TaylorMade has been at the forefront of driver technology for almost 50 years. Over that time, it has become famous—or in some cases infamous—a generation ago for introducing multiple drivers at multiple times a year. But that philosophy on driver launches is changing as the company does not plan to introduce a new driver in 2027.

The switch to a two-year launch cadence for its woods lineup likely will mark the first year since 2001 that the company has not launched a new driver. It also matches the usual launch cadence for some other leading driver companies like Titleist and Ping, leaving at least for now, Callaway and Cobra as the only manufacturers offering new wood lineups annually.

The decision was a logical progression of the company’s approach to new product intros. Already, its iron, wedge and ball lines largely operate on at least two-year cycles. It will now do the same with the Qi4D lineup, which includes four driver models, four fairway woods and three hybrids. It also reflects the increasing challenge of innovating in the game’s most complex category in a 12-month window, said Brian Bazzel, TaylorMade’s vice president of product creation.

“We’re not the same company we were 20 years ago or even 10 years ago,” he said. “And then, I don’t have to tell you this but the golfing world has changed. That annual cadence of a new driver was made for a different era, when performance gains were much larger and the rampant innovation to get those performance gains was happening at a high clip. ”

While golf consumers have come to expect a rush of new drivers on the market to start every year, Bazzel is suggesting that the expectations of longer and longer drivers may have reached an unsustainable level.

“Everyone desires large performance gains, that’s a fact, but year-on-year improvements are becoming more and more difficult to show those big gains, do it each and every year, and that is the reality that we have to come to grips with.”

Bazzel also noted that the golf consumer has changed, too, most especially in the way he or she goes about the buying process. With fitting so essential to purchasing the right new driver, coupled with price points that are in some cases 40 percent higher than they were five years ago, expecting golfers to frequently change out perhaps the most important club in the bag (and certainly the most expensive) doesn’t make sense. Golf Datatech’s research among avid golfers suggests the average purchase cycle for a driver now is close to five years. In 2012, it was every 3.4 years.

“Golfers get to fall in love with their product, and they want to hang on to it a touch longer,” Bazzel said. “The data does suggest that, and again, we’re just trying to pay attention to what’s going on.”

Bazzel made another point on the fitting front. With fitters so central to the messaging of a new wood lineup these days, it often takes them several months to fully familiarize themselves with all the fitting nuances of a new family of drivers from one company, let alone all the major manufacturers. Giving the wood cycle a full two years increases the opportunity for them to learn and communicate more effectively with golfers. It also gives the R&D team time to learn and more room to understand how certain innovations are resonating.

“Real performance gains now requires such sophistication in technology so if you really want to get that next little leap, it just requires so much more, the advanced materials, constructions and manufacturing methods,” Bazzel said, noting that even now the innovation timeline per new model is closer to two-and-a-half years. “It is complicated and compressing that into one year to show something meaningful to the golfer and even to listen to the golfer and apply that is not really an obtainable recipe. We need to give our team time to create those bigger leaps is what we’re realising now.”

And while sales numbers for clubs in general have been trending generally positive almost yearly since the COVID bump, the early figures for 2026 suggest a cooling-off period may be starting. According to Golf Datatech, wood sales in March were down 15 percent in units compared to 2025 and 12 percent for the year. Other than in the pandemic of 2020, units sold for March were the fewest in that month since 2002.

A two-year cycle creates different challenges for the company, an opportunity “to flex a new muscle,” Bazzel said. “The important piece is for us to stay as intense as we’ve always been, and to not let this longer cycle bleed any complacency into this organisation.”

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In the hyper-fickle world of professional golf gear, Nelly Korda was an outlier. For two seasons, she leaned on the same TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver; for nearly eight years, she refused to budge from a specific compact, pear-shaped head profile that fit her eye.

When you’ve captured 15 LPGA titles and two major championships with a specific look and feel, the “if it ain’t broke” mantra usually wins out.

