TaylorMade has launched the Qi Max and Qi Max HL game improvement irons.
With distinctive profiles and an aim to deliver superior sound and feel, the new Qi Max and Qi Max HL models (RRP £143 per iron) are geared toward maximising distance and forgiveness.
Through extensive testing, TaylorMade engineers found that the faces in most game improvement irons flex more on the toe at impact than anywhere else on the face. The result is unwanted fade bias. To counteract this tendency, the faces in the new irons are designed to flex in unison to reduce cut spin.
Having surveyed more than 11,000 golfers, TaylorMade found that players who use game improvement irons expect performance and a premium feel – with a lot of what golfers perceived as feel related to the sound at impact. TaylorMade engineers therefore designed Qi Max and Qi Max HL irons to be as optimised for sound as possible. They found the top of the face and the topline are the most prone to undesirable sound because these are the areas of the head with the most flexion at impact. To counter this, they incorporated a sound stabilisation bar that connects the back bar to the topline, making it more stable and producing a more solid feel. The sound stabilisation bar also allows for the expanded use of ECHO Damping System material higher up in the face to reduce vibration.
Within the game improvement irons category, TaylorMade found that there are two distinct camps golfers fall into when it comes to shaping. To deliver for both, the Qi Max irons have a more aspirational, players look with a thinner topline, shorter blade length and reduced offset in the hosel. For those who feel bigger is better, Qi Max HL has slightly longer blade lengths, taller face heights, and a sole and topline which are both moderately thicker.
Golfers in the game improvement category also expressed a desire for a brighter, more metallic looking iron – so Qi Max and Qi Max HL irons have a brighter monochromatic look that draws inspiration from models in TaylorMade’s P·Series iron family.
Compared to previous generations, Qi Max irons feature a more compact profile. Both the topline and blade width are thinner, and there is less offset as the head blends seamlessly into the hosel.
Qi Max irons also employ FLTD CG, which positions the centre of gravity lowest in the long irons – enabling high launch and stopping power coming into the green – and progressively higher in the shorter irons for optimised flight and distance control. In the 4-8 irons, Speed Pocket technology also helps protect ball speed on shots struck low on the face.
Meanwhile, golfers looking for maximum carry distance and forgiveness in a lightweight package will benefit from Qi Max HL irons – which have a slightly larger overall profile designed to maximise forgiveness and carry distance. Qi Max HL irons employ lofts that are 3° weaker than those of Qi Max to help with launch and stopping power. This is coupled with ultralightweight heads, shafts and grips to help golfers with slower swing speeds maximise clubhead speed and launch.
