EQUIPMENT
off-center shots. Along with improving ball speeds and spin, Titleist worked on creating the ideal launch angle by lowering the center of gravity and moving it farther from the hitting area -- the ARC system added mass to the front of the sole, making the CG shift necessary -- with the addition of a lightweight 8-1-1 titanium crown, internal pockets and toplines/leading edges that were tapered to save weight. The discretionary weight was then shifted to an internal weight pad in the back of the club head and an external weight in the sole that help give 915D2 and 915D3 a higher MOI and launch angle than its predecessor. Both drivers once again have Titleist’s 16-way adjustable SureFit Tour hosel that allows players to change the loft and lie angle independently of each other. Loft can be increased by 1.75 degrees and decreased by .75 degrees while the lie angle ranges from 1.5 degrees upright to .75 degrees flat. Titleist’s 915D2 comes in five lofts (7.5, 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 12 degrees). The 915D3 comes in four lofts (7.5, 8.5, 9.5 and 10.5 degrees). Both retail for HK$6,050 and come standard with Mitsubishi Diamana S+ Blue 70 (mid launch), Mitsubishi Diamana S+ Blue 60 (mid launch), and Mitsubishi Diamana M+ Red 50 (high launch) shafts. The 915 line also includes two fairway wood (915F and 915Fd) models. Titleist’s re-designed 915 fairway woods feature an ARC in the sole that runs from the heel to the toe – closer to the leading edge – that increases ball speed while also reducing spin. To increase ball speed even further, Titleist also added a Carpenter 455 face insert – the thinnest the company has used for a fairway wood. The 175cc 915F creates slightly more spin and a higher launch angle than the more workable 160cc 915Fd. To dial-in the swing weight, both clubs come with a weight in the sole that can be adjusted to a player’s swing and shaft preferences. Titleist’s 915F is available in five lofts (13.5, 15, 16.5, 18 and 21 degrees) while the 915Fd comes in two lofts (13.5 and 15 degrees). Both clubs retail for HK$3,640 and come standard with the Mitsubishi Diamana S+ Blue 70 (mid launch) Mitsubishi Diamana S+ Blue 60 (mid launch), and Mitsubishi Diamana M+ Red 60 (mid/high launch) shafts. Each fairway wood comes with the 16-way adjustable SureFit Tour hosel that allows players to change the loft and lie angle independently of each other. Loft can be increased by 1.75 degrees and decreased by .75 degrees while the lie angle ranges from 1.5 degrees upright to .75 degrees flat. The 915 line of hybrids (915H and 915H.d) includes Titleist’s ARC in the sole that boosts ball speeds across the entire face while also lowering spin. While lowering spin was important in the driver and fairway wood, Titleist recognized during testing that it didn’t want to dial back the spin characteristics as much in the hybrid. Titleist 118cc 915H generates slightly more spin and a higher launch angle than the 107cc 915Hd. Both hybrids have a highstrength Carpenter 455 steel face insert that’s designed to deliver increased ball speeds. The hybrids also come with Titleist’s 16-way adjustable SureFit Tour hosel that allows players to change the loft and lie angle independently of each other. Titleist 915H is available in four lofts (18, 21, 24 and 27 degrees) while the lower spin 915Hd comes in three loft options (17.5, 20.5 and 23.5 degrees). Both retail for HK$3,360 and come standard with Mitsubishi Diamana S+ Blue 70 (mid launch) and Mitsubishi Diamana M+ Red 60 (high launch) shafts.
New
Year,
New Gear The new 915 line from Titleist – which includes drivers, fairway woods and hybrids – has been built for distance without compromise. Titleist’s 915 driver was in Geoff Ogilvy’s bag during his victory at the 2014 Barracuda Championship. After putting the clubs through an extensive tour seeding and performance validation process, Titleist officially announced the arrival of its 915 drivers, fairway woods and hybrids in Hong Kong at the back end of 2014. Titleist’s 915 line of drivers comes in two models -- 915D2 and 915D3 (Ogilvy himself used a prototype model). The 915D2 is a 460cc pear-shaped head that’s slightly forgiving and has more draw bias than 915D3; it also spins about 250 rpm more than the 915D3. The 440cc 915D3 has a deeper, pear-shaped face that was designed for players who prefer to work the ball both ways and does not have a draw bias like the 915D2. The big story with both drivers is the addition of Titleist’s Active Recoil Channel (ARC) to the bottom of the sole. The channel runs from the heel to the toe of the head -- just behind the leading edge – allowing the top and bottom of the face to deflect, increasing ball speeds across the entire face and reducing spin. When Titleist initially unveiled the ARC system in both drivers, it actually worked too well, pushing the Characteristic Time -- also know as CT, the term the USGA uses to describe a club’s spring-like effect – beyond the USGA’s legal limit. To slow down the speed in the center of the face, Titleist added a “Radial Speed Face,” that includes a 6-4 titanium variable face thickness insert that’s thicker in the middle and thinner in the heel and toe section to maximize ball speeds on 56
HK GOLFER・JAN 2015
HKGOLFER.COM
HKGOLFER.COM
HK GOLFER・JAN 2015
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