Nelly Korda’s Secret Weapon: The Surprisingly Forgiving Driver Anyone Can Master—Here’s Why It Matters
Nelly Korda’s Secret Weapon: The Surprisingly Forgiving Driver Anyone Can Master—Here’s Why It Matters
Nelly Korda has been a dominant force on the LPGA Tour. She has had 15 victories since 2017 including an incredible seven wins in 2024 alone. Interestingly, Korda has opted for the TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver— a model specifically designed for added forgiveness. While forgiveness might not seem like a priority for a player of her caliber, Korda’s success with this driver raises an important point. Even the best in the world can benefit from extra consistency and playability off the tee. It’s a choice that might make you rethink what you need in your own setup.
Nelly Korda stats and LPGA Tour data
Before diving deeper into the TaylorMade Qi10 Max and its performance benefits, it’s worth looking at how it performs for Korda. Her average driver distance is just under 270 yards and she hits the fairway 75 percent of the time.
Although she is not ranked as the best driver on the LPGA Tour, you can see how these numbers have translated directly into her scoring average. She is No. 1 on par-4s and second on par-5s.
The TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver has an impressive 10,000 MOI (moment of inertia). The Qi10 Max driver redistributes mass for maximum stability and increased energy transfer. It’s designed to enhance forgiveness with a confidence-inspiring look at address.
The 60X Carbon Twist Face helps the Qi10 Max achieve better ball speeds and exceptional performance on off-center strikes. The Qi10 Max proves that forgiveness isn’t just for amateurs. It’s for the pros, too.
Most Wanted Qi10 Max testing
We tested a few Taylor Made drivers in our Best Golf Driver testing of 2024. The TaylorMade Qi10 Max earned a top 10 for accuracy. It’s a good choice for golfers looking to hit more fairways.
We use straight shot percentage and playable shot percentage as the metrics to determine the most accurate drivers.
The Qi10 Max struggled in the distance category. Of the 37 drivers we tested, it was 34th. For forgiveness (or consistency of shot outcomes), it finished just above the middle of the pack. The point is that the Qi10 Max is a fairway finder. It’s a great driver if you are looking to get your tee shot in the fairway more often.
That’s also a statistic that matters to someone like Korda. The TaylorMade Qi10 Max LS was considerably longer. It’s the low-spin model typically geared toward higher swing speed, more accurate players. Yet, she chooses not to play with it.
