MEMBER REVIEWS: Titleist GT Driver & Fairway Wood Member Testing | See What Members Are Saying

[CanFred]

As promised, following up on my fitting Saturday with some data (thanks to Chris & Trackman).  

 

Head

First off, we started with head options (GT2 -> GT3 -> GT4, in that order), which was helpful to get a base understanding of the technology.  

- GT2 - according to Chris, the "2" designation is generally considered the most "forgiving", but that notion has changed a bit with the GT range (more on that below).  At address, the 2 was the most foreign to me, given its slightly elongated shape, but I quickly got over that.  Sound was muted (more "thwack") but solid nonetheless.  

- GT3 - again, according to Chris, there seem to be a bifurcation in the GT2 / 3 range so far, as the 3 can also be considered "forgiving", but to a different player.  In fact, after the first couple hits, I found the 3 a bit more forgiving, especially on my blocked / pushed shots (instead of sailing out of bounds right, it was more of a slight fade).  Sound was a bit more "tingy" on the 3, which I preferred.  

- GT4 - much smaller shape (very apparent upon address) but just not for me.  I'm not a good / consistent enough ball striker, so this was an easy no for me.  

 

In conclusion, I went in thinking the 2 was going to be a clear winner for me, given its perception of the most "forgiving" model.  However, we found that with the added adjustability of the 3 (particularly in the heel / toe direction), the 3 was a clearer winner for me.   

 

Shaft

Next, an overview of the shaft options I tried - most were hit at least 3 times, except in certain situations where we knew off the bat it wasn't right (all same weight / stiffness profiles):

- Ventus TR Blue - current gamer shaft, and what I was most comfortable with as a starting point

- Ventus TR Red - as Chris described it, the "reverse" of the TR Blue (tip & handle stiffnesses are basically reversed); hypothesis was maybe a slightly softer tip could kick at the right time

- VA Composites Drago - honestly, didn't know much about this company / shaft, but this was probably the "second best" option (after TR Blue)

- Graphite Design Tour AD UB - overall great feel, but wasn't enthralled with the numbers on this one

 

As you can see, based on initial gamer performance, we were able to filter down shaft options relatively quickly (and conserve a bit of energy along the way).  Below is a view of the carry / dispersion chart for these options - I will call-out that wind was definitely a factor throughout the day as a storm was rolling through the area for much of the fitting.  

 

Legend - Green (TR Blue), Purple (TR Red), Red (Drago), Blue (UB)

 

And below is some screenshots of the data for each of these shots:

 

Collar / Weight: 

In parallel with shaft options, Chris adjusted weight & collar configurations to "get greedy" as he would call it.  Given my natural shot shape is a draw, I typically setup aimed slightly right to account for this.  In addition, I tend to launch high on the ball, so flattening out the club a little bit should help keep my apex down a bit more.  Knowing this, Chris determined that the "C1" was the best setting.  

 

In addition, we played around with weight settings - first adding 4 grams to the head, then taking away 2 grams - unfortunately, I didn't see much gains going either direction, so we decided to keep standard.  

 

All-in-all, this is why I think getting fitted by a professional is so important - in past fittings, weight & collar settings were never discussed (along with having more limited shaft options).  I can also appreciate Titleist building in so much adjustability on this head - the possibilities are truly endless on fine tuning this club to the player.  

 

Here is a summary of my driver settings:

 

Fairways:

As discussed previously, I currently game a 3W & 7W combo (15 degrees and 21 degrees, respectively) and I preferred to keep that setup for gapping purposes (note - I typically carry my 3W 230 yards and my 7W 210 yards).  

 

Starting with the 3W, we decided to stick the TR Blue shaft, given my comfortability with it on the driver, but increase weight by 10 grams due to shaft length.  After hitting both the GT2 & 3 in the 15 degree head, Chris asked if I'd try out a 16.5 degree head (basically a 4W) to try and get a bit more loft on my shots (my typical miss on 3W is very low).  After a couple shots on the 4W, I was sold - contact was much better, loft / apex was ideal, and I wasn't sacrificing carry.  In addition, we decided to stick to the GT3 given its "flatter" shape on the bottom (to me, turf interaction was a bit better on it).

 

Switching to 7W, my options were a bit more limited, given the GT3 does not come in that loft option, so we went with the 2 and with a slightly different shaft setup (tipped 1.5" to give it a bit more stiffness to account for slightly shorter shaft length).  

 

In summary, thanks again for GolfWRX, Titleist, and Chris for this incredible experience - now we wait (expected delivery is mid/late October due to shaft delays ☹️)!

 

Thats all for now - please let me know if you have any questions!