For elite players, a driver’s shape isn’t about vanity — it’s about shot-shaping. In Korda’s case, it was finding something that not only checked the looks box, but also possessed the ability to turn the ball over on command.

For the first time in two years, Korda was able to clear both hurdles with a different driver in the bag after extensive testing with TaylorMade’s Qi4D.

During the testing phase, Korda found the Qi4D’s footprint gave her the confidence to turn it over with ease.

“The most important thing is the comfort I have over the ball when I look down,” Korda noted. “After that, it’s just if it performs the way I want to.”

The performance shift was immediate. By utilising the four movable weights in the head, tour reps migrated mass toward the back heel to induce a draw. To match her swing patterns, the adjutable sleeve was moved into an upright setting, along with more loft, for lie angle and launch purposes. (The internal weighting bias effectively assists the face in closing at impact, making this the most “draw-biased” setup Korda has played in her professional career.)

While the shape helped nudge her in the direction of Qi4D, the ball speed gains made the decision permanent. In early testing sessions, Korda saw an immediate 3 mph uptick in ball speed — a number that’s rarely seen at the professional level with highly optimised builds.

On the range at her home course, she was reportedly carrying bunkers that had served as landmarks for her “limit” for years. But speed without a tight miss is a liability. For Korda, the win wasn’t just peak velocity but the stability of the spin rates. Strikes from out of the geometric centre recorded roughly 2,400-2,500 RPMs, while misses saw spin increase to 2,600 RPMs.

In recent years, equipment manufacturers have worked to corral spin on mishits, in an attempt to make heel or toe strikes perform like a “good ball.” For Korda, the 100 RPM delta meant her misses weren’t ballooning or falling out of the sky; they were staying in the same air-space as her flushed shots.

The final piece of the build was a departure from her previous shaft profile. Using an R&D recommendation system that analyses swing delivery — specifically how the shaft deflects at the bottom of the arc — Korda was fit into Graphite Design Tour AD FI 6-S.

The “FI” profile features a slightly stiffer tip section than her previous gamer, adding rigidity at the bottom of the swing to help stabilise the head through impact.

Korda’s 16th career win in her first start with the new stick at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions suggests that sometimes, even the most ingrained habits are worth breaking for the right set of numbers.

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3 Cool Things

1. Irons Just For Him. McIlroy has used these irons since joining TaylorMade in 2017, capturing 18 PGA Tour titles, including this year’s Masters (to complete the career Grand Slam), two Players Championships and two Tour Championships.

“They’re a beautiful set,” McIlroy told Golf Digest in 2017. “I’ve traditionally been a muscleback blade guy my whole career, and they’re beautiful. The irons I had before, the topline was maybe little thick, but these are thinner on top and have a little less offset and they look really good to my eye and feel great.”

Rory McIlroy at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic – Getty Images

2. A compact shape. The RORS∙PROTO irons have a small, sleek profile that provides workability. Made of 1025 carbon steel, they undergo a multi-step forging process to ensure precise shaping as well as enhanced feel. A horizontally milled channel in the cavity separates mass on the vertical axis for precise inertia and trajectory control—something better players can appreciate.

3. Spot On Specs. Inspired by the P·730 irons, the RORS∙PROTO 7-iron and 8-iron have a thinner topline, which is McIlroy’s visual preference. Instead of the MX9 grooves found in P·730, RORS∙PROTO irons have TW2 grooves that are used in P·7TW irons. The irons include FORGED on the hosel with four colored dots underneath to represent each of the Grand Slam wins.

Rory McIlroy completing the career Grand Slam – JD Cuban

The stock spec for RORS·PROTO irons include weaker-than-typical lofts with the 7-iron checking in at 34 degrees and the pitching wedge at 46 degrees making holding greens a breeze. Consumers can of course, build the irons to their own specs.

 

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But this drive deserved further investigation.

