Callaway has a little history in terms of releasing highly sought-after ‘tour only’ models that eventually trickle down to retail, but often years later.
The Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond Max breaks this mold, launching concurrently with the standard lineup, and it is genuinely refreshing to see a brand bringing what was a 'tour only' model to retail, offering the public access that many brands deny. It's only fair, right? We are the ones paying their bills, rather than the tour pros who take their money, so why should we not get at least the access the tour players get!
I’ve been testing this new, slightly larger tour-inspired head to see if it can challenge the best golf drivers in the game and deliver the best of both worlds: tour-level speed with a hint of added forgiveness.
The Quantum Triple Diamond Max is built on the same Tri-Force Face platform as the standard Triple Diamond, layering ultra-thin Titanium, Poly Mesh, and Carbon Fiber for maximum speed. The key differentiator is the chassis: it is built for skilled players seeking lower spin and speed but with added forgiveness in a full 460cc shape.
This blend of tour-level performance with more stability in a slightly larger footprint could be the holy grail for many amateur players.
The look behind the ball is superb, although barely distinguishable from a finish and colouring point of view, to the Ai Smoke Triple Diamond of a couple of seasons ago.
Essentially, it is just a marginally bigger version (450cc to 460cc) of the Quantum Triple Diamond aesthetically, and the slightly bigger footprint suits my eye well, offering just that little bit more real estate behind the ball without looking clunky.
The standard Triple Diamond version still gives a very triangular address profile, which definitely wouldn't be my ideal look, and is what ultimately wrenched the Elyte Triple Diamond out of my bag last season.
However, the Triple Diamond Max head is definitely a little rounder than the standard Quantum Triple Diamond, so it is much closer to my preferred profile.
The sole aesthetic is another plus point in my opinion, with the dark carbon weave, minimal branding, and very subtle red accent colors blending brilliantly. It may well be the best driver of this launch season, as far as raw aesthetics go.
The feel at strike is a powerful one, offering plenty of feedback at impact and not doing too much to soften or subdue it, which I love. You know exactly where you've hit it, and center strikes are rewarded with a dense, explosive sensation.
Performance-wise, this driver is a rocket in terms of ball speed. It was only second behind the TaylorMade Qi4D in that respect in my testing, and that was only because the aerodynamics of the TaylorMade driver allowed me to move it a touch quicker through the air.
The sheer ball speed efficiency of the Quantum TD Max head is undeniable and unmatched this launch season.
The adjustability is a key feature too. Along with Callaway’s ever-popular two-cog hosel adapter, we have an adjustable rear weight system. In the neutral setting, it is exactly that - neutral. However, shifting the 10-gram weight in the rear over to the toe side makes a tangible difference to flight, helping to mitigate a left miss without making the club feel in any way unbalanced.
While far from a ‘game improvement’ driver, the Quantum Triple Diamond Max offers not insignificant levels of stability in comparison to the Triple Diamond, all while maintaining very similar launch monitor data from my Foresight Sports GC3.
Marginally more spin from the Max model on average was the only real distinguishing feature for me, aside from the additional forgiveness.
Overall, I think Callaway has played a masterstroke in offering the Quantum Triple Diamond Max to the mass market. Not only does it make normal players feel as if they are getting a glimpse behind the tour curtain, but the additional playability it provides will also help this driver appeal to more people than Callaway possibly expects. Superb work.
The Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond Max will be retailing at $699.99/£649.
