The Big Review – Titleist 910 D2 and D3 Drivers

[YevKasim]

 

 

It's no secret that Titleist have something to prove with the new 910 drivers. A few years ago you would have been hard pressed to find any lower handicapper or pro playing something other than a 905 but the woeful performance of the 907 and increasingly impressive offerings from the likes of TaylorMade and Callaway saw them slip from the pinnacle of driver manufacturers. The 909 was far better received than the 907 but never seemed to have the attraction of the 905 – a fact borne out by how many Tour players stayed with the older drivers.

 

The 910 aims to change all this. With ground-breaking adjustability, the 910 aims to reclaim the dominance of the 905 days show players that Titleist can still make awesome drivers. To introduce this level of adjustability, Titleist tell us that these clubs are made to more than twice the normal level of manufacturing tolerance to be the best drivers that they have ever made.

 

Appearance

 

The aberration of the 907 D1 aside, Titleist have never really made an ugly driver. The 910 D2/D3 are no exceptions. With the all black PVD finish and classic pear shaped lines, both the 910 D2 and D3 heads look great from any angle. The D2 is the larger at 460cc while the D3 is only 445cc but unless you have them next to each other they are almost identical in appearance. While how the shaft is attached to the head is normally a technical issue but because of how some systems work they can have cosmetic impact.

 

The 910's system locks the shaft via a screw on the bottom of the head. This means that the hosel avoids the spiked collar look that dogs neck locking systems and looks very similar to a normal hosel, so of course it looks great at address. The alignment marking on the top of the crown might not be to everyone's liking but that is a tiny quibble and all in all, these clubs are gorgeous.

 

 

 

Performance

 

A lot has been made about Titleist's introduction of the SureFit dual angle hosel. Some have said that Titleist was the last manufacturer they expected to go down this route. Others have said that the other similar hosel technologies from Nike, TaylorMade and Callaway have been great but not perfect. The main issue with the other technologies has been that as you open or close the face, the loft changes along with the face angle. Ideally of course, you would want to change the loft without changing the face angle and vice versa. Enter Titleist's SureFit system.

 

Unlike other hosel technologies, the SureFit system has two mechanisms for changing how the shaft sits in the head, the sleeve at the end of the hosel and a separate ring that sits between the sleeve and the head. The result is that you can finally change the lie (and so the face angle) and the loft independently for 16 different combinations. This means that not only can you get Tour van like fitting but you now have the freedom to change the loft angle without enforcing a draw or a fade. If the ground is wet, you might want more carry so you can add 1.5 degrees more loft. If the wind is up, you might want a lower more boring flight and remove 0.75 degrees loft. So your 9.5 degree can become an 11 degree or an 8.75 degree driver depending on the conditions. The changes can also vary the spin levels by almost 1000 rpm. The now ever present torque wrench allows you to quickly change these setting and what ever you are looking for, you can make the change without having the alter the face angle.

 

What this is not is a system aiming to cure a crippling hook or slice. Titleist stress that the SureFit system is aimed at launch optimisation rather than massive right to left flight adjustment and it is noticeable that the amount of left to right adjustment is a fair bit less than with other similar systems. This is more of a 10 yard adjustment rather than a 50+ yard adjustment. The height adjustment is the full deal though. Any chances you make result in obvious changes in ball flight. This does not mean that you can take any loft head and change it to the one you want as changing the loft also increases the spin rate as we mentioned above so make sure that you get fit.

 

It's fairly apparent that the larger D2 has more forgiveness and is easier to hit straight and with a higher natural bullfight. The D3 is more workable but still very forgiving with a mid-high trajectory. Both versions seem to have a higher ball-flight that the 909 versions with pretty much the same levels of spin. Because of the ability to change the face angle, launch and spin angles can be varied so these comparisons are only fair against the standard set-ups.

 

Both have chemically milled crowns which are 17% thinner than the 909 which allow for more mass to be relocated where it can most help the golfer. The back lower portion of both clubs have been redesigned and a rear bezel weight placed to lower the COG as much as possible. The rear weight is also directly behind the centre of the club face so you get the most out of a pure contact and is adjustable with options 2g, 5g, 7g, 9g, 12g. weights allowing precise swingweight and feel preference.

