Price
$157 per iron
TaylorMade Qi Max
Price
$157 per iron
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matt martian photography
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Why We Like It
- The multi-material cap-back is lighter than the steel it replaces to reduce weight in the high toe. This makes the club easier to square at impact.
- The center of gravity is lower in the long irons for easier launch and higher in the short irons for optimal control, launch and spin.
- A rounder sole geometry promotes improved turf interaction, higher impacts closer to the center of the face, and better launch conditions across varied lie angles.
- The “speed pocket” slot (up to the 8-iron) remains a vital component of the power element.
- Dampers inserted into the 4- through 8-irons feature ribbed structures that align with the contact area to get the impact feel just right while allowing the face to flex.
- Top 5 in Forgiveness, middle- and high-handicaps
- SPECS: 7-iron: 28 degree; PW: 42.5 degrees
what our testers said
handicap
- all
- low
- mid
- high
COMMENT SUMMARY
Hot List panelists observed a light, comfortable club with an attractive, engineered head that’s super easy to hit. Strengths: large sweet spot and forgiveness on off-center strikes, strong turf interaction, high launch and long carry (many found it a full club longer than peers), predictable window/trajectory on good swings, and a pleasing impact feel that can be pillowy or crisp on pure hits. One downside: a few testers found the impact sound off-putting. Overall, very forgiving, long and confidence‑inspiring.
Summaries generated from tester comments with the assistance of AI.
COMMENT SUMMARY
Summaries generated from tester comments with the assistance of AI.
COMMENT SUMMARY
Hot List panelists observed the club is comfortable, light and subtly styled, with strong turf interaction — it "bulldozes" through the ground. Highly forgiving with a massive sweet spot, easy launch, predictable flight and good workability; several testers found it carried a full club longer. Feels soft and solid on center strikes and presents trustworthy dispersion. One downside: a few players noted a hollow, high-pitched impact sound.
Summaries generated from tester comments with the assistance of AI.
COMMENT SUMMARY
Hot List testers noted a deep, accepting face with a reassuring topline, balanced feel and advanced engineering that produces explosive, high-launch shots that carry and hold greens. Center and off-center strikes yielded strong distance; bad swings still flew and good swings felt like they’d go forever, with a crisp, popping impact. The head/shaft combo felt light and fast yet supportive across the face. One caveat: Some found the sound on the higher-pitched side.
Summaries generated from tester comments with the assistance of AI.
Wei
55, Handicap 14
10+ years testing
There's a lot of neat tech behind it. Everything seems to scream that they put a lot of engineering into it. Super easy to hit. My bad swings still got really good distance, and my good swings? My goodness, they seemed to go forever. A really fun club to hit.
Shane
37, Handicap 12
6 years testing
Explosive off the clubface. It was almost like you didn't have to do much to get a lot out of it. Center, toe, heel shots, it didn't matter. The ball was just jumping off the face. The towering ball flight had me squinting, until I could clearly see the ball holding the green.
Scott
38, Handicap 16
10+ years testing
Abracadabra, this was like having a cheat code. I felt like I couldn't miss and just everything was going a mile. As soon as the ball reached its max height, it seemed to stay there forever, then drop out of the sky and stick. Immediate crisp, pop sound at impact gave me tingles.
Peter
58, Handicap 8
10+ years testing
Very cool, subtle looking cavity. You know there's some technology there without it looking like it's helping you too much. It's a bulldozer through the turf. Very forgiving and easy to hit long and straight.
Aaron
45, Handicap 16
1 year testing
I found it a little more difficult to hit than some others in this group. My mis-hits were big, and I couldn't get into a consistent groove with it. It must have been due to the smaller sweet spot. The trajectory was a little bit lower than I desired.
SEE ALL (24)
Wei
55, Handicap 14
10+ years testing
There's a lot of neat tech behind it. Everything seems to scream that they put a lot of engineering into it. Super easy to hit. My bad swings still got really good distance, and my good swings? My goodness, they seemed to go forever. A really fun club to hit.
