Updated February 15, 2025. This article was thoroughly audited by multiple golf experts and coaches for its accuracy. You can read more about our rigorous testing protocol here.
TaylorMade’s new Qi35 Hybrid has hit the scene, promising to bring golfers a new mid-range weapon that can take the place of their long irons.
Built similarly to their Qi35 driver and fairway wood, the hybrid offers a few new features. Its streamlined build boosts launch with long distance and tighter dispersion than last year’s Qi10 hybrid.
So, does the hybrid live up to the hype of being a recent Golf Digest Hot List winner?
In our TaylorMade Qi35 Hybrid review, we’ll break down the club’s specifications, give you our honest thoughts after our hitting sessions, and provide an outline of who would benefit most from putting the Qi35 hybrid in their golf bag.
TaylorMade Qi35 Hybrid
Best TaylorMade Qi35 Hybrid for Mid Handicappers
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Specifications
- Loft: 17°, 19°, 22°, 25°
- Lie: 56°-61.5°
- Shaft Length: 39.75”-41.25”
- Swing Weight: D2/D3
Pros
- 3° loft sleeve offers customized face angle
- Multi-material club head delivers lightweight swing power
- Provides all the popular TaylorMade features
Cons
- Not ideal for higher handicappers
- Smaller club head requires consistent contact
TaylorMade’s Qi35 Hybrid offers many common features to the company’s clubs, such as the Twist Face technology, the Thru-Slot Speed Pocket, and the lightweight but sturdy Carbon Crown.
Available with either the Fujikura Ventus Blue HB or Mitsubishi Kaili Blue DarkWeave HY 95 shaft, golfers can customize the weight of the hybrid with their shaft choice and the weight of the interchangeable weight behind the face.
TaylorMade Qi35 Hybrid Features
Thru-Slot Speed Pocket
Located directly behind the face, the Speed Pocket increases flexibility across the entire hitting area.
TaylorMade extends the Pocket from toe to hosel to maximize forgiveness and reduce side spin for better on-target ball flight.
TSS Weighting System
Each Qi35 Hybrid has one weight behind the face, which golfers can interchange with heavier or lighter weights to customize the launch angle further.
The weight centers the power behind the center of the hitting area to reward consistent center-cut contact.
3° Loft Sleeve
The 3-degree loft sleeve offers 1.5-degree loft alteration in either direction, helping golfers raise or lower the face angle to customize the launch.
For lower handicappers, this can create a lower, more penetrating flight. For higher handicappers, it can boost ball flight to extend carry and increase overall distance.
Our In-Depth TaylorMade Qi35 Hybrid Review
Looks
When it comes to appearance, the hybrid looks like a slimmer version of the Qi35 driver and Qi35 fairway wood.
With the Speed Pocket prominently behind the face, there’s not much room for any other bells and whistles along the sole.
But that’s not necessarily a bad thing for golfers who like minimal design with their golf clubs.
At address, the two-piece combo of the face and head doesn’t immediately instill confidence because it looks rather clunky.
But if you’ve seen any new hybrids of the past few years, you know this design is how companies are getting the most speed and power from their mid-range clubs these days.
Sound
When it comes to sound, we found the Qi35 Hybrid delivers a clean, pleasing impact noise that doesn’t distract or leave you grabbing your ears.
At times, the sound could crawl up a bit on the decibel meter. But for the most part, the sound stayed well within the range of satisfying impact noises a golf club can make on the links.
On off-center strikes and impact low on the face, the sound remains relatively normal, although we felt it could get rather thin when the impact came off the toe.
Feel
Although the Qi35 Rescue and the Callaway Elyte Hybrid share many similarities, the Callaway Hybrid offers a firmer feel at impact.
The Qi35 hybrid’s crown feels the same as the Elyte’s, but the facepiece is softer.
In fact, with a softer golf ball, we initially felt the results didn’t particularly translate to the responsiveness we were getting from the hybrid.
But that minor complaint aside, this disparity didn’t last long as we quickly grasped the feel with the resulting ball flight after a few dozen swings.
When hitting the ball off the center of the face, you do get immediate feedback that’s incredibly satisfying with superb ball flight to match.
Performance
We found the Qi35 Hybrid’s performance lands somewhere between the Qi10 and Qi10 Tour Rescue Hybrids.
The Qi35 offers more forgiveness than the Qi10 Tour but delivers a more advanced ball flight with lower spin than the Qi10 could potentially generate.
With the enhanced shape of the Qi35 Rescue, we found the spin rate stayed relatively stable at around 4000 to 4300 RPM.
