Whilst the TaylorMade M1 Rescue hybrid is part of the M1 family by birth, its genes seem to have come from the other parent to the M1 Driver and M1 Fairway.
This is immediately obvious from the absence of the carbon composite crown, as the all steel head is all black in complete contrast to the all white head of the previous R15 Rescue.
Whether you liked the R15 white crown or not, at least it contrasted with the black face to help with alignment. In the M1 Rescue it blends in and merges with the hosel and shaft to give look directly at odds with its sexier looking siblings.
The M in the other models refers to 'multi-material' and in the M1 Rescue this comes in the form of two tungsten weights in the centre back and the toe of the sole that can be swapped to alter the shot shape the club produces.
By default the back weight is 25g and the toe weight is 3g to give a neutral set up with a mid to high launch. Swapping them over gives a strong fade bias and upon further interrogation of the TaylorMade designers at the global launch, it was clear that this has been designed as an anti-left hybrid.
Feedback from their tour players is that they don't want their hybrids to hook at all, so that is what the M1 Rescue is designed to deliver.
The face is a similar shape to the Adams inspired R15 Rescue, but with a slightly taller face to go with the chunkier look to the classic square style face.
There is still a small speed pocket in the sole that is also black and assists with ball speeds on strikes low on the face.
When you swing the M Rescue it does feel heavier than the R15 thanks to the lower weight distribution from those tungsten sole weights and I am not sure your average golfer will prefer that.
The sound and feel is good, but the overall sensation is of a Rescue that is designed for use from the tee and the fairway rather than getting you out of trouble from longer grass.
The M1 Rescue comes in four lofts from 17 to 24 degrees with an adjustable hosel and a Fujikura Pro 80h shaft as standard, to continue the better player feel and dark looks.
It feels like the M Rescue should be disowned by the rest of the M family as it is not really aimed at the same market. The M driver is for virtually all golfers and the M fairway for most sub-20 handicappers who want adjustability, but the M Rescue is more of an elite player's club.
The styling and fade bias option gives TaylorMade a product in this sector of the market that could be cover for the mooted sale of Adams in the near future. In this respect the M Rescue is a pretty good club, but unless you have a propensity to hook the pants off your hybrids, then for most single figure golfers the R15 Rescue is probably the better option for now.