TaylorMade Qi10 Tour Hybrid Review
What’s new? How much does it cost? And how does it perform? Paul Miller brings you the low down on the TaylorMade Qi10 Tour Hybrid
TaylorMade has three new hybrids in the Qi10 collection this year: the Qi10, Qi10 Max and Qi10 Tour. This review will concentrate on the compact Qi10 Tour. So how does it perform? Find out in our TaylorMade Qi 10 Tour Hybrid review.
NCG SUMMARY
The Qi10 Tour Hybrid tested was a number 4 – which is a 22 degree club.
I don’t currently carry any hybrids and have been struggling with my long irons. I was therefore intrigued to find out if the Qi10 Tour would perform well enough so I could get rid of my troublesome long irons.
The club provided a clean contact off the floor and also sounded nice off the clubface.
The Qi10 Tour is a great option if you are struggling off the tee as it is also available in 17 & 19.5 degree lofts.
PROS
- Consistency
- Good alternative to hit off the tee
- Ball went pretty straight
CONS
- None
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TaylorMade Qi10 Tour Hybrid Review: First Impressions
The Qi10 Tour Hybrid has a deeper forged face with a higher toe for the golfer that prefers a more compact look, similar to an iron, when trying to work the ball.
Like the rest of the Qi10 Hybrid family, the club sits beautifully behind the ball. However, unlike the Qi10 and Qi10 Max, this gives you more of a square iron feel. For me, this club would be ideal for hitting off the tee or into a long par 5, whereas with the other Qi10 hybrids, I would prefer to hit into par 3s or greens.
Once the club is in your hands, the irresistible urge to take a swing takes over! Personally, even though it is closer to looking like a long iron, I find it more visually enticing when positioned behind the ball. I was eager to assess whether it could deliver greater consistency for my longer shots.
NCG Verdict
I am aged 46, 8 handicap golfer with a slow swing speed. I am a short hitter but I am generally straight off the tee. Nevertheless, I grapple with consistency when using long irons off the tee, particularly when I should not be hitting driver.
Currently, I haven’t incorporated any hybrids into my bag, prompting me to contemplate whether replacing my long irons with hybrids could be a beneficial adjustment.
Straight away, I loved how the hybrid sat behind the ball. I just wanted to hit it and see how it performed. For my initial testing, I used a Foresight Sports GC3 simulator at the Worksop Indoor Golf Centre.
You might be thinking at this point, what does Qi even mean? Quite interesting? Quality Improvement? Quite Innovative? Well, none of those – in fact, it means the quest for inertia. This simply means – the quest to produce the least twisting head for off-centre shots. The less the club twists, the better. In practical terms, this will result in your bad shots going further than they would have and closer to the fairway or green.
The data I collected using the Qi10 Tour Hybrid is set out below. To put the numbers in context, I tend to compare myself to LPGA Tour averages – these being a carry with a 4 iron of 170 yards, ball speed of 116, launch angle of 14.3 degrees, descent angle of 43 degrees and peak height of 24 yards.
As such, I was really happy with my numbers, with the ball going pretty straight and, for me, a satisfactory distance compared to a 4 iron. But more important than the distance was the consistency over the 4 iron. I could also shape the ball left and right without the ball going wildly offline. There was one outlier when I hit it 160 yards, but I would expect more bad shots if hitting a long iron.
The stats have made me think I seriously need to ditch the long irons in favour of some hybrids, with the 17 or 19.5-degree hybrid being a good option to hit off the tee when a driver is not required. Furthermore, I would have no qualms putting a mixture of the Qi10 Tour, Max and Qi10 hybrids in the bag.
Overall, I was really impressed with the performance of this hybrid. The distance stats were the best for the Qi10 range, and it would provide a really good option off the tee.
The quest for inertia is definitely an exciting move by TaylorMade that provides the golfer with more consistency and straighter shots. You should seriously consider purchasing this club if, like me, you struggle with consistency with the long irons.
- RELATED: TaylorMade Qi10 Hybrid Review
- RELATED: TaylorMade Qi10 Max Hybrid Review
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- RELATED: TaylorMade Qi10 Driver Review
TaylorMade Qi10 Tour Hybrid Review: The Details
Available: 2nd February 2024
RRP: £279
Right-handed lofts: 17°, 19.5°, 22°
Left-handed lofts: 19.5°, 22°
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Limited Blue HY85 (X) / 75 (S, R)
More information: TaylorMade Website
Paul Miller
Paul has been playing golf for around a fourth of a Century, whilst his time on this Earth is rapidly approaching half a Century!
During that time his handicap, on average, has gone down around half a shot a year and is currently at 8.
His general love of Sport included a time studying the Philosophy and Sociology of Sport.
In 2013 he co-authored a book chapter 'The good and bad of youth sport today'.
His passion for youth sport is equally matched in his role heading up the Buyer's Guides for National Club Golfer.
He wants to inform golfers what gear is the best whilst finding all the best golf deals so you can save money.
Since joining the equipment testing team at NCG he has become a hybrid convert and is ready to tell you to ditch the long irons if you want to hit more greens this season!
Paul uses a Cobra DarkSpeed Max driver, Callaway Ai Smoke hybrids, an Odyssey Ai-ONE Putter and a TaylorMade Tour Response golf ball.
