The new TaylorMade Qi4D family of drivers (Qi4D, Qi4D Max, Qi4D Max Lite, Qi4D LS) aim to manage the complicated challenges of faster ball speed mixed with forgiveness and aerodynamic speed.
How far would Tiger have hit it in 2000 if he’d had access to today’s technology? To find out, we ran a full robot test at Golf Laboratories with Tiger’s drivers and balls covering 25 years of innovation.
The Hero World Challenge is sometimes chastised as “not a real event”. Don’t tell that to world No.1 Scottie Scheffler, the two-time defending champion who is using the competition as a proving ground for a new TaylorMade driver.
Early headlines at The Annika LPGA event were dominated by 18-year-old Kai Trump and WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark – to the point that Nelly Korda’s return to the course for her first start in six weeks became a secondary story. It’s not often that the 27-year-old is the understudy.
Scheffler’s tee-to-green game was impeccable as he ranked first in strokes gained/off the tee, third in driving accuracy, ninth in driving distance and second in strokes gained/approach.
TaylorMade’s Milled Grind 5 wedges are fully forged. It’s a first for the Milled Grind line, and a decision made directly in response to player feedback.
Scheffler confirmed he was among the 50 players whose drivers were tested early in the week at Quail Hollow, and that the TaylorMade Qi10 driver that he planned to use in the championship did not pass testing.
As Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood start their pursuit of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, more under the radar is the fact that their endorsement cheques from one of the biggest equipment manufacturers on the planet might soon have a different signature on them.
In a new equipment series from Golf Digest, we tested the latest drivers from every major manufacturer on the Golf Laboratories swing robot to determine if they were noticeably better than their predecessors.
Australian Golf Digest
