Best new drivers – Syndication Server

Titleist GT2, GT3, GT4 drivers

Each of the Titleist GT drivers is designed to create more ball speed and distance.

For well over a decade, as more golf equipment companies added exotic materials to their drivers, Titleist continued making its drivers using titanium. Working with its manufacturing partners, Titleist made the titanium crowns, faces and body sections thinner, enhanced the aerodynamics of the heads, and developed different head styles so players and fitters could create a club that maximized overall performance. Attaining more ball speed was great, but designers did not want to sacrifice stability to get it, and their goal was not to increase forgiveness by giving up speed.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/rgsrEJEBjsbPL24jRYx8/1722553540379_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLmFueWNsaXAuY29tL2FueWNsaXAtd2lkZ2V0L2xyZS13aWRnZXQvcHJvZC92MS9zcmMvbHJlLmpzIiBkYXRhLWFyPSIxNjo5IiBkYXRhLXBsaWQ9Im9qdHhnNHNmampjdWUydHRtamlleW1ydW5qamZzNmJ5IiBwdWJuYW1lPSIxOTk4IiB3aWRnZXRuYW1lPSIwMDE2TTAwMDAyVTBCMWtRQUZfTTgzNDAiPgo8L3NjcmlwdD4=”][/anyclip-media]

That overall philosophy hasn’t changed, but in the new GT2, GT3 and GT4 drivers, the decision to go with a new shape necessitated the use of a new material, which has helped to quicken the adoption of the new GT drivers by PGA Tour players like Justin Thomas (GT2), Max Homa (GT3), Cameron Young (GT2), Tom Kim (GT3), and Patrick Cantlay (GT2). Now Titleist is making the GT family of drivers available to everyone.

Who are the Titleist GT2, GT3, and GT4 drivers for?

Each of the Titleist GT drivers is designed to create more ball speed and distance. The GT2 is made specifically for players who want to maximize stability and forgiveness. The GT3 was made for players who want left-right adjustability, and the GT4 is for golfers who need a low-spin driver.

What do you need to know about the Titleist GT drivers?

To improve the aerodynamics of the GT drivers, Titleist engineers elevated the back portion of the sole to reduce drag and improve the way air flows over the club. However, using the new shape in an all-titanium club elevated the center of gravity (CG) location, resulting in more spin, a lower launch angle and less distance.

The back of the sole of the Titleist GT3 driver peals up, creating a more aerodynamic shape. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

To use the aerodynamic head shape but lower the CG location, engineers decided to use a thermoform polymer to design a crown piece that wraps over the heel and toe and into the sole. While many carbon fiber crowns require small ledges and glue on the top of the club to hold them in place, Titleist’s design positions the ledges low in the heel, toe and back of the head. In those areas, adding a small amount of extra weight does not reduce performance.

Look as closely as you want at the GT drivers, but you won’t see the seams where the thermoform polymer insert is joined to the titanium portion of the chassis. After the crown piece is added, Titleist fills the seams with resin, which is then hand-buffed to create a smooth surface before the heads are painted. In the address position, golfers see nothing but a glossy black crown and a small “GT” logo that players can use to center the ball when they address it.

Titleist GT drivers — The top of the Titleist GT2 driver is made using thermoform polymer instead of titanium. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

For many players, drivers with a carbon fiber top sound muffled or soft because the resin glue used to create the carbon fiber material absorbs vibrations and sounds. However, in addition to being light, Titleist’s proprietary carbon material is impregnated with a polymer instead of resin glue, and the polymer can be tuned to create specific sounds. That allowed Titleist to modify the sound of the GT drivers so they mimic what you hear with titanium drivers. If you tap it with your fingernail, the polymer piece even sounds like a metal crown.

Much of the weight saved by using the thermoform polymer crown piece was redistributed to different areas within the heads. Each of the GT drivers has extra mass low and forward, which should increase ball speed, with the remaining mass going to the back.

Titleist GT4 driver — The Titleist GT4 features a variable-thickness titanium face. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Finally, Titleist gave each GT driver a variable-thickness face that is thicker around the perimeter and very thin on the inside before getting thicker again in the middle. Titleist refers to this design as Speed Ring and it debuted in the TSR3 driver two years ago and Titleist claims it creates more speed over a larger area.

As with the TSR driver family, Titleist has designed three GT heads that players and fitters can use to create the ideal club for the majority of golfers.

The GT2 is a 460cc driver that is the largest from front to back and has the most stability. It comes standard with a nine-gram weight in the back of the head to boost the moment of inertia (MOI) and make the head twist less on off-center hits.

The GT2 is available in 8-, 9-, 10-, and 11-degree lofts for both right and left-handed golfers. It comes standard at 45.5 inches in length and has Titleist’s 16-position SureFit adjustable hosel that lets players and fitters independently adjust the loft and lie angle.

The GT3 is also a 460cc head and comes in the same loft options for right and left-handed players, and it has the SureFit hosel system, too. However, the GT3 has a five-position weight track in the front of the sole that pushes the CG location more forward for increased ball speed. The moveable weight lets players and fitters create either a draw or fade bias. The weight, which comes standard at eight grams, is accessible by unscrewing a plate in the sole. Compared to the TSR3, the sliding weight is more forward in the head, so the GT3 should produce a slightly lower flight and less spin than the TSR3.

