Bob Dylan sang “Times They Are A-Changin’,” though in the world of golf equipment, it may have never been as true as it is now. While others have had a few different variations of adjustability, Titleist had yet to jump on the bandwagon. As they say, being first to market doesn’t equate to being better.
Does this mean that adjustable drivers have reached a point where it’s so mainstream that the adjustability factor has no effect on how “traditional” people perceive a manufacturer and their clubs, or does it simply mean Titleist is evolving out of that “traditionally traditional” mold? Though the introduction of the 910 series as well as the AP Series might lead one to believe they’re just progressing and working in new technology, who really cares either way?? Plain and simple we, as players, are getting a beautiful new adjustable driver from one of the most established, respected names on the market.
The new SureFit Tour dual-angle hosel allows for the loft and lie to be adjusted independently of one another – the first I’m aware of that provides that functionality. With most other adjustable clubs on the market, there is a trade off – as you open a club, the loft is reduced, and as it is closed, the loft increases. The new SFT Technology has no such restrictions.
The new 910D2 and 910D3 are not only the highest performing drivers in the history of the Titleist golf club franchise, but represent a true competitive advantage in driver performance and fitting. The ability to independently adjust loft and lie allows ball flight to be optimized both high and low, and for more fade or draw.
Dan Stone, Vice President of Research and Development, Titleist Golf Clubs
The new 910 drivers provide improvements in flight, fit, looks, feel and sound, and provide a new level of precision fitting to deliver total performance and driving confidence. Together, these advances put the Titleist 910 drivers in a class of their own, both on Tour and in the marketplace.
Steve Pelisek, General Manager, Titleist Golf Clubs
Continuing their model of previous years, Titleist is releasing two variations of the 910; a larger 910D2 which features a 460cc head and a 910D3, which is slightly smaller at 445cc. The larger pear-shaped head of the D2 was designed for maximum forgiveness and playability, and works to reduce side spin, thereby producing a straighter shot with a higher launch. The 910D3 on the other hand, was designed to promote a lower, boring, more penetrating ball flight, and is said to be more workable. Noticeably absent is the “DComp” model. While the 909DComp used a composite crown to move weight lower and deeper, thus improving the location of the center of gravity. The 910 series drivers do the exact same thing, though via the use of ultra-thin casting technology, which produces a thinner titanium crown. More simply put, it was unneeded due to an overlap in functionality and purpose.
So lets shift back and dig a little bit deeper into this whole SFT thing. The SFT hosel is composed of a sleeve and a pair of rings, each of which allow for four independent settings. The first ring’s settings are labeled 1, 2, 3, and 4 and the second is labeled A, B, C, and D. This allows for a total of 16 combinations of loft and lie. It is these two moving parts that allows loft modification independently of lie angle modification. This results in a club that can allow players to easily dial in the optimal setting for their swing, helping them produce the ideal spin and launch conditions while also favoring a left or right ballflight.
We describe SureFit Tour technology as a “Tour Van-in-a-hosel,” because the dual-angle hosel technology in combination with the interchangeable shaft and rear bezel weight provides a fitter with all the power of a tour van right at the point of fitting. We can adjust loft and lie, as well as change the shaft and weight of the driver right on the tee.
Steve Pelisek
Previous to the new 910, our fitters on Tour would have to run back and forth to the Tour Van when we needed to adjust the loft and lie of a driver, change a shaft or build an entirely new club. Not anymore. Whereas it would take anywhere from several hours to a full day to fit and build new drivers for a player, with the 910 high performance heads and SFT technology we can now fit them in 30 minutes and they walk off the range with a more precisely fit driver
Dan Stone
There are other notable qualities of the new 910 that cannot be overlooked. Both the 910D2 and 910D3 have a variable thickness face with a thicker central region that is position so that it is equidistant from all points around the perimeter of the face. The result of this face design is a sweet spot in the 910D2 that is 15% larger (910D3 is 10% larger) than that of the 909 series drivers. This means you’re going to get more consistent, more explosive distances, even on off-center contact.
