Surprising New Titleist Club Spotted At The Players Championship
An interesting new Titleist fairway wood has hit the USGA conforming list…
As someone who has traditionally struggled to find fairways with driver, my interest is always piqued when I see something that is designed to help with exactly that.
Spotted on the USGA conforming list today is a new offering from Titleist looking to sit amongst the best fairway woods, or should that be best drivers?! Early indications are that it is called the TSR 2 wood, and with a larger head and deeper face than the TSR2+ fairway wood, it seems that Titleist are very much in ‘mini-driver’ territory. There are two moveable weights on the sole and it looks to come with the SureFit hosel to enable players to dial in loft and lie angles exactly.
A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)
A photo posted by on
Titleist is not the first to the party with this style of club, however. TaylorMade has been having much success in recent years with various iterations of what it refers to as a mini-driver, from the SLDR Mini all the way up the current BRNR mini that is in the bags of a few top players including Tommy Fleetwood.
PXG has also been spotted on the USGA conforming list with a club of a similar ilk…
A post shared by Sporting Insights (@sms_on_tour)
A photo posted by on
So what is a ‘mini-driver’ and who could it benefit? Well, essentially what we are talking about here is a bit of a mutation between a driver and a 3 wood. They generally come between 11.5 and 14 degrees of loft with deeper faces than a ‘normal’ 3 wood but still more compact than a modern-day driver. Once again they generally sit between the driver and 3 wood in terms of length, with most clubs of this type measuring around 44 inches as standard. They have been designed predominantly for use off the tee as a driver alternative but in the case of the models I have tested, can still be used very effectively from the ground.
At the top level, Tommy Fleetwood, Bryson DeChambeau, and Phil Mickelson are among the most notable names to currently game this type of club. For each of these players, it has directly replaced their 3 wood, with all of them citing the larger head and lower spin profile of the ‘mini-driver’ style club as the reason for their switch.
So could a club like this help you? Well, quite possibly. If you struggle with confidence in your 3 wood, the significantly larger profile of this style of club could really help you. Furthermore, if you struggle to find the center of your driver face often enough, the shorter standard length of a ‘mini-driver’ could once again prove beneficial.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
With 3 wood so often being a really difficult club in the bag to get right, could this growing trend spell the end of the traditional 3 wood as we know it? Well, probably not, but it is certainly gaining momentum…
I for one am looking forward to testing out both the new Titleist TSR 2 wood and the PXG offering when they are released to market. As yet we have no details of when this will be for either company, but we will keep you posted as and when we find out.
Joe has worked in the golf industry for nearly 20 years in a variety of roles. After a successful amateur career being involved in England squads at every age group, Joe completed his PGA degree qualification in 2014 as one of the top ten graduates in his training year and subsequently went on to become Head PGA Professional at Ryder Cup venue The Celtic Manor Resort. Equipment has always been a huge passion of Joe’s, and during his time at Celtic Manor, he headed up the National Fitting Centres for both Titleist and Taylormade. He’s excited to bring his knowledge of hardware to Golf Monthly in the form of equipment reviews and buying advice.
Joe lives in North Devon and still plays sporadically on the PGA West region circuit. His best round in recent years came earlier in 2023 where he managed a 9 under par 63 at Trevose GC in a Devon & Cornwall PGA Tournament.
Joe's current What's In The Bag?
Driver: Ping G430 Max 10K 9 degree - Fujikura Ventus Red 6X 45.75"
Fairway wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour - Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro White shaft 70TX 43.25"
Irons: Callaway Apex CB 24' 3-11 - Project X LS 6.5 shafts
Wedges: PXG Sugar Daddy 54 and 60 degree - Project X LS 6.0 shafts
Putter: Odyssey Toe Up #9
Ball: TaylorMade 2024 TP5x
-
How My First Solo Golf Holiday Opened My Eyes To An Emerging Golf Haven
Last year, I flew solo on a golf trip to Turkey. My experience taught me a lot about the joys of solo traveling and opened my eyes to an under appreciated golf haven
By Dan Parker Published
-
Stuburt Evolve Classic Hybrid Golf Shoe Review
How did the Stuburt Evolve Classic shoe perform on the course? We tested it out to find out.
By Roderick Easdale Published
-
6 Ways A Golf GPS App Can Improve Your Game
We all know that a GPS app can give you yardages, but can they actually improve your game and how else could one help?
By Joe Ferguson Published
-
6 Mistakes Golfers Make When Choosing A Putter
Joe Ferguson examines how you can avoid some common pitfalls the next time you look to change putters
By Joe Ferguson Published
-
Is Callaway The Latest Manufacturer To Jump On The Mini-Driver Bandwagon?
There seems to be a growing trend of major OEMs producing their own “Mini-Drivers”...
By Joe Ferguson Published
-
Unique 'Face Bulging' Irons Help Fire Dechambeau Up Masters Leaderboard
Bryson Dechambeau is using new irons that he helped design in a bid to claim his first green jacket at Augusta National
By Sam De'Ath Published
-
I’m Hoping For A Late Masters Invite And Here Are The Clubs I’m Going To Use
PGA Professional and Staff Writer Joe Ferguson is dreaming of a Masters debut...
By Joe Ferguson Published
-
5 Gear Changes Players Will Likely Make At Augusta
Augusta National presents some unique challenges to Masters competitors, so how do they combat those with their equipment?
By Joe Ferguson Published
-
The New TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Might Be The Coolest Club Launched This Year
TaylorMade has given one of its most popular products a copper twist…
By Joe Ferguson Published
-
Can A Nearly 40-Year-Old Blade Iron Still Compete With Modern Technology?
Joe Ferguson assesses the longevity of an absolute classic blade iron with major heritage in the latest Retro Review
By Joe Ferguson Published