LOW-SPIN DRIVERS
TAYLORMADE Qi10 LS £529
Lofts: 8° / 9° / 10.5° Stock shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Limited Blue 65 (mid launch), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Ltd Black 65 (low launch) TG VERDICT: The Qi10 LS has a huge amount riding on it, as this is the model that will be played by the majority of Taylormade’s tour stars, including Rory Mcilroy. Our data has the LS producing our fastest ball speed of not just the low-spin driver category, but, in the hands of our pro, the fastest ball speed of any driver we tested this year. That highlights the benefit of front-weighted, low-spin drivers for high-speed players, and a performance that explains why brands spend millions on R&D to create tech such as carbon driver faces.
In our fastest ball speed setting, the LS was just two yards back from our very longest low-spin driver, but experience says such small margins could easily be reversed on another day’s testing. Interestingly, this set-up also gave our pro the largest dispersion of any low-spin driver tested (1,148.4yds²). Once dialled into his preferred and more stable Mitsubishi Diamana X flex shaft (a move that reduced carry by a single yard), the shot area tightened by 84.3% – the second smallest in our entire low-spin category.
When it comes to shelf appeal, we’re huge fans of the new Infinity Crown. It removes the narrow, intimidating slither of titanium from the top edge that’s given the company’s last few driver generations the impression of being a touch unforgiving. If sound is your hang up, it seems safe to say that you won’t hear a crisper, more powerful sounding driver when hit by the higher speed players the club was designed for.
If you are a high-speed player, see how the LS compares to Taylormade’s brilliant Qi10 Max driver. Thanks to the Max head being so big, with so much weight located at the back, it’s possible to dial down loft and get similar spin numbers between the two models.
CALLAWAY PARADYM AI SMOKE TRIPLE DIAMOND
£569.99 Lofts: 8° / 9° / 10.5° Stock shafts: Project X Denali (lower launch), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Series Blue (mid launch), Project X Cypher 2.0 (higher launch) TG VERDICT: The original 2023 Paradym TD was an absolute beast, and the Ai Smoke is even better. But to use it successfully, you need to fit Callaway’s target audience for the Ai-designed head: a high-speed, consistent player. If that’s you, this is a seriously fast, powerful and strong low-spin driver option. If you don’t quite fit the profile, you’re putting way too much forgiveness on the line in your search for ball speed. With 276 yards’ carry, this was our pro’s second longest low-spin driver in 2024. Yet unlike the lower launching, flying and spinning but very slightly longer Titleist TSR4, he felt he could play this set-up on the golf course. It’s worth noting that switching the 14g weight from the back port to front reduced backspin by 203rpm, but also lowered launch by a degree, height by six yards and descent angle by 4.7°. For our test pro, that would make the model virtually unplayable, unless he only played links golf and wanted to flight shots significantly lower to let them run out. It has an unforgiving look at address, but to play a driver like this you need to appreciate that this is the set-up Callaway players such as Jon Rahm want to see. For club golfers, we’d prefer to see an alignment aid on the top edge. We can’t overstate how fast and powerful the driver is, as long as your game fits its set-up down to a tee. That’s why it’s one of our two top low-spin driver recommendations for 2024.