*Opinion: New Titleist Drivers, Ugly or New thing of Beauty?

[TW3NTY2_Over_Par]

As a current TM player looking to make the move to Titleist I quite like the look of it. I think the bottom of the TSr line looks a bit better, I do not mind this one at all. Might have to get fir and order some new woods for Christmas!

[Tincuptim]

Love the classic Titlest shape. Looking down is fine but does look too have a fade bias in the picture and a deeper or taller profile. If it provides better dispersion or higher ball speed without giving up something else, it would go in the bag. 

[TJ Hall]

9 hours ago, GolferXY said:

I hit about 20 balls, heard a loud bang like a firecracker going off, and watched as $600+ went flying into pieces onto the range!  I started the warranty process with TM, we'll see how they handle it.

Hopefully TM comes through for you, just awful to see that happen!

[nakman7]

Dump the adapter and go back to a bonded driver

[Chuckles0318]

Personally, I like it. I'm actually surprised to see that the top of the club head is gloss black and not carbon fiber like pretty much every other driver on the market these days. The combo of the matte and gloss blends well together in my opinion. 

[billpierce]

Looks classic Titleist to me.  Very similar to past, with some added goodies

Matte may look better, but I dont like the smoke patterns for example of their competitor -- so if it gets to crazy that is where I draw line.

[Captwilks67]

Well, I told myself the TSR series would be my last purchase for awhile. that my bag was not going to change for at least 2 seasons. Then I tested out Miura KM700's with Axiom shafts. Have a set on the way.. then Titleist drops these beauties on me... 

Needless to say, I think they are beautiful. Moving the weight forward with the GT3 could be the thing that steers me away from that driver, as I prefer the higher MOI in the TSR3. As a 16 handicap, but with a 117 mph speed, the TSR3 has kept my drives long and straight, even on misshits. I fear that might not be the case with the GT3.. time will tell. 

[Captwilks67]

One thing I have noticed is that the Gloss scratches and takes on bag chatter VERY easily. the top of my TSR3 looks like someone's child was scribbling with a razor all over the top, and that makes me upset hahaha. But I do prefer the glossy look. Just might need some sort of protective film or coating to protect it 

[Shankster]

Callaway guy on staff now right?  
 

As long as they make GTO I’m all for it.  GTO must be 400 High Output or else.

[agram57]

I haven't seem them in person yet but the pictures look like you could see yourself in the finish. I don't think I would like that

[Bohnson]

Interesting! 

[NM01]

6 hours ago, nakman7 said:

Dump the adapter and go back to a bonded driver

Other than the added weight of the adapter which the smart people account for the adjustable driver is great thing for fine tuning a setup and getting a golfer into their optimal setup.

 

[chisag]

5 hours ago, Captwilks67 said:

One thing I have noticed is that the Gloss scratches and takes on bag chatter VERY easily. the top of my TSR3 looks like someone's child was scribbling with a razor all over the top, and that makes me upset hahaha. But I do prefer the glossy look. Just might need some sort of protective film or coating to protect it 

 

... If you are getting bag chatter on your driver you need a new head cover. Or bag. Or routine. I always put a coat of car wax on my driver so any of those little annoying scratches are in the wax, not the clear coat. They also usually wipe off easily. I wax my driver shaft for the same reasons. 

[Captwilks67]

14 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... If you are getting bag chatter on your driver you need a new head cover. Or bag. Or routine. I always put a coat of car wax on my driver so any of those little annoying scratches are in the wax, not the clear coat. They also usually wipe off easily. I wax my driver shaft for the same reasons. 

smart call. I cannot tell you how pissed I am that my beautiful TSR3 has all these little scratches on it. I usually take my headcover off and dont put it back on for a round. my mistake. 

[chisag]

22 minutes ago, Captwilks67 said:

smart call. I cannot tell you how pissed I am that my beautiful TSR3 has all these little scratches on it. I usually take my headcover off and dont put it back on for a round. my mistake. 

 

... Live and learn.   I would add a head cover also protects your shaft. I imagine if you look, you will probably find a spot on your driver shaft marked up by bag chatter. I have seen shafts break at that point after repeated iron heads banging against the shaft. Sometimes you can easily see the marks or even a paint loss on the shaft sticking out of someones bag without a head cover. 

[Dragon3]

I actually think they are staying true to their brand.  They’re keeping it basic and subtle by design.  Consistency is the draw and doesn’t need to be flashy in order to perform.  Even though aesthetically, we might prefer.  Stay tuned…

[G-Ram]

On 6/5/2024 at 6:37 PM, GolferXY said:

I hit about 20 balls, heard a loud bang like a firecracker going off, and watched as $600+ went flying into pieces onto the range!  I started the warranty process with TM, we'll see how they handle it.

