Titleist GT Long Game - 2024 Forum Review

[RichL85]

7 hours ago, yungkory said:

Man idk where Tracy, CA is but my GT3 was stuck there today and my delivery ETA was pushed to tomorrow 

I know exactly where that is. I've had more than a few FedEx packages disappear in that same spot too, so hopefully you have better luck than that. 

My clubs were redirected after arrival in Massachusetts, so now looking at an October 1st delivery date. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Pardon my French, but f#%! FedEx. This happened with my SM10 and now with the GT. Unboxing will be over the weekend as we will be out of town for the rest of the week. I am at work, but my wife checked to make sure nothing was damaged/missing. Thankfully, there wasn’t. 

[Erin B]

On 8/12/2024 at 10:09 PM, GolfSpy_APH said:

Titleist has introduced the GT Drivers and fairways, signifying Generational Technology, marking a significant shift in materials, construction, and performance from their previous TS models. Despite appearances suggesting minimal change, substantial advancements lie beneath the surface.

Titleist's goal was to enhance performance without altering the familiar look and feel. This approach ensures that players have a familiarity with their clubs year over year while hopefully experiencing performance gains. The GT models feature refined aerodynamics, with changes focused on the underside to reduce drag and increase speed, notably through the raised aft section.

Tony Covey and Chris Nickel have done full breakdowns and articles on both the drivers and fairway woods which can be found here drivers) and here (fairway woods). Here is a brief overview to whet your appetite.

The New GT Line

The introduction of Split Mass Construction redistributes weight to the driver’s perimeter, enhancing stability and optimizing performance. Additionally, the GT lineup incorporates a seamless thermoform composite crown, marking a departure from previous designs. This innovative crown integrates a Proprietary Matrix Polymer (PMP), improving acoustics and mimicking the sound of titanium.

The GT drivers emphasize lowering the center of gravity, promoting consistent spin rates and enhancing forgiveness. Titleist’s Speed Ring with Variable Face Thickness (VFT) face technology aims to boost speed across the face, catering to off-center hits.

Titleist offers three GT driver models models (GT2, GT3, GT4) and two GT fariway wood models (GT2 and GT3)

Each model maintains a familiar look but with significant improvements in speed, consistency, and overall performance. Titleist's approach ensures that while much has evolved, the essence of the driver remains unchanged, catering to both average golfers and Tour pros. The new GT family embodies the philosophy of advancing technology without compromising the core attributes that define Titleist drivers.

Please welcome and congratulate our four testers!

@Golf2Much 

@RichL85 

@Rearviewmirror 

@GolferXY

Congrats again testers, although I am a little disappointed no one was fit for the GT4, I am excited to hear about your real time play! Good luck!

[GolfSpy_APH]

Just now, Erin B said:

Congrats again testers, although I am a little disappointed no one was fit for the GT4, I am excited to hear about your real time play! Good luck!

Gt4 is a very specific head and from what we have heard it only has been fit into about 1 or 2 percent of fittings.

[Erin B]

8 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Gt4 is a very specific head and from what we have heard it only has been fit into about 1 or 2 percent of fittings.

I am one of them...although I also like the 3

[GolferXY]

8 minutes ago, Erin B said:

I am one of them...although I also like the 3

I'd love to hear your take on the GT4, mate!

[GolfSpy_KFT]

21 minutes ago, Erin B said:

Congrats again testers, although I am a little disappointed no one was fit for the GT4, I am excited to hear about your real time play! Good luck!

I tried GT4, it just was too punishing on mishits

[GolferXY]

17 minutes ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

I tried GT4, it just was too punishing on mishits

I agree.  And every swing was a mishit for me!

[Shankster]

19 minutes ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

I tried GT4, it just was too punishing on mishits

Pain is weakness leaving the body.  Those weren’t misshits, they were training aids…

Whar is your miss?  Toe, heel?

[Erin B]

19 minutes ago, GolferXY said:

I'd love to hear your take on the GT4, mate!

