In the first retro review of 2025 I have decided to mix things up a little and compare three TaylorMade drivers with a full decade of development between their release dates to see just how far technology has moved on in 20 years. I picked the two older drivers up from golfclubs4cash and have split the comparison up into categories of looks, sound/feel, performance and value for money. I was expecting to see monumental changes in performance… but was I to be proved right?
WATCH: We test a 2005 v 2015 v 2025 TaylorMade driver with surprising results
TaylorMade R7 QUAD (2005)
Who used it? Justin Rose, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen
What was the tech? A 410cc head fitted with four interchangeable weight ports housing two 10g and two 2g weights providing numerous configurations facilitating different flight and spin bias.
TaylorMade R15 (2015)
Who used it? Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Jason Day
What was the tech? The R15 featured a front weight track close to the face to facilitate a forward CG location and flight adjustability from the two 12.5-gram sliding weights. The track also doubled as a speed slot to allow more face flexing and higher ball speeds.
TaylorMade Qi35 LS (2025)
Who is currently using it? Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood
What is the tech? Moving weight internally to have the CG project out onto the face as low as possible creates high-launching, low-spinning drives that equate to maximum distance.
(Image credit: Future)
Looks
The R7 Quad is an extremely clean-looking model from the playing position. Its 410cc head looks even more compact than this number would suggest as much of the volume has been used to create a deep face rather than a large footprint, and the gloss black crown is very minimalistic.
(Image credit: Future)
The R15 is an altogether different proposition with a lot more going on visually, not least it’s colour. We were well into the white era from TaylorMade in 2015 following on from models such as the R11, and RBZ, and this look made it one of the most recognisable driver brands in golf. I purchased the 430 version (the R15 was available in both 430cc and 460cc options) and enjoyed the tidy, compact profile this offered behind the ball, although I did find the sole of the driver a little overwhelming in terms of visual stimulus.
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