Chez Reavie won the Canadian Open two weeks ago and Parker McLachlin won the following week using a prototype driver that’s been getting a lot of buzz on the PGA Tour, in our forum, and around the golf rumor mills, websites, and 19th holes.
The drivers, which debuted shortly before the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, have even been talked about at Titleist’s Tour Blog – a small but important step for the usually secretive Acushnet company.
A few weeks after the U.S. Open I was invited to Titleist’s Oceanside facility to try out some of the new equipment – it’s far more than just drivers – and I’ve come away with some information. Here, now, is what I learned.
909 Drivers
Some have said the Titleist driver lineup has been lackluster for a few years. Not since the 905S/T models has the company truly offered two drivers that fit the vast majority of golfers. The 905R produced a little more spin than some players liked, and the 907D1 and 907D2 offered little change in the launch characteristics. A lower-spinning driver has been missing, and 907 sales have not met industry expectations. On the PGA Tour, several more players than Titleist wanted stuck with their trusty 905 driver (usually the R) because they saw little need to change to the more rounded 907D2.
Titleist’s 2008/2009 metals plans should signal a return to form for the company, as three drivers – the 909 DComp, 909D2, and 909D3 will be launched to suit players with a wide variety of launch conditions. Titleist views this as their strongest lineup ever for the better player, with each of the three models clearly positioned to provide best-in-class performance for the targeted golfer.
The faces of the 909 series, from left to right: 909 DComp, 909D2, 909D3.
Overview
The 909 drivers, like virtually all of Titleist’s equipment, is targeted at the Tour golfer, better players, and “aspiring serious golfer.” These golfers all have different swing speeds and angles of attack that require different performance characteristics – even on the PGA Tour. For example, Stack and Tilt golfers tend to hit down more with their drivers than conventional swingers, and they need a driver that works for them as well.
Golfers also have different preferences in terms of ball flight, trajectory, and playability, and demand more than just distance – a list that includes appearance, feel, sound, accuracy, quality, and consistency.
These requirements can’t be met with a single driver, so Titleist is releasing three: the DComp, the D2, and the D3. Each offers distinct performance characteristics with a precisely positioned CG that should fit everyone from the Tour player up to the “aspiring” 10-15 handicapper. All three models feature a lower crown and profile, which moves the CG a bit further back and down, reducing spin and increasing MOI.
The 909 drivers all have several things in common.
- A SureFit swingweight screw, available in three weights (2 grams, 7 grams, and 12 grams) will allow the clubfitter to maintain the appropriate swingweight with different length and weight shafts.
- Optimal CG location low and deep in the clubhead.
- Shaped sole design with the primary tasks of tuning the acoustics and reducing vibration. Each model has a different “trim” color on the sole as well.
- Modern shapes with Tour-approved profiles – gone is the “triangle” found in the 907D1.
- A milled 6-4 formed titanium face insert that features variable thickness, including a thicker trapezoidal shape near the center surrounded by thinner material to maximize ball speed across the face.
- An integral Titanium blind bore hosel – gone is the bore-through design found on the 905 and 907 drivers. This saves internal weight, provides a solid feel, and allows for more shaft options.
All three driver heads will be available on Titleist’s SureFit fitting cart system, which will be updated in the fall to include 10 iron heads and 15 shafts along with 7 driver heads and 16 shafts (for 112 combinations). Some of the included driver shafts will be the Aldila DVS, Voodoo, Diamana Blue 65, 55, GDI YSQ6, Graffaloy ProLaunch Red, Mitsubishi Javlnfx M7, Ozik XCon-5, -6, UST ProForce V2, and others.
909 DComp
The 909 DComp (for composite) is a 460cc, deep-faced driver with a full pear profile. It features – big surprise – composite carbon material in the crown and offers high launch angles with low to mid spin. 18 grams of Titanium were replaced with 10 grams of composite material, which allowed engineers to create a larger profile, a deeper CG for added stability, higher MOI, and good distance on off-center hits. MOI is around 5200 and Titleist guesses that about 20% of their golfers – from Tour players to aspiring golfers – will fit into this driver most comfortably.
Two looks at the 909 drivers at address (DComp, D2, D3 L to R). Note the subtle composite top on the DComp – its shape isn’t final in this image, but the look is quite subtle.
