TaylorMade Qi35 Drivers

Entering 2025, TaylorMade Golf certainly has the same air of confidence you expect from the brand when it comes to drivers, and with the year the best player in the world had with their product in the bag, they should be confident. However, it would appear that they have learned as the years have gone by and for the new release cycle, we will not be getting a sequel. You read that right, no sequel like with the SIM2 or Stealth 2.0, no, though the Qi tag remains as the brand continues their quest for inertia, this time it is under the Qi35 name.  

Why 35? Well, the 3 stands for the three core pillars of this release in form, fit, and function. The 5 though comes from the five different heads (sort of) within the Qi35 lineup.  

That focus on Form, Fit, and Function is the cornerstone to Qi35, and provides a nice way for us to breakdown just what changes have been made, and there are plenty of changes.  

Qi35 – FORM

TaylorMade Golf believes that they have the best designers in the world under their roof, not just from an internal innovation standpoint, but also from an aesthetic one. With Qi35, they really have set out to let their people flex muscles with the goal of taking material innovations and bringing them to life within an aesthetic unlike anything else on the market.  

Where some companies seem to add graphics and colors for the sake of doing it, TaylorMade didn’t want that to be the case with Qi35, so the team took inspiration from some of the most advanced products in the world, from Lamborghini all the way to the F22 Raptor stealth fighter aircraft. Every inch of such products has a rhyme and a reason, so that was the goal for Qi35 as well. By bringing their new “Chromium Carbon Fiber” as well as steel, aluminum, tungsten, and titanium together they have achieved that and then some, as the lineup is about as stealth and mean looking as you can get.  

Sole of the TaylorMade Qi35 driver

However, it isn’t just for looks. Those materials combined with the move away from sliding weights to “pinpoint” weighting aims to take precision to a new level for TaylorMade. They have managed to blend five materials together and not only make an extremely high quality visual with no gaps or epoxy lines but all of that has also helped free them up for their chase to optimize the blending of CG and MOI.  

Qi35 – FUNCTION

That brings us to function, where the innovative minds behind TaylorMade get to show that it isn’t all just bells and whistles, but performance. The brand believes that with Qi10 they established themselves as a leader in the inertia movement, but as with any first push at something, there were things that needed to be improved upon.  

MOI is a key element in forgiveness and keeping the ball in play, however, without proper launch condition options for all styles of players then it means little. This year, the Qi35 Max remains a 10K head, while the core Qi35 actually cracks 9K. Within these, as well as the Qi35 LS and new Qi35 Max Lite, there was also the understanding that the balance point of the center of gravity for each head needed to be optimized more.  

Crown of the TaylorMade Qi35

For those that may not know, that balance point is, ideally, at 0 or the dead center of the clubhead. But, as you move weight and shape, it tends to shift that CG location up as well, reducing the area on the face where you can achieve low spin and increasing the higher spin area. This is what the Qi10 Max faced last year, and why it spun so much for so many golfers. By reducing the weight in the face, crown, and titanium ring it has allowed TaylorMade to pull the CG back and down in all of the Qi35 models, going so far as putting the LS head below zero in one orientation, the core Qi35 now lower than the Qi10 LS was, and the Max moving 15% to decrease spin by 200 RPM. These are big changes.  

Qi35 – FIT 

All of those visual and internal changes for this release combine to be a key element in what just might be TaylorMade’s biggest point of emphasis with Qi35, fitting. The brand wants to become the leader in fitting for retail by creating a lineup that gives more opportunities to unlock performance in fit with more simplicity and effectiveness. 

Present day fitting is about launch, spin, and speed. TaylorMade believes more emphasis needs to be put onto the head before impact as it would allow for a better, more efficient, and faster fit. So, this is where the fifth club, a specially designed “Select Fit” head, enters for Qi35.  

This clubhead actually has reflective “fit markers”, six of them, built into the carbon face. Not only are they deemed USGA legal, but the precision placement within the construction also means no human error markers you typically stick onto heads for fitting with the Foresight GC Quad which TaylorMade claims ½ mm can equate to 200RPM change on the monitor.  

Face of the TaylorMade Qi35

Don’t worry though Trackman users, reflective markers may not work for fitters on these devices, but TaylorMade for the first time ever releasing the exact CAD dimensions and information of each head in the Qi35 lineup, does. This will allow extreme accuracy in the information put out as it relates to each specific head.  

