What you need to know about the TaylorMade Qi10 driver: When it comes to the driver, most golfers could use a little more forgiveness. It is that element — rather than distance — that is front and center in TaylorMade’s new Qi10 drivers. The company is calling the lineup (Qi10 Max, Qi10, Qi10 LS) “the most forgiving family of drivers” it has ever produced, and that’s objectively accurate: The total moment of inertia (MOI) measurement of the Qi10 Max is 10,000 g-cm², which surpasses the company’s previous MOI high by 1,500 g-cm².

 

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TaylorMade Qi10 driver: What’s new, key technology

A refresher: MOI means a resistance to twisting (particularly important on off-center strikes). Higher MOI means higher ball speed, more consistency, and better start direction on balls struck away from the center of the face.

For context, it was previously rare for the total MOI of a driver to exceed 9,000 g-cm². TaylorMade’s highest-MOI driver last year, the Stealth 2 HD, had an MOI measurement of just over 8,500 g-cm². For this release, TaylorMade engineers engaged in a Quest for (a moment of) Inertia measurement of 10,000 g-cm². Hence the “Qi10” nomenclature.

As a brief aside: Astute readers of USGA’s equipment standards might wonder how this squares with the USGA MOI limit of 5900 g-cm². That limit applies to heel/toe measurements. TaylorMade is totaling both the heel/toe and top/bottom MOI to reach the figure. And while MOI is high across the lineup, only the Qi10 Max reaches the “10,000” milestone.

• Infinity Crown: TaylorMade engineers have added even more carbon fiber this year freeing up even more discretionary mass for movement to the perimeter of the club for higher MOI and lower CG. 97 percent of the crown is carbon, which is almost 20 percent more than Stealth.
• Larger head profile: Qi10 Max is eight millimeters longer from front to back than Stealth 2. This allows for more mass positioning around the perimeter and away from the center of gravity. This translates to higher MOI.
• New Carbon Twist Face: The third generation of TaylorMade’s Carbon Twist Face continues the company’s pursuit of delivering better ball speed on mishits. The latest iteration features a color change (to blue), a high-contrast top line, and a ledge structure behind the face for better energy transfer.
• Perimeter mass: In addition to a 30-plus gram weight at the extreme rear of the club, Qi10 also features internal mass pads throughout the clubhead to push weight to the exterior of the club. Again, higher MOI/more forgiveness results.

To see more photos and read the discussion in the forums click here.

2024 TaylorMade Qi10 drivers: Additional model details

TaylorMade Qi10 Max: The undisputed star of the show. TaylorMade’s bid for “max forgiveness and max accuracy” while continuing to deliver top-of-the-line ball speeds. The largest profile in the lineup with all the technology detailed above yielded a fruitful “quest” for 10,000 g-cm².

TaylorMade Qi10 LS: Take Qi10 Max technology and put it in a “better player” package. Qi10 LS is a more compact profile with interior mass distribution engineered for lower spin and launch. Aiding in this effort is an 18-gram sliding weight near the face that utilizes a new, more aerodynamic weight system. Weight is moved low and forward for greater MOI in the LS while keeping the club low-spin.

TaylorMade Qi10: Living between the Max and LS models regarding launch and spin, Qi10 is slightly smaller than Qi10 Max with a more traditional profile. It features a sole weight closer to the center of the face and a more centered rear weight for a more neutral flight bias.

To see more photos and read the discussion in the forums click here.

What TaylorMade says

TaylorMade’s Manager Product Creation – Woods, Chandler Carr, said speed and forgiveness are opposing forces in developing products. It’s difficult to design for both, hence an MOI plateau in the industry — TaylorMade hit 8,000 MOI in the M4 era. Nevertheless, engineers sought to continue to deliver speed while increasing MOI with this new release.