Watch Rory hit the TaylorMade Qi35

That’s because it’s no longer safe to assume every tee shot McIlroy records over 300 yards came with a driver in hand. Not after McIlroy confirmed during his pre-tournament press conference that he now has two clubs in the bag with a carry number that starts with a three — and one of them is a 3-wood.

“So this 3-wood that I have carries like 300, 305 in the air, which is a really, it’s a really good club for me to have,” McIlroy said.

It’s the kind of club that could come in handy next month at Augusta National. Indeed, McIlroy is in full-on prep mode for the Masters as he prepares to chase the elusive green jacket with a re-worked gear setup.

All of the gear changes McIlroy unveiled at Bay Hill can be tied to an impromptu ball change from TaylorMade’s TP5x to TP5 in the run-up to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. McIlroy liked the feel and “spinnier” shots TP5 produced around the green, so he decided to see how it performed in a game situation at Pebble Beach. He went on to win by two shots.

The ball change eventually led McIlroy to weaken his 46-degree Milled Grind 4 wedge this week to 48 degrees to “to sort of bridge the gap between having a 46 and a half and a 54” for three-quarter shots where he’s comfortable adding spin.

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“I just feel like with the ball I’m a lot more comfortable playing those sort of half- and three-quarter shots, so comfortable going back to three wedges,” McIlroy said.

The ball change led to a wedge setup change, which eventually turned into wholesale changes at the top. Never one to turn down more speed, McIlroy went searching for a club that pushed 300-plus in the air to handle courses where the landing areas “pinch in” at 310, 320 yards.

“Then I sort of had to look at the top end of the bag then of how I was going to configure it,” he said. “I can’t hit driver because it’s just too narrow, but then I would hit my 3-wood that’s going like 285, 290, but guys that are shorter than me are hitting driver sort of 300 or 310, so I’m actually, I feel like I was at a disadvantage in some ways, even to like people that hit it shorter than me, depending upon the course setup.”

McIlroy found TaylorMade’s Qi35 3-wood (15 degrees) and 5-wood (18 degrees) to be the ideal fit to fill the 300- and 280-yard carry roles. Yes, McIlroy’s 5-wood goes 280. The TaylorMade Proto 3-iron, another new addition, goes 260, if you aren’t already slack-jawed.

If you’re keeping track at home, McIlroy’s 3-wood is more of a 2-wood, the 5-wood is a 4-wood and the 3-iron is a glorified 5-wood.

McIlroy also added a TaylorMade Qi35 “Dot” driver that features the forgiveness of the core head with a slimmed down profile that’s reminiscent of the Qi35 LS. This one goes 330 yards without breaking a sweat.

“It just sort of gives me more options off the tee,” he said. “Especially with being so comfortable at the other end of the bag with the wedges and hitting those three-quarter shots that it’s nice to have those options up at the top end of the bag.”

It’s nice indeed, Rory.

Images: Supplied

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Price: The irons cost AED 7,195 from eGolf Megastore.

3 Cool Things

1. About face. In players-distance irons it is all about creating speed. Here, the long irons are made from a high-strength 4340M steel alloy that is 20-percent stronger than before. This allows the face, which wraps around the sole in an L-shape, to create a better trampoline for added yards.

Also assisting distance is the company’s hallmark cut-through slot in the sole. This feature, found on the 4- through 7-irons, achieves more bend for shots struck low on the face, where most mis-hits occur. That mitigates ball-speed loss on those shots and translates to consistent distance.

