I Used A TaylorMade Qi4D Driver For 10 Rounds - Here’s How It Helped My Scoring

For some golfers switching drivers is the first port of call if their game goes awry. But for others, and I include myself in this, consistency is king and I would usually spend time on the range trying to discover the fix before looking into the equipment.

But after I got fitted into the new TaylorMade Qi4D driver, I knew I had to put it straight into play. My fitter Duane had unlocked a consistency of ball flight (a soft draw in case you were wondering) that I was excited to benefit from on the course.

When my driver arrived, it was heading into winter. Not the best time for a driver to be on debut, you might think, but I play in a competitive winter league which runs from November through to March and so I was keen to see how it would fare in a relatively high-pressure environment.

On the course, you need to feel comfortable over the ball with your driver and I was surprised at how confident I was over some nervy tee shots. This stemmed from firstly getting a proper fitting and recalling the good shots I hit towards the end in my final spec.

Then there’s how the driver looks behind the ball - the shape and size of the core Qi4D model is hard to fault and exactly what I look for. Not too large or cumbersome but not overly compact or intimidating either. The white strip on the top of the face really amplifies the clubface angle too, which helps when trying to shape starts and start the ball one way.

As I logged more rounds with the driver, I noticed some trends. My bad drives were certainly less bad and my overall accuracy improved. In 2025 I averaged 32 percent of fairways found, so clearly there was room for improvement.

During my rounds with the Qi4D I frequently found half the fairways, sometimes more and on one particular round I hit 10/14. This is no mean feat around my home course, which has narrow fairways lined with trees and plenty of doglegs both left and right that ideally require you to shape the ball both ways.

My playing partners often commented how my driving had improved since the switch. I can’t say with any certainty if I was any longer off the tee, but I would take being as long as before and a little straighter. Most importantly, it delivered on some really important shots. Under pressure is where you need help from your equipment and it got me in play when I didn’t put my best swing on it because of nerves.

Much of this comes down to the length of shaft. Going slightly shorter in a tipped shaft gave me better control of the strike. I realise now how crucial just hitting the ball out of the middle is versus swinging the driver faster and relying on this to maximise carry.

Obviously both is preferable, and the aerodynamics of the Qi4D has meant I can move it a little quicker, but a solid strike is the best way to unlock both distance and accuracy. I also saw shots curving away from the target less on slight mishits - I could aim down the right half of the fairway and trust the ball to come back gently.

A little extra loft than I was used to helped achieve a little more height and keep the ball in the air for longer without ballooning, which in the winter is invaluable when distance is all about carry versus relying on roll out after landing. But as the ground has firmed up in Spring, the high but penetrating flight has provided that optimum ratio of carry and roll.

I'm pleased to report I did in fact win the winter league, which I was delighted about. Was the Qi4D driver the key to this success? That might be overstating things, but it certainly played a big part.

In my most recent round with the Qi4D driver, the first qualifying competition of the year, I gained 2.19 strokes off the tee versus a 5 handicapper thanks to a combination of competitive distance and tighter dispersion. I even found the first two fairways, which is a rare feat indeed!

Performance off the tee has been proved to be an integral skill to scoring and the confidence the Qi4D driver has given me will hopefully speed up my progress on my journey down to scratch, hopefully.