Head-to-Head Test: TaylorMade M1 and M2
Given the remarkable visual similarities between TaylorMade’s M1 and M2 drivers, I wanted to perform a head-to-head test of the clubs in their most neutral settings and see what the differences were.
To make it as fair of a test as possible, I hit 10 shots with each driver on Foresight’s GC2 launch monitor with HMT. Both drivers were set to lofts of 9.5 degrees, and were tested with the same shafts (Aldila’s Rogue Tour 70X) of the same length and tipping.
In my video, I monitored ball flight in a closed setting, comparing factors such as strike, club head speed, club path, angle of attack and much more. Watch it below to see me compare the averages, as well as my best hits with each of TaylorMade’s newest drivers.
As it turns out, the drivers are more alike than you may have thought.
Related
Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.
Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.
First, meet Min Woo Lee
Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.
Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter
The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.
Third, meet Martin Kaymer
Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.
Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler
Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.
Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger
Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!
On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.
I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.
To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.
Follow Club Junkie everywhere:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clubjunkiepod/
X: https://x.com/ClubJunkiePod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clubjunkiepod
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@clubjunkiepod
Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.
Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s
5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s
9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s
Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto
Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour
Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag
-
Whats in the Bag3 weeks agoKristoffer Reitan’s winning WITB: 2026 Truist Championship
-
Whats in the Bag2 weeks agoAaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
-
Tour Photo Galleries3 weeks agoPhotos from the 2026 PGA Championship
-
Equipment2 weeks agoGolfWRX Launch Report: 2026 Titleist GTS drivers
-
Equipment2 weeks agoPGA Championship Tour Report: Fitzpatrick, Koepka among big-name putter switches for Aronimink
-
News2 weeks agoWITB Time Machine: Phil Mickelson’s winning WITB, 2021 PGA Championship
-
Equipment2 weeks agoWhich of Tiger’s major winning irons are your favorite? – GolfWRXers discuss
-
Equipment2 weeks agoLead Tape Report: Adjusting the swingweight of the Wanamaker Trophy
gary
Mar 24, 2016 at 2:18 pm
Great video Rick! You’re the man!!
dwc
Mar 21, 2016 at 4:41 pm
Rick – really enjoy your videos. I have a question for you though since I watched not only this video but also your review of the M2 by itself and the review of the M1 versus the Cobra King driver. In that review, the M1 beat the Cobra because your average spin numbers were under 2,000 for the M1 versus about 2,500 for the Cobra. But when you reviewed the M1 versus M2, they were both over 2,000. How does that work? Were you using a different shaft in the M1 versus Cobra video?
Mike Barnett
Mar 21, 2016 at 12:51 pm
Excellent comparison, well done sir!
299yards
Mar 20, 2016 at 5:26 pm
Always supplying great videos! Looks like some people on replies are looking for an online club fitting from rick through his “reviews and tests” rather than seeing an indepth glimpse of how these clubs perform.
Joe Golfer
Mar 19, 2016 at 9:51 pm
I must say, I really enjoyed the video.
Afterwards, I even subscribed to Rick Shiels YouTube video channel.
It was interesting to see those results.
just plain bill
Mar 19, 2016 at 10:19 am
you know what i find amazing? the internet power i can feel by nitpicking the tiniest thing in a video…ooh, the power of endorphins generated by my negative opinions coursing thru my veins…lol
meanwhile, the vid was informative and gave me another reason to go back to golfsmith and compare the m2 to what i currently swing, and not in a cage with monitors attached to my b@lls, but on the range where i can see the actual flight and distance and dispersion cuz ive hit a million balls there and know where i hit it, and where id like to hit it…
id love to play a round with some of the jokers around here…bet they’d shoot 90 and claim they were just having an off day…
moses
Mar 19, 2016 at 8:54 am
Great to see RS on here. I watch most of his video reviews. They’re very informative. Great review sir and looking forward to more.
