Price
$157 per iron
TaylorMade Qi Max HL
Price
$157 per iron
OFFICIAL RETAILER
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matt martian photography
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Why we like it
- To minimize the odds of hitting a slice, TaylorMade uses a multi-material cap back that is lighter than the steel it replaces and wraps around the high-toe area. Less weight here makes it easier to square the club and hit straight shots.
- The irons feature extreme heel-toe weighting to provide stability across the clubface.
- Slots on the sole allow the face to flex, providing plenty of ball speed despite weaker lofts.
- A compression damper in the 4- through 8-irons minimizes pesky vibrations on mis-hits.
- The center of gravity is lower in the long irons to help trajectory and progressively rises, allowing for penetrating short-iron shots that aren’t at the mercy of the wind.
- A longer blade length and wider topline than the Qi Max promote stability and less ball-speed loss on off-center hits.
- SPECS: 7-iron: 31 degrees; PW: 44.5 degrees
What our testers said
handicap
- all
- low
- mid
- high
Ryan
47, Handicap 12
3 years testing
Sitting behind the ball, this club looks great. They did a great job of keeping the head small and compact. It just doesn't look, or perform, like it belongs in this category. Performance was above-average. Very good ball flight with good energy behind the ball.
Ryan
50, Handicap 10
8 years testing
Really effective driving the ball through the wind and getting maximum runout, even on higher-trajectory shots. I found the face to be quite lively and jumpy, but in a most pleasing way. Slightly firm feel on impact. It's got a nice compact look that looks very clean and professional.
Gary
38, Handicap 13
10+ years testing
You can feel the technology behind the face helping to transfer energy into the ball at impact. Nice medium-to-high trajectory. It felt like a better players iron in terms of its height and precision.
Aaron
45, Handicap 16
1 year testing
Heavier than I would like and/or expected. I had some difficulty with turf interaction. Distance was average, but it felt like I had to work a little harder to get it. Lower launch than you would want from this category.
Matt
53, Handicap 11
4 years testing
If you're playing this club near an airport, you may hear from the FAA. It's an extremely high-launching club. The pitching wedge went way higher than I expected. The ball falls straight out of the sky and drops straight down on top of the target. Good forgiveness, but only average distance.
SEE ALL (12)
Ryan
47, Handicap 12
3 years testing
Sitting behind the ball, this club looks great. They did a great job of keeping the head small and compact. It just doesn't look, or perform, like it belongs in this category. Performance was above-average. Very good ball flight with good energy behind the ball.
Ryan
50, Handicap 10
8 years testing
Really effective driving the ball through the wind and getting maximum runout, even on higher-trajectory shots. I found the face to be quite lively and jumpy, but in a most pleasing way. Slightly firm feel on impact. It's got a nice compact look that looks very clean and professional.
Gary
38, Handicap 13
10+ years testing
You can feel the technology behind the face helping to transfer energy into the ball at impact. Nice medium-to-high trajectory. It felt like a better players iron in terms of its height and precision.
Aaron
45, Handicap 16
1 year testing
Heavier than I would like and/or expected. I had some difficulty with turf interaction. Distance was average, but it felt like I had to work a little harder to get it. Lower launch than you would want from this category.
Matt
53, Handicap 11
4 years testing
If you're playing this club near an airport, you may hear from the FAA. It's an extremely high-launching club. The pitching wedge went way higher than I expected. The ball falls straight out of the sky and drops straight down on top of the target. Good forgiveness, but only average distance.
Jin
31, Handicap 10
2 years testing
The trajectory is what stood out to me. Even on mis-hits, while it didn't fly as high as some others, it still gets to a height that maybe a regular players iron would go. I saw a lot of variance in distance, but not in dispersion. It holds the line very well.
Daniel
34, Handicap 11
6 years testing
It doesn't look like a super game-improvement club, but it sure performs like one. You feel a lot of energy transfer from the club to the ball at impact, which sends it shooting up and out. Big-time carry distance. You don't sacrifice any yardage with the additional height that you're getting with these.
Timothy
46, Handicap 17
1 year testing
The club didn't do much to help me. My good strikes were good, but my bad strikes were unacceptably bad—short, left, right, and everywhere in-between. I need a bigger sweet spot to increase my chances of ever hitting it consistently in the middle of the face. This club doesn't have that.
Scott
38, Handicap 16
10+ years testing
Through the ball, one of the most fun, explosive-sounding and sweet feelings I've experienced with an iron in some time. And then you get the joy of watching the ball fly through the air—it just sails to the moon and then drops like a rock. This is what a good time feels like all in one golf club.
