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What’s new? How much does it cost? And how does it perform? Hannah Holden brings you the low down on the TaylorMade Qi10 Max Driver
TaylorMade’s most revolutionary driver breaks the 10,000 MOI mark for the first time in TaylorMade history. So what does that mean? And how does it perform?
This driver is going to make an impact in the golf market this year. It offers serious levels of forgiveness that could improve the game of all golfers, from high handicappers to tour pros.
It feels like a no-brainer for the majority of golfers to put this in play.
PROS
CONS
The Max driver has the largest profile in the Qi10 range, but it still looks great behind the golf ball and is likely more confidence-inspiring for the majority of golfers. I love the new infinity carbon fibre crown and how seamless the top of the club looks behind the golf ball.
We still have the carbon face, but now in a new blue paint colour. This looks great, but I must admit I had a soft spot for the red.
I initially hit these drivers in South Carolina with Tomo Bysted, Senior Director of Product Creation at TaylorMade, to give me some insight and a fitting for all three Qi10 models.
We hit all three models in this year’s Qi10 line-up and interestingly ended up with different shafts in different clubheads relative to the CG and launch conditions. In the Qi10 Max, I tested a 9° head with the Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 5 S shaft.
I was really impressed with the high ball flight I got with this and the consistency of the flight. My ‘worst shot’ dispersion-wise finished only thirteen yards from my target, and from left to right, my dispersion was only 25 yards wide, which is absolutely insane. I’m not sure I have ever hit a driver so straight with a variety of strikes.
I was pretty pleased with the 141 ball speed average for 227.5-yard carry average, and I do think I could get more out of this in summer as it was about 6°C during our testing! I did hit the Qi10 LS slightly further, but for me I would happily give up a few yards to tighten my dispersion and help me hit more fairways.
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Once he was happy with my setup, he encouraged me to intentionally hit shots out of the toe and heel to see the dispersion, which certainly isn’t something I usually asked to do in a fitting.
I was honestly shocked by the results. The balls came out so straight on target that not only would they have hit the fairway, but they were accurate enough to hit a green.
The data below is from my toe strike. You can see the spun jumped up; however, the ball speed and carry are still good, and the ball only finished 12 yards left of target, which is seriously impressive.
Since my fitting, I have hit the driver back in the UK with a GC3 at Worksop Indoor Golf Centre, and again, I was really happy with the numbers in slightly warmer conditions! I got my average carry distance up to 233.3 yards, which is definitely more like what I would expect in summer.
Even with a larger sample size of data, my shots stayed ridiculously consistent, and my left-to-right dispersion was still in the mid-twenties.
Other than one ball, which I caught quite high on the face, you can see just how consistent the trajectory is, which makes shots much more predictable and consistent out on the golf course.
This driver is going to make an impact in the golf market this year. It offers serious levels of forgiveness that could improve the game of all golfers, from high handicappers to tour pros and it is going to be a serious contender for going in my bag this year.
Available: Now
RRP: £499 / $599.99
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.
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More information: TaylorMade Website
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$349.99
