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What’s the new tech? How many new models are there? And how much do they cost? Hannah Holden brings you the low down on the TaylorMade Qi10 range
The most forgiving family of drivers ever? TaylorMade claims to have unlocked a new frontier of forgiveness in their Qi10 lineup, so what’s new?
Drivers
There is generally always a trade-off with driver design because speed and forgiveness are opposing forces. Make a driver quick, and it’s likely it won’t be very forgiving. Chance forgiveness, and chances are your driver will get slower.
This everlasting conundrum drove TaylorMade to go down new design routes. It is part of the reason we saw the development and introduction of the carbon club face. To get around the speed and forgiveness barrier, things had to be done differently. Materials and weight were a huge part of that.
Most golfers need clubs that are more forgiving. We aren’t tour pros, and we certainly don’t hit it out of the middle every time, so having a club that performs better on off-centre strikes is hugely important.
This is where designing a club that has more MOI is key. There are a few things you can do to drive up MOI: Move the CG (centre of gravity) back, have a more elongated club head with a lower back shape or have a heavier head mass. The downside? A back CG moves the CG higher in the club head and causes excess spin. A lower, more elongated club head leads to worse aerodynamics and a slower club head speed. Likewise, a heavier head mass also leads to slower club head speed.
TaylorMade Qi10: Everything you need to know! National Club Golfer | National Club Golfer
How has TaylorMade got around this?
The Qi10 Max driver features TaylorMade’s largest-ever carbon crown. There is 18% more carbon on the crown than last year’s Stealth 2. This saves five grams of weight to be used elsewhere. This and advanced construction techniques allow for mass redistribution around the club head for a deep and low centre of gravity.
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It also has new inertia shaping. The head is 8mm longer but still has the same overall volume. Inside the club head, there are new internal mass pads that give extreme back and edge weight.
The Carbon face technology is still a huge part of this story. If it weren’t for the weight savings here, it would have been hard for TaylorMade to hit 10,000 MOI.
Performance doesn’t stop with the club head. TaylorMade has worked on the development of a lower torque shaft for the Max model to promote improved face closure at impact.
And what about the name? Qi stands for the Quest for Inertia, or to put it in a more understandable way, the quest to produce the best balance of speed and forgiveness.
TaylorMade Qi10 Max Driver
The Qi10 Max is the headliner in terms of technology this year. The Max stands for max MOI, max straight and max size.
Shafts: Fujikura Speeder NX TCS 50 (S, R, A) and Mitsubishi Diamana T+ 60 (X, S, R)
Grip: Golf Pride Z-Grip Black/Blue 0.600 52g
Lofts: 9°, 10.5° & 12°
The Qi10 Max also comes in a women’s version at 10.5° and 12.0° lofts with Fujikura Speeder NX TCS 40 shaft. A lightweight High & Light (HL) version of the Qi10 Max both at 10.5° and 12.0° lofts, will be available in custom.
TaylorMade Qi10 Driver
This model is designed to find the optimal balance between speed and forgiveness. It has a lower centre of gravity and higher MOI than previous TaylorMade drivers in this category.
Shafts: Fujikura Speeder NX TCS 50 (S, R, A) and Mitsubishi Diamana T+ 60 (X, S, R)
Grip: Golf Pride Z-Grip Black/Blue 0.600 52g
Lofts: 9°, 10.5° & 12°
TaylorMade Qi10 LS Driver
The LS aims to deliver lower spin and lower launch for players with faster club head speeds and higher spin rates.
It has a deeper face and a more compact overall head shape than the other models in the Qi10 line-up.
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It has a new, more efficient 18-gram sliding steel weight housed inside an innovative track system. The track isn’t exposed on the heel, which helps improve aerodynamics.
Shafts: Fujikura Speeder NX TCS 50 (S, R, A) and Mitsubishi Diamana T+ 60 (X, S, R)
Grip: Golf Pride Z-Grip Black/Blue 0.600 52g
Lofts: 8° (RH only), 9° & 10.5°
Fairway Woods
Fairway Woods are TaylorMade’s most successful category on tour, so here it was all about refining something that works rather than reinventing the wheel.
