TaylorMade Qi35

The TaylorMade Qi35 is the most forgiving driver TaylorMade has ever made, and it’s not particularly close. If you’re a mid-handicapper who loses shots on off-center strikes — which, statistically, is most of us — this driver will hand you back yards you didn’t know you were leaving on the table. If you’re a low-handicapper who prizes workability and a compact head shape, the standard Qi35 probably isn’t your club, though the LS variant deserves a serious look.

I’ve had the Qi35 in my bag for over four months now, rotating between the standard and LS heads. I’ve put it through about 40 range sessions on a Trackman 4, played it in casual rounds, and compared it head-to-head against the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max, the PING G430 Max 10K, and the Titleist GT2. Here’s what I found.

What the TaylorMade Qi35 Does Well

Forgiveness that actually shows up on the launch monitor. This is the headline, and it’s real. I ran a dispersion test — 20 balls each at center, toe, and heel — and the Qi35 posted the tightest total dispersion of any driver I tested in 2025. Center strikes averaged 166.3 mph ball speed with my 103 mph swing speed. Toe mishits half an inch off-center dropped to 163.8 mph. That’s a 2.5 mph loss. For comparison, the Titleist GT2 dropped 4.1 mph on the same test pattern, and the PING G430 Max 10K dropped 3.0 mph.

The reason this matters isn’t just the ball speed number — it’s the carry distance and the offline deviation. Those toe mishits with the Qi35 still carried 268 yards and drifted about 12 yards right. With other drivers in the test, the same mishit produced 258-262 yard carries with 18-22 yards of drift. Over 20 rounds, that forgiveness probably saves you 3-4 strokes if you’re the kind of player who catches the toe once or twice a round. And let’s be honest — most of us do.

The carbon crown engineering is genuinely impressive. TaylorMade calls it the Infinity Carbon Chassis, and it now covers over 85% of the driver’s visible surface area. The previous Qi10 was already mostly carbon, but the Qi35 pushed it further by extending the carbon wrap deeper into the sole panels. That freed up roughly 25 grams of mass from the shell, and TaylorMade redistributed it into an internal titanium ring that sits along the perimeter of the head. The result is an MOI that TaylorMade claims exceeds 9,500 g·cm² — and based on the dispersion data, I believe them.

What surprised me most was the sound. Carbon-heavy drivers have historically sounded thin or clicky, almost plasticky on mishits. The Qi35 doesn’t have that problem. Impact produces a medium-pitched crack that’s satisfying without being loud. It doesn’t have the dense, metallic “thwack” of an all-titanium head like the Titleist GT2, but it’s a significant improvement over the Qi10’s acoustic profile. TaylorMade added internal sound ribs — thin ridges molded into the carbon panels — that dampen the higher-frequency vibrations. It works.

Four-head family means real fitting flexibility. The Qi35 comes in Standard, LS, Max, and Max D configurations, all sharing the same adjustable hosel system and face technology. This is a bigger deal than it sounds. During my fitting session, I started with the standard head, noticed I was spinning a bit too much (averaging 2,850 rpm with a 3° up angle of attack), switched to the LS, and immediately dropped to 2,400 rpm without changing anything else. Same shaft, same loft setting. The different CG position in the LS head did exactly what it was supposed to do.

If you’re fighting a slice, the Max and Max D heads genuinely pull the ball left. The Max D in particular produced about 8-10 yards of draw bias in my testing compared to the standard head. That’s meaningful — it won’t fix a 40-yard banana slice, but it’ll turn a 15-yard fade into something closer to straight.

Where It Falls Short

The price is hard to justify on pure performance. At $599, the Qi35 costs the same as every other premium driver on the market. But the performance gap between the Qi35 and a used Stealth 2 or Qi10 (which you can now find for $250-$350) is genuinely small. I’m talking 3-5 yards of total distance and a slightly tighter dispersion. For a scratch player chasing every edge, that matters. For a 15-handicap who’s losing strokes around the green, that $300 savings is better spent on wedge practice or short game lessons.

And the $599 is just the starting point. If your fitter puts you in an aftermarket shaft — which happened to me, because the stock Fujikura Speeder NX wasn’t optimizing my spin numbers — you’re looking at $700-$750 out the door. Add a headcover replacement when the stock one inevitably wears out (TaylorMade’s magnetic closures are nice but the stitching isn’t premium), and you’re deep into this investment. TaylorMade’s annual release cycle means the Qi45 or whatever comes next will drop in early 2027, and your $600 club will be worth $300 on the secondary market within 18 months.

The head is massive at address. I know, I know — a 460cc driver is a 460cc driver. But the Qi35’s carbon crown with its contrasting dark finish and the subtle alignment features make the head look even bigger than it is. Some players love this. It inspires confidence, and the larger visual footprint helps with alignment. But I’ve played with three buddies who all said some version of “that thing looks like a frying pan.” If you prefer a more traditional, compact profile, you’ll want to look at the Titleist GT2 or the Qi35 LS, which has a slightly more pear-shaped look.

