If you’re a TaylorMade fan, 2019 will rock your world, as the company just released an impressive new line-up of golf gear: the M5 and M6 drivers and irons, fairways, and, on top of that, the M6 Rescue. All these babies are boasting TaylorMade’s latest and greatest technological innovations, including the latest-gen Speed Injected Twist Face in the M5 and M6 drivers, and Speed Bridge technology in the M5 and M6 irons. But let’s not anticipate.

To begin with, let’s define the terms. The brand new feature dubbed Speed Bridge technology, which is available in the M5 and M6 irons, consists of a very efficient and powerful beam-structure of sorts, which spans across the cavity back and connects the back bar with the top line of the iron. The purpose of this technology is to increase both forgiveness and distance, and, on top of that, to improve feel and sound due to the increased rigidity in the face’s upper perimeter/top line. As TaylorMade’s Senior Manager Matt Bovee puts it, but let me quote:

“At TaylorMade, we have always strived to push the performance envelope to give players maximum distance and forgiveness in our game improvement irons. Our new SPEED BRIDGE technology allows us to do exactly that while improving sound and feel at the same time. Distance has never felt as good as it does with the M6 irons.”

Thanks to this technological innovation, TaylorMade marked a historic first, i.e. they managed to implement their patented thru-slot Speed Pocket for the first time in an iron, thus creating what they describe as the most flexible Speed Pocket to date. The redesigned technology is aimed at providing better face flexibility upon ball impact, in order to improve both carry distance and ball speed. This technological mélange between TaylorMade’s patented thru-slot Speed Pocket and the brand spanking new Speed Bridge construction dramatically improves the performance of the iron’s face during impact with the ball, thus delivering amazingly fast ball speeds all across the face.

Both the M5 and the M6 irons boast a new HYBRAR Compression Damper, which is designed to deliver a solid feel, and to minimize unwanted vibration more efficiently, while keeping everything under control.

Now, let’s see about the Speed Injected Twist Face, which is available in TaylorMade’s 2019 M5 and M6 drivers. The company markets the Speed Injected Twist Face technology as taking speed to the limit, or something along these lines. The truth is, what we’re dealing with is the latest iteration of thr 2018 Twist Face technology, which saw action first last year in the M3 and M4 drivers.

In layman’s terms, speed injected face technology consists of a patented process of resin injection into the clubs using 2 ports located on the face. This process is aimed at making sure the heads of the drivers are compliant with USGA’s COR limit. Why is TaylorMade doing that, as in complicating things? Well, because they designed the club faces of the M5/M6 drivers in such a way that they initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit. Here the speed injected face technology comes into play, as TaylorMade is using an algorithm driven technological process to bring the respective figure inside USGA’s acceptable range. Here’s TM Metalwoods Director, Tomo Bystedt talking about the speed injected face technology:

“It was an engineering challenge to be sure and 4 years in the making but we knew if we could nail the injection technology, we would really have something special.”

And here’s Brian Bazzel, TaylorMade’s Vice President Product Creation:

“Injected Twist Face delivers a hot, yet accurate performance package in the new M6 driver. When you add optimized CG and MOI through the use of a full carbon crown and sole, the result is a complete driver that delivers on all fronts.”

In not so many words, TaylorMade basically revolutionized their manufacturing process, and they’re now offering the hottest and thinnest face possible within legal limits by using state of the art technology, thus pushing the boundaries even farther with every generation. And this is a big deal, as using next-gen tech in their golf gear, Callaway are now able to provide the general public with products that were available for Tour pros only in the not so distant past, which is awesome for the regular golfer.

Now, if you were asking yourself why golf gear manufacturers spend so much time and money on marketing and engineering research, keep in mind that in the modern era, any company is basically forced to come out with something “brand spanking new” every year or so; else, it may be deemed to be “obsolete” by both media and consumers, who by the way, claim to be above marketing gimmickry and sales-speak.