Gary Barber
Mar 19, 2016 at 12:48 am
I always enjoy your very informed reviews . You will always get trolls picking holes in your
findings ..don’t feed them . Cheers from Canada mate you have to get over here to enjoy our some of the beautiful courses we to offer. gb
Chuck D
Mar 18, 2016 at 10:28 pm
Great point Adam! I’ve hit both and the M2 just sounds better and the sweet spot is larger as well. Less loss of speed on off center hits. Went with the Kuro stiff shaft at standard length and I’m not
looking back. I have FINALLY found a driver after all these 23 years of ball striking! Rick, I’m a
new fan and enjoy your reviews and information tremendously! Keep smashing those drives!!!
Dylan
Mar 18, 2016 at 9:45 pm
I’m thinking new vs old. Get ahold of an r510 tp, swap in the rogue and put it up against the M1 430. Make it a real head-to-head test to see not only how much of a difference there is in distance but also in forgiveness and ball speed.
Ryan
Mar 18, 2016 at 8:51 pm
I like Ricks reviews. Don’t feed the trolls Rick ! Keep up the good work !
Branson
Mar 18, 2016 at 3:40 pm
I can’t recall if I’ve hit both with the same shaft, but i’ve found that i hit the M2 better. It seems like it has a bigger sweet spot and doesn’t lose much distance on just off of center hits. Any data on that?
thomas murphy
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:57 pm
Watched this last night. I think it is a great compare, the only question (besides the what about he 430cc head) is if the M1 is so adjustable…was in just “middle adjusted” (yes) or was it adjusted for Rick’s “optimum” output…and that amount of adjustment may be greater in other golfers. IE all our results may vary but it is a great view that adjustability can be a great tool for a fitter and for a marketing vehicle…but it doesn’t mean more will be better. Going back to GolfWRX shootout..the M2 performed as well as the M1 but was rated down because it lacked adjustability…so bravo for going to Rick to once again show it is results that matter and M1 == M2
cmyktaylor
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:12 pm
Request: Same review but with adding the 430 in.
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:26 pm
Nice idea! I’ll look into that. thanks
299yards
Mar 20, 2016 at 5:28 pm
+1
Stefan T.
Mar 18, 2016 at 11:01 am
Rick is the best! Glad to see my favorite golf YouTuber teamed with my favorite golf website. Great stuff Rick. Cheers
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:27 pm
Thanks very much Stefan! Plenty more to come!
tony
Mar 18, 2016 at 10:44 am
so they are virtually identical in terms of launch, carry, etc but why not also evaluate dispersion???? Wouldn’t the average consumer want to take that into account just as much as launch data???
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:28 pm
Hi Tony. Dispersion is always hard to factor into account. That can often be the players adjustment rather than the clubs. Front to back can be measured and I’ll mention that next time
SW
Mar 18, 2016 at 8:22 pm
Great excuse. Why bother playing golf if it’s not important to hit the target
Weight
Mar 18, 2016 at 9:23 am
M1 head is 198 grams
M2 head is 194 grams
that might be enough difference to cause the dynamic loft to change
His swing is inefficient. If he knew how to sling the heavier weight, he should get more out of the M1 with some adjustments.
cmyktaylor
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:15 pm
If Rick, a PGA pro who swings clubs all the time, can’t make the efficiency adjustment, do you really think any of us can? His video was extremely helpful in getting me to think again about the M2. Your comment, not so much.
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:31 pm
Thanks very much @cmyktaylor!
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:30 pm
Very little difference
SW
Mar 18, 2016 at 8:21 pm
Enough of a difference to cause a 2 swingweight difference!
Mark Moser
Mar 19, 2016 at 12:58 am
Swing weight does not equal more distance.
Innit
Mar 19, 2016 at 2:50 am
But it can cause some people to feel that the head is too heavy for them to control it well enough to hit it where they want it and how, which, was the problem that people complained about with the SLDR, innit?
Jim
Mar 18, 2016 at 7:38 am
Glad to see Rick S making it to golfWRX. His videos are all pretty informative and he certainly is referenced enough on this site already, along with Mark Crossfield (who should also be added here).
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:31 pm
Thanks very much Jim! I’m glad to be here!