[BlkNGld]

19 hours ago, Carolina Golfer 2 said:

Yep. Already reached out to my Srixon rep.  I wsnt the ZXI as soon as available.  I’ll play them until the new T series or whatever it is called is released. 
 

i have not head back yet but I don’t expect to be able to pre order until early December.  That’s what it was for the MKii

i530 honeymoon over?

[stryper]

1 hour ago, ChrisATL said:

As promised, following up on my fitting Saturday with some data (thanks to Chris & Trackman).  

 

Head

First off, we started with head options (GT2 -> GT3 -> GT4, in that order), which was helpful to get a base understanding of the technology.  

- GT2 - according to Chris, the "2" designation is generally considered the most "forgiving", but that notion has changed a bit with the GT range (more on that below).  At address, the 2 was the most foreign to me, given its slightly elongated shape, but I quickly got over that.  Sound was muted (more "thwack") but solid nonetheless.  

- GT3 - again, according to Chris, there seem to be a bifurcation in the GT2 / 3 range so far, as the 3 can also be considered "forgiving", but to a different player.  In fact, after the first couple hits, I found the 3 a bit more forgiving, especially on my blocked / pushed shots (instead of sailing out of bounds right, it was more of a slight fade).  Sound was a bit more "tingy" on the 3, which I preferred.  

- GT4 - much smaller shape (very apparent upon address) but just not for me.  I'm not a good / consistent enough ball striker, so this was an easy no for me.  

 

In conclusion, I went in thinking the 2 was going to be a clear winner for me, given its perception of the most "forgiving" model.  However, we found that with the added adjustability of the 3 (particularly in the heel / toe direction), the 3 was a clearer winner for me.   

 

Shaft

Next, an overview of the shaft options I tried - most were hit at least 3 times, except in certain situations where we knew off the bat it wasn't right (all same weight / stiffness profiles):

- Ventus TR Blue - current gamer shaft, and what I was most comfortable with as a starting point

- Ventus TR Red - as Chris described it, the "reverse" of the TR Blue (tip & handle stiffnesses are basically reversed); hypothesis was maybe a slightly softer tip could kick at the right time

- VA Composites Drago - honestly, didn't know much about this company / shaft, but this was probably the "second best" option (after TR Blue)

- Graphite Design Tour AD UB - overall great feel, but wasn't enthralled with the numbers on this one

 

As you can see, based on initial gamer performance, we were able to filter down shaft options relatively quickly (and conserve a bit of energy along the way).  Below is a view of the carry / dispersion chart for these options - I will call-out that wind was definitely a factor throughout the day as a storm was rolling through the area for much of the fitting.  

 

Legend - Green (TR Blue), Purple (TR Red), Red (Drago), Blue (UB)

 

And below is some screenshots of the data for each of these shots:

 

Collar / Weight: 

In parallel with shaft options, Chris adjusted weight & collar configurations to "get greedy" as he would call it.  Given my natural shot shape is a draw, I typically setup aimed slightly right to account for this.  In addition, I tend to launch high on the ball, so flattening out the club a little bit should help keep my apex down a bit more.  Knowing this, Chris determined that the "C1" was the best setting.  

 

In addition, we played around with weight settings - first adding 4 grams to the head, then taking away 2 grams - unfortunately, I didn't see much gains going either direction, so we decided to keep standard.  

 

All-in-all, this is why I think getting fitted by a professional is so important - in past fittings, weight & collar settings were never discussed (along with having more limited shaft options).  I can also appreciate Titleist building in so much adjustability on this head - the possibilities are truly endless on fine tuning this club to the player.  

 

Here is a summary of my driver settings:

 

Fairways:

As discussed previously, I currently game a 3W & 7W combo (15 degrees and 21 degrees, respectively) and I preferred to keep that setup for gapping purposes (note - I typically carry my 3W 230 yards and my 7W 210 yards).  

 

Starting with the 3W, we decided to stick the TR Blue shaft, given my comfortability with it on the driver, but increase weight by 10 grams due to shaft length.  After hitting both the GT2 & 3 in the 15 degree head, Chris asked if I'd try out a 16.5 degree head (basically a 4W) to try and get a bit more loft on my shots (my typical miss on 3W is very low).  After a couple shots on the 4W, I was sold - contact was much better, loft / apex was ideal, and I wasn't sacrificing carry.  In addition, we decided to stick to the GT3 given its "flatter" shape on the bottom (to me, turf interaction was a bit better on it).

 

Switching to 7W, my options were a bit more limited, given the GT3 does not come in that loft option, so we went with the 2 and with a slightly different shaft setup (tipped 1.5" to give it a bit more stiffness to account for slightly shorter shaft length).  