I was only fitted for it, I haven't bought it yet. Was thinking next season. I did play the TSR4 yesterday and was kinda out of sync until I realized it was lighter than my paradym. Made an adjustment and started hitting it very well. Also figuring out it was lighter helped. I have played the GT3, and I do like it, but my club doesn't have the GT4 yet so I can't actually get it on the course. I struck it very well during the fitting and almost bought it, but my wife would have gone NUCLEAR if I did. Next season....

[Erin B]

28 minutes ago, GolferXY said:

I'd love to hear your take on the GT4, mate!

Sorry, didn't really answer your question. My take is it doesn't generate as much spin for me which is a great thing. I generate too much spin. My hands are really quick and I've been told that's why I generate so much spin. I don't know, but that's what I was told. Anyway, I also prefer smaller profile clubs. I didn't miss hit the GT4 much at all in the fitting. I tried it with 45" shaft, the Tensi Black 1K stiff, and some other shafts, but preferred the Tensi. I had slight left to right ball flight, but could also hit a draw when I needed to. It was slightly longer in carry than my Paradym TD but because it spun less, it ran farther. 

[ctg44]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Gt4 is a very specific head and from what we have heard it only has been fit into about 1 or 2 percent of fittings.

I mean, if there are basically no PGA Tour pros using the GT4, then who else would really be a fit for it?  Even though the GT4 is better than the TSR4, it's still not good enough to even come close to touching the AiSmoke Triple Diamond with which it competes in the 450cc market, so there's NO way I'd ever play it.  A properly fitted AiSmoke TD was probably going to be 20+ yards farther and an order of magnitude better dispersion for me, and probably farther in distance with similar dispersion improvement over the GT4 for my son (who is a +2 handicap and hits 175+ ball speeds regularly).

[RichL85]

26 minutes ago, Erin B said:

Sorry, didn't really answer your question. My take is it doesn't generate as much spin for me which is a great thing. I generate too much spin. My hands are really quick and I've been told that's why I generate so much spin. I don't know, but that's what I was told. Anyway, I also prefer smaller profile clubs. I didn't miss hit the GT4 much at all in the fitting. I tried it with 45" shaft, the Tensi Black 1K stiff, and some other shafts, but preferred the Tensi. I had slight left to right ball flight, but could also hit a draw when I needed to. It was slightly longer in carry than my Paradym TD but because it spun less, it ran farther. 

Low spin isn't a problem for me, so the one I did middle with the GT4 was great. For me, the GT3 just had more options to give me a better chance to keep the club face from shutting down too hard. My low heel miss didn't hurt me as much with the GT3 compared to the other two heads.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

1 hour ago, Shankster said:

Pain is weakness leaving the body.  Those weren’t misshits, they were training aids…

Whar is your miss?  Toe, heel?

Low heel, high toe, low toe, take your pick on a given day

I also only tried it with a couple shafts, neither being the one I fit into. Maybe I’d have hit it better with the AD-UB, but we were 1.5 hours in as it was and the end result with GT3 was going to be tough to beat. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

51 minutes ago, ctg44 said:

I mean, if there are basically no PGA Tour pros using the GT4, then who else would really be a fit for it?  Even though the GT4 is better than the TSR4, it's still not good enough to even come close to touching the AiSmoke Triple Diamond with which it competes in the 450cc market, so there's NO way I'd ever play it.  A properly fitted AiSmoke TD was probably going to be 20+ yards farther and an order of magnitude better dispersion for me, and probably farther in distance with similar dispersion improvement over the GT4 for my son (who is a +2 handicap and hits 175+ ball speeds regularly).

I’m not sure I understand your take here. Did you hit a properly fit TD Smoke? Did you also hit a properly fit GT4? If not, that seems to be a massive claim based on assumption. I’m not saying you’re wrong or that I disagree as I don’t know your swing or your game, but 20+ yards is significant. 

[Erin B]

1 hour ago, ctg44 said:

I mean, if there are basically no PGA Tour pros using the GT4, then who else would really be a fit for it?  Even though the GT4 is better than the TSR4, it's still not good enough to even come close to touching the AiSmoke Triple Diamond with which it competes in the 450cc market, so there's NO way I'd ever play it.  A properly fitted AiSmoke TD was probably going to be 20+ yards farther and an order of magnitude better dispersion for me, and probably farther in distance with similar dispersion improvement over the GT4 for my son (who is a +2 handicap and hits 175+ ball speeds regularly).

