Equipment

My First Tour Club

Published

18 years ago

Jan 8, 2008

My driver is a venerable old thing that is practically wheezing and leaden compared to the latest generation of drivers but it does the job.

But after the farce of trying to get a new driver through an online friend (for the morbidly curious, the sad tale is covered in the Bag Chatter articles ‘Dude, Where’s My Driver’ parts 1 and 2) and being unwilling to buy one full priced from the local shop – and by unwilling I’m sure you know that I mean unable to justify it to my radiant beloved – I had to put the idea of getting a new one on hold for a while.

Like any budding club ‘ho’ a new driver was still on my mind when I went to my local driving range. I mean, once you’ve made your mind up that you need a new driver, it’s nigh on impossible to carry on using the old one. What was a perfectly good, if slightly old, club a little while before became the source of all my driving woes. If I sliced it OB, it was because I was using an old driver. If I stone-cold topped one, it was because I was using a old driver. The only way out of this would be to buy one, but how could I pick up a new driver built to my exacting – and somewhat finicky – standards without paying an arm and a leg. There was no way it was going to happen but I just couldn’t get it out of my mind.

That can only be the reason why I noticed a particular club so quickly as I walked through the shop part of the driving range and in one corner saw a driver jammed in amongst the swing trainers and starter sets. The fact that it was put in this area was odd as at first glance it certainly looked reasonably high end, so I stopped, picked it up and noticed it was a TaylorMade.

Now TaylorMade gets a lot of flak for having a product release cycle that is shorter than a Formula One lap time but it has made some corking clubs, especially drivers. Not every one is a hit certainly – the R5 XL was made for budget golf shops and resembles a baked bean can on a riding crop and plays about the same – but there are some genuine contenders for greatness, like the TP versions of the 510 and the R7 425.

When I turned the driver over, I could see that it was a mint version of the latter. Now everyone is different but in my personal pantheon of drivers, there are very few better than the R7 425 TP. I’ve demoed this club countless times and loved it every time but never found any way of justifying being able to buy it new. Buying it second-hand was always going to be a risk as TaylorMade seems to have the highest rate of fakes of any golf brand but here was one right in front of me, apparently brand new and in the correct loft too.

Years of rugby and aussie rules football have left me with a golf swing with a fair amount of head speed, even if it does resembles a man wrestling a snake when I’m at the top of my back swing. Because of this, I tend to like heavier and stiffer shafts than normal in an attempt to rein in my wilder shots from the tee and reduce the likelihood of decapitating my playing partners. I was fully expecting the shaft to be a fairly standard 65g regular or stiff flex shaft at which point I would have put it down and walked off, but when I turned it over to have a look it, it was a 75g extra-stiff Rombax shaft. The extra-stiff flex was one thing but a heavy extra-stiff shaft is another. Shafts that heavy and stiff aren’t usually seen in your average golf shop mechandise. Surely you’d expect to see something like this in the bag of a pro, wouldn’t you?

It turns out that you would. On the hosel was the serial number – as all bar some of the most recent TaylorMade clubs have them – except this one began with a “T” and had a faint “B” pin-punched next to it, signifying that this club was Tour-issue (the ‘T’) and had been tested for C.O.R limits (the ‘B’).

Now I’ve never quite got the fascination with Tour issue equipment that some people seem to have. No matter how many times the myths that surround them (higher grade titanium, special forgings or some other voodoo) are debunked people still go out of their way to and spend vast amounts of money on equipment that has been fitted for someone else. Yet in front of me was a club that could not have been better suited if it had been made especially for me – and it was ‘Tour Issue’ so it had that added magic sparkle that all Tour issue clubs have. Who knows, this club may have ‘rubbed hosels’ with the drivers of Sergio Garcia or Justin Rose – I could almost feel the extra 10 yards with Tour trajectory waiting to explode from the club face!

All joking aside, what really did it for me was the fact that the club was being sold for slightly less than half the price of the retail TP versions that the shop was selling. This thing looked like it had been at the range once – no scuffs or marks on the sole or crown and just barely the hint that the face had seen the backside of a ProV1 at speed – but because it wasn’t factory fresh it had a huge mark down.

I asked one of the guys behind the counter if he knew who was selling this club. He told me that it was one of the Touring Pros that occasional practised there who was looking to clear out some of his equipment at the end of the season, ‘and he’s over there if you want a word’ he added, pointing at someone on the other side of the shop.

