x
Skip to main content
Golf Logo
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
Titleist’s GT drivers already have pros raving about 1 crucial aspect
SHARE
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Golf Logo
  • News
    • Latest
      • News
      • Features
      • Shows
      • PGA Tour Schedule
    • Series
      • Tour Confidential
      • Monday Finish
      • Hot Mic
      • Rogers Report
    • Shows
      • The Scoop
      • Subpar
      • Seen & Heard
  • Instruction
    • Game Improvement
      • Driving
      • Approach Shots
      • Bunker Shots
      • Short Game
      • Putting
      • Rules
      • Fitness
    • Series
      • Top 100 Teachers
      • Rules Guy
      • The Etiquetteist
    • Shows
      • Warming Up
      • Play Smart
      • Short Game Chef
      • Pros Teaching Joes
  • Gear
    • Clubs
      • Drivers
      • Irons
      • Hybrids
      • Fairway Woods
      • Wedges
      • Putters
    • Other Gear
      • Balls
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Golf Accessories
    • Series
      • ClubTest
      • Winner’s Bag
    • Shows
      • Fully Equipped
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • Course Finder
      • Courses
      • Resorts
    • Lifestyle
      • Accessories
      • Celebrities
      • Food
      • Style
      • Betting Advice
    • Shows
      • Super Secrets
      • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Shop
      • Clubs
      • Shafts
      • Training Aids
      • Balls
      • Bags
      • Technology
      • Apparel
      • Accessories
      • Our Picks
      • Shop All
    • Collections
      • The GOLF Collection
      • The Birdie Juice Collection
      • The Fully Equipped Collection
      • Shop All
  • Newsletters
    • Sign Up for GOLF’s Newsletters
      • Hot Mic
      • Monday Finish
      • Play Smart
      • Our Picks
      • Top Stories
      • Sign Up for All
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Features
    • Shows
    • PGA Tour Schedule
  • Instruction
    • All Instruction
    • Driving
    • Approach Shots
    • Bunker Shots
    • Short Game
    • Putting
    • Rules
    • Fitness
  • Gear
    • All Gear
    • Drivers
    • Irons
    • Hybrids
    • Fairway Woods
    • Wedges
    • Putters
    • Balls
    • Shoes
    • Apparel
    • Golf Accessories
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • All Travel
    • All Lifestyle
    • Course Finder
    • Courses
    • Resorts
    • Accessories
    • Celebrities
    • Food
    • Style
    • Betting Advice
  • Series
    • Tour Confidential
    • Monday Finish
    • Hot Mic
    • Rogers Report
    • Rules Guy
    • The Etiquetteist
    • ClubTest
    • Winner’s Bag
  • Shows
    • The Scoop
    • Subpar
    • Seen & Heard
    • Warming Up
    • Play Smart
    • Short Game Chef
    • Pros Teaching Joes
    • Fully Equipped
    • Super Secrets
    • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Clubs
    • Shafts
    • Training Aids
    • Balls
    • Bags
    • Technology
    • Apparel
    • Accessories
    • The GOLF Collection
    • The Birdie Juice Collection
    • The Fully Equipped Collection
  • Newsletters
    • Hot Mic
    • Monday Finish
    • Play Smart
    • Top Stories
    • Our Picks
    • Sign Up for All
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
InsideGolf

InsideGOLF: +$140 value for $39.99

Join Today
Drivers

Titleist’s GT drivers already have pros raving about 1 crucial aspect

By: Jonathan Wall
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Follow on Instagram
June 5, 2024
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
titleist gt3 driver

Horschel is contemplating a switch to Titleist Tour-only GT3 driver at the Memorial.

Jonathan Wall/GOLF

DUBLIN, Ohio — Billy Horschel could sense something was different. Midway through a Monday afternoon Titleist GT driver testing session, Horschel watched in anticipation as the ball finally came to rest on the back of the Muirfield Village Golf Club driving range.