Mat
Mar 18, 2016 at 6:41 am
I stopped at “…fair as possible, I hit …”
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:32 pm
It really was a fair test. Do watch again to the end. Thanks
Mark Bainbridge
Mar 18, 2016 at 2:32 am
One way to make this test more professional would be to use two clubs with the same measured loft. To state that because both are set at 9.5 degrees the lofts are thus identical is to ignore manufacturing tolerances; which, in the case of stated loft, can range from +2 to -2 degrees. If the total weight of each club was also given, and they were identical, this would also enhance the credibility of this head-to-head test. Rick Shiels (like Mark Crossfield) is, in my opinion, very typical of UK PGA professionals in that their knowledge of club performance dynamics is somewhat shallow.
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:33 pm
Noted mark.
Mark Bainbridge
Mar 18, 2016 at 10:11 pm
Thank you for reading my comment.
Lee
Mar 18, 2016 at 3:46 pm
Mr Bainbridge how dare you suggest the tolerance of these American (sorry Chinese) heads can be + or – 2 degrees! Being honest I’m British and Rick is a really good guy, personally I think TM would have supplied pretty accurately measured heads (ala from the tour van) sadly I don’t given any credence to the states as Rick hits it better than us mere mortals.
Ryberg
Mar 18, 2016 at 6:29 pm
How do you know the tolorences?
And whats up with the “UK PGA…” Comment. Just try to think before you act!
Mark Bainbridge
Mar 18, 2016 at 10:10 pm
I know the tolerances (check your spelling) because I have friends in Taiwan who own golf club manufacturing facilities. I live in the UK and have extensive experience of interacting with UK qualified golf professionals. I have also spent time at the PGA headquarters at the Belfry in Sutton Coldfield. I never offer comment unless I know that about which I speak.
Mark Moser
Mar 19, 2016 at 12:57 am
As a guy who ran a golf shop in downtown SF and was certified by all the manufactures as their top tier fitters the tolerances are not +\-2 degrees. That’s an outrageous and factless statement stated by a competitor. I can state for a fact that at MOST the difference may be 1* at most as we checked the heads in our fitting process. 95% of the heads we tested for our fittings and customer were spot on and the U.K. Comment was completely disrespectful. You don’t know nearly as much as you’d like to believe!!
That’s a fact.
Great article and it would be great to test the older 580 series against today’s equipment and compare to see how much the new technology has helped/hindered our games. I have an old Wilson Staff Tour persimmon driver in a dynamic stiff steel shaft that I plyed in high school that I still hit on the driving range when my contact gets a little screwy to help fix my contact. I can say that when you hit it on the screws it is 10-15yds shorter than my XR and 913D3 drivers. I find it does run out more than today’s drivers. Still enjoy throws and my old Nicklaus Golden Bear blades w leather wrap grips I got for my 12th birthday. Oh the great memories. 🙂
SirBigSpur
Mar 29, 2016 at 9:11 am
Dude, you’re a hack. I’m sure Rick has forgotten more about “club performance dynamics” than you’ll ever know. And why is it you believe UK PGA Professionals are less qualified and less knowledgeable than those in the US? I’m from the US and I still find this statement ridiculous!
Chuck D
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:36 am
And to think the step brother M2 got no respect in the Golfwrx driver test! How could that be? The M2 is a beast!
Adam
Mar 18, 2016 at 7:59 am
They said it was because most times the M2 performed as well as the M1, but the M1 got the vote due to adjustability. I bet if you did the same driver test, showed the testers the results and asked which one they’d pay for out of pocket then the M2 would have got a ton of Gold medals and may have even edged out the M1
Willy
Mar 17, 2016 at 9:57 pm
+1
lol
The OG of YouTube reviews!!!!!
cocheese
Mar 17, 2016 at 9:33 pm
Great to see Rick on here! He and Pete are my faves on Youtube!
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:34 pm
Thanks very much! I am happy to be here!
Chris
Mar 17, 2016 at 9:11 pm
This video is old. Just has a WRX logo put in it.
