We’re more than two months into the year now which means most of the major OEMs have released their initial driver launches for 2025.
With more and more people getting fit into new 2025 drivers every day, now seems like a good time to take stalk and which drivers have been the most surprising so far.
That’s exactly the question posed by GOLF’s Fully Equipped co-host Wadeh Maroun to fellow co-host Kris McCormack on this week’s episode.
“There’s so many different categories. I mean, overall surprised me the most— I thought [TaylorMade] Qi10 was a huge improvement over what they had in the Stealth 2 product and then Qi35 is even a bigger step over what they had in Qi10,” McCormack said. “So, if I had to pick one, if I was on the spot, most improved for 2025, I would probably say Qi35”
The TaylorMade Qi35 core driver has a new shape this year, where the overall length of the head was extended 8 mm from back to front, more like the company’s Max model, which boosts the driver’s MOI to 9k. The core model also features front-to-back CG adjustability through two Trajectory Adjustment System (TAS) weight ports.
TaylorMade Qi35 Custom Driver
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Like the rest of the Qi35 family, the CG projection of the driver has been lowered to help players get consistent ball speed and spin numbers from more points on the face.
McCormack called out the Qi35 even though he hasn’t found the proper head and shaft combo that works well for him with it.
“I just don’t spin it enough, but I see it work for so many people. And I’m jealous of the fact that I can’t—,” McCormack said as Maroun, who has been playing Qi35 LS lately, points at himself. “And I’m jealous of the fact that I can’t just throw it together and it’s just like, boop, immediately in my bag.”
But that’s not to say the Qi35 is the only model impressing our Fully Equipped hosts.
“Then you’ve got, I’m gonna bounce around. I mean, the stability in the G440 line, that LST is a monster,” McCormack said. “I mean, the Titleist GT product is good. New face tech from Callaway Elyte.
“That’s the thing, like, as a gear fan, I find good qualities in everything.
“I see some of my fastest ball speeds with [Titleist] GT. And then I hit more fairways than I do with any other product when I test the [Ping G440].”
For more from McCormack and Maroun, including what gear changes McCormack saw at this week’s Cognizant Classic, listen to the full episode of Fully Equipped here or watch it below.
Want to overhaul your bag for 2025? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.
