When Titleist releases a new driver family, people sit up and take note. Following on from impressive lines such as TSi and TSR, we are now being introduced to the GT family. Looking to sit amongst the best drivers in the game, in this review, I take the GT3 model for a thorough test…
WATCH: See what gains we experienced in our Titleist GT driver fitting
Sometimes new driver releases can be somewhat anti-climactic with only minute technical changes, I am happy to report that isn’t the case with the GT range. Titleist's main goal was to make the GT range faster than the previous TSR family and felt that the only way to do it was by shifting away from all-titanium construction. This led Titleist to the development of a material completely new to golf club design that Titleist refers to as a Proprietary Matrix Polymer to be used in the crown section.
Stephanie Luttrell, Director of Metalwood Product Development explains: “The density of this crown is approximately three times lighter than where we were in an all-titanium construction. By wrapping the crown down to the sole, we optimize the mass distribution throughout the head, allowing us significant advantages in designing to our center of gravity and inertia goals.”
I have handled a cutout section of this new crown material, and it is quite frankly baffling. When you pick it up, it is extremely lightweight and feels like you are holding a credit card both in terms of weight and flexibility, but when you tap it on a hard surface the sound is not at all what you would expect. Rather than a dull tap, you get something more metallic akin to tapping a knife on a saucepan, it is really quite peculiar, but in a good way. This material is the main contributor to a very different feel and acoustic which we will touch upon later.
The GT3 is the most adjustable of the new family, with a new weight track that sits much closer to the face than on its predecessor the TSR3. This allows fitters and players to match CG location to their predominant strike pattern and the benefits of doing so are amplified by the new further forward positioning.
With regard to the looks, Titleist loyalists will be thrilled to see that despite what is now very much a multi-material crown, there are no joins or banner strips down in the playing position or in fact any real indication of the new technology. Titleist has hidden this well by filling and polishing the sections where polymer meets titanium to maintain that familiar, clean Titleist visual.
From the playing position, I would have to say that the GT3 is my least favorite of the range. That is not to say it is in any way bad, looks are just subjective and I am generally more drawn towards more rounded heads such as the Mizuno ST-G or TaylorMade Qi10, or even the GT2 and GT4 of this family, whereas the GT3 is more on the ‘pear-shaped’ end of the spectrum. This shape however is a preference of many so each to their own.
Based on feedback from tour staff, Titleist has now introduced some contrast to the face of this GT range which is helpful for both lining the ball up and making it easier to see loft which is a smart move to help instill more confidence at address.
I am of the opinion that the GT range as a whole could be slightly improved from a shelf appeal point of view. I just find the sole a little underwhelming but this is hardly a big point and has precisely zero impact on the performance of what is a very impressive product.
Speaking of that performance, the GT3 delivers in abundance. I did my testing using a Trackman 4 launch monitor and as an overall package, there aren’t many drivers on the market that can deliver as much performance in as many areas as this, and I feel that is the story of the whole GT range. Yes, there are some notable improvements from previous iterations, including acoustics, forgiveness, and aerodynamics but nothing that will make you fall off your chair. However, when you add the sum of the improvements up, you have a significant leap forward.
I found the GT3 easy to shape, and exceptionally kind to my predominant low, heel miss, retaining significantly more ball speed than anticipated.
Shortly after my first session with the GT3, I was on-site at a LIV Tour event creating ‘What’s In The Bag’ content with a number of players, and while diving into bags up and down the range, I saw an awful lot of GT3 drivers in the bags of players who aren’t paid to play them. That is always a very good sign for the quality of any driver and just re-affirmed what I felt. GT3 is a genuine move forward and in my opinion, is one of the best all-round drivers available today.
The GT3 driver is available in 8˚, 9˚, 10˚, and 11˚ in both right and left-handed options. The standard length will be 45.5” and as you would expect there are a number of custom grip, shaft, and even head weight options to dial in your preferences. However, the non-up chargeable options are the Project X Denali Red, Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue and Black, and the Project X Hzrdus Black 5th Gen. The RRP of the full GT range will be £579/$649.
