By now you’ve probably seen the new Titleist GT drivers and fairways. Unless, of course, you have been living off grid and/or are a member of the Hickory Golfers Society.
Titleist wheeled out their intriguing new GT line-up at the Memorial Tournament in June as part of their “tour validation” process. It was a pre-release sugar hit scant on detail; however, it created some buzz as eagle-eyed gear heads speculated about the GT’s key features.
Well, the Titleist GT metalwood line-up is now officially out of the shadows and live. And we can reveal Titleist’s engineering team were very, very pumped for this one.
Let us explain why…
TITLEIST GT DRIVERS
Hardcore Titleist fans really are some of the most patient people in golf. Titleist’s two-year release pattern is one of the longest in the business. But the pay-off is that there are two years’ worth of improvements in the chamber, ready and waiting to be fired.
As the saying goes, good things come to those who wait…
Titleist GT2, GT3 and GT4 drivers are more of an evolution of their TSR counterparts than a seismic revolution in the driver space. However, Titleist’s testing revealed the new designs create more ball speed, boost distance, and generate superior spin rates across every square inch of the face, without any perceivable sacrifice.
WHAT’S NEW IN TITLEIST GT DRIVERS
There are many new features in the GT driver range, but Titleist have judiciously applied the performance accelerator to make things better, without having to change everything.
Aerodynamically speaking, the new GT2, GT3 and GT4 drivers all feature more efficient profiles that build on the gains of the slippery TSR head shapes. Testing revealed club head and ball speed boosts that dovetail nicely with the GT driver family’s new face.
Titleist have merged their Speed Ring and VFT face technology to create an appetising blend of sweet-spot reward and off-centre assistance. All three drivers are faster out of the centre and preserve off-centre strike velocity much more efficiently.
Meanwhile, Titleist have shifted the deckchairs around within the head to provide a familiar, albeit vastly improved, performance delta across the GT2, GT3 and GT4 models.
And to top it all off, a new ThermoForm Crown gives the GT driver range a deeper and richer impact resonance.
THE GT DRIVER RANGE
If you’re accustomed to the performance matrix of the TSR driver range, then the new Titleist GT driver line-up should be familiar.
TITLEIST GT2 DRIVER
The GT2 is the boilerplate aim-and-bomb driver in the Titleist GT driver range. It is extremely fast but also offers the most MOI and forgiveness, making it the all-rounder of the family. Inside the head, mass has been shifted rearward to increase stability. However, weight has also been pushed forward to optimise spin and speed for the perfect speed/stability mix.
The GT2’s sharper contours and a more refined profile are noticeable upgrades on the TSR2, but the interchangeable rear weight slotted into the overhang of the GT2’s crown makes a return. The Titleist GT2 driver will appeal to the largest segment of the golfing population pie chart.
TITLEIST GT3 DRIVER
If you liked the TSR3 then you’re probably going to love the new Titleist GT3 driver. It’s the GT line-up’s adjustable driver and features the most noticeable outward changes: the tail contour has been raised and the five position CG Track has been shifted from the rear perimeter to near the front of the sole.
This new configuration enabled Titleist to push more mass to the rear of the head to improve stability through impact. But the benefit was twofold: its face-adjacent location magnifies the dynamic input of the CG Track, establishing a more responsive fade or draw bias. The GT3 driver will suit players who find the middle of the face consistently and want to finetune their shot shape.
TITLEIST GT4 DRIVER
The GT4 driver is Titleist’s low-spin model. In fact, the GT4 is the most aggressively anti-spin driver Titleist have ever made. It’s aimed at players with fast swing speeds who generate too much spin (yes, there are such players out there) and is more of a niche driver than its GT2 and GT3 counterparts. Titleist say the GT4 will suit players who generate 3000rpms of spin and above with their driver while its smaller 430cc head makes it inherently more workable.
It doesn’t deviate too much from the overarching TSR4 design, with a sole weight near the front of the sole and a bigger one on the back under the crown. You might’ve guessed that the GT4 is the least forgiving driver in the GT line-up. That is true, however, flipping the GT4’s front and back weights turns it from the lowest of low-spin bombers to a more balanced driver that offers a touch more spin and greater stability.
GT DRIVER SHAFTS AND LOFTS
Titleist offer an impressive range of stock shafts from leading manufacturers, with a Project X Denali Red 50 and HZRDUS Black 60 complemented by Mitsubishi Chemical’s Tensei 1K Black 65 and Blue 55 shaft. If they don’t take your fancy, Titleist have a suite of premium upgrade shafts made by Graphite Design, including the Tour AD DI-6, Tour AD UB-6 and Tour AD VF-6.
The GT2 driver is available in lofts of 9°, 10° and 11° while the GT3 offer lofts of 8°, 9° and 10°. The GT4 driver comes in 8° and 9° models. The GT driver range features Titleist’s SureFit adjustable hosel.
TITLEIST GT FAIRWAY WOODS
The success of a driver inevitably ebbs through to the fairway woods, but Titleist’s new GT fairway woods are merit-worthy enough in their own right.
Titleist’s GT2 and GT3 fairway woods largely follow the performance profile of their identically named drivers and share Titleist’s new Thermoform Crown technology, which provides a impact sound that can best be described as mellifluous. But concealed within the head is a redesigned forged L-Cup face and slimmed-down internal hosel.
The combination opened a world of opportunity for Titleist engineers to shift mass to more favourable locations and improve ball speed off every part of the face — particularly on low strikes. While it can’t be seen on the outside, it’s a fruitful upgrade from the TSR that delivers more speed and forgiveness and should inject a massive dose of confidence into anyone’s fairway wood game.
TITLEIST GT2 FAIRWAY WOOD
The GT2 fairway wood is the more user-friendly of the GT pair and shares a similar distance/forgiveness profile as the GT2 driver. The centre of gravity has been shifted lower and nearer to the face (it features the lowest CG of any Titleist fairway) and is accompanied by a 9g sole weight. The GT2 fairway delivers an impressive high-launch window that will help golfers hit their fairway woods higher. But the higher spin rates that normally accompany a higher launch don’t come along for the ride. The GT2 fairway is the epitome of high-launching distance, from both the fairway and tee box.
TITLEIST GT3 FAIRWAY WOOD
If you were paying attention to the new GT3 driver, you’d be aware it is the model that features an adjustable CG Track on the sole. Well, that is also the case with the GT3 fairway wood (kudos to Titleist for the linear naming convention). It has the same head size as the GT2 fairway but the CG Track on the sole means players can tweak their ball flight. It should also be pointed out that the new five position CG Track translates into finer ball flight adjustments. The face of the GT3 fairway is a fraction taller than the TSR3 fairway wood, which Titleist believes will help players find the sweet spot more often, out of any type of lie.
GT DRIVERS & FAIRWAYS SPECS
- Australian Release Date: 23/08/24
- Hand: RH/LH
- Grip: Golf Pride Titleist Universal 360
- Titleist GT Shafts: Project X Denali Red 50; Project X HZRDUS Black 60; Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Black 65; Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Blue 55.
- Premium Upgrade Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI-6; Graphite Design Tour AD UB-6; Graphite Design Tour AD VF-6
- Titleist GT2 Driver Lofts: 9°, 10°, 11°
- Titleist GT3 Driver Lofts: 8°, 9°, 10°
- Titleist GT4 Driver Lofts: 8°, 9°
- Titleist GT2 Fairway Wood Lofts: 13.5°, 15°, 16.5°, 18°, 21°
- Titleist GT3 Fairway Wood Lofts: 15°, 18°
