The King of Forgiveness: TaylorMade Qi10 Max Driver Review

Bigger profile, larger carbon crown, and 10K MOI – is the TaylorMade Qi10 Max 2024’s most forgiving driver?

TaylorMade have always challenged themselves to create the fastest and longest drivers on the market. It’s a stance that has become the brand’s calling card over the last two decades. But, for 2024, they have taken a hugely different approach in designing the new TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver. This year, in a bid to create the best golf drivers ever, the brand set themselves what up until now has been an impossible challenge.

Golfers have typically had to choose between prioritizing speed or forgiveness with their driver. Golfers wanting to prioritize speed and distance have usually turned towards TaylorMade, Callaway, and Cobra, while golfers seeking forgiveness over raw power have found comfort in Ping drivers.

But TaylorMade are promising the best of both worlds with the new TaylorMade Qi10 driver. Here’s how…

How to design drivers for speed and forgiveness

TaylorMade drivers have never lacked speed. The company has prided itself on pushing the speed and distance envelope to the absolute limit for decades.

To preserve this speed while increasing forgiveness, TaylorMade have redesigned the face surrounds to work in tandem and not oppose each other. This helps retain ball speed when shots don’t perfectly impact center face. Thanks to a 3rd generation 60-layer carbon fiber face (which improves impact energy transfer, due to being lighter than titanium) the TaylorMade Qi10 driver is designed to sacrifice zero speed while offering improved forgiveness.

The most forgiving drivers typically have a center of gravity located further back in the head, which boosts stability. A deeper center of gravity, though, dictates this style of driver having a higher center of gravity projection through the face, which increases spin. High MOI driver heads are also routinely less aerodynamically efficient and come with slightly heavier head weights, which costs additional speed and distance.

But it’s important to remember high MOI drivers are great at preserving ball speed on off-center hits. They do this as the ball experiences less gear effect at impact. So the face deflects less when hit off-center. Which is exactly why the company has pursued this route. Even though historically the idea goes completely against TaylorMade’s usual aim of delivering maximum speed and distance above all else.

How did TaylorMade break the speed and forgiveness barrier?

Their thinking comes down to three key areas.

First, they’ve learned how to incorporate advanced lightweight materials together. Yes, the carbon fiber face is part of the equation, as it has been before. But so too is upping the carbon crown size to 97% from 79% on the previous Stealth 2. They’ve done it by creating an Infinity Crown, so the carbon fiber weave runs to the top of the face. It’s an incredibly tough engineering challenge to pull off, but it means golfers can expect a very clean and simple look at address.  

Secondly, they’ve deployed a whole new inertia-focused head shape (on the Max model only). Expect a 9% larger footprint that is not too dissimilar to a Ping G430 Max. The Max head is 8mm longer from face to back and sits right on the size limit allowed by the game’s governing bodies.

Putting all the lightweight advanced materials together, along with the new shaping, plus weight positioned in extreme locations (thanks to the increased head size and shape and 32g low/deep backweight) it’s possible to hit the magic 10,000g cm² MOI number.

What does the Qi10 name mean?

After the Stealth and Stealth 2, the new Qi10 franchise is very different in terms of naming conventions. Some will inevitably say it’s a way of burying ‘Stealth’ which didn’t set the market alight in 2023. But the idea behind the new name makes a lot of sense. It’s an amalgamation of the brand’s ‘Quest for Inertia’ and hitting the ‘10K’ barrier.

An idea spurned by the company’s quest to produce the world’s most forgiving driver, without compromising on speed.

The biggest TaylorMade MOI gain since 1979

TaylorMade has produced countless great drivers since the company was founded in 1979. But thanks to the efforts of their crack team of engineers the new TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver delivers the company’s biggest MOI gain since the original Burner 44 years ago. So, if like me you’ve wanted to play a TaylorMade driver for ages but always found them a little less forgiving, 2024 is absolutely the year to get onboard.

Will the TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver suit you?

RRP: $599 / £499

Lofts: 9° / 10.5° / 12° with High & Lite + Women’s at 10.5° / 12°

Stock shafts: High Launch – Speeder NX TCS (50 S/R/A, 40L) | Mid Launch – Mitsubishi Diamana T+60 (X/S/R)

Stock grip: Golf Pride Z-Grip Plus 2 (52g)

The TaylorMade Qi10 Max replaces the Stealth 2 HD (High Draw), yet the company mentions nothing about this being a draw-biased driver. With an MOI of 10,000g cm², that’s 1500 MOI points higher than the Stealth 2 HD could muster, and this is the most forgiving driver in the Qi10 family.

Expect a larger footprint (8mm larger from face to back), a heel-side weight set-up (with 32g of back mass), and a fuller Ping-like profile at address.