Jokes aside, let’s see about the new TaylorMade M5 Driver. This bad boy is available for preorder starting with January 18th, in 9, 10.5 and 12 degree lofts for MSRP: $549.99, with Mitsubishi CK Tensei Orange 60 and Project X HZRDUS Smoke 70 stock shafts and Golf Pride MCC Decade stock grip. The M5 Tour will be available starting on March 1st for the same price, in 9, 10.5 degree lofts.

Just like its M3 predecessor, the M5 driver is highly customizable, and boasts a faster and thinner face, which offers a 66 percent larger sweet spot, compared to the M3 obviously. As I already told you, the face is initially designed to exceed the legal limit in terms of face-flex, and then it’s fine-tuned using TaylorMade’s proprietary Speed Injected Twist Face technology, in order to get within 2-3 percent of the legal limit.

On top of that, the new M5 uses ten percent more carbon fiber and a T-Track (inverted) sliding weight system, which can be used to personalize launch, spin and shot shape via 20 grams of mass and 1770 unique center of gravity configurations. Finally, we have the Hammerhead sole slot, which is now more flexible and helps with delivering a “larger than life” sweet-spot, thus preserving ball speeds in all scenarios, along with a more compact and better looking 435cc M5 Tour Head.

The TaylorMade M6 Driver is also available for preorder starting with January 18th for $499.99 MSRP, in 9, 10.5, and 12 degree (RH only) lofts, with Fujikura Atmos Orange 5, Fujikura Atmos Black 6 in S-, R- and A-flexes stock shafts and Lamkin Dual Feel grips. Just like the M5, the M6 driver is built using the revolutionary Speed Injected Twist Face technology, which is aimed at optimizing COR across the face, along with an aerodynamically designed carbon sole. The difference is that the M6 is more forgiving than the M5, and it’s aimed at delivering maximum ball speed and distance with minimal effort. The Twist Face technology is also present in the M6, and works wonders in regard to helping golfers to achieve more consistent spin, especially on miss hits. Also, the face is a little bit taller in the M6 (one millimeter) vs the M5. Here’s the Vice President for Product Creatio, Brian Bazzel respectively:

“Injected Twist Face delivers a hot, yet accurate performance package in the new M6 driver. When you add optimized CG and MOI through the use of a full carbon crown and sole, the result is a complete driver that delivers on all fronts.”

The M6 driver also uses a whopping 54 percent extra carbon fiber compared to its predecessor (the M4 model), that in addition to the new face design. The extensive use of space-age carbon-fiber translates into 46 grams of weight saved, which is relocated low and deep, thus creating what TaylorMade describes as an Inertia Generator.

We must mention that an M6 D-type driver is also available in 9° / 10.5° / 12° lofts with a Project X EvenFlow Max Carry 45 in 6.0 (S), 5.5 (R) and 5.0 (A) stock shaft and a Lamkin Dual Feel grip. The retail price, you asked? Don’t worry, it’s the same $499.99 MSRP, just like the regular M6 driver.

Next in line, we have the new TaylorMade M5 Fairway Wood, which was completely redesigned and reengineered, and also incorporates the company’s patented Twist Face technology for the first time ever in a fairway. Similar to the 2019 drivers, the M5 fairway wood comes with a heavily modified face, which is aimed to mitigate the gear effect that occurs on miss-hits in the low-heel and high toe. Moreover, the M5 fairway wood boasts a composite material construction for the head, which uses titanium and carbon, together with a brand new sliding weight system and a lower center of gravity position; everything is aimed at promoting lower spin, higher launch and more adjustability options. Here’s the Senior Director, Product Creation, Metalwoods Tomo Bystedt:

“The M5 fairway wood is a new super adjustable fairway wood featuring ground-breaking new titanium-carbon construction with a massive 65-gram movable weight. This is the first ever fairway wood to use our revolutionary Twist Face technology for unparalleled accuracy and game-changing performance.”

