Titleist's new 915D2 and 915D3 Drivers: In-hand photos

[TheMoneyShot]

[quote name='PZero' timestamp='1403563956' post='9561473']
TItleist should do a 915D giveaway here, trip to TPI for a fitting would be nice too.
[/quote]

I second that!

[TheMoneyShot]

[quote name='SJP1' timestamp='1403562159' post='9561293']
Already the 915 is producing solid numbers:

[b] 442 user(s) are reading this topic[/b]
[color=#777777][size=3]
106 members, 326 guests, 10 anonymous users[/size][/color]
[/quote]

It was over 1,000 earlier today...

[SJP1]

[quote name='TheMoneyShot' timestamp='1403564922' post='9561575']
[quote name='SJP1' timestamp='1403562159' post='9561293']
Already the 915 is producing solid numbers:

[b] 442 user(s) are reading this topic[/b]

[color=#777777][size=3]106 members, 326 guests, 10 anonymous users[/size][/color]
[/quote]

It was over 1,000 earlier today...
[/quote]

That's some going!

[Aviador Naval]

I can't quite put my finger on what I expected and I certainly don't dislike what they've done but my first reaction to the photos was an urge to run out and get the 913D3 with RIP Alpha at a local place in which I have store credit.

[ccgolfer37]

Club looks great, and performs!!! From what I'm being told, the player response has been very positive and It's lower spin for sure! Cant wait to hear more, and try one out for myself!

[squishyy]

I'm a fan of titleist and still play the 910d2 but I must say the recoil channel is already a 2 year old technology that other manufacturers have already used. Also, a new weight style so we would have to spend more for the weight kit?

Great looking head but not impressed for two years of research. I'd bet the 917 will have new adapter and sliding weights similar to uhhhh yea...

[ccgolfer37]

[quote name='SJP1' timestamp='1403565213' post='9561599']
[quote name='TheMoneyShot' timestamp='1403564922' post='9561575']
[quote name='SJP1' timestamp='1403562159' post='9561293']
Already the 915 is producing solid numbers:

[b] 442 user(s) are reading this topic[/b]

[color=#777777][size=3]106 members, 326 guests, 10 anonymous users[/size][/color]
[/quote]

It was over 1,000 earlier today...
[/quote]

That's some going!
[/quote]

I've been away for a while, I didn't realize there were over 300,000 members, that's awesome!!

[Ruehl925]

I like Titleist and all but no offense there really isn't much technology.... maybe if you would have released it say 3 years ago but no, not in today's market.

[MtlJeff]

Looks like a really nice looking driver. I'm sure many guys at my club with play it....I'll stick to the OEMs that discount like crazy and hit it just as far with something that cost 149$

[TKD24]

I love how everyone continues to assume this is "old tech" because they've seen something that, aesthetically, may look similar.

I'm not saying that it isn't, but I'm not saying it is until I hear from the experts who built it.

[renatto]

Maybe I was hoping for something radically amazing... Does look nice though

[And321]

Great pics, thanks.

Kinda wish they had stuck with the classic alignment aid, but otherwise looks pretty good.

[Yellow Jacket]

[quote name='Ruehl925' timestamp='1403566527' post='9561743']
I like Titleist and all but no offense there really isn't much technology.... maybe if you would have released it say 3 years ago but no, not in today's market.
[/quote]
SLDR used 8 year old low forward CG technology from the 905S. Guess it's trash.

[ebibler]

Can't say anything until I hit it. I adore my 910 and just flat out murder it so this will have to be insane for me to switch. If it was the 905 shape I would be handing over some money. That was the most eye pleasing driver I have ever owned!! Until it hits stores.......................................

[klausdude]

[quote name='rcain1us' timestamp='1403535169' post='9557425']
I find it amusing that they do not even list the 907 line in their "previous models" page on the website.

They go right from the 905 to 909, obviously their engineers are like the rest of us and trying to pretend the 907 didn't happen

[url="http://www.titleist.com/previous-models/drivers/default.aspx"]http://www.titleist....rs/default.aspx[/url]
[/quote]

I almost spit water on my monitor due to this comment...good afternoon reading.

[Pure745]

I like Titleist and all but no offense there really isn't much technology.... maybe if you would have released it say 3 years ago but no, not in today's market.

SLDR used 8 year old low forward CG technology from the 905S. Guess it's trash.

 

Well..it looks like it became a reality ;)

 

[hoganswing]

I was just about to buy a 913! Guess I'll wait to see how these perform.

[deck]

So what's the shafts being offered with it?