Horschel’s polished swing makes it difficult to discern between perfect strikes and misses during testing. Feedback is critical to determine if adjustments need to be made to the club in question. So, too, is a launch monitor that spits out instantaneous data.

Lucky for Liam McDougall, Titleist’s European director of tour operations, Horschel always keeps the feedback flowing.

“That one was low on the face,” Horschel noted. “But it still felt like it was coming out of a good window.”

billy horschel titleist gt driver
Horschel tested Titleist’s GT3 driver during a Monday range session at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Jonathan Wall/GOLF

As McDougall assessed the launch monitor data on a tablet, he paused and turned to Horschel.

“What do you think the spin rate was on that one?” McDougall said.

For Horschel, a low miss tends to increase spin from 2,200 to 2,900 RPMs, leading to a dip in distance in most cases. For someone who currently ranks 93rd on Tour in driving distance, every yard counts when attempting to clear a bunker at 300 yards. But this particular drive was coming out of Horschel’s usual launch window (10-11 degrees) with 2,400 spin. (Horschel’s clubhead speed increased from 115 to 116.5 mph and ball speed ticked up from 173-174 to 175-178 during driver testing between TSR3 and GT3.)

In other words, the penalty for a low miss wasn’t showing up on the launch monitor.

“When you have a guy like Rory [McIlroy] who’s cruising in the upper 180s [ball speed], he can carry things 300 yards regardless of whether he’s spinning it 2,200 or 2,800 [RPMs],” Horschel told GOLF.com. “That ball is still going 310-plus yards. For someone like myself who carries it 295, I can carry things at 300 yards, but I have to be able to launch it and have the right spin.

In recent years, equipment manufacturers have begun to crack the driver code through new materials and processes. In the past, design sacrifices had to be made to produce certain launch, spin and forgiveness characteristics. Pull one performance lever and another had to be released. There was always a tradeoff to be made. But that could be changing.

Drivers
titleist gt3 driver
Check out Titleist’s GT2, GT3 and GT4 drivers from all angles
By: Jonathan Wall

“Having those spin rates so tight allows me to get similar carry distances even when I don’t hit it good. If I do miss one a little thin, it’s not spinning at 2,800 or 2,900 where it could fly 10 yards shorter,” Horschel said. “It’s still going to fly the same distance or maybe a few yards shorter than if I hit it solid. It gives me the confidence if there’s a bunker at 300 or 305 I want to carry, I don’t have to be perfect. I can miss it and know it’s still going to carry. Once I get above 175, that gets me to the 300-plus yards of carry without having to launch it 13 degrees with 2,000 spin. I can still launch it in my window at 10 or 11 degrees with 2,300 or 2,400. Those extra 2 miles per hour go a long way.”

Titleist’s new GT drivers, which were released on Tour at the Memorial, appear to be the latest offering to feature tight spin deltas across the face. The tighter the spin rate on a mishit, compared to a center strike, the more consistent the launch and carry numbers. It essentially adds a new layer of forgiveness and ball speed retention where golfers need it most.

Along with Horschel, GOLF.com witnessed several GT driver testing sessions that produced similar spin rate results on misses. Peter Malnati, who has a low miss tendency, found distance gains through the same tight spin rate deltas as Horschel, along with an uptick in ball speed.

“When you look at [Peter], he swings well when he’s down,” JJ Van Wezenbeeck, Titleist’s director of player promotions, told GOLF.com. “He wants that cover down and is a lower-launch guy who misses more off the bottom. Getting better ball speeds down there is always important.

titleist gt3 driver
The SureFit CG weight track has been moved forward on GT3. Jonathan Wall/GOLF

“Consistency has been showing up out here during testing. Launch, spin and speed are staying there, even on those misses. Getting a little uptick in speed is good for these guys, but when you’re playing the harder golf courses, having that consistency off the face is at a premium.”

While tighter spin rate deltas appear to be the biggest improvement from TSR to GT, Horschel highlighted another aspect that earned his approval.

