Spin low, buzz strong for new Titleist 915s

The impending introduction of the Titleist 915 drivers, fairway woods and hybrids is generating more buzz than normal, and with good reason, according to Oklahoma Titleist rep Pat Moriarty.

"The consumers are pumped about it," Moriarty said today. "The ones who read the blogs and are into technology are really excited."

Convincing golf pros to get excited about a new club release at the tail end of a long season is more difficult, but Moriarty said after having many of them test the club at recent fitting days in Tulsa and Oklahoma City that the reaction has been striking.

"You tell them the driver is better and they’re like ‘yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever,’ " Moriarty said. "When they got to hit it, that’s when it opened their eyes. Now they’re saying that yes, it really works. They’re seeing all the tour players who are hitting it.

"This should be our most successful driver launch of any in recent years."

Pat McCrate, director of golf at LaFortune Park in Tulsa, said he’s already tried the club on the range and found it performed very well.

"I think this is going to be big for them (Titleist)," McCrate said.

Golf courses that do club fitting should have the drivers, fairway woods and irons for fittings by the end of October. Retail versions should be in shops by Nov. 14.

Titleist engineers have added a patented "Active Recoil Channel" to promote lower spin and higher speed resulting in more distance, particularly on off center hits. Moriarty said the clubs will offer more distance to not only players with high swing speeds, but average golfers as well.

"We’re right in the middle of the high MOI (moment of inertia) clubs," Moriarty said. "We still offer enough backspin to get the ball off the ground. Some clubs have such a low spin rate you can’t get the ball in the air."

From the company, below are some of features of the 915 series.

The improved performance of Titleist 915 drivers, underlining the Titleist Golf Club R&D team’s driver design strategy of "distance and forgiveness," is the result of three key advancements:

> The proprietary Active Recoil Channel, a long, wide and deep sole channel that actively flexes at impact and recoils to launch the ball off the face with higher speed and lower spin;

> Radial Speed Face, a high-speed forged face insert with a radially thinner perimeter in the heel and toe, which works with the Active Recoil Channel to increase ball speed on off-center hits; and

> A precise, high-MOI design with a low and deep center of gravity location that delivers stability and forgiveness by preserving off-center ball speed for more distance, more often.

Those technologies, combined with the fitting precision of Titleist’s industry-leading SureFit Tour hosel and tour-validated looks, sound and feel, make for the most complete, consistent driver performance in the game.

"The new 915 drivers are a game-changer for us," said Dan Stone, Vice President of Research and Development, Titleist Golf Clubs. "We’ve increased speed and lowered spin without sacrificing MOI or forgiveness – and we’re the first to get that combination right.

"The Active Recoil Channel is a major technical leap in the area of spin reduction. In player testing, we’ve seen significant distance gains, up to 15 yards for players who need spin control.

Regarding the fairway woods and hybrids, Titleist is again touting the recoil channel.

"The new 915 fairways and hybrids really bring us to another level from a distance perspective," Stone said. "The combination of the Active Recoil Channel and Ultra Thin Face is powerful in creating more speed with spin reduction for maximum distance. And with our high-MOI design strategy we’re able to provide golfers with the best combination of distance and forgiveness."

Titleist R&D designed 915 fairways and hybrids to maximize their low-spin, high-speed potential, with the SureFit Tour weight placed in a low, central position behind the Active Recoil Channel on each model to help create ideal CG properties. Golfers can select their models – 915F or 915Fd, 915H or 915 Hd – based on head shape, forgiveness or ball flight. 915F and 915H feature larger profiles for all-around performance with maximum forgiveness; 915Fd and 915Hd offer smaller head shapes for workability and forgiveness, with slightly lower launch and spin and therefore lower flight than F and H.

The first week they were available on the PGA Tour, 15 new 915 fairway metals and nine new 915 hybrids were put in play at the World Golf Championships event at Firestone. The following week at the PGA Championship, there were 29 new 915 fairways and 13 new 915 hybrids in players’ bags, including Jordan Spieth, Bill Haas, Victor Dubuisson, Jason Dufner and Webb Simpson.