Titleist GT Long Game - 2024 Forum Review

[Josh Parker]

28 minutes ago, RichL85 said:

Basically, yeah. Maybe something wasn't quite fully tightened, but I used some water to clean up the club head one day, didn't think anything of it. The next day I took the first swing and noticed some water droplets on the crown. Heard some water moving around inside the club head when I shook it after that. Once I loosened the clubhead a small amount of water came out of the club. 

It was weird, and the CG track thing, that's probably more of a me thing. Since the weight track doesn't have specific notches for the 5 positions, I probably get a little OCD about the placement of the weight. The T1 position is very close to where that opening in the track is, so while I was trying to position it and then tighten the cover down, it would slide just far enough to the side to slip out of the track occasionally. 

I'll have to take a look at mine, but wouldn't think water should get into the body of the club. It the weight port area, yes, but not the body. Or maybe I'm reading that wrong. 

[RichL85]

12 minutes ago, Josh Parker said:

I'll have to take a look at mine, but wouldn't think water should get into the body of the club. It the weight port area, yes, but not the body. Or maybe I'm reading that wrong. 

I wouldn't have thought it would be possible either, but here we are. I'm chalking it up to a random anomaly for now, but something I will at least keep in mind for the future. 

This was the replacement head that Titleist sent, so for all I know, this is on me for not checking that the weight cover was fully seated and "clicked" or something when it arrived. It's not a big deal and I don't plan on submerging the club head in a pool any time soon.

Edited Thursday at 02:18 PM by RichL85

[Josh Parker]

3 minutes ago, RichL85 said:

I wouldn't have thought it would be possible either, but here we are. I'm chalking it up to a random anomaly for now, but something I will at least keep in mind for the future. 

Have you looked for cracking inside the cavity for the plate on the GT3?

[Rearviewmirror]

OK, so I think I'm ready to put my Ping G425 3W up for sale. The above shot might not look particularly special, but a little context. This hole is an extremely narrow par three and the flag was at 215yds. What this screenshot doesn't tell you is that it was a 2-club wind of around 20mph. My playing partner tried to crush a 3W and proceeded to skull it into the weeds to the left of the tee box.

Knowing I could trust the boring flight of the GT3, I just teed up, aimed slightly right of the green expecting a tiny bit of draw and put a smooth swing on the ball. Not only did the ball fly totally arrow straight at my aim point (no draw sadly) it completely defied the wind and even produced a totally normal high soaring ball flight. It ended up stopping 2 inches from its pitch mark leaving me a 45ft for birdie. I was the only one in my group to make par.

Sadly no chances to belt out the 7W today but otherwise just more of the same reliable 3W shots. This 16.5º (I guess it's really a 4W) has been an absolute revelation in my long game. Bad shots still go 200-210yds and great shots go 230-240yds off the deck and reliably 235yds+ off the tee.

[RichL85]

1 minute ago, Josh Parker said:

Have you looked for cracking inside the cavity for the plate on the GT3?

I haven't looked too deep yet. Maybe something to check out when I get a minute today or tomorrow. 

[GolferXY]

1 hour ago, RichL85 said:

The T1 position is very close to where that opening in the track is, so while I was trying to position it and then tighten the cover down, it would slide just far enough to the side to slip out of the track occasionally. 

That 's a very odd design choice for an adjustable clubhead.  Have you contacted Titleist to see what they have to say about the water infiltration and weight track issue?

[mtashiro]

On 8/13/2024 at 10:59 PM, Akast27 said:

Any results so far for the GT drivers and comparison to the Ai Smoke and TM?

I used to hit the AI Smoke and changed to the GT3.  I found the GT3 to have better dispersion and a more consistent distance on off center strikes.  Plus I love the look of Titleist drivers.  Very understated and a clean look.  I thought I would fit into the GT2 but after working with the fitter We got much better results (dispersion and distance) from the GT3.  AI Smoke is a great driver as well but for me, better results with the GT3.

[RichL85]

8 minutes ago, GolferXY said:

That 's a very odd design choice for an adjustable clubhead.  Have you contacted Titleist to see what they have to say about the water infiltration and weight track issue?