 

So what does that mean when you actually hit the ball? Simply awesome, awesome performance. There is a lethal combination of forgiveness and workability and as for distance, the ball explodes off the clubhead. Titleist have improved the face over the 909 with an enhanced version of their Variable Face Technology to give higher ball speeds across a larger area. The D2 has a 15% larger maximum ball speed area and the D3 has a 10% larger area than the previous 909 versions. And you get to choose from 80 shafts including many of the best of the premium brands. The stock "made for Titleist" shafts have been improved over the previous versions and while they may not be the full versions they are not bad at all. Stock shafts include the Titleist Diamana 'ahina 72, Titleist Diamana Kai'li 65, Titleist Diamana 'ilima 61, Aldila RIP 60 and Project X Tour Issue Graphite.

 

 

Conclusion

 

It's a hotly contested claim but the 910 D2 and D3 are going to be vying for the title of best drivers on the market. Titleist have shown that they are able to remain true to their better player roots while offering something more to the average player. Validation from Tour players has been exceptional too; Ross Fisher, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy have all put the 910 in play and almost as tellingly, a host of die-hard 905 fans who previously stayed away from the 907 and 909 have put the a 910 in the bag.

 

Game changing in the same way the first adjustable hosel systems were, Titleist have also shown that they know how to introduce technology that makes a difference and we expect these to fly off the shelves.

 

 

Is Titleist plural?

[texcrom]

 

 

It's no secret that Titleist have something to prove with the new 910 drivers. A few years ago you would have been hard pressed to find any lower handicapper or pro playing something other than a 905 but the woeful performance of the 907 and increasingly impressive offerings from the likes of TaylorMade and Callaway saw them slip from the pinnacle of driver manufacturers. The 909 was far better received than the 907 but never seemed to have the attraction of the 905 – a fact borne out by how many Tour players stayed with the older drivers.

 

The 910 aims to change all this. With ground-breaking adjustability, the 910 aims to reclaim the dominance of the 905 days show players that Titleist can still make awesome drivers. To introduce this level of adjustability, Titleist tell us that these clubs are made to more than twice the normal level of manufacturing tolerance to be the best drivers that they have ever made.

 

Appearance

 

The aberration of the 907 D1 aside, Titleist have never really made an ugly driver. The 910 D2/D3 are no exceptions. With the all black PVD finish and classic pear shaped lines, both the 910 D2 and D3 heads look great from any angle. The D2 is the larger at 460cc while the D3 is only 445cc but unless you have them next to each other they are almost identical in appearance. While how the shaft is attached to the head is normally a technical issue but because of how some systems work they can have cosmetic impact.

 

The 910's system locks the shaft via a screw on the bottom of the head. This means that the hosel avoids the spiked collar look that dogs neck locking systems and looks very similar to a normal hosel, so of course it looks great at address. The alignment marking on the top of the crown might not be to everyone's liking but that is a tiny quibble and all in all, these clubs are gorgeous.

 

 

 

Performance

 

A lot has been made about Titleist's introduction of the SureFit dual angle hosel. Some have said that Titleist was the last manufacturer they expected to go down this route. Others have said that the other similar hosel technologies from Nike, TaylorMade and Callaway have been great but not perfect. The main issue with the other technologies has been that as you open or close the face, the loft changes along with the face angle. Ideally of course, you would want to change the loft without changing the face angle and vice versa. Enter Titleist's SureFit system.

 

Unlike other hosel technologies, the SureFit system has two mechanisms for changing how the shaft sits in the head, the sleeve at the end of the hosel and a separate ring that sits between the sleeve and the head. The result is that you can finally change the lie (and so the face angle) and the loft independently for 16 different combinations. This means that not only can you get Tour van like fitting but you now have the freedom to change the loft angle without enforcing a draw or a fade. If the ground is wet, you might want more carry so you can add 1.5 degrees more loft. If the wind is up, you might want a lower more boring flight and remove 0.75 degrees loft. So your 9.5 degree can become an 11 degree or an 8.75 degree driver depending on the conditions. The changes can also vary the spin levels by almost 1000 rpm. The now ever present torque wrench allows you to quickly change these setting and what ever you are looking for, you can make the change without having the alter the face angle.