I had a 2 year old Sim Max 3 wood that had the carbon crown delaminate and the carbon plate just popped off. Sent a few pics of it to the warranty dept, along with the date of purchase ( I bought it off the TM website, so easy enough to find) and within 3 days I had a new Stealth 2 in my hands. Have nothing bt good things to say about TM warranty.

You "should" expect to have a similar experience, providing you have proof of purchase etc 

[G-Ram]

10 hours ago, Captwilks67 said:

smart call. I cannot tell you how pissed I am that my beautiful TSR3 has all these little scratches on it. I usually take my headcover off and dont put it back on for a round. my mistake. 

Your driver could look like new again. No different than cut polishing scuffs/scratches out of your car finish. That glossy finish is layers of clear coat. Easy enough to buff out with some appropriate grit sand paper and polish. I have started ceramic coating mine for a little extra protection.

 

Now as far as the looks of the new lineup, I personally really like the sole contrast with gloss / matte. I only wish they had done a matte finish on the crown, as we are bathed in sunlight here, and the glare gets annoying after a while... Beyond that, thumbs up!! Now to performance, I had a TSR3 and thought it was great, right up until I took it on the course.

Literally felt like I could swing it as hard as I wanted, and it was stable. Except it spun like crazy. Just didn't go anywhere for me. Clearly it's my club delivery, and no fault of the manufacturing team. However, the weight in the front could help me out greatly. Still have the adjustability, but the front loaded weight to bring some spin rate down.

Can't wait to try it!

[Captwilks67]

5 hours ago, G-Ram said:

Your driver could look like new again. No different than cut polishing scuffs/scratches out of your car finish. That glossy finish is layers of clear coat. Easy enough to buff out with some appropriate grit sand paper and polish. I have started ceramic coating mine for a little extra protection.

 

Now as far as the looks of the new lineup, I personally really like the sole contrast with gloss / matte. I only wish they had done a matte finish on the crown, as we are bathed in sunlight here, and the glare gets annoying after a while... Beyond that, thumbs up!! Now to performance, I had a TSR3 and thought it was great, right up until I took it on the course.

Literally felt like I could swing it as hard as I wanted, and it was stable. Except it spun like crazy. Just didn't go anywhere for me. Clearly it's my club delivery, and no fault of the manufacturing team. However, the weight in the front could help me out greatly. Still have the adjustability, but the front loaded weight to bring some spin rate down.

Can't wait to try it!

You’re certainly right about that. I spin mine with a 1k white 6x about 2800 and I’d like to get that down to 2k. Would help me go from 280 drives to 300 

[NM01]

1 hour ago, Captwilks67 said:

You’re certainly right about that. I spin mine with a 1k white 6x about 2800 and I’d like to get that down to 2k. Would help me go from 280 drives to 300 

Look at where your contact on the face is the lower down the face the higher the spin. It can be a swing issue because even a contact near the middle of the face bout with a swipey swing across the face will cause higher spin.

Use search engine of choice and google diy driver tuneup and follow that to optimize your driver

[Captwilks67]

39 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Look at where your contact on the face is the lower down the face the higher the spin. It can be a swing issue because even a contact near the middle of the face bout with a swipey swing across the face will cause higher spin.

Use search engine of choice and google diy driver tuneup and follow that to optimize your driver

Great tip. 

[Captwilks67]

39 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Look at where your contact on the face is the lower down the face the higher the spin. It can be a swing issue because even a contact near the middle of the face bout with a swipey swing across the face will cause higher spin.

Use search engine of choice and google diy driver tuneup and follow that to optimize your driver

I tend to Sky the ball, which makes me think:

A: I’m too steep 

B: the driver is too long

C : shaft issue? 

[NM01]

12 minutes ago, Captwilks67 said:

I tend to Sky the ball, which makes me think:

A: I’m too steep 

B: the driver is too long

C : shaft issue? 

My guess with out seeing swing or dynamic loft is you are adding loft and that’s causing spin.

More than likely steep so you have to shallow with something like dipping the back shoulder and then flip the club to hit the ball. The added loft would cause the spin.

Does that come from a playing length to long or the wrong shaft? Its possible, but could just be a swing issue and what would happen with a shorter club or different shaft may reduce it some to may make it worse.

 

[RoyN]

I got a hold of one and some fw today. They took a lot of imput from tour pros but also wanted to keep it simple and familiar to the TSR. 

