TaylorMade Qi4D Vs Callaway Quantum TD Max Driver Test: Which Wins?

Right then Joe, I think we've got the top two drivers of 2026, in your opinion anyway, here with us today

And what we wanted to do, having you done all the data, giving us your views, which you've seen online and in video

put them head-to-head out on the golf course and help decide between the two

Why are these the top two firstly and are they as close as you keep telling me

Well, they're the top two for me. This is a selfish video, isn't it

I'm almost trying to build my bag. We're only a bit of that elsewhere

but I've got down to the two that I think, I'd say for me, but also maybe the broadest spectrum of players as well

From the two bigger companies. Because there'll be people watching this thinking, I've got a massive slice, these are useless for me

I need those max Ds, there'll be people who want the lowest spinning product possible

But broadest spectrum, the highest performing and the quickest heads I've tested

I was really keen to see it, like I said, from a data point of view, inside. Really interesting, really close

I'll talk about that in a minute, we'll pop it all up on the screen. Yeah. I just wanted to get out

Where are we, Dan? we're at Cabot Citrus I keep calling it Cabot Circus in Bristol

that's a shopping centre in Bristol Cabot Citrus Florida two very different places

Cabot Citrus Farms we've just played we've just played on the Caroo

Caroo course and there's a load of drivers out there it's nice and open

but there's plenty of hazards of bunkers and waste areas to try and be able to hit

some different shots so it was yeah it was a good test

and I'm still I'm still trying to get my conclusions together but I'm getting

you're doing it right now I think so and I'm getting more of an idea of the kind of the in-play characteristics and people say this all the time don't they get it

all the time in the comments about nothing between them date is the same and to an extent that's kind

of true but when you see the the slight flight biases when you see the you know i tried to hit

a couple low bullets and one felt easier for that and there's certain ones missing one way one's

slightly missing the other side so these are the nuances i personally think when we're in this stage

of drivers that do a lot of similar things from a ball speed point of view from a forgiveness point

of view those are the differentiators for what we're really gonna tune it and make it appropriate

for for everyone's game and i was seeing that myself and this is the fascinating thing it's

all well and good you in the studio and getting your data that's a really important part of testing

but getting it out in real life what's really important let's talk about these models we've

spoken about you'll have seen it in the title and the thumbnail but let's get really specific about this we've got qi4d core and quantum triple diamond max the caveat here some people will say

well why have you not picked the core model from each range why have you not picked the max from

from the quantum because i think these two are the most similar comparable products so basically

the the core model in qi4d this year as you'll have seen if you've watched any of my reviews

on the review channel or the written reviews actually is basically the the tour only dot head

of last year in QI35 and in QI10. The head shape's changed

It's a slightly lower spin profile, but it is technically the core model

but it's on the lower spinning end of the spectrum, whereby this triple diamond max that has come in

is probably far more comparable in a launch and spin and overall profile point of view

So that's why, A, I'm comparing them because I think they're most similar, and B, because I genuinely

this is a head-to-head battle to get in my bag. To get in your bag, and they're very close. So spec the same, Ventus Black 6X

Yeah, 45 and a half inches, both tipped an inch. So it's a real head-to-head and spec point of view

And let's say the reason I brought you two out is because the data was so close for you. Data-wise, the main stuff I saw, I guess pound for pound in terms of packing a punch

they were pretty similar. But in my testing, in that controlled studio environment

when I'm just freewheeling, I just move that quicker. Yes. On average, I generally... The tail of me went quicker through the air for you

Yeah, for a number of sessions I had, the aerodynamic work, and that the story TaylorMade had been giving us that there no limit on club head speeds We know ball speeds and CORs have been limited but if you can move the implement quicker then realistically on the flip side of it you know on return and your output is going to get better

and that's what I saw I was swinging that on average around 119 mark I was more just over 117

with that which actually equated to a very similar amount of ball speed difference it's kind of two

miles per hour between each so really the callaway was probably a more efficient head if you're getting

two miles an hour more ball speed but you were moving it two miles an hour quicker you'd expect

to see that as a as a bigger gap so i would suggest all the smash factors i was seeing i was getting

more efficient work from the callaway head but because i was moving that quicker and subsequently

getting a two mile an hour quicker ball speed i was actually hitting that a little bit longer from a spin point of view i mean to get into the realness the qi4d core head was spinning a little

bit lower for me 2 300 revs i was 2 400 with that so it's like really nitpicking very similar product

but yeah i guess the point today was to get out on the course into those real like situations

you've got a dog leg left to right right to left we've had a decent wind here today uh on occasion

as well affecting that there's been a couple of you described quite beautifully as like puzzles

because there's bunkers you don't quite know where to land it and and these are things that never come

into your head when you're in and gathering data so let's talk about them on the course then

