“It’s slightly hotter, slightly faster” - Tiger Woods talks about the new TaylorMade driver
An opinion from Tiger Woods on any golf-related topic is always welcome, and if it has to do with equipment, even more so. Not surprisingly, fans have been consuming Woods' opinions after testing TaylorMade's new Qi10 LS driver.
The company itself released a video this Tuesday (January 16), showing Tiger Woods talking about the new Qi10 LS driver. Evidently, the video was produced several weeks ago, as Woods is seen still wearing his Nike-branded attire.
In just over a minute, Tiger Woods explained the main advantages that, in his opinion, the new driver has. The post on X (formerly Twitter) garnered over 137,000 views in just two hours. More than 12,000 users watched the video on Instagram and YouTube.
Here's what Tiger Woods had to say about the TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver:
"This [TaylorMade Qi10 LS] driver aesthetically, to my eye, is very pleasing, because I've always liked a very straight and clean top line. Seeing a straight clean top line helps me [to] line up a shot easily and I love how it's traditionally pear-shaped, that's how I've always liked my drivers to look like. I know it's different with having a blue face instead of a red face, but I think the top line is the more attractive part about the driver.
"From the testing, I'm hitting it slightly further, the best hits have come in, they're more condensed, they're not as offline... I'm not spraying the ball quite as much, it is slightly hotter, slightly faster, but definitely more forgivable. I think that's one of the things that everyone is going to really love about trying this new Qi10 LS."
What is known about the TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver tested by Tiger Woods?
The TaylorMade Qi10 LS was added to the United States Golf Association (USGA) List of Conforming Driver Heads in November 2023. As of that date, it is legal to use it in all tournaments under the governing bodie's mantle.
According to Golfweek, the new TaylorMade driver comes in 8-, 9- and 10.5-degree versions. It also features a carbon fiber face and a sliding weight in the head.
The first player reported to be using the Qi10 LS in an official tournament was Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman used the new TaylorMade driver at the DP World Tour Championship.
Subsequently, Tiger Woods participated in a practice session with a group of executives from his sponsor Monster Energy. At the time, there were rumors that Woods used the Qi10 LS on the range.
Tiger Woods himself also tested the new driver in competition. It happened at the Hero World Challenge, where Woods had an average driving distance of 304.90 yards, a longest drive of 370 yards and a driving accuracy percentage of 65.38%.
Most recently, Tommy Fleetwood won the Dubai Invitational carrying TaylorMade's Qi10 LS in his bag.