Honestly, I've been swamped at work and haven't had a chance to dive deeper into the issue. I figured I would check it a little more today to see if it was a one time thing or if it's a recurring issue. If it happens again in a more controlled environment, I'll probably reach out to see if that is supposed to be that way for whatever the reason may be. I'll make a short clip on the track and adjustment later because it probably doesn't make much sense with me trying to explain in words. 

[ctg44]

With the success most of us who've had the GT2 and GT3 for a while now are seeing, I'm really interested to see if Titleist gets the GT1 out this winter.  I have about 1/2 of the cash needed for the driver itself saved up for my wife to get fitted, and while she can probably deliver enough clubhead speed to be good with a GT2 in the range of a 10-12° head and a lower weight in the back of the club, I'd like to see what the GT1 offering does for her.  Given the performance she's seeing from a UST Helium shaft I found on Callaway PreOwned and my old Epic Flash Tour Certified head, I am sure she's good to be able to hammer a properly shafted GT2 out to like 230-240 yards with some serious consistency.  In fact, I'm sure we'll need to go through and do at least a 3W and a 5W for her too because she's already got a decent gap between the 5 iron at the top of her Mizuno 923HM Pro HL irons and her current hybrid, which is very hit and miss for her.

[ctg44]

7 minutes ago, mtashiro said:

I used to hit the AI Smoke and changed to the GT3.  I found the GT3 to have better dispersion and a more consistent distance on off center strikes.  Plus I love the look of Titleist drivers.  Very understated and a clean look.  I thought I would fit into the GT2 but after working with the fitter We got much better results (dispersion and distance) from the GT3.  AI Smoke is a great driver as well but for me, better results with the GT3.

When I was fitted for the GT2 (8° / Graphite Design Tour AD VF 6s), I had the AiSmoke TD (8° / Ventus Blue TR 6S) sitting in my Callaway cart waiting to apply an ID.me discount to it and press send.  It would have been about $150 cheaper to go w/ the Callaway (at least), but I ended up going with the GT2 much for the same reasons as @mtashiro did - better dispersion and better consistency on off-center strikes.

Case in point - I was on the range this past Sunday, at the end of hitting like 1,200 balls in the past week, with a beat-up elbow that looks like it has a puffy golf ball attached to it.  I'm cleaning the face after each shot to see the strike location (which is mostly between around the center producing 275+ carries), and comparing that to what my launch monitor data said each time (Swing Caddie SC300).  My last shot was a high toe (almost off the face, but just enough to get the full ball on the top right corner outside of the right vertical line), and it CARRIED 265 with 17 yards of rollout.  The side spin was so well-controlled that it stayed straight enough that it would likely have been in the fairway or close enough not to have mattered.  So yeah, as I may have mentioned before, the GT2 isn't perfect, but it's as close to a driver cheat code as it gets.  The only change I intend to make is to shorten it another 1/2" to get to a full 1" short of standard so I can just swing freely and get more center-mass hits.  I was choking down on the grip Sunday and hitting so many bombs when I did that I was just sitting there at the end of the range giggling like a kid in a candy store looking at my launch monitor data.

[Rearviewmirror]

1 hour ago, ctg44 said:

I'm really interested to see if Titleist gets the GT1 out this winter.  

<Twiddles thumbs>

[RichL85]

This is what I mean about the GT3 weight track. On the inside of the head are 5 little pyramid shaped notches that kind of work the weight into the proper spot for the settings, but there is a point where the weight can actually fall out of the track before reaching those notches, so I have had it fall out of the track in the process of putting the plate back on. Again, not a deal a breaker, but it can be a little finicky if you are in a rush.

Turns out it was the hosel. I cannot even begin to guess how enough water got up high enough up the hosel to actually get inside, but that's the point where water can get through and go into the head. Good news is that the head itself is completely fine!

[RichL85]

Maybe I'm in the minority on this one, but I actually do like the sound of the GT line. I know it doesn't have that same impact sound as some of the louder drivers, but I really enjoy it. You can tell the difference in sound from the driver on the heel mishit for sure though.