• The face on the long irons is made of a high-strength forged 4340M Chromoly steel alloy and wraps around the sole in an L-shape to create a more effective trampoline effect.
• A cut-through slot in the sole enhances flex for shots struck low on the face.
• Tungsten (30 to 40 grams) is positioned horizontally and low on the long irons to provide a better launch. On the middle irons, a chunkier piece rests vertically closer to the toe to improve stability on off-centre strikes.
• The key to getting the weighting right is how the back wall of each iron uses alternating thick and thin sections, almost like latticework.
• The short irons (8-iron through gap wedge) eschew tungsten so that the centre of gravity progresses higher with each successive loft to prevent shots from ballooning.
• By injecting the heads with a lightweight urethane foam, the thin face can still flex while unwanted sounds and vibrations are controlled.
• Top 5 in Performance, low- and middle-handicaps.
• SPECS: 7-iron: 30 degrees; PW: 44 degrees

2. It’s what’s inside that counts. Key to getting the weighting right is how the back wall of each iron uses alternating thick and thin sections, almost like latticework. This was achieved through the use of modal analysis, where each head has been strategically engineered to control the frequencies that ultimately dictate feel and sound at impact.

“Our goal with P·790 irons was to take sound and feel to the next level,” said Matt Bovee, global category director, irons and wedges. “We were able to accomplish that through individual head optimization and the stiffening of key internal structures while maintaining the world-class performance P·790 irons are known for.”

Also contributing to a pleasing sound and feel is the use of a lightweight urethane foam that is injected into the heads. This allows the thin face to still flex while unwanted sounds and vibrations are controlled.

3. Getting progressive on CG. Each iron has a job to do and that means one centre-of-gravity position does not suit every club. TaylorMade’s “FLTD CG” positions the CG lowest in long irons for easier launch and playability, and progressively higher in the shorter irons for precise spin, distance and trajectory control.

To do this, tungsten (30 to 40 grams) is set horizontally and low on the long irons to provide better launch, while on the middle irons a chunkier piece rests vertically out toward the toe to improve stability on off-centre strikes.

There’s no tungsten on the short irons (8-iron through gap wedge) to allow the centre of gravity to progress higher with each higher loft to optimize spin and prevent shots from ballooning.

Images: TaylorMade

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That time, however, has come to an end.

With that extension expiring at the end of 2024, the union between the two-time major winner and the equipment powerhouse ended as well, TaylorMade confirmed, although there was no comment on whether it was Johnson’s or TaylorMade’s decision not to go forward.

TaylorMade is the only equipment company Johnson has been with since turning pro in 2007. One of the biggest stars on the PGA Tour, Johnson amassed 24 victories, including a pair of majors (2016 U.S. Open and 2020 Masters) as well as a string of at least one win in each of his first 13 seasons on tour.

But in 2022, the former World No. 1 left the PGA Tour for LIV, going on to win three titles on that circuit and top the nascent circuit’s individual points title in 2022. Meanwhile, the Johnson/TaylorMade split underscores the conundrum regarding LIV golfers and endorsements.

LIV golfers, especially high-profile players who have signed seven-, eight- and nine-figure contracts, don’t necessarily need equipment endorsements to supplement their on-course earnings, allowing them to become equipment-free agents if they chose. And manufacturers might be inclined to let deals expire if they don’t feel their getting a return on their endorsement investments. By doing so, they risk the potential that LIV continues to move from upstart to a permanent part of golf’s ecosystem in which having players competing in their events who are part of their tour staff will be important from a brand-building standpoint. On the flip side, how much exposure does a company receive as LIV players wear hats branded with team names, not company names.

There’s also the undeniable fact that Johnson, who turns 41 in June, is far from his competitive best. Not that golfers who age can’t be competitive, but Johnson’s performance on LIV and in last year’s majors, with its smaller fields, hardly smacks of his salad days. Although he did win the LIV event in Las Vegas, in eight of the 13 events he finished 20th or worse in eight of them. And in the four majors in 2024, he missed two cuts with a best finish of T-31 coming at the Open Championship at Royal Troon.

Even so, the split clearly wasn’t a result of dissatisfaction with equipment. Johnson, a Golf Saudi ambassador, was still using a TaylorMade driver at the LIV Golf Riyadh season-opener last week.

Main Image: LIV Golf

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It went pretty dang well.

In his first PGA Tour start of 2025, McIlroy and his new sphere hit the accelerator and pulled away to win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in impressive fashion, using an eagle on the par-5 14th to create some separation from a pack of competitors.

