If fairway woods are a bit of a struggle for you, then the new Qi10 Max from TaylorMade could be right up your street as the brand say that it's the most forgiving model that they have ever made.
I tested the standard Qi10 Fairway a little earlier this year and was really impressed with the distances and ball speeds it was able to produce, although I felt it could've been a bit easier to hit particularly off the deck. Could the Qi10 Max be the answer to that issue?
Who Is It Aimed At?
With a larger footprint than most fairways, and a little more loft than on standard models, the Qi10 Max is aimed at golfers who struggle to strike their fairways consistently and could do with a little more assistance launching the ball up into the air.
On paper this sounds like it would be a club that is best suited to high-handicappers but I actually think the appeal is wider than that, and single figure golfers could easily benefit from a club like this.
The Tech
The Qi10 Max features a new Infinity Carbon Crown which is designed to 'drip' over the edge of the clubhead, as well as a new sleek hosel design, to save weight which can be used in more useful areas. In this fairway it is used to lower the CG, increasing launch and promoting more distance.
A clean look at address also features TaylorMade's new laser alignment feature that we've seen across the Qi10 range this year, making it even easier to line up this year.
The fairway has a large 200cc head, with weight placed towards the perimeter of the club head in order to raise forgiveness, and the Qi10 Max has the highest MOI of any fairway that TaylorMade has ever produced.
The club also has that lower CG placement as mentioned before, as well as slightly higher lofts than the standard Qi10 Fairway, to encourage higher launch and more carry distance.
The head features a slightly shallower oversized look, providing more confidence for players who struggle to hit their fairway woods both off the deck or even from a tee.
The Qi10 series incorporates several existing TaylorMade technologies, aimed at enhancing performance. The V Steel sole is designed to enhance turf interaction and versatility, while the Thru-Slot Speed Pocket maintains ball speeds on strikes low on the face.
Additionally, Twist Face technology employs corrective face angles to rectify golfers' ball flights when they miss the centre of the face to lessen the impact of bad shots.
TaylorMade Qi10 Max Fairway Wood Review
Looks and Feel
The first thing that comes to mind when you put this club down by the ball is just the size of it - it's massive! The fairway sits flat to the ground and seems to stretch back much further than most other fairways I have used in the past.
TaylorMade have moved on from the black and red of the Stealth this year and gone for more of a black and navy finish, with small touches of grey and yellow.
It looks smart, if a little safe, but the overall product is exactly as you'd expect from TaylorMade right down to the quality headcover.
The club sits pretty square at address and the new laser alignment did make it pretty easy to line up the ball, whilst the overall crown design is simple and uncluttered which lots of golfers prefer. Clubs like this can have a tendency to look offset down by the ball which makes me fearful of losing it left, but the Qi10 Max looked good.
In terms of feel, it was perhaps a little firmer and louder than I'd ideally like, although at least it gives you some good feedback when you strike the ball and it sounds like you've hit it solidly, even if you don't always do so!
Performance
I tested the Qi10 Max at Hukd Golf using the Foresight GC Hawk and was really impressed by both the ball speed and the carry distance produced, towards the top end of what I would expect to see from a fairway wood. The ball speed in particular was great, with a couple of shots getting over the 140mph mark which I was very pleased with.
The spin rates produced were really consistent even on strikes across the face, with just one shot dipping down below 3000rpm which was a bit of a knuckle-ball that ended up carrying the furthest of any shot.
If I compare the performance of the Qi10 Max to the standard Qi10 that I tested earlier in the year, the Max model was launching about 2 degrees higher on average, with a peak height that was about 10 yards higher! Some of this may have been me rather than the club itself, but it's reassuring to see that this club does do what I was designed to do.
The Qi10 did provide a little more ball speed and more distance with a lower spin rate, but that is to be expected from a club that is geared a little more towards distance than forgiveness.
Out on the course at Reddish Vale GC, I saw a nice high ball flight both off the deck and when hitting off some pretty iffy wet lies on the fairway. The V Steel sole seemed to be really helpful in keeping the club going through the turf and there was a couple of times where I definitely caught a bit of the ground first but it still performed really well.
Whilst the numbers on the launch monitor were impressive, out on the course I did find that the higher ball flight was perhaps a bit weaker than I'd usually expect to see from my fairway wood.
The 3 wood is 16 degrees which does encourage a bit of an easier launch, but if you prefer to see a lower ball flight or if you struggle in windy conditions it's definitely worth bearing in mind.
Whilst the Foresight data showed that the ball flight was pretty straight, I did lose a couple of tee shots to the left which knocked my confidence a bit as I always fear that with these more forgiving clubs. If you need help reducing your slice, this could be a great option.
TaylorMade Qi10 Max Fairway Wood Verdict
It's always nice when a golf club does exactly what it's supposed to do, and that's exactly what I found with the Qi10 Max. It looked friendly, launched really easily and provided lots of forgiveness even if you don't catch it out of the screws.
It also surprised me a little bit too because some of the ball speeds were as high as I've ever got from a fairway wood, proving that it can still pack a punch as well.
At times it flew a little too high for me, so much so that the ball flight was a bit weaker than I'd like, and there's still the threat of that left miss on occasion too, but I'm sure this club would definitely help some golfers and I would urge people to try this alongside the standard Qi10 model if they are looking at a new TaylorMade fairway this year.
Would I Use It?
Whilst I really enjoyed the fact that this club was so easy to hit and launch, I think the standard Qi10 model provided me with a little more distance and ball speed, and I preferred the look at address too.
TaylorMade Qi10 Max Fairway Wood Pros and Cons
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