H2H: Callaway Elyte vs TaylorMade Qi35 drivers 

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Kicking off the new golf season with the first head to head of 2025, we have the Callaway Elyte and TaylorMade Qi35 drivers. Which one of these giants will come out on top this year?

Choosing which driver to game is always a tough choice and if the Callaway Elyte or the TaylorMade Qi35 are at the top of your wish list for 2025, then it might be hard to know which one to put in the bag.

Don't worry though, we've put them up against each other to see which one comes out on top.

The all-rounder!

Credit: Callaway

Callaway Elyte

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Callaway's new Elyte drivers are designed to deliver more speed and forgiveness in three different head shapes.

PROS

• New 10x Smart Face delivers 10x more forgiveness across the whole face, as well as more speed and distance
• New aerodynamic head designs achieve faster club speeds, which equals more distance
• New Thermoforged lightweight carbon crowns come in a Gloss finish in the Triple Diamond and a matte carbon finish in the Elyte and Elyte X, so you've got a choice
• Plenty of adjustability on the sole and hosel to dial in ball flight

CONS

• The gloss finish on the triple diamond might not appeal as much as the matte finish on the Elyte and Elyte X drivers

Available for £569 from Callaway

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The main tech story in this range of drivers comes from the clubface. Callaway have continued with the Ai Smart Face which we saw in the Paradym Ai Smoke, but in the Elyte driver it has been refined and improved, and it is called the 10x Smart Face. This face design is going to deliver 10x more forgiveness, speed and distances across the whole face. Sounds good to us!
Aerodynamics has been a big focus for Callaway this year. A refined shape will allow you to swing the club faster, which of course will lead to better ball speeds. This is made possible using a new Thermoforged lightweight carbon on the crown, which is a gloss finish on the Elyte Triple Diamond and a matte carbon finish on the Elyte and Elyte X.  
There is adjustability throughout the three models on the sole which allows you to dial in your ball flight and increase your MOI. The Elyte TD has two weight ports which can be switched with one giving you more MOI and the other maximising speed off the face. The Elyte has a weight behind the face and three weight ports to dial in flight for optimising flight and speed. Lastly, Elyte X is the most forgiving option with the weight in the rear delivering the highest MOI possible with neutral and draw bias setting.

Full Review: Callaway Elyte driver

New Design!

Credit: TaylorMade

TaylorMade Qi35

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

TaylorMade have stepped away from the colour carbon face and gone with three heads that have the forgiveness, speed and adjustability you need.

PROS

• New look Chromium Carbon Crown finish frames the ball nicely and looks great at address
• The Qi35 Max is still 10K MOI and the TaylorMade Qi35 is larger in shape and boasts a 9K MOI
• More adjustability in the drivers allows ball flights and centre of gravity to be optimised
• Thru Slot Speed Pocket and Carbon Twist face have been refined for improved performance

CONS

• The Qi35 core head shape may be too large for some

Available for £529 from TaylorMade

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You'll see big changes to previous TaylorMade models in this driver. Firstly, TaylorMade has stepped away from the coloured face and gone with the black carbon face finish, which looks great. The TaylorMade Qi35 has a Chromium Crabon Crown which is lighter and stronger, allowing for a more aerodynamic shape.
There are still familiar technologies like the Thru Slot Speed Pocket and Carbon Twist Face which have been improved and refined for performance. But the noticeable difference comes in the head shapes. The Qi35 LS has two pin weights with a 13g TAS - which stands for Trajectory Adjustment System - weight in the front, two 3g weights at the front which you move around to dial in your ball flight in a low spinning head.  
In the Qi35 core model, you have the best of both worlds, in a larger head shape with two weight ports, one in the back and one in the front. The 13g weight can be placed in the back for more forgiveness and tighter dispersion. If you reverse it you will have faster speeds with lower launch and spin.
The TaylorMade Qi35 Max is still 10K MOI and has a 34g weight in the back delivering the stability needed, especially on mishits. Across the face, the spin rates are lower across the whole face by about 200rpm and will allow you to get fitted into the perfect setup. 

Conclusion

So, should you be putting the Callaway Elyte driver or the TaylorMade Qi35 driver in the bag in 2025?

If you look at the Callaway Elyte driver, you have new aerodynamics and the 10x Smart Face. Both of these help you with your dispersion and ball speed from the face. I really enjoyed what this had to offer as it went miles, it’s packed full of forgiveness, but there is one thing which may put people off and that is the aesthetics. There is a gloss finish in the Elyte Triple Diamond, and then the matte finish in the Elyte and the Elyte X. I know some people have said this driver looks cheap, which is very harsh in my opinion. Regardless, it's surely about performance, which the Callaway Elyte Drivers have an abundance of.  

The TaylorMade Qi35 on the other hand are some of the best looking drivers I’ve hit and I think they will be even more popular that the red and blue faces are no longer. These Qi35 drivers are very long and straight and if you mishit them the twist face technology brings your ball back on line. There’s so much adjustability in the head shapes that no matter what you're looking for from your driver, you'll probably find it here. You can set them up to give maximum forgiveness, increase distance or a bit of everything.

In terms of performance, it's so hard to pick between these two. I found they were so evenly matched, it was hard to pick a winner on that front. The TaylorMade is very straight and when you middle it, you'll get very long drives. The Callaway is long but is quite consistent on those mishits, producing a nice grouping. Therefore, it comes down to aesthetics and I know that will split opinion. For me, it's all about how they perform on the course and that's hard to pick a winner.

Want to see me putting them to the test? You can do that here...

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James Tait is bunkered’s Gear Editor. Want to know how the latest Callaway driver, Vokey wedge or Scotty Cameron putter performs? He’s the guy to ask. Better yet, just watch his videos on the bunkered YouTube channel. One of the biggest hitters in the UK, James also competes on the World Long Drive circuit and is a descendent of former Amateur champion Freddie Tait.

Gear Editor