It wouldn’t be a TaylorMade release cycle without refreshed Fairway and Rescue clubs. Like most companies, the driver release tends to get the majority of attention, especially on a year with so much change. Gone is Stealth, so no one has to worry about a third iteration. In its place, is Qi10, and although none of the fairways or hybrids are going to hit that 10,000 MOI mark which is signified in the name, continuity is a good thing.
TaylorMade Qi10 Fairway Woods
For the last fifteen years, TaylorMade fairway woods have had two things in common, they have been near or at the top in overall play, and they have used some version of a Steel or Titanium topline frame. This year, one of those things is guaranteed to change.
Say goodbye to one of the most familiar fairway wood looks in golf as the “Infinity Carbon Crown” featured in the drivers has also made its way to the fairways. The reason for the application is the same in that it is about saving weight which can be moved to the extremes of the three clubheads to optimize the CG and MOI. Similarly, this does mean a footprint change, but being honest, even their Tour/Ti fairways in the past have not been overly compact.
The “Thru Slot Speed Pocket” is alive and well, still creating the potential to optimize the energy transferred back into the ball at impact. Twist Face is also here, and although they are sticking with a metal face still, it has increased 5% in size this time around and each face is unique to that club/loft. Additionally, the weight placements within each head means that all three have a lower CG than Stealth 2 achieved across the board. Add in a revamped new asymmetrical V-Steel sole and there is a lot to be intrigued with.
TaylorMade Qi10
The standard Qi10 looks to be the biggest blend of length and playability in the fairway lineup. Coming in at 190cc it continues a long tradition of heads that inspire confidence, and historically this spot in the lineup is one of the most played fairways on tour for TaylorMade.
By applying the Infinity Carbon Crown they are looking to blend the past with the present. The new crown allowed the internal mass pads to be moved to keep the flatter flight while maintaining forgiveness.
The Qi10 is a bonded fairway that will be offered in 3 (15), 3HL (16.5), 5 (18), 7 (21) and 9 (24) wood options paired with Fujikura Ventus TR Blue FW 6 (R, S, X) and priced at $349.99.
TaylorMade Qi10 Max
If more forgiveness is the name of the game for you, then of course the Qi10 Max is the place to look. At a whopping 200cc, with the new Infinity Carbon Crown it is 5% larger with 5mm in added front to back clubhead length. While externally the size and V-Steel sole bring the confidence from all lies, internally it is the splitting of weight pads to the front (24g) and back (42g) that create the highest MOI fairway ever for TaylorMade.
The Qi10 Max is a bonded hosel design which comes standard with the Fujikura Speeder NX TCS 50 (A, R, S) and will be offered in 3 (16), 5 (19) and 7 (22) wood options. It will be priced at $349.99.
TaylorMade Qi10 LS
Finally, the player driven LS. At only 170cc this is the smallest of the three options at fairway, but it does have the deepest face. The size combined with the Infinity Carbon Crown makes for the most compact looking and traditionally shaped as well. TaylorMade is calling it “Three Fairways in One” thanks to the 50g sliding weight (+/- 150 RPM) which is placed lower in the head than ever before with over half of the track hidden internally to help aerodynamics.
This one is a low spin, but workable fairway wood, utilizing the Titanium head and is the only of the three to feature TaylorMade’s adapter system for +/- 2-degrees of loft adjustability. The Qi10 LS will be available in 3 (15) and 5 (18) and priced at $449.99.
TaylorMade Qi10 Rescues
At times it feels like people forget not only TaylorMade’s history with the hybrid, but just how good their Rescue clubs have been over the years. The Rescue has long been a blend of do-it-all, gap filler, and flat-out iron replacement. This year, with three clubhead options, they are looking to blend even more while keeping max versatility.
The Qi10 Max Rescue is the biggest overall footprint of the three, but it has the shallowest face. This is part of keeping the CG as low as possible thanks to the rearward perimeter weighting which has increased thanks to the application of a carbon crown. The Qi10 Max is a bonded hosel Rescue available in 3 (20), 4 (23), 5 (27), 6 (31) and 7 (35) options and is paired with Fujikura Speeder NX TCS 50 and 60.
Next is the all-around Qi10 Rescue. This one will be most familiar to those who have used a TM Rescue before and is the most balanced shape, right in between the other two size wise. This also uses a carbon crown and has a middle-of-the-road face depth. Internally the weighting is split front and back to create distance while staying easy to launch. This too is a bonded hosel option available in 3 (19), 4 (22), 5 (25), 6 (28), and 7 (31) Rescue paired with Fujikura Ventus TR Blue HB (5A, 6R, 7S).
Finally, the deep faced and square toe, but ultra compact, Qi10 Tour Rescue. Using a forged C300 face with a centralized internal weighting, this is a better player style club focused on workability. Unlike the other two, there is no carbon crown here, but the Tour does have adjustability with a rear TSS weight and +/- 2-degree adapter capability. Options are 2 (17), 3 (19.5), 4 (22) Tour Rescue’s, but thanks to that adapter system they can cover a massive range of fitting.
All three hybrids will be priced at $299.99.
The Details
Once again, it looks like TaylorMade has come forward with a complete lineup that keeps a unified story and provides options for everyone. How will the significant change to Qi10 be taken by consumers? Only time will tell.
Both the Fairways and Rescue clubs will be available for pre-order on 1/9/24 while all the clubs except the Tour fairway will be at retail on 2/2/24. The Qi10 Tour fairway will instead hit shelves on 2/16/24.