Isn’t it great that all golfers are individuals and not all of us have the same swing? What fits for one doesn’t fit for the other. I tried the AiSmoke TD, it did not go well. I’m also horrible with the Stealth 2 ai whatever. I do hit the dark speed LS well. But I also hit the GT4 very well (in the fitting). And great job for your son!!! +2 is very good and 175+ ball speed, he should be a pro.

[Shankster]

40 minutes ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

Low heel, high toe, low toe, take your pick on a given day

I also only tried it with a couple shafts, neither being the one I fit into. Maybe I’d have hit it better with the AD-UB, but we were 1.5 hours in as it was and the end result with GT3 was going to be tough to beat. 

When you know you know.  I shared my driver fitting story probably more than anyone wants to hear… but… ok, I will restrain myself.  

[GolferXY]

2 hours ago, Shankster said:

When you know you know.  I shared my driver fitting story probably more than anyone wants to hear… but… ok, I will restrain myself.

I missed your fitting. Can you post a link?

[ctg44]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

I’m not sure I understand your take here. Did you hit a properly fit TD Smoke? Did you also hit a properly fit GT4? If not, that seems to be a massive claim based on assumption. I’m not saying you’re wrong or that I disagree as I don’t know your swing or your game, but 20+ yards is significant. 

All of the above.  I did fittings for all of the drivers over the past year.  After a great fitting right before the GT series release, I had an AiSmoke TD sitting in my Callaway Cart for 2 months waiting to make the purchase, but I really wanted to try the GT models first.  I did an in-store fitting with a Team Titelist fitter at Golf Galaxy and hit all mostly the 9* and 8* models of the GT3 and the 9* GT4 for well over an hour (because no one came to the appointment after me).  The GT3 was the clear best option for me, as long as we managed the weighting properly, but I didn't really like the shaft options, so I did an outdoor fitting at my country club that following weekend, and mostly hit the GT3 again.  We really dialed in the weighting, but I wasn't really satisfied with the feel and sound, so he had me try the GT4, which didn't last too long.  Interestingly enough, the Tour AD-VF 6S shaft I love in the GT2 was absolutely trash in the GT4 for me for some reason.  Don't ask me why or how.  I also tried both the 6S and 6X versions of the VF shaft in my 3rd fitting in both the GT3 and GT2.  The 6X version didn't feel all that great, even though I'd been fitted for 75 gram X stiff shafts for the GT3 both at GG and outdoors at our club.  Once the combo of the 6S VF and GT2 went together though...like manna from heaven..and then when he put the 11 gram weight in the back instead of the 9 gram...even more like something from heaven compared to anything else I'd hit. 

[RichL85]

7 hours ago, ctg44 said:

All of the above.  I did fittings for all of the drivers over the past year.  After a great fitting right before the GT series release, I had an AiSmoke TD sitting in my Callaway Cart for 2 months waiting to make the purchase, but I really wanted to try the GT models first.  I did an in-store fitting with a Team Titelist fitter at Golf Galaxy and hit all mostly the 9* and 8* models of the GT3 and the 9* GT4 for well over an hour (because no one came to the appointment after me).  The GT3 was the clear best option for me, as long as we managed the weighting properly, but I didn't really like the shaft options, so I did an outdoor fitting at my country club that following weekend, and mostly hit the GT3 again.  We really dialed in the weighting, but I wasn't really satisfied with the feel and sound, so he had me try the GT4, which didn't last too long.  Interestingly enough, the Tour AD-VF 6S shaft I love in the GT2 was absolutely trash in the GT4 for me for some reason.  Don't ask me why or how.  I also tried both the 6S and 6X versions of the VF shaft in my 3rd fitting in both the GT3 and GT2.  The 6X version didn't feel all that great, even though I'd been fitted for 75 gram X stiff shafts for the GT3 both at GG and outdoors at our club.  Once the combo of the 6S VF and GT2 went together though...like manna from heaven..and then when he put the 11 gram weight in the back instead of the 9 gram...even more like something from heaven compared to anything else I'd hit. 

