Qi4D vs Qi4D LS: Why Lower Spin Does Not Always Mean Longer Drives

On October 23, 2026, MyGolfSpy published a fresh look at its TaylorMade Qi4D and Qi4D LS driver data. The interesting finding is not a product launch—both are 2026 models—but a challenge to a familiar fitting shortcut: a club marked "low spin" does not automatically produce longer or more controllable drives.

Two different approaches to fitting

TaylorMade classifies the standard Qi4D as mid-low spin and the Qi4D LS as ultra-low spin. Both are 460cc heads. The standard retail Qi4D has four movable Trajectory Adjustment System weights, two at 9g and two at 4g. Moving heavier weights toward the face is intended to lower spin; moving them rearward is designed to favor stability and forgiveness. Heel-and-toe positioning can also alter shot bias. TaylorMade lists two adjustable weights for the LS head.

Those are manufacturer specifications, not promises of a particular launch-monitor number. Loft, shaft, delivery, strike position and head setup all affect the result. The standard model is not inherently a high-spin driver.

What the 2026 testing found

The underlying MyGolfSpy Most Wanted Driver program covered 42 models and 20,580 shots. The October analysis compares the heads by swing-speed group rather than treating every golfer as interchangeable.

For testers swinging at least 105 mph:

| Metric | Qi4D | Qi4D LS | | --- | ---: | ---: | | Carry (yards) | 277.08 | 279.77 | | Total distance (yards) | 290.59 | 294.04 | | Accuracy score | 9.4 | 9.0 | | Forgiveness score | 9.1 | 8.7 | | Overall score | 9.2 | 9.2 |

The LS gained 2.69 yards of carry and 3.45 yards of total distance on average. It also returned lower accuracy and forgiveness scores. MyGolfSpy's scores are composites from its testing system, not percentages of fairways hit.

At middle swing speeds, total distance was effectively tied: 253.8 yards for Qi4D, 254.1 for LS. The standard head's accuracy score, however, was 9.7 compared with 8.4 for LS; overall scores were 9.3 and 8.9 respectively. In the slow-speed group the standard model averaged 199.5 yards total against 198.2 for LS, with overall scores of 8.8 versus 8.5.

There was another caution against simplistic labels. The high-speed LS group averaged 2,398 rpm of spin versus 2,335 rpm for the standard head. That does not establish that the LS design intrinsically spins more: real human deliveries vary, and these were not robot-controlled matched strikes.

Rory McIlroy's counterexample

TaylorMade's February 10, 2026 account of Rory McIlroy's fitting says he was concerned about unexpectedly low-spin shots, especially those below 2,000 rpm. A stable, repeatable flight window mattered more than achieving the smallest spin number. McIlroy settled on the standard Qi4D 9° head.

His tour setup used two 4g weights at the front and two 11g weights at the rear. That is a player-specific configuration and should not be confused with the standard retail weight specification of two 9g and two 4g weights. TaylorMade's account is a manufacturer description of one fitting session; it is separate from MyGolfSpy's consumer test.

Nor does McIlroy's decision make the LS wrong for everyone. Someone whose current launch conditions involve excessive spin may benefit from a correctly fitted LS head. The point is that the benefit must show up in actual shots.

A smarter comparison

A fitting should measure representative carry, total distance, launch angle, spin distribution, lateral dispersion and the effect of common mishits. Do not compare each club's single longest shot. The practical trade-off is between a small gain on good strikes and potential losses from wider dispersion or less consistent ball flight.

The takeaway from the October data is conditional, not commercial: the LS was a little longer for the fastest group, whereas the standard Qi4D delivered stronger overall results at middle and lower speeds. Neither model is automatically the correct choice based on the golfer's handicap or swing speed alone.

Sources: MyGolfSpy analysis, October 23, 2026; TaylorMade's official Qi4D specification; TaylorMade's McIlroy fitting report, February 10, 2026. Independent test observations are distinguished from manufacturer's descriptions.