 

In summary, thanks again for GolfWRX, Titleist, and Chris for this incredible experience - now we wait (expected delivery is mid/late October due to shaft delays ☹️)!

 

Thats all for now - please let me know if you have any questions!

Nice…and interesting that you ended

up fitting right back into the TR Blue, showing comfort being an important part of the fitting process.  In my own case, while I didn’t end up in my current gamer, the Tensei I did come away with is very similar in profile, the main difference, again, being weight.

 

Also, I don’t think you mentioned anything in terms of distance gained.  Did you see anything there?  Or were your improvements more in the form of  dispersion and distribution?  A worthy goal in itself.

 

Nice to see the additional fairway option for you too.  Of course your lofts/gaps would not have worked in my current bag, since I move from a 15 degree 3W to 19 and 24 degree hybrids (TSR3).  But again, this to me suggests the importance of fitting—or at least using a bit of logic—instead of throwing any random stick in the bag.

 

Good job.

[CanFred]

1 minute ago, stryper said:

Nice…and interesting that you ended

up fitting right back into the TR Blue, showing comfort being an important part of the fitting process.  In my own case, while I didn’t end up in my current gamer, the Tensei I did come away with is very similar in profile, the main difference, again, being weight.

 

Also, I don’t think you mentioned anything in terms of distance gained.  Did you see anything there?  Or were your improvements more in the form of  dispersion and distribution?  A worthy goal in itself.

 

Nice to see the additional fairway option for you too.  Of course your lofts/gaps would not have worked in my current bag, since I move from a 15 degree 3W to 19 and 24 degree hybrids (TSR3).  But again, this to me suggests the importance of fitting—or at least using a bit of logic—instead of throwing any random stick in the bag.

 

Good job.

Doh - didn't even talk about performance gains.  Below is a quick summary of my selected setup vs gamer:

As you can see, most of my distance gains came from a combination of ball speed increase & spin reduction, along with some head tweaks that helped strike location / path.  Dispersion improved slightly as well, and I'd imagine it will over time as I get used to the setup & feel of the club (its ~3 grams heavier than my gamer).  

 

On gapping, totally agree - I have a couple hybrids & driving irons that move in and out of the bag, but the 7W has been my favorite club in recent memory so I wanted to try and maintain that gapping as much as possible.  

[Carolina Golfer 2]

4 hours ago, BlkNGld said:

i530 honeymoon over?

LOL!!  Well we are still on speaking terms but the last conversation wasn't a pleasant one 😟

 

But seriously, they are still very good. But I slept on getting the MKIi ZX when they were released and have been really looking forward to the next release ever since then.  

 

 

[Carolina Golfer 2]

2 hours ago, ChrisATL said:

Doh - didn't even talk about performance gains.  Below is a quick summary of my selected setup vs gamer:

As you can see, most of my distance gains came from a combination of ball speed increase & spin reduction, along with some head tweaks that helped strike location / path.  Dispersion improved slightly as well, and I'd imagine it will over time as I get used to the setup & feel of the club (its ~3 grams heavier than my gamer).  

 

On gapping, totally agree - I have a couple hybrids & driving irons that move in and out of the bag, but the 7W has been my favorite club in recent memory so I wanted to try and maintain that gapping as much as possible.  

We just had Titleist out today for the monthly fitting day, and all day long all 5 appointments, I honestly heard "Wow" after all 5 players hit their first shot with the gT vs the current gamer.  We had one guy that was so funny.   He was coming from a TS and was carrying it about 237 and he said those were typical drives.  His first three with the GT were all 254 to 256 carry and 278'ish total.   He turned around to Jake (the fitter) and said that's it.  I can't possibly hit a ball better than that, I don't need to hit anything else.    Jake did have hit hit the GT3 head just to make sure that he had a chance to see both.  And he hit it well but had just a tad more right on it than the two, and said.   The 2 it is, lets get the fairways now.   Ended up with the GT2 15 and 21 degree! 

 

 

[Pnwpingi210]

5 hours ago, ChrisATL said:

As promised, following up on my fitting Saturday with some data (thanks to Chris & Trackman).  

 

Head

First off, we started with head options (GT2 -> GT3 -> GT4, in that order), which was helpful to get a base understanding of the technology.  

- GT2 - according to Chris, the "2" designation is generally considered the most "forgiving", but that notion has changed a bit with the GT range (more on that below).  At address, the 2 was the most foreign to me, given its slightly elongated shape, but I quickly got over that.  Sound was muted (more "thwack") but solid nonetheless.  