Thanks to their ultra-thin casting technology, Titleist was able to reduce the thickness of the crown by 17%, allowing for that weight to be redistributed back and deep, ultimately leading to greater stability. The aft region of the crown has also undergone modification from that of the 909, sloping lower than before. This compliments the weight redistribution mentioned above, by helping to push the center of gravity down and further back. Helping to take this concept one step further is the relocation of the proprietary rear bezel weight. By taking it lower and deeper, and locating it on axis with the center of the club face, the CG is further optimized, and speed and stability are further promoted.
Both sound and feel were not neglected – in fact both were enhanced to deliver a hotter, more solid sound upon impact. Complimenting that sound and feel is a familiar shaped head, coated in an attractive, black PVD finish and topped off with white score lines that breed confidence.
Options and Availability
Three different proprietary Mitsubishi shafts (‘ahina 72, Kai’li 65, and ‘ilima 61) have the honor of being chosen as the stock shaft for these new drivers, all of which boast the Next Generation Diamana MDI (multi-dimensional interlay) technology. Each variation has a different bend profile and weight, further promoting the concept of finding you what fits. As if that weren’t enough, the Aldila RIP 60 and Project X Tour Graphite are also available as stock shaft choices, and they all come topped off with a Titleist Tour Velvet 360° rubber grip. If for whatever reason, one of those don’t appeal to you, over 80 different shafts are available from Titleist custom.
Both come with your choice of three lofts – 8.5°, 9.5°, and 10.5°. Included with each is a head cover and torque wrench (both seen below), as well as a lined valuables pouch, and foldout instruction booklet with a performance guide.
Also available separately for purchase is the SureFit Tour Weight Kit, which allows you to adjust the swingweight by changing out the screw weights. Each kit contains 2.5g, 7.9g, and 12g screw weights, along with a locking weight caddie and instructions for installation. The same SureFit Tour wrench that comes with the driver is used to swap weights.
Both left-handed and right-handed models will be available when the 910 drivers hit stores on November 15th (only a few short weeks away!), and the will have a suggested retail price of $499. Stay tuned, as we’ll be taking a look at the 910 fairways and hybrids early in 2011!
Sweet! Will be picking one up as soon as I can get my hands on them. Finally time to retire my 905R, I think.
I get all giddy when I see these. I cant wait to hit one at the store. This is defiantly going to be #1 on my Christmas list.
Best looking Titleist headcover design yet.
There is nothing worse than having to fiddle around with your driver before swinging it. My 16-year association with Titleist has just come to an end.
The release of this will allow me to retire my R9!
I can’t say I understand that sentiment. You set it up how you want it (just like you would if you got fit), and then you leave it alone. “Tour Van in a Hosel” is a good way to describe it – not “change it before every round.”
I have been on the prowl for good deal on a 909d3 all year, but this 910 series really looks sweet.
The question I have though, is how big a deal is the lie angle adjustment. Am I reading it correctly that it’s less about lie angle (which has minimal impact on driver from what I’ve read) and more about keeping face angle in check as you change loft?
OK, I admit it… I need to look into this in more detail! I was offered a 3-wood to try about three months ago and my friend handed over a screwdriver with it. I was so abhored I haven’t looked at it again, let alone tried it!
I guess I’d rather work on my swing than adjust the club. By the way, how would this work when it comes to a fitting? Surely, at a fitting you try all the clubs and there is no need to adjust the club – you simply get fitted for the right club. Like I said, I need to look into this in more detail! Tough though as Titleist doesn’t really exist in Spain.
I’m pretty excited to hit one of these, they look great. Hopefully one of the stock shafts will fit into my swing profile. Normally I’m not that lucky.
I have to agree with Phil… since when did a “players club” name brand like Titleist start catering to the people who don’t want to improve their swings? I myself am like Phil in that when I start having problems in my swing, I’m gonna fix me… not the club. How does setting up a club to over-compensate for my problems teach me to fix anything??
