TaylorMade M4 Irons Review | Perfect Set for Beginners in 2024?

Looking for a definitive TaylorMade M4 Irons review? Look no further.

Playing golf can be an expensive business.

A brand new set of clubs can cost upwards of $3000 and you can comfortably allocate $1200 of this on brand new irons. So what do you do?

New flagship irons like the TaylorMade Stealth, while nice to have, are not strictly necessary for beginners. With this said, buying second hand has its pitfalls with groove sharpness and general wear and tear.

We believe a great option for beginners or intermediates looking for a refresh is to look at brand new clubs that are from older ranges. Often the latest ‘upgrade’ or iteration offers features that will really not make a great deal of difference to most golfers.

Nonetheless, retailers still stock a lot of these older models and often want to shift them at significant discounts.

The big questions are– Are M4 irons still good in today’s market? How will they improve your game? Do you need to get them fitted? When you are still paying good money for equipment, it is important to have considered all the information available before making a purchase.

The objective of this article is to provide an honest, and in-depth review. As always, we will aim to decrypt jargon and technical terms so the content is digestible for beginner and intermediate golfers.

Overview- What are we going to cover?

Let’s take a quick look at what we will specifically cover in this review of TaylorMade M4 Irons.

• Are TaylorMade M4 irons good?
• What year did TaylorMade M4 irons come out?
• How do M4 irons compare to newer TaylorMade models?
• Is the TaylorMade M4 good for high handicappers?
• What irons do beginners need in a set?
• Do I need to get them fitted?
• Do any pros use TaylorMade M4

For those skim readers among you who are just looking for a brief summary giving the bottom line: see below. After that, we will get into the questions above.

Do I recommend TaylorMade M4 Iron Set?

Yes. TaylorMade M4 iron set are classified as game improvement irons, so are designed for beginners and intermediates.

If you are new to golf or do not wish to spend the eye-watering sums of money it costs to get the latest flagship irons on the market, M4 irons are a great option. They are made to the high standards we expect from TaylorMade, but because they are a slightly older model, the price point is far more reasonable.

M4 irons offer a fantastic blend of distance and forgiveness. Forgiveness comes from RIBCOR technology (we explain this below) while the height and distance generated are well above what you would typically expect.

Due to the low lofts on these irons, you can expect to hit your 7 iron the same distance as you would usually hit a 6 or 5 iron (seriously). The higher launch angle allows you to combine the extra distance with a soft landing on the greens.

Bottom line: if you can source a second hand set, the M4 iron is easily as good as anything in club shops or being used on tour (at a fraction of the cost). Given the heavy discount– it might even be financially viable for a lot of golfers to get these retrospectively fitted after purchase.

TaylorMade M4 Irons Snapshot: Key data

Recommended Ability Level

TaylorMade M4 Irons: Pros and Cons

• Sound and feel might not be for everyone

TaylorMade M4 Irons: Key Questions Answered

Let’s look at the main factors you should consider if you are thinking about making TaylorMade M4’s your next irons.

What year did TaylorMade M4 irons come out?

TaylorMade M4 irons debuted in 2018. They are the next iteration of the M2 irons (released in 2016) and the M3 irons (which were also released in 2018). After this, TaylorMade released the M5 and M6 irons in 2019, which brought the M range to an end.

In the 2020’s and beyond, the current flagship models are the P770, P790 and Stealth.

Are TaylorMade M4 irons still good?

Yes. Even though TaylorMade has released several different ranges of irons since the release of the M4’s, these are still fantastic golf clubs, especially Best TaylorMade M4 irons for beginners. M4 irons now offer exceptional value for money as well.

Manufacturers release new lines and upgrades regularly. This serves two main functions; the bottom line of the company and implementing the feedback they get from PGA pros.

Manufacturers want the best pros to stay with their brand, so obviously they are keen to make sure they have all the tools required to compete in elite level golf. Regular product releases mean new clubs pretty much every year, but the truth is most of the features and updates make little difference to the everyday golfer.

Especially beginners.

So what is so great about M4’s?

The first thing to note is that the M4’s were actually made for high and middle handicap golfers. As we mentioned above, M4’s are considered to be game improvement irons.

But what are the main benefits? We talk a lot about the different parts of an iron which can get confusing. See our diagram below for reference.

RIBCOR Technology for forgiveness

RIBCOR is essentially two bars that have been added to the back of the club in line with the heel and toe. This reinforces the whole face making the sweet spot larger and thus increasing MOI.

What is MOI?

MOI, or moment of inertia is essentially a measure of your club’s resistance to turning when the ball is struck NOT on the sweet spot. So in effect, the higher the “MOI”, the less your club will twist when you hit the heel or toe, and therefore the straighter your ball will be on a mis-hit. It is certainly a club that breeds confidence: allowing golfers to play a variety of shots. From right to left, you can see how the club turns and the resulting ball flight on a good hit, a toed shot on a low MOI club and a toed shot on a high MOI club.

TaylorMade has also inserted face slots on the face of the club which helps control mis-hits off the heel and toe. With all these features added together, M4 irons are incredibly forgiving.

Speed Pocket for ball speed

The speed pocket is essentially a groove in the sole of the club. What does this do?

It generates more energy and speed throughout the face of the club. This is especially important on the lower part of the face where 72% of average golfers hit the ball.

The speed pocket allows the golfer to hit iron shots that launch higher and fly further. Imagine the difference between jumping into a pool from the deck and off of a spring board.

This all translates to a significant boost in ball speed.