Over I leapt like a scalded cat and introduced myself and said that I was interested in buying the driver. I can’t reveal his name in deference to the fact that tour pros should not really be selling on their equipment (although let’s be honest the sheer amount of tour issue kit knocking around shows that most do) but he wasn’t completely unknown to me. He said that the driver was a great club but that he never used it so he thought he would get rid of it. The cynic in me may also have noted that he had a less than stellar year last year and might have been getting some cash for the Christmas season by getting rid of his unused clubs. He also confirmed that it was dead on spec as regards to loft and set up a degree open. So nothing that would exacerbate my bad shot, a high slinging duck hook. Better and better.

So what it meant was that here was a driver of confirmed tour provenance, with the right loft and the perfect shaft at the right price. I couldn’t resist and bought it there and then. Since then I’ve put it into play and it’s been everything I thought it would be. Of course, it’s not been a magic wand – no extra 30 yards or always splitting the fairway – but I have a phenomenal driver that plays exactly how I want it to and has that little extra bit of glamour every time I tee up with it and frankly I couldn’t be happier.

Equipment

Why Rickie Fowler is switching to a shorter driver at the PGA Championship

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In a golf world where players are looking to eke out every yard possible, usually by lengthening their drivers to add clubhead speed, there’s one player at the PGA Championship who’s going in the opposite direction. In fact, for Rickie Fowler, his goal off the tee is not about gaining extra distance or yards north to south, but rather about shrinking the misses from east to west.

Ahead of the PGA Championship and the week prior at the Truist Championship. Fowler mentioned to Cobra Tour Rep Ben Schomin that the driver didn’t quite swing feel the same as everything in the bag. As a result, and with Schomin’s suggestion to try and sync everything up with the big stick, Fowler decided to test out a shorter length shaft.

“He’s been at 45 (inches), and he’d been at 45 for a few weeks, 44 1/8 (inches) is really is where he is been living really for the most part, for the last couple of years, and is where he is been comfortable,” Schomin told GolfWRX. “It just felt like it was a little long and loose on him.”

Interestingly, Fowler ranks 40th in Driving Accuracy this year on the PGA Tour. It’s his most accurate season with the driver since the start of the decade. But sometimes for players, feel is more important than statistics.

“It was really more of a trying to get the swing to feel the fluidness from club to club to club to try to get it to feel the same,” Schomin added. “And so we took it down to 43 and a quarter, and it was a touch of a ball speed loss, just based on that overall club head speed. But honestly, he squared it up probably a little better. The right miss wasn’t nearly as far. So really, overall down-range dispersion tightened up a fair amount, and he felt confident in swinging it.”

The change in length had Fowler’s caddie, Ricky Romano, beaming at how well he had driven during Tuesday’s practice round at Aronimink. So much so, he was asking Schomin not to suggest changes anymore.

Fowler’s shaft-shortening is one of a few driver adjustments he’s made this season, and to Schomin’s credit, it’s thanks to the fact that he and the rest of the Cobra team had Fowler fit very well into three of the four heads in the Cobra OPTM lineup.

“He had three distinct drivers and the biggest decision was trying to decide which worked best at that time,” Schomin told GolfWRX previously. “He’s played the majority of the season with OPTM X, but has also played a couple of tournaments with OPTM LS. His overall driving stats have been good.”

At the RBC Heritage earlier this spring, Fowler switched drivers, changing from his Cobra OPTM X and into the Tour, low-loft Max K model that Gary Woodland used to win just a few weeks prior.

Now for the PGA Championship, Fowler’s back in the X head, but still using the UST Mamiya LIN-Q PowerCore White 6TX shaft, just a little bit shorter.

“Will he stay there? I’m not sure,” Schomin added. “Could we end up say at like 43 and 7.5 (of an inch). If it’s giving him the same feel of consistency through the bag, then I think we might end up just a touch longer. But if he likes where he is at, he’s confident where he is at, that’s really all that matters.”

If there’s more testing, though, just don’t tell his caddie.

Equipment

GolfWRX Launch Report: 2026 Titleist GTS drivers

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

What you need to know: As is customary for the Fairhaven-based company, Titleist officially announced today that its GTS drivers are headed to retail, following a successful tour release. The GTS2, GTS3, and GTS4 drivers will be available in golf shops June 11.

Since debuting at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, the new GTS lineup has quickly gained traction on the PGA Tour, with more than 50 players already making the switch to a GTS2, GTS3, or GTS4 driver. Among them are Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.