This model is the easiest to square up at impact. It’s good for slicers and faders as well as golfers who impact shots all over the face. The maximum 460cc size is squashed into a shape that gives a 9% larger footprint than the previous model, which dramatically improves stability and how the face deflects at impact (on off-center hits).

When I spoke to them, TaylorMade had a sneaky suspicion the Qi10 Max might well end up being their biggest selling driver in 2024, thanks in part to there being pent-up demand for an extremely forgiving TaylorMade driver in the market.

At the request of the brand’s tour staff, all three driver models have a super simple laser-etched face alignment stripe just below the top edge to aid in setting up square at address.

How does the TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver compare to the Stealth 2 and Stealth 2 HD?

It’s really important to remember TaylorMade is not asking golfers to update from a Stealth or Stealth 2 driver to the new Qi10, even though some may choose to do so. Driver life expectancy runs to 5+ years nowadays so it’s golfers who haven’t yet tried the brand’s CarbonWood tech that are likely to see the best gains by making a switch.

In the interests of transparency though and to prove there are gains to be had here’s how the new TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver compares to the previous Stealth 2 and Stealth 2 HD.

Qi10 Max vs Stealth 2 HD	Qi10 vs Stealth 2
Longer Carry & Total (More Speed, Less Spin)	Longer Carry (More Speed, More Spin)
Tighter Dispersion Left/Right and Distance	Tighter Dispersion Left/Right and Distance
Straighter – easier to square up	Straighter – easier to square up

TaylorMade on the Qi10 Max driver

“This quest to 10K is the sum of a variety of proven TaylorMade technologies that have been integrated into a new shape in the Qi10 Max, literally giving us the most forgiving driver in TaylorMade history with the highest MOI we’ve ever achieved. On top of it, the evolution of 60X Carbon Twist Face features a new blue colour pattern and high contrast topline that works in unison with the Infinity Carbon Crown to provide a very clean and refined look at address position.” – Tomo Bystedt, TaylorMade Senior Director Product Creation 

Video: How does the TaylorMade Qi10 Max compare to other leading forgiving drivers?

Verdict: TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver

For years I’ve wanted to play a TaylorMade driver, yet it’s always felt like there’s been more forgiving options out there. Don’t get me wrong TaylorMade drivers have always been backed by great marketing stories, they’re also really attractive and enticing too. But the company has now admitted there’s always been a priority heaped upon speed and distance over forgiveness. 2024 is the year that all changes.

Alongside the Ping G430 Max 10K the Qi10 Max is the most forgiving driver golfers can get their hands on in 2024. But all brands claim their drivers produce a brilliant blend of forgiveness and distance. So, we put the Max up against leading 2024 competitor models in the hands of TG Test Pro Neil Wain at Keele Golf Centre. Our test data below shows how all the models compare.    

Head shape and performance

We’re talking tiny amounts but I cannot stress enough how much impact the new head shape of the Qi10 Max has on confidence. More mass behind the heel with a less traditional TaylorMade streamlined profile just gives me the impression of extra stability when addressing shots on the tee. To say this profile shouts Ping is probably the highest compliment I can pay to this cracking new model.

TaylorMade has stressed they haven’t switched from speed and distance to become a forgiveness company but rather morphed into a speed and forgiveness brand, which our test data utterly supports.

Bearing in mind high MOI drivers historically have been slower, the Max produced a ball speed comfortably above our Forgiving Driver test average. It was also within 2 yards of our very longest driver (with a stock shaft) for carry distance. Numbers that could easily be reversed on another day’s testing.

Throw in a 2^nd tightest shot area (dispersion) and you have a powerful and incredibly accurate TaylorMade driver on your hands – a sentence I’ve never uttered before.

Dial down loft?      

Through my own fitting and when dialing Neil Wain into his optimum set-up I’ve spotted how you may want to reduce loft from any previous driver you’ve owned. With the Max’s head dimensions sitting right on the edge of the rules, there’s lots of weight on the back edge so spin numbers can be a little higher than expected.    

Of course, I’d recommend a proper fitting session and if you’re lucky enough to be able to use less loft you will see an increase in ball speed, without giving up forgiveness. Just be careful though to buy the right loft to suit you from the outset. Turning a 10.5° head down in loft will open the face angle (a set-up most club golfers won’t need), whereas dialing a 9° loft up will naturally close it a fraction.    

Forgiveness

For years I’ve seen TaylorMade drivers post fast ball speeds and long carry distances in the tests I’ve run, this time around the Max posted our second tightest dispersion too. It’s really important to remember dispersion isn’t just about accuracy.

