I have never been fitted for a low-spin driver before, but after a session with a TaylorMade fitter a few weeks ago here I am with the new Qi35 LS, and I was excited to see whether it was a real contender to go into my bag for the upcoming season.
TaylorMade’s new Qi35 range builds on the success of the Qi10, which saw plenty of victories thanks to the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Nelly Korda, and introduces new technologies aiming at providing both high MOI and low CG.
The 3 in the name stands for Form, Fit and Function, the three considerations that TaylorMade used when building their new woods, and the 5 stands for the five different models that are available.
Who Are They Aimed At?
LS drivers are usually aimed at golfers who want lower spin rates and often for golfers who know where they’re going to hit it on the face more consistently.
I think they’re best suited to golfers who have a bit of clubhead speed and want a lower ball flight, with a more traditional head shape. With an MOI of around 7,700, they aren’t as forgiving as the standard or Max heads in the range, but do often give the opportunity for the fastest ball speeds.
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The Tech
There are five different heads in the new Qi35 range. There’s the standard (core) Qi35, the more forgiving Qi35 Max, the Qi35 LS, Qi35 Max Lite and a new Qi35 SelectFit Head which makes it easier than ever before to conduct accurate fittings.
The most notable technology in this range is the way in which TaylorMade have lowered the ‘CG Projection’. This measures the balance point of the head projected on the face. When the ball is struck above that point, it launches higher with less spin to produce longer drives.
Thanks to new Trajectory Adjustment System (TAS) weights, the CG projection has been lowered in the head. This produces the most efficient placement for each head in the range, trying to achieve more distance and control.
A new chromium carbon fibre is used across the head, plus an updated Carbon Twist Face and Infinity Carbon Crown. This allows for more excess weight to be removed and repositioned in the head.
The Qi35 LS comes with a 3 gram weight in the back and two 3 gram weights in the front of the head.
This differs from the sliding weight in the LS model last year, saving weight to encourage a bigger change in CG, launch conditions and spin.
TaylorMade Qi35 LS Driver Review
Looks and Feel
TaylorMade have introduced a slightly updated look with their new range compared to the previous Qi10.
There’s a cleaner overall design thanks to the black face and less stand-out colouring despite the same carbon detailing.
The LS head shape is significantly smaller and more pear-shaped compared to the standard and Max models that I tested. Compared to Qi10 it’s more of a grey at address, and this actually stretches all the way through to the sole for one cohesive look.
I really liked the feel of this driver. It’s quite distinct to TaylorMade thanks to the carbon face and head design. It’s quite spongey but in a nice way- I’d describe it as soft, but still fast.
I thought it felt very similar to hitting Callaway’s new Elyte driver. The sound was a little louder and more substantial than expected from an LS driver, although I didn’t dislike that.
Performance
I took the Qi35 Drivers on the GCQuad on the course at West Cliffs Resort. I saw an average carry of 224 yards and total of 244 yards with a 135mph ball speed. These numbers are on the upper limit of what I’d like to see with a driver, perhaps even exceeding it.
The average spin rate was around 2300 rpm which is about perfect. It was quite a bit lower than both the standard and Max heads, which were averaging over 3000rpm.
The ball flight was also really nice and penetrating, much lower than the other two heads. This is something that I love to see as I play a lot of links golf.
I also liked how the shot shape was pretty neutral, especially for a low-spin head. I much prefer to see the ball missing to the left, but these drivers are often fade-biased.
This neutral ball flight, as well as toe weighting which is my usual strike pattern, worked really well.
TaylorMade Qi35 LS Driver Verdict
I was really impressed with this driver and I’m pleased that I am finally able to hit an LS model!
I always really like the look of them, but the performance has not always suited me. You can get some of your longest shots with low spin drivers, but the forgiveness is not always there when you mis-hit them.
This is the first LS driver that I have really considered putting into the bag.
The price tag of £529 is the same as last year, although still £40 cheaper than the Callaway Elyte. I found the two were quite similar in terms of feel and performance.
I’d say that there is an improvement from Qi10 to Qi35 due to the fact that I was fitted for the LS. The fact that I am able to use the LS head is proof of this.
Would I Use It?
I am excited to hit this more over the next few weeks! I am really considering putting it into the bag, to see if it can give me an extra level of performance.