[GolferXY]

8 hours ago, RichL85 said:

Turns out it was the hosel.

Short of dropping the club in the swimming pool I can't imagine so much water seeping through the hosel/head connection that you would have to pour it out.  Have you checked the hosel/neck for damage?  Is it making any odd sounds or getting unusual vibration?  I play in rain a lot - yesterday played in a full blown tropical storm for 3 or 4 holes - and if that connection is leaky, that would be a real problem for me.

Edited Friday at 02:36 AM by GolferXY

[GolferXY]

As mentioned in a prior post, I played yesterday.  The driver was on vacation the whole round.  Couldn't hit one straight.  I did pop one out there about 245 but way, way right.  Ended up with about 200+ and grabbed my 5 wood.  Four feet, drop and stop.  And yes, I sunk the eagle putt!  Yaa me!

Edited Friday at 02:35 AM by GolferXY

[RichL85]

@GolferXY I've checked over it about as much as I can without trying to get a hold of a microscope. It's in the budget for my lab for next year, but not yet. Nothing appears to be damaged, so it was most likely just a random occurrence due to external factors. Without submerging the club head, I don't realistically think there is any way of getting water in there. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention while I was cleaning everything. There's always a chance that one of the children dunked it underwater while I wasn't watching. The hosel itself isn't air-tight or anything, not that I really expected it to be. 

[GolferXY]

7 hours ago, RichL85 said:

Maybe I'm in the minority on this one, but I actually do like the sound of the GT line. I know it doesn't have that same impact sound as some of the louder drivers, but I really enjoy it. You can tell the difference in sound from the driver on the heel mishit for sure though.

Nice vid. 

If it produces results better than what I currently game, it stays in the bag.  That's true of every club, regardless of looks, style, or sound.  That said, I'm one of those that don't like the sound, but I'll get used to it.  After all, I played a Ping G30 for several years and my ears are still ringing from that experience. 

[GolferXY]

3 minutes ago, RichL85 said:

@GolferXY I've checked over it about as much as I can without trying to get a hold of a microscope. It's in the budget for my lab for next year, but not yet. Nothing appears to be damaged, so it was most likely just a random occurrence due to external factors. Without submerging the club head, I don't realistically think there is any way of getting water in there. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention while I was cleaning everything. There's always a chance that one of the children dunked it underwater while I wasn't watching. The hosel itself isn't air-tight or anything, not that I really expected it to be. 

Good to know.  My experience with the Stealth 2+ and Ping i525 irons has left me leery of possible quality control issues.  The Stealth blew up, and the ferrules on the irons came unglued and rattled.  I was speaking to my PXG fitter while being fitted for the Sugar Daddy II wedges - $150.00 with hero discount - who spent time as a club repairer for a local golf shop.  He said he had heard of hundreds, hundreds, of Stealth heads breaking, and also gave an understanding nod when I told him about my iron issues.  Understandable as he's now working for PXG I guess, but I know I'm not the only one who has experienced this problem with their irons.  And I've had it happen to me twice since I had the i500's before I got the i525's and had the same problem.  Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean you're wrong...or something like that...so quality control issues are a big deal for me.

Hope after aired out they stay dry.  Also, what a curious design of the movable weight.  It's impossible to get the perfect design, but that sounds like the engineers wrote that design up on a cocktail napkin.

[GolferXY]

I just ordered a weight kit off of Amazon.  I think I have enough data on the original fitter-supplied settings.  I'm now going to spend some time dinking around at the range to see if I can dial the clubs in further.  Of interest is that the weights for driver and fairways are interchangeable.  I've had some success with each club, unfortunately slowed by a stupid...stupid stupid stupid...injury to my left index finger that has caused me to change my grip for the last two weeks.  My next round is scheduled for Sunday, and weather is forecast to be wet.  Perfect conditions for my driver to shine with the additional carry I've got from the GT 2.  I'm healing up and have refrained from range work to facilitate getting back to my usual interlocking grip, so fingers crossed [gingerly, of course] that I've healed up enough by Sunday that I can grip it and rip it again. 

(Skip if you don't want to hear about my finger!)

