Titleist TSR3 Driver Review

Titleist TSR3 Driver Review

The TSR range represents the culmination of the Titleist Speed Project which began three generations ago with the launch of TS, aiming to deliver immediate speed and distance gains to golfers, and was then taken up a notch with 2020’s TSi. In TSR, the R stands mostly for refined, certainly not revolution. This is because, in our view, it represents a minor evolution in the technology we saw in the impressive TSi2 and TSi3 drivers but that said, the take up on tour since seeding began has been rapid and the success almost immediate.

VIDEO: Watch Joel Tadman test the new Titleist TSR3 driver on the course

One of the main adjustments has been trying to make it faster through the air, which Titleist claims to have achieved through a smoother sole, smaller hosel opening and a taller back section, which is more noticeable on the TSR2 driver. It certainly looks slick and almost Tesla-inspired with how the weight track and silver strip form a T-shape on the sole.

The five-position SureFit CG track carries over from the TSi3 but it has been neatened up so the weight sits more flush in the extreme positions and it is quicker to adjust thanks to a shorter screw thread. The other big change golfers can’t see is a new Variable Thickness Face (VFT) pattern Titleist is calling Speed Ring, which is specific to TSR3 and tailored towards slightly better players that strike the ball within a more centred area on the face. The result is supposedly more consistency of ball speed.

I went through the custom fitting process for the TSR3 driver at Titleist's European Performance Centre at Woburn Golf Club and ended up with the premium Tour AD Graphite Design UB (Up and Beyond, obviously) 6 shaft, which comes with a £170 upcharge and makes the total cost of the driver an eye-watering £699. But does the performance justify it?

Visually, nothing significant has changed in terms of how the TSR3 driver sits at address versus the TSi3. It maintains the same traditional look and shape that so many golfers love. I first took my fitted TSR3 to Peterborough Milton Golf Club to test it indoors on the Foresight Sports GCQuad launch monitor with Titleist Pro V1x golf balls. I also hit my custom fitted TS3 and TSi3 drivers for comparison.

The numbers suggest that the TSR3 isn’t any faster through the air. In fact, my swing speed was slightly down against TSi3 but my ball speed was higher with TSR3 - suggesting the clubhead is more efficient at converting club speed into ball speed. Combined with a slightly lower launch and higher spin meant that, on average, TSR3 carried the ball one yard further than TSi3. This isn’t massively surprising given how good the TSi3 driver is and how little has changed into TSR3.

Diving deeper into the numbers showed that the TSR3 achieved the fastest ball speed (154.4 mph) and was consistently above 150 mph, where the TSi3 dropped to 147 mph at times. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to suggest that TSR3 does a better job of minimising drop offs in speed, making it one of the very best drivers for distance, even if out of the middle the performance remains very similar to TSi3. 

Just like the best golf drivers, accuracy remains a strong attribute from TSi3 into TSR3. During the fitting, the premium shaft produced a much tighter dispersion and my subsequent testing showed that the TSR3 is able to cope with slight mishits admirably, delivering a playable trajectory that will often still find the short grass. Utilising the SureFit CG weight track is an effective way to manage direction and while moving weight away from the centre of the head may not maximise distance, it certainly helps keep the ball in play for golfers looking to negate or promote a particular shot shape.

So while this is an excellent driver, golfers that have upgraded in the last year or so probably won't see significant gains to justify the £529 investment. But the moveable weight and spin profile of the TSR3 mean it arguably has the broadest appeal within the TSR range, so should be very close to the top of the pile for golfers with a big enough budget looking for a new driver. Because of the impressive adjustability and performance the TSR3 driver has been included in our Editor's Choice for 2023. 

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