- GT3 - again, according to Chris, there seem to be a bifurcation in the GT2 / 3 range so far, as the 3 can also be considered "forgiving", but to a different player.  In fact, after the first couple hits, I found the 3 a bit more forgiving, especially on my blocked / pushed shots (instead of sailing out of bounds right, it was more of a slight fade).  Sound was a bit more "tingy" on the 3, which I preferred.  

- GT4 - much smaller shape (very apparent upon address) but just not for me.  I'm not a good / consistent enough ball striker, so this was an easy no for me.  

 

In conclusion, I went in thinking the 2 was going to be a clear winner for me, given its perception of the most "forgiving" model.  However, we found that with the added adjustability of the 3 (particularly in the heel / toe direction), the 3 was a clearer winner for me.   

 

Shaft

Next, an overview of the shaft options I tried - most were hit at least 3 times, except in certain situations where we knew off the bat it wasn't right (all same weight / stiffness profiles):

- Ventus TR Blue - current gamer shaft, and what I was most comfortable with as a starting point

- Ventus TR Red - as Chris described it, the "reverse" of the TR Blue (tip & handle stiffnesses are basically reversed); hypothesis was maybe a slightly softer tip could kick at the right time

- VA Composites Drago - honestly, didn't know much about this company / shaft, but this was probably the "second best" option (after TR Blue)

- Graphite Design Tour AD UB - overall great feel, but wasn't enthralled with the numbers on this one

 

As you can see, based on initial gamer performance, we were able to filter down shaft options relatively quickly (and conserve a bit of energy along the way).  Below is a view of the carry / dispersion chart for these options - I will call-out that wind was definitely a factor throughout the day as a storm was rolling through the area for much of the fitting.  

 

Legend - Green (TR Blue), Purple (TR Red), Red (Drago), Blue (UB)

 

And below is some screenshots of the data for each of these shots:

 

Collar / Weight: 

In parallel with shaft options, Chris adjusted weight & collar configurations to "get greedy" as he would call it.  Given my natural shot shape is a draw, I typically setup aimed slightly right to account for this.  In addition, I tend to launch high on the ball, so flattening out the club a little bit should help keep my apex down a bit more.  Knowing this, Chris determined that the "C1" was the best setting.  

 

In addition, we played around with weight settings - first adding 4 grams to the head, then taking away 2 grams - unfortunately, I didn't see much gains going either direction, so we decided to keep standard.  

 

All-in-all, this is why I think getting fitted by a professional is so important - in past fittings, weight & collar settings were never discussed (along with having more limited shaft options).  I can also appreciate Titleist building in so much adjustability on this head - the possibilities are truly endless on fine tuning this club to the player.  

 

Here is a summary of my driver settings:

 

Fairways:

As discussed previously, I currently game a 3W & 7W combo (15 degrees and 21 degrees, respectively) and I preferred to keep that setup for gapping purposes (note - I typically carry my 3W 230 yards and my 7W 210 yards).  

 

Starting with the 3W, we decided to stick the TR Blue shaft, given my comfortability with it on the driver, but increase weight by 10 grams due to shaft length.  After hitting both the GT2 & 3 in the 15 degree head, Chris asked if I'd try out a 16.5 degree head (basically a 4W) to try and get a bit more loft on my shots (my typical miss on 3W is very low).  After a couple shots on the 4W, I was sold - contact was much better, loft / apex was ideal, and I wasn't sacrificing carry.  In addition, we decided to stick to the GT3 given its "flatter" shape on the bottom (to me, turf interaction was a bit better on it).

 

Switching to 7W, my options were a bit more limited, given the GT3 does not come in that loft option, so we went with the 2 and with a slightly different shaft setup (tipped 1.5" to give it a bit more stiffness to account for slightly shorter shaft length).  

 

In summary, thanks again for GolfWRX, Titleist, and Chris for this incredible experience - now we wait (expected delivery is mid/late October due to shaft delays ☹️)!

 

Thats all for now - please let me know if you have any questions!

How did the your final gt setup compare against your current gamer?   Did you also go through as thorough of a fitting for your current gamer?

[CanFred]

54 minutes ago, Pnwpingi210 said:

How did the your final gt setup compare against your current gamer?   Did you also go through as thorough of a fitting for your current gamer?

Good questions!

 

On my current gamer, pretty much the same - same shaft / stiffness, length (although we did play around with this), and close to the same weight (as I said above, my Paradym is a little lighter).  For grip, I went with MCC - I've always loved them and I'm not a big fan of my current grip (Tour Velvet +4).  All-in-all, pretty similar specs, which makes the the gains I saw during the fitting even more impressive.