It’s also about preserving ball speed and carry distance on off-center hits, so shots carry a consistent distance, which makes playing on the golf course more predictable. Of course, you cannot expect to hit every fairway on every hole you play, that would just be ridiculous. But throughout a season I have no doubt a higher MOI driver like the Qi10 Max will help golfers hit more fairways more often.

And finally…    

In my eyes, and based on our test data, as a golfer who’s never played a TaylorMade driver before the Qi10 Max is one of the two best big dogs available in 2024 (the other being the Ping G430 Max 10K). I love how it comes in for significantly less money than its main rival (the Ping G430 Max 10K), a point that won’t be wasted on many golfers when they come to splash the cash.

If forgiving drivers are your thing 2024 is the year you are well and truly spoilt for choice.  

Driver	Ball Speed	Launch Angle	Backspin	Height	Descent Angle	Carry Distance	Shot Area
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max (Ventus Blue S)	161 MPH	11.9º	2246 RPM	34 YDS	38.6º	275 YDS (1)	406.8 SQYDS
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max (Tensei S)	161.5 MPH	11.4º	2212 RPM	32 YDS	37.9º	272 YDS (T2)	210.6 SQ YDS (1)
Cleveland Launcher XL 2	162.6 MPH	9.3º	2033 RPM	25 YDS	31.4º	272 YDS (T2)	384 SQ YDS
Ping G430 Max	162.8 MPH	10.2º	2397 RPM	31 YDS	37.4º	271 YDS	509 SQ YDS
Titleist TSR 2 (10º Tensei Blue S)	161.1 MPH	10.3º	2266 RPM	29 YDS	35.7º	271 YDS	792.3 SQ YDS
TaylorMade Qi10 Max (8.5º Diamana X)	162.4 MPH	9.6º	2201 RPM	27 YDS	34º	270 YDS	337.5 SQ YDS (2)
Ping G430 Max 10K (9º)	163.1 MPH	9º	1993 RPM	23 YDS	30.1º	270 YDS	542.4 SQ YDS
Cobra Darkspeed X (Front Weight)	161.6 MPH	9.7º	2161 RPM	27 YDS	33.7º	270 YDS	667.5 SQ YDS
Ping G430 Max 10K	161.2 MPH	11º	2556 RPM	34 YDS	34º	268 YDS	506 SQ YDS
Cobra Darkspeed X (Back Weight)	161 MPH	9.9º	2375 RPM	29 YDS	36.2º	268 YDS	370.8 SQ YDS
TaylorMade Qi10	159.2 MPH	10.6º	2338 RPM	30 YDS	36.8º	267 YDS	385 SQ YDS
PXG 0311 XF GEN6	160 MPH	9.9º	2226 RPM	27 YDS	34.5º	267 YDS	564.2 SQ YDS
PXG 0211	160.6 MPH	9.9º	2185 RPM	27 YDS	34.2º	267 YDS	953.7 SQ YDS
TaylorMade Qi10 Max (8.5º Tensei S)	161.9 MPH	8.6º	2215 RPM	24 YDS	31.7º	266 YDS	630.5 SQ YDS
Wilson DynaPWR Ti	161 MPH	10.7º	2532 RPM	32 YDS	39.1º	266 YDS	1001.3 SQ YDS
Cobra Darkspeed Max (Mid Launch Shaft)	159.4 MPH	11.5º	2372 RPM	33 YDS	39.1º	265 YDS	342 SQ YDS (3)
Srixon ZX5 MK II	158.2 MPH	10.9º	2300 RPM	30 YDS	37º	264 YDS	669.2 SQ YDS
TaylorMade Qi10 Max (Tensei S)	161.2 MPH	9.8º	2823 RPM	32 YDS	39.5º	263 YDS	404 SQ YDS
Mizuno ST Z	157.8 MPH	9.6º	1954 RPM	23 YDS	30.5º	262 YDS	750.5 SQ YDS
Mizuno ST X	160 MPH	8.6º	1956 RPM	26 YDS	28.4º	262 YDS	609.6 SQ YDS
AVERAGE	160.9 MPH	10.1º	2267 RPM	28.8 YDS	35.3º	267.8 YDS	551.8 SQ YDS

*All lofts at 10.5º unless otherwise stated.

If you’re not sure the TaylorMade Qi10 Max is for you, check out our reviews of the standard TaylorMade Qi10 driver and the Qi10 LS.

TaylorMade Qi10 Max Driver

TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver

RRP: $599 / £499

Lofts: 9° / 10.5° / 12°

High & Lite + Womens 10.5° / 12°

Stock shafts:

High Launch - Speeder NX TCS (50 S/R/A, 40L)

Mid Launch – Mitsubishi Diamana T+60 (X/S/R)

Stock grip: Golf Pride Z-Grip Plus 2 (52g)

Visit the TaylorMade Golf website here