When I look for golf balls, I usually focus on Callaway or Titleist. When I look for irons, I really like Mizuno.
For wedges I have always liked Cleveland or Titleist, and my putter has always been a Callaway. I am not a brand loyalist in general, but my preference in the driver category has always been TaylorMade.
I remember when I first purchased a Burner back in the late 1990s and proceeded to it hit better than any other driver I had ever owned.
There have been quite a few TaylorMade drivers since then, and the “M” series of drivers has been one of the most successful TaylorMade driver offerings ever.
Today I will do a TaylorMade M4 Driver review. I will compare it to a couple of contemporaries, discuss the pros and cons, and give you some of the features that make this one of the better drivers out there.
Things to Consider Before Buying The TaylorMade M4 Driver
The M4 driver was TaylorMade’s followup offering to the M2 as the non adjustable driver option. Coming out right before the M5/M6 clubs, the M4 was a really good option for mid handicappers who were looking for length and forgiveness.
It featured the Hammerhead 2.0 that you still find on a lot of TaylorMade drivers and is similar to the jailbreak bars that Callaway patented.
It also has Twist Face technology which provides different corrective angles across the face of the driver for straighter shots on off center strikes and good distance as well.
There is an adjustable loft sleeve so that you can change the loft by a couple of degrees either way depending on what type of launch you want to make at impact.
The Geocoustic sole rounds off the back and creates a great feel and sound at impact, and coupled with the single weight on the crown you get a really solid feel.
The club features a low center of gravity and it is really easy to hit long and straight. If you are looking for a little more distance off the tee with high end forgiveness when you mishit the ball, the M4 is definitely worth trying.
Pros
- Adds distance to your drive with a lot of forgiveness for off center strikes.
- Twist Face technology has been one of TaylorMade’s most successful forgiveness features ever.
- The Hammerhead slot provides top notch energy transfer from club to ball at impact.
- You can find the M4 at a great price.
- A very nice and firm feel at contact.
- High end stability and control.
- A low center of gravity gives you a high launch.
- A great club if you want to hit your driver long and straight.
Cons
- Not ideal for beginners or higher handicappers and not ideal for really low handicappers either.
- Difficult to draw and fade when needed.
- No adjustable weight system.
TaylorMade M4 Driver Features and Benefits
Construction (4 out of 5)
Head
Most of the things that TaylorMade drivers have become known for were in the M4. The TwistFace technology provides corrective angles all along the club face so that the most off center strikes still go straight and give you good carry.
The Hammerhead slot gives you a ton of firmness behind an ultrathin face to enhance feel but more importantly to transfer the maximum amount of energy from club head to ball.
The Geocoustic enhances sound and feel by working in unison with a single weight placed in the crown of the club.
The head technology of the M4 was great when it first came out and it continues to be used today by many golfers because of the distance and forgiveness it provides.
Shaft Options
The Fujikura Atmos Red 50/60 graphite is the stock shaft for the M4. The shaft features a high inertia tip for optimal spin and flight and a high carbon content to keep it as light and strong as possible. This shaft enhances your feel and gives you some added torque for a little extra club head speed at impact.
Club Specs
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- Golfer: Mens, Women
- Hand: Left or Right
- Lofts: 8.5 degrees, 9.5 degree, 10.5 degrees, 12 degrees. Every loft can go up or down by 2 degrees with adjustability.
- Material: Multi material driver
- Head Volume: 460cc
- Length: 45.75
- Swing Weight: D3
- Shaft: Fujikura Atmos Red 50/60 graphite
- Shaft Stiffness: A, R, S, X
- Grip: Dual Feel 360 grip
Performance (3.5 out of 5)
Forgiveness
While the M4 is focused on distance, forgiveness is a close second when it comes to features offered.
Any driver with TwistFace technology is automatically forgiving because of the corrective angles that help to push the ball straight no matter how off center the strike.
But in addition to that technology, the M4 is high launching, easy to hit, has a high MOI and low center of gravity, and maybe most importantly a huge sweet spot.
This is one of those drivers that you will go straight even when it should not, and the low spin rate provided also helps with accuracy as well.
Control/Shot Shaping
The control in this club is amazing. The really light shaft with the high inertia tip gives you incredible feel and control and the Hammerhead slot does the same thing. Add to it the Geocoustic (which is primarily for sound but also aids in control) and you have a very controllable driver. Shot shaping is a different story. The low spin rate and lack of adjustability make it somewhat difficult to draw and fade the ball off the tee. It is not impossible, but it is certainly not what this club was created to accomplish.
Distance
In today’s game, if a driver does not produce distance, it will probably not make it in your bag. As golfers drive the ball deeper and deeper, courses become longer and longer, and that leads to golfers needing more and more distance. It is quite the cycle. The M4 gives you great additional distance. With the lightweight shaft and low center of gravity, you can really increase your swing speed with this driver. The Hammerhead slots also give you an aggressive energy transfer from club to ball and especially with center strikes. Even off center strikes go pretty long and straight thanks to the Twist Face. This is a distance club, and it does not disappoint.