That eagle was the result of a 339-yard bomb off the tee followed by a 7-iron from 201 yards to 26 feet. McIlroy’s driver is a 9-degree TaylorMade Qi10 with a 45-inch Fujikura Ventus Black 6X shaft. McIlroy uses the adjustable hosel to drop the loft to 8.25 degrees.

McIlroy’s win, his 27th PGA Tour title, was bolstered by statistical dominance off the tee. He was first in strokes gained/off the tee, gaining more than six shots on the field, to go along with first in distance at 336.7 yards per measured tee shot.

His work on the greens was impressive as well. Not always a strong suit, McIlroy ranked fifth in strokes gained/putting with his TaylorMade Spider Tour X X3 mallet, picking up nearly five shots on the field on the greens.

Both those clubs were familiar, but the ball was not—and how he landed on the change was not standard issue.

“I sort of stumbled upon it,” McIlroy said. “I was messing around at [the Grove XXIII] last Thursday, and I just started to hit some chips with the TP5 instead of the TP5x. I really loved how it felt, and I hadn’t really tested the 2024 TP5. I loved how it was reacting around the greens and then I started hitting some 60- and 70-yard shots with it and it was coming off much lower launch, but spinnier.”

 

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The clubs Rory McIlroy used to win the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Ball: TaylorMade TP5

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10, 9 degrees

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10, 15 degrees

5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10, 18 degrees

Irons (4): TaylorMade P760; (5-9): TaylorMade Rors prototype

Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 4 (46, 50, 54, 60 degrees)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X X3

Main Image: Al Chang/ISI Photos

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For the second time in the past year Tiger Woods’ Sun Day Red brand is facing trademarking issues.

Last week footwear giant Puma filed a notice of opposition to the logo for Woods’ new fashion line. The German sneaker and apparel company says the Sun Day Red logo is too similar to the logo that Puma has been using since 1969. The company filed to prevent the TaylorMade-owned golf brand from being able to use its proposed mark.

“Due to the confusing similarity of the marks and the identical, legally identical, or closely related nature of the goods and services of the parties, consumer confusion is likely between the Challenged Marks and the Leaping Cat logo,” Puma said in the filing.

This comes after another company, Tigeraire, filed a lawsuit in September, contending the Sun Day Red logo “unlawfully hijacked” the design of its branding. Tigeraire’s logo also contains a leaping tiger. That opposition remains in litigation in court.

When Woods launched his new golf apparel line last May, he explained the leaping tiger with 15 stripes represented the number of major championships won during his career. Woods unveiled the creation of Sun Day Red in February after announcing that his 27-year association with Nike had come to an end. Woods was seen wearing his Sun Day Red apparel on Tuesday night’s debut of TGL, the tech-infused golf league that Woods has partnered in with Rory McIlroy.

Main image: Kevork Djansezian

READ MORE: Tom McKibbin linked with move to Jon Rahm’s team on LIV Golf, shuts down rumours

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It’s been a while since a real Christmas Classic, but TaylorMade went deep into their bag of tricks and pulled out some Photoshops for the ages. Tiger Woods as Clark Griswold? Rory McIlroy starring in “Home Alone”? Nelly Korda as Buddy the Elf, Scottie Scheffler as Santa Claus and Tommy Fleetwood as John friggin’ McClane?! What else could one want for the holidays?

“We did it again!” #TeamTaylorMade got into the holiday spirit by recreating the iconic posters of some of our favorite Christmas movies.

First up, @McIlroyRory, @collin_morikawa and @HullCharley! pic.twitter.com/710mmJoetW

— TaylorMade Golf (@TaylorMadeGolf) December 23, 2024

After quite an eventful season chockful of wins and dramatic failures, it makes sense that McIlroy would star as Kevin McCallister in “Home Alone.” We’re excited for the sequel, “Home Alone 2: Lost in Riyadh.” Charley Hull should be holding a cig but Collin Morikawa at least gets to show off his acting chops.

