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The most iconic Titleist drivers of all time

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With the new TSi Series Titleist drivers on the horizon, there is no better time than now to take a look back at the history of the company’s metal woods and discuss their most iconic drivers to date.

Only time will tell if the newest drivers will earn a spot, but if everything we are hearing about the TSi drivers stands true, we could be adding to this list very soon.

Titleist 975D – 1998

The 975D was the very first “serious golfer” titanium driver. It was made famous thanks to Tiger Woods using one in 2000 to win the “Tiger Slam”, and David Duval, who is famous for being one of the few golfers to ever take away the world number 1 ranking from Mr. Woods in his prime.

It was a small pear-shaped head with a bore through hosel and full-face scoring lines that packed a real “thud” at impact. If you were a “player,” you probably used this driver!

Titleist 975J – 2001

 

The 975J’s release coincided with one of the most important equipment releases of the last 25 years—the original Titleist ProV1, which worked in conjunction to help golfers pick up a lot of yardage with the high-launch, low-spin revolution. Although the 975J was quickly surpassed a few years later by the 983K, it was the 975J that changed a lot of golfers’ perception about Titleist woods—and how could we forget the historically cool headcover!

One more note on the succeeding 983K. Its 2003 release also came alongside the original Pro V1x, which helped Ernie Els tame a windy Kapalua for an eight-shot victory at the 2003 Tournament of Champions. Golf hasn’t been the same since.

Titleist 905R – 2006

This was Titleist’s very first 460cc driver and was so good Adam Scott used the same model for well over six years. It offered a familiar pear shape, but in the biggest head size possible.

The 905R came shortly after the original 905 series drivers were released, which included the 400cc 905S and 905T models. The “S” was the deeper face lower spinning head (my personal favorite), while the “T” was the next evolution of the 983K. Both were popular, but with almost all other equipment companies at the time touting 460cc heads, Titleist had to keep up, and that’s where the 905R came in.

Speaking to “next evolution” products, one of the stock shafts in the 905R was the UST ProForce V2, and when it comes to cult driver head and shaft combinations, this one is a first ballot hall of famer.

Titleist 910D3 – 2010

After the 905 series, Titleist released some good-but-not-great drivers with the 907 and 909 series respectively (funny thing is, the 907’s can’t even be found on Titleist’s previous model archive). If there was one standout from that time it would be the 909D-Comp (for composite), which was the first Titleist driver to utilize a carbon composite crown. It was Titleist’s first real attempt at a more game-improvement driver, and for those that got fit into a 909D-Comp, it was a pretty good head, but what came next was the real revolution.

The Titleist 910 series—specifically the 910D3—ushered in the next generation of low spin adjustability. It was the first driver with hosel lie and loft adjustability, and it was also the first in the entire industry to offer independent control of both parameters. Although the adapter has been refined to save weight, the adjustments themselves have remained unchanged, which I believe proves just how revolutionary it was at the time.

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Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

20 Comments

20 Comments

  1. Matt

    Oct 4, 2020 at 7:10 pm

    This is great content. Brings me back to all those legendary Titleist drivers over the years!

  2. duh

    Oct 3, 2020 at 10:31 am

    983 line more iconic than all apart from the 975D

  3. bradley v adams

    Oct 3, 2020 at 9:20 am

    It’s INSANE that Terry McCabe is not mentioned…..inconceivable and yes that word means what I think it does.

  4. Bruce

    Oct 2, 2020 at 3:57 pm

    983k needs to be on this list for sure! Still in my bag

  5. Bob Jones

    Oct 2, 2020 at 2:08 pm

    I still play my 975D.

  6. T

    Oct 2, 2020 at 12:38 pm

    Where is the 983K ???? That’s like leaving Larry Bird off the list of all time great Celtics.

  7. Bob Castelline

    Oct 2, 2020 at 11:35 am

    Where are the persimmon drivers? I used to have the most gorgeous amber Titleist driver that I could work either direction and sounded like a golf club was meant to sound. I loved that club almost as much as my own children.

  8. Mike Purcell

    Oct 2, 2020 at 11:25 am

    My wife still games my old 983K. We go to a demo day every now and then, she hits em all and says
    “nope, they can’t beat mine, I’m good.”

  9. Bri

    Oct 2, 2020 at 11:09 am

    Titleist PT? Hello…

  10. Golfinnut

    Oct 2, 2020 at 11:07 am

    What’s ridiculous is that I still have every one of these models mentioned in my bags. I just used the 905R this past weekend & realized why I had it in the bag … it was an awesome fairway finder!

  11. Paul Runyan

    Oct 2, 2020 at 10:41 am

    Love to see TXG’s Ian and Matty test the 905R against the new offerings from Titleist!

    Just mentioned in a discussion that at 70, yikes!, that I’m longer with the Mizuno ST 900G and Pro V1/B XS vs the 905R with the Professional Titleist wound and/or the first iteration of the Pro V1.

    I’m sure Mr Wunder can’t say that… ???? Tipped Ventus X … really?

    Something to do during the off season.

    • Anti-Old Cranky Rickheads

      Oct 5, 2020 at 12:37 pm

      We understand that you’re an old crusty curmudgeon that hates technology. Now I challenge you to have an even more outdated opinion.

  12. Ken

    Oct 2, 2020 at 10:40 am

    Still have my 905R and my 910D3 in my back-up bag

  13. Jbone

    Oct 2, 2020 at 10:29 am

    Graffaloy Blue >>> V2

    Still game the 905s with the blue

    • T.D.

      Oct 2, 2020 at 11:25 am

      This!! The Grafally blue X STILL stands up against today’s shafts, I don’t care what anybody says.
      Sadly, I just had to pull the blue out of my 905R this week and put it in my TS3. That combo was so good, but TS3 is just a longer driver and I’m sure I’ll have this combo in the bag for a long time.

      • Paulo

        Oct 3, 2020 at 9:59 am

        Shafts degrade after time. Be careful , it’s likely going to show noticeable performance issues if it’s been used too much. This is why stepson bought them wherever he could find them.

  14. Peter Uihlein

    Oct 2, 2020 at 9:34 am

    You left off the 983K which is arguably #1

  15. Jason Geraci

    Oct 2, 2020 at 9:18 am

    The 975 is the first club that Bob Vokey worked on after coming over to Titleist from Founder’s Club.

    I still don’t think that the TS line gets enough credit. It was the bridge to TSi and they are still winning in my fitting bay.

    • golfraven

      Oct 3, 2020 at 10:51 am

      I fully agre. I would add the TS to the mix as it was an evolution from the 91x models. I’ll keep my TS3 in the bag for the sake of the triangle alignment which got dropped with the TSi – I personally think its a bummer but hey what do I know.

      • Paulo

        Oct 3, 2020 at 2:31 pm

        In the eyes of the multi million dollar achusnet company and in particular their marketing and multi million dollar RnD departments , you sir, no precisely f all

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Product Reviews

UST Mamiya Dart V iron shaft review – Club Junkie Reviews

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Recently, graphite iron shafts have grown in popularity as technology has taken giant leaps forward. The old thoughts of graphite being