go-to driver if distance is your only goal.
Looks/Feel/Sound (4 out of 5)
The club feels very solid at impact and you get a great feel and response in your hands when you make a solid strike. You also get really good and very immediate feedback as to where the ball was struck and what you should expect it to do in the air. As far as sound goes, it is a little loud and metallic sounding, but not in a bad way. When you hit the ball hard, it makes that “crack” sound that you like to hear from newer drivers.
Cost (5 out of 5)
Since TaylorMade has developed newer versions of basically the same club as the M3, most notably the M5 and SIM Max, the cost of the M3 has gone down considerably. In fact, on the TaylorMade website you can find it for less than $300 which means you can probably find it even cheaper if you take the time to look.
Alternatives To The TaylorMade M3 Driver
TaylorMade M5
The M5 is TaylorMade’s newest version of the M3 with a few improvements. The M5 maintains the adjustability on the bottom, the Twist Face Technology, and the Hammerhead is moved to a version 2.0 in the M5. All of that to say that the forgiveness and adjustability of the M3 was maintained in the M5. The M5 has a slightly thinner face which produces additional ball speed and a slightly lighter body weight than the M3.
You gain approximately 2mph for every 100mph you swing the club. In addition, the extra adjustable track that you saw in the M1 driver is now back in the M5 while you only got the “Y-track” in the M3. The M3 was a huge advancement in driver technology, and the M5 continues with those new advances while adding a few of its own.
Pros
- Still very forgiving with Twist Face Technology and a big sweet spot.
- The M5 features the speed injection technology that pushes each M5 to the limit of being a legal driver.
- A great club for pros and low handicappers with great distance and control.
- More adjustability features than the M3.
- Greater distance features and club head speed found in the M5.
- A lighter and more durable club.
- The Hammerhead 2.0 improves on what you find in the M3.
- The M5 has a larger sweet spot than the M3.
Cons
- There are some improvements with the M5, but the price difference is significant with the M3 being cheaper.
- If you are looking for distance, the M6 is a better option.
TaylorMade SIM
The TaylorMade SIM driver is one of their most technologically advanced drivers. The SIM is a clear step up from the M5 in terms of design and performance which means it is a couple of steps up from the M3. It features the same Twist Face technology, Hammerhead 2.0, Speed Injection, Speed Bridge, and adjustability that you find in the M3 but with a sleeker and more aerodynamic head.
The SIM is much more of a players club than the M3 or M5 but it also has quite a few game improvement features as well. While the M3 straddles the line between players club and improvement club, the SIM is made for low handicappers.
Pros
- A players club that adds a lot of distance and club head speed to your game.
- A lot of adjustability, and even more than the M3.
- Designed specifically for lower handicappers.
- Very easy to adjust the club for fade, draw, and launch angle even in the middle of a round.
- It looks as good at setup as any club on the market and even better than the M3.
- It sounds and feels great at impact.
Cons
- Has a smaller head and smaller sweet spot.
- Not made for lower handicappers.
Final Thoughts On The TaylorMade M3 Driver Review
(Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5)
When the M3 came out, it was one of the best drivers on the market and brought some of the technology that still makes the TaylorMade “M” series very popular.
If you are comparing the M3 to the M5, the rating is probably a little bit lower because the M5 took all of the technology available in the M3 and made it slightly better.
The 4.5 rating stems from the fact that the M3 changed a lot for TaylorMade and was one of their more popular driver releases.
The adjustability of the weights on the bottom are really helpful for golfers who want to work the ball around the course and change launch angles depending on the hole.
But the fact that the M3 maintains great distance and control along with the adjustability is what really sets the club apart.