The 909 DComp will be available to righties and lefties in 8.5, 9.5, and 10.5 degree models. Righties also get an 11.5° model. The lie angle is 59°, and the face is 0.5° open. Stock shafts include the Matrix Ozik XCon-5 (62g, 4.9° torque, medium-soft tip, mid-low flex point, med-high trajectory) and the XCon-6 (65g, 4.1° torque, stiff tip, med-high flex point, medium trajectory). The sole features red paint highlights on the high polish silver. The body is “black high gloss.” Bulge and roll are 13″ and 11″ respectively, and the MAP is $499.
909D2
The 909D2 is a 460cc titanium driver with a full pear profile and mid launch characteristics with low to mid spin. MOI is 4800, allowing for a little more workability, and the face is less deep than the 909 DComp or D3, providing launch confidence and a preferred setup appearance for some.
The 909D2 will be offered in the same lofts (8.5-11.5 for righties, 8.5-10.5 for lefties), comes with a lie angle of 58°, and also a 0.5° open face. The stock shaft will be the Aldila Voodoo (69g, 3.3° torque, med-stiff tip, mid-high flex point, medium trajectory) and the Diamana Blue 65 (65g, 4.3° torque, medium tip, mid flex point, medium trajectory). The high polish silver sole features silver paint highlights and the body is, again, “black high gloss.” Bulge and roll are 12″ and 11″ and the MAP is $399.
Note the different sole colors: Red for the DComp, Silver for D2, and Black for D3. Now you can identify a 909 on TV with ease!
909D3
The 909D3 is the smallest of the 909s, at 440cc. It is a titanium driver with a deep face, a classic pear profile, and mid launch, low spin launch characteristics and an MOI of 4600. Many will recognize that this model is an extension of the cult hit 907D4 model that was never released to the public.
The 909D3 will be offered 8.5, 9.5, and 10.5 degree lofts for righties and lefties. 909D2 comes with a lie angle of 58° and a 0.5° open face. The stock shaft will be the Aldila Voodoo and the Diamana Blue 65. Sole paint highlights are black. Bulge, roll, and MAP are the same as 909D2.
909 Fairways
The 906F has been a relatively successful fairway metal for Titleist. Though the “second model” (the 906F4) wasn’t released until a year after the 906F2, the two combine to cover the vast majority of good golfers wishes. The 906F2 offers a deeper face for those who don’t have trouble getting the ball airborn from the fairway or for those who hit their fairway woods from the tees more frequently, and the 906F4 features an extra half degree of loft and a shallower face to aid players who need a little help getting the ball off the fairway.
The 909F2 (left) and 909F3 (right). Note the difference in face width and depth.
The 2008/2009 fairway metal lineup pretty much matches the 906F lineup with the 909F2 and the 909F3. These fairway woods offer two shapes with Tour proven profiles, while each offers a distinct CG location for specific launch conditions and ball flights.
The 909F2 (successor to 906F4) features a shallow, extended face, a round profile, and a mid to high launch with mid spin. It too has a half degree higher loft and a lower CG for higher launch without increased spin. The deeper CG adds to the stability, increases MOI, and increases distance on mishits. The larger, longer face profile provides more confidence and forgiveness.
The 909F2 is made of a 17-4 stainless steel body with a 275 carpenter steel face. Righties and lefties both can pick up a 909F2 in October in 13.5, 15.5, and 18.5 degree models (lie angles of 57, 57, and 57.5°, all with a 0.5° open face). The sole features silver paint highlights and the stock shafts are the Aldila Voodo and the Diamana Blue 65.
The 909 F2 and F soles. The thing to note here, in addition to the different accent colors, is the difference in head size and shape.
The 909F3 (successor to 906F2) features a deep face and a full pear profile with mid launch and low spin. The half degree lower loft (vs 909F2) and deeper face promote a boring trajectory from both tee and turf, while the deeper CG adds to stability, MOI, and distance on mishits. The 909F3’s deeper face and smaller, pear profile clubhead will provide more confidence to players that prefer a compact looking fairway wood.
The 909F3 is also made of 17-4 stainless steel and 275 carpenter steel. Righties and lefties can choose from lofts of 13, 15, and 18 degrees (lie angles of 57, 57, and 57.5°, all with a 0.5° open face). The sole of the 909F3 features black paint highlights and the stock shafts are the Aldila Voodo and the Diamana Blue 75.
Both models have an MAP of $199.
909 Hybrids
Though the 503.H had a limited following, Titleist gained a lot of ground despite coming late to the hybrid game with the 585.H. The 909 hybrids tweak and improve on the proven 585.H to create an even better hybrid for better players.
