Titleist GT driver seeding began on the PGA Tour at the Memorial Tournament in June, ushering in an almost unprecedented wave of adoption by Titleist staffers and non-staffers alike. Indeed, more than 115 players had put a GT driver in play by the Genesis Scottish Open in July.

A short list of the notable pros playing a GT model includes: Max Homa (GT3), Tom Kim (GT3), Cameron Young (GT2), Justin Thomas (GT2), Byeong Hun An (GT4), Billy Horschel (GT3), Webb Simpson (GT3), Brandt Snedeker (GT2), Denny McCarthy (GT2), Garrick Higgo (GT4), J.T. Poston (GT3), Patrick Cantlay (GT2), and Adam Scott (GT2).

Will Zalatoris, who put the GT2 driver in play at the Memorial, said:

“I think this is the most that we’ve been begging (Titleist) to put (a driver) in our hands as fast as they can. We first tested it I think in early December. I think the part that’s really cool about it is it’s just kind of plug-and-play. I have the exact same shaft, the exact same setting. And immediately I’m picking up 1.5 mph ball speed, and that equates to about another 6.5-7 yards of carry. I think the thing that I really noticed when you compare it from my old one, from the TSR to the GT, I think the mishits just get brought in that much more…4-5 yards.”

Will Zalatoris’ Titleist GT2 driver.

At retail, the GT family is off to a strong start, and our own Resident Club Junkie, Brian Knudson, came away extremely impressed at his fitting.

To learn more, GolfWRX spoke with Director of Metalwood Development, Stephanie Luttrell about the origins and early success of the GT driver lineup.

GolfWRX: Starting with a step back, the Titleist Speed Project was significant and successful for Titleist. Can you talk about its developments and how “TS” set the stage for the GT family of drivers?

Stephanie Luttrell: With each generation of metals, our R&D team is focused on improving performance in the driver, fairway, and hybrid product categories. Our metalwood “mantra,” so to speak, is, “How can we deliver on all attributes of performance that golfers care about?” The Titleist Speed Project (TS) set the stage for our team to unwaveringly pursue speed, trajectory, sound, feel, consistency, forgiveness, and customization capabilities that all golfers desire. The beauty of research and engineering is that we are always learning and discovering new technologies and performance opportunities. GT brings this generation of Titleist metalwood performance to the next level, combining innovative materials, new constructions, design technologies, and research findings to produce consistently high speeds and more distance in a player-preferred look, sound, and feel package.

GolfWRX: Looking at the GT driver family as a whole, can you talk about key materials and technology shared across the drivers?

SL: GT drivers employ new multi-material seamless thermoform crown constructions to elevate speed and distance performance. Critical to GT’s performance is the introduction of Titleist’s Proprietary Matrix Polymer (PMP) — not previously utilized in golf club head design. The lightweight, high-strength PMP material enabled our engineers to design new aerodynamic head shapes, improving club speed, while optimizing center of gravity (CG) positions with high inertial stability to maximize speed, launch, spin, and downrange distance consistency. Another key element of GT driver performance is the face design. Each GT driver model employs a unique Speed Ring plus VFT design with Aerospace Grade Titanium (e.g. ATI-425) to maximize ball speed on center and off-center to ensure longer drives more often.

GolfWRX: Specifically, we know you and your team devoted a significant amount of time to developing the composite material in the crown. Can you talk about why this was and why it’s significant?

SL: Sound and feel are key parameters in our Titleist metalwood engineering philosophy. They are never an afterthought or a byproduct of the design. For years, we engineered exceptional driver performance in an all-titanium chassis that satisfies golfers’ senses with a lively, hot sound and feel. As we initiated research into new materials and constructions that would enable future driver performance gains, sound and feel remained highly important performance attributes. Many driver designs leverage thermoset composites for weight savings but sacrifice sound quality due to inherent dampening from the epoxy resin matrix binding the composite fibers. Titleist’s Proprietary Matrix Polymer (PMP) delivers lightweight, high-strength material properties, but composite fibers are bound together by an engineering polymer. PMP delivers a metallic resonance providing sound and feel that golfers desire while unlocking critical mass savings to achieve optimal CG positions with high MOI.

GolfWRX: Aesthetically, these look like “Titleist drivers” but also look distinctly different than the TSR woods. How did you achieve this? What goes into refining a driver’s appearance?

SL: A key principle in our design and development process is tour validation. As we prototype tested early GT driver concepts, one point of feedback stood out to the team. Players are sensitive to the address profile and look of their driver, and changes in appearance can negatively impact their performance. With that feedback in mind, we challenged our engineers to conceal our new, innovative construction “under the hood” with a seamless finish. Preserving the address profile and clean aesthetic with GT drivers immediately garnered player confidence and allowed players to fully experience the performance benefits of GT.

GolfWRX: Looking at the tour and the tour validation process, at the professional level, adoption has been rapid and widespread. What’s working so well for the pros?

SL: GT drivers and fairways have seen widespread adoption across all global tours. For the drivers, players have observed speed and distance gains from aerodynamics, CG, and Speed Ring plus VFT face technology. Also, players experience improved launch and spin stability that is a byproduct of GT’s Split Mass Construction. That stability translates to improved down-range distance and trajectory consistency. The GT fairways with their higher launch trajectory have impressed players and improved carry distance. Players are experiencing more versatile fairway performance from tee and turf conditions with the introduction of the high-strength L-Cup face design.

GolfWRX: Thus far, Titleist has released GT2, GT3, and GT4 drivers. Obviously, a fitting is the best way to figure out which model is best for a given player, but can you speak more generally about the distinctions between each and perhaps the player types that tend to fit well into each model?

SL: With the GT drivers, our goal is to meet the broad spectrum of driver performance needs for golfers. Each GT model fulfills a unique performance option. With fitting adjustability features like SureFit CG, hosel and headweighting, it’s possible for all golfers to be fit into a GT driver to maximize distance and consistency.

GT2 is best described as the all-around playability driver. It offers high launch, low spin trajectory with exceptional stability and forgiveness on mishits.

GT3 is the most globally preferred driver option on tour. It combines exceptional speed, mid-launch, and low-spin performance with precision SureFit CG fitting. When players are properly fit for CG they experience speed, distance, and control improvements.

GT4 is the 430cc, ultra-low spin option, but offers spin performance versatility with SureFit CG fore-aft fitting capability. With the heavy weight positioned forward, GT4 increases distance and consistency for the player who generates excessive spin – whether it be through swing characteristics or speed. Positioning the heavy weight aft, allows for performance between GT2 and GT3 in a smaller, traditional pear profile shape.

I suggest that players hit all GT driver models to experience the performance differences and determine with a fitter the best option to maximize their individual driving performance.