Titanium vs Steel Fairway Woods

[lidomkj]

Titanium vs Steel Fairway Woods....what is the real difference between these two metals in a fairway wood head?

 

I have a Taylor Made R580 titanium fairway wood and I am looking into getting something new. I like a couple of the steel fairway woods, but have not really played with any except a couple hits into the net. I am just curious what I should expect. Difference in distance, feel, playability, etc.

 

Any input would be appreciated.

[ifixclubs]

the titanium heads will offer more forgiveness and extra yardage in exchange for steels consistency and control...it really just depends on what your preference and handicap is...do you want control and consistency in yardage? then get steel. if you want extra yardage and more forgiveness on miss hits then get titanium...also the titanium head will go higher because of its higher cor versus a steel head with the same loft...

[dfung]

Titanium is much lighter which allows for a much larger head than with steel for the same overall weight. A larger head can have a larger face which will be more forgiving. Also, a lighter head material allows for more discretionary placement of the weight that you do have, which can increase moment of inertia, again for more forgiveness.

 

The problem with a titanium fairway wood is that a larger head isn't necessarily a plus when you're hitting the ball off the turf. With a driver, you can make a gigantic face with the sweet spot 3" above the ground since the ball is on a tee. You can't do that with a fairway wood, even with the additional loft. With the driver, you can maximize the COR/trampoline effect by putting the sweet spot in the middle of the face, but with a fairway, you won't get as much rebound because you can't have the big face area.

 

I also have a R580 3-wood and it's just awesome off the tee (so much easier to hit straight than my driver it's often worth the distance loss). It's not bad off the turf, but not as sure as the Sonartec or Nike T60 steel 3-woods which are really more designed for this.

[JSC]

I owned the original steel Cleveland Launcher 5W, which I hit fairly well and liked very much. Thinking that the Ti version would be even better, I picked one up and sold the steel version. Unfortunately, I haven't been hitting the new club as well.

 

Possibly because of what dfung has mentioned, I am a lot less consistent with the Launcher Ti. My typical trajectory off the turf with the Ti version is lower (not as nice as before) and I don't seem to strike the ball as well. Also, I learned after the fact that the Ti Launcher comes with a slightly longer shaft than the steel model. This may also contribute to decreased consistency.

 

Coincidentally, I also have a R580 7W in the bag, which I have been using much more frequently because I have lost confidence in the Launcher Ti. On shots that usually require my 5W, I've been leaning towards hitting an easy 7W, leaving a short pitch, rather than pulling out the Cleveland.

 

Of course YMMV, so try before you buy!

[daoldguy]

As my handle implies, I have been around a while. Going back to the Cally GBB Ti fairway woods, I believe that Ti is longer than steel due to lighter material and internal weight distribution allowing more foregiving.

 

My current gamers are a Cleveland Launcher Ti 15* and a Nike T60 15* (steel) both of which are long and accurate. I would give the Cleveland a small edge on really tight lies, it is simply easier to elevate, but that may be a function of design more that material.

 

I use 3 wood from the tee freguently on tight holes and both are long and accurate. For that reason I prefer a taller face than many of the current crop of shallow designs. Both the Cleveland and the Nike consistently give me shots in the 250 range fron the tee. I see no downside to Ti, except cost.

[dfung]

 

Possibly because of what dfung has mentioned, I am a lot less consistent with the Launcher Ti. My typical trajectory off the turf with the Ti version is lower (not as nice as before) and I don't seem to strike the ball as well. Also, I learned after the fact that the Ti Launcher comes with a slightly longer shaft than the steel model. This may also contribute to decreased consistency.

 

Since titanium is lighter than steel, the club designer can make a bigger head of the same weight (which is how drivers have gotten so big now), a lighter head of the same size, or a mix in-between. If the weight of the clubhead is lower, then the swingweight will be lower. Lengthening the shaft will restore the original swingweight and feel and theoretically benefits you with higher clubhead speed as well. That's good in theory, but the longer shaft is less precise in the hands of most people and you often end up losing more in distance and aim than you might gain from the longer shaft.

 

I hadn't really thought about it, but I know that the shaft of my (titanium) TM R580 3-wood is definitely longer than the shaft on my (steel) Nike T-60 3-wood. I can hit the R580 farther off a tee, but the T-60 is better from the fairway.

 

If you like to tweak a bit, you can probably get the best of both worlds. Find a clubmaker that you like and have him cut the shaft of the Launcher Ti down to the length of your old Launcher steel, then add lead powder in the shaft to get you back to the proper swingweight. Now, you'll gain back the confidence of the shorter shaft, maintain the feel as you swing, and still benefit from the more forgiving clubhead. The only problem with doing this is that if the shape of the Ti head doesn't work as well for you that will be hard to do anything about.