DRIVE FOR SHOW AND GOLF
The Titleist GT2, GT3, and GT4 forges a generational leap.
Titleist claims that their new generation of drivers – the GT2, GT3, and GT4 – are the brand’s most “advanced and best- performing drivers” they’ve ever built. And who are we to argue?
The GT line represents a giant leap of faith towards multi-material construction, and also incorporates many technological advancements that will raise eyebrows, even from an industry leader like Titleist.
The new GT line consists of three models. GT2 is designed for speed and forgiveness across the face with a higher-MOI setup. GT3 is designed for fine-tuned speed and control, maximizing distance and optimizing flight. GT4 is a low-spin, 430cc driver designed to eliminate excessive spin and deliver a fast, penetrating trajectory.
One of the main features of the new GT drivers is the multi-material nature of the clubhead. Each driver in the GT line features an all-new Seamless Thermoform Crown comprised of a new Proprietary Matrix Polymer. This unique, ultra-light material allowed Titleist engineers to place discretionary mass in the optimal locations for each model, providing exceptional speed and stability with GT’s Split Mass Construction. The material, never used previously in golf clubhead design, afforded Titleist engineers unprecedented design solutions regarding internal weight positioning, unlocking gains across multiple categories of driver performance. The crown is wrapped to the sole using an advanced thermoforming process, resulting in a clean look with no visible seam or transition between material.
“One of our first goals with GT was to make it faster than TSR,” said Chuck Golden, SVP, Titleist Club Research & Development. “And the only way to achieve our design goals was to break out of an all-titanium construction.”
The density of the new crown is three times lighter than the TSR. Furthermore, the acoustic properties of the Proprietary Matrix Polymer allowed Titleist engineers to fine-tune tremendous sound and feel while still maximizing the weight-saving gains from GT’s new construction.
The weight savings that resulted from GT’s Seamless Thermoform Crown gave Titleist engineers the ability to re- position discretionary weight in optimal positions within the clubhead. Mass was strategically pushed both towards the front of the club, unlocking greater speed through CG placement, and towards the rear, offering stable, high- MOI performance. CG placements across the three models vary, giving players the opportunity to find the right combination of speed, launch angle and spin for their games with three unique setups.
Improvements to internal construction and weight distribution have allowed greater optimization of aerodynamics across the three models, a breakthrough that was previously impossible to execute due to design constraints. The GT drivers feature refined profiles that help reduce drag and increase clubhead speed.
Two other technologies that help create the GT drivers’ fast face are an upgraded titanium Speed Ring that reinforces and stabilizes the perimeter of the clubface, which produces maximum ball speed for on-centre strikes, and Variable Face Thickness (VFT) works to preserve consistently fast ball speeds on off-centre strikes, eliminating excessive distance drop-off. The combination of the two allows maximisation of coefficient of restitution while allowing a thin face to expand the speed spot size and maximising speed on mishits.
The 460cc GT2 driver (available in lofts of 8, 9, 10 and 11 degrees) is designed for golfers who would benefit from a fast and forgiving driver on both on- and off-centre strikes. The clubhead is longer front-to-back and its clubface is marginally shallower. Compared to previous generation ‘2’ models, GT2 features a more traditional pear shape, bringing its profile closer to that of GT3. An interchangeable weight in the rear position allows for control over head weight and swing weight to produce personalised performance and feel.
The 460cc GT3 (8, 9, 10 and 11 degrees) caters to players seeking to optimise distance and control ball flight. With a new Adjustable CG Track,now positioned closer to the face compared to TSR3, fitters and golfers can select between five centre of gravity (CG) locations (H2, H1, N, T1, T2), lining up the CG setting to their strike location tendencies. An optimal CG location will extract more speed and greater consistency in ball flight. These benefits are magnified even more in GT3 due to the new, more forward location of the track. Compared to the GT2, the shape appears more compact and pear- shaped, and its clubface sits taller.
Golfers looking to reduce sub- optimal spin rates (3,000rpm or more) may look to the GT4 for a more penetrating and efficient ball flight. The 430cc club’s dual-spin control settings allow golfers to choose between more aggressive spin reduction or a more balanced and stable setting with more moderate spin reduction. This is accomplished by flipping a heavier (11 gram) and lighter (3 gram) weight between two positions. While the GT4, like the GT2 and GT3, also boasts the Seamless Thermoform Crown and Split Mass Construction, Titleist engineers pushed its internal mass distribution farther apart, maintaining back-weighted stability while driving CG forward for greater spin reduction. The Titleist GT4 is available in 8, 9 and 10 degrees loft.
GT drivers come with Project X Denali Red and HZRDUS Black 5th Gen, Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue and 1K Black graphite shafts. Premium shafts offered include Graphite Design Tour AD-VF, Tour AD-DI and Tour AD-UB. Titleist GT drivers are currently available at all authorised dealers.