The X-Factor behind the distance

RIBCOR Tech and the Speed Pocket are the features that TaylorMade promotes. Perhaps the biggest factor behind the distance you get is the loft of the club.

As a general rule: the lower the loft, the further the ball travels with less elevation and spin.

The 6 iron in this set has 25° loft, which is right at the bottom end of what you would expect for a 6 iron (24° – 31°). It is not uncommon for a 5 or even 4 iron to have this level of loft.

Benefits?

Well, in effect, when your friends are hitting their 6 iron, you are going to be hitting a 5 or 4 iron. This will certainly give you that bit of extra juice on the fairways. This lower level of loft is consistent throughout the set.

Downside?

Generally, if the ball is hit with a lower loft you get less spin. This can create a problem with approach play: the lack of spin makes it harder for you to land a ball on the green and stop it.

This is where the RIBCOR technology and the Speed Pocket comes into play. The extra ‘bounce’ means the ball flight takes a higher trajectory. The descent angle (a fancy way of describing the angle the ball drops to the ground) is also steeper.

In a nutshell, the ball still travels far but goes higher in the air meaning it drops at a steeper angle and lands softly on the green.

It is for this reason we believe that these clubs are a great option for beginners or golfers with a slower swing speed that struggle to generate power and distance.

Is the TaylorMade M4 good for high handicappers?

Yes. TaylorMade M4 irons have been designed with mid and high handicappers in mind.

Players can expect high levels of distance and forgiveness with confidence building traits.

The price point is also very appealing when compared to the irons that are actively marketed by TaylorMade in 2022. If you are looking for a first set or are in need of a refresh and do not want to completely break the bank– these are a fantastic option.

What irons do beginners need in a set?

It depends on which irons you are specifically buying, but generally you will get 7-9 irons in a set.

A typical 9 iron set would have a 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, PW and SW/AW.

I would recommend buying a 7 club set of TaylorMade M4 irons. This could include a 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, PW, AW.

For those that are unfamiliar, an AW is otherwise known as a gap wedge which sits somewhere between a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. TaylorMade does this so that the gap in lofts between your irons is minimized.

The main reason I would recommend a 7 club set is related to the loft of the clubs. As we have mentioned, the lofts on your M4 iron are lower than a lot of irons. This is great with mid irons but once you get to the long irons, these actually become rather difficult to hit.

Depending on preference, you can go and buy a 3 and 4 irons from a different set, or probably more likely get yourself hybrids to cover these clubs, as hybrids tend to travel faster.

Finally, the approach wedge is 49° loft, so you will at the very least need one sand wedge as well.

To minimize your gap with your AW, I would suggest a 54° sand wedge. These come as standard in some M4 sets, or you may have to buy this separately which is completely fine.

This is totally stock dependent.

Do I need to get them fitted?

This is always a tricky question with irons. Most professionals and people in the golf industry will say YES, unequivocally.

It is difficult to dispute this advice, as there are very clear benefits to getting clubs fitted to our individual swing.

However, not everyone has the money to buy a brand new set in a pro-shop and often there are some fantastic deals online that are the difference between getting a top quality set and not.

Some players will be fine with standard sizing, but you are rolling the dice somewhat. Having clubs that do not fit your dimensions can cause you to adjust your natural rhythm to fit the club, creating bad habits.

It is worth assessing the cost versus buying a new set and getting them fitted, but there are many businesses that do ‘retrospective fitting’ where they take an existing set of clubs and adjust them to you after you buy them.

Do any pros use TaylorMade M4?

Currently not. This is hardly surprising given that M4 irons are made for mid to high handicappers. They were also released in 2018, meaning new models like the P770, P7MC and P730 are used by players such as Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson.

Do not be discouraged though, M4 irons are a fantastic option for game improvement. Who knows: M4’s could be your springboard to one day wielding the impossible to hit blades used by the top professionals.

Pricing Breakdown

It is hard to be definitive when you are at the mercy of retailers and the current deals they have on. The prices of older models of irons tend to be more volatile than the S&P 500.

Latest indications are that you can pick up a set of new M4’s for around $600 or £400. If you are in the market for new irons this represents fantastic value for money when you consider the going rate for a new set of TaylorMade Stealth irons (TaylorMade’s latest game improvement irons) retail between $950-$1250 depending on what you select.

While they are shinier, newer and do include new tech: they are fundamentally a similar level of quality for half the price.

Comparison

Comparing golf equipment is always difficult.

If you are really into the detail side of things, there are sites that run tests where they compare fairway woods across the board. Their data ranks clubs by ball spin and launch angle around the greens.

But how does this help? Do I just select the club that has the best test results?

The short answer is no.

Test results are a great indication, but it should not be forgotten that often it is just one golfer hitting these clubs. It might be a controlled environment, but we all know that sometimes you just hit good and bad shots. Sometimes it’s up to the club, sometimes it’s you. This is very hard to quantify.

So how can we compare the M4 iron to its peers?

Ultimately, the best we can really do is generalize which types of clubs suit different brackets of golfers.

Given the M4 is an older model, it does not make sense to compare them with the current flagship irons for leading brands. Starting with the essentials, hopefully the below table gives you a hard and fast breakdown of what is available on the wider market for game improvement irons released around the same time.

Perhaps more helpfully, we have listed below what we believe is the best option for each bracket of golfer.

Best Overall: TaylorMade M4

Best for Beginners: TaylorMade M4

The Best for Intermediates: Callaway Rogue X

Best Budget Option: TaylorMade M4

I hope you found our review useful!