The TaylorMade M6 Fairway Wood is also sporting the new Twist Face technology, just like the M5. What’s new is the Rocket 3, a 14° option, aimed at golfers looking for more ball-speed and low spin. The M6 fairway woods also feature a completely reengineered Speed Pocket, which delivers improved ball speed on low-face shots, along with a brand spanking new TPU slot insert, which eliminates turf drag while improving sole interaction. The center of gravity location was also optimized, and it’s now placed directly behind the center of the face, thus helping with maximizing energy transfer upon ball impact. The very low COG and the face height translate into a true confidence booster look at address, while the larger carbon composite crown delivers amazing forgiveness while maintaining a high moment of inertia. There’s also a Type D M6 Fairway Wood, which differs from the vanilla M6 by its more draw biased package.

The TaylorMade M6 Rescue marks another premiere for TaylorMade, i.e. it’s the first hybrid designed by the company to use Twist Face Technology. The face of the M6 Rescue is significantly smaller than the M6 driver, yet the curvature significantly more pronounced, while the steel body features a low center of gravity and a stepped crown design, for easy alignment. The thinner and faster face of the M6 Rescue provides amazing ball speeds and more distance than ever before, due to a completely new and very flexible Speed Pocket, along with the TPU slot insert, which also deliver a larger COR area for improved turf interaction and excellent off center performance on low-face hits.

Finally, we have the M5 and M6 game improvement irons, packed to the brim with TaylorMade’s proprietary technologies, including the aforementioned Speed Bridge thing. But wait, there’s more: the latest irons in TaylorMade’s portfolio also boast a new hybrar polymer dampener and a speed pocket. In case you were wondering, the former is an innovative technology aimed at improving feedback, feel and sound.

Being marketed to be game improvement golf gear, the M5 and M6 are designed as cavity back irons, and usually speaking, this particular type of design comes with caveats like a less appealing sound and a lack of feedback, that compared to forged models. Hence, TaylorMade’s 2019 irons were created to destroy that myth, i.e. to change players’ perception with regard to game improvement irons. And here the Speed Bridge technology comes into play. This tech innovation works by connecting the top rail with the sole, thus making for a beam of sorts which is designed to improve both sound and feel, by tuning down those nasty vibrations. On top of that, distance and ball speed have to gain also from Speed Bridge technology, as the respective beam-thing forces the top edge to work like a hinge of sorts by stiffening the perimeter of the iron; this translates into 1.5 mph ball-speed gain compared to the previous generation of irons, the M3 and M4 respectively.

But good news doesn’t stop there. There’s also a thru-slot Speed Pocket implemented into TaylorMade’s latest game improvement irons, for the first time in the company’s history that is. And then, you have the HYBRAR Compression Damper, which is located right behind the face, and absorbs up to 20 percent more vibration compared to previous generations, thus making the M5 and M6 irons to be the best feeling game improvement cavity back irons ever made by the company.

Moreover, these babies boast a low and deep COG, in order to improve energy transfer upon ball impact, while providing a high launch ball flight, even on miss hits. On top of that, TaylorMade’s latest irons are built with a high moment of inertia, for amazing forgiveness and stability, which incidentally are key features golfers seek in a game improvement iron.

As well as featuring a high MOI and a deep center of gravity, the M5 and M6 irons boast an amazingly thin face design, improved by TaylorMade’s proprietary ICT (Inverted Cone Technology), which is aimed at improving speed and flexibility.

Now, what’s the difference between the M5 and M6 iron you asked? To make a long story short, the M5 offers plenty of forgiveness in a smaller form-factor, and it’s ideal for low to mid handicappers who are looking for a mélange of feel and distance in a game improvement iron with a compact and clean profile. Make no mistake: the M5 looks great and feels great for a distance iron. As per availability and pricing, the M5 iron can be pre-ordered starting with February 1st for $999 in steel and $1199 in graphite, with True Temper XP100 (steel) (S, R), Mitsubishi Tensei Orange (graphite) (S, R) stock shafts.

Finally, the M6 iron is everything about distance at all costs, feeling and sounding more like a mini driver, which incidentally is exactly what it was designed to replace. If you’re looking for ultimate distance and forgiveness, you can say mission accomplished with the M6 irons. . As per availability and pricing, the M6 irons can be pre-ordered starting with February 1st for $899 in steel and $999 in graphite, with KBS Max 85 steel shafts (S, R) or Fujikura ATMOS Orange graphite shafts (7S, 6R & 5A).