Introduction
The TaylorMade Qi4D driver arrived with plenty of hype, but even more attention after Rory McIlroy put it in play during his Masters victory. TaylorMade has just opened their doors to a brand new facility – The Kingdom at The Grove – where you can get a full customised fitting just like the pros would. Nicola Slater took a visit to see what the experience is really like and whether the Qi4D lives up to it’s name…
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Keywords
TaylorMade, ball speed, carry, QI4D, launch, distance
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NCG Summary
NCG SUMMARY
The TaylorMade Qi4D Core is a superb all-round driver that combines elite ball speed, excellent forgiveness, and tour-inspired looks. It’s fast without feeling wild and forgiving without looking oversized.
It is also adjustable enough to suit a wide range of golfers. If you want a premium driver that performs at the very top level while still appealing to the eye, the Qi4D Core is an outstanding option.
PROS
- Exceptional ball speeds
- Compact shaping
- Incredible feel
CONS
- None
Key Facts
| Spin | Mid-Low |
| Launch | Mid-High |
| Adjustability | 4 TAS Weights |
| Head size/shape | Modern/460cc |
| Length | 45.75″ |
Key benefits and downsides
| Key benefits | Downsides |
|---|---|
| Ball Speed– The QI4D is hot off the face. Ball speed was consistently much higher than I’ve been seeing recently. | |
| Adjustable – as well as being able to change loft you can adjust the weights in the head to help with shot shaping or to help with swing weighing. | |
| Mis-hits – Mis strikes didn’t seem to drop too much so there’s a lot of forgiveness across the face | |
| Tour-inspired looks – compact head shaping will appeal to a lot of golfers. |
First Impressions
I think TaylorMade has absolutely nailed the aesthetics of the Qi4D. The dark carbon crown has a premium and purposeful look to it. The subtle blue accents around the edges of the driver head, as well as the flashes of yellow, make the driver look somewhat fast to my eye.
It has that modern feel to it, without overdoing it. Equally at address, I think the silver allows the face to be framed beautifully and helps square the club behind the ball.
For many of you it is crucial to have a slightly more compact head shape on your driver. TaylorMade has reverted to that and away from the stretched look of the Qi35.
It has much more in common with the aesthetics of the Qi10, the driver both McIlroy and Scheffler kept in the bag last season. Both of which had themselves quite the 2025.
For me, the shaping is clean, confidence-inspiring and unmistakably TaylorMade.
How I undertook the review
I was lucky enough to visit the new Kingdom at The Grove. This is TaylorMade’s sister fitting centre to the Carlsbad site. It’s a new purpose built fitting facility that offers everything a golfer needs for an extensive fitting just like the tour pros would experience. At the Kingdom, the fitters use Gears, Trackman and GC Quad that combined help to work out your swing mechanics in order to get you the most suited club for your personal needs.
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My fitter Ollie, used the software as a starting point, picking out a recommended shaft. From there I tested three other options before getting to the one that gave me optimal results. I tested both the QI4D core head and QI4D LS but it was obvious that the LS wasn’t for me. I told Ollie how I have lost speed and distance recently through a reduced amount of golf.
By changing the 9g weight in the back of the head to 7g, I gained a huge 5mph ball speed.
Since my fitting, I’ve had the Qi4D in my bad and have used it for several rounds as well as collecting my own data with Trackman.
What I found
In terms of performance, ball speed is where the Qi4D truly shines. As mentioned I’ve found that moving from playing a lot my speed has dropped. I used to see numbers pushing 140mph but recently it’s been more around the 130/131mph mark so you can imagine my delight to see an average of 137mph with the Qi4D.
I really saw the full benefits of the custom fitting from TaylorMade, being able to tell the fitter my tendencies and what I want to see in my game. The changing of weights even helped me gain a couple of mph on club speed something that I’ve been very conscious about. With the Titleist GTS that I tested only the day before my clubhead speed was down at an average of 88.8mph since so jumping to 92.5mph was very positive.
As you can see from the data my angle of attack is quite high. This was actually higher believe it or not in the fitting but by reducing the weight in the back of the head my fitter said I would not feel the need to hit so much on the up. This actually then resulted in a drop in spin rate. So, on the Trackman data shown above the spin averaged at a very respectable 2356RPM. Launch angle also dropped from before so I was getting more forwards than up motion which is exactly what I was after.
This moves onto the all important carry number, that was positively affected by all of the changed mentioned above. My average carry distance rocketed up to 220.4 yards with one shot just shy of 230 yards – a vast improvement on the 210/215 yards I’ve been seeing.
What stood out most was how well the Qi4D handled mis-hits. Shots struck low on the face or towards the toe still carried surprisingly well, with minimal drop-off in performance. As you can see by the first shot on the data table, whilst it wasn’t my best it was very much still respectable.
Off the face TaylorMade retained their quality feel. The carbon face is what continues to set them apart from the competition, and the Qi4D benefits hugely from it. Impact feels solid, powerful and stable. It was encouraging me to swing freely without fear of losing performance or control. There’s almost an urgency from the club to want you to really go for it off the tee.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the TaylorMade Qi4D wowed me. The whole fitting experience at the Kindgom was a breath of fresh air, very accommodating and so much to choose from. This is a service to all calibre of player so it’s well worth going to see how they can create a club to best suit your game. The Qi4D upped my ball speed and carry distance significantly whilst giving me confidence in the club.
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The head shaping is an excellent balance between tour-inspired looks, elite-level ball speed, and sufficient forgiveness that offers a bit of assistance. The club feels fast, stable, and highly adjustable. I do think it will appeal more to players who prefer a slightly more compact, traditional shape at address.
Book your custom fitting at the Kingdom at The Grove here.
TaylorMade Qi4D Driver Review: The Details
Available: Now
RRP: $649.99 / £549.00
Loft:
RH – 8°, 9°, 10.5° and 12°
LH – 9° and 10.5°
More information: TaylorMade website
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