Justin Thomas’ Titleist GTS2 driver (Greg Moore, GolfWRX)

According to Titleist, the GTS series builds upon the performance foundation established by the GT Series, while introducing several major technological advancements, including a new Split Mass Frame construction, refined aerodynamics, and an updated Speed Sync face design.

2026 Titleist GTS drivers: What’s new, key technology

Split Mass Frame and thermoform body

At the center of the new GTS lineup is a redesigned internal structure: the Split Mass Frame. This technology works with a full-thermoform body made from Titleist’s Proprietary Matrix Polymer (PMP), a lightweight composite that enables engineers to reposition mass more efficiently throughout the head. Compared to the previous GT generation, GTS drivers feature nearly double the PMP material, increasing from 13 grams to 26 grams, while maintaining the sound and feel preferred by better players.

The weight savings from the thermoform construction allowed Titleist engineers to strategically separate mass placement inside the head. Specifically, more weight is pushed rearward to improve stability and forgiveness, while additional mass is positioned low and forward to optimize speed, launch, and spin.

In short, golfers are able to maintain ball speed and consistency across both centered and off-center strikes.

Faster aerodynamics

Titleist also refined the aerodynamic shaping of the GTS heads to help players generate more clubhead speed.

The tails of the new GTS2 and GTS3 heads have been raised compared to previous models, helping airflow stay attached to the crown and sole longer during the swing. According to Titleist, the improved airflow reduces drag and increases speed without affecting launch conditions or center of gravity placement.

Typically, aerodynamic gains can compromise forgiveness or launch characteristics, but the weight savings from the Split Mass Frame allowed engineers to preserve preferred CG locations.

New Speed Sync face

The new Speed Sync Face design is engineered to improve ball speed retention across a larger portion of the face. A reinforced perimeter structure helps maximize face deflection and COR on centered strikes, while the upper portion of the support ring is opened up to increase speed on high-face impacts, a common strike location for many golfers. The face also features a variable thickness design to preserve speed and performance across a wider impact area.

Expanded adjustability

Each GTS model includes a dual-weighting system to fine-tune launch, spin, and shot shape more precisely than previous generations. GTS2 uses interchangeable forward and aft weights, while GTS3 and GTS4 combine a rear weight with an adjustable forward track weight system.

Tour-inspired face graphics

The new lineup features redesigned high-contrast face graphics to improve alignment and framing at address, according to Titleist. Sharp visual lines are designed to make it easier to center the golf ball and to perceive loft more easily at setup.

Additional model details

GTS2

The GTS2 is the most forgiving model, designed for golfers seeking maximum stability and consistent speed across the face.
It produces high launch with mid spin and features a larger, confidence-inspiring profile behind the ball.
Standard weighting includes an 11-gram forward weight and a 5-gram rear weight, with additional fitting configurations available.

GTS3

The GTS3 is aimed at players who want more control over launch, spin, and shot shaping.
Compared to GTS2, the GTS3 offers lower launch and spin while featuring a more compact profile and deeper face design preferred by many stronger players.
The head features an adjustable forward-track weight system to further fine-tune center of gravity placement.

GTS4

The lowest-spinning option in the lineup, GTS4 is built for golfers looking to reduce excessive spin and maximize total distance.
Unlike previous “4” models from Titleist, the new GTS4 features a full 460cc profile that improves forgiveness and stability while retaining its low-spin DNA.
Like GTS3, it includes a forward track weighting system for precise fitting adjustments.

What Titleist says

“When we talk about driver design, it’s never about the one feature or benefit — it’s about all of them,” said Stephanie Luttrell, Titleist’s Senior Director of Metalwood R&D. “Ball speed, forgiveness, spin stability, adjustability, exceptional sound and feel… these are all attributes that golfers care about. It’s our job to design a lineup that elevates performance across the board without sacrificing in key areas, and we feel we’ve done that with GTS.”

“We know that forward CGs drive speed with great launch and spin characteristics, but you need to be able to do that with an inertial stability that still preserves ball speed, launch and spin consistency on off-center hits,” Luttrell said. “We’ve never before been able to hit these CG positions and inertia properties at the same time, and we’re achieving that because of GTS’ construction.”

