Perceived forgiveness of TS2 vs TS3

[MelloYello]

Hey all,

 

I've been playing the 913-line for the last few years and it's done fine. I've done my time though and deserve an upgrade, haha. I was thinking something along the lines of a '16 M2 since people seem to love those. However the new Titleist TS line seems to be getting good reviews and I have a lot of Titleist stuff so there's some brand appeal there for me. It might be cool to end up with a fully-Titleist bag by the end of the year?

 

That said, I doubt I'll spend $500 on any of the new driver options but I see I might be able to pick up a TS driver for $350 on Ebay so the TS line is still a possibility.

 

 

Anyhow, I started on a 913 D3 but immediately transitioned to the D2 when I hit it because the perceived forgiveness was so much greater. It also felt easier to launch for me. Coming from smaller, more workable driver shapes, I was really impressed by how the D2 felt easy to hit.

 

 

So I'm curious about how different the TS2 and TS3 really are. Reports are that the TS3 has a more traditional look and that the TS2 is a little funky. But I'm also hearing that the TS3 is the "low-spin" option which is usually not great for me with my 105-mph SS.

 

Any advice for someone who probably won't demo either to any great extent?

[MattyO1984]

It might help if I give you a bit of my history with drivers.

913D3

915D2

917D2

TS3

 

I ended up with the D2 in the 915 and 917 simply because for me it was noticeably more forgiving. It was not quite as long but the bad shots with the D2 were so much better than they were with the 3. As a result of that, I started off with the TS2 and got some numbers from that. I then tried TS3 and they were pretty much the same and both better than the 917D2 that I had been using.

 

From there I ended up out on the course with a demo over the course of two or three weekends (one of my best friends is a Pro and let me keep it for that length of time and even after whilst I was waiting for my order to come in). I have the found the TS3 to be more forgiving than the 917D2. I know it is hard to compare how one club is to another when you are putting different swings on it out on the course but there have been occasions when the swings certainly felt equally poor and the the shots with the TS3 ended up in better spots and closer to the fairway than the 917D2 which made the choice a pretty easy one to make.

 

As a provisio, I would agree that the TS3 is a low spinning club, certainly the lowest spinning driver I have ever used but the launch seems to be higher. I went from a 9.5 head in the 917D2 to a 8.5 in the TS3 and the launch angles were the same.

[aquapig]

My advice is if you’re going to finally make a change and you are going to spend that much on driver, then you should spend an hour hitting both with different shafts.

 

If you’re not going to spend some time testing out the 2 different heads, shafts, weight on options on the TS3, settings...then you are probably better off sticking with what you have if it’s working for you.

 

IMHO ofcourse

[rusty380]

I can only recommend you do demo them both, dropping $350-400+ on a driver you need to ensure you have the right head and shaft option it can make all the difference with your experience especially with the 4 very different shaft offerings off the rack. However if you are genuinely not going to spend too much time getting fit the TS2 is the more suitable option in my opinion.

 

This is one of the biggest mistakes for Titleist drivers as of late. They need a proper fitting moreso than with other drivers to dial you in. On both fittings I had for the 917 D3 and the TS3 my dispersion was dreadful and enough to make me not even consider the club until I had the right shaft and surefit set-up to suit me. Now I don't think I've honestly hit a driver as straight in my life and long enough to keep up with any rival options I've tried which I initially hit much better off the rack before making the necessary adjustments.

 

I've just been fitted and i've gone with the 8.5 degree TS3 with X Flex Evenflow T1100 White 65 and I adore it, longer than my D3 and just as consistent if not moreso which was my main area for concern, having said that I wanted the lower launching option as that is what suits me.

 

One thing to bare in mind is that with the TS3 you do have the surefit CG system so there is much more fine tuning to hand however also a potential remedy if you do find yourself to hit a slightly bias shot with this specific driver. On the TS2 this is not an option as there is no surefit CG.

[Mahamilto]

I’m bagging the TS3 at about 10 handicap for disclosure. Now let me explain why.

 

Adjustability. Period. While long game is a strong suit of mine and I center up frequently, 99% of my misses are high toe side of middle. The TS3 allows me to put the weight out on the toe, shifting the COG and sweet spot ever so slightly that direction. In this configuration, I got better protection of ball speed from the TS3 vs TS2. Combined with lower spin (I’m fairly high spin player), that was the winner for me.

 

Now, as for a discussion of the two offerings:

 

MOI of the TS3 is slightly more than the 917D2...

 

So the low spinning offering is now “more forgiving” than the high spinning offering was, and the 917D2 was a very forgiving driver.

 

But, MOI is just one element, and the TS2 is higher MOI in that regard.