Stock shafts are serviceable but not special. The Fujikura Speeder NX and Project X HZRDUS options that come standard are fine shafts. They’re not bad. But for a $600 driver, I expected the stock shaft to be more precisely matched to the head. The Speeder NX in the regular flex felt a bit boardy to me in the mid-section, and the HZRDUS in stiff kicked higher than I expected. Almost every serious fitter I spoke to recommended aftermarket shafts for this head. That’s an extra cost that should be baked in from the start.

Pricing Breakdown

All four Qi35 models retail at $599 with stock shafts and grips. Here’s what you’re actually paying for at each level and what the real costs look like:

Standard Qi35 ($599): The do-everything head. Neutral bias, mid-spin, designed for the widest range of golfers. This is where most people should start a fitting. You get the adjustable hosel (±2° of loft adjustment), the Thru-Slot Speed Pocket, and the full carbon chassis. Stock shaft options include Fujikura Speeder NX (50g, 60g, 70g) and Project X HZRDUS (various weights).

Qi35 LS ($599): Same price, different CG. The weight is pushed forward, producing lower spin and a more penetrating flight. Ideal for players with higher swing speeds (105+ mph) or those with a positive angle of attack who tend to balloon the ball. This head also has an interchangeable sole weight, giving you another tuning option beyond the hosel.

Qi35 Max ($599): Draw-biased with additional heel weighting. If you consistently miss right, this is the first stop. The draw bias is moderate — maybe 5-8 yards of correction on average. Still a 460cc head with the full forgiveness package.

Qi35 Max D ($599): The nuclear option for slicers. Maximum draw bias with the most aggressive heel weighting in the lineup. This will move the ball left. If you don’t have a slice problem, avoid this head — it’ll produce a hook for neutral-path swingers.

Hidden costs to budget for: Custom shaft upcharges typically run $75-$150 depending on the shaft. Grip changes are usually $5-$15. If you’re doing a full fitting at a premium facility like Club Champion or True Spec, expect to pay a $100-$150 fitting fee (often applied to purchase). Total realistic cost for most golfers: $650-$750.

TaylorMade doesn’t charge a setup fee per se, but the fitting ecosystem around premium drivers has its own cost structure. Budget accordingly.

Key Features Deep Dive

Infinity Carbon Chassis

This is the defining technology of the Qi35, and it’s more than a marketing name. The chassis extends carbon fiber panels across the crown, most of the sole, and into the internal bracing structure. Previous TaylorMade drivers used carbon crowns with titanium soles; the Qi35 flips the ratio so that titanium is now primarily used in the face and the internal perimeter ring.

In practice, this means the head is extremely light relative to its size, with mass concentrated exactly where the engineers wanted it. Pick up the Qi35 head without a shaft and it feels almost hollow — disconcertingly light. But that’s the point. All that saved weight sits in a titanium ring around the face perimeter, pushing the MOI (resistance to twisting on off-center hits) to the highest number in TaylorMade’s history.

The durability question is fair. Carbon crowns have been around since the original M1 days, and they hold up fine. I haven’t seen cracking or delamination in any of my extended testing. The paint finish does scratch more easily than titanium, so if you’re tee-bag-less on the range, expect some cosmetic wear.

60-Layer Carbon Twist Face

TaylorMade moved to a carbon fiber face composite on the Qi35, layering 60 individual sheets of carbon in varying orientations. The claim is that this produces a more flexible face across a larger area compared to titanium, particularly on low-face and high-toe impacts.

My testing supports this partially. Low-face hits — the ones that catch the top of the Speed Pocket area — definitely performed better than I expected. I measured only a 4.2 mph ball speed drop on strikes about a quarter-inch below center. That’s impressive. High-toe performance was solid too, though not dramatically better than the PING G430 Max 10K, which uses a titanium face and still posted good numbers in that zone.

The “Twist Face” component remains from previous generations — the face is slightly open in the high-toe area and slightly closed in the low-heel area, correcting the gear effect that produces hooks and slices from those miss locations. It’s subtle, but when I compared Trackman data from those specific miss zones, shots did tend to start closer to the target line than with non-twist-face competitors.

4° Adjustable Loft Sleeve

The adjustable hosel gives you ±2° of loft adjustment from the stated loft. A 10.5° head can play anywhere from 8.5° to 12.5°. It also allows you to shift the face angle slightly open or closed depending on the setting.

Here’s what most people get wrong about adjustable hosels: changing the loft doesn’t just change launch angle. It also changes spin rate and face angle at address. When I cranked the Qi35 down from 10.5° to 8.5°, my spin dropped about 350 rpm and the face sat slightly more open. Going up to 12.5° added spin and closed the face a touch. This is useful, but it can also create unexpected shot patterns if you’re just randomly clicking through settings without understanding the interplay.

The mechanism itself is straightforward. TaylorMade includes a torque wrench in the box. Loosen the screw, rotate the shaft to the desired setting (marked on the hosel), retighten. Takes about 30 seconds. The wrench clicks when it’s tight enough, which prevents over-torquing. I’ve adjusted this hosel probably 50 times during testing and it’s never slipped or loosened during a round.