Shane
37, Handicap 12
6 years testing
Explosive off the clubface. It was almost like you didn't have to do much to get a lot out of it. Center, toe, heel shots, it didn't matter. The ball was just jumping off the face. The towering ball flight had me squinting, until I could clearly see the ball holding the green.
Scott
38, Handicap 16
10+ years testing
Abracadabra, this was like having a cheat code. I felt like I couldn't miss and just everything was going a mile. As soon as the ball reached its max height, it seemed to stay there forever, then drop out of the sky and stick. Immediate crisp, pop sound at impact gave me tingles.
Peter
58, Handicap 8
10+ years testing
Very cool, subtle looking cavity. You know there's some technology there without it looking like it's helping you too much. It's a bulldozer through the turf. Very forgiving and easy to hit long and straight.
Aaron
45, Handicap 16
1 year testing
I found it a little more difficult to hit than some others in this group. My mis-hits were big, and I couldn't get into a consistent groove with it. It must have been due to the smaller sweet spot. The trajectory was a little bit lower than I desired.
Sean
54, Handicap 6
9 years testing
Despite all of the help that I could visually see, it did not perform well for me. It performs like a club that shouldn't be in this category, because when I did hit it well, it didn't go very far.
Jamie
52, Handicap 7
3 years testing
Forget about mis-hits, because this club's got your back. It has a massive sweet spot and delivers a soaring, high ball flight on every shot. It's pillowy soft at impact with a pleasant muted sound. The most enjoyable club I hit all day.
Matt
53, Handicap 11
4 years testing
Unfortunately, the only remarkable takeaway from hitting this club is that it produced an unusual left miss that I don't otherwise possess. Distance, forgiveness and height were all just average.
Todd
62, Handicap 13
1 year testing
Looking down, I enjoyed the reassuring topline and the very deep, accepting face. The club performed really well on centered hits and was forgiving on off-center hits. Love the balance throughout the swing. Overall, a great hitting experience.
Ryan
50, Handicap 10
8 years testing
A really comfortable, light club in your hands with a nice, appealing head design. The ball never darts tragically offline, so the forgiveness is very apparent. Distance was in line with my expectations.
Thomas
61, Handicap 7
10+ years testing
The distance is the most noticeable thing about these clubs. They're a full club longer than any of the other irons I hit in this category. The 5- and 7-irons were just launching. I didn't hit any bad shots with the 5-iron, and that might be a first.
Jin
30, Handicap 10
2 years testing
It has a high-pitched sound to it at impact. Doesn't feel like the ball is popping off the face very well. But in terms of dispersion, I found it pretty forgiving. So if you're more interested in accuracy than distance, this is the club for you.
Gary
38, Handicap 13
10+ years testing
I really like the combination of forgiveness and the higher ball flight. The head and the shaft felt light and fast, but then it also felt supportive across the face. My shots were always going through the same window. You could feel the muscle behind the sweet spot on pure hits. Nice, high trajectory and good distance.
Daniel
34, Handicap 11
6 years testing
Through the turf, the ground just dispersed underneath the golf club. It felt like I had a lot of clubface to work with, and a decent amount of workability, too. A little bit higher-launching, but it still had lots of carry. Probably one of the longer carrying clubs I hit in this category.
Anand
43, Handicap 6
10+ years testing
Extremely consistent club across the board. Easy to launch. Predictable trajectory and window through which the ball is going go, which is very important, especially with the 5-iron. Not the longest of the bunch, but very consistent in terms of ball flight and accuracy.
Ryan
47, Handicap 12
3 years testing
The look is a bit busy and chunky. It performed well, but nothing really stood out. The sole dug into the turf a little bit, which is maybe why most of my shots felt a little heavy. Distance is okay, but it doesn't feel workable in terms of shot shape.
Alejandra
27, Handicap 6
5 years testing
It's one of those clubs that makes you feel very comfortable. Both the feel and sensation whenever the ball leaves the club is very powerful. Not the highest or the longest in its category, but easy to repeat.
