Historically, which I suppose means for its first three iterations, Titleist’s 1 driver was the light one. While that remains true with the GT1 driver, Titleist wants golfers to understand there’s a bit more to the story. This GT1 offers added versatility which has the potential to significantly expand the pool of players who might just fit into one.
More on that in a bit but, first, let’s look at the design elements that differentiate and bind GT1 to the rest of the GT driver family.
Titleist GT1 design
The standard build of the Titleist GT1 driver features lighter components. That part of the story hasn’t changed. Stock head weights are lighter as are stock shafts and the stock grip.
Fully assembled, the GT1 weighs roughly 50 grams less than a stock men’s build with Titleist’s other GT models.
As far as the shaping goes, GT1 features the longest front-to-back profile within the GT lineup. It’s the reason why, instead of the traditional pear shapes of GTs 2-4, Titleist describes the GT1 as offering a more modern profile.
While the larger footprint can lead some to feel more confident over the ball, it does create some aerodynamic challenges. With that, Titleist engineers worked to reshape the crown and sole adding more curvature to help make the driver move faster through the air.
While aerodynamics enhancements disproportionately benefit better players, Titleist believes that even golfers who swing in the low 80s will get some benefit from the improved shape.
Even if you don’t swing particularly fast, Titleist says there’s still something in it for you. The lighter weight also works to increase speed for many players.
The remaining bits of the GT1 design story is in lockstep with the rest of the GT driver lineup.
With GT1, you’re getting Titleist’s proprietary seamless PMP composite crown. In addition to offering key weight savings and clean looks, the polymer-infused material goes a long way towards making a sound and feel that meet the expectations for Titleist drivers.
Like other GT drivers, GT1 offers a VFT Speed Ring face that’s been optimized for the GT1. That’s the speed from the face part of the story.
While Titleist engineers lean heavily on PGA Tour players for feedback, the 1 has traditionally been an outlier because it doesn’t get much in the way of Tour play. There is every expectation that Titleist will have a GT1 in play at the Masters but the majority of feedback comes from fitting accounts.
The common request was to increase launch without increasing spin. With that out of the way, let’s dig a little deeper into the target GT1 player.
Who is the Titleist GT1 for?
We always have to paint with broad strokes for this sort of thing and our standard advice is to get properly fitted for your next driver and you should. Having said that, there are three types of golfers that are most likely to fitted into GT1.
Slower swingers
While GT1 has evolved, it hasn’t given up its place in the Titleist lineup as the best option for golfers looking to regain lost clubhead speed.
Through its first couple of iterations, Titleist’s 1 model wasn’t far removed from a Japanese spec driver. It was lighter, had a longer shaft, was higher-launching and it spun more, too.
All of that is still true with GT1 (at least it can be). In its stock configuration, GT1 is built with a nine-gram flat weight. A 40-gram Fujikura Air Speeder shaft is first on the list of stock shafts. A Golf Pride TV 360 lLte completes the offering.
That’s how we get to that 50-gram reduction I mentioned.
So GT1 can still be ideal for a golfer who needs higher launch and more clubhead speed.
Spin-challenged golfers
As the 1 has evolved alongside the TS and now GT lineups, Titleist has come to believe that perhaps it pigeon-holed the 1 and by extension narrowed its audience more than it should have.
With GT1, Titleist is emphasizing how the fitting capabilities of GT1 can help it reach an broader segment of golfers.
The plan is to do a better job of promoting GT1 in a standard-weight build. That starts by increasing the mass of the flat weight by six grams. Add in a standard-weight shaft and grip and you have what amounts to an almost entirely different driver built for an entirely different type of player.
Built to standard weight, GT1 is for the golfer who can achieve more distance through higher spin.
You’re not going to see anybody make claims along the lines of “our highest spinning driver” but the fact of the matter is that every lineup has one, golfers buy them, and there are actually some players who will benefit from increased spin rates.
Case in point: Phillip Bishop, who heads up our Most Wanted Testing program. Phil is blessed with an extremely positive attack angle. Depending on the measurement device, he hits eight to 10 degrees up on the ball. With that, he struggles to generate spin.
To toss out a baseball analogy, Phillip is Tim Wakefield to my Dwight Gooden.
On our recent visit to TPI for the GT1 introduction, I was confirmed to be a GT3 guy. Phill … yeah, there’s a strong case to be made for the GT1 despite his 100-mph swing speed.
He’s not a moderate (slow) swing speed guy but he is a GT1 guy. You could be one, too.
With an additional six grams of weight in the back, Titleist says launch angles typically increase by about half a degree and spin climbs by about 100 rpm. For the target player, that’s a good thing.
It’s also worth pointing out that when built to standard weight, GT1 has the deepest center of gravity of any Titleist driver and, with that, also the highest MOI.
While Titleist is not planning to jump on the 10K train any time soon, if MOI is a point of emphasis for you, GT1 will get you the highest number in the Titleist lineup.
Golfers seeking draw bias*
Let me be clear: Titleist doesn’t offer anything to rival the most draw-biased designs on the market but it does consider GT1 to be its most draw-friendly driver.
Unlike true draw-biased drivers, the GT1 lacks the heel-biased center of gravity. That said, there are some design elements that can work to promote a draw (or minimize a fade) for golfers seeking a little bit of help.
With the SureFit hosel in the A1 position, GT1 has the most neutral face angle of any GT model. It also has the deepest center of gravity which can help golfers square the club leading into impact. Finally, in the standard hosel position, it has the most upright lie angle of any Titleist driver.
Again, the point isn’t to suggest that the Titleist GT1 is as aggressively draw-biased as the drivers we think are best of breed for that category but the design can work to create draw-friendly conditions without shifting the CG away from face center and sacrificing ball speed for it.
Final thoughts
I hope this doesn’t need to be said but the GT1 isn’t meant to replace anything in the existing GT lineup. Its purpose is to complete a lineup that now includes four drivers with four unique center of gravity positions and, ultimately, enough performance variation to fit almost any golfer.
Specs, pricing, availability
The Titleist GT1 driver is available in nine, 10 and 12 degrees. Featured shafts include the Fujikura Air Speeder Next Gen – 40g (R, S, X), 35g (Women’s R3, Jr./Youth), Project X Denali Red – 50g (5.0, 5.5, 6.0), and Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue – 55g (R, S).
Retail price is $649. Pre-sale begins Feb. 2,with full availability starting Feb. 21.
For more information, visit Titleist.com.
Save on TSR1
While there’s plenty to love about the new GT1, we’d be remiss not to let you know that the TSR1 has been discounted to $449.99 while supplies last.
The post Titleist Hopes to Expand the Reach of GT1 Driver appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