Compared to the 585.H of the same loft, you can see the tweaks made to the bottom of the club include not only the change to the loks, but also a slighty larger, deper clubhead.
The 909H features progressive head sizes, shapes, and offset moves the CG progressively to produce optimum launch, spin, playability, workability, and trajectory control. Lower lofted hybrids have a larger profile and less offset to match fairway metals, while higher lofted hybrids have a smaller profile and a bit more offset to more closely match irons. All 909H models feature a deeper CG for added stability and increased MOI, and the overall size of the head is a bit larger with a longer face and a squarer, Tour-approved profile for a more confident appearance at setup and more forgiveness.
At address, the 909’s less pronounced offset (still the 17° model) is apparent, as is the matching “black high gloss” paint treatment and slightly larger clubhead.
Made of a 17-4 cast stainless steel body and 455 carpenter steel face, much effort was put into tweaking the feel of the clubs to make the ball stay on the clubface longer (or feel like it, at least). Righties and lefties can pick up 909H in October in lofts of 15, 17, 19, 21, and 24 degrees (lie angles 58, 58.25, 58.5, 59, and 59.5 degrees). All have a 0.5° open face and silver paint highlights. Stock shafts include the Aldila Voodoo Hybrid and the Diamana Blue 85 Hybrid. MAP is $189.
Conclusion
2008 is a big year for Titleist. They replaced their entire iron collection in the spring, and the fall will see their entire metals (drivers, fairways, hybrids) replaced. The Vokey wedge collection is being replaced as well, and Scotty Cameron is releasing new putters (see a later Bag Drop for information on those).
As usual, look for our reviews of the Titleist equipment shortly after they ship to retailers in October, 2008.
Great preview. Good looking clubs for the better player. Lotta buzz.
Thanks Erik – always look forward to reading your Titleist column’s. Have you hit any of these clubs yet? When do you expect to put all of these new woods through their paces?
Great review!
I loved the shape of the older Titleist drivers!
Will Titleist add any new irons in the Spring of 2009?
Thanks
CJ
Thanks for the review! Great work! One quick questions, do you konw the weight of the VooDoo they will be offering in the FW’s?
Thanks
Look GREAT!!!
The designs reminds me of the old Taylor Made “K-Sole” Burner Woods with the Burner Bubble shaft.
Nice images and good review. Best I’ve read and seen so far.
Thanks.
will the ust v2 be an option with this model?
wow those look great. will it be the real diamana blue or another diamana “designed for” titleist?
Traditionally, Titleist might put “by Titleist” on some shafts from manufacturers. They’ll be doing so with the stock shafts here, the Diamana Blue, the Aldila VooDoo, and the Matrix Ozik XCon. A senior manager at Titleist had this to say about the “by Titleist” shafts, and specifically, the VooDoo:
The Titleist proprietary versions of the Aldila VooDoo, Diamana Blue, and Matrix Ozik XCon shafts have all been slightly modified versus the market versions. The shaft specs have been slightly tweaked for weight, torque, and bending stiffness profile to better perform in the new 909 heads and better fit the playing requirements of our audience. The Titleist version shafts all have higher torque by design. Extensive player testing at TPI showed us that slightly higher torque shafts feel better, are more directionally accurate and preferred overall by more single digit players.
I can guarantee you that each Titleist shaft is faithful to the overall design premise and performance of the market version or it would not have the name and graphics on it (the shaft manufacturer would not permit it).
In other words, you’re getting the same shaft, but one that’s tweaked ever-so-slightly to perform better in the 909 clubheads. In no way are you getting a “crappier” shaft as many people seem to believe. If anything else, the opposite is true: you’re getting a better shaft for that clubhead.
I’m a big Titleist fan – but was really disappointed with the 907 D2. Can’t wait to try the 909 since its been a few months since I bought a new driver 😀
Nice to see Titleist continue a tradition of classic looking drivers with new technology. I like Titleist because their stuff usually just works with out a lot gimmicks. I can’t wait to swing one!
i’m pretty sure the diamana is the same one offered in the d2, because it lists the exact specs as the fake one (4.3 tourque, 65 grams, etc.) i just hope the voodoo is the real thing.
Excited about a new titleist. Have not hit any driver as far as I hit my 905s. I suspect it may be the shaft is right for me. Does Grafalloy still sell the Blue or is there something similar?