I will say that being able to change lofts is a good thing. I’ve had to special order many clubs in the past because I prefer a lower lofted setup. This will allow the re-sale to not be effected because my setup is different than someone elses. But, that the only reason I think its beneficial.
Like a lot of you I have been salivating to get my hands on this new toy from Titleist. There is nothing else quite like the “newest” driver from whatever your favourite brand is to get one’s hope’s and imagination into high gear again. It’s like the first date with an exotic new girl all over again.
I can just imagine that right after I buy it i’ll go pure a 325 yard drive and it will worth every penny.
And then I’ll wake up.
As a commited golf nut I am taking the plunge to go down to the Titleist centre in Carlsbad CA all the way from Vancouver B.C. to get fitted for this new weapon of grass destruction in just 3 short weeks. I’ll let you know how the day went and what happened after I played my first round with whatever they fit me with. Wish me luck!
have tried this driver at moor allerton golf club leeds and it is brilliant makes such a sweet sound of the face have ordered one
I think that’s an unfortunate side effect of the way TaylorMade and others first marketed their drivers with MWT and the new hosels.
Really, it’s far more about choosing a driver that FITS you best. Tour pros all have tweaked lie angles, loft, face angles, etc. and the hosels from any company (Nike, TM, Titleist) simply let the average customer do some of these same things.
It’s more about “fitting” your swing than “fixing” your flaws.
Look at it this way…your swing isn’t ‘broken’, it’s just matched for a slightly different (we’re talking 2-3* of change) club setup. I agree with Erik, the top players all get things ‘tweaked’ to their swing. I doubt they fool around for hours on end ‘fixing’ their swing when they can instead hone the swing they have and make the equipment work for them. Yes, if there are fundamental flaws in your swing they should be fixed, but, if you can make the club work for you, then you should do it.
I can understand not wanting to fiddle with settings and what-not on your golf clubs. Erik was spot on…. we added the adjustability factor to help us fit our club players the same way as we would fit our tour players. For example, instead of trying different club heads and shafts, if there is a shaft that you really like, we can adjust the head for you and find your optimal launch window with that shaft. Once we dial in your settings, we don’t really anticipate changing the club at all.
Would love to hear from someone who has tried this D2 driver and the TaylorMade R9 Super Tri. Guess I’ll have to head to Nevada Bobs and hit each, but then I would feel obligated to purchase from them as opposed to probably finding a better price from an online golf store.
I’ve been playing with a 907D2 7.5 Degree for 2 years. I too had this club initially custom ordered and then custom fitted with the right shaft for my swing. It cost me quite a bit and I had a hard time parting with it until I hit the new 910 D2. The ball comes off the face very nice and the acoustics are incredibly pleasing. The ability to tweak the loft and lie is a BONUS. I don’t believe I’ll be making too many changes to the club once I’ve found the setting I like. For now I’m having so much fun carving Air and shaping shots at the driving range. I’ve also played with the weights and found the 12g plays best for my swing speed. If you’re already a proven ball striker this club will give you more options. I’ve always wanted to take home that club fitting contraption that sits at the local pro shop. Now I have it in my bag. I’ve already upgraded my irons to the 2010 AP2’s from the 735’s, stored my Scotty Cameron and switched to the Odessy Black Tour Putter. All-in-All I’ve shaved 5 strokes. Down to a 5 handicap. If you’re thinking about getting this driver go try it… It’s not going to be for everyone but it definitely helped me.
I think everyone’s comments are valid. I do believe most will turn to a very positive reveiw if you can take this club to the course.
I had that opportunity on Thanksgiving morning. And frankly I haven’t hit a better performing driver in a long time. Against the rules yes, I did adjust the club during the round, and found the minor tweak improved my ball flight. Hooking a little too much in the standard setting, I lowered the loft and opened the face finding a great shot for the day. Very, very impressed.
Demoing the 9.5 with stock Kai’li. Sound, feel, and performance were all top notch. If you can, try one.