Why the plateau? In simplest terms, a series of constraints. Moving all the weight to the rear generates too much spin. A back portion that is too low on a club creates worse aerodynamics and thus less speed. Adding weight to the head produces a slower swing. All of which equals less distance. TaylorMade sought to design the most forgiving driver in company history while keeping ball speed high.

On looking at every aspect of the driver:

“For  2024, designing for speed allows us to really look at every aspect of the driver,” Carr said. “When you cut a driver in half and you actually look at it on a  side view…you can actually see that 60X layer carbon Twist Face is supported by a titanium shell. That titanium shell allows for greater flexibility. And what we’ve done for 2024 is increase that flexibility on the heel and toe or  the top and bottom to allow the entire unit to actually work together in more of a harmonious fashion.”

On the new head shape:

“We’re known for clean classic looks and design, but if you want to reinvent that head shape and have more available real estate to increase the MOI, that’s a great option for us….This new Infinity Carbon Crown…gives us 97 percent coverage of the entire top of the driver to really deliver the most mass savings available. And up to five grams of mass savings for us, which is phenomenal.

“This new Inertia Shaping is, I would say, probably the biggest change for most golfers to see visually. When you look down at our drivers, I truly believe in love at first sight. You look down at the driver, you have to like what you’re looking at. And we’ve been very keen on the way that our drivers set up behind the ball. They appeal to golfers of a wide range of abilities. This new Inertia Shaping allows us to basically expand the available real estate to increase MOI.”

Check out our Resident Club Junkie, Brian Knudson, talking with TaylorMade’s Tomo Bystedt below. 

Club Junkie’s take

Like most of you, I need a bunch of forgiveness out of my driver. I am miles and miles from a highly skilled professional golfer so missing the center of the face is more of a normal thing for me. TaylorMade engineers listened and introduced the brand new Qi10 Max driver, boasting a combined MOI rating of 10K. That 10,000 number is a combination of horizontal and vertical MOI measurements, and it adds up to the most forgiving driver TaylorMade has ever created.

Qi10 Max: This driver was the one I wanted to try the most as the story around it is the most compelling. I like drivers with a lot of forgiveness and almost always choose those over the more tour-inspired models. Visually I think the Qi10 Max looks good, even though it doesn’t have the traditional TaylorMade shape to it. A larger and more rounded look to the driver helps move more weight to the perimeter and adds to the high MOI story. I know some golfers didn’t like the red carbon face on the Stealth and to me the new blue carbon face blends in well with the Infinity Crown, giving the driver a much more subtle look.

On the course the Qi10 Max lives up to the hype, it just wants to hit straight shots. I was impressed with just how little movement the ball had on it once in flight. While a 10K MOI will not save you from a slice that goes two fairways over, it does help keep mishits online and in play. The Qi10 Max has a deep and low CG that is a little higher launching and I was playing a 9-degree head with plenty of height. Mishit distance was also impressive and I was pleasantly surprised getting to my ball that was further down the fairway than I expected on shots not struck perfectly.

Qi10 LS: We all know this is the one that GolfWRXers want to know about! This is the one that we have seen on tour quite a bit and the adoption rate by PGA Tour players seems to be lightning fast. The look and shape has been slightly revised, but the look is 100 percent TaylorMade. There is a little more of a sloped angle from the back to the hosel and I love that TaylorMade gives these such an open look at address. Even if you adjust the loft up, you still get a driver that looks square and that appeals to a lot of us who miss it left. Speaking of anti-left, the Qi-10 LS definitely feels like a neutral to slightly fade-biased driver in the stock settings. You have a lot of adjustability between the famous Loft Sleeve in the hosel and the redesigned sliding sole weight to dial in the Qi-10 LS to fit your swing and shot shape.

For me, the LS launched the lowest and flattest out of the three Qi-10 models and was very low spin. Good strikes were long and the face had a slightly softer and more responsive feel to it than Stealth 2. I found that the low heel miss was straighter and longer than expected, with the combination of low spin and Twist Face keeping that ball from falling out of the sky. The mishits were actually better than I thought for a tour-inspired driver. Shots off the toe and heel were more than playable and while the LS isn’t as straight as the two other Qi10 models, it won’t penalize you on less-than-perfect shots.