Each fairway wood has its own uniquely optimised face design to maximise ball speed across the face relative to the loft. TaylorMade engineers used iterative computer simulations to determine the shape and thickness of each area to properly maximise the COR area around where golfers are most likely to impact the ball with each fairway model.
All three models feature the new infinity crown, which provides a full, clean carbon crown at address.
TaylorMade Qi10 Max Fairway Wood
This model is all about extreme forgiveness and playability. It has the largest front-to-back shape, allowing for more stability at impact.
There is also a women’s Qi10 Max offering in the same lofts with the Fujikura Speeder NX TCS 40 shaft.
TaylorMade Qi10 Fairway Wood
The most widely used model on tour, this aims to provide a blend of distance and forgiveness. The precise CG location delivers a combination of high launch and low spin.
The Qi10 Tour head differs in the fact it has a titanium head construction, which allows for more precise CG placement. The sole features a moveable weight system with a 50-gram sliding weight for versatility in spin and flight options.
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RRP: £379
STOCK OPTIONS:
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Limited Blue
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 50G
Lofts: 15° & 18°
Hybrids
As with the rest of the family, there are three hybrids in the Qi10 range: the oversized Qi10 Max, the classic Qi10 and the compact Qi10 Tour.
The Qi10 and Qi10 Max have an all-new carbon crown, which frees up mass for optimal weight distribution and forgiveness.
Each model has a different shape, sizing, and centre of gravity to provide different launch, spin, forgiveness, and distance relative to the intended end user.
The entire family features a thru-slot speed socket, which optimises speed on low-of-centre strikes.
TaylorMade Qi10 Max Rescue
This model is designed for maximum launch and forgiveness. It has rear perimeter weighting and an ultra-low centre of gravity. This combined with a shallow face height makes this easy to hit high from all variety of lies.
The Qi10 Tour has a deeper forged C300 face and a higher toe to give a more iron-like look and feel over the ball. It blends distance and control and is perfect for golfers looking for iron-like turf interaction and workability.
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Limited Blue HY85 (X) / 75 (S, R)
Grip: Golf Pride Z-Grip Plus2 0.6000 52g
Right-handed Lofts: 17° (RH Only), 19.5° & 22°
Irons
The big story with TaylorMade’s latest game improvement irons is individual head optimisation, as TaylorMade wanted to focus on designing for straight distance.
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It is no secret that most golfers choosing to use a game improvement club hit a slice, so TaylorMade wanted to focus in on reducing the right bias you can sometimes get in a long iron.
This led to the development of the Integrated System Design, a suite of technologies aimed at optimising each individual iron. All technology in the head, such a speed pockets or mass distribution, are connected and influence factors such as ball speed and launch angle. These needed to be individually designed for each club to optimise performance relative to the loft.
The irons also have a progressive centre of gravity, or as TaylorMade call it FLTD CG. This means the CG is lower in the long irons, making them easy to launch, and higher in the short irons to help control launch and spin.
To enhance the feel, the clubheads feature Hybrar Echo Dampers from 4-iron down to 9-iron. These are strategic ribs that sit behind the club face and reduce unwanted vibrations for a better feel.
TaylorMade Qi Irons
These are designed to be the longest irons in the Qi range and give you a great blend of forgiveness and distance.
RRP: £143 per iron (steel) £157 per iron (graphite)
STOCK OPTIONS:
Shafts: KBS Max MT 85 steel shafts (S, R) Fujikura’s Ventus Blue graphite shafts (7S, 6R & 5A) Fujikura Speeder NX TCS 40 (women’s)
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 50G
TaylorMade Qi HL Irons
These are designed to have a lighter build and to launch higher than the main Qi irons. They are crafted for players who want to gain club head speed and hit the ball higher.
These are 26 grams lighter than a standard Qi iron, with 2-degree weaker lofts to help promote faster speeds and higher shots.
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RRP: £143 (steel) £157 (graphite) per iron
STOCK OPTIONS:
Shafts: KBS Max Lite (S, R) Fujikura Speeder NX TCS 40 (women’s)
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 50G
The Details
Available: Pre-Order Now. Instore: 2nd February 2024
