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The 2024 TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver is the next step in forgiveness and adjustability for the better player. A redistribution of weight with an all gloss carbon crown allows players to maximize ball flight preferences using adjustable weights in a compact, low spin head.
Introduction
TaylorMade’s newest driver in the Qi10 LS has already made a splash in the industry after Alabama Sophomore Nick Dunlap used at the 2024 American Express to become the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event in over 30 years. This is significant because, as an amateur without an equipment sponsorship deal, Nick can choose to play any equipment that he wants, and he chose TaylorMade. More specifically, the TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver.
Add Tiger Woods and Tommy Fleetwood to this list of Qi10 LS users and we can already see early adoption in the professional ranks. Can the TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver be just as good for the non-PGA Tour winning amateurs out there? I had a chance to take one for a spin to find out.
Looks
I’ll start with the obvious – the new crown. For the first time in almost a decade of drivers, TaylorMade’s flagship model will not be a highlighted by a multi material crown. Instead, the Qi10 LS will feature what TaylorMade describes as an “infinity carbon crown” which covers 97% of the clubhead top.
At address, the new all gloss crown is only broken up by the “T” logo alignment aid and “Qi10” that lines the back edge. The club head sits neutral to slightly open while a white top line across the face distinguishes the leading edge quite nicely. This makes the club easy to line up at address.
Also new for 2024 is a navy blue carbon face. Even though the SIM and SIM 2 line sported a blue color scheme, neither had a blue face. Aside from the face, TaylorMade kept the rest of the driver fairly neutral in color with some blue and yellow highlighted on the sole. Also on the sole are 2 interchangeable weights. The rear weight does not move but can be swapped for lighter or heavier weight depending on ball flight preference. The front sliding weight can move across from fade to draw and partially disappears into a pocket on the draw side.
If blue isn’t your preference, it looks like you are out of luck: TaylorMade did not bring back the custom color programs that we have seen in years past for the LS model. I see this as a minor inconvenience given the mostly neutral and subdued design for the TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver.
Sound & Feel
Longtime TaylorMade fans will be happy to hear that the sound and feel of the Qi10 LS does not stray too far from its recent predecessor in the Stealth 2 [review HERE]. At impact, the Qi10 LS delivers a muted “tap” that is low in volume. Mishits generated a slightly different “thwack” which provides feedback on off center strikes but is close enough in sound to still feel solid.
I noted that the SIM and SIM 2 line had a slight “ting” to the sound that TaylorMade has seemingly moved away from in both the Stealth models and now the Qi10 LS driver which I think makes these even better.
The feel of the TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver is similar to that of the Stealth 2 models in that it mitigates vibration through the grip. Each strike felt solid and balanced as if the head stabilized any poor swings. Center face strikes felt hot, so I never needed to swing out of my shoes to get the most out of the Qi10 LS.
Check out the TaylorMade Qi10 driver HERE
Performance
The TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver is the next step in their evolving category of adjustable, low spin drivers. For 2024, the 18 gram sole weighting system is further forward and lower which should promote more forgiveness and decreased spin.
While I did find the Qi10 LS to be an overall low spinning driver, it seemed to carry a slight increase in spin compared to its direct predecessor in the Stealth 2 Plus. Yes, I realize spin was higher in my Stealth 2 Plus review [seen HERE] but a lot can change in a year and head to head, I found the Qi10 to be a little more spinny than last year’s model. All that to say TaylorMade is consistent in their low spin category of drivers but this year’s model didn’t make a massive jump like we have seen in the past.
Moving away from spin, TaylorMade’s Qi10 LS driver employs its third generation of carbon twist face technology which saw an improved support structure to help retain ball speeds across the face. This is what impressed me the most. My ball speeds were consistently higher than I am used to with a few shots reaching the 160 mph mark. What was even more impressive was how it handled these shots away from center. I had a few shots that I knew were not good, and they still carried a 150+ MPH ball speed. Whether it was the support structure, twist face, carbon layers or a combination of all three, I liked what I saw.
Take the shaft characteristics out of the equation and you have a mid to low launch, low spin head. This is ideal for players like me who have a tendency to hit up on the driver with a high swing speed. Getting too much spin or too high of launch would sour any chance of maximizing my distance off the tee.
The TaylorMade Qi10 LS separates itself from the other two models by its compact head and additional adjustability. The adjustable weight is now three grams heavier than the Stealth 2 Plus version which can help fine tune a desired ball flight. Although the LS is typically designed to play more open for a better player to prevent a hook miss, the draw weight and upright hosel setting can mitigate even the worst slices.
Need more forgiveness? Check out the TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver HERE
While we always recommend getting fit, the Mitsubishi AV Limited Blue and Black stock shafts cover a wide range of player preferred ball flights. The Blue version is going to provide a mid launch and mid spin trajectory whereas the Black will produce a low launch and lower spinning ball flight. If neither of these shafts are to your liking, TaylorMade always provides additional shafts to order directly from them.
Conclusion
TaylorMade took another step forward in innovation with the Qi10 LS driver in 2024. The notable redesign of the all carbon crown helped engineers to move weight to promote forgiveness, sustain low spin, and even improve ball speeds. Part of this weight savings went to heavier moveable weights which make a larger impact on fade and draw bias. Ideal for a player needing low spin, the TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver can be adjusted to almost any desired ball flight and customized to an even larger group of players. This should be on every golfers list to test out for 2024.
Visit TaylorMade HERE
2024 TaylorMade Qi10 LS Driver Price & Specs
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5 Comments
Good review. I have loved my Stealth 2 Plus – it’s just the right blend of high power and enough forgiveness, along with less of a tendency to hit the BIG left miss. One of the big stories (though perhaps somewhat on the down low) of this driver compared to Stealth 2 is that their new “support structure” from body to face makes it more durable – less prone for the face to pop out or cave in, which would obviously be a pretty big deal. I like the color scheme here, although any color scheme would grow on me if the performance is right … But, I thought their customizable colors for Stealth body and face (MyStealth) really set TM apart from others.
When you tested, did you test your Stealth 2 Plus and the Qi 10 LS with the same shaft? What shaft was it?
I used several different shafts from Club Champion and compared them all head to head against the Qi10 LS. Ventus Velocore, OBAN Kiyoshi, and Tour AD Graphite Design shafts were among the lot that were tested.
Hope this helps!
Zack
Diamana has a Taylormade exclusive shaft option for the Qi10 lineup with the T+. Will there be a review of this shaft at some point? I’m putting together a list of shafts to try in my Stealth 2+.
Dustin,
If the shaft remains a TM exclusive, it’s unlikely that we will review it.
Best,
Matt
I have to say I had a slightly different experience when comparing the Stealth 2 Plus to the QiLS. With sound and feel being t objective I prefer the Stealth here. In terms of performance the QiLS launched and spun a bit lower than the Stealth 2 which is fine but the QiLS may be more prone to that ultralow spinner that just falls out of the sky and goes nowhere. Overall I prefer the Stealth 2 Plus but that was just my experience.