And similarly, the Tour AD VF that works great for you in the GT2 and works great for me in the GT3, was absolutely useless in the GT2... For me. There's always a complete picture to look at. I know my fitter could have gotten me to a GT4 setup that would have maximized my distance on those perfect strikes, but a big part of our conversation was about making it so my mishits would be playable. That was likely a large part of the decision to go with the GT3 for me. The GT4 was just too punishing on the mishits in my hands. I haven't tried the Ai Smoke TD, so I can't compare the forgiveness of it against the GT4, but I can say that to date, I've heard of a lot more people fitting into the TD than the GT4. Doesn't make it better, makes it better for you, and that's completely fine. 

As far as GT3 over GT2. That primarily came down to keeping the spin number down, being able to push that CG weight out towards the toe, and the ball speed was just higher, again... For me. Even on my best hits with the GT2, I was giving up 3-5 mph of ball speed compared to the GT3. I can't really explain why, because there is plenty of evidence to say that players far better than me can play the GT2 successfully. It just didn't turn out that way for me. 

If you look at it respectively, we have 5 people between four of the testers and Jamie that all have relatively similar swing speeds (low 100s), and out of those 5 we ended up with a TSR1/GT1, two GT2s, two GT3s, and not a single identical shaft between the group. Despite similar swing speeds, we all ended up in different final specs. Maybe I'm looking too much into it, but to say the GT4 doesn't fit anybody or that it's too narrow of a target audience, is maybe not entirely accurate. I think it's safe to say more people will fit into the 2 and 3 than the 4...but hasn't it always been that way?

[Golf2Much]

Unboxing and First Impressions of my Titleist GT3 Driver and GT2 Fairway Woods

Being the last Titleist Long Game reviewer to be fit, I expected to be the last to receive my test specimens.  To my surprise, a week after my fitting my custom clubs were shipped.  Just as predicted on the FedEx pick up and delivery schedule, my new Titleist GT driver and fairway woods arrived on my front porch.

 

Like a kid at Christmas waiting to open her or his favorite gift, I carefully cut the tape and slowly opened the box to reveal my new test subjects:  the Titleist GT3 driver and two GT2 fairway woods. 

 

There were two wadded up sheets of paper used to fill space and provide cushioning for the clubs.  The individually wrapped club headcovers were also strategically placed in the box to protect the clubs.   Removing both, I was somewhat surprised to see there were no additional cardboard supports keeping the clubs separated during shipping.

 

The three wood heads were nestled next to one another with the craft paper wrapped around.  Each head was individually wrapped in a bubble wrap sleeve and had a clear shrink-wrapped protected layer.  There was also a clear vinyl covering over the “Titleist GT” graphic on the sole which was like the old Colorforms toy (older person reference).  It’s easily missed, so be aware of it.

Looking at the clubs, they look gorgeous!  The black glossy head, the silver/white shaft (with the limited Mitsubishi SpeedMesh graphics and logo hidden under the shaft).  The blue midsized Golf Pride MCC Plus 4 grips completed the overall look.

I checked each club with the pictures I took at my fitting with each club, each shaft and hostel/CG track setting.  All three were set exactly to what the fitter and I discussed right out of the box.  Not that I needed it, the box did include a Titleist wrench.

All three headcovers were fur lined and seemed to be high quality.  The black and white covers with white lettering and red piping will look great with my white Ping cart bag.  The plastic wood designation feature on each head cover is novel.  The case opens exposing numbers (two per side) that fit snugly into retaining features on the inside of the case.   With the right number selected, the case snap fits together capturing the numbers in the opening.  Compared to some other manufacturers’ design, there’s little chance someone will lose them during normal use. 

 

My driver, a Ping G430 Max HL has a flat colored crown with raised turbolators to aid in aerodynamics and reduce drag.   Not that a driver swing speed of 72 mph can take full advantage of those features! The Titleist GT3 has a glossy simple crown with just a white “GT” as an alignment feature. 

