Taylormade M Gloire Irons Review – Good for High Handicappers & Forgiving?

“The Taylormade Gloire irons were first introduced to the Asian markets. After Taylormade saw that they were a rousing success, they decided to modify them a bit and release them on a global scale.”

The Taylormade Gloire Family

“The Taylormade Gloire irons were the original set that was released in order to compete with high-end Japanese forged irons.”

The original Gloire irons were introduced to Asian markets sometime in 2012 while the Taylormade M Gloire irons were released a bit later to the Western markets.

These days, it would be very hard for someone in the states to procure an original set of Gloire irons.

However, we do know that for the Taylormade M Gloire modified irons, they were made to be larger than the originals.

The original Gloire irons had a more compact head design reminiscent of Mizuno models.

However, both the Taylormade M Gloire and the original Gloire irons feature forged faces. The Taylormade M Gloire irons have a larger profile and were designed to be lighter than the originals.

Are They Good for High Handicappers?

“The Taylormade M Gloire irons were designed with higher handicap players in mind. Overall, we would say that they suit the typical playing styles of both high and mid handicap players.”

The stock shaft for these irons is pretty lightweight overall. In fact, almost everything about the Taylormade M Gloire irons was designed to be lightweight.

Weight has been meticulously shifted in the heads so that they could be made larger, without making them heavier.

This is a great combination for high handicappers because it will give them a larger striking zone, more confidence at address and help them increase their swing speed.

Indeed, our testers commented that the Taylormade M Gloire irons look very assuring at address and that they felt light from the backswing all the way to follow through.

The head size definitely screams “game improvement” while the 32 grams of tungsten in the long irons helps with launch.

The CG feels nice and low which is yet another good thing for mid and high handicappers.

The Taylormade M Gloire irons also feature progressive sole width that assures high launch in the long irons and smooth turf interaction in the short irons.

Are They Forgiving?

“Absolutely. There are even more features that enhance the forgiveness of these irons.”

Besides the large heads and hefty CG-optimizing weights, the Taylormade M Gloire irons also feature the fabled speed pocket that helps preserve ball speed on low-face shots.

Our testers noticed a decrease in ball speed of only about 1.2 MPH on average on low-face shots.

While perimeter weighting would have also been nice for irons this large, it wasn’t missed too much. Lateral mis-hits were a bit more punishing; but even high handicappers shouldn’t have too much of a problem avoiding the heels and toes of these irons.

The forged face offers really nice feedback. You aren’t violently jarred when you mis-hit but you can definitely feel and hear a difference.

It’s also pretty easy to get a good club head speed going with these irons because they are so lightweight.

Difference Between the Taylormade M Gloire and the M4 Irons

“The M4 irons are much more affordable than the Taylormade M Gloire’s and they have a more traditional cavity back design.”

The M4 irons are definitely heavier though and switching from the Taylormade M Gloire to the M4’s was difficult because of the weight.

The M4 irons also have a slightly higher launch angle and are completely cast whereas the Taylormade M Gloire’s have a cast body but forged faces.

Available Shafts

The only stock shafts that were made available for these Taylormade M Gloire irons when they were released were the Fujikura Speeder Evolution in 49 and 44 gram versions.

Are the Taylormade M Gloire Irons Worth it?

“If you want a premium feel coupled with effective game improvement features, then they are definitely worth it.”

The only caveat is the price. A new set of Taylormade M Gloire will run you about $1400.

For a lot of high handicap players who could actually benefit from these irons, that is simply too much money – especially considering that these are not fully forged irons.