[Mkoz14]

really curious to hear what the pros are saying and how many put it in play this week

[JJensen]

[quote name='deck' timestamp='1403569482' post='9562071']So what's the shafts being offered with it?[/quote]

My guess is the new Diamana+ series that was released today.

[SolidOrangeTiger]

[quote name='scratchswinger' timestamp='1403542884' post='9558611']
[quote name='moose557' timestamp='1403542724' post='9558593']
Damm I need a new driver but don't think I can wait till November. [b]Is it normal for manufacturers to release photos and have their tour staff using clubs so far in advance of public release? [/b]There haven't been any official photos released of the G30s and from what I read there going to be available shorty
[/quote]

For Titleist it is and I don't know why.... And then another few months for the fairways/hybrids. I really wish Titliest would release the clubs shortly after the photos like other OEM's. By the time the actual club comes out half of the buzz is gone.
[/quote]

This will not answer the underlying question, but I find it interesting that it seems some still believe that the club has to be tour validated before coming to retail. Don't get me wrong, I'm Titleist through and through, but based upon a response on Page 3 of the link below where a poster states he hopes it gets through the prototype stage and the fact that Titleist didn't scoop the release first since at least the 712 launch, I wonder if Titleist is trying to hold onto the tour-verification stage perception.

http://www.titleist.com/teamtitleist/team-titleist/f/6/t/25728.aspx?pi3483=3

Also, I , as well as at least one other posted a reference to this site for 915 pictures on the Team Titleist board. The post was approved but it never made it up. Seems strange for this release.

[rainkingjr]

It's absolutely mimicking the VR PRO drivers and that is not a bad at all. The VR Pro LE is one of he best drivers I've ever bagged. I am hoping the feel is more muted than the 913's and my guess is that it will be.

[jwo]

[quote name='Aviador Naval' timestamp='1403565357' post='9561617']
I can't quite put my finger on what I expected and I certainly don't dislike what they've done but my first reaction to the photos was an urge to run out and get the 913D3 with RIP Alpha at a local place in which I have store credit.
[/quote]

I can attest 913D3/RIP Alpha is a stout weapon my friend. The 915 is going to have to be mighty impressive to beat it.

[gvogel]

My suspicion is that the 915 driver will be just a little bit better than the 913, or the 910. If you want to hit the ball longer, you could go to a 45-1/2" shat, like Ping G25. Or longer, like Cally or TaylorMade. Because of the USGA restrictions on ball speed for centered hits, there really is only incremental changes from driver generation to generation.

Now, if the channel technology on the bottom makes the club feel better at impact, or helps with direction on off-center hits, then Titleist has achieved its objective in the new series.

But, on perfectly centered hits on the club face, I doubt that there will be any difference from 910, 913 to 915. Probably none.

but who hits it on the center all the time?

[UnderPar18]

First and foremost thank you for the pictures. What you guys capture for us is nothing short of amazing.

I am torn between my thoughts on this driver by just solely what we see from the pictures.

Pros:
Compression channel similar to the Nike VR Ltd
The headcover
The black finish
The head shape

The Cons:
The compression channel. Is it any better than Nikes? Or does it prove to be significantly better than the 913 line?
The alignment aid. From the pictures I think I dig the old one more
The black finish looks good... For about 3 rounds


The questions:
What shafts are available free of up charge?
When will Pure745 have a review?
Who wins first with a 915?!?

[gvogel]

And one more thing.

I thought that impact felt better on the 910 D2 than the 913 D2. If the compression channel makes impact feel more solid, and less "tinny", with the advantages that modern technology can provide, then Titleist will have a winner here.

I loved my 910 D2. Not so much with the 913 - I actually switched to Ping on that one. But if the 915 D2 feels more solid, and yields straighter shots, I will go back to 915 in a heart beat.

[SJP1]

[quote name='gvogel' timestamp='1403571800' post='9562425']
And one more thing.

I thought that impact felt better on the 910 D2 than the 913 D2. If the compression channel makes impact feel more solid, and less "tinny", with the advantages that modern technology can provide, then Titleist will have a winner here.