Am I going to get to a conclusion on this video? Because now I'm out on the course and I'm actually seeing more ball flights

and seeing with the shape of the holes, I'm actually feeling most of my misses with the QI4D are just a little weak cut

My misses with the Callaway, the Quantum Triple Diamond Max have just been what I've done there, just a bullet, hard straight pull

It feels like there's a little bit more left in that than that. Which ordinarily, a lot of good players would steer away from the one that goes left

I worry about right all the time. So you're happy to see that. And it's a really powerful

That's a powerful miss for you, what you just hit there, actually. The data, as we've seen, is negligible between the two

The ball speeds, the spin. I don't like the head covering. Yeah, the clanging. Well, I thought I'd get them out so you could see them

and I've just made them hurt each other. And you nearly took my eye out there. I think I do prefer the look head-wise of the QI4D

Seeing these in the sun, which we haven't seen at home, I prefer the Callaway. Do you

Yeah, I think it looks gorgeous. I like it. And what you see now with this QI4D, outside

so I've been testing this a lot in a shed and indoor studios with artificial

lighting. You can really see the slight little copper, see a little copper

hue. I like that. It's a hue. Who's Hugh? Hugh. You said that to me on the podcast

I was like, no. I've seen it in proper light. I completely agree. It looks gorgeous. They both look great

And as you said on the part, you said you reviewed, these feel like the two for this year. They're the two for you

And they're very pretty. I've enjoyed seeing and hearing you hit them. They sound great as well. That sounds more powerful for me

It's got a great thump to it. Back nine, I'm going to try and do a bit more of what I'm doing here

I'm going to try and do some different shots. I've just been in stock drivers on the front. I'm going to try and cut a couple

I'm going to try and hit some low ones. Good thinking. Let's stress test them, eh

Shut up, bro. Also pub. So I think, well, let's go. Let's start with feel

Feel, for me, you, Dan, on the camera, we were playing with Neil

Everyone was saying when I hit the Callaway, that's hit. Oh, that felt hit

that's ripped. Beautiful noise. It's beautiful, but it's more aggressive. It's slightly louder. It's slightly..

I think, yeah, probably aggressive is the right word for it, whereas the TaylorMade with the carbon face does have that

kind of dull, thump. It's a thump, but it doesn't... It genuinely doesn't sound as powerful

but it is as powerful. So, like, the data, again, so comparable, but it's a perception thing. Every time I hit

this, you go, oh, thumped. That looks good. That's hammered. That's hammered

It wasn quite immediately screaming that from the feel and the sound the acoustics coming from that one So that was an interesting play What I didn love about Triple Diamond last year in Elite I loved the whole head and I played it for a while

But two things about it, the last model was the head was a little bit smaller

So this is the 460cc version. So the Triple Diamond you can get in Quantum is 450cc

and sits a little bit more open, it's more compact, more pear-shaped. What they've done with the Triple Diamond Max, increased MOI

put it up to 460cc, spread the head out. and for me

all through the testing indoors and what I saw today outdoors my miss was left

which I like a lot of good players don't a lot of good players

want to take that left side of play Diaf Sam wants to see it go the opposite way entirely doesn't he

exactly the opposite I fear that big right so if I just hit one

and the club face just wanted to go a touch left on me I'm fine with that

it's a powerful mirror and I just lose that high spinny one and we saw that today

quite a lot they were misses but they were well down there

not in complete nonsense they weren't fanning up into the wind they were going through it and being in a fine

position for you yeah they i would say it was a more aggressive miss it was spinning less or

closing the face down it was hot and it was going i'd say my miss on that was safer yep it was

spinnier it was right so i'm prone to it i'm prone to that sort of high right so i guess you've got

to be careful what you wish for around a course like this was a little bit open yeah it's good

to have a miss that's aggressive and just still be up because there was a bit of room but if i was

playing another golf course where our, you know, oh, I've necked it, it's spun up, it's just dropped right

it's just in the right semi, but it's 25 yards back. Perhaps more playable at Woburn, for example, you know

Let me get your opinion, though, looks-wise, because I started out, I was 90... Smitten

Well, I was 85, 90% sure I'd be in QI4D. I love the look of it behind the ball

love how squarely it sits, love that white line on the top edge there, how it frames the ball

the crown of the Callaway in the sun today and again, we're out in the UK

I've not seen the sun since maybe October so to come out here and see these two heads in the light

and the same on the sole I think the Callaway's sole in the sun looks even more

even better than it does back in the studio at home so for me, the looks, the Callaway's absolutely killed it

this is a preference for me as well it's awkward because he's right-handed for me but I can see more loft on the Callaway

because of the laser etchings on the face that's something I prefer

you like the white line at the top of the tailor-made You can buy the fitting head that has the LMEs, the launch monitor

So you can see more of that. So if that's a preference, you can get it. And I like a banner strip and you don't

I've got a banner strip on my current driver. You don't like a banner strip. And these are all real nitty gritty personal things

But the Callaway and the Sunshine has absolutely shone. Both clubs have, by the way

They look mint. But that's an interesting thing, again, coming outside. Now, I knew you flew out here leaning toward the TaylorMade because of the data

because you played TaylorMade product before. Yes. And I just think you were like, I think this trip will confirm that this club will go in my bag

However, after today, and listen, we've only played, we did play 18 yesterday, we played 18 today

36 holes out in the sun in some nice conditions. I don't want to lead you. Where are you at

Yeah, I'm nowhere. Great, that's cool. That's a nice conclusion for everybody. I guess if you hope it would be..