 

On last fitting, nowhere near as thorough.  I went through one of the free fitting opportunities at a local Edwin Watts, and felt pretty rushed.  The "fitter" (using that term loosely) didn't really want to chat through shaft options based on my swing specs - pretty crazy that I ended up with the same shaft in my new GT.  

[stryper]

2 hours ago, ChrisATL said:

Good questions!

 

On my current gamer, pretty much the same - same shaft / stiffness, length (although we did play around with this), and close to the same weight (as I said above, my Paradym is a little lighter).  For grip, I went with MCC - I've always loved them and I'm not a big fan of my current grip (Tour Velvet +4).  All-in-all, pretty similar specs, which makes the the gains I saw during the fitting even more impressive.

 

On last fitting, nowhere near as thorough.  I went through one of the free fitting opportunities at a local Edwin Watts, and felt pretty rushed.  The "fitter" (using that term loosely) didn't really want to chat through shaft options based on my swing specs - pretty crazy that I ended up with the same shaft in my new GT.  

As to your last paragraph, I think this is where the term “fitting” gets a little watered down.  Sure there are plenty of good fitters in the big box environment, but finding one can be a bit of a crapshoot, as not everyone there is as motivated or well-trained as you might expect.  So for a lot of them, the whole fitting process is nothing more than trial and error, swapping out a few heads and shafts across an array of brands, hoping something stands out as marginally better.  
 

I did not feel this way with my recent fitting.  In fact, to the contrary, having worked in that big box environment for a bit, I never saw the level of detail that I received from Titleist for this project.

[tocino]

On 9/16/2024 at 7:03 PM, stryper said:

As to your last paragraph, I think this is where the term “fitting” gets a little watered down.  Sure there are plenty of good fitters in the big box environment, but finding one can be a bit of a crapshoot, as not everyone there is as motivated or well-trained as you might expect.  So for a lot of them, the whole fitting process is nothing more than trial and error, swapping out a few heads and shafts across an array of brands, hoping something stands out as marginally better.  
 

I did not feel this way with my recent fitting.  In fact, to the contrary, having worked in that big box environment for a bit, I never saw the level of detail that I received from Titleist for this project.

I've been informally fit at a box store before for driver vs an actual driver fitting at an outdoor range with a professional and the difference really is night an day. It's easier to trust the data when you can see it happening in real life. I actually got fit into a TSR2 and I'm curious to see how the GT line compares.

[AUTIGER07]

Got a delivery this morning….

 

Have an all day meeting otherwise these would be starting their test run this afternoon. I’ll report back tomorrow after their first range test.

[CanFred]

On 9/16/2024 at 10:03 PM, stryper said:

As to your last paragraph, I think this is where the term “fitting” gets a little watered down.  Sure there are plenty of good fitters in the big box environment, but finding one can be a bit of a crapshoot, as not everyone there is as motivated or well-trained as you might expect.  So for a lot of them, the whole fitting process is nothing more than trial and error, swapping out a few heads and shafts across an array of brands, hoping something stands out as marginally better.  
 

I did not feel this way with my recent fitting.  In fact, to the contrary, having worked in that big box environment for a bit, I never saw the level of detail that I received from Titleist for this project.

100% agree @stryper

18 minutes ago, tocino said:

I've been informally fit at a box store before for driver vs an actual driver fitting at an outdoor range with a professional and the difference really is night an day. It's easier to trust the data when you can see it happening in real life. I actually got fit into a TSR2 and I'm curious to see how the GT line compares.

You bring up a good point on indoor vs outdoor fittings - seeing the ball flight with my own eyes gave me a lot more confidence on the numbers Chris was giving me.  

[CanFred]

7 minutes ago, AUTIGER07 said:

Got a delivery this morning….

 

Have an all day meeting otherwise these would be starting their test run this afternoon. I’ll report back tomorrow after their first range test.

Looking good @AUTIGER07 - Can't wait to see the results of the first range session!  Curious, what was the ETA given to you (either through your fitter or through the email)?

 

Chris gave me a heads up that the TR shafts were OOS, so there would be a delay in shipping.  Based on the email from Titleist, I could be waiting awhile 🫠...

 

[AUTIGER07]

10 minutes ago, ChrisATL said:

Looking good @AUTIGER07 - Can't wait to see the results of the first range session!  Curious, what was the ETA given to you (either through your fitter or through the email)?

 

Chris gave me a heads up that the TR shafts were OOS, so there would be a delay in shipping.  Based on the email from Titleist, I could be waiting awhile 🫠...

 

My ship date was spot on. Leaving the fitting, I had an estimated ship date of last Friday, which is when the clubs were sent out.