Shane
37, Handicap 12
6 years testing
The ball flight was so high, it felt like it was costing me some distance. Yet, it was still pretty to watch, like a SpaceX launch. If the mission is to get the ball off the ground and up in the air, this is one club you want on your team. There's no challenge to getting the ball up, and it's so easy to slide through the ground.
Todd
63, Handicap 13
1 year testing
It looks like a very well-made club. Unfortunately, it didn't deliver a very satisfying feel at impact, even on my better hits. The launch was fairly low and the distance seemed to be a bit under my baseline. I attribute some of that to not coming through the ball in a very crisp, forgiving manner. Overall, it just did not give me the feedback that I wanted or was expecting.
Wei
56, Handicap 14
10+ years testing
The thicker topline had me thinking I couldn't mis-hit it, and yet somehow I could. It's not a very lively, responsive club. The sound at impact is similar to that of dropping rocks on a cement floor. Distance was acceptable, but definitely not eye-popping. Combine the lack of forgiveness with the lack of results, and it's hard to love this club.
Ryan
47, Handicap 12
3 years testing
Sitting behind the ball, this club looks great. They did a great job of keeping the head small and compact. It just doesn't look, or perform, like it belongs in this category. Performance was above-average. Very good ball flight with good energy behind the ball.
Ryan
50, Handicap 10
8 years testing
Really effective driving the ball through the wind and getting maximum runout, even on higher-trajectory shots. I found the face to be quite lively and jumpy, but in a most pleasing way. Slightly firm feel on impact. It's got a nice compact look that looks very clean and professional.
Gary
38, Handicap 13
10+ years testing
You can feel the technology behind the face helping to transfer energy into the ball at impact. Nice medium-to-high trajectory. It felt like a better players iron in terms of its height and precision.
Aaron
45, Handicap 16
1 year testing
Heavier than I would like and/or expected. I had some difficulty with turf interaction. Distance was average, but it felt like I had to work a little harder to get it. Lower launch than you would want from this category.
Matt
53, Handicap 11
4 years testing
If you're playing this club near an airport, you may hear from the FAA. It's an extremely high-launching club. The pitching wedge went way higher than I expected. The ball falls straight out of the sky and drops straight down on top of the target. Good forgiveness, but only average distance.
Jin
31, Handicap 10
2 years testing
The trajectory is what stood out to me. Even on mis-hits, while it didn't fly as high as some others, it still gets to a height that maybe a regular players iron would go. I saw a lot of variance in distance, but not in dispersion. It holds the line very well.
Daniel
34, Handicap 11
6 years testing
It doesn't look like a super game-improvement club, but it sure performs like one. You feel a lot of energy transfer from the club to the ball at impact, which sends it shooting up and out. Big-time carry distance. You don't sacrifice any yardage with the additional height that you're getting with these.
Timothy
46, Handicap 17
1 year testing
The club didn't do much to help me. My good strikes were good, but my bad strikes were unacceptably bad—short, left, right, and everywhere in-between. I need a bigger sweet spot to increase my chances of ever hitting it consistently in the middle of the face. This club doesn't have that.
Scott
38, Handicap 16
10+ years testing
Through the ball, one of the most fun, explosive-sounding and sweet feelings I've experienced with an iron in some time. And then you get the joy of watching the ball fly through the air—it just sails to the moon and then drops like a rock. This is what a good time feels like all in one golf club.
Shane
37, Handicap 12
6 years testing
The ball flight was so high, it felt like it was costing me some distance. Yet, it was still pretty to watch, like a SpaceX launch. If the mission is to get the ball off the ground and up in the air, this is one club you want on your team. There's no challenge to getting the ball up, and it's so easy to slide through the ground.
Todd
63, Handicap 13
1 year testing
It looks like a very well-made club. Unfortunately, it didn't deliver a very satisfying feel at impact, even on my better hits. The launch was fairly low and the distance seemed to be a bit under my baseline. I attribute some of that to not coming through the ball in a very crisp, forgiving manner. Overall, it just did not give me the feedback that I wanted or was expecting.
Wei
56, Handicap 14
10+ years testing
The thicker topline had me thinking I couldn't mis-hit it, and yet somehow I could. It's not a very lively, responsive club. The sound at impact is similar to that of dropping rocks on a cement floor. Distance was acceptable, but definitely not eye-popping. Combine the lack of forgiveness with the lack of results, and it's hard to love this club.
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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.
From the Manufacturer
TaylorMade Qi Max HL
The new Qi HL (Higher and Lighter) is designed with weaker lofts and a lightweight component package. Perfect for players who can benefit from a higher launch, more spin and increased clubhead speed to help maximize carry distance and accuracy.
A Skeptic’s Guide To New Golf Equipment
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