Realizing not everyone has the time to consume endless content on club launch day, we’re trying something different and offering a fresh version of our detailed tech write-ups that hits the high points. Here’s what you need to know about TaylorMade’s Qi10 fairway woods and hybrids, which are available on February 2.
The same … but very different
In terms of new technologies and advancements, the new Qi10 fairway woods and hybrids are vastly different from TaylorMade’s predecessor club, the Stealth 2. But, just like the Qi10 drivers, the woods and hybrids have been refined and tuned to better fit the intended player for each model.
The standard model remains, but there has also been a change in vocabulary. From a naming perspective, the plus or + model is now called the Qi10 Tour, and the HD is now called the Qi10 Max.
Tap here to explore and pre-order TaylorMade Qi10 fairway woods and hybrids.
Technology and design
One of the most noticeable design enhancements to the fairway woods is the new infinity carbon crown. This new crown design covers almost the entire total surface on the top of the fairway woods — minus a small area near the hosel — an effort that saves mass throughout the head. With the extra mass, TaylorMade engineers were able to add some juice to the rest of the head, considerably improving performance.
Although the new hybrids don’t have a full infinity crown, the new crown design covers more surface area to save weight and boost forgiveness.
Other proven TaylorMade technologies include an adjustable loft sleeve (in the tour models), a thru-slot speed pocket for optimized ball speeds on lower face strikes, the V-steel sole for better turf interaction, and “twist face” bulge and roll to help off-center shots deliver a centered ball flight.
The now familiar moveable 50g front-to-back weight returns in the new Qi10 Tour fairway, but the design has been drastically altered to make the weight track 18 percent shallower, helping to lower the center of gravity to both raise the forgiveness while also keeping spin rates lower.
The Qi10 Tour hybrid is the only hybrid in the line that offers up adjustability in the form of the (4-degree) loft sleeve, and like the tour fairway wood, the Qi10 hybrid offers a more boring and lower spinning ball flight to help faster players control the ball in all conditions.
MAX forgiveness continues in the fairway woods
As touched on with the new Qi10 Max model driver, the MAX platform is built on offering maximum forgiveness, and that continues into the fairway wood, which is 5mm longer from front to back than the previous (and very forgiving) Stealth 2 HD. At 200cc, the Qi10 MAX fairway is quite easily the most forgiving and easy-to-launch fairway wood TaylorMade has ever made
Find your fit
Like many that came before, the Qi10 fairway woods and hybrids come in three distinct models to help golfers find the right fit. Just like with the rest of the Qi10 series, the different models have greater performance separation to help golfers and fitters be more pointed in their decision-making and to find performance throughout the bag.
Core Qi10
The core Qi10 fairway woods and hybrids offer an idealistic blend of forgiveness and low-spin performance to match their slightly larger address profiles. But don’t for a second think that the Qi10 fairway wood is solely intended to be a game improvement club, especially when players like Collin Morikawa have already put it into play.
The model choice simply comes down to what is ideal for certain players, and if you’re looking for an easier-to-hit club that still offers some workability, the core fairway wood and hybrid models are for you.
Qi10 MAX
The Qi10 MAX fairway woods and hybrids are where TaylorMade is taking a big step away from its traditional playbook for fairway woods and hybrids by creating clubs that are extremely easy to hit and can help golfers at the lower end of the clubhead speed spectrum.
The extra degree of loft on the fairway woods, along with the larger front-to-back head shape of the MAX, helps to generate more launch and spin for players who struggle with getting the ball in the air.
Qi10 Tour
For those golfers looking for maximum low-spin performance, workability, and adjustability, Qi10 Tour fairway woods and hybrids should be your first consideration. Both the fairway wood (170cc for the Qi10 Tour 3-wood) and the hybrid come in a smaller package to make them workable, and their deeper face profiles help to place more mass low and forward in the head to encourage a boring trajectory.
The adjustable weight track on the fairway wood has proven to shift spin numbers up to 300 rpms in robot testing, and even more during player testing. When you pair that with the loft adjustability, you can choose whether turn your 3-wood into a missile launcher off the tee or something a lot easier to hit from the fairway. Truly, the choice is yours.
Although the Tour hybrid doesn’t have the center of gravity adjustability, the iron-like profile with the higher toe makes it easy to align for players who prefer a more compact look and want more forgiveness than a traditional driving iron.
Price and availability
The entire Qi10 fairway woods and hybrids are available now for fitting and presale through select accounts starting today (January 9, 2024) and will be available in stores starting February 2nd. The Qi10 core and Qi10 MAX models fairway woods are priced at $349 each, and the Tour model comes in at $449. While all three of the hybrid models are priced at $299. Tap here to pre-order.
