The Approach: Faster, longer, and better in every way—that’s the buzz around Titleist’s new TS drivers and fairway woods. So far the results are matching the hype. You may have witnessed some of the Titleist’s social media promos, which show golfers holding whiteboards detailing the ball speed and length gains made against competitive products. Most show faster ball speeds and longer drives, while maintaining the classic look golfers expect from Titleist.
We recently hosted #TeamTitleist Canada Members at the Titleist National Fitting Centre in advance of the global launch for #TSProject. See how the new TS2 and TS3 performed vs their current drivers. The results: https://t.co/TxEltVjULp pic.twitter.com/44wXEoScaY
— TitleistCA (@TitleistCA) September 4, 2018
The Story: Titleist has long held itself up as espousing a traditional approach to club design, while embracing the latest advances. In the case of it’s 917 driver, which was released two years ago, while a top performing club at the time, they felt the driver offered too much spin for some golfers, and in turn, didn’t produce ball speeds that many expected.
With that in mind, Titleist’s designers set about creating a driver that would measure up in terms of speed and spin with the best in the business. “The mission was to create a faster driver that would spin less,” says Ryan Andrews, Titleist’s Canadian product and Marketing Manager. “They wanted to create a driver that delivered more speed without losing the look and feel Titleist players expect.”
Key Technologies:
Speed Chassis: Titleist designers started working on the new driver under the code name “Titleist Speed Project.” The new clubhead was crafted in a shape designed to reduce drag, and is 100 percent titanium, which bucks the trend of composite clubheads that are hot in the golf market. The crown and face are ultra-thin, allowing engineers to move discretionary weight low and back, making the club easier to hit.
More forgiving: Testing of the new drivers showed a 12 percent increase in moment of inertia from the 917 model that hit the market two years ago. “There’s no question this is the most forgiving driver Titleist has ever created,” Andrews says. With a low and deep centre of gravity, the club also produces less spin, which in turn adds distance.
Bigger clubhead: In the past Titleist has offered a 460cc and 440cc clubhead, but the TS2 and TS3 come in a 460cc head. When fitting golfers for the 917 driver, Titleist found the size of the clubhead wasn’t the key factor in the results, and offering a driver with a single size allowed designers to have a consistent approach.
Longer shafts: Unlike other companies, Titleist bucked the trend of adding length to the shafts of its drivers to try to grab more distance. But with the MOI gains on TS2 and TS3, Titleist elected to move to a standard 45.5-inch shaft, though custom fitting could result in shorter shafts.
Two Ways To Speed:
TS2: A modern-looking driver with low and deep CG, Titleist’s TS2 will likely find a home with players who are slightly inconsistent with their ball striking. The TS2 is more forgiving, launches higher, and has slightly more spin. Available in lofts from 8.5 to 11.5 degrees.
TS3: With less spin, and a lower launch, the TS3 is being billed as offering “speed-tuned distance and dynamic forgiveness.” Unlike the TS2, this driver offers an adjustable centre of gravity through a refined SureFit weighting system, and Titleist utilized a more traditional shape for the head. Available in lofts from 8.5 to 10.5 degrees.