.@TigerWoods taught us everything we know about exterior illumination. #TeamTaylorMade pic.twitter.com/x7niFDqLRX

— TaylorMade Golf (@TaylorMadeGolf) December 23, 2024

TaylorMade makes sure to point out that Woods “taught us everything we know about exterior illumination,” and it’s nice to see the old man show off some new tricks at the PNC Championship. Gotta watch out for Bernhard Langer; he’s always ready to take your gig … or your playoff victory.

.@tommyfleetwood1 is here to settle the debate once and for all…

Yes, it IS a Christmas movie. #TeamTaylorMade pic.twitter.com/yeUMPHVopD

— TaylorMade Golf (@TaylorMadeGolf) December 23, 2024

Tommy Fleetwood might not have won the big one (yet) a la John McClane, but he looks good in a wife-beater and will have another chance to take down Hans Gruber—aka every other PGA Tour pro—this upcoming year.

World No. 1 in…The Scottie Clause. #TeamTaylorMade pic.twitter.com/ecx9abnMnE

— TaylorMade Golf (@TaylorMadeGolf) December 23, 2024

“The Scottie Clause” is an inspired choice because the rest of the tour pros are seeking a clause to push Scheffler out of the PGA Tour. Save some wins for the rest of us, Scottie.

“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” –@NellyKorda #TeamTaylorMade pic.twitter.com/TF7Xft2g6H

— TaylorMade Golf (@TaylorMadeGolf) December 23, 2024

Not sure who Nelly Korda upset at the TaylorMade team but her eyes are certainly Buddy the Elf bugging out in this one. Will Ferrell would be proud. Someone cast Korda in a golf movie. Perhaps the new “Happy Gilmore.” She could be the first pro golfer to pop up in that one…

And finally, @BrookeHenderson as Ralphie! #TeamTaylorMade pic.twitter.com/ioi9xMiNqx

— TaylorMade Golf (@TaylorMadeGolf) December 23, 2024

Don’t have any witty remarks for this one. I’ve never actually seen “A Christmas Story.” *ducks* Sorry, everyone. Brooke Henderson as Ralphie rocking the glasses makes a lot of sense though.

Anyway, ‘tis the season for marketing and we’re glad that TaylorMade brought its A-game and A+ stable of tour pros to the table. Looking forward to the “Love Actually” remake in which Greg Norman stands on Yasir Al-Rumayyan’s doorstep holding a card that says “To me, you are perfect.”

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Back in October, Andre was waiting in the baggage claim at RSW Airport in Fort Myers, Florida after returning home golf a trip to Atlanta. But when his golf bag finally arrived on the conveyor belt, he noticed something was wrong. As he inspected further, he realised that sometime between boarding the plane in Georgia and touching down a few hundred miles later, his clubs appeared to have been … burned???

At first, Andre barely recognised his own bag because the damage was so extensive. “Then I realized when it came around again, ‘Oh my god! These are my clubs!’ The freight guy said they dragged it … it wore through the protective covering, then they started to spark and then it caught everything on fire,” he explained to WSB-TV Atlanta.

Andre and his wife Andre filed a $4,000 claim with Delta—which also came under, ahem, fire when a video of two bag handlers chucking a college golf team’s clubs went viral this spring—writing, “We have to make it right. And in that case, that means writing a check for the value of the clubs. That’s all we’re asking for.”

Despite Andres’ plea, Delta initially denied the request. But after more back and forth, the airline, which generates over $50 billion in revenue annually, finally agreed to honor Andre’s claim.

Obviously, the news came as a relief to Andre, who called Delta’s apology and settlement the “miracle of all miracles.” It’s also good news for golfers everywhere. We’ll still be chomping our fingernails every time we fly with our clubs in tow, but Andre’s saga gives us hope that no matter what happens to our clubs—whether they be burned, drowned, frozen or accidentally sent to Easter Island—justice will be served.

All Images: WINK / CNN Newsource

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