We put a 20-year-old TaylorMade R580 XD driver up against the brand-new 2025 TaylorMade Qi35 to answer the question every golfer wants to know—how much better are today’s drivers really?
In this head-to-head test, we compare distance, forgiveness, ball speed, and feel between these two generations of TaylorMade tech. Then, just to make things interesting, we swap in a modern premium shaft into the old R580 XD to see if a new shaft can bring old tech back to life.
Can a $200 classic compete with a $900 modern driver? Or are we all just paying for hype? Watch until the end for some shocking results that might change how you think about upgrading.
⛳️ Comment below—which one would YOU game?
Follow us on social media!
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@embersgolf
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmbersGolf/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embersgolf/
https://embersgolf.com
Embers Golf
7705 W 108th Ave
Westminster, CO 80021
#TaylorMade #golf #Qi35
47 Comments
Please do a shafts 101 for dummys video
And a swing weight effects video
1:27 wow i hope she isn’t watching…
you guys are great id love to get a round in with you guys
i use a 2004 callaway big birtha driver still… lol
I bought a second hand cobra speedzone driver. Great condition for about $150 USD. same dispersion and distance as my mates latest driver when hitting both at the range. Not sure driver technology changes that much every 5 years, but 10 years yes
It's about getting the right shaft. It should be professionally fitted. The driver head makes a difference, but the shaft makes the most difference.
So I literally just changed over to a newer driver last month because I cracked the face of my R580. It's got a bunch of micro fractures in the center of the face. Drastic sound and feel change and dropped almost a hundred yards immediately. So mad..
You're a 13 handicap and I'm the new Pope.
I want to see that GHIN screenshot.
About time, he has been trash.
Those are 50 bucks all over the internet. How did you even find one for 200? Lol
You paid $200 for that driver??? 😂😂😂
You got ripped off lol
So what's you guys handicap again ? +20 …
That's literally my driver still, Tristan gave it to me when I came out for your graduation lol!! @embersgolf
50 bucks and i am givong money aeay
if you paid 200 for that XD driver you paid about 120 to much . those drivers are dirt cheap used . still love the R5 driver , wish I still had my old one with the Graffaloy Blue 65 stiff shaft . 🙂
The R540 and R580 with no lines in the hitting area are the illegal ones, with .860 COR. The R540 was insanely better than R580 back then, as the R580 spun way way more
I had the R580 with a Grafalloy Pro Lite 3.5 Reg and got 300yds.
I used the same, still have it in my garage lol
Still use my R5. Bought two of them back in the day knowing how much I liked them.
You can't buy shots in the pro shop…
Those 580s are $100 at used golf club stores all day long lmfao. Where they go $200 is CRAZY talk.
I checked my ShotScope data for actual, on-the-course data. In 2024, I used three different drivers, a Titleist 905T from 2005, a Titleist TSR3 from 2022, and a Ping G430 Max from 2024. My performance averages, which exclude bad shots were: 905T=220, TSR3=218, G430 Max=224. If you look at the overall average, the 905T fares worse, and the G430 Max fares better. My conclusion is that for on center hits, there's not much difference, but on off-center hits, the 905T fares much worse. I did do a shaft upgrade on my TSR3 to a Newton Motion, and this year the TSR3 is about 2 yards longer than the G430 Max, rather than 6 yards shorter.
do a jumbo grip fitting see if that helps
Still call bs on all these drives. No way this dude with that swing is getting 300 with any driver, in real life
The M.A.S.2 shafts for the R580XD were $40 shafts back in the day. Versions for the masses of shafts like the Aldila NV. so shaft wise it is literally no comparison
I'm sure if you tuck the time and tried other shafts you would find the right one.
all you need is the UST Mamiya AXIV 69 series on the Taylor…….. Let her rip Tator chip
Shaft is way too shift for the ball speed you generate…a stiff would be better…IMO
I can beat both of you with 50 year old Tony penna persimmon, macgregor tourney persimmon or 30 year old Cleveland’s. Or new ones. Good shot making beats 900$ drivers every time and I can hit all of those oldies with a slight draw every time.
Focus on swing and shot placement and less on expensive clubs.
900 bucks for a club GTFO
How do u guys say the “technology is too much for this driver” when your swing path has zero consistency? Your conclusion cannot be determined when u cant hit the ball with any consistency. I love u guys but the experiment was a fail because of your swings! I still play a titleist 910 D3 because i cant find a new driver that goes more than 10 yards further. 10 yards gain for $700 is NOT worth the money.
Good one boys ,if you do another old ,new comparison,try the M2 Taylor made. One of the best drivers of all time.Btw I have a couple PXG drivers the 4 and 5 and they just suck ,did not get them fitted.
I’m still using my r580XD
You guys should try 6S instead of 6X: seems too stiff for your swing
You clowns ruined a classic
Scotty had to change his driver, you may wanna check that quote again.
Love this. My driver is still Taylor Made Supersteel from 2000
Doesn’t matter for these two how old or newer their drivers are frankly…won’t make a difference. 😅
I can hit my 5 irons much further than these two so that’s why I could care less if a driver is 20 years old. It’s the player speed and accuracy. You spend the money if you’re like me and hit far but consistent. It’s worth spending to gain more yardage. But if you’re these two, doesn’t matter a $5 club or $500 one won’t make a difference.
You paid 200 dollars for a 20 year old driver?
Really?
This is pretty irrelevant as no one who plays more than 2-3x per year is going to play with a 20 year old driver. A more realistic test might be a 10 year old driver like a Taylormade M1 or M2 vs the Qi35. Doing that test could be done with the same shafts too as the M1/M2 use the same collar as the current clubs.
How about velocore from 3-4 generation ago and do the same experience on qi35.
Picked up an r7 460 a few weeks ago for $60 and I love it so far. Replaced my Ping G425 with it.
Paid way to much for that driver hahah
I suspect the new shaft in the 580 is too much shaft for these guys to swing.
I have a R 580 XD TP thing is a bomber when you hit it on the screws.