I loved my 910 D2. Not so much with the 913 - I actually switched to Ping on that one. But if the 915 D2 feels more solid, and yields straighter shots, I will go back to 915 in a heart beat.
[/quote]

From PGATour.com:
[color=#000000][size=4]
BETHESDA, Maryland -- Titleist unveiled its latest driver offering, the 915 series, on Monday morning at Congressional Country Club to give staffers the opportunity to test the final product for the first time and potentially put it in play at Quicken Loans National. [/size][/color][color=#000000][size=4]
Sticking to its two-year equipment release cycle, Titleist's 915 series driver, which includes the 915D2 and 915D3, will eventually replace the 913 series later in the year when it's launched at retail.[/size][/color][color=#000000][size=4]
While the driver is the only club currently going through the company's tour seeding and performance validation process this week, Titleist confirmed it will eventually launch 915 series fairway woods and hybrids on TOUR in the coming months.[/size][/color][color=#000000][size=4]
Chris McGinley, Titleist's vice president of golf club marketing, declined to provide technical details about the new driver with the launch still several months away. However, based on in-hand photos and what players were saying on the practice range during testing, there are some difference between the 915 series and its predecessor.[/size][/color][color=#000000][size=4]
The most noticeable difference is a slot in the front portion of the sole called an "Active Recoil Channel" that extends all the way from the heel to the toe of the driver head. Slot technology has been used by a few equipment manufacturers -- TaylorMade and Adams -- in recent years to extend the sweet spot lower on the face.[/size][/color][color=#000000][size=4]
The technology not only makes the sweet spot larger on a critical part of the face -- most amateurs tend to contact the ball low on the face with the driver and metalwoods -- it helps create balls speeds low on the face that are similar to a middle strike.[/size][/color][color=#000000][size=4]
Along with a new channel in the sole, Titleist also made a significant change to the sole graphics, adding white lines to the rear potion of the sole that point towards the heel and toe of the club. It's unclear if the graphics are merely for looks or have a performance benefit.[/size][/color][color=#000000][size=4]
Another minor change was made to the face graphics face, where Titleist went away from the grey dashes between the score lines and added solid grey line graphics.[/size][/color][color=#000000][size=4]
As far as similarities go, the 915 still has the classic 913 head design, Titleist's SureFit hosel that allows golfers to adjust the loft, lie angle and face angle, and an adjustable weight in the rear portion of the head for swing weight purposes.[/size][/color][color=#000000][size=4]
Titleist also stuck with the high gloss crown finish but added an updated version of the traditional alignment aid.[/size][/color][color=#000000][size=4]
The 915D2, typically known as the more forgiving, higher spinning of the two models, appears to still have a full pear-shaped head, while the 915D3, the less forgiving, low spinning option still has a shorter head and deeper face.[/size][/color][color=#000000][size=4]
[color=#ff0000][b]Former No. 1-ranked amateur Patrick Cantlay was one of the first players to test the 915 driver on Monday morning and mentioned to Titleist Tour rep Chris Tuten that the club was definitely firmer at impact and didn't feel nearly as soft off the face as the 913 driver. Cantlay also noted that he liked the higher launch angle and how the ball wasn't rising rising on him.[/b][/color][/size][/color][color=#000000][size=4]
South African Tyron Van Aswegen, who finished tied for 26th at the Travelers Championship, told Titleist Tour reps he was really excited to get a new driver at Congressional. So excited, in fact, that he said it was going straight in the bag after a Monday morning test session.[/size][/color][color=#000000][size=4]
[color=#ff0000][b]Van Aswegen told Titleist Tour reps that the driver was lower spinning, had a higher launch and was more solid off the face than his previous driver.[/b][/color][/size][/color]

[sbjinx]

I, like many of you cant wait to give this a try when it comes out in 5 months. I also think it has a clean, modern look and I for one am glad that it wasn't just a facelife (i.e. 910 to 913)

In all seriousness, Titleist really does things their way. Nowdays it seems like OEMs can't wait to get new products out yet Titleist will wait 5 months for whatever reason. And correct me if I'm wrong but they are also the only major OEM to not do any live chats, trips, giveaways, mid-season price drops, or participate in "shootouts" (this was for another site where Titleist declined to participate in their best of list). Yet, they come out with a new driver and it gets +1,000 readers and probably sell really well (with I'm sure higher than average reviews).

[StarFleetGolfer]

Many call it old technology and never have hit it. Makes total sense.

[Yellow Jacket]

I like Titleist and all but no offense there really isn't much technology.... maybe if you would have released it say 3 years ago but no, not in today's market.

SLDR used 8 year old low forward CG technology from the 905S. Guess it's trash.

 

Well..it looks like it became a reality ;)

 

I really do wonder why Nike got rid of compression channel. There's no doubt that it helps with strikes low on the face, but Callaway would say a cup face does the same thing.

 

The 915 implementation is different based on geometry alone, so I look forward to your review!