With that spin rate on the lower end of the hybrid scale for a 22° loft, the ball starts low and raises high into the air at its peak, helping create a soft landing that works well when hitting into a green.
The smaller head shape kept our focus on impacting the center of the face, but on our off-center strikes, we didn’t see a significant dip in ball speed, and dispersion didn’t stray too far away from our normal landing circle.
We feel this hybrid works best for low to mid handicappers who need a generous mix of distance and forgiveness with a more pro-style ball flight.
With a retail price tag of $300, you need to be serious about your equipment and be more than just a casual player.
Other Models Available
TaylorMade Qi35 Max Hybrid
Best TaylorMade Qi35 Hybrid for High Handicappers
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Specifications
- Loft: 20°, 23°, 27°, 31°, 35°
- Lie: 59°-61°
- Shaft Length: 38.75”-40.75”
- Swing Weight: D2
Pros
- Offers consistency for higher handicaps
- Lower CG with rear-positioned weight
- Larger club head delivers solid forgiveness
Cons
- Lacks adjustable hosel
The Qi35 Max Hybrid doesn’t have an adjustable hosel, which is certainly not ideal, but higher handicaps need consistency, which this golf club delivers superbly.
The larger club head offers a more forgiving hitting area to help keep the ball on target with tighter dispersion than the Qi10 Max Hybrid.
Ideal for mid-to-high handicappers, the Qi35 Max Hybrid offers a more accommodating footprint.
It helps golfers who struggle with inconsistent contact produce better shot quality from the tee box, fairway, and light rough.
TaylorMade Qi35 Max Lite Hybrid
Best TaylorMade Qi35 Hybrid for Senior Golfers
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Specifications
- Loft: 23°, 27°, 31°, 35°
- Lie: 59°-61°
- Shaft Length: 38.75”-40.75”
- Swing Weight: D0
Pros
- Larger forgiving club head boosts launch
- Modified CG location improves energy transfer
- Interchangeable rear weight anchors the club head through the impact zone
Cons
- Lightweight design doesn’t work for higher swing speeds
Ideal for older golfers who need help maximizing their swing speed, the Qi35 Max Lite Hybrid features a lighter club head that generates more speed.
The multi-material head offers strength, stability, enhanced performance, and excellent ball speed.
Equipped with a Mitsubishi Vanquish 50 shaft, the Qi35 Max Lite Rescue offers a boost to beginning and senior golfers who want more distance from their mid-range clubs.
Senior and junior golfers can equally benefit from playing the Qi35 Max Lite Rescue because it provides a reliable launch window that produces the length and rollout they need from their hybrids.
TaylorMade Qi35 Women’s Max Lite Hybrid
Best Women’s TaylorMade Qi35 Hybrid
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Specifications
- Loft: 23°, 27°, 31°, 35°
- Lie: 59.5°-61°
- Shaft Length: 37.25”-38.75”
- Swing Weight: C2
Pros
- Ultra-lightweight hybrid boosts distance
- High launch with exceptional forgiveness
- Modified CG raises launch
Cons
- Lacks loft sleeve, minimal adjustability
The Qi35 Max Lite Women’s Hybrid offers a lightweight option for women looking for a rescue club that provides an agile, fast golf club that increases distance and enhances all-around performance.
Another Golf Digest Hot List Gold Medal winner, the club is equipped with the Fujikura Airspeeder HY 50. With a mid-high launch and mid-level spin, the 54-gram shaft reduces weight to boost swing speed.
Ideal for casual women golfers who just want to play with clubs that will make the game more enjoyable but also capable enough to help lower their handicap, the Max Lite Women’s Rescue offers a premium option that produces the results golfers need to play their best.
Our Honest Verdict
We found that the TaylorMade Qi35 Hybrid offers lower spin than the Qi10 hybrid, producing a more penetrating flight with increased distance.
We also really enjoyed its forgiving hitting area and the improved dispersion compared to the Qi10 model.
Sound, look, and feel registered extremely high compared to the other 2025 hybrids, including the Callaway Elyte hybrid and Ping G440 Max hybrid.
The lightweight carbon-composite crown offered lower CG to boost launch and improve contact quality.
The adjustable hosel provides even more customization, something we enjoyed when crafting power fades that regularly found the target.
A stationary weight that can be swapped out also offers a customized swing weight to increase energy transfer to the golf ball.
Great for a wide array of golfers, the Qi35 hybrid delivers smooth, clean shot quality for your mid-range game.