Equipment
TaylorMade M1 Tour driver heads enter The Vault
The Vault at TaylorMade features one-off, limited-run and prototype equipment from the company that become available for purchase.
The latest entries are TaylorMade M1 430 and 460 Tour heads, which will be available in “very limited quantities” on Thursday, Nov. 19, and will cost $800 apiece.
According to TaylorMade, the driver heads will have a “+” symbol to ensure it’s been COR tested and the loft, lie and weight have been marked by technicians at the company’s Tour department. Each head will come with a metal shaft sleeve and a head cover.
See photos of an M1 460 Tour head below, and for more information from TaylorMade click here.
Related: We review TaylorMade’s M1 430 and 460 drivers
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.
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)
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.
- 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.
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Marcel
Feb 21, 2017 at 6:34 pm
Can anybody explain to me the different shortcuts written on the head?
Lie, Loft, Weight and CT is pretty clear to me but what about FA, RA1 and RA2?
FA could be the Face angle but i am not shure. Are they really all open at adress?
Thanks!
rymail00
Dec 10, 2015 at 8:58 am
Has anyone ever bought anything from The Vault? I’m not interested in getting anything but was always wondering if they let you pick weird and in between lofts like say 9* instead of the stock 8.5* and 9.5*? Or is it you say what stock loft you want and then they just send you any head spec’d close to your stock loft pick?
The last Ping driver I bought, the Rapture V2, they’d let you pick any loft and ask for a head that was slightly open and I believe they charged only like $7-10 extra to find you loft you wanted that wasn’t stock.
SAm
Nov 23, 2015 at 10:31 am
I actually think I was given a tour head by TM when i complained about the delay on delivery for my M1.
It has the + symbol on the neck, and it also has the weight number stamped onto the moveable weights – none of the others in the shop did.
Danny G
Nov 20, 2015 at 11:29 am
Just get an M1 hat. That will for sure add an extra MPH in ball speed. Find your self with a tour issued M1 hat and the sky’s the limit. Who wants to be that person that has to explain to the whole group that their club it “tour issue” and that’s why they are a yard in front. Get a proper fit don’t fall for the marketing.
Bob
Nov 20, 2015 at 2:18 am
$800 for a head with accurate specs! Just buy JDM
Nothing
Nov 19, 2015 at 10:34 pm
I have a bunch of friends on staff with Taylormade, so I get my hands on tour issue stuff….the only difference between tour issue clubs and retail clubs is the specs are a little tighter (like loft) and the face angles are open. Otherwise, the only difference is when they crack, you can’t get them replaced.
Lee
Nov 18, 2015 at 3:44 pm
I just love the way the Pro’s hit the M1 as far into the sh*t as the R15, SLDR et all. What an absolute hopelessly, desperate piece of marketing which surely nobody believes. We all know TM is in trouble but this is shameful!!
Reeves
Nov 18, 2015 at 2:30 pm
I hope all you see that when you pay $400 for a Taylormade (or any OM club) what you are getting is a COPY of what tour players use….maybe Knockoffs and off brand clubs will look a little better to everyone when you consider that is what you are buying with the OM name on it??????
john
Nov 18, 2015 at 6:34 pm
lol they’re not knockoffs – you obviously don’t work in the industry or know anything about it, have you even played golf before? here is the difference for you (bar bubba and tiger who have their own custom driver designs), ones on the shelf have a much bigger tolerance for COR, loft & weight (inc. swing weight) – the Tour guys get 50 of these and pick the ones that max at 0.83 COR and have an exact loft (say 9.1 degrees or 8.7 degrees) that the player in question requires. This extra testing if put on a club for a muppet like yourself would be a COMPLETE AND UTTER WASTE OF MONEY – you can’t hit the center of the face in 100 tries, so why bother adding another $150 worth of labor to your club?
Anyway, bash away my zero knowledge friend.
scott
Nov 19, 2015 at 9:29 pm
yep he’s a little over the top with the comment but $500 bucks for a driver is the real joke in six months it’ll be half that price, six more months half thats price. So is this years model $500 dollar better then last years ? Only if you want it to be
golfbum
Nov 20, 2015 at 12:17 pm
Let me get this straight? A person comments on a golf site and ask, wait let me get the quote marks right….”have you even played golf before?” So you just discounted your ability to have any knowledge on this subject. Then you go on to insult this person with the following: “This extra testing if put on a club for a muppet like yourself would be a COMPLETE AND UTTER WASTE OF MONEY – you can’t hit the center of the face in 100 tries, so why bother adding another $150 worth of labor to your club?”….I think I quoted you correctly, no?
So, John, if would, please provide your USGA GHIN #….so that we can see how many times you hit the center of the club face?
