TaylorMade M4 Driver Review: Sacrifice pure distance for accuracy

It would be remiss to see the TaylorMade M4 driver as the lesser of the two releases from TaylorMade in 2018. It's the unadjustable, more forgiving model, but it still benefits from the brand’s newest features and therefore should have similar levels of performance.

Alas, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm both chose it over the TaylorMade M3 driver for 2018 season-opening Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

All you need to know: Best Golf Drivers

TaylorMade M4 driver - Key Features

• Twist Face technology: manipulates the face angle on the driver for off-centre shots, for longer, straighter hits
• 41g of weight in the heel and a slight offset: for a high launch

Player Level

TaylorMade M4 driver - Looks and Feel

The M4's silver matte finish gives the club a stunning appearance from the top. On the underside, we prefer the colour scheme used on the M3 but it's nothing offensive.

Overall, it's a good-looking club, and it feels superb.

In the sound stakes, it's fiery and solid, and will appeal to most players.

TaylorMade M4 driver - Performance and Forgiveness

The M4 offers similar launch characteristics to the M3 with the weights in the back - it's slightly higher on average, but negligible. Spin was slightly down compared to M3.

We think Twist Face was helping us, particularly on the high toe strikes, but it is impossible to say by how much. Over time, we believe this technology will improve your dispersion.

Regarding distance, we got a few yards less out of the TaylorMade M4 than we did from the M3, and it was similar to the distances we got from the TaylorMade M2 driver.

We do think there is more overall forgiveness to be had from the M4 compared to the M3, and a small increase on what we saw in the M2.

Should you buy the TaylorMade M4 driver?

The TaylorMade M4 driver is more forgiving than the M3, but slightly less impressive when it comes to pure distance.

We’re fans of Twist Face, which we think will improve mishits over time.

Overall, it's a great option for players who aren't bothered by adjustable weights, but are looking for extra distance in 2018.