Both drivers have face and paint features to highlight the desired driver sweet spot and help with my aiming.

For me, I didn’t notice it during my fitting as I was focusing on other things.  The glossy finish certainly is different.  Not necessarily good or bad, just different.  It’s sort of strange setting up to hit a drive and seeing my reflection off the top of the driver. 

Yes, that’s me between two palm trees today (more on that later).

Both drivers are 460 cc in overall volume.  I’ve never been one to favor (or really even notice) small changes in driver head profiles.  To me, their general shapes from the top looks fairly similar.

For the fairway woods, I’ll be replacing a Callaway Epic Speed 3 wood and GBB Epic Heavenwood (delofted to about a 5 wood) with the Titleist GT2 4 wood.

Looking down on the clubs, they look very similar.  All three are somewhat glossy with simple alignment aides.  At first glance, the Titleist four wood seemed slightly smaller than either Callaways.    However, digging into the numbers, the 170 cc Titleist four wood is just 5% smaller than the Callaway three wood and the same size as the Heavenwood.

The Callaway fairway woods use a milled face feature and paint to aide in alignment while looking down on the face at address.  The Titleist relies on the “GT” graphic on the crown and has white painted grooves across the fairway wood’s face.  Time will tell if the Titleist minimalist look will have an impact.

 

All in all, I think the fact that all three look very similar (glossy crown finish, about the same size and with silver shafts), I’m hoping that it will help make it an easier transition to the less lofted “new boy in town.” 

Moving to the seven woods.  As with the drivers, there more of a difference in the look of both clubs at address.  My existing Ping G has that matte finish with turbulator features and no alignment aide.  The Titleist has a glossy crown finish with only the “GT” alignment aide. 

Ping uses a paint strategy on the seven wood’s face to aide in alignment.  By not painting the face groove in the sweet spot, it creates an interesting look.  As with the Titleist four wood, the face grooves are painted white across the face.

With the two side by side, it appears that the Titleist seven wood is much smaller looking than the Ping.  In reality, it’s less than 5% smaller (145 cc versus 152 respectively).   My fitter suggested adding ½” to the shaft length to help with gaping with it’s four wood companion making the shaft 42 inches.  Interestingly, that’s the same length as the Ping G seven wood.

Overall, I was impressed with the speed I got my Titleist woods.  They were boxed and protected well for shipping, but adding a simple cardboard feature may have stabilized the shafts a little more.   The club heads had a shrink wrap film protecting it from scratches and a bubble wrap pouch to protect the heads from bumping into one another. 

All three Titleist clubs came exactly as specified and GT3 weight setting and all three coupling settings were preset.  The head covers looked great and seemed high quality.  Adding the wrench was a plus.

Stepping back, the Titleist clubs looked gorgeous.  The classic profile, glossy black club head finish coupled with the silver/white shaft and blue grips looked great.  Almost too good to hit.  Then again….

As I’m writing this, Hurricane Helene is passing to our west as just updated Cat 2.   Knowing I likely couldn’t get out today, my buddies and I snuck out for an unusual Wednesday round.  We had a day of pretty heavy rain the day before making it cart path only and winds ranging from 30-35 mph.   So, not the best conditions to hit brand new clubs and get a realistic first impression.  But here we go.

The interesting characteristics on first hitting the Titleist GT woods were the sound and feel.  The Titleist driver sounded just a little more metallic or “tinny” than the muted Ping 430 Max.  It was a very subtle, audible sound that sounded more metal-like than the Ping.  In fact, one could say it sounded like a muffled metallic “ping”.  The other impression of the GT sound I came away is going to "sound" a bit crazy.  However, it seemed that the audible sound at impact was shorter and didn’t last as long as the more resonating sound I got from hitting my Ping driver.  Titleist’s efforts to incorporate a carbon fiber filled thermoplastic composite crown to optimize the sound characteristics certainly had an impact.

The other characteristic that stood out was when I hit the Titleist woods, it didn’t even feel like I was hitting the ball.   I’d swing the club, hear the metallic ping sound and there was very little feedback.  The ball seemed to jump off the face without any twisting in my hands, even on off center hits.   Reflecting on it after the round, the sound and feel was consistent across the set of woods.  I must say I was impressed and liked both the sound and feel of new Titleist GT woods.

