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TSN Senior Reporter

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In the 1980s at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, there was a ride known as the Polar Express. It became popular in part because the train cars would race around a circular track at a high speed, but also because of the carny who became famous for barking the phrase: “Do you want to go faster?” He would scream it over and over, and it would be heard throughout the midway, becoming a catchphrase for a generation.

Those words will now be heard on golf courses around the world thanks to the folks from TaylorMade, who have launched a wave of new gear under the slogan “Everybody Gets Faster.”

The first release (there will be several over the next few weeks) is headed up by two new driver models, the M5 and M6, which are built around reaching the absolute limits in terms of coefficient of restitution (COR)—that means speed and not close to it, but right at the limit. To do this, TaylorMade is tightening the tolerances on the manufacturing and actually building the heads to exceed the maximum COR. Then it is going to test every single head – yup, every single one – and, by injecting a resin into it, bring each one back to a COR of .830, the limit under the Rules of Golf.

All this techno-speak means that every single driver will deliver more speed resulting in more distance.

The M5 and M6 drivers still carry the revolutionary Twist Face, the curved faceplate launched in 2018 that helps correct misses high on the toe and low on the heel. But now, each one will feature two small blood orange screws, which is where the resin gets injected. Unlike the old days of persimmon clubs where the faceplate was screwed on, you won’t want to “hit it on the screws” with either the M5 or M6 as they’re located at the heel and toe of the club.

The M5, the more detailed of the two offerings, features a sliding track with two weights that can be positions to optimize spin on the ball and shot shape. There is also the Hammerhead slot, version 2.0, that gives an extra kick on shots, especially those low on the face.

In a press release, Todd Beach, TaylorMade’s vice-president of research and development, described the new club.

“The M5 driver has a new multi-material head, designed as close as possible to the speed limit through a new breakthrough face technology," Beach said. "Utilizing a new manufacturing process, each head has been individually speed tested on multiple positions before being strategically injected with tuning resin to achieve the tightest possible tolerance to the legal limit of speed.”

The M6 driver also offers the Speed Injected Twist Face, bringing each club to the maximum. It doesn’t offer up the Inverted T-Track sole with the sliding weight. Built with a carbon fibre crown and full carbon sole, more discretionary weight (compared to the M4) is repositioned low and deep in the head to increase forgiveness.

In a company press release, Brian Bazzel, the vice-president of product creation, said: “Injected Twist Face delivers a hot, yet accurate performance package in the new M6 driver. When you add optimized CG and MOI through the use of a full carbon crown and sole, the result is a complete driver that delivers on all fronts.”

There is also an anti-slice M6 D model that has a draw bias built in for those who need some help in that department.

Both the M5 and M6 will go on sale in February. The M5 will have a suggested price of $699 and the M6 will be $599.

Fairway woods and hybrids complement both clubs. These clubs don’t have the injection process but do offer up the Twist Face.