It’s always exciting when manufacturers release new products and maybe even more so with the likes of Titleist and Ping due to the biennial release rota by which they operate. Titleist claims the new GT fairway wood line offers fast speeds, higher flight and optimal spin but in order to see where it ranks among the best fairway woods on the market, I had to put them to the test on the golf course after being fitted at the Performance Fitting Centre at Woburn Golf Club.
Improving on the impressive TSR2 fairway wood was always going to be a challenge for Titleist but thanks to a new construction featuring a Seamless Thermoform Crown made from Proprietary Matrix Polymer, the brand is confident it has. This new tech allows for weight to be saved in the crown and redistributed for optimal CG (center of gravity) positioning for faster speed. The best part about this new technology - which features in the whole GT range - you genuinely wouldn’t know it’s there. Thanks to individual hand buffing, the new crown material blends perfectly into the rest of the construction and leaves Titleist lovers and golfing purists with the traditional, gloss black crown and classy silver tones on the sole.
Given the TSR2 fairway wood face was a little deep and it wasn’t the shape behind the ball I like, I was delighted to see the new GT2 fairway wood has a much more shallow face - a feature that will really help inspire confidence to those who struggle with launching their fairway woods. The tour-refined shape of the GT2 fairway wood means there is less curvature on the heel and toe compared to previous models and leaves the sole appearing much more flush to the ground.
The GT2 fairway wood has a CG positioning lower than its predecessor and closer to the face. The result is a high launching, low spinning monster. After just a few hits with the new GT2 fairway wood, I knew it had the potential to be a club I’d consider putting in my bag. As a fairly fast swinger of the golf club (3-wood around 112mph) I rarely have to peel a headcover when hitting into a par-4 or 5 and so this club would be primarily used as an option from the tee if my driver was too much club or the hole tightened up a little.
During testing using Titleist Pro V1x golf balls, I found my ball speed increased around 3mph compared to the TSR2 fairway wood, both using the same Graphite Design Tour AD IZ shaft. This jump from 158mph to 161mph is huge and would roughly give me six yards extra carry - which is certainly nothing to be sniffed at.
The high launching nature of the GT2 fairway wood meant I could still send it upwards if I was required and so don’t be concerned if you’re a golfer who would be hitting this club into greens. In fact, both of the new GT2 and GT3 fairway woods feature a new L-Cup face design which provides a really flexible face with a stable perimeter for enhanced ball speeds, particularly on miss-hits low on the face - the standard ‘miss’ for golfers when hitting fairway woods from the ground. This new technology is what will likely see this fairway wood quickly become one of the most forgiving fairway woods on the market.
If you’re in the market for a fairway wood that’s forgiving when hitting into greens and gives you a boost of speed and distance from the tee, I would recommend the Titleist GT2. It has an incredibly broad appeal, so don't assume you aren't good enough or that you will automatically fit into the GT3. The GT range comes to retail on the 23rd August and the fairway woods will hold an RRP of $399/$349 or $599/£519 with the addition of a Graphite Design premium shaft.
