Titleist 905S - impressions on an oldie but a goodie

[RoosterLefty]

I know, this is a topic straight out of 2006/2007, but I scored one of these cheap on eBay and wanted to give some thoughts on it.

First off, I used to be a big Titleist guy years ago.  In high school its all I played, starting with DCI golds and a 975D.  The ballflight was superb and those irons were forgiving...actually I still have them in the basement...sorry thats a bit off topic.

Anyway, I drifted away from the game for a few years in college, and when I started playing again I invested in some more 'game improvement' clubs, since the ballstriking wasn't what it used to be and I didn't practice.  The last few years I've been working harder on my game and I'm down below a 10hcp, and worked my hook/draw into a nice high fade.  A high fade to the point that with my R7 Limited (9.5) I was losing about 15-20 yards because too much spin and too high a launch angle.  I know Titleist is better for the penetrating ball flight and workability, so after a bit of research I decided to look into a 905 series.

It sets up alot like my old 975, but the deeper face and slightly larger clubhead are much more pleasing to my eye, especially in the era of 460cc monsters.  Some reviews said it looked small-ish, but I don't necessarily agree.  It definitely instills confidence over the ball, looks sleek and powerful.

Only took about 3 swings to know I made a good decision.  The ball comes off hotter and more penetrating, even with a fade.  In comparison to the TaylorMade, it flattens out much earlier and carries as far, if not further, and with much more roll.  In Nebraska where the wind is always a factor, this is a much more suitable ballflight for me.  I was even able to turn over a couple draws, and it still maintains good carry and the flatter, more penetrating flight.

The feel is alot different than the TM.  Very solid feel and plenty of feedback.  The solid feel and sound at impact are different than those off of the TM, I think the TM feels more springy while the 905 feels hotter at impact.  The 905's deeper face is a plus, usually my misses are high/low on the face more than heel/toe, so I can see the benefit there. I did hit a couple off the toe and didn't notice a huge distance loss, but the club lets you know you didn't strike it well.

I've never been on a launch monitor, so I don't have any super-techy numbers to validate the review, but I'm positive my launch is down, and I can tell the spin rate is down because the ball never ballooned.  I had no trouble carrying the ball 240-250 and will have a nice rollout.

Hopefully looking to upgrade to a 910 down the road, but if this one keeps working out like it is that may be a year or two.  For a 4-5 year old driver, I feel like this will really aid my driving of the golf ball.  Trajectory control and spin control are A+.

[mike72712]

I just bought a 905R off of eBay, and am EXTREMELY pleased.  I also play a ~'99 TM Burner Ti and an ~'00 TM Firesole, and now rank them 1, 2, 3 respectively.

The 905 has given me probably 25 yards in my drive, and I didn't lose any accuracy.

[famousdavis]

I owned the Titleist 905s back in 2006 with the Aldila NV-65 Stiff green-colored shaft.  I found that it was about 10 yards shorter in distance than my Cleveland Launcher 460 driver with the same shaft.  The 905s is a beautiful looking driver but it is lacking in distance and "spring" on the face.  I had the 8.5 degree model.   It may have been more like 15 yards shorter.  My playing partners noticed immediately that i was hitting it shorter and after 4 rounds they called me crazy for not going back to the Cleveland.  I hit the Callaway Diablo Edge Tour today.  I'm a 5 handicap...for reference.

[jothkell]

What a coincidence!   I just bought one on ebay a few days ago on a whim.   I'm always excited to speculate on old equipment being better.   and I'm interested if a smaller head will go faster. 

I was initially interested because people are still so positive about the 905r. when I found out it had a low spin cousin,  I was in.

 

if anyone is interested in low spin gems from the past,   the callaway razr hawk tour was amazing to me.   just don't heat for reshafting, the head will come apart 

 

 I'll come back in a week or two and leave an impression if I can find my way back here.