Stunning premium milled construction, super soft feel at impact, true roll across the face, quality leather head cover
Cons
Compact head not most confidence-inspiring at address, unique ribbed grip took some getting used to
TaylorMade TP Reserve Putters: Key Features
Machined face grooves: designed to provide a crisp sound and feel at impact
Milled 303 Stainless Steel: the responsive metal is ideal for milling,
Precision Weighting: precision balanced to optimise swing weight
Premium Leather Headcover: an understated design with ample padding to keep your putter safe
The new TP Reserve family of putters from TaylorMade marks the brand's new reach into the premium-milled category. Promising a blend of precision, classic styling and inspiring aesthetics, the GolfMagic team took them out on the course to see how they performed.
Renowned for being an industry leader in putter innovation and high-performance mallets, TaylorMade has finally dipped its toe into the premium milled category. Featuring three blade and three mallet head options, there is a shape to suit every golfer.
With established players in the space like Scotty Cameron and Odyssey Toulon Design, there is a high bar of expectation for milled putters, but if anyone can match them, TaylorMade has a better chance than most.
Premium milled putters are what many consider to be the purist's choice, while not steeped in high-tech innovations, they are designed to deliver a pure strike and excellent feel. Without wanting to give too much away, TaylorMade has easily ticked both boxes.
Offering a subtle yet striking look, with a feel of the face that will have you begging for more, the M47 is an exceptional putter that has gone straight into our bag.
We were so impressed by the performance of the M47 that it has gone straight into our best golf putters guide for 2023.
In short, the M47 could be used effectively by a golfer of any skill level. The increased MOI of the mallet design offers good forgiveness across the face for less experienced players, while the pure roll and delicate feel will certainly appeal to the low-handicap golfer who prioritises a refined touch and sound at impact.
TaylorMade TP Reserve M47 Putter
TaylorMade TP Reserve M47: Looks and Feel
The feel of the M47 was the first thing that struck us when we tested out this putter. We were honestly blown away by how soft it felt off the face.
Some may describe it as like getting into a nice warm bath, others may say it feels like putting with a memory foam mattress. Either way, the designers at TaylorMade certainly succeeded in creating a fantastic feel at impact.
During our testing we put the M47 up against a Scotty Cameron Futura X5 and we definitely noticed a much softer feel at impact with the TaylorMade putter.
While soft off the centre, we did notice a touch more feedback off heel and toe strikes from the M47, but we enjoyed the sensitivity as it gives you a better idea of how well you are striking your putts.
In hand, the putter feels reassuringly heavy. As expected from a fully milled steel body, the head feels very solid at address and promotes a more delicate approach to putting that we particularly liked on short putts.
You felt like you just had to breathe on a downhill putt and you could leave the putter to do the rest of the work for you.
The grip TaylorMade has opted for on these putters is a black Lamkin Deep etched Pistol grip. The ribbed texture on the grip took a little getting used to but once you've hit a few putts it feels very secure in hand.
We usually tend to use a slightly thicker grip, but the feel on offer from a more conventional grip will undoubtedly be popular with many golfers.
We absolutely loved the subtle and classical look of the head. Sat at address the slightly refined blade length could be a little intimidating for beginner golfers, but we found it framed the ball really nicely.
The brushed steel sole plate compliments the milled body of the putter nicely and the understated branding gives the putter a traditional aesthetic that oozes class.
TaylorMade TP Reserve M47 Putter
A single black alignment aid keeps things nice and simple on the crown of the putter, and combined with a hollowed-out dip behind the face, you get a really good idea of where the centre of the clubface is when sat behind the ball.
TaylorMade TP Reserve M47 Putter
While not a key factor by any means, we also really liked the simple black leather head cover that accompanies the putter.
With ample padding and an understated R stitched in green on the head, TaylorMade have gone for the 'more is less' approach, and it's really paid off.
TaylorMade TP Reserve M47: Forgiveness and Performance
As previously mentioned, we absolutely loved the M47 for short-range putts. The weight and feel on offer promote a delicate approach to downhill putts that we found to be really beneficial, especially for length.
Where we found the putter slightly harder to control was on long putts from 20+ feet. The smaller blade length and head weight meant we regularly hit our putts long of the hole, with a disparity left and right slightly wider than we would typically like to see.
In terms of a consistent roll off the face, we can't really fault the M47. When struck out of the middle the ball rolls smooth and true thanks to the precision milled face.
The sole of the club glides nicely over the grass and we also liked the satisfying muted noise that we heard at impact.
Overall the M47 performed really well during testing, and although we struggled a touch from distance, that might say more about our own putting ability than it does about the putter.
TaylorMade TP Reserve M47 Putter
Should you buy the TaylorMade TP Reserve M47 Putter?
If you're a golfer who enjoys the finer things in life, then the TaylorMade TP Reserve M47 putter could be right up your street.
The precision-milled design, understated looks and solid performance make the M47 a really lovely putter, that due to its price point (£379) is probably better suited to a serious golfer who plays regularly throughout the year.
While golfers of all levels could enjoy using the putter, it is probably a more ideal fit for a low-handicap golfer who prioritises premium feel over maximum forgiveness.
Pure rolling and buttery soft, the TP Reserve range is an excellent competitor to the most established ranges of premium milled putters on the market, and considering it's TaylorMade's first foray into the category, we think they've done an excellent job.