Where's the payoff for people, Joe? I think to me this leads into the whole, fitting isn't a one and done

you can go into that fitting session you can spend an hour and go yeah these numbers are great i'll go

and i'll take that drive and then you get out on the golf course and the misses that were deleted

off the track man or whatever in the fitting are real you've got to go and pay them you've got to

go and find them and you've got you've got to see uh and your swing when you've got a consequence

because there's a bunker over there and there's trees over there it's very different to your swing in the fitting bay when you can just drag another ball and clap again yeah so i used to see all the

When I worked at Celtic Manor, there was a tailor-made fitter, Tom Davis, who used to bring the likes of Bradley Dredge and lots of all players down And the fitter would take maybe I don know a couple of hours to dial in what they think they want face angle and laugh But then they go out on the golf course and they put them on a tight hole

They'd go and find a hole with a left to right wind. And that's that stuff. How does stuff react when you're in that left to right wind and that shot you hate

And can you knock one down? I found I was more successfully knocking down that quantum

The Callaway, yeah. Much more aggressive flight when I was trying to hit that punchy one. But when I wanted to scoop one up and get some better air time

I found I was better off leaning back and scooping that up. So I just... It sounds like it needs more time, actually, if anything

And I'm sorry, that's not a great payoff for everybody, but that is the reality of testing equipment, right

One more thing to note, though. I thought one of the outstanding qualities about Quantum Max

the triple-driving Max, sorry, the toast rice. And we're going to get really into this on the review channel

and really start getting into strike location, what we're seeing in terms of ball speed drop-off

spin drop-off, dispersion drop-off. I alluded to it in the G440K review

whereby out of the heel, that's unbelievable. unbelievable like the free hosel design that ping have put in there sammy was testing was losing

like less than a mile an hour of ball speed and some really severe heel hits the toe strikes i

was getting off the callaway driver yeah of course still drawing still going left on me but they were

they were just ending up just into the left rough for example it's a couple of toe balls with the

tailor made that went further left than i thought and like i said i'm probably i came out here

leaning towards that. It's changed a little bit on course. And now my only option is to go back into the lab

Great. More data, more of that. Get back out on the golf course. More golf, more real life, yeah

Correct. And unfortunately, that's just a... People need to be aware of it. It's just a harsh reality of..

We want it to be so easy. We want to get into a fit in. We want the fitter to go, oh, yeah, you're 45 and a half inches

You're D4 specs, nine degree loft with this shaft. That's it for you, my friend

Romeo done, yeah. Show me on the golf course. show me the pressure all the things we've spoken about all the unquantifiable you've got two

brilliant drivers still to me the two outstanding drivers of the year for someone of a moderate to

quick swing speed i think you're going to struggle to get the launch and spin out of these if you're on the on the slower end of the spectrum but the payoff for the video to me is exactly that

just just invest some time that there's these are big money if you're gonna if you're going to be

going into a new driver this year more than ever it's going to cost you more money they're going

and it's only going one way. So put the pressure on your fitters

put the pressure on the people selling you this stuff to say... Or go back for more than one fitting on a different day

when your swing might feel a bit different, X and Y and Z. Go to one, two or three fittings and see how you get on

is a good bit of ysis. 100%. But yeah, to similar drivers

when you look at the launch data and you just look at raw numbers, very similar

You get out on the golf course, you begin to see those nuances, the personalities, what that does off the toe

When I'm trying to hit that low one, when I'm hitting that shape, You've got to get to know the characteristics

and see if that matches up with what you want in your game. And I'm sorry there's no conclusion

That's fine. I'm sorry that you're looking at me like I've let everyone down. And we are just sorry

That Callaway driver is sat in the sun now. It looks amazing. That's my takeaway from this

Thanks, Joe. You're more than welcome. You're trying to wrap up. I just want to know what everyone else thinks

There's going to be a ton of beer all over this. You should see this from every angle. You'll see me hitting it

We'll put some traces on. You'll see what's going on. let me know if you think I'm missing anything I should lean to one if you think I just look better

you're hitting another one just just let me know and let me know what you would play if you've tried

it really keen to hear it and that's all I've got Dan cool gonna go and have some pizza thank you

Thank you