[ryan.mzzz]

On 6/5/2024 at 5:21 AM, RickyBobby_PR said:

So a bad fit and it’s the club/manufacturers fault.

fyi Ping because of their head designs and moi are some of the highest spinning heads on the market, even their lst model spins higher than other lst models

dude are you even serious.

in retrospect the 915 never should have been released and was a pox on the golf world. i hear titleist has been doing better lately, but no, with all respect…

that thing was a piece of poo.

i have a few friends that take my used gear, but, nobody wanted it, for free. so it went in the trash, where it belonged, and it should have been all along. it was just my stubbornness and sunk cost fallacy that kept me in it as long as I was. maybe my fit for the 915 could have been better, but my ping was off the rack at 40% off. blows the gddm’d doors of the titleist. you seem to have an affinity for the brand and good for you, I hope it pays the bills. i don’t care about brands, i care about quality. if titleist weren’t so unplayably, for me, shiny, the new designs should deserve a hit from me, except now i have titleist driver ptsd, from losing about one million perfectly good golf balls into the trees, many on probably decent swings, so I doubt a titleist driver will ever be good for my mental health or golf game.

I hope, for your sake, they work better for you. 

[NM01]

1 hour ago, ryan.mzzz said:

dude are you even serious.

in retrospect the 915 never should have been released and was a pox on the golf world. i hear titleist has been doing better lately, but no, with all respect…

that thing was a piece of poo.

i have a few friends that take my used gear, but, nobody wanted it, for free. so it went in the trash, where it belonged, and it should have been all along. it was just my stubbornness and sunk cost fallacy that kept me in it as long as I was. maybe my fit for the 915 could have been better, but my ping was off the rack at 40% off. blows the gddm’d doors of the titleist. you seem to have an affinity for the brand and good for you, I hope it pays the bills. i don’t care about brands, i care about quality. if titleist weren’t so unplayably, for me, shiny, the new designs should deserve a hit from me, except now i have titleist driver ptsd, from losing about one million perfectly good golf balls into the trees, many on probably decent swings, so I doubt a titleist driver will ever be good for my mental health or golf game.

I hope, for your sake, they work better for you. 

Yep dude I’m serious. If you were getting those results then the driver wasn’t a fit for your swing or you had swing issues.

the 913 was a step backwards after the 910 and the 983k should have been a tour only driver.

I played and was fit for every titleist driver from the 910 to the 917 and there were no issues with the 915 and that release was one of my favorites from titleist. The 915 fairway was a backup to my 917 one.

I spent a lot of demos days with titleist or next to them working for another brand from the 913 release til the end of demo day season for the 917. Your results are not what I saw from other golfers 

Edited June 17 by RickyBobby_PR

[Marty2Shanks]

4 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Yep dude I’m serious. If you were getting those results then the driver wasn’t a fit for your swing or you had swing issues.

the 913 was a step backwards after the 910 and the 983k should have been a tour only driver.

I played and was fit for every titleist driver from the 910 to the 917 and there were no issues with the 915 and that release was one of my favorites from titleist. The 915 fairway was a backup to my 917 one.

I spent a lot of demos days with titleist or next to them working for another brand from the 913 release til the end of demo day season for the 917. Your results are not what I saw from other golfers 

Both my son and I still have a 915…mine has Speeder 757 X-flex shaft…used it for my weekly scramble this past week…first drive 305 right down the middle, second drive 315 slightly to the right but playable, third drive straight as a arrow but blocked right into the trees on a dogleg left (my fault, not the club, I tend to block right when I want to emphasize a draw).  I am actually more confident with this head than my 917.  I also still use a 913 fairway and hybrid.  No issues with either.  

[golfinnut]

On 6/5/2024 at 7:52 PM, bens197 said:

Let’s settle the debate once and for all. The undisputed king of Titleist sole design. 
 

Bore thru

 

I still have mine ... it is 8.5*   with an old Graffaloy shaft 

[xylostarjames]

Titleist has always been known for their classic designs, so this shift is definitely a departure. However, I've found that sometimes these changes grow on you over time. Remember when TaylorMade introduced the white drivers? Many were skeptical at first, but they became quite popular.
That said, performance is key. If it outperforms the TSR3, you might find yourself warming up to the looks. It'll be interesting to see how it performs in real-world testing.

[RCGolf]

I think they look outstanding! The TSR3 was/is one of the best drivers ever designed. The numbers don’t lie, even Titleist “Haters” admit that it just performs. The GT will be just as good, if not marginally better. The crown material is an interesting story, but it allows weight to be put directly behind the ball, and deep in the head like the 2. It’s like a TSR4 with positional weight up front. I thought they might go Matte. I will game my TSR3 for another year or so, find a head and throw it on my XC-5 and see how she goes.