Chris
60, Handicap 8
1 year testing
This club is very pure on center hits. The ball takes off on a great line and stays true. Penetrating ball flight performs well across all elements.
Paul
64, Handicap 6
10+ years testing
I struggled with this one. The sound was off-putting, and I didn't get the pop off the face I was expecting. It looked strong at address, but it pretty much ended there
Matt
28, Handicap 7
2 years testing
Overall, it's a very forgiving club. My main issue with it is that it's very inconsistent—not in terms of shot dispersion, but more so trajectory. Some of my shots were moon balls, others line drives. I really didn't know what to expect. Definitely more draw-biased than others, which is interesting because I can't hit a draw to save my life.
Wayne
61, Handicap 7
3 years testing
I would put it in the just-above-average category. I didn't feel like the ball jumped off the face. It felt almost a little hollow. Forgiveness was good.
Skylar
27, Handicap 7
3 years testing
You really can't miss with this club. Every shot is perfect. Even if you're not hitting the ball directly in the center of the face, it goes exactly where you need it to. Really nice ball flight. It just climbs and then falls slowly. You can work the ball, but it tends to fly straight with just a little bit of your natural draw or fade.
Andrew
40, Handicap 8
1 year testing
it looks like it has some pop right in the middle of the face. However, the height of the ball doesn't seem to correspond with how it looks. Distance was just average.
Timothy
46, Handicap 17
1 year testing
This club was consistent, but it did nothing extra for me in terms of distance, forgiveness or launch. It was smooth to hit, but that's about the only positive thing I can say.
Wei
55, Handicap 14
10+ years testing
There's a lot of neat tech behind it. Everything seems to scream that they put a lot of engineering into it. Super easy to hit. My bad swings still got really good distance, and my good swings? My goodness, they seemed to go forever. A really fun club to hit.
Shane
37, Handicap 12
6 years testing
Explosive off the clubface. It was almost like you didn't have to do much to get a lot out of it. Center, toe, heel shots, it didn't matter. The ball was just jumping off the face. The towering ball flight had me squinting, until I could clearly see the ball holding the green.
Scott
38, Handicap 16
10+ years testing
Abracadabra, this was like having a cheat code. I felt like I couldn't miss and just everything was going a mile. As soon as the ball reached its max height, it seemed to stay there forever, then drop out of the sky and stick. Immediate crisp, pop sound at impact gave me tingles.
Aaron
45, Handicap 16
1 year testing
I found it a little more difficult to hit than some others in this group. My mis-hits were big, and I couldn't get into a consistent groove with it. It must have been due to the smaller sweet spot. The trajectory was a little bit lower than I desired.
Matt
53, Handicap 11
4 years testing
Unfortunately, the only remarkable takeaway from hitting this club is that it produced an unusual left miss that I don't otherwise possess. Distance, forgiveness and height were all just average.
Todd
62, Handicap 13
1 year testing
Looking down, I enjoyed the reassuring topline and the very deep, accepting face. The club performed really well on centered hits and was forgiving on off-center hits. Love the balance throughout the swing. Overall, a great hitting experience.
Ryan
50, Handicap 10
8 years testing
A really comfortable, light club in your hands with a nice, appealing head design. The ball never darts tragically offline, so the forgiveness is very apparent. Distance was in line with my expectations.
Jin
30, Handicap 10
2 years testing
It has a high-pitched sound to it at impact. Doesn't feel like the ball is popping off the face very well. But in terms of dispersion, I found it pretty forgiving. So if you're more interested in accuracy than distance, this is the club for you.
Gary
38, Handicap 13
10+ years testing
I really like the combination of forgiveness and the higher ball flight. The head and the shaft felt light and fast, but then it also felt supportive across the face. My shots were always going through the same window. You could feel the muscle behind the sweet spot on pure hits. Nice, high trajectory and good distance.
