Equipment
Why Justin Thomas put the new Titleist TSi3 driver in play this week
If you follow the equipment news at all, it’s no secret that Titleist new TSi metal woods are now a hot ticket item. Beyond Titleist staff players, multiple noteworthy free agents have put it in play (Fleetwood, Fitzpatrick, Horschel—and even Justin Rose was seen testing this week at Shadow Creek).
Oddly enough this is the first we will be seeing Titleist’s main draw, Justin Thomas, put it in play in PGA Tour competition.
Thomas isn’t a player that dives too much into the nuance of his equipment. Rather, he leans on the likes of Titleist tour rep JJ VanWezenbeeck to get it just right. JT has been testing the new gear for a while now, and we wanted to know what that process was like and how he eventually landed on his new gamer.
WRX chatted with VanWezenbeeck and this is what he had to say.
WRX: In early testing, what benefits did JT find in the new TSi3 over his TS3?
JJ: JT, as with a number of our Tour Team members, is involved throughout the development process. They are so good that as we try for more distance and better performance, they can provide valuable data. You can also see the tour feedback in TSi shaping—with the beautiful shapes at address, they are very classic but confidence-inspiring. So, by the time we got the final product, JT had already seen and hit a few of the iterations over the last 27 months since we launched TS.
WRX: Any dramatic improvements in ball speed or launch conditions?
JJ: First hits for JT he noticed a ball speed jump, which for all players provides excitement. For a tour player, the next handful of hits is what really made him excited–consistent stable flight. When he would make a “bad” swing, he saw similar ball speeds, good direction, similar launch conditions. The MOI improvements really started to stand out the more shots he hit as we dialed in the driver and he kept commenting how stable the driver was. This was a consistent thread across tour players who were testing.
WRX: What were his reactions to the sound feel?
JJ: Sound and feel were also big standouts–he said it felt really good and liked the sound. Then he went to his older metals and realized how much he LOVED the new feel. Said he never would have called his old gamer bad feeling until he hit TSi–then he noticed how big an upgrade it was.
WRX: Diamana TB. Why that profile over ZF?
JJ: JT had a lot of success with BF before we switched to ZF which has also worked well so we never stray too far in profile. The spin reduction in TSi3 is great for a lot of players but for JT’s draw, we were looking to have a little more spin. The TB had a really good feel for JT but allowed just slightly more spin vs ZF which matched with TSi3 really well.
WRX: What are JT’s “have to’s” with a driver?
JJ: We normally look at 4 shots with JT.
“Stock” – which will be a mid to high launch, small cut. This shot needs to be very repeatable.
“Draw” – he will then make sure he can shape a shot on command right to left, high launch lower spin but can shape into specific fairways.
“Fairway finder” – very low cut, mid-spin, high speed – peak height near 70 to 80.
“Bomb” swing hard, swing up, go far – least important of the 4 but likes knowing he has when needed and TSi stability really shows off here where even at high speeds allows him to really control the flight across the face.
WRX: Will the 3-wood go in play?
JJ: JT currently isn’t in the 3-wood but is actively testing. Really a hard club for tour pros, and when we add ball speed to this club, sometimes it gets a little long for tour players depending on the course. He likes how it sets up, but with the complications of the schedule this year, we are being slow and methodical making sure his bag is dialed in for the remainder of the year.
Justin Thomas’ new drier specs
Driver: Titleist TSi3 (9 degrees; SureFit Hosel – B1, Surefit CG – T1)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana TB 60 TX (44 7/8″)
Grip: Tour Velvet Cord Logo Down
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
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Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
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Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
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Matt
Oct 18, 2020 at 9:28 am
“Because he is paid to do so by his sponsor, Titleist.” End of article
Jbone
Oct 18, 2020 at 7:53 am
Titleist really doesn’t have many top guys on contract anymore
Paulo
Oct 18, 2020 at 12:59 am
I think most of us would find interviews like this more relevant if they were with the players who aren’t paid millions to play Titleist
15th Club
Oct 17, 2020 at 10:27 pm
So Titleist; level with us. You are building drivers and balls that, in the hands of players like Justin Thomas, produce hitting distances that are significantly longer than equipment of 10 or 15 years ago.
When the Joint Statement on distance was issued by the R&A and the USGA.