 

As I mentioned, my miss is always on the toe, but this is NOT the case for most mid-high handicap golfers. Most double digit cappers miss all over the face. The TS2 should offer better ball speed protection across the entire face, and should have a bigger sweet spot.

 

The TS2 should also be slightly easier to hit straight, due to the higher MOI. I saw no difference between the two when hit solidly, but the TS2 did tend to be a tiny bit more point and shoot than the TS3, but only on bad misses, and only when I hadn’t adjusted the TS3 weight to help my miss.

 

In summary, they are both great drivers and I hit them both well. Admittedly my REALLY bad misses were better with the TS2, but my average distance and dispersion was better with the TS3.

 

In my game, the TS3 produced better results 95/100, with the TS2 helping on that 5% I really duffed. I’ll take the TS3.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

[tlehmann]

Spent 2 hours getting fit outdoors on Trackman a couple weekends ago with my local Titleist fitter.

 

Played 910 D3 and 913 D3 in college, and after playing Taylormade drivers since, I was guessing I would be fit into a TS3.

 

Tried the TS2 after hitting a few TS3 combos, and for me I carried the TS2 about 10 yards longer than the TS3 (same loft, same shaft). For me, it launched higher, carried visibly further, and went dead straight (the TS3 has a bit of fade bias vs the TS2, and for me the TS3 was more prone to fading). I liked the look of the TS3 at address better, but after seeing how they performed for me, I got used to the TS2 pretty quick. Dispersion for me was also better on the TS2.

 

As other posters have said, getting fit is key. 108 mph SS and scratch player, I hit it straight but wanted a bit more height and carry distance. Interesting the difference I noticed between the two heads with the same shaft - get fit!

[DFinch]

They are very similar in performance (launch, spin, ballspeed) strike for strike.

 

TS3 gives you horizontal CG adjustment, if that's your thing (based on measurements of the 917 with surefit weighting, the side to side CH movement is estimated at 1mm either direction (ie, minimal). TS3 gives that up in favor of a weight farther back to increase MOI.

 

TS3 gives you a more traditional Titleist pear shape. TS2 is stretched back. Totally personal preference.

 

That's about it. Unlike many other brands that have a high MOI model and a low spin model, these drivers are extremely close. The higher MOI of the TS2 might help dynamic face closure and make it a touch more "left" biased, very slightly higher spin and launch (close enough that strike matters WAY more than the difference in CG between these two clubs), and a different look at address.

 

Adoption of the two models is about 50/50. Some people are surprised that they hit one better than the other. Pick that one. Plenty of people like the look of the TS3 but hit the TS2 a fraction better. Others go in thinking they want the "forgiveness" of the TS2 and hit the TS3 better.

[gvogel]

I thought that Charles Howell III's decision of the TS2 /TS3 was helpful: If you need to work the ball a bit to keep it in the fairway (and you are that talented), the TS3 is your option. If you play a course that is more open off the tee and want to just wail on the ball, the TS2 is your option.

 

He said that he could play both.

[BarronDDS]

I can only recommend you do demo them both, dropping $350-400+ on a driver you need to ensure you have the right head and shaft option it can make all the difference with your experience especially with the 4 very different shaft offerings off the rack. However if you are genuinely not going to spend too much time getting fit the TS2 is the more suitable option in my opinion.

 

This is one of the biggest mistakes for Titleist drivers as of late. They need a proper fitting moreso than with other drivers to dial you in. On both fittings I had for the 917 D3 and the TS3 my dispersion was dreadful and enough to make me not even consider the club until I had the right shaft and surefit set-up to suit me. Now I don't think I've honestly hit a driver as straight in my life and long enough to keep up with any rival options I've tried which I initially hit much better off the rack before making the necessary adjustments.

 

I've just been fitted and i've gone with the 8.5 degree TS3 with X Flex Evenflow T1100 White 65 and I adore it, longer than my D3 and just as consistent if not moreso which was my main area for concern, having said that I wanted the lower launching option as that is what suits me.

 

One thing to bare in mind is that with the TS3 you do have the surefit CG system so there is much more fine tuning to hand however also a potential remedy if you do find yourself to hit a slightly bias shot with this specific driver. On the TS2 this is not an option as there is no surefit CG.

what is your Swing speed??

[SugarPenguin]

I got fit for both and I thought I wanted the TS2 but ended up with the TS3

The TS2 on paper is supposed to be more forgiving and it probably is.

I just could not square the club face with it though. It’s long front to back and the shape isn’t all that appealing

 

TS3 is a cracking driver. I had a 915D3 and then an Epic SZ.

TS3 is so so much more forgiving in terms of distance on off centre his. The entire face just feels hot.

 

As everybody has mentioned. Go get fit.

It’s the only way to determine which works best.

On paper TS2 should work as the forgiving club but I couldn’t hit it well what so ever and the TS3 forgiveness levels are extremely impressive.