Club Junkie’s take

I feel like every time there is a new Titleist wood release, I figure they can’t outdo their previous driver. And every year, I am wrong and impressed with the performance. The GTS fits right into that narrative again, as I didn’t know where Titleist could go from GT, but they pushed the limits again, and my fitting proved the smart people there found ways to improve.

My past four Titleist drivers have been a 2 series as my swing typically requires a little height, spin, and forgiveness so I figured I would just get a new GTS2 and be on my way. During the fitting, I was impressed by the new GTS construction, its added PMP material, and the advanced adjustability on each model. My fitter, Joey, got to work putting together a GTS2 and we started there. The launch and spin were great, and the consistency on misses was very tight. My average ball speed with the GTS went up a little bit as the new Speed Sync face creates more speed away from the center.

Joey then built up a GTS3 in 11 degrees, but I figured this wouldn’t have the stability I needed for tight dispersion on my miss hits. That thought was quickly erased after a few shots, and I really liked the more center start line and reduced draw on the misses I was seeing. We tried a few different settings and shafts to dial in the details in order to get the best fit. Having a forward and rear weight in the head allowed Joey to set up the GTS3 with a heavier rear weight to keep the launch and spin up, while the Sure Fit hosel set flat created a more center start line for me. My misses were not nearly as far left, and I was really impressed with the consistency on the spin and launch when I didn’t hit it in the center.

Titleist again created a wood line in GTS that delivers improvements over previous drivers while keeping the traditional look and feel you expect. More adjustability, better off-center speed, and 3 drivers that are playable over a wider range of players should make these extremely successful in fittings.

Pricing, specs, availability

GTS2 lofts: 8, 9, 10, 11 degrees (RH/LH)

GTS3 lofts: 8, 9, 10, 11 degrees (RH/LH)

GTS4 lofts: 8, 9, 10 (RH/LH)

Featured shafts

Project X Titan Black
Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White
Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue
Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Red

Premium shafts

Graphite Design Tour AD DI
Graphite Design Tour AD VF
Graphite Design Tour AD FI

Available for fittings and pre-sale now.

In golf shops worldwide beginning June 11.

Price: $699 (standard), $899 (premium)

Equipment

Titleist launches new GTS2 and GTS3 fairways

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Titleist has today introduced its new GTS2 and GTS3 fairways.

Lower and deeper center of gravity (CG) positions, new adjustable heel-toe weights and advanced clubface innovations drive total performance in the two tour-proven models.

New GTS fairway technology:

Wraparound composite crowns: Unlock lower CG positions for higher launch and lower spin as well as more CG depth for added forgiveness.

Refined shapes and profiles: With two distinct setups, with GTS2 featuring a shallower face height and larger address profile compared to GTS3’s deeper face and more compact profile. Both models feature flatter sole designs for better performance off the turf.

Dual-weighting systems: The dual-weighting systems allows for personalized performance, with interchangeable heel-toe flat weights helping to fine-tune CG location across the face.

A forged L-Cup face design: The new face design is optimized for GTS and works to preserve ball speed, maintain launch conditions and enhance sound and feel on low-face impacts.

Tour-inspired polished clubfaces: To help players see more of the clubface at address.

GTS2 Fairway

The new GTS2 fairway is designed with a shallower face and a larger profile than GTS3, ideal for players with more sweeping deliveries with their fairway metals.

GTS2’s new face height, inspired by tour feedback, was designed shallower than the prior generation GT2 model and more in line with the GT1 fairway. Each loft in GTS2 leverages a shallower profile except for the 13.5-degree, which maintains a slightly taller face.

With its new dual-weighting system, the ‘2’ model now has heel-toe CG adjustability.

Lofts: 13.5, 15.0, 16.5, 18.0, 21.0

Dual-weight system: 11-gram weight in heel, 5-gram weight in toe (standard)

GTS3 Fairway

The new GTS3 fairway is designed with a deeper face and a more compact profile, ideal for players who hit down on the golf ball more with their fairway metals.

New to the GTS3 family is a 21-degree offering, giving players two distinct profiles in Titleist’s 7-wood loft.

Instead of the track weight system featured in prior generation ‘3’ models, GTS3 now benefits from adjustable heel-toe flat weights.

Lofts: 15.0, 16.5, 18.0, 21.0

Dual-weight system: 11-gram weight in heel, 5-gram weight in toe (standard)

Price & Availability

The new GTS fairways are available for fittings and pre-sale now and will be in golf shops worldwide beginning June 11 priced at $399 (standard) and $599 (premium).