Finally, the GT4 is a 430cc driver designed to create the lowest spin and launch angle. It is available in 8-, 9-, and 10-degree heads, has the SureFit hosel and comes with an 11-gram sole weight in a rear port and a three-gram sole weight in the front port. According to Titleist, moving the 11-gram weight to the front in the GT4 makes the club produce less spin and a lower flight than a front-weighted TSR4, but keeping the 11-gram weight in the back keeps the CG location between the GT2 and GT3, so the spin and launch angle fit between the GT2 and GT3.

How much will the Titleist GT drivers cost?

The Titleist GT2, GT3, and GT4 drivers are $649 each with Project X Denali Red, HZRDUS Black 5th Generation, or Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue shaft and Titleist Universal 360 grip.

When will the Titleist GT drivers be available?

The Titleist GT2, GT3, and GT4 drivers are available for pre-order with fittings starting August 1 and should be in stores starting August 23.

Below are several close-up looks at the Titleiust GT2, GT3 and GT4 drivers:

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke drivers added to USGA Conforming Driver List

Callaway’s new drivers for 2024 have hit the USGA Conforming Driver Head list.

[mm-video type=video id=01h7hdxxm6gy2d5p4tca playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01h7hdxxm6gy2d5p4tca/01h7hdxxm6gy2d5p4tca-8ad1ce6341186ed3410daf60b2f9cf48.jpg]

Early Monday morning, as 2024 was being ushered in across the United States, Callaway’s newest drivers were being added to the United States Golf Association’s List of Conforming Driver Heads. That means the USGA has tested the heads to ensure they meet equipment standards and comply with the Rules of Golf. Once added to the list, a driver head can be used by anyone in a competitive round or official event like this week’s PGA Tour event, The Sentry at the Kapalua Resort in Hawaii.

Callaway has not made any official announcement about the Paradym Ai Smoke drivers yet, and there are 11 versions of the Paradym A.I. Smoke drivers now on the list, so some are almost assuredly going to be Tour-only models. However, based on the photos displayed on the USGA’s website, the descriptions and notes of the of the clubs and technologies Callaway has used in the past, we can make some educated guesses about the Paradym Ai Smoke family.

Forged Carbon. Callaway has been making drivers with carbon fiber crowns and sole panels for years, and in 2023’s Paradym drivers, the brand created a 360-degree forged carbon chassis that wrapped the material completely around the center of the head. Forged Carbon is printed on the sole of each driver, so it appears the Paradym Ai Smoke will have a similar construction.
Ai SMART FACE. We can’t see this in the USGA photos, but it is noted in the description of each club that on the face are the words “Ai Smart Face.” A few weeks ago, Odyssey, Callaway’s putter arm, released the Ai ONE and Ai ONE Milled putters, and in those clubs, Ai standards for artificial intelligence. Callaway has used artificial intelligence to help its designers create driver faces for years, so this could mean there is a new or updated face technology in the Paradym Ai Smoke drivers.
Triple Diamond = Low Spin. Starting several years ago, Callaway designated its low-spin drivers with Sub-Zero, but recently the company has used three diamonds or the Triple Diamond designation to signify that a product has been made for fast-swinging, elite golfers. Among the drivers now on the conforming list are the Triple Diamond, Triple Diamond +, Triple Diamond S and Triple Diamond Max. All of them except the Triple Diamond + appear to have two moveable weights, one forward and another back weight in the sole. In the past, this two-weight system has allowed players and fitters to be able to increase or decrease the spin rate and launch angle by swapping a heavy and a lightweight in the ports.
Max = standard. There is no club simply labeled Paradym Ai Smoke, each of the new offerings on the USGA list is labeled with an extra name, so it stands to reason that Max is the base model. We can clearly see a sliding weight in the back of the Max driver that should allow players and fitters to create a draw or a fade bias. The weight in the front of the sole is a different shape, so it won’t be swappable with the weight in the track. It is likely there to help fitters adjust the swing weight of the club.
Max D = Draw. This club lacks the sliding weight in the back of the head that the Max has, but any time brands put a D on the end of a club’s name, it means draw. This driver has likely been designed to help golfers who slice.
Max Fast. If the standard Max is a base model and the Max D has a draw bias for golfers who slice, the Max Fast is probably for slower-swinging players. Why do we think that? In the USGA notes it states that this club is offered in 9.5, 10.5, 11.5 and 12-degree options. Those higher lofts will not be practical for faster-swinging golfers, but players who struggle to generate speed often choose high-lofted drivers to maximize carry distance. Like the other Paradym Ai Smoke drivers, the Max Fast has an adjustable hosel and unless it is different than other Callaway hosel systems, it will allow players to increase the loft by up to 2 degrees so that a 12-degree head can play with as much as 14 degrees of loft!

Here are several close-up looks at the different Paradym Ai Smoke drivers.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1364]