Taylormade Qi10 Vs PXG 0311 Black Ops Driver
There are three 10k MOI drivers for 2024 and the Qi10 and PXG 0311 Black Ops represent two of them. So which one is better?
Taylormade Qi10 Driver Overview
“The Qi10 features a carbon crown, Twist Face technology and the Speed Pocket.”
The blue carbon face and minimal blue appointments on the sole are a refreshing departure from the red/black color scheme of the Stealth woods.
The Qi10 is extremely forgiving on all kinds of mis-hits. However, the spin was a bit too high for me (usually in the 2700 ROM range).
The Qi10 driver sells for $600.
PXG 0311 Black Ops Driver Overview
“The Black Ops driver features three weight ports, carbon fiber sole and AMF titanium alloy face.”
The Black Ops driver has an elongated head with a triangular shape. It looks very forgiving overall.
And despite the considerable footprint, the spin rates were amazingly low (around 2300 RPMs on average.
As a result, I was getting better ball speeds, more rollout and more overall distance. The PXG 0311 Black Ops retails for $600.
“In terms of distance, the PXG 0311 Black Ops is the better 10k MOI driver.”
Taylormade Qi10 Driver
In 20 Words or Less
The Taylormade Qi10 driver combines accuracy with forgiveness. It looks great behind the ball and in the bag.
PXG 0311 Black Ops Driver
In 20 Words or Less
“The PXG 0311 Black Ops is supremely adjustable and is one of the straightest of 2024’s new drivers.”
Taylormade Qi10 Driver – First Impressions
“I liked the depth of the face and the look of the crown right away.”
I could tell that this was going to be a very “user-friendly” driver and I was right. In fact, I had to open up my stance quite a bit to get a true mis-hit out of this thing. It’s very easy to find the sweet spot and even when you miss it, you aren’t punished nearly as much as you may deserve.
While the Taylormade Qi10 driver didn’t play quite as long as say, the new Callaway Paradym Smoke Ai Max, the dispersion was tight which is, I believe, more important for beginners and high handicappers. After all, distance will always follow accuracy – the inverse of that statement is not always true.
In any case, I loved the way the Taylormade Qi10 driver helped me produce favorable lies whether I was warmed up or not.
PXG 0311 Black Ops Driver – First Impressions
“I was first blown away with the dispersion.”
I hit a variety of shots (fat, thin, draws etc.) during my testing and after all was said and done, my average off-line divergence was just 11.4 yards.
I was blown away by the fact that no matter how I was swinging this driver, it was still producing very favorable lies.
Again, this was with the standard weight configuration (2.5g weights up front and the 12.5g weight in the back.
So I can only imagine what my dispersion would look like if I had moved the front weights up to 5 grams. But I digress.
The PXG 0311 Black Ops driver has an exceptionally solid feel thanks in part to the AMF (Advanced Material Face) face design but also because of the natural frequency optimization.
This is a design that the PXG engineers used to finetune the inherent vibration patterns on the club head – resulting in a pleasing frequency and inhibition of vibration.
And you can really feel the high MOI at play. For the uninitiated, high MOI essentially translates to tight dispersion because it keeps the head and face from deflecting or warping.
This minimizes cut spin which keeps the ball on-line.
Taylormade Qi10 Driver Selling Points
- Infinity carbon crown
- Third generation Carbon Twist Face construction
- Through Speed Pocket
- Higher MOI than previous Stealth models
- Multi-material construction
- Optimized head shape
PXG 0311 Black Ops Selling Points
- Advanced Material Face
- Natural frequency optimization
- Three movable weight ports
- Carbon fiber crown and sole
- Robotic face polishing
- High launching
- Low spin
- Many custom shaft options
Who is the Taylormade Qi10 for?
“The standard Taylormade Qi10 driver would be a good choice for handicappers in the 18-25 range.”
More to the point, if you are having trouble staying out of the rough with your current driver, the Taylormade Qi10 would definitely be worth the upgrade. The updated carbon fiber face construction works wonders towards coaxing favorable lies out of all kinds of mis-hits.
If you tend to hit the ball heavy or are a 25+ handicapper, the Taylormade Qi10 Max version would probably be better for you. But the standard is still plenty forgiving and accurate for most high handicappers.
Even as a brand new driver, the Taylormade Qi10 utilizes some of the most successful forgiveness features from past models like the Through Speed Pocket. And while distance could be enhanced a bit, I have to agree with Taylormade’s claims that the Taylormade Qi10 is the most forgiving driver in the company’s illustrious history.
Distance: 96/100
Accuracy: 98/100
Forgiveness: 98/100
Feel & Control: 96/100
Overall Score: 97/100
Who is the PXG 0311 Black Ops Driver for?
“The PXG 0311 Black Ops driver is great for mid and high handicappers.”
It’s actually hard to think of a group of players who couldn’t do with more forgiveness and tighter dispersion but I reserve my universal recommendation because of the head shape and launch.
Single-digit handicappers probably won’t get the most speed out of the PXG 0311 Black Ops because of the head size and the launch angles are probably too high for players who get extra carry by keeping the ball low.
But other than that, the PXG 0311 Black Ops is an excellent driver for anyone who wants near-automatic straight drives or anyone who wants the ability to shape shots to a fine degree.
Distance: 96/100
Accuracy: 98/100
Forgiveness: 98/100
Feel & Control: 97/100
Overall Score: 98/100