Hopefully they can adjust yours somewhere so they’ll come in sooner.

[BlkNGld]

On 9/16/2024 at 2:55 PM, Carolina Golfer 2 said:

LOL!!  Well we are still on speaking terms but the last conversation wasn't a pleasant one 😟

 

But seriously, they are still very good. But I slept on getting the MKIi ZX when they were released and have been really looking forward to the next release ever since then.  

 

 

 

So to recap... you've already identified what will replace this year's irons in the spring.  AND you've identified what's going to replace THOSE later in the season?  

 

This kind of forward thinking may warrant a new type of WRX award 🙂

 

 

[Carolina Golfer 2]

1 hour ago, BlkNGld said:

 

So to recap... you've already identified what will replace this year's irons in the spring.  AND you've identified what's going to replace THOSE later in the season?  

 

This kind of forward thinking may warrant a new type of WRX award 🙂

 

 

LOL!!  You got it perfectly 🙂

 

[AUTIGER07]

First range session is in the books...

 

 

 

Some overall thoughts before diving into each club....

• Apparently my usual range is trying to finish the season before putting new (or somewhat decent) balls back on the range. I ended up pulling 8 "lightly used" balls from my bag to get a more true feeling on performance than what the initial 12-15 range balls were offering up. So to whomever finds 6 TP5's and 2 PRO-V's on the range at Highlands of Elgin outside Chicago...you're welcome.
• I didn't put this in my initial review but having used +4 grips for several years now and before that using midsize with 2-3 extra wraps, I often struggle to get a good gauge of things during fittings or demo days due to standard size grips. I typically feel like I'm slowing my hands down which means I'm often not swinging freely during a fitting. All of that to say this morning was really the first time using the GT's that I felt like I could swing them with a normal swing / thought process instead of holding back as I did during the fitting process.
• I didn't bring my current driver or 3W to the range this morning. For this first session, I really wanted to just swing both GT3's without worrying about how they compared to my current gamers. Basically I wanted to focus on their flight, feel, and sound.

 

GT3 Fairway - 15* - Tensei 1K Black 75x - Surefit @ B1 - Weight @ Toe 2

My current TSR2 15* with the same shaft has been a great club and is easily my favorite fairway wood since picking up a 915F back in 2015. It's consistent, very accurate, and really about as "point and shoot" as it gets. My miss with fairway woods has predominantly been a high / spinny shot that ends up 15-20 yards short of target and as a higher launch / spin player I've frankly just dealt with it over the years. I've stayed away from the Titleist "3" fairway model, or previously the Fd's, not because I couldn't get it airborne, but moreso that I wanted something forgiving from the fairway wood spot.

 

It goes without saying but that is why a fitting is so important as normally I would've just went directly to the GT2 without really considering the GT3. However, I noticed two weeks ago during the fitting and again this morning that the new GT3 is significantly easier to hit than I experienced with the older models (TSR3 / TSI3 915Fd). It's not as forgiving as the GT2 or TSR2, and it's not supposed to be, but the increased forgiveness has reached a point where I feel like the tradeoff between extra forgiveness or extra distance is almost immaterial anymore.

 

My initial reactions thus far are...

• Much more penetrating trajectory than the TSR2 (expected). Using the only launch monitor available to me this morning, the subjective one in my head, I'd say max height was down ~20-25 feet and the spin rate definitely seems to match up to what I witnessed during the fitting (~3k RPM).
• As I mentioned above, forgiveness is extremely good for a "lower launch" fairway. If you make a bad swing it's going to penalize you, that's not avoidable. But the small mishits are far less penal than earlier models.
• Hitting it in the screws is like a drug. The feel is solid, like hitting the middle of a forged iron. The sound is perfect, very much a "thwack" instead of a "ting".
• Shaping is spot on. Nothing to add other than Titleist nailed it...as usual.
• If I was playing this afternoon the TSR2 would be left in the trunk. The GT3 was that good so the honeymoon phase has officially started.

 

GT3 Driver - 8* - Riptide 60x - Surefit @ B1 - Weight @ Neutral

I had a really strong first session with the driver. Only three mishits out of ~15 balls and all but one would have been playable. 

 

Initial reactions...

• The 8* head with a mid-launch shaft has been on my mind since the fitting was completed. The ballflight is pretty much perfect, a very penetrating trajectory that doesn't fall out of the sky and still hits the ground running. I noticed a carry distance similar to my Cobra but also noticed more runout once it landed.
• Feel is perfect. The sound has a little more ting on mishits than what I recall but center shots are muted.
• The Riptide felt great. Extremely smooth but didn't feel loose at all. I used a G410LST with an Evenflow Black for 2+ years and this feels very similar to that setup. Just more firepower from the head vs the Ping.
• Would I put it into play today? Not yet, but it's close. 