“To me, the feel is persimmon-like,” said Horschel. “Ping Rapture was one of my favorites — the way it sounded, felt, looked. This Titleist [GT] is very similar to that. Everyone is different out here in the way they judge feel. I want it to feel really solid where the ball is staying on the face for a long time. I can relate to feel off that and it gives me a good idea if I missed it or hit it good. I’ve always been that way.”

With initial testing out of the way, Horschel and other potential GT users in the field at Muirfield Village will have to decide if they want to give the driver a go this week ahead of the U.S. Open. Although the two-year cadence is the same, this is the earliest Titleist has released a driver on Tour.

Asked why Titleist chose to go earlier than usual, Van Wezenbeeck said it was a no-brainer after the feedback they received from pros who helped develop the final GT product, including Will Zalatoris.

“We had guys like Will coming to us asking if they could test it,” Van Wezenbeeck said. “When you have a good thing, you don’t want to wait until the Fall to bring it out here.”

Want to overhaul your bag for 2024? Find a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

Latest In Gear

4 hours ago

What golf ball will teams use at the Zurich? The defending champs have a loophole

10 hours ago

Why Newton Motion shafts are taking over the Champions Tour 

10 hours ago

The spin comeback: Why Tour pros are putting it back in the bag

1 day ago

How the pros get dialed for their drivers, according to an expert Ping fitter

JWall

Jonathan Wall

Golf.com Editor

Jonathan Wall is GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com’s Managing Editor for Equipment. Prior to joining the staff at the end of 2018, he spent 6 years covering equipment for the PGA Tour. He can be reached at jonathan.wall@golf.com.

  • Author Twitter Account
  • Author Instagram Account

Related Articles

Gear
Pile of golf balls on driving range.

The spin comeback: Why Tour pros are putting it back in the bag

By: Kris McCormack
Drivers
How the best fit the best, Part Two, The Driver with Pings Kenton Oates

How the pros get dialed for their drivers, according to an expert Ping fitter

By: Johnny Wunder
Wedges
Justin Thomas hits a chip shot at the RBC Heritage and a close up of his lob wedge.

How to dial your Vokey wedges like RBC winner Justin Thomas

By: Jack Hirsh
Drivers
Justin Thomas hitting a tee shot at the 2025 RBC Heritage

This club was instrumental in Justin Thomas' RBC Heritage win

By: Kris McCormack
Gear
Justin Thomas in full flight with his Titleist GT2 driver on his way to winning the RBC Heritage

RBC Heritage winner's bag: Take a look at the clubs of Justin Thomas

By: Johnny Wunder
Gear
Ian Fraser holds his putter.

How does a club fitter fill out their own bag? We asked one | Fully Equipped

By: Jack Hirsh
Gear
The new Cobra Golf 3DP offer technology advancements that are only available via 3D technology

Cobra Golf's 3D-printed 'LIMIT3D' putters are here: 3 things to know

By: Johnny Wunder
Gear
Justin Rose with his putter and Bryson DeChambeau with a wedge at the Masters.

The clubs used by the Masters stats leaders through 36 holes

By: Jack Hirsh
Putters
Brian Harman reacts after making a putt at the Masters.

Here's why zero torque putters are great, but not for everyone

By: Jack Hirsh
Sign up for GOLF's Newsletters
Get the latest news, the hottest instruction tips, new product releases, golf media insider reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Choose your favorites now.
Sign Up
Categories
  • News
  • Instruction
  • Gear
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
Services
  • Masthead
  • GOLF Media Kit
  • GOLF Magazine Customer Service
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Opt-out of Ads/Sharing
  • Your Privacy Choices
Social
  • facebook
  • x
  • instagram
  • youtube
Membership
InsideGOLF Logo
More than $140 Value for JUST $39.99

INCLUDES 12 SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS, 1 YR OF GOLF MAGAZINE, $20 FAIRWAY JOCKEY CREDIT - AND MUCH MORE!

LEARN MORE

© 2025 EB Golf Media LLC. An 8AM Golf Affiliated Brand. All Rights Reserved. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

Go to mobile version