I was drilling a hole in the corner of a picture frame to add dowels, and drilled into my second knuckle.  I tried an overlapping grip that tore the scab off, switched to a reverse-overlap where my entire right hand is on the grip and left index finger on top of right pinky - which worked okay but created a lot of pain in the right pinky and so was only good for about 20 shots on the range, and ended up with a weird interlock where I scooch my left index down to lay against the fingers of my right hand.  So much for consistency.  I acknowledge the jeers and boos from the gathered.  One of my most embarrassing moments of the last couple of months.  I do a lot of stupid s***.

Edited Friday at 06:08 PM by GolferXY

[ctg44]

1 hour ago, GolferXY said:

I just ordered a weight kit off of Amazon.  I think I have enough data on the original fitter-supplied settings.  I'm now going to spend some time dinking around at the range to see if I can dial the clubs in further.  Of interest is that the weights for driver and fairways are interchangeable.  I've had some success with each club, unfortunately slowed by a stupid...stupid stupid stupid...injury to my left index finger that has caused me to change my grip for the last two weeks.  My next round is scheduled for Sunday, and weather is forecast to be wet.  Perfect conditions for my driver to shine with the additional carry I've got from the GT 2.  I'm healing up and have refrained from range work to facilitate getting back to my usual interlocking grip, so fingers crossed [gingerly, of course] that I've healed up enough by Sunday that I can grip it and rip it again. 

(Skip if you don't want to hear about my finger!)

I was drilling a hole in the corner of a picture frame to add dowels, and drilled into my second knuckle.  I tried an overlapping grip that tore the scab off, switched to a reverse-overlap where my entire right hand is on the grip and left index finger on top of right pinky - which worked okay but created a lot of pain in the right pinky and so was only good for about 20 shots on the range, and ended up with a weird interlock where I scooch my left index down to lay against the fingers of my right hand.  So much for consistency.  I acknowledge the jeers and boos from the gathered.  One of my most embarrassing moments of the last couple of months.  I do a lot of stupid s***.

I not only put the heavier weight back in my club (+4 grams), but added 1.5 grams of sticky tungsten tape (cut and stuck to the weight down inside the weight port) to my GT2.  I think it's working pretty well.  I didn't have a ton of time to get to the driver yesterday, but the 7 shots I did take were all pretty good:

Man, I didn't think I had 171.1 ball speed in me with range balls, but the GT2 was rocking yesterday.  Can't wait to play tomorrow afternoon and see if I can leave myself some short wedges into greens and maybe actually have some birdie putts for a change.  Maybe if I keep my garbage approach skills out of play entirely and leave my scoring to my mostly decent short game and putting, I'll be ok...

Edited Friday at 07:52 PM by ctg44

[RichL85]

Damn near missed my sim appointment because of people that don't believe is making or adhering to a schedule. Had some HVAC work to be done that was scheduled for yesterday. They apparently changed it to this morning without notifying us. Three hours later they determined they have to order a part and hope the easy fix will work. On top of that, shortly before they were set to leave, here comes another repair company to work on the automatic sprinkler system. He was originally scheduled to come early next week, but here we are. 

Past that, I don't think I can really express how much I enjoy hitting the GT3 18 degree. I was very anti-fairway for a long time. Didn't even carry one for awhile, but the GT 5 wood is just crazy easy to hit. I can reliably get 220-225 out of it off the tee, sometimes more, which works great at my home course. We have an annoying par 5 that starts the "Valley" course. It's only 468, but it's about 215 to the end of the fairway and takes a 60 degree turn right. Tall trees along the right side as well so you can't just hit driver over the trees. On Wednesday I hit a high faded 5 wood over those trees to leave myself 175 to the green. Normally I hit a hybrid towards the end of the fairway and still have another 230+ to go. 

I'm getting more comfortable with the driver as well. Average distance is creeping up. It took a minute to get warmed up today because of the rush, but had 8 drives over 260 yards and 9/14 fairways with two of the misses being shots that just barely managed to roll into the edge of the rough. 

I haven't had as much chance to hit the 3 wood, so I might go with 3 wood off the tee for my next round and just leave driver at home.