Daniel
34, Handicap 11
6 years testing
Through the turf, the ground just dispersed underneath the golf club. It felt like I had a lot of clubface to work with, and a decent amount of workability, too. A little bit higher-launching, but it still had lots of carry. Probably one of the longer carrying clubs I hit in this category.
Ryan
47, Handicap 12
3 years testing
The look is a bit busy and chunky. It performed well, but nothing really stood out. The sole dug into the turf a little bit, which is maybe why most of my shots felt a little heavy. Distance is okay, but it doesn't feel workable in terms of shot shape.
Timothy
46, Handicap 17
1 year testing
This club was consistent, but it did nothing extra for me in terms of distance, forgiveness or launch. It was smooth to hit, but that's about the only positive thing I can say.
Peter
58, Handicap 8
10+ years testing
Very cool, subtle looking cavity. You know there's some technology there without it looking like it's helping you too much. It's a bulldozer through the turf. Very forgiving and easy to hit long and straight.
Sean
54, Handicap 6
9 years testing
Despite all of the help that I could visually see, it did not perform well for me. It performs like a club that shouldn't be in this category, because when I did hit it well, it didn't go very far.
Jamie
52, Handicap 7
3 years testing
Forget about mis-hits, because this club's got your back. It has a massive sweet spot and delivers a soaring, high ball flight on every shot. It's pillowy soft at impact with a pleasant muted sound. The most enjoyable club I hit all day.
Thomas
61, Handicap 7
10+ years testing
The distance is the most noticeable thing about these clubs. They're a full club longer than any of the other irons I hit in this category. The 5- and 7-irons were just launching. I didn't hit any bad shots with the 5-iron, and that might be a first.
Anand
43, Handicap 6
10+ years testing
Extremely consistent club across the board. Easy to launch. Predictable trajectory and window through which the ball is going go, which is very important, especially with the 5-iron. Not the longest of the bunch, but very consistent in terms of ball flight and accuracy.
Alejandra
27, Handicap 6
5 years testing
It's one of those clubs that makes you feel very comfortable. Both the feel and sensation whenever the ball leaves the club is very powerful. Not the highest or the longest in its category, but easy to repeat.
Chris
60, Handicap 8
1 year testing
This club is very pure on center hits. The ball takes off on a great line and stays true. Penetrating ball flight performs well across all elements.
Paul
64, Handicap 6
10+ years testing
I struggled with this one. The sound was off-putting, and I didn't get the pop off the face I was expecting. It looked strong at address, but it pretty much ended there
Matt
28, Handicap 7
2 years testing
Overall, it's a very forgiving club. My main issue with it is that it's very inconsistent—not in terms of shot dispersion, but more so trajectory. Some of my shots were moon balls, others line drives. I really didn't know what to expect. Definitely more draw-biased than others, which is interesting because I can't hit a draw to save my life.
Wayne
61, Handicap 7
3 years testing
I would put it in the just-above-average category. I didn't feel like the ball jumped off the face. It felt almost a little hollow. Forgiveness was good.
Skylar
27, Handicap 7
3 years testing
You really can't miss with this club. Every shot is perfect. Even if you're not hitting the ball directly in the center of the face, it goes exactly where you need it to. Really nice ball flight. It just climbs and then falls slowly. You can work the ball, but it tends to fly straight with just a little bit of your natural draw or fade.
Andrew
40, Handicap 8
1 year testing
it looks like it has some pop right in the middle of the face. However, the height of the ball doesn't seem to correspond with how it looks. Distance was just average.
NO REVIEWS
There are no tester reviews here.
Range Results
We tracked 20,000 shots through player testing and then had them analyzed by our team of scientists. These graphics reflect the relative performance our players saw for each club in the category.
A Skeptic’s Guide To New Golf Equipment
From the Manufacturer
TaylorMade Qi Max
Proven TaylorMade patented face technology controls face flexibility to reduce “cut” spin that can result from fast face iron designs, allowing golfers to experience straighter shots throughout the entire set.
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