Looks/Feel/Sound (4 out of 5)
The Geocoustic design really helps with this aspect of the driver. You lose some feel and sound because of the forgiveness and distance features, but when you use this driver you feel the softness and hear the sound that all golfers love when you make solid contact. The clubs look ok. The rounded off back is a little different looking, but the red and white highlights against the darker carbon build look great.
Cost (4.5 out of 5)
With the M5/M6 and SIM drivers out now, you can find the M4 at a great price used or new. The MSRP when new is around $430, but you can find it at any store for less than $300 and sometimes even lower than that.
Alternatives To The TaylorMade M4 Driver
TaylorMade M6
The TaylorMade M6 Driver is easy to hit, very forgiving, and one of the longest drivers on the market right now.
The biggest new feature is TaylorMade’s “Speed Injection” technology. What that means is that behind the 2 tiny red screws on the bottom of the driver, TaylorMade injects up to 2g of resin.
That may seem insignificant, but it is not. In the past, manufacturers had to leave a certain margin for error in both face thickness and polishing to stay within the legal speed limits.
With the M6, TaylorMade measures each face individually and uses a computer algorithm to inject the exact right amount of resin behind the screws so that the club continuously toes the line between legal and illegal distance.
That is the key advantage to this club, it produces the highest amount of ball speed and distance possible in a driver.
In addition to that, it also has a slight draw bias and the same basic, matte black look as the M5. It is an extremely forgiving driver with Twist Face technology and a 46 gram inertia generator very low and in the back of the driver head.
This inertia generator is simply a weight that increases the MOI of the club and helps to make every shot as straight and as long as possible.
With all of those changes, however, the M6 sacrificed some customization and movable weights for the extra speed and forgiveness.
TaylorMade saw the writing on the wall, that speed and distance is king, and they produced their M6 driver to make themselves one of the industry leaders in both.
Pros
- The Speed Injection technology ensures that each M6 is as long as possible under PGA rules.
- A very forgiving driver. The Twist Face technology keeps the ball going straight and long even on mishits.
- The inertia generator is a weight located in the bottom and back of the driver head that produces a high MOI and fewer mishits.
- A mid spin, mid launch driver that is easy to hit straight and high but also can produce enough spin to work the ball around the course at higher swing speeds.
- Aerodynamic design to reduce drag and create higher swing speeds.
- A decent price for the features offered.
- It looks great at setup and instills confidence as you stand over the ball.
- A simple club that works right off the rack, for golfers who care more about forgiveness than adjustability.
Cons
- The adjustability of the other drivers in the “M” series are missing in the M6.
- One of TaylorMade’s most expensive drivers.
- There are better clubs for workability, this club is all about speed.
TaylorMade SIM Max
TaylorMade remains an industry leader in the “driver” department and the TaylorMade SIM Max continues that legacy.
The SIM line of drivers were introduced last year and remain TaylorMade’s “high end” driver offering.
This driver takes aerodynamics and swing speed to a new level. TaylorMade significantly changed the design of this driver, which may throw some golfers off, to produce what they believe to be their straightest and longest offering yet.
As you can tell by the name, the SIM Max is in the newest line of TaylorMade “SIM” drivers. It features the Twist Face Tecnoloy, Speed pocket, Speed Injection, and low/rear Center of Gravity just like the SIM.
You can get a little more spin with this club but not as much workability as the SIM. The SIM Max produces a really high ball flight and a lot of forgiveness and sends the ball straighter than most drivers.
It features the really aerodynamic shape for added distance while the MOI and center of gravity give you great launch and fewer mishits.
The SIM Max was designed more for mid to low handicappers, but it has traits and features that make it a great club no matter your skill level.
Pros
- Can create significant help in producing a draw from almost any player.
- Less “twist” at impact than other drivers which will create consistent accuracy.
- TaylorMade’s “twist face” technology adds corrective angles across the face so that no matter where you make contact, the results are as straight as possible.
- Great launch angle as they moved the added weight to the back and bottom of the clubhead.
- The SIM Max is a bigger driver and looks huge behind the ball. The size and look of the SIM Max inspires confidence at setup.
- Has a high MOI and low center of gravity.
- A larger face than both the M6 and SIM, it is appealing to higher handicappers, but it is not so big that low handicappers are turned off.
- The sound off the face is pure and the feedback in your hands is immediate.
- A higher launch angle than previous offerings which is especially good for higher handicappers.
- Tested in a wind tunnel and the resulting aerodynamics are superb.
Cons
- More expensive than comparable alternatives.
- The club is setup for a draw which can make shaping any other type of shot more difficult making the club less useful for lower handicappers.
Final Thoughts On The TaylorMade M4 Driver Review
(Overall Rating: 4 out of 5)
There are already 2 drivers that have come out since the M4, the SIM line and the M5/M6. Even with the added design and technology that these newer drivers provide, many golfers still use their M4.
There are so many good features for distance and forgiveness in this driver that the M4 performs just as well as many of the newer TaylorMade drivers.
If you are looking for added distance and additional forgiveness in a driver that is easy to launch, the M4 might be exactly what you are looking for.