Ive got a 906f4 demo in the bag at the minute and carry a 905D2 driver is it worth buying the fairway wood now or waiting for the 909 to arrive in the shops. How long before the 909 range hit the shelves as ill prob have 2 change the driver as well! Just to keep up with the Jones’s 😎
Can’t wait to see them too!!
First time reader. Good information. I’ve been a Titleist guy since the PT & Howitzer days. I believe the 905R is the hottest Titleist driver that I’ve had. Looking forward to see what the 909 series has to offer! Any thoughts on the Diamana Blue & Red Board shafts? I currently have the GFD YS 6+.
I much, much prefer the look of the older hybrids. I have a D1, but I might get one of the new drivers in October. As for the hybrid I’m guessing I’ll prefer the older one way more, and will keep it.
When I saw the AP2 irons I fell in love, but when I saw the new hybrids my very first thought was “yuck”. Sadly, I’m disappointed. Titleist are really going in the wrong direction, they could have gone for the Porsche ‘subtle’ change, but they went all “jazzy”.
As for the D1, it’s a lovely driver, but something doesn’t feel ‘quite’ right.
AP2 irons = “perfection”
D1 = 90% perfect
585-H hybrids = “99% perfection”
What new Titleist Driver should I get? Best guess anyone? 10 handicap.
It looks like cobra’s sucsess has got to its sister company. Im hitting the L4V but I cant wait for the 909. I love the L4V and the only driver i would ditch for is the Tour Burner hopefully this will catch my eye. 😀
Anyone know the Voodoo shaft wieghts? ❓
fantastic update 😎 brill to see wats next so soon
I’ve played all the drivers since the 975D, and currently feel my 907D2 w/UST V2 76g is the best yet. Definitely hotter than the 905R. Can’t imagine a possible improvement. I also traded my F2 fairway for an F4(85g V2) because I felt it played very similarly to my TM R7 TP Ti but with more noticeable feedback. J.A.T. fellas, if you want the best Titleist blade ever produced, by far, pick up the old 680 model. I think the author would agree…
you mention that a stack and tilt golfer needs an other driver then normal swinger. can u help me here, what do I need to look for as I m a stack and tilt golfer. is it the head, shaft?
these clubs look great do you know what price they will be starting at
😈 I have a 905S with 10.5,MRH and an Rshaft ProLaunch Blue. It appears that the D3 is the closest to this, hope it’s as good as it looks; didn’t think the 905 could be beaten for classic looks and accuracy. How bad this will hurt at checkout is the $64 question.
what kind of diamana blue is it the real one or da stock fake one. also are they offering white
Just spoke to my local Titleist fitter and he informed me that general availability for the 909s should be the first week of November. Apparently Titleist is making sure that they’ve worked out all of the issues with their shaft fitting system.
I tried the 909f2, diamana blue today. I am a lefty hitting the club right handed, but the ball flight was boring and straight. I am putting one in my bad in Nov.
Didn’t like the drivers tho. Doesn’t look nice at address and too big for my taste. Didn’t bother to try.
I hit the 909 D2 at Golf Galaxy here in Denver on Friday (the 31st). They had just come in that morning and I was trying out a handful of drivers on their launch monitor. I had been hitting a 907 D2 with a Fukikura 757 Speeder Stiff and had just switched this week to an Aldila VS Pro “ByYou” Regular – both using Titleists formerly typical bore through. Neither was working quite right so I was trying other options with a launch monitor.
So I hit about 25-30 balls on the launch monitor with the 909 D2, Aldila Voodoo shaft in a Stiff. Here are my notes. Keep in mind that they are all with a launch monitor or simulator.
– Look was OK if you don’t mind the “chrome” look on the sole.
– Look at address was OK. Not as elongated as the DComp, not as compact as the D3 – all as would be expected.
– Feel was great for me. Somewhat more muted than in the past but in a really good way. Felt very solid.
– Sound was great as well. (I had hit a Cleveland earlier in my session and I nearly needed ear plugs.)
– Most of my drivers have been Titleist over the years (except for the TM Quads and Superquads) so maybe that is why the club just felt right in my hands and during my swing.
– Launch angle and spin are very dependent on the golfer but with my 97mph swing speed I was getting a 141mph ball speed, 13 degree launch angle, a spin of 3,100, an estimated carry of 236 yrds and an estimated total distance of 256 yds. All these are averages over about a half dozen swings.
– I also played around in the simulator hitting fades and draws. Worked as expected.
