TaylorMade introduced its Gloire driver and irons nearly a decade ago, and the clubs have proven to be very popular. Instead of letting time and technology render the Gloire driver obsolete, TaylorMade incorporated more recent advancements to elevate the driver’s performance potential. A TaylorMade M Gloire driver review of the design and construction shows many of the most recent advancements included on the costlier high-end drivers are included in the new M Gloire driver, which is sure to continue its popularity.
TaylorMade Asia Product Manager Daisuke Takaesu says the company initially intended the Gloire series for the premium Japanese and Asian markets when first introduced in 2012. The addition of tour-proven technology in the M Gloire driver elevates it to premium driver status but without the massive overhead cost that typically comes with it.
High-Quality Composite Materials Used
The composite crown and toe panel enables TaylorMade to optimize weight location to give the driver an ultra-low center of gravity that counteracts fade bias and delivers longer drives from the tee. Newly included forged twist face and hammerhead technology gives you a bigger and more forgiving sweet spot. And the maximum legal speed-enhancing tech increases the ball speed and distance.
Pros:
- Precise control over center of gravity.
- Optimized for speed.
- Forged Twist face and Hammerhead
- Multi-material construction.
Cons:
- No left-handed models.
- 12.5-degree lofts only available on women’s drivers.
The magic all starts with a speed-optimized head that enables you to generate a faster downswing and make better contact with the ball. An aerodynamic and ultralight head has an expanded carbon fiber crown and toe to make the driver head among the lightest ever offered by TaylorMade.
The M Gloire driver is especially helpful for golfers who tend to have slower swing speeds and a high fade bias. Instead of pushing the ball to the right or left of the hole on a consistent basis due to your natural swing, the draw-bias and larger sweet spot help to straighten out your drives and hit your intended target more often.
The TaylorMade Gloire driver review of features shows that the head counteracts the natural fade off of the drive that most golfers have. Instead of pushing the ball to one side or the other, the M gloire gives you a more controllable draw effect that results in a longer and straighter driver.
Right-handers often have the ball fade to the right side of the fairway while left-handers generally find the ball fades to the left off. Modern drivers generally provides long shafts to generate more club speeds, and that can exaggerate the natural fade effect even more.
TaylorMade positions 28 grams of weight toward the heel and another 22 grams very low and to the back of the driver. That gives you an ultra-low center of gravity and helps to send the ball in along a straighter flight path with a draw-bias effect. With golfers naturally giving most drives a fade bias, the engineered draw bias makes that same golf swing deliver a longer and straighter drive that will land on the fairway more often.
Maximum Legal COR for Faster Ball Speed
TaylorMade also maximizes the driver’s coefficient of restitution (COR) value to produce greater ball speed off of the drive. The COR value is algebraic formula that analyzes the club speed prior to hitting the ball versus ball speed after the moment of impact. The higher the COR value, the faster the ball goes due to a better transfer of energy.
The COR value is very important in golf, so the R&A and USGA strictly regulate the value to prevent golfers from taking advantage of better technology to improve their scores. Because drivers that exceed the maximum allowable COR value are banned from Tour play, driver manufacturers generally include a small amount forgiveness to ensure their drivers qualify for tournament play.
The small amount of forgiveness engineered into competing drivers means the TaylorMade models with maximum COR values generate consistently faster ball speed by about 2 mph. That faster ball speed often results in about 30 yards of more distance from the tee.
Precise Control Over Center of Gravity
TaylorMade also studies the moment of impact (MOI) and the driver’s effect on the ball. A driver with a high MOI will twist less than one with a low MOI, which means better contact and greater control over the ball and its flight path. TaylorMade reduces the amount of twist in the driver and gives you a larger sweet spot to make better contact with a low center of gravity.
TaylorMade designed the head of the M Gloire driver to give it a very low center of gravity and a high MOI that lessens the chances of topping the ball and hitting a truly bad drive. TaylorMade’s draw-bias design counteracts the natural fade that most golfers have in their drives.
Modern drivers have long shafts that create higher club speeds and can reveal any weaknesses in your drive. The strategically placed counterweight in the heel that counters the fade by adding a slight draw bias. The draw-bias design delivers straighter drives off of the tee, which gives you more distance down range. That adds up to more fairways landed, better lies, and shorter approach shots to the green.
Twist Face and Hammerhead 2 Tech
TaylorMade uses its patented Twist Face and Hammerhead technology to straighten out your drives and give you more distance down the fairway. The ball travels faster, straighter and further from the tee, which gives you better approach shots to the green and lower scoring averages. The M Gloire has a larger and lighter club face than its predecessors and a bigger and better sweet spot thanks to the forged twist face design.
The forged twist face contours the clubface so that the ball spins less and travels in a straighter path. You get a much bigger sweet spot and a more forgiving forged twist face design that helps to inspire confidence in your drives for longer and better drives from the tee.
TaylorMade enables you to finely tune the twist face for the ideal launch angle and effect on the ball. Special loft-sleeve technology enables you to adjust the loft angle to open or close the face more. That helps you to finely tune the M Gloire driver for your specific needs and get the best results.
Best Driver for Bogey Golfer: M Gloire Driver Review of Specs
Volume: 460cc
Loft: 10.5, 11.5, and 12.5 degrees
Lie: 59 degrees
Swing Weight: D4 in men’s and C0 in women’s
Length: 46 inches for men’s drivers a 44.75 inches for women’s
Shaft: Fujikara Speeder Evolution
Grip: Lamkin Genesis
Short Bonded Hosel Improves Drives
Even the hosel on the M Gloire driver gets special treatment. The hosel is part of the head and is where the shaft connects. While most clubs and drivers have a relatively long hosel that measures a couple of inches or so in length, the hosel on the M Gloire driver is short, light and very strong.
When mated to the proper shaft and secured with the correct epoxy, the short bonded hosel helps to lower the center of gravity while giving the shaft more room to add just enough flex to increase the head speed for better contact and longer drives. You have a much more confident feel, faster downswing and better contact on the ball, which all adds up to improved drives.
The M Gloire driver comes equipped with the Fujikara Speeder Evolution shaft, which offers a good amount of stiffness with just enough flex to maximize the driving capability of the M Gloire. The Lamkin Genesis grip is popular and helps to ensure a good feel on the driver. The entire package makes the grip, shaft and hosel very important parts of the M Gloire driver that often get overlooked by buyers – aside from length and general grip comfort.
Why Should I buy an M Gloire Driver?
An M Gloire driver review of its retail cost shows it compares favorably to the higher priced TaylorMade SIM drivers and similarly costly drivers by competing premium brands. Anyone who is even somewhat serious about posting the lowest possible golf scores and who plays on fairly regular basis likely will find the purchase price well worth the reward.
Premium golf drivers generally cost a lot of money and do not justify their investment by anyone other than the wealthiest of amateur golfers or touring professionals. For simple golfing enthusiasts, the purchase price of a top-of-the-line TaylorMade, Callaway or other high-end brand is too much to even consider.
The M Gloire driver changes all of that. It is the kind of driver that truly enhances your golf game and contains state-of-the-art design, materials and construction. The potential for longer and straighter drives with the M Gloire driver ultimately means you likely are going to enjoy the game of golf even more.
Greater enjoyment and lower average scores at your favorite golf courses make any new equipment worth the investment. The TaylorMade M Gloire does it for less than many of the premium golf equipment manufacturer’s competitors.
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