Taylormade M5 Irons Review

Welcome to our Taylormade M5 irons review.

They are one of the best-hitting irons I’ve ever reviewed or put my hands on…Period. (at the time)

Not only that, they have pretty much the exact amount of compactness (I think that’s a word) I like to see in a club head, with none of the intimidation of blade or “player” irons. 

I did NOT expect to like these clubs…at all. I’ve never hit a Taylormade iron in my life…seems I may have been missing out.

What Surprised Me:

• Looks: I really dug the compact, but not intimidating, look of the head. I’m not the biggest fan of the design of the back of the club head, but I grew to be fine with it
• Confidence: These club heads look great behind the ball. From the pitching wedge to the 4-iron I felt good about my chances on every swing (or as good as I can feel when holding a long iron)
• Distance: Long clubs. I spent my first round with these flying or bouncing my ball off the back of greens. (More on this below)

Testing the M5 Irons

On The Range: 3 Sessions

On The Course: 3 Rounds and a short range session to warm up

My Method of testing: I switched things up with the M5’s because I had a full set for testing for the first time. I couldn’t figure out an easy way to bring two full iron sets to the range or course, so I didn’t try.

• I know how far I hit my set, my trajectory, and how easily I can work them so I could spot those differences pretty easily.
• On the range I just used a laser to get the distance to flags and terrain features to get yardages so I could get a good comparison.
• On the course I pulled my usual clubs for my usual yardages.

What Surprised Me (Again): DISTANCE!

For my very first shot from on the very first hole I played a pitching wedge from about 135 yards or so with a slight breeze at my back and I bounced off the back of the green ended up about 12 yards over.

• Why’d that happen…Was it the melty melty heat? (mid 90’s or above) Maybe.
• Was it exceptionally well-struck? I nailed it, but nothing crazy.

Couldn’t say for sure why the ball flew so far. It was only one shot, and the first one, at that. Onward.

Second hole…

I’m in the middle of the fairway after I cut the corner on a short par 5 and I’m about 150 yards or so from the center of the green which is hidden around a dog leg…Got a little helping wind, so I pull a 9-iron and flush it…right over the green and into the junk.

Ok, I’m slightly annoyed and bewildered. I just got punished for two very well-struck shots.

I console myself that this is a good problem to have.

So this happened about 4 more times this round. It wasn’t until I dug into the specs that this all became clear why this was happening…

Why Are The Taylormade M5 Irons So Long?

First, I have to talk about trajectory.

I’m a high-ball hitter and these irons had a very similar trajectory to my irons.

Here’s the thing…

The lofts are 1.5 degrees (pitching wedge) to 3 degrees (4-iron) stronger than my set…and I was hitting the ball as high or higher. (Not ballooning at all. I’m talking a powerful green-holding trajectory)

The lofts are stronger for a reason…they have to be.

Manufacturers are making club heads so hot and get the ball in the air so easily these days that they Have to have stronger lofts or the ball Would balloon or simply go to high and you would lose distance.

What Are The Taylormade M5 Iron Specs

Club	4	5	6	7	8	9	PW
LOFT	19.5*	22.5*	26*	30*	34.5*	39.5*	45*
LIE	61*	61.5*	62*	62.5*	63*	63.5*	64*
OFFSET	3.1MM	2.9MM	2.7MM	2.5MM	2.2MM	2.2MM	1.8MM
LENGTH	39.25″	38.62″	38″	37.5″	37″	36.5″	36″
SWING WEIGHT (ST/GR)	D2/C9	D2/C9	D2/C9	D2/C9	D2/C9	D2/D0	D2.5/D0.5

Here are A Few (BORING) Facts About The Tech Behind Superior Performance

Specific Technology From Taylormade

• Speed Bridge : (the bar across the top of the backside of the club head): Provides added stability decreased vibration and a better sound at impact. Ads stiffness around the perimeter for higher ball speed and reduced energy loss. Ads support for the  Speed Slot for added distance
• Inverted Cone Technology (ICT) :  ultra-thin face design to deliver superior ball speed over the entire face
• HYBRAR compression damper : “Filters unwanted face vibrations” for better sound
• Fluted hosel & 360* Undercut : Allows weight to be moved lower in the head lowering the center of gravity for higher, more penetrating launch angle even with lower face contact
• Tungsten used to add forgiveness while maintaining compact head design

Who Do I Recommend Them For?

Low handicap – Yes – You can put these in your bag and feel nothing but proud. An excellent bridge between pure-player non-blade irons and game-improvement irons

Mid handicap – Yes, most definitely

High handicap – No…probably. The compact heads will rob you of confidence as you look down at them at address. The M6 irons are more up your alley.

Potential Alternatives

Our Verdict on the Taylormade M5 Irons

The Taylormade M5 irons took me by surprise in the best way possible. I had no idea Taylormade made great irons…but they absolutely do.

My #1 suggestion is to test before you buy. Either at your local golf store or take advantage of Global Golf’s Utry trial program. I use it and recommend it. 

Thanks for checking out my Taylormade M5 irons review and I’d love to here how they performed for you.