As someone who gamed the TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus fairway during the 2023 season I was particularly excited to see and test the new TaylorMade Qi10 tour fairway wood to see if it could rival its predecessor, which performed extremely well for me last year.
The Qi10 Tour fairway is one of three new fairway wood models released from TaylorMade for 2024. To go alongside the Qi10 Tour you have the standard Qi10 fairway, which combines distance and forgiveness for a look and feel most golfers will love, as well as the Qi10 Max fairway wood which has been created with maximum forgiveness in mind.
So what separates the TaylorMade Qi10 Tour fairway from the other two in the family? First off it has a far more compact-looking head with various customization and adjustability features to give the more confident golfer the utmost in control and workability of their golf ball. The same weight track I loved in the Stealth 2 plus remains and the Qi10 Tour fairway wood remains as the only model in the family to have an adjustable loft sleeve, which alters loft and lie angle. As someone who likes to see the face sit a touch open, I set this to a fraction lower and flat which helps me produce the left-to-right ball flight I prefer with the longer clubs in my bag.
The Qi10 Tour fairway has been created with the better player in mind who has some speed and wants to keep spin and launch a touch lower than what is on show from the other two models in the Qi10 range. The smaller 170cc head looks extremely compact behind the ball and features a new infinity carbon crown, seeing the carbon on the crown extend all the way to the face where it meets the laser alignment line - a silver line at the top of the face designed to help you square the club face up at address. I think the new blue and silver color palette looks superb alongside the gloss carbon black and really gives this club a premium aesthetic and the shelf appeal that rivals the best fairway woods.
Technology such as the Speed Pocket and V-Steel sole remains to aid in producing both fast ball speeds and good turf interaction when hitting from the fairway. While the ball speed looked fast to the eye, upon testing I hovered around the 156mph mark, which was actually a little shy of where I would like to see it. The Qi10 certainly feels firmer off the face than the likes of the Stealth 2 Plus and new Callaway Ai Smoke Triple Diamond - a feeling I’m not particularly keen on, but others may love.
Where the TaylorMade Qi10 tour fairway did excel was in being able to work the ball around depending on conditions. After gathering data at My Golf Matters in Berkshire on a Trackman 4 launch monitor with Titleist Pro V1 golf balls, I took the Qi10 Tour fairway to the course where I could flight the ball down and move it both ways fairly comfortably.
While the Qi10 Tour fairway doesn’t boast the forgiveness of some of the most forgiving fairways, it isn’t aimed at those who are looking for maximum help with launch and ease of use. I think the TaylorMade Qi10 Tour will be extremely popular on tour and with better club golfers alike due to its small footprint and the high levels of ball flight control it offers.
The TaylorMade Qi10 Tour fairway will retail at a punchy $449/£379 and will be available to purchase from the 2nd February 2024. The Qi10 fairway wood will be offered in both 15° and 18° head options.
