Ping G440 vs TaylorMade Qi Max Irons

How they differ

Both makers put these sets in game improvement, so the differences are in the details each one publishes. TaylorMade lists slightly stronger lofts in the longer irons and names its stock shafts. Ping publishes offset for every club and lets you choose from a longer shaft list, but shows no price.

Category. Ping’s irons page labels the G440 “GAME IMPROVEMENT” and says it “best fits golfers in need of game-improvement technology who prefer a players-style shape in a premium, eye-catching appearance.” TaylorMade’s model comparison gives the Qi Max’s style as “Game Improvement” and calls it “Our Most Complete Game Improvement Iron, Ever.” Each label places the iron on its own maker’s scale.

Look and forgiveness. Ping says the G440’s shallower face, shorter blade and thin top line “have the look of a players iron but deliver the forgiveness and consistency of a game-improvement design.” Ping describes the G440 as delivering “faster ball speeds, high launch, and maximum forgiveness for improved consistency and control.” TaylorMade says Qi Max irons use “patented face technology that allows the entire face to flex uniformly at impact.”

Construction. Ping says “The next generation of PurFlex cavity badge expands and contracts for more distance” and “The shallower, thinner face saves weight, which is placed lower and farther back in the head.”

Loft. The two loft tables sit close together but are not the same.

• 4-iron to 8-iron. TaylorMade lists each of these clubs 0.5° to 1.5° stronger than Ping’s standard lofts. At the 7-iron, Ping lists 29° and TaylorMade 28°.
• 9-iron and PW. Both list the 9-iron at 37°. TaylorMade’s PW is 42.5° and Ping’s is 42°.
• Fitting options. Ping also lists Power Spec and Retro Spec lofts, 27.5° and 31.0° at the 7-iron. TaylorMade lists one loft per club.

A stronger loft will usually send the ball lower and further for the same swing, so a distance difference between two sets can come from loft rather than design.

Set makeup. Ping lists the 4-iron to 9-iron, a PW, a UW (47°) and 52° and 56° wedges. TaylorMade’s configurator offers 4-PW or 5-PW sets and an AW (48°), and its spec table runs from the 4-iron to an SW (54°) and an LW (58°). TaylorMade lists the LW in right-handed only. Ping makes the G440 in left- and right-handed models.

Offset. Ping lists offset club by club, from 0.27 in at the 4-iron to 0.08 in at the 56° wedge, with 0.18 in at the 7-iron. TaylorMade’s product page does not list offset for the Qi Max, so you cannot compare the two on paper.

Shafts. TaylorMade lists two stock shafts: KBS Max 85 MT steel in S and R flex, and REAX by KBS graphite in 75, 65 and 55 weights and S, R and A flex. Ping lists nine shafts, including the PING AWT 3.0, Ping ALTA CB Blue, KBS Tour and True Temper Elevate MPH 95, and does not mark one as stock. Steel or graphite iron shafts? explains what changes between them.

Price. TaylorMade shows a price on its page. Ping lists no price for the G440, so check the set makeup and shaft of each retailer listing before comparing them.

Who each one suits

• The G440, if you want a game-improvement iron with a players-style shape, want offset figures you can compare with your current set, or want to choose from a wider shaft list or Power Spec and Retro Spec lofts. Ping says the design generates “higher, longer shots that stop closer to the hole.”
• The Qi Max, if you want a named stock steel or graphite shaft, want the option of a 54° SW and 58° LW in the same family, or like slightly stronger lofts in the longer irons. TaylorMade calls it “Our Most Complete Game Improvement Iron, Ever.”

Game-improvement or players irons? explains what offset, sole width and set makeup change, and What makes an iron forgiving covers forgiveness in more detail. The Iron Finder narrows the field by how you strike it and your budget, and all irons we have researched lists other sets.