I did notice that I had to tee the ball down a little with the GT3 driver versus the Ping 430 Max.

Overall, I was impressed by Titleist GT wood look, sound and performance. 

One example of the GT's performance was on our 15th hole which is a 370-yard dogleg left with a big tree guarding the left side.  For me on a good day it’s a driver, five wood and I’m still 70 yards or more out.  With no roll and a 30-mph cross wind, I hit the GT3 driver (perfect center-right to avoid the tree) and the GT2 four wood to 15-20 yards from the green.  If that is ultimately the consistent performance I get of these clubs, I’ll be ecstatic. 

I was not the only one impressed.  One of my golfing buddies (who I play over 100 rounds with a year) commented how much farther and consistently I hit the Titleist GT driver and fairway woods than my existing clubs.   My former head of operations would say "once is an accident, twice is a coincidence and three times is a trend."  Here's hoping that my first outing was more of a trend than accident!

With Hurricane Helene moving away and a few days to dry out, the real test period will begin.  I can’t wait to generate the number and share them.

Edited 12 hours ago by Golf2Much

[Erin B]

9 hours ago, RichL85 said:

And similarly, the Tour AD VF that works great for you in the GT2 and works great for me in the GT3, was absolutely useless in the GT2... For me. There's always a complete picture to look at. I know my fitter could have gotten me to a GT4 setup that would have maximized my distance on those perfect strikes, but a big part of our conversation was about making it so my mishits would be playable. That was likely a large part of the decision to go with the GT3 for me. The GT4 was just too punishing on the mishits in my hands. I haven't tried the Ai Smoke TD, so I can't compare the forgiveness of it against the GT4, but I can say that to date, I've heard of a lot more people fitting into the TD than the GT4. Doesn't make it better, makes it better for you, and that's completely fine. 

As far as GT3 over GT2. That primarily came down to keeping the spin number down, being able to push that CG weight out towards the toe, and the ball speed was just higher, again... For me. Even on my best hits with the GT2, I was giving up 3-5 mph of ball speed compared to the GT3. I can't really explain why, because there is plenty of evidence to say that players far better than me can play the GT2 successfully. It just didn't turn out that way for me. 

If you look at it respectively, we have 5 people between four of the testers and Jamie that all have relatively similar swing speeds (low 100s), and out of those 5 we ended up with a TSR1/GT1, two GT2s, two GT3s, and not a single identical shaft between the group. Despite similar swing speeds, we all ended up in different final specs. Maybe I'm looking too much into it, but to say the GT4 doesn't fit anybody or that it's too narrow of a target audience, is maybe not entirely accurate. I think it's safe to say more people will fit into the 2 and 3 than the 4...but hasn't it always been that way?

Great take! I played yesterday with my extra stiff Mitsubishi shaft.

I played the front 9 with my Epic Max LS and the second with my Paradym TD just to see what they’d do. 

Sorry for the table photos, didn’t think to take them on the course yesterday. Anyway, much better results with the extra stiff shaft in either head, the Paradym was longer. Both were straight and reliable. I asked my pro why I’m better in extra stiff shafts and he said that extra stiff less flex it go straighter for me. In the shafts many flex a lot so the face can be all over the place. It’s the reason he put me in extra stiff a couple years ago and asked me why I went back to stiff. I didn’t have an answer that was logical for him, except I’m dumb . I just need to keep listening to him. I’m still in extra stiff irons and really hit them well so I truly have no logical explanation for him. But again, just goes to show that we are all different with different swings and different tendencies.

Edited Thursday at 03:49 PM by Erin B

[Rearviewmirror]

Interesting second round today. A little similar to @Golf2Much it was VERY wet. We had almost torrential rain last night and even into this morning so there was a lot of standing water on the course. I'll go club by club again:

7W

Now granted I've only hit it 4 times, but it is an absolutely brilliant club. I'm not sure I've ever seen a club with this positive a strokes gained:

Similar to what was said above, I do feel like the face feels very muted even on a good strike. It's kind of a muted "thwack!". Interestingly it does also want to seem to draw for me, despite being in B4. But it's an amazing club, and exactly what I was looking for!