Qi10: I am going to use this term a lot this year, but this is the “bread and butter” model that we will see touring professionals and higher handicap golfers use. This will have the best blend of distance, forgiveness, and low spin to fit a very wide range of golfers. I am a fan of TaylorMade drivers’ shapes and the Qi10 doesn’t disappoint. It is a little larger looking than the LS model but still retains that same shape. For a more forgiving driver, I love the look of square to slightly open at address and even when you add loft the face doesn’t look closed. Ball flight is high, but just under the Qi10 Max, and my standard 10.5-degree head that I usually use hit a similar window.

While the ball flight isn’t as flat as the LS, the Qi10 hit shots that didn’t rise into the wind and I was still able to generate roll when the ball landed. Shots hit away from center held onto a lot of ball speed and there was more than once that I had to question my miss, wondering if I hit it better than I thought. This new Qi10 keeps the ball in play easily and produces small draws and fades when hitting it off the toe or heel. TaylorMade improved that feel, and I think the Qi10 is more responsive than the Stealth 2.

To see more photos and read the discussion in the forums click here.

From the Tour: TaylorMade’s Qi10 driver family shows off range, and early adoption

TaylorMade couldn’t have asked for a much better start from its new Qi10 drivers.

Rory McIlroy wasted no time putting the new technology into play, switching into a Qi10 LS (low-spin) model at the DP World Tour’s season-ending event, which happened to be the first week that the driver hit the USGA Conforming List. In other words, he couldn’t have started playing the driver any sooner than he did, which speaks volumes about his belief in the new product. His adoption into the Stealth 2 driver last year didn’t go as smoothly, so surely TaylorMade is pleased with McIlroy’s quickness to get into the new Qi10 LS product.

Then, TaylorMade’s Qi10 LS driver heads created even more buzz when Tiger Woods (and his son Charlie) began using the new driver model at the 2023 PNC Championship, where the father-son duo finished T5. Charlie, especially, set the internet ablaze with his 300-plus yard drives, and well-deserved showmanship while using the Qi10 LS.

• Related: Tiger Woods WITB at the 2023 PNC Championship.

As if the Qi10 driver family launch wasn’t going well enough for TaylorMade, Collin Morikawa then switched into the Qi10 Max head model at The Sentry, thus showcasing the versatility of the Qi10 lineup. Morikawa spoke in-depth regarding what he likes about the Qi10 Max model in GolfWRX.com’s article from The Sentry here.

Morikawa’s driver switch is especially significant, since prior to The Sentry, he was still using TaylorMade’s original SIM driver from 2020.

Although TaylorMade’s Qi10 driver family hasn’t yet gotten into the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour, it seems just a matter of time.

Pricing, specs, and availability

Lofts

• TaylorMade Qi10 Max: 9, 10.5, 12 degrees
• TaylorMade Qi10 LS: 8 (RH only), 9, 10.5 degrees
• TaylorMade Qi10: 9, 10.5, 12 degrees (RH only)

Standard shafts

• TaylorMade Qi10 Max: Fujikura Speeder NX TXS, Mitsubishi Diamana T+
• TaylorMade Qi10 LS: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Limited Blue, Mitsubishi Tensei AV Limited Black
• TaylorMade Qi10: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue, Mitsubishi Diamana T+

Standard grip: Golf Pride Z-Grip Black/Blue

Price: $599 (Qi10, Max), $629 (LS)

At retail/in stores: 1/9, 2/2

To see more photos and read the discussion in the forums click here.

More photos of TaylorMade Qi10 drivers

TaylorMade Qi10 Max

TaylorMade Qi10 LS

TaylorMade Qi10

Headcover

To see more photos and read the discussion in the forums click here.