Game improvement irons which arrive at the same time as a range of metals can sometimes feel like a bit of an afterthought with the same branding. However TaylorMade’s Qi Irons in 2024 really impressed us.
After a year’s break in 2025, they are back again with the new Qi Max irons, so we were excited to check them out.
Who Are They Aimed At?
These are a true game improvement iron, so anyone who is looking to make life easier for themselves could benefit from these irons.
They sit above the incredibly popular P790 irons, which can be suitable for golfers all the way up to 18 handicap thanks to their easy launch and forgiveness.
The Qi Max and Max HL irons are really best suited to mid handicappers and above. Golfers with handicaps lower than that may struggle with the chunky profile of the irons, and the lack of workability, unless they really struggle with generating launch and speed.
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The Tech
With this year’s Qi Max irons, TaylorMade’s key aims were to improve the sound and feel of the irons, as well as encouraging more of a consistent draw flight.
They claim that ‘feel’ is often a result of the sound that golfers hear at impact. The main two areas that affect this sound are at the topline, and the face.
For the Qi Max irons, TaylorMade have added a new internal stability bar and an Echo damper material to support these two areas, reduce vibrations and improve feel. This is said to produce a 49% decrease in topline volume, with a 28% shorter duration.
Another thing that they noticed was that the way the face was flexing at impact was actually opening the face. This was encouraging more of a fade shape – the opposite of what most golfers want from a game improvement iron.
To counter this, new face geometry helps to control the way in which it flexes. This produces straighter shots, encouraging more of a draw biased flight.
Each iron head has been designed separately to deliver specific performance as you move through the set. Whilst the overall aim is maximum distance and forgiveness, the launch and spin can be optimised for the specific needs of each head.
Like previous TaylorMade irons, the Qi Max uses FLTD CG to strategically position the CG in the right place for each head. This produces better launch and forgiveness in the long irons, and more precision in the short irons.
You also get the Speed Pocket in the longer irons, helping shots low on the face.
There are two models: the standard Qi Max and the Qi Max HL. The HL (higher and lighter) is designed with weaker lofts and a lightweight package. It’s designed for golfers seeking a higher launch, more spin and faster clubhead speed to generate more distance.
TaylorMade Qi Max Irons Review
Looks
I remember when TaylorMade first introduced the Qi irons that I thought they’d a pretty good job with the overall design.
The Qi Max feels like it’s more of a return to a ‘traditional’ game improvement iron. It’s not quite as modern but it does the job overall, with a pretty safe look that feels like it could’ve come from any time in the last 10 years.
The black Qi badge hides the internal stability bar which is there to improve the sound and feel.
The overall blade length is nice and generous, and still has that distinctive long and flat shape that TaylorMade seem to prefer with their game improvement irons.
At address you get a pretty chunky topline, especially in the HL model that I tested. The sole is generous too, which is not a bad thing as you move up towards the long irons.
Feel
TaylorMade have put a lot of effort into the sound and feel of these irons this year. I would say that this has paid off, as they did feel pretty good.
When I first learned of the new irons at TaylorMade’s HQ last year, they referred to them as being like a ‘P790 plus’. Personally I wouldn’t go that far, but they definitely didn’t sound as hollow or clunky as some other game improvement irons I’ve tested recently.
Having said that you still get plenty of forgiveness across the face and they do give you confidence that even bad strikes will perform well. The HL irons felt nicely balanced, making it easy to commit to every swing.
Performance
After testing both models at TaylorMade’s Kingdom late last year, I found that I was best suited to the HL model. These irons have weaker lofts and are designed for higher launch, which suits me better because I am a low spin and low launch player.
When I test game improvement irons I often struggle to keep the ball in the air, because the lofts are so strong and the spin rates usually quite low.
With the Qi Max HL I actually saw numbers which were more similar to my own Titleist T150 irons rather than the usual rockets that TaylorMade produce.
An average carry distance of just under 165 yards, with spin rates above 5000rpm, actually felt pretty consistent and controllable.
They were still very easy to hit, and launched high with real ease. If you are somebody who struggles with getting your iron shots in the air, especially with the longer irons, these are definitely worth considering.
If you opt for the Qi Max irons you’re definitely going to see some more distance, as there’s around 3 degrees difference in loft. The forgiveness should remain the same across the two irons though.
TaylorMade also worked hard to add more draw bias to these irons compared to previous generations. I did see a consistent draw, although that is my natural shape with iron shots anyway.
There’s a fair bit of offset down by the ball and to be honest, I felt like this was doing more of the work than any of the new technology.
TaylorMade Qi Max Irons Verdict
I enjoyed testing both the Qi Max and Qi Max HL irons, and would happily recommend them to any high handicap golfer. They’re not the most eye-catching clubs I’ve ever tested, and the performance was very solid, if not spectacular.
As I said earlier though, irons like this can sometimes feel like a bit of an afterthought. I think there’s enough improvements in the sound and feel to justify the release of a new range, even if the performance is not much different to the previous Qi irons.
A set of 7 irons is going to cost you about £1000, which is pretty much the going rate for a cast game improvement iron. If you’ve invested in a similar set of irons in the last couple of years then I wouldn’t rush to switch. But they are a great option if you want a new 2026 model which makes hitting iron shots easier.
Would I Use Them?
I did enjoy using the HL irons in particular, but they’re a little too chunky for me to really consider.