3W

I switched the hosel to A1 (left the toe weight in T1) and that seems to have sorted the rights for me. Right now it has been a bit binary - it's either a middled screamer that carries ~220yds, or a toe ball that doesn't get off the ground. In the past I have been very swingweight/clubhead weight sensitive, so my next driving range trip I'm going to try putting the weight in the neutral position and see how that feels. Today's off the tee distances were 218yds, 214yds, and 203yds and the one worm burner I hit off the fairway still made it 185yds in the wet. One weird thing that I haven't had before, and I wonder if it is being caused by the toe weight - twice I have contacted the ground before and inside the ball off the tee. It almost feels like when a wedge is too upright and you dig the toe. Part of me wonders if that could be the toe weight...

The thing I've found most impressive about both the 7W and the 3W so far are the consistency of trajectory (they both have a very consistent soaring take off) and the power the face seems to impart. I'm really enjoying both of the fairway woods and feel like they will both be true weapons as I get them dialled in.

TSR1

Hmmm. So today was no better, to the point where I used 3W off the tee for two shots I would normally hit driver (including a Par 5). I hit driver three times, the first was a screaming 247yd heel hook, second was a borderline OB  draw that started left and stayed left (deep into the rough at around 200yds), and the third was my provisional on the same hole that had the same trajectory, but I started it 40yds further right and so it ran out to 220yds.

I'm having a really hard time pinpointing what isn't working, but my sneaking suspicion is that the head is maybe too light for me to feel the face in space. Obviously the G430 10K is a very heavy head, so it makes sense that it's  a tough adjustment, but this does mirror some of what I saw with the TSR1 in my fitting - two way misses, and kind of a high ballooning flight compared to the more penetrating bombs I typically see with the 10K.

 

I'm about to head out on a two week work trip, but if I'm somewhat fresh tomorrow morning (and the weather isn't horrendous) I might try to squeeze in one last range session for driver and 3W (to try moving the weight centrally). 

 

[ctg44]

I posted this over in our @Toura Golf build thread, but I got to spend some time on a Foresight GC Hawk yesterday at the PGA SS here.  I tuned my launch a little bit and these were the numbers yesterday w/ the GT2 Simulator after I'd played a simulated 18 hole round.  I set the "driving range" up for DFW real-time conditions and for a 325-yard pin placement.  I was killing it...

[CFreddie]

2 minutes ago, ctg44 said:

I posted this over in our @Toura Golf build thread, but I got to spend some time on a Foresight GC Hawk yesterday at the PGA SS here.  I tuned my launch a little bit and these were the numbers yesterday w/ the GT2 Simulator after I'd played a simulated 18 hole round.  I set the "driving range" up for DFW real-time conditions and for a 325-yard pin placement.  I was killing it...

Dang great numbers @ctg44 - I can't remember if you updated here, did you ever get your 11g weight to replace the stock weight in the GT2?

[ctg44]

Thank you.  It's been a dream club for me so far.  I can't believe how much better it is than anything I've ever hit before.  I mean, I literally had every fitter in the area joking about, "here he comes again" because they couldn't pry my Epic Flash out of my hands, and when the Tour AD VF 6S and the GT2 pairing went together, well, that was pretty well all she wrote for the Epic Flash.

As for the weight...well, yes...sort of.  The company emailed me to say they were out of stock in the 11 gram weights and could send me the 13 gram weight if I wanted.  I accepted and have been using that.  The whole package is still a lot lighter than my Epic Flash was, and I'm not spinning the ball too much as long as I use the Pro V1 or Maxfli Tour and not the "x" models.  

[ctg44]

Now if I could just stay fully healthy and not have bad skaters in high school hockey games fall down 3' from the back of my feet at full speed, causing a ton of soreness and stiffness for my back and neck that takes forever to get warmed up every time I want to hit balls or play, I'd be even better.  I'm almost healed fully from the sprained wrist from the Labor Day hockey tournament injury, though I can still feel some soreness when I have days where I send 100+ emails or hit 300+ balls from turf mats, both of which I did yesterday...officiating is hard when you break the 50 barrier...

