If you are someone who struggles launching the ball and making correct contact with your longer irons, then the TaylorMade Qi10 Max hybrid may just be the club for you. Designed with ease of use in mind, this large headed hybrid has been created to be one of the most forgiving hybrids on the market while still possessing a premium look and feel.
One of the main features of the Qi10 Max hybrid is the low CG combined with perimeter weighting, which promotes a high launch to maximize carry distance, particularly when struck from the deck.
Through design of a shallower face, the engineers at TaylorMade have made a club that I think will inspire confidence behind the ball at address and will banish the nerves that creep in when playing into a green from distance. When conducting my testing out on the golf course, I noticed this straight away, particularly from the rough and the V-Steel sole helped cut through the wet grass - producing a ball flight reminiscent of one had the ball been teed up! Even when hitting indoors on a Trackman 4 launch monitor, the Qi10 Max hybrid produced a max height of 140ft, a number that I thought was incorrect at first but was then backed up with another reading of 135ft.
The premium color pallet of silver and blue tones look great on the Qi10 Max hybrid and are a welcome change over the likes of the Stealth 2 HD hybrid. Despite a bonded head, the face doesn’t sit too shut at address - something that many better players don’t like. While I do think the Qi10 max hybrid will be considered one of the best hybrids for high handicappers, I do think it will also be perfect for the better player who doesn’t quite have the speed in their swing and is looking for help launching the ball, in turn, making this also one of the best hybrids for seniors. Faster swingers of the club should turn their head to the other hybrids in the Qi10 family, the Qi10 and the Qi10 Tour, for lower spinning and launching options.
There was nothing to grumble about when it came to sound or strike with the TaylorMade Qi10 Max hybrid as it produced a compressed, powerful feel off the face and a real thud-like sound that will please any golfer. The continued use of Twist Face makes this hybrid even more forgiving and the Speed Pocket behind the face will help promote launch and ball speed on shots struck slightly low on the face - something I found to be particularly useful on the wetter fairways where picking the ball off the top of the grass is key.
All in all the Qi10 Max hybrid is a hybrid well worth considering if you are looking for more consistency as you progress through your bag to the top end or want to maximise carry distance with a long-iron replacement. TaylorMade does offer the Qi10 Max hybrid in lofts all the way up to 35°, which means those who like the look and performance of a hybrid over an iron can continue down through the bag with these clubs. This will no doubt become one of the best golf hybrids we will see in 2024 when it comes to playability.
The TaylorMade Qi10 Max hybrid features a Fujikura Speeder NX TCS shaft as standard and will be available for retail from the 2nd February for $299/£269.