With this technology, the goal is to let fitters dial the head, then utilize a deep shaft fitting matrix which TaylorMade has created, and then finally pull all of the levers of precision fitting with the adjustability built in. It certainly seems like the idea is that if they can make life easier on fitters compared to other brands, then perhaps they will create an advantage leading to more sales.  

While the story TaylorMade is telling this year is their most interesting in some time, it is of course the designs which you are all here for, so let’s dive in.  

2025 TaylorMade Qi35 Driver

The Qi35 is the core model in the new lineup, and it has also undergone the biggest changes from Qi10. The head now uses a two-weight system which comes standard with 13g and 3g that can be moved front or back. Those weights though are also on a bigger headshape, in fact, it is now the same footprint as the Max model. TaylorMade believes that this is the trend for younger players who are coming up being accustomed to the larger look. Of course, this size change is also what has allowed optimization of CG and MOI.  

The look of the TaylorMade Qi35

The Qi35 with 13g back is a 9K driver head and 8.1K when it is forward. Comparatively, the Qi10 was at 8.4K, but has a much higher CG than the new model does in both configurations. This means that you can get more of the best of both worlds launch/spin and forgiveness than before. TaylorMade has even gone so far as to say that this change is the equivalent to five years of innovation.  

Loft options for the Qi35 will be 9, 10.5, and 12 (RH only) degrees with 4 degrees of adjustability through the adapter. The carbon face remains as does a new generation of Carbon Twist Face and Speed Pocket. Standard shaft options are the Fujikura Ventus Blue ’25 (5 A/R/S) and Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana T+ (60 R/S/X) 

2025 TaylorMade Qi35 LS Driver 

Even the new LS has gained MOI from the Qi10 version thanks to moving to three precision weight ports rather than any type of internal/external track design, though it remains an LS model. The big change here instead has been the change in CG balance point with the head now reaching 0.0 with heavy back, and below zero (-0.2mm) with weight forward. This is the head that TaylorMade is declaring high launch and high spin players will love, as both of those traits can be reigned more than ever.  

The LS lacks no bells or whistles in design, and it too uses the same five materials in construction and is showcasing the improved Carbon Twist Face as well as Speed Pocket design. Standard shaft pairings will be the new Mitsubishi Chemical Dark Wave Blue CB (60 R/S/X) and White (60 S/X) with 8, 9, and 10.5 degree loft options.  

2025 TaylorMade Qi35 Max Driver

Yes, 10K is back with the Qi35 Max. The shape here is very much in line with the Qi10 version, and oversized footprint that somehow still retains that classic TaylorMade look/feel. The multi-material construction and new Carbon Twist Face are the key elements here, though the savings created via the new carbon have unlocked a 15% change in CG balance location, equating to 200RPM according to the brands testing. Such a spin drop in a head that when tested just wants to stay in play no matter what is something to keep an eye on.  

The head offers no adjustable weighting as they are keeping everything within the internal “inertia chamber” of the design. The Qi35 Max will be offered in 9, 10.5, and 12 degrees with the Fujikura AirSpeeder ’25 (50 A/R/S) and Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana T+ (60 A/R/S) as the standard shaft options.  

2025 TaylorMade Qi35 Max Lite Driver

Finally, TaylorMade is getting into the lightweight game. Whether they will openly admit to it or not, other brands have found a very nice niche by providing an option in their lineups that is designed just for the slower swingers out there. The Max Lite has all of the bells and whistles of the Max, but it is not a 10K head, instead because they had to take weight out of the inertia chamber as well as from the grip and shaft (saving 12g) it comes in at 9K MOI.  

The Max Lite is offered in 10.5 and 12 degree heads only, which makes sense for the demographic it is aimed at. Shaft options for this Qi35 model are the Mitsubishi Chemical Vanquish (4 R/R2) and Fujikura AirSpeeder ’25 (40L).  

The Details 

Pre-Order availability for the entire Qi35 lineup will begin today, on 1/7/25 with product officially hitting retail on 1/30/25. Yes, there will also be another Designer Series this year, but that will not release until 3/13/25. Pricing will be $599.99 for the Qi35, Qi35 Max, and Qi35 Max Lite drivers, while the Qi35 LS and Designer Series heads will be $649.99.  

For more information check out their website at www.taylormadegolf.com.

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James is a staff writer for The Hackers Paradise along with being a professional educator. With his background in education James seeks to broaden his own knowledge while also sharing it with all those who share his passion for the game.