 

What this is not is a system aiming to cure a crippling hook or slice. Titleist stress that the SureFit system is aimed at launch optimisation rather than massive right to left flight adjustment and it is noticeable that the amount of left to right adjustment is a fair bit less than with other similar systems. This is more of a 10 yard adjustment rather than a 50+ yard adjustment. The height adjustment is the full deal though. Any chances you make result in obvious changes in ball flight. This does not mean that you can take any loft head and change it to the one you want as changing the loft also increases the spin rate as we mentioned above so make sure that you get fit.

 

It's fairly apparent that the larger D2 has more forgiveness and is easier to hit straight and with a higher natural bullfight. The D3 is more workable but still very forgiving with a mid-high trajectory. Both versions seem to have a higher ball-flight that the 909 versions with pretty much the same levels of spin. Because of the ability to change the face angle, launch and spin angles can be varied so these comparisons are only fair against the standard set-ups.

 

Both have chemically milled crowns which are 17% thinner than the 909 which allow for more mass to be relocated where it can most help the golfer. The back lower portion of both clubs have been redesigned and a rear bezel weight placed to lower the COG as much as possible. The rear weight is also directly behind the centre of the club face so you get the most out of a pure contact and is adjustable with options 2g, 5g, 7g, 9g, 12g. weights allowing precise swingweight and feel preference.

 

So what does that mean when you actually hit the ball? Simply awesome, awesome performance. There is a lethal combination of forgiveness and workability and as for distance, the ball explodes off the clubhead. Titleist have improved the face over the 909 with an enhanced version of their Variable Face Technology to give higher ball speeds across a larger area. The D2 has a 15% larger maximum ball speed area and the D3 has a 10% larger area than the previous 909 versions. And you get to choose from 80 shafts including many of the best of the premium brands. The stock "made for Titleist" shafts have been improved over the previous versions and while they may not be the full versions they are not bad at all. Stock shafts include the Titleist Diamana 'ahina 72, Titleist Diamana Kai'li 65, Titleist Diamana 'ilima 61, Aldila RIP 60 and Project X Tour Issue Graphite.

 

 

Conclusion

 

It's a hotly contested claim but the 910 D2 and D3 are going to be vying for the title of best drivers on the market. Titleist have shown that they are able to remain true to their better player roots while offering something more to the average player. Validation from Tour players has been exceptional too; Ross Fisher, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy have all put the 910 in play and almost as tellingly, a host of die-hard 905 fans who previously stayed away from the 907 and 909 have put the a 910 in the bag.

 

Game changing in the same way the first adjustable hosel systems were, Titleist have also shown that they know how to introduce technology that makes a difference and we expect these to fly off the shelves.

 

 

Is Titleist plural?

 

No, Titleist is singular......as in the singularly greatest equipment line in golf!! :cheesy:

[gvogel]

[quote name='YevKasim' timestamp='1301321575' post='3095714']


Is Titleist plural?
[/quote]

It's an English/Canadian thing. They like to refer to companies as a sort of collective, rather than an entity.

I prefer the singular.

[PKMillerJr]

One superb review. Should I feel sorry that I just bought a TM R11? I hope not.

[Circle_P]

I'm wondering the same thing. I like the R11, even like the white but I'm having some buyer's remorse. My favorite driver ever is the 905R and the 910D3 reminds me of it the more I look at it. Wish I could sell my R11 with Oban now!

[PKMillerJr]

[quote name='Circle_P' timestamp='1303477733' post='3176119']
I'm wondering the same thing. I like the R11, even like the white but I'm having some buyer's remorse. My favorite driver ever is the 905R and the 910D3 reminds me of it the more I look at it. Wish I could sell my R11 with Oban now!
[/quote]


There is a review here elsewhere on here on the R11 I later read that the guy was saying he picked up either 5 more yards or 5 more miles an hour with the R11 over the Titleist.

[mlamar]

I've got my D3 Tuned In (Position: A-1; 0.5* Open; 9.5* with PX Shaft) ... AND WOW !!! ... I'm having looks at Par-5's in 2 now ... The ball just explodes off the face ... Oh - It's a beautiful thang !!!!

[NWS Alpine]

[quote name='mlamar' timestamp='1303489675' post='3176603']
I've got my D3 Tuned In (Position: A-1; 0.5* Open; 9.5* with PX Shaft) ... AND WOW !!! ... I'm having looks at Par-5's in 2 now ... The ball just explodes off the face ... Oh - It's a beautiful thang !!!!
[/quote]

I love how you have it "tuned in" on the stock setting. I play mine on either A1 or B2 depending on conditions. This driver kills anything else I have tried by far.