I will definitely be getting one of these. I just need to decide between an R or S shaft as I am a “tweener”. They didn’t have any R shafts in their shipment of D2s. And maybe once they get the Surefit system set the weights can be used to tweak the launch and spin.
Dan
hit the D3 this weekend… 9.5 degrees, Aldila Voodoo S shaft… felt good, but couldn’t tell a major difference between the 909D3 and my 905R… I am going to get fit to see if I can find the right specs for the 909D3 or the 909D2…
Had a chance to get fitted for driver, woods and hybrid at a Titleist FittingWorks Tour Van event today.
Unfortunately, I was too late to get the full launch monitor fitting but one of the course pros, a certified Titleist fitter was able to do an eyeball fitting on the range.
For your reference, my swing speed is typically in the low 90’s and I like to tee the ball relatively low (about 1/3 – 1/2 of the ball above the crown). My fitter told me that I had a flat to descending angle of attack. (Given this, my fitter ruled out the 909D3. In retrospect, I should have hit it just to try it out. Oh well, another demo day will come.)
I hit the 909DComp, D2, 909F2 & F3 and the 909H 24-degree.
The first club I hit was the 909H 24-degree with the Aldila VooDoo Stiff. The first thing I noticed was that the paint scheme made it appear a little bit closed even though it’s .5 degrees open. I quickly adjusted and was hitting laser-beam shots with a nice, medium trajectory. The most positive difference I noticed versus the 585H is the feel: a nice click when hit pure and a more lively feel on off center hits. I was immediately sold.
I then hit the 909DComp in a 10.5 degree with the Matrix-Ozik-6 Stiff-Flex. A nice mid – high, straight trajectory that just seemed to go and go. I then hit my 905R with Aldila NV65 R as a reference. A great drive but lower trajectory with less distance. I was amazed at how good the feel was with the DComp, given that I’ve never liked any of the composite drivers I’ve hit in the past. I then tried the D2 with the Aldila VooDoo Stiff-flex. Lower trajectory, less distance and less forgiveness. Sounded and felt a bit more metallic and the looks were a bit more towards traditional versus the bullet shape of the DComp but the results weren’t as good for me. I also tried the DComp with the Matrix-Ozik-5 R & S-Flex but the shaft was too light and generated too much spin, resulting in high fades. Long story short, the DComp 10.5 with the Matrix-0zik-6 S-Flex provided the best overall results for distance versus dispersion.
The last clubs to try were the F2 and F3 Fairway woods. I had expected to walk away with the F2’s based on other reviews I read and the recommendation by my instructor; however, I ended up liking the F3s better for the same reason I like my current 906F2s over my 906F4s: looks, feel and trajectory. I had no problems hitting the F3s off the tees or off the deck and the trajectory, albeit lower than the F2s, was still fine. Although the feel of the new F2s is markedly better than that of the old F4s, the F3s still have that solid, persimmon-wood feel that I love. I’m also able to work my woods (no sexual jokes please) so the F3s won out.
I’m so happy that Titleist finally has a line of clubs that appeals to all levels of serious and “aspiring” players. I think they’ve hit a home run versus the D1/D2 bunt. One of the best equipment changes I made was moving from the Titleist 755s to the AP1s and I’m guessing that my move to the new 909s will help provide additional improvement in my long game.
I’ve got to say I really love the look of the 909Comp I saw for the first time in a shop the other day. Looks better than the 907D1 and feels better balanced and weighted, I reckon. I’m really looking forward to eBay having some on cheaply, though, as they were $599 AUD. Ouch!
Just got the 909D2 for christmas. its the best driver out there at the moment. Aldila shaft is class. The ball travels alot further than you think. very happy with it!!!
Taylormade was always my brand of golf equipment for years. I picked up a set of ap2 project x 5.5 and loved them so much I tested a 907 d2 driver and a month after I got a 909 d2 with a diamana blue stiff shaft and never looked back. I just got my 909H 19 and can’t wait to pick-up the 909f2 3 wood. I’m shooting between low to mid 80’s and looking forward to get lower.
– AP2 irons able to work them left or right with ease and with good feedback.
– Driver 909 d2 has a med ball flight and good distance.
– 909H used it once on the course with good results.
– Fastback putter. still working on that I think a got a winner
– Spin milled wedges love them soft and great feel.
Overall I’m pleased with my Titleist equipment. Good bye Taylormade.
Anyone know what size shaft tip fits in the 909 driver heads? 0.335 or 0.350