TaylorMade Qi4D vs Callaway Quantum Max Fairway Wood: Read Our Head-To-Head Verdict

It’s easy for the best fairway woods to get a little lost in the noise around drivers, especially as they typically share the same names and technologies. But it’s vital that we give them the attention they deserve in their own right, to make sure you get the club or clubs that are going to help you elevate your game. Whether you’re looking for help off the tee, increased distance and forgiveness off the deck, easy launch and a high flight into greens, or a combination of all of these qualities, the right set of fairway woods can add shots to your arsenal and save strokes on your scorecard.

The way we see fairway woods and how many we carry has also started to change thanks to the increased popularity of more lofted woods amongst Tour pros, most notably Tommy Fleetwood. The vast majority of golfers use a three-wood, but more and more five, seven and nine-woods are also being utilised at the top end of the bag as an alternative for hybrids and long irons.

The best TaylorMade fairway woods and the best Callaway fairway woods have often been on, or at least near the summit of the fairway wood hierarchy and their 2026 core clubheads – the Qi4D and Quantum Max – are once again right at the forefront of the market. So how do they stack up against each other, and which is the best for your game? We put the three-woods of each model through their paces to find out.

Latest Videos From

Watch full video here:

Technology

The TaylorMade Qi4D features an improved Speed Pocket, which is a slot behind the face that is engineered to allow the face to flex more at impact, thereby protecting ball speeds on off-center hits and effectively increasing the size of the sweet spot. It also helps to keep the spin down if you strike the ball thin or towards the heel or toe. The unique bulge and roll of the Twist Face uses the gear effect to keep mishits straighter.

It comes with an 8g weight in the back of the head as standard, but you can buy a weight kit on the TaylorMade website if you want to use different weights to tinker with the center of gravity and launch conditions. The 4° loft sleeve adds more customisation, enabling you to tweak the loft, lie, and face angle to dial in your preferred ball flight.

The Callaway Quantum Max takes a slightly different approach to boosting ball speed and forgiveness with the Speed Wave 2.0 weighting system. This places tungsten low and forward in the head to help optimize the launch and maintain ball speeds on low hits, especially when playing from the fairway. AI modelling has been used to precisely tune the face to optimize launch based on real-world impact patterns.

The other headline feature is the Step Sole Design, which is there to help the clubhead glide through the turf and even longer grass if you want to hit it from the rough. Maintaining that club speed at impact means more ball speed and better launch for longer and straighter shots. The OptiFit 4 hosel gives you independent loft and lie adjustability with eight different configurations.

Looks

The Qi4D is a cracking looking club. TaylorMade has opted for a slightly darker carbon crown compared to last year’s Qi35, which gives it a really high-end aesthetic and also makes it look like there’s a little more loft on the face at address, which really helps to instil confidence. The 185cc head looks pretty symmetrical and sits really nicely behind the ball, with a slightly flatter lie angle than its predecessor.

The Quantum Max looks a little larger and shallower at address and the sole sits really flush to the turf, which is a brilliant visual for players who want something that feels easy to launch off the deck. The contrast of the white grooves on the face also helps in this department, as you can really see the loft that’s there. It shares that now-familiar darker carbon visual on the crown, but it’s a bit shinier than the TaylorMade and features a metallic-looking strip across the front edge. Both heads have an alignment aid to help you set up with the ball in the middle of the clubface.

Performance

Both clubs performed incredibly well in indoor testing and out on the course, but there were some key distinctions to help inform your choice. Overall, the TaylorMade Qi4D was a touch longer and the Callaway offered slightly more forgiveness – but it’s fair to say both clubs excelled in both areas, so we’re really just nit-picking to hone-in on their exact profiles.

The Qi4D produced a ball speed of 155.6mph from a club speed of 107.9mph, compared to the slightly quicker speeds of 156.6mph and 109.1mph from the Quantum Max. But the TaylorMade carried the ball around four yards further thanks to a slightly higher launch angle and lower spin. The Qi4Ds total carry of 260.9 yards is the longest of any fairway wood we tested, and the Callaway isn’t far behind.

That added backspin from the Quantum Max – 3198rpm to 2876rpm – helped to create a high, towering flight, so even players who struggle to get their fairway woods airborne will have no problem here. The Qi4D’s apex is certainly on the lower side, but it’s by no means hard to launch and it’s a really strong and penetrative ball flight that still delivers a good amount of stopping power into greens, especially for faster swingers.

The Qi4D also stood out for the control and workability it offered, which is something that will appeal to better players. The raw power, lower spin and penetrating flight also make it a fantastic alternative to driver off the tee, while still being excellent when hit directly off the turf. The numbers and results from shots hit low on the face were really good, too.

The Quantum Max also demonstrated an amazingly consistent trajectory and results from a variety of strike locations, and it feels almost effortless to launch the ball off the deck, which is music to the ears of any players who can be intimidated by or struggle to hit fairway woods. It even performed really well from the rough, adding another important usage option for what is already a really versatile club.

Which club should you choose?

TaylorMade Qi4D if…

- You want maximum speed and distance from a fairway wood.
- You need an alternative to driver off the tee that’s also really versatile.
- You favour a lower, more penetrating ball flight.

Callaway Quantum Max if…

- You need forgiveness and consistency on off-center strikes.
- You want easy launch and a towering ball flight.
- You like to use your fairway wood in a variety of lies and situations.

For more driver buying advice, be sure to have a read of our guides on the most forgiving fairway woods, best fairway woods, best fairway woods for mid handicappers and best fairway woods for high handicappers.