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:34 pm
It was only filmed last week
john
Mar 17, 2016 at 9:10 pm
crossfields course vlogs are funny, but his club reviews are absolute crap, he’s so jaded – he proved the other day that shafts don’t change the performance FOR HIM, but was also shown that for some golfers it makes a huge difference. But he still believes shafts don’t change anything because FOR HIM they don’t. Rick on the otherhand seems to enjoy the new and shiney golf clubs that manufacturers give him for free and is excited for new gear – even if it always performs the same (as everyone knows, nobody makes bad gear anymore, it’s all the same)
Eric
Mar 18, 2016 at 3:43 pm
Agree, Mark has become a bitter cartoon, I just can’t even watch him any more!. Some other channels who shall go nameless have also lost the plot and seem to think the channel is about them personally. Rick seems to be doing a great job of keeping his channel fun and interesting, and unlike Toolfield he seems to actually like his viewers ????
Willy
Mar 19, 2016 at 6:14 pm
crossfield > shiels for me all the way, but I do like Rick’s reviews as well. But for me, crossfield gives me more of a review than Rick does, Rick loves to do the comparisons on distance which I don’t really care about (lofts are not always the same so what does the test prove?). I do like how he has a 13hcp review stuff, those two are great together in their videos.
Leon
Mar 17, 2016 at 8:46 pm
So glad to see you on WRX, Rick!
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:34 pm
Thanks very much Leon!
Mr B
Mar 17, 2016 at 8:13 pm
Maybe I missed it but nothing about dispersion?
KK
Mar 17, 2016 at 7:57 pm
Sorry, no time for a video. Please post the summary and graphs next time. Thank you.
Eric
Mar 18, 2016 at 3:45 pm
Lol, however apparently plenty of time to write and complain, lol
KK
Mar 18, 2016 at 9:17 pm
It took 15 sec to write and complain, another 30 sec to follow up and reply. I see the video is 8 min 30 sec. I win.
Other Paul
Mar 17, 2016 at 6:45 pm
Way to go Rick. If they take the best youtube person for golf club reviews and get them doing articles on here then we just need Kelvin Miyahira on here for golf instruction and this site will have the best of both worlds!
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:35 pm
Thanks very much other Paul
es
Mar 17, 2016 at 5:25 pm
Rick your contributing to golfwrx now? way to go!
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:35 pm
Yes I’m a featured writer! Very excited
HKO
Mar 17, 2016 at 5:07 pm
can’t wait to see the review of all M1 to M9 drivers side by side.
cody
Mar 17, 2016 at 4:13 pm
cool, i think you could do this test with 5 different drivers with the same shaft and the numbers would be that way. I think equipment has reached a point where they are all neck and neck.
BH
Mar 17, 2016 at 4:08 pm
Great stuff, Rick.
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:36 pm
Thanks very much
Adam
Mar 17, 2016 at 3:38 pm
Great video!
Here’s the big question though… Were you able to make any adjustments on the M1 that significantly increased your performance? Could you dial it in to outperform the M2, specifically by moving the front to back weight?
NT
Mar 17, 2016 at 5:15 pm
I reckon the M1 would have been dialed in for himself as that is the driver he plays. Only a guess but that is what I would expect from Rick.
duh
Mar 17, 2016 at 5:25 pm
if you look at the brief article above the video you see this test was done as neutral as possible.
NT
Mar 17, 2016 at 5:32 pm
I take that back. On second watch he said M1 was set in middle position. In one of his WITB videos he shows his M1 setting. He has fade/draw in middle and the other either all the way forward or all the way back.
Mike
Mar 18, 2016 at 6:17 am
he also uses an 8.5 degree model
cmyktaylor
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:20 pm
Agreed: That would be interesting. Also, note that the wear and tear for his M1 was with the setting all the way back. When he plays the club, he wants the weight in the back.
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:38 pm
I normally play this driver in 9.5° head weight in the back to high and weight in the middle for neutral.
Dan Lee
Mar 19, 2016 at 11:49 am
What are your numbers in this setup?
Mikec
Mar 17, 2016 at 3:24 pm
As always Rick, great job!!
Rick Shiels
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:36 pm
Thanks very much!