[Titletown]

It's important to get fit for Titleist drivers IMO. I am a lower spinning player so I opted for the more forgiving TS2, however, I feel like I could easily game the TS3. My miss is right and the TS2 controlled that miss a little better than the TS3. When I was hitting it out of the middle my distances between the TS2/TS3 were very similar. I also slightly preferred the look of the TS2. TS3 is the lower spinning head, but don't take that to mean it's not forgiving, the TS3 is the most forgiving lower spinning model Titleist has released.

[Mahamilto]

It's important to get fit for Titleist drivers IMO. I am a lower spinning player so I opted for the more forgiving TS2, however, I feel like I could easily game the TS3. My miss is right and the TS2 controlled that miss a little better than the TS3. When I was hitting it out of the middle my distances between the TS2/TS3 were very similar. I also slightly preferred the look of the TS2. TS3 is the lower spinning head, but don't take that to mean it's not forgiving, the TS3 is the most forgiving lower spinning model Titleist has released.

 

Great review. I had exact same experience, but I'm high spin player and my miss is left... I went TS3 lol

 

But seriously. This shows how consistent the interpretations are with the two offerings

[som500]

I’m thinking of switching from the m3 to the ts3. Just found other Titleist drivers a little high spin for me. It the new one a big improvement over others? I’ll be pairing an Oban white 55 with it.

[Mahamilto]

Huge difference vs 917s. Both the TS3 and TS2 are significantly lower spin than the D3 and D2. The TS2 actually spins pretty close to the old D3, the TS3 is very low spin for most players if paired with a low spin offering.

 

The biggest difference is forgiveness, the TS3 MOI spec is higher than the old D2.

 

This means the TS3 should be (and I found it to be) as or more forgiving than the D2, but spin less than the D3 (which wasn't particularly forgiving in my demos)

 

The TS2 is much lower spin than the old D2, nearing as low as the old D3, and is more forgiving than either.

[Whipitgood13]

They are very similar in performance (launch, spin, ballspeed) strike for strike.

 

TS3 gives you horizontal CG adjustment, if that's your thing (based on measurements of the 917 with surefit weighting, the side to side CH movement is estimated at 1mm either direction (ie, minimal). TS3 gives that up in favor of a weight farther back to increase MOI.

 

TS3 gives you a more traditional Titleist pear shape. TS2 is stretched back. Totally personal preference.

 

That's about it. Unlike many other brands that have a high MOI model and a low spin model, these drivers are extremely close. The higher MOI of the TS2 might help dynamic face closure and make it a touch more "left" biased, very slightly higher spin and launch (close enough that strike matters WAY more than the difference in CG between these two clubs), and a different look at address.

 

Adoption of the two models is about 50/50. Some people are surprised that they hit one better than the other. Pick that one. Plenty of people like the look of the TS3 but hit the TS2 a fraction better. Others go in thinking they want the "forgiveness" of the TS2 and hit the TS3 better.

Great Synopsis. the note about dynamic face closure is a key element. Currently the tour pros lean towards the 3 a little bit mainly because the CG aspect took away the need to use hotmelt. If the 2 head had the CG then I pretty sure you would see even more tour players using it. The 2 was the first to pick up the win last year with Michael Kim.

[xarismata]

Only tried TS D3 at the golf shop and it was really really forgiving for my swing.

 

I stopped by at the local golf shop to try new Callaway Sub Zero driver. The guy at the shop changed the setting for me with different shafts, At the end he handed me a different driver saying "Try this one". It was TS D3 with Evenflo white 65 stiff shaft. I was thinking this is too much player's driver for my 95-100 SS. I only hit three shots and they were all probably within top five hits of the day.

 

I love the look, while I don't like D2 look. balance of the whole club. The head at impact was very stable and forgiving.

- TS D3: 96.5 head speed, 16.6 launch angle, 1618 total spin

- Flash Sub Zero. 95.8 head speed, 15.7 launch angle, 1865 total spin

 

The most surprising part was how easy to swing and forgiving the head was.

[xarismata]

Only tried TS D3 at the golf shop and it was really really forgiving for my swing.

 

I stopped by at the local golf shop to try new Callaway Sub Zero driver. The guy at the shop changed the setting for me with different shafts, At the end of the session, he handed me a different driver saying "Try this one". It was TS D3 with Evenflo white 65 stiff shaft. I was thinking this is too much player's driver for my 95-100 SS. I only hit three shots and they were all probably within top five hits of the day.

 

I love the look, while I don't like D2 look, the balance of the whole club. The head at impact was very stable and forgiving.

