Welcome to GOLF.com's ClubTest Proving Ground, where equipment editor Jonathan Wall puts the latest designs and cutting-edge technology to the test on the range and course.
Tools: Titleist GT2 and GT3 drivers
Examination: To see how the GT compares to a player driver in a head to head competition.
Results: A few years ago, I sat down with Tiger Woods to discuss his equipment testing process and came away with an important piece of insight: Never test when you scratch on the course. As much as we all want to believe that rust can be eliminated after half a bucket, it always takes longer than you think.
“I was always checking to see if I was hitting well,” Woods told me. “I don't want to check if I hit badly because I think you can find a club that will help you, and you never really know what will happen when your game turns around. So I would stop testing until I work on my game.”
Titleist GT3 Custom Driver
$649
GT3 – Speed-Tuned Distance & Control GT3 offers Titleist's bold combination of power and personalization. With a speed-tuned design that allows you to precisely match performance to your standard interface, you can make your big drives even bigger while taking full control of flight and shaping. For players with moderate impact on the terrain, the GT3 offers a CG track that can be precisely adjusted to free up distance and steering control. Seamless Thermoform Crown A reimagined ultra-lightweight design, born from a new Proprietary Matrix Polymer. The adjustable acoustic properties of this unique combination allow Titleist engineers to achieve material benefits while maintaining our signature sound and feel. All combined with a clean look that inspires complete confidence. Split Mass Construction A breakthrough in interior scale opens up longer drives and improved steering control in the GT3. The Adjustable CG Track is now closer to the face to control a more powerful CG, while the optional bulkhead is pushed to the rear of the club to maintain optimal stability at impact. Advanced Aerodynamics GT3 has a raised tail contour that represents a dramatic change in driver aerodynamics. Previously impossible due to design limitations, this advanced molding results in a driver that swings faster while still providing perfect CG control.
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I'm taking this out for not following Tiger's advice during a recent trip to TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) for a GT driver and fairway wood test. Life got in the way and I couldn't make time before leaving time. It happens.
My biggest fear was realized shortly after I connected with my ideal instructor, Joey Saewitz, and started doing driver rotations. Clubhead speed was seriously low — I usually register 110-plus mph but was hovering around 103-105 — and I couldn't get the face position. To keep me from wandering, Saewitz pulled me along and gave me some sage advice.
“We are not working the way we should be working,” he said. “If you focus more on efficiency, that to me will mean you will get a center more often. If we can get there first, I can imagine that the launch and rotation will be very consistent. “
If you've never heard the term “smash factor” before, it analyzes the amount of energy transferred from the head to the ball at impact. Just divide the speed of the ball by the speed of the club to get your number. The closer you get to 1.5, the more effective the strike is. I've looked at the number before when testing, but I tend to adjust ball speed (especially for mishits), spin rate and spin over smash.
To change the test script, Joey gave me a GT3 driver – I also tested the GT2, but the flexible CG track alone made it easy to eliminate the right miss of this left – which you can tell immediately that the shaft is short. . But he didn't reveal anything about the build beyond the model. The first swing felt clean. So does the following.
“Let me show you this real quick,” Saewitz said. “This will be very good for you to see.”
Joey wasn't kidding. The combination of the GT's new design, increased loft (11 degrees) and a shorter 44.5-inch shaft produced back-to-back 1.5s. In other words, the most efficient driver strikes.
From that moment on, I felt my confidence they one-forward-forward (led forwarded forwarded by me as I continue to make more cuts and my ball speed. For someone who once played a 45.5-inch driver, moving to a shorter, heavier fairway did not decrease my ball speed. During a recent test at home, I produced about the same ball speed numbers as my player with the strongest spin rates across the face ranging from 2,300 to 2,700 RPM on most strikes. (In the interest of full transparency, I left my player at home due to some travel issues and ended up testing a different TSR head while I was at TPI, which is part of the reason the ball speed gains, above 6 mph, were extreme. So speaking of numbers (my average speeds, comparing them to a recent test I did at home.)
While the tight spin rate deltas are impressive, the biggest win in my eyes was finding a way to keep the numbers playable on high toe misses. In most cases, I tend to see the spin dip to 1,200 and below as the ball rolls hard to the right. There is a sense of helplessness that comes with missing the high toes as it leaves the planet.
However, I've never seen the typical shooting style replicated with GT3. Instead, I watched in awe as the ball hung in the air and crossed the center line with a gentle pull at 2,000 RPMs. I'm not sure I can remember checking out a driver who didn't notice my snap-hook. To say it was a complete game changer would be an understatement.
If anything, the GT3 made it easier to swing freely without worrying about a “big miss.”
Conclusion: Over the years, I've come to prioritize maintaining ball speed on off-center misses and dispersion over off-center ball speed. If it's consistent and doesn't reveal my major flaws, I'll definitely consider it for future testing and a spot in the bag. Pure distance is good, but I'm not willing to sacrifice a few more yards.
Jonathan Wall/GOLF
Since the TPI was installed, I have seen the same results play out during the first test of the course. My percentage of hitting fairways is gone and I let it rip without hesitation going in when the snap-hook will appear. Both of these make the game more fun, which is all that matters these days. Drop a few balls, shoot low scores and welcome quiet hours spent on the course. What a life.
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