[NWS Alpine]

[quote name='PKMillerJr' timestamp='1303487313' post='3176520']
[quote name='Circle_P' timestamp='1303477733' post='3176119']
I'm wondering the same thing. I like the R11, even like the white but I'm having some buyer's remorse. My favorite driver ever is the 905R and the 910D3 reminds me of it the more I look at it. Wish I could sell my R11 with Oban now!
[/quote]


There is a review here elsewhere on here on the R11 I later read that the guy was saying he picked up either 5 more yards or 5 more miles an hour with the R11 over the Titleist.
[/quote]

I had a higher ball speed with the 910 vs the R11 but different shafts. The 910 and superfast 2.0 TP were much closer in ball speed. Again different shafts and lengths might affect but not much since I grip down and this was average ball speed.

[bphgolfman]

I've got a bit of buyers remorse. I didn't get "fitted" but have messed around enough to know what is about right. I got a shaft that I thought would be a lower launching shaft and after some experimentation I eventually had it on the lowest setting. Still too high and spinny. And so far not a ton of accuracy and distance. Though, there is a lot of forgiveness. I'm gonna go from a UST tour green 65 X to a aldila rip 70 S 1/2" tipped and hope and pray that will help a bit or else I'll have to sell the 9.5* and get the 8.5*. I wanna like this driver so bad, hope this change works.

Thing is, I may have sold one of the best combo's I've ever had (R9 460 w/ XS Fubuki 73) to get this one. The adjustability is one of the best I've tried though even though theres no effective MWT.

Oh, they shipped it with the 9 gram weight installed. Not much weight in the head even still, but it might make it higher on me and could be part of the problem. Should've gone with the D3 but thought I'd go and get the more accurate and forgiving one.

[Hellsing]

i'm being lazy by not reading the entire thread but, are the PX and RIP offered 'made for shafts.' Thanks.

[shane905]

No they are the real deal

[Hellsing]

thank you....

[Golfing_Lefty]

Awesome review, I went to a Titleist fitting day and hit both of these and I can say they are HOT.... seems like they go for miles with the stock made for Titleist shaft not even an exotic! I am easily 25yds longer than my TM R9 Super Tri (Fubuki 63g Tour)

Once again Great Review thanks for posting!

[dukeblue3233]

I'm hitting my 910 D2 about 15 yds farther than the 909, I love it...and the adjustability is great, my miss is usually left and I have it set at C-1 and it never even flirts with the left side. A+

[golfertmnbg]

"easier to hit straight and with a higher natural bullfight."

what is a natural bullfight!? haha

got my 910 D2 a while ago, love it! great review

[bloodredsun]

[quote name='golfertmnbg' timestamp='1303880033' post='3189267']
"easier to hit straight and with a higher natural bullfight."

what is a natural bullfight!? haha

got my 910 D2 a while ago, love it! great review
[/quote]
Simply what the ball flight is like when you have the ball in the standard position rather than back or forward in your stance. It's easy enough to manufacture a different ball flight when you play with the ball position but I find that my consistency goes out the window when I do.

[NP04]

[quote name='bloodredsun' timestamp='1303938184' post='3191170']
[quote name='golfertmnbg' timestamp='1303880033' post='3189267']
"easier to hit straight and with a higher natural bullfight."

what is a natural bullfight!? haha

got my 910 D2 a while ago, love it! great review
[/quote]
Simply what the ball flight is like when you have the ball in the standard position rather than back or forward in your stance. It's easy enough to manufacture a different ball flight when you play with the ball position but I find that my consistency goes out the window when I do.
[/quote]


I think he was latching on to the spelling - bUllfight, rather than bAllflight... But thanks for the tip on ball positioning

[StratPete]

Took my relatively new R11 10.5 stiff down to Golf Galaxy for a driver fitting the other day. We got data on my 10.5 R11, a 9 degree R11 and a 9.5 910 D2. Ended up leaving with a 910D2. Took my Ball Velocity up around 6MPH, launch angle went a bit high to 15 average from 11 with the R11, spin way down from 3500 to 2600 with a smash from 129 to 138 avg. The big change was the carry from 240 to 260. Dispersion went down on most shots but the R11 was straight for me. The 9.0 R11 numbers were better than the 10.5 in general butt spinning at 3300. Dispersion got bad for some reason too. My average swing speed is 107 with the R11's and 103 with the 910. I imagine that's due to the shorter club length. Can't wait to try it on the course.