- TS D3: 96.5 head speed, 16.6 launch angle, 1618 total spin

- Flash Sub Zero. 95.8 head speed, 15.7 launch angle, 1865 total spin

 

The most surprising part was how easy to swing and forgiving the head was.

[GolfingDad44]

You can get a like new TS2 from 3balls for about $385 with promo code Weekend and try it out for 30 days.

[bogeypro]

Get fit. Don’t just assume your favorite shaft will be the best or even similar in a different head.

[r555nm]

I really really like the feel of this driver

[Brass_Bullseye]

I’ve been playing the 915 D2 for three years and loved it, although when I missed it I missed big. Always way right. Found out last week I had cracked the shaft. The Aldila Rogue Black is a $250 shaft so I bit the bullet and got fitted for a TS.

 

TS2 with the Hzrdus Smoke 60 Stiff shaft was dead straight to a mild cut, less than 2,000 rpm spin, and 260 yard carry in A1 - about the same as my 915 but much better dispersion. TS3 was shorter, spinnier and further off line (although still in the fairway) no matter which shaft I tried. If I really tried I could move the TS2 right to left in A1. Couldn’t move it left at all with the TS3.

 

Also, the TS2 head felt a bit heavier to me which felt better for some reason. It also felt more solid than the TS3, both on center strikes and mishits. I’ll report back once I hit it on the golf course.

[ME27]

> @Brass_Bullseye said:

> I’ve been playing the 915 D2 for three years and loved it, although when I missed it I missed big. Always way right. Found out last week I had cracked the shaft. The Aldila Rogue Black is a $250 shaft so I bit the bullet and got fitted for a TS.

>

> TS2 with the Hzrdus Smoke 60 Stiff shaft was dead straight to a mild cut, less than 2,000 rpm spin, and 260 yard carry in A1 - about the same as my 915 but much better dispersion. TS3 was shorter, spinnier and further off line (although still in the fairway) no matter which shaft I tried. If I really tried I could move the TS2 right to left in A1. Couldn’t move it left at all with the TS3.

>

> Also, the TS2 head felt a bit heavier to me which felt better for some reason. It also felt more solid than the TS3, both on center strikes and mishits. I’ll report back once I hit it on the golf course.

 

I have experienced the exact opposite as you. TS3 was longer, less spin, straighter, and more prone to go left vs the TS2 for me. For me the TS3 was significantly better. Just goes to show how important going to get fit is because two different people can have exact opposite results with the same clubs.

[Sjewell94]

I went through a similar process after playing hand-me-downs for most of my life. I picked up a demo 917 for cheap and would consistently miss to the weak side. I finally went and got a proper fitting and compared my driver to both TS2 and TS3 and various shafts and found the TS2 with the PX evenflow stiff to be the best fit. I think getting a fitting comparing new equipment to what you currently use is one of the best things you can do, puts all of the data in perspective. Also, I found it to be more about the shaft than the head between TS2 and TS3.

[gpleonard]

Played the TS2 today and hit some long bombs. I Had been playing a Srixon Z785 driver. And I do like this driver. I was hitting it past my usual landing spots and staying in the fairway more. I am going to bag this driver for the rest of this year and next year. Well done Titleist.

[Brass_Bullseye]

> @ME27 said:

> > @Brass_Bullseye said:

> > I’ve been playing the 915 D2 for three years and loved it, although when I missed it I missed big. Always way right. Found out last week I had cracked the shaft. The Aldila Rogue Black is a $250 shaft so I bit the bullet and got fitted for a TS.

> >

> > TS2 with the Hzrdus Smoke 60 Stiff shaft was dead straight to a mild cut, less than 2,000 rpm spin, and 260 yard carry in A1 - about the same as my 915 but much better dispersion. TS3 was shorter, spinnier and further off line (although still in the fairway) no matter which shaft I tried. If I really tried I could move the TS2 right to left in A1. Couldn’t move it left at all with the TS3.

> >

> > Also, the TS2 head felt a bit heavier to me which felt better for some reason. It also felt more solid than the TS3, both on center strikes and mishits. I’ll report back once I hit it on the golf course.

>

> I have experienced the exact opposite as you. TS3 was longer, less spin, straighter, and more prone to go left vs the TS2 for me. For me the TS3 was significantly better. Just goes to show how important going to get fit is because two different people can have exact opposite results with the same clubs.

 

I hit my TS2 on the course for the first time today. Unbelievable. The ball doesn’t stay on the face long at all. It almost feels like the ball isn’t there. I hit it dead straight or a tiny draw in A1. I hit it 12 times, hit six fairways and averaged 285 on all drives and 290 in the fairway. Longest was a downwind downhill 330. Shortest was an uphill into the wind 240. It took a few holes to get used to the extra 1/2” length but other than that it was easy. Simply the best feeling driver I’ve hit in 37 years of playing golf.