[CanFred]

On 9/20/2024 at 3:03 PM, AUTIGER07 said:

First range session is in the books...

 

 

 

Some overall thoughts before diving into each club....

• Apparently my usual range is trying to finish the season before putting new (or somewhat decent) balls back on the range. I ended up pulling 8 "lightly used" balls from my bag to get a more true feeling on performance than what the initial 12-15 range balls were offering up. So to whomever finds 6 TP5's and 2 PRO-V's on the range at Highlands of Elgin outside Chicago...you're welcome.
• I didn't put this in my initial review but having used +4 grips for several years now and before that using midsize with 2-3 extra wraps, I often struggle to get a good gauge of things during fittings or demo days due to standard size grips. I typically feel like I'm slowing my hands down which means I'm often not swinging freely during a fitting. All of that to say this morning was really the first time using the GT's that I felt like I could swing them with a normal swing / thought process instead of holding back as I did during the fitting process.
• I didn't bring my current driver or 3W to the range this morning. For this first session, I really wanted to just swing both GT3's without worrying about how they compared to my current gamers. Basically I wanted to focus on their flight, feel, and sound.

 

GT3 Fairway - 15* - Tensei 1K Black 75x - Surefit @ B1 - Weight @ Toe 2

My current TSR2 15* with the same shaft has been a great club and is easily my favorite fairway wood since picking up a 915F back in 2015. It's consistent, very accurate, and really about as "point and shoot" as it gets. My miss with fairway woods has predominantly been a high / spinny shot that ends up 15-20 yards short of target and as a higher launch / spin player I've frankly just dealt with it over the years. I've stayed away from the Titleist "3" fairway model, or previously the Fd's, not because I couldn't get it airborne, but moreso that I wanted something forgiving from the fairway wood spot.

 

It goes without saying but that is why a fitting is so important as normally I would've just went directly to the GT2 without really considering the GT3. However, I noticed two weeks ago during the fitting and again this morning that the new GT3 is significantly easier to hit than I experienced with the older models (TSR3 / TSI3 915Fd). It's not as forgiving as the GT2 or TSR2, and it's not supposed to be, but the increased forgiveness has reached a point where I feel like the tradeoff between extra forgiveness or extra distance is almost immaterial anymore.

 

My initial reactions thus far are...

• Much more penetrating trajectory than the TSR2 (expected). Using the only launch monitor available to me this morning, the subjective one in my head, I'd say max height was down ~20-25 feet and the spin rate definitely seems to match up to what I witnessed during the fitting (~3k RPM).
• As I mentioned above, forgiveness is extremely good for a "lower launch" fairway. If you make a bad swing it's going to penalize you, that's not avoidable. But the small mishits are far less penal than earlier models.
• Hitting it in the screws is like a drug. The feel is solid, like hitting the middle of a forged iron. The sound is perfect, very much a "thwack" instead of a "ting".
• Shaping is spot on. Nothing to add other than Titleist nailed it...as usual.
• If I was playing this afternoon the TSR2 would be left in the trunk. The GT3 was that good so the honeymoon phase has officially started.

 

GT3 Driver - 8* - Riptide 60x - Surefit @ B1 - Weight @ Neutral

I had a really strong first session with the driver. Only three mishits out of ~15 balls and all but one would have been playable. 

 

Initial reactions...

• The 8* head with a mid-launch shaft has been on my mind since the fitting was completed. The ballflight is pretty much perfect, a very penetrating trajectory that doesn't fall out of the sky and still hits the ground running. I noticed a carry distance similar to my Cobra but also noticed more runout once it landed.
• Feel is perfect. The sound has a little more ting on mishits than what I recall but center shots are muted.
• The Riptide felt great. Extremely smooth but didn't feel loose at all. I used a G410LST with an Evenflow Black for 2+ years and this feels very similar to that setup. Just more firepower from the head vs the Ping.
• Would I put it into play today? Not yet, but it's close. 

Great write-up @AUTIGER07 - sounds like both clubs are already making a statement.  I know I (and the other testers) are going to be living vicariously through you until our GTs arrive!  

[CanFred]

Just got notification that my fairways have shipped!  Hoping things don't get held up too much with the incoming hurricane (which appears to be headed directly at Atlanta this weekend)!

[stryper]

2 hours ago, ChrisATL said:

Just got notification that my fairways have shipped!  Hoping things don't get held up too much with the incoming hurricane (which appears to be headed directly at Atlanta this weekend)!

