Speed, Speed And More Speed!

Titleist’s new TS drivers and fairway metals

Dubbed internally as the “Titleist Speed Project” or “TS Project”, Titleist’s goal two years ago was to make their drivers and fairway metals as fast as possible. Josh Talge, Vice President, Titleist Golf Club Marketing shared, “… the TS Project was about driving ball speed and unlocking a level of performance that golfers simply couldn’t ignore… we challenged ourselves to deconstruct the driver and then literally build it back up, piece by piece, to be faster, longer and better in every way possible. R&D had been exploring some unique constructions early on that were really compelling in theory, but they simply couldn’t beat the performance of our all-titanium Speed Chassis…. from the ball speed and distance gains we’re seeing both on tour and with amateur golfers, it’s clear that TS metals deliver a new level of Titleist Speed.”

When TS drivers were first available at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, they passed the tour validation test with seventeen players putting them into play at the major where players usually don’t change trusted equipment. This included Justin Thomas, who recorded a careerlong 422-yard drive with his TS3 driver. Three starts later, with the new TS3 fairway

metal in his bag, Thomas earned his first World Golf Championship title with a four-shot victory at Firestone, crediting the performance to his TS metals. Since then, more than 100 players worldwide joined Thomas in switching to the new TS drivers, including Adam Scott and Jimmy Walker. Its new TS fairway metals that are forgiving and easy to launch also rapidly gained adoption by players around the world. Following their debut at the PGA Tour’s Quicken Loans National, players like Jordan Spieth put them into play.

Michael Kim won with the new TS driver at the John Deere Classic by a record eight shots, recording an average of five yards more off the tee at 294.8 yards. Kim was also nearly 30 percent (82.14%) higher in Driving Accuracy compared to his 2017-18 season averages.

Driving the new TS metals is the new Titleist Speed Chassis, comprising of four key innovations:

• Ultra-thin Crown - the TS driver sports the thinnest titanium crown in the game (20 percent thinner than its previous 917 drivers) whilst its fairway metals boast a 27 percent thinner steel crown. All of which allow weight to be shifted lower and deeper allowing for a higher launch.

• Thinner, Faster Face – achieved with a refined radial Variable Face Thickness (VFT) that is thinner overall delivering faster ball speed and increased forgiveness. In the TS driver, its face is so thin that the score lines must be lasered on instead of being etched. With the thinner face, up to six grams of weight savings further allowed more weight to be shifted lower and deeper in the driver head.

• New Streamlined Driver Shape – A new enhanced aerodynamic shape reduces drag by up to 20 percent, allowing golfers to swing faster, increasing swing speed for more distance.

• Optimized Weight Distribution – with the thinner crown and thinner VFT, Titleist created the lowest and deepest CG ever in their driver and fairway metals resulting in a higher launch with lower spin. The resulting MOI is up to 12 percent higher and up to 11 percent higher than its predecessor 917 metals.

All these come together to create a powerful combination of speed and stability.

While the Titleist Speed Chassis rendered the Active Recoil Channel (ARC) obsolete in the TS drivers, it remained a crucial technology for TS fairways due to shots being hit down low on the face and off the turf. Its ARC 3.0 is improved and enhanced with a taller design than before resulting in even greater face flexibility for a more consistent deflection with increased ball speed across the face with higher launch and lower spin.

The new TS2 lets golfers swing aggressively with maximum forgiveness across the face, while the fully adjustable TS3 offers speed-tuned distance with dynamic forgiveness through its Surefit CG. Both models feature Titleist’s patented Surefit hosel with 16 independent loft and lie settings to create a more consistent and optimized ball flight through precision fitting.