Thru-Slot Speed Pocket

This is the channel cut into the sole just behind the leading edge. It allows the lower portion of the face to flex more freely at impact, particularly on low-face strikes. TaylorMade has used some version of this since 2014, and it’s genuinely effective.

Low-face hits are the most common miss for amateur golfers. The ball catches the lower third of the face, typically producing too much spin and not enough ball speed. The Speed Pocket mitigates this by letting that area of the face flex back further than it could with a rigid sole connection. My low-face ball speeds with the Qi35 were consistently 2-3 mph higher than with drivers that don’t have a similar feature.

The downside? The slot can collect dirt, grass, and debris. It’s cosmetic — it doesn’t affect performance — but if you’re the type who likes a clean club, you’ll be poking a tee into that channel regularly.

Internal Titanium Perimeter Ring

Hidden inside the head, this ring of titanium runs around the face perimeter. It’s where much of the weight saved by the carbon chassis ends up. The ring increases the moment of inertia without adding head weight, which is the fundamental engineering trick that makes the Qi35 so forgiving.

You can’t see it, and you can’t adjust it. But you can feel its effect on every off-center strike. The head simply doesn’t twist as much as previous-generation drivers when you catch it toward the toe or heel. This is the kind of technology that doesn’t make for exciting marketing copy but makes a real difference on the course.

Interchangeable Weight System (LS Only)

The LS model includes a removable sole weight that can be swapped for different weights to fine-tune spin and launch. The stock weight is 14g, and TaylorMade sells alternative weights from 6g to 20g. Lighter weights reduce spin slightly and can increase head speed by a fraction of a mph. Heavier weights increase stability and can add spin.

I experimented with the 10g and 18g options. The 10g weight dropped my spin by about 150 rpm and gave the head a slightly faster feel through the ball. The 18g weight added stability at impact — I could feel the head resist twisting more on heel strikes — but added about 200 rpm of spin. For the LS model specifically, I found the stock 14g weight to be the best all-around option. The weight changes produce real but small effects.

Who Should Use the TaylorMade Qi35

The 10-20 handicap player who swings between 90-105 mph. This is the Qi35’s sweet spot. You generate enough speed to benefit from the face technology, you miss the center often enough to need the forgiveness, and you’ll see meaningful distance gains over a driver that’s more than 3 years old. The standard head is where you should start, and the adjustable hosel gives you room to dial in your launch conditions without buying a new driver.

Players upgrading from pre-2022 drivers. If you’re still gaming a Callaway Epic, a TaylorMade SIM, or a Titleist TS-series driver, the Qi35 represents a genuine generational leap in forgiveness. The difference won’t be as dramatic coming from a Stealth 2 or Qi10, but from anything older, expect 5-10 yards of carry distance and a noticeably tighter dispersion.

Golfers who want to invest in a proper fitting. The four-head family, adjustable hosel, and wide shaft compatibility make the Qi35 platform one of the easiest to fit. If you’re going to spend time and money on a professional fitting — and you should — this driver gives the fitter a lot of levers to pull.

Budget range: $600-$750 all-in depending on shaft selection. If that number makes you flinch, check the secondary market for the Qi10, which offers about 85% of this performance for roughly half the price.

Who Should Look Elsewhere

Low-handicap players who prioritize workability. If you shape shots intentionally and want to feel the difference between a draw swing and a fade swing through the head, the Qi35 Standard is too forgiving — it resists shaping in a way that can feel numb. The Qi35 LS is better for this profile, but honestly, the Titleist GT2 gives you more shot-shaping feedback with comparable distance.

Golfers on a tight budget. There’s no getting around it — $600 is a lot of money for one club. If you’re building or rebuilding a bag, that money goes further spread across a used driver, some fresh wedges, and maybe a putter fitting. The Cobra Darkspeed Max offers very competitive forgiveness at a lower price point when purchased on sale or from previous model year stock. See our best budget drivers roundup for more options.

Players with very slow swing speeds (under 80 mph). The Qi35’s face technology and mass properties are optimized for swing speeds above roughly 85 mph. Below that threshold, you won’t compress the face enough to activate the full spring effect, and a lighter, more flexible driver — or even a strong 3-wood — might produce better results. Check out the Cobra Darkspeed Max in a senior flex or consider the TaylorMade Qi35 Max with a lightweight shaft.

Anyone who just bought a Qi10. The performance gap between the Qi10 and Qi35 is real but small. I measured about 1.5-2 mph of ball speed improvement on center strikes and slightly tighter dispersion. That’s not enough to justify a $600 expenditure if your current driver is only a year old. Wait for the next generation or the one after that.

The Bottom Line

The TaylorMade Qi35 is the most forgiving driver I’ve tested, and its carbon chassis engineering genuinely delivers on the promise of faster ball speeds across a larger area of the face. It’s not cheap, and it’s not the right choice for every golfer, but if you’re a mid-handicapper who loses distance and accuracy on mishits — and you’re ready to invest in a proper fitting — the Qi35 will reward you with more fairways and more consistent yardage.

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