Equipment
Titleist’s new TS2 and TS3 drivers: Tech Talk and Fitting Results
As per Titleist’s standard two-year cycle of metalwoods, it’s been two years since the company launched its 917 drivers and fairway woods. But for some reason, the launch of its new TS2 and TS3 drivers this year feels different than launches of year’s past. Maybe it’s because of the nomenclature shift away from the 900s, or maybe it was the 17 players who put the driver in play the first week possible (including Justin Thomas and Jimmy Walker) at the 2018 U.S. Open, or maybe it’s because Titleist was calling this driver mission the “Titleist Speed Project.” Could Titleist make these drivers faster and longer without giving up forgiveness? And if so, how?
Well, the GolfWRX team traveled to the Titleist Performance Institute in Oceanside, California to find out everything possible about the new TS2 and TS3 drivers. First, we learned everything there is to know about the technology, design, specs, shafts and pricing from Josh Talge, the Vice President of Marketing at Titleist, and Stephanie Luttrell, the Director of Metalwood Development. Then, we put the drivers to the test on Oceanside’s range, as GolfWRX’s Original Content Creator Johnny Wunder received a full fitting from Titleist’s Master Fitting Supervisor Glenn Mahler, comparing his gamer driver to the new Titleist TS2 and TS3 drivers.
The cool part? We had the cameras rolling the entire time. Check out the information, photos and videos below to learn about Titleist’s new TS2 and TS3 drivers.
See what GolfWRX Members are saying about the drivers here.
Tech Talk: Titleist TS2 and TS3 drivers
Why did Titleist get rid of the Active Recoil Channel in the TS2 and TS3 drivers? Find out here.
To summarize, the TS2 and TS3 drivers have a 20 percent thinner titanium crown than the 917 drivers, allowing weight to be placed lower and deeper for lower CG (center of gravity) and higher MOI (moment of inertia, a measure of forgiveness). The faces also use variable thickness for faster ball speeds across the face, and this year, the faces have been made 6 grams lighter.
According to Titleist, the faces are so thin now that the scoring lines have to be lasered onto the faces instead of etched, as with previous generations. With the combination of weight savings from the face and crown, Titleist says these drivers have the lowest CG ever for a Titleist driver, and MOI is 12 percent higher than the 917 drivers.
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- Titleist TS2 drivers
Additionally, for more club head speed, Titleist says that enhanced aerodynamic shaping of the club heads that reduces drag by up to 20 percent.
As with the previous Titleist 917 drivers, the TS2 and TS3 will have a SureFit hosel that has 16 independent loft and lie settings. The 460cc TS2 has a fixed CG location, a “high launch, low spin” profile, and is available in 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 11.5 degree lofts.
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- Titleist TS3 drivers
The TS3 driver, on the other hand, has a SureFit CG weight system that does allow golfers/fitter to adjust for launch characteristics. Also at 460cc, the TS3 driver has a “mid launch, low spin” profile, and is available in 8.5, 9.5 and 10.5 degree lofts.
Stock shafts include Mitsubishi’s Kuro Kage Black Dual Core 50, Mitsubishi’s Tensei AV Series Blue 55, Project X’s HZRDUS Smoke Black 60, and Project X’s Even Flow T1100 White 65. Each of the drivers will be available on Sept. 28, and will sell for $499.
To find a free fitting or trial event near you, click here.
The Full Fitting: Could the TS2 or TS3 beat Johnny’s gamer?
See what GolfWRX Members are saying about the drivers here.
Related
- Everything you need to know about Titleist’s TS2 and TS3 fairway woods
- Titleist Tour rep speaks on working with Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100
Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400
Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.
TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.
The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.
One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.
Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.
See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:
MySpider Tour
MySpider Tour X
Equipment
Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory
In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.
McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.
So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?
Driver
2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)
McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.
What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)
The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.
Fairway woods
2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X
The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.
The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.
Irons
2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.
With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.
Wedges
2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)
Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.
Putter
2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X
Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.
Ball
2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)
As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.
Grips
2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC
Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.
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Jay
Feb 24, 2019 at 4:56 pm
I’d like to see Johnny hit his SLDR with that Blueboard. It’s all about the shaft! The TS are good looking drivers I must say.
Max
Sep 25, 2018 at 1:37 pm
How can you work for Golfwrx and still game a SLDR? C’mon, man!
