Equipment
Jason Day discusses new TaylorMade Qi35 driver + putter testing
As featured on this week’s episode of Inside the Ropes, our Andrew Tursky caught up with equipment free agent and sartorial sensation Jason Day to discuss his latest tinkering.
Check out a portion of their conversation below, which was originally published on PGATour.com’s Equipment Report.
Day on his new TaylorMade Qi35 driver, with a Fujikura Ventus Red VeloCore+ shaft
Day has mostly been using a Ping G430 LST driver since 2024, but this week at Bay Hill, he switched it up and is likely to use a new TaylorMade Qi35 9-degree head.
“I was using the Ping for awhile,” Day said. “I do like the Ping. I feel like Ping is very, very stable. I can say whatever I want because I’m not on contract, which is fantastic. So this feels hotter (points at the Qi35) than the Ping…that TaylorMade driver right now, it’s – and I don’t have the speed that I used to – but I was on the range cruising at 175 mph on Monday, which was quite nice. So once you start getting some adrenaline going, you start cruising at 177, hopefully popping into 180. And the spin was right, which was good.
“I think the Ping was good, but I started getting a few more misses, and then I just lost a bit of trust in it. I did change shaft from a TPT to a (Mitsubishi Diamana WB 63 TX). I just don’t know if that was the right combo for me. But yeah, the Ping stability from toe to heel, the off-center hits, amazing. It feels unbelievable, in that 430. And this one (the Qi35), I’ve only played it a couple days, so currently I’ve hit it pretty decent. I tend to toe miss it more than heel miss it on woods, and with my irons I tend to heel miss it, which is kind of a weak combination, but that right now is pretty good, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Day on testing the brand new TaylorMade Spider 5K-ZT
This week at Bay Hill, TaylorMade unveiled completely new Spider 5k-ZT putters. The “ZT” stands for “Zero Torque,” which means they’re made to resist twisting of the putter head throughout the stroke. Zero Torque designs have been a popular trend on the PGA TOUR in recent years, and now it seems that TaylorMade is throwing their metaphorical hats into the ring.
So far, TaylorMade has stayed quiet about the new putters, but on Monday, Day tested the putters for himself, and even went onto the SAM PuttLab machine for data feedback.
Here’s his lengthy personal review of the putters after testing them against his longtime TaylorMade Spider Itsy Bitsy Red putter:
“So I need a little bit of bias (in the head),” Day said. “I can’t have it spinning – you know, how you can have it in your hands and spin the shaft, and it falls anywhere it wants to – I need a little toe hang. I need some sort of bias so I can actually feel the club in my hands. And I think that’s what they’re building me right now. Because I feel like there’s no feeling, you know what I mean?
“I tested it on the SAM PuttLab, granted it was, my putter’s at E1 (swingweight) and that putter there was – they had to take 11 grams, really they needed to take 15 grams of weight out of it to match my Spider putter. They took 11 grams out, as much as they could, so they’re going to bore the head a little bit to try and get it down to E1 so it matches my Spider putter. Because on the SAM PuttLab, I had more of a left bias swing path on the Spider putter, and the ZT was a lot more consistent back and forth. I aimed it better too. It made a massive difference.
“The only thing is, is that because it was a little heavier, it was the same face, same insert, because it was a little heavier it just popped off a little bit different, and I think it gave it a little more energy. The speed control, it felt like it just gave it more energy behind the ball, behind the putt, and I kept hitting everything long. But on breaking putts – left to right, right to left – it tested way better than my Spider. But I haven’t got it in. But maybe in the future…right now, I love the way it looks, I’ve always liked center-shafted putters. For many, many years now I’ve been saying, and to TaylorMade, I go ‘Look, you guys need to make a putter that when you put it on the ground, on the surface, it doesn’t twist.’
“Like they explained, like now, the bottom is completely different than any other Spider…essentially you can put it on the ground and you’re not twisting it. Because if you get it on a slick surface, like this week at Bay Hill, sometimes the grass gets burnt at the end of the week it gets really brown, and that starts to move around a lot. But when you have it sitting flat on the ground, where it’s just like flush to the ground, there’s no chance of it moving. So you just go straight in, and then you’ll be manipulating like this, and you’ll be looking up, and sometimes with my red putter it’s like aiming over there or over there, just because it’s twisted.
“These companies are so big, I think once LAB came out and made the putter, I think everyone is following suit now, which is interesting. Everyone follows trends, and I don’t blame ‘em because that’s what’s hot right now. LAB putters have done very well. Not only among certain groups out here, but also consumer-wise, I think a lot of people love ‘em.”
Watch the full episode of ITR below!
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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