TaylorMade Qi10 Fairway Wood Review

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Specifications

• Loft: 15°-24°
• Lie: 58.5°-60°
• Shaft Length: 41.25”-43.25”
• Swing Weight: D3

Pros

• Large Carbon Crown maintains high MOI
• Very forgiving with revamped 60x Carbon Twist Face
• High launch with extended carry

Cons

• No sliding weight for customized shot shape
• Doesn’t have the flair of the Stealth series

I recently took the new Qi10 Fairway ($350 MSRP) out for a test drive with a Trackman before the early February release date.

Outfitted with a Fujikura Ventus TR Blue FW 6 stiff flex shaft, I put the 15° model through the paces to see if the new club provided a noticeable improvement over last year’s incredibly popular Stealth 2.

How does the Qi10 Fairway look?

I certainly loved the Stealth series’s black and red color scheme, so the Qi10’s subdued black and chrome with blue trim delivers a relative disappointment.

A few of the top features from TaylorMade make their way over to the Qi10 Fairway, such as the Carbon Crown, V-Steel sole, Thru-Slot Speed Pocket, and 60x Carbon Twist Face.

These features offer some symmetry with the Stealth Fairway’s appearance, but the new color scheme certainly makes you feel as if you are playing a different golf club, even if the results are similar.

What handicap is best for the Qi10 Fairway?

I’d suggest that mid handicappers give the standard Qi10 a first look. There’s no customization here, such as an adjustable hosel or sliding weight, but that fixed setting can help if you need consistency.

Most high handicappers and beginning golfers will want to look at the Max Fairway, as its draw-bias setting will reduce side spin for tighter dispersion that keeps the ball toward its target.

How does the Qi10 Fairway perform?

Once I felt warmed up, I put the Qi10 through roughly 50 full-speed swings. My first impression of the club concerned the weight and feel. This is one sturdy fairway wood that doesn’t feel loose at address.

The fairway wood provides confidence immediately, especially once you start smashing balls off the club face.

I also appreciated how the low, deep CG easily lifts the ball into the air. The launch angle stayed within my desired margins, so I fully expect the wood to perform well once the snow thaws and I can get this club onto the golf course.

Ball speed registered at the higher end of my typical range, and I noticed a few yards of additional length with this 3-wood. The improved distance should help with gapping if you like to carry multiple fairway woods.

How does the Qi10 Fairway Wood compare to the Stealth 2 Fairway?

When comparing the standard version of each fairway wood, I was impressed by the Qi10’s dispersion. My shots stayed relatively tight in pattern, and strikes off the toe didn’t stray too far from my intended path.

While the standard Qi10 can’t match the customization of the Stealth 2 Plus Fairway (for obvious reasons), this new model delivers a high, easy launch off the face coupled with clean turf interaction.

I do think the higher your swing speed, the more forgiving the entire Qi10 line is for your game.

So, if you are a little wild with your swing but can keep the MPHs up toward the top of the scale, you’ll probably find these new fairway woods are worth the money and more forgiving than the Stealth 2 Fairway.

My TaylorMade Qi10 Fairway Wood Verdict

After my time with the Qi10 Fairway, I can certainly say the club delivers the performance that you’d expect from a new TaylorMade offering.

The fairway wood produces that hot, fast face you want to increase your distance. The low profile offers a long sweet spot that’s even more forgiving than the Stealth 2 model. In my book, the new Qi10 Fairway is a winner.

Other Qi10 Fairway Wood Models