Tom
Sep 7, 2018 at 4:25 pm
Uncle Rico is taking bets that he can hit a ball with these drivers over them there mountains!
Dyson Bochambeau
Sep 9, 2018 at 11:39 am
you could be in a hot tub with your soulmate by now
John S
Sep 7, 2018 at 8:49 am
A thinner face and longer shaft… lol…. revolutionary! What a joke
JasonHolmes
Sep 6, 2018 at 7:52 pm
So a five year old gamer got beat out by a professionally fitted current model?
No kidding.
Craap
Sep 7, 2018 at 1:00 am
LOL
Tom
Sep 6, 2018 at 7:17 pm
WOW so new and different from the last model! Will probably will add at least 50 to 100 yards more carry to each drive!!! You will need to chip back to all the greens on long par fours you airmail from the tee?
Ty
Sep 7, 2018 at 6:33 am
That was funny. These companies think we are mental and are going to buy into all the baloney they keep spouting.
golfsmask
Sep 26, 2018 at 11:39 pm
I always like to leave comments whenever I see something impressive. I appreciate your expert article!
Charles Clarkly
Sep 6, 2018 at 5:23 pm
Who’s that LPGA’er Canadian gal, Brooke, that swings what looks to be a 65″ shaft? She’s what, 5’4″, and she CRUSHES IT!!
Boyo
Sep 7, 2018 at 8:50 am
Choking down 5 inches.
stevet
Sep 6, 2018 at 3:55 pm
“…lower CG (center of gravity) and higher MOI (moment of inertia, a measure of forgiveness)…”. NO… it’s lower CM (center of mass) and higher MOI (moment of inertia, a measure of inertial resistance) …!!!!
halensmith
Sep 24, 2018 at 3:13 am
Great article for the beginners like us . I am a new in this game and enjoying the adventure
ron
Sep 6, 2018 at 3:49 pm
Great new drivers for the Tour players… and gearheads who only look at their WITB fantasy gonadal arsenal of weapons.
Andy LaCombe
Sep 6, 2018 at 1:36 pm
Awesome piece – was a blast to watch the discussion and then the fitting. Thanks!
dat
Sep 6, 2018 at 1:32 pm
what is the HZRDUS Smoke? Just a new shaft finish or an actual new shaft?
james
Sep 9, 2018 at 7:15 am
Special made in China cheap shaft for morons who think its the same made in San Diego shaft the pros use
Aaron
Sep 6, 2018 at 12:49 pm
Tripod camera was much better than the jiggling handheld.
Jerry
Sep 6, 2018 at 11:06 am
TS2 looks like Taylormade R9 Supertri
Craaap
Sep 6, 2018 at 12:44 pm
Because it is. A copy.
JP
Sep 6, 2018 at 2:42 pm
They all are to some extent. How much different can you make a driver with so many having been designed in past years? The newest driver is bound to share some characteristics with older models.
Don’t like it, don’t buy it.
BirdieBouy18
Sep 6, 2018 at 10:41 am
How many degrees up or down does a SureFit adapter allow?
ron
Sep 6, 2018 at 3:51 pm
12º… all the way from the LD to duffer lofts … 😮
Richard Douglas
Sep 6, 2018 at 10:22 am
Not sure I see the value proposition for upgrading from the 917D2.
Dave
Sep 6, 2018 at 10:16 am
finally a fitter with a 44.5 inch playing shaft. all fitters in my area ever never have anything other than stock even though most should be playing much shorter….im 6 3 and 44.5 is my length how the hell can a guy at 5’6″ play a 45.5 inch shaft with consistency.
Doug
Sep 6, 2018 at 10:28 am
Exactly on the “long” shafts!
Boyo
Sep 7, 2018 at 8:52 am
Dave’s not home…
Forrester
Sep 6, 2018 at 10:41 am
The theoretical 5’6″ guy has a better, more consistently repeatable swing than you?
Craaap
Sep 6, 2018 at 12:46 pm
Sure, Dave, if you also want to hit it shorter.
golfraven
Sep 8, 2018 at 4:48 pm
Been gaming a 44.5” 913 D3 and after the TS fitting I still walked away with half an inch shorter club but this time at 45”. Its about consistency and I have not seen much of dispersion. So I rather get the ball speed up with that 0.5 inch and maybe an iron less to the green. However, anything above 45” is just bs for folks under 6 feet