[voip_man]

great review..

[HaggisPXG]

I have just had a fitting for the 910 range. I wanted the 910 D3 as I prefer the shape of the head, but to be honest 910 D2 was a better fit - I believe the same happened to Rory McIlroy so perhaps I am in good company!!. Anyway, I tried to 910D2 with aProject X shaft - the real deal and this makes it look a bargain compared to the R11 - doesnayone think this was an error by someone at Titleist??

as for the numbers, I had the Project X in a stiff, but my clubfitter suggested an R11 in the Blur as an X, mainly on the basis this would be softer than a "proper" X. In short, the Titleist had a slower ball speed, felt softer off the face, bit more spin, nice powerful flight, and i got it out there about 251 yards. as for the R11, the ball felt much faster off the face, ball flight was lower with less spin - again, got it out there about 250, just by a different method.

Overall, it would be the 910 for me, but it is a close fun thing - for me it came down to the slightly softer feel. I shall be having a more detaile fitting soon, just need to let my lessons settle in - someoe said these may help me get better faster than tring to buy a new game - crazy fool, what do they know!!!

[JB lefty]

I just ordered the 910 D2 with the Ahina shaft in x flex. I currently play a TM R9 with a Fubuki 73 in x flex. I am hoping this thing performs as well as it has been claimed to. Just waiting for Mr Fedex to deliver.

[cmayer]

I was chocked how easy the D3 was to hit. When i tried them for the first time i thought the D2 would be a lot easier to hit, but i was wrong. The D3 was so much better for me and i ended up ordering one with Project X 7C3 shaft, probably best choice i've done in a while. The R11 had no chance against this beast!

[JB lefty]

Love it.."The R11 had no chance against this beast" gold!!!

[harleygolfer43]

I love the D3 with the "made for" Ahina stiff, Mid launch and low spin. Now if it would just quit raining so I could actually get to use some of that roll after touchdown that would be great! Just as good if not better than the Ping G10 with actual Whiteboard 73 stiff I was hitting.

[jrr]

Simple review:
D3 spun 900 rpms less than the D2. D3 10.5 launched at 16.5 and 14.5 in a 9.5. Real test was gamer a SFTP with PX6C one bounce into the net at end of range, D3 9.5 with RIPs flew into net half way up. Lastly my target was a net pole which I never missed more than15 feet either way with D3 which was at least twice as accurate as the SFTP.

Being Italian it took me a while to make the buy decision or not. Next morning @820am it hit its first drive in the money game. Now off to find a putter that has the same impact and I will receive rather than give.

[iH83Putting]

Okay, I've been playing a 909D2 (8.5*, Stiff VooDoo) for the last two+ years and have been reading all the hype about the 910 since it came out late last year. I hit and ordered the 910D3 (9.5*, Rip60 Stiff) and the difference is night and day. The 909 is long but the 910 is crazy long and straight. Today was my first time on the course with the 910 D3 and all the guys I play with were super impressed with my new length and accuracy. I hit a demo R11 at my local club and it didn't even compare to the length and accuracy of the 910D3. All I can say is that I wish I had bought this last year. Awesome Club!

[EricCastelloGIL]

wow after looking for reviews for this driver all over the internet, This was by far the best...
I really like this drivers finish though its unbelivable...

[fatmouse]

I took a 910 d2 out for 18 holes with the made-for a'hina shaft. it's a pretty impressive driver, i think the best from titelist in awhile. and the stock shaft isn't too bad - usually they tend to be whippy and i hit high spinners with them, but it was actually a decent shaft.

this driver doesn't seem extremely long or hot but it's very forgiving with a nice sound to it. i don't think you can go wrong with this club.

[BigPete]

Hey "Bloodredsun" - it's Pete from the Bearwood Lakes Mizuno day - I've just got me one of these D2 9.5 PX 6.0 70g - this review helped tip the scales - thanks