Christestrogen
Nov 18, 2015 at 10:03 am
I bought a tour vault sldr last year on eBay for $129….saw no difference…
It was pretty cool to have all the little measurements hand written but other than that it was seemingly the same….at least IMHO
-Christosterone
Reeves
Nov 18, 2015 at 2:36 pm
Had one chance to hit a Pro Players driver (it was a Taylor Made and fit for him out of the tour van) If you ever can try it, the club was so well balanced it made my driver feel like a cave mans club. It showed me that it was not just the parts it was the guys that put them together.
blake
Nov 18, 2015 at 9:36 am
I have a tour issue r9 supertri v2 and it is miles different than the retail version. Mine is 440 cc, deeper face, and launches/spins the ball a lot lower that the retail counterpart. Don’t know about the M1 but there is definitely a difference in my personal experience with gaming retail vs. tour issue.
Carlos Danger
Nov 18, 2015 at 12:53 pm
So…you basically have a Superdeep?
blake
Nov 18, 2015 at 1:11 pm
not nearly as deep in the face. just a little deeper than the retail supertri but certainly more left/right forgiveness on the face than the SD. plus it has three adjustable weights as compared to only two on the superdeep. also the head shape/profile is different from the superdeep. so, basically, NO. Not the same at all
Carlos Danger
Nov 18, 2015 at 2:05 pm
but basically…
blake
Nov 18, 2015 at 2:33 pm
basically what? not even really sure what you are refuting here.
Carlos Danger
Nov 18, 2015 at 3:36 pm
exactly
christian
Nov 20, 2015 at 4:00 am
Basically, as in they are both driver heads?
blake
Nov 20, 2015 at 3:21 pm
they are both black. so he has me there…
blake
Nov 18, 2015 at 2:47 pm
and i am in now way endorsing spending $800 for a driver head. These will cost $150-200 on the Wrx BST by summer. If you have to play tour issue, for whatever reason, buy a release cycle behind for a fraction of the price.
Rick
Nov 19, 2015 at 12:05 am
I too have an R9 Supertri v2 also. I would say the face is not noticeably larger than a stock 460cc head, but certainly the body is much more a bulbous delta shape that gives the Supertri its name. Is the face tall like a Super Deep, no.
The v2 performance is perfect for my game. Actual TM provided a CT number and an aftermarket CT test. The measured TM CT is 248 and therefore is a tour legal usable head, what makes it unique is the CT measured slightly high and toe of the tour measuring point results in a 256. Its Lie is 61.1*, Loft 9.3*, Face Angle Open 3.75*. Hot Melt Weight 202.7, Slope of 3.2 and a CI of 1.76. I do not know what the slope and CI indicate.
The club performs as well or better than all drivers I have used and or demo’d except an explosive 975J that cracked early in the century.
The Supertri R9 v2 was and is the best $225 driver investment I have made over the past 20 years. The club recently aided another subpar round.
I would recommend the purchase of a tour head if it has a CT above 244, 257/258 is maximum allowable.
Charlie
Nov 18, 2015 at 9:28 am
If I take a retail head, get it measured and stamp a ‘+’ on it, can I command $800 for it?
Billy
Nov 18, 2015 at 1:48 am
Aren’t they still made in China or in Carlsbad, CA?
Ryan
Nov 18, 2015 at 1:30 am
Low CT rejects is what they are. Why aren’t they on the tour van ? Why is the CT rating covered up ? Exactly..
ltd
Nov 18, 2015 at 3:12 am
yepper
Charlie
Nov 18, 2015 at 9:21 am
Or high CT, doubtful though.
LorenRobertsFan
Nov 18, 2015 at 10:15 am
Exactly my thoughts
Scott
Nov 18, 2015 at 12:34 pm
Since I do not know what CT means, this head is not for me.
john
Nov 18, 2015 at 6:36 pm
that is a great point lol, $800 for a driver that’s got CT blacked out
SB
Nov 18, 2015 at 1:00 am
It’s expansive but still a good offering. Did you have the opportunity to play two exact same drivers and had the feeling that one performs much better?! The tour editions are always duly checked and are more consistent. Still 800$ for head I agree 😉
Brian
Nov 17, 2015 at 10:37 pm
They will make the average hacker exactly $800 lighter.
mike
Nov 17, 2015 at 9:33 pm
none
Mark
Nov 17, 2015 at 9:21 pm
$800 for a head. Seriously. What, if any difference will these heads make to the average player?
COGolfer
Nov 17, 2015 at 11:06 pm
The difference would be found in $800 worth of lessons.
This sort of thing comes up in cycling as well. Should you spend an extra grand on a bike that weighs a pound less or could you stand to lose a few on your person…
John Triscott
Nov 18, 2015 at 12:14 pm
Great comparison.
This is the same thing as Tour Issue DG Shafts. They are just thoroughly checked. More for the peace of mind for the golfer, in this case, a PGA Tour player.
Rick
Nov 19, 2015 at 12:12 am
No, a CT driver with less than 258 conforms to the rules of golf. Professionals cannot use non CT measured drivers.
Regarding shafts, I would imagine they are hand sorted and set batched so players have a stash to back up their playing set should one snap.