🙏🤞

[stryper]

This just in: 

[stryper]

Arrived unexpectedly, with no shipping notice.  Beautiful clubs, built exactly as ordered.  First action they will see will be  in the sim at my course tomorrow.  First reviews will start trickling in after that.  
 

So for now, it’s the thanks to GolfWRX, thanks to my fitter Matt, and thanks especially to Jacquelyn at Titleist for overseeing this project for me.  

 Everyone involved has been awesome!!!

[GolfGuyz74]

I've been struggling off the tee for a few years now and had no intention of looking at the new Titleist GT's but then went golfing with a friend who happen to have the new GT3 and I instantly fell in love 😍 with them. I have also gamed the Ai Smoke in Triple Diamond and the Qi10 Core Head... Benefits from working in the industry...I love the Shape the feel and more importantly, I feel in control of my tee balls with either the Driver or the 3 wood... My ball speed with the Ai and the Qi were about 162 on average but now I'm cruising at 166 ball speed on this new GT3 set up!  Now I'm just waiting on the GT Hybrid release so I can complete my set up...

[stryper]

A few more photos…first the bag:

 

Edited September 27, 2024 by stryper

[stryper]

Next the charging of the guard—TSR3’s are on the left, GT3’s on the right.  Head to head shootouts will come sometime early next week:

 

 

[stryper]

And a couple more head shots:

 

 

[stryper]

Shafts:

 

 

[stryper]

Spec sheets—interesting swing weight on the fairway, but that’s what I was fit into 🤷🏻‍♂️:

 

 

[stryper]

Okay, first sim session is in the books, although not as a data mining expedition, more like a gentle shakedown cruise.
 

Initial impressions were positive.  With driver, the ball did not want to go left, which was nice, as I felt like I could pretty much keep it in play with a controlled fade.  OTOH, if I got sloppy with my setup, I could lose it right.  In two simulator rounds (Pebble and Cabo) that happened exactly once.  Everything else was absolutely in play…and finding some pretty narrow fairways.  
 

Prior to playing those rounds I did record some baseline numbers, which I won’t post for now, as my TSR3 sat this session out.  What I did notice, however, was that my spin numbers were generally better than  what I normally see, even though my smash was a bit down.  Also, distances were fairly consistent from shot to shot, despite my slight glancing blows.  (Path was a touch more out to in than I’m used to, but that’s me, not the GT3). 
 

Again, I’m only withholding this small data set, because I want to put the TSR3 and GT3 head to head on the same day, so we can see a direct comparison between the two.  That should happen in the next few days.

 

As for the fairway…that didn’t get quite the workout as the driver, but again, the 

overall impression was positive.  While playing my rounds, I deliberately hit it in situations where I would normally hit hybrid, and each time it rose to the occasion.  Easy to launch off the deck, even easier off the tee.  
 

As I said in an earlier post, the fairway wood has always been my kryptonite.  So the head to head matchup there will be potentially more interesting than the driver.  I’ve played my 915Fd at one inch shorter than standard length for the last eight years, whereas the GT3 I was fit into is standard.  And with that extra length, the ball looks like it’s way down there at address.  Will I even notice that after a few more reps?  I’m not sure, but the 915Fd definitely has a comfort level that the GT3 has yet to attain.  Like drivers, the fairways will get their own one on one battle sessions in the coming days.

 

 

[CanFred]

Sunday delivery - was very excited to see this on my doorstep unannounced after church this morning!

 

Looks like the Driver is still showing a ship date of 10/21, but crossing fingers it comes a bit sooner.  Regardless, I have a round scheduled for Tuesday afternoon to put the 4 & 7 woods through their paces (planning to sit my driver to force a bit more tee shots with the fairways).  Sharing some unboxing photos and a short video of one of the best sounds in golf 🤣

 

Initial feedback - 

- Interesting packing method (head was covered in light bubble wrap) but headcover was placed on other side of box.  Box was a bit beat-up, but the clubs showed no signs of damage.  

- I was on the fence on a couple different grip options - I currently game Tour Velvet+4s, but I'm not sold on the +4s.  I've always been a fan of Lamkins, but the UTx cords weren't available, so I decided to go back to an old faithful (MCCs).  Glad I did, one of my favorite grips and the white / black combo is timeless.  

- Glad to see the correct head settings from the factory - in the past, from other OEMs, the collar has generally been set at the default setting.  Nice touch Titleist.

- Overall, these look SHARP - really am a fan of the crown shape & color.  When I first saw the "GT" marking on the top, I was unsure if this would be distracting - it’s not and almost blends in with the shiny top.  

IMG_6588.MOV

Edited September 30, 2024 by ChrisATL