Edited 3 hours ago by ctg44

[Yorkie07]

While we're waiting for the testers, figured I'd share my experience. I was coming from a TS2 8.5 Degree with a Project Evenflow TT1000 6x shaft. Could hit it generally well, but on the course I seemed to come across it and always hit the towering slice. Also, for the life of me, I could not hit the ball on the toe. An impossibility. I tried the TSR's multiple times, but I just couldn't hit them.

I went for my first fitting for the GT's and just could not get out of my own way. I swung the GT2 8 Degree, with the Tensei 1K shaft, but there were no noticeable gains. After an hour, we decided it wasn't going to happen. But he didn't have a fitting after, so he asked if I wanted to try out some premium shafts. He handed me a Ventus Black 6S and I immediately fell in love.

Afterwards, I left and found a Ventus Black on 2nd Swing, so decided to make the upgrade to my current gamer. It made a huge difference. I still hit the fade/slice, but it wasn't making its way off the planet. 

Back to the reason we're here. I went back a few weeks for a second fitting. Started with the TS2 now with the Ventus Black 6s. Decent numbers, but the spin was way high.

To get the spin down, he had me try the GT3 in 9 degree with the Ventus shaft. Numbers below (data in excel because we made a swing tweak in the middle that did not work at all so I took the numbers out):

As you can see the club speed stayed close, but the carry and total jumped and the spin came way down. He didn't have a 10 degree in stock, but he suggested I go to 10 degree. This absolutely terrified me coming from an 8.5, but this is a fitter I relied on for my iron fitting and both driver fittings so I trusted him. 

Got the GT3 10 degree delivered 2 weeks ago and could not be more please. Compared to the TS2, the feeling is just solid contact. Less metallic and "ting" but not the carbon face feel of the Stealth. After a range session and two rounds, I have confidence I can put an easy swing on it and it will go. I still occasionally catch it on the heel, but rather than making it's way off the course it still finds the fairway. In two rounds, I've only hit the slice once and it was just lack of concentration. 

Havent had a chance to get it to the range and put the monitor behind it for updated numbers, but overall I couldnt be happier. I think they really hit it out of the park with the GT line.

[Golf2Much]

On 9/26/2024 at 1:55 AM, RichL85 said:

Ff you look at it respectively, we have 5 people between four of the testers and Jamie that all have relatively similar swing speeds (low 100s), and out of those 5 we ended up with a TSR1/GT1, two GT2s, two GT3s, and not a single identical shaft between the group. Despite similar swing speeds, we all ended up in different final specs.

@RichL85 thanks so much for the vote of confidence on my swing speed!  I had a dream once that my driver swing speed was that high.  

In reality, when I say my driver swing speed at my fitting was in the low 70's, I'm not kidding.  I think I averaged 70.6 mph across my existing Ping G430 MAX HL and Titleist GT drivers I tried.  In my defense, it was extremely hot and humid, it took me almost five to six hours to drive to the fitting and I over did it "warming" up.   Under best case scenario, I'm likely in the low to mid 70's!  In some respects, it made the shaft discussion a lot easier as there's only about 11 shafts in the senior flex and only a handful in the 40ish-gram light weight category.  We ended up the 40 gram Mitsubishi MMT SpeedMesh shaft.

  In my fitting review, I shared why we ultimately decided on the GT3.  Again, I didn't have my best stuff and was pushing the ball to the right.  My fitter felt going with the GT3 and moving the weight to the heel would help me close the face.  In retrospect, I have my Ping 430 MAX HL driver set with the weight in the "Draw" position closer to the heel.  Anyway, making the shift from the GT2 to GT3 helped minimize my pushes right and tweaking the coupling setting get my numbers all in the desired "blue" region in my Trackman results.

Even with the 70.4 mph club head speed, my swing was still pretty efficient with an average smash factor of 1.50.  

I start collecting Shot Scope on the course data tomorrow.  We'll have to see if the improved Trackman performance translates to on course improvements!