TaylorMade M4 Tour Fairway Wood

The TaylorMade M4 Tour fairway wood is designed with better players in mind that are looking for the perfect club to reach a long par 5 in two or more precision on tight tee shots. With some familiar characteristics of the M2 Tour fairway wood, the M4 Tour has an updated look and continues a line of great performance.

M4 Tour Fairway 2

First Impressions

Like the rest of the 2018 M lineup, the TaylorMade M4 Tour fairway wood has a silver topline, black carbon crown, and black face. The black/silver contrast with the red, white, and blue paint scheme looks good on the M4 Tour fairway. From address, the M4 Tour has a compact pear shape with a medium depth face. The smaller head profile is certainly more conducive to the stronger players out there. If you’re looking for something more along the lines of a “mini driver” then you may need to look at the standard M4 fairway wood. My overall first impression was that the M4 Tour fairway wood looks great behind the ball and looks like a 270+ yard deck weapon.

M4 Tour Fairway

How Does it Feel?

There are a few characteristics that significantly influence the feel of the TaylorMade M4 Tour fairway wood. First, TaylorMade has continued its use of Geocoustic technology. This technology allows for TaylorMade to control the balance and center of gravity of the club better without sacrificing performance and feel. The other change TaylorMade was by adding a new split weight inside of the club head which gives it more stability. Lastly, a new “Ni-Co 300 steel face insert” allowed for TaylorMade to make the face thinner and faster without sacrificing a solid feel.

The end result of combining all of these elements in the M4 Tour is an extremely solid feeling fairway wood with a lot of pop. I coveted the M2 Tour for its powerful feel and the M4 Tour may actually even be a step up from that.

How Does it Sound?

Again, the TaylorMade M4 Tour fairway wood’s sound is greatly influenced by the Geocoustic tech. The Geocoustic sole has sound ribs on the outside to dampen vibrations and control the pitch of the club’s sound. Between that Geocoustic sole and the Ni-Co 300 face, you get a hot, yet muted, “whap” (pronounce the H) at impact. When I’m hitting the M4 Tour well, it sounds like I’ve absolute ripped the ball. Frankly, the sound from this club makes me think I’m a better golfer than I really am. Don’t get me wrong, you still have to hit the ball well, but you will be quite satisfied with the resulting sound when you do.

M4 Tour Fairway 8

On-Course Performance

Club Speed	Ball Speed	Launch Angle	Spin	Carry (Yds)	Total (Yds)
105.8	159.1	11.3º	3118	267.6	287.5

The TaylorMade M4 Tour fairway wood follows fairly in line with last year’s M2 Tour. With the forward CG via the sole weight, the M4 Tour is capable of a nice piercing ball flight. The biggest difference I found was that the M4 Tour was easier for me to launch (saw about a 2º launch angle increase) and I got a little more spin. To achieve a higher MOI, TaylorMade split the weights internally which distributed the weight more toward the perimeter. This change also made the M4 Tour easier to launch.

I found the M4 Tour fairway wood to be a bit more forgiving with similar ball speeds, but also a little easier to control. Maybe that’s because of minor modifications to the sole and leading edge, or the little extra spin. Either way, I felt I could hit mid-launch to higher trajectories and shape both directions without letting the ball slide off the planet. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t find the M2 Tour to be uncontrollable, it just can get a little slippery on me. So with the M4 Tour I have good distance and a little more control and versatility. With the M2 Tour, I have more distance and power, but less versatility.

M4 Tour Fairway 10

Final Thoughts

The TaylorMade M4 Tour fairway wood is a great option for a strong player looking for distance and shot versatility whether it’s off the deck or from the tee box. For my bag this season, I decided to stick with my trusty M2 Tour in my 3 wood but have jumped right into the M4 Tour in my 5 wood. I love the total package of feel, performance, and control I get with the M4 Tour in the 5 wood slot. Maybe most importantly, I feel I have lots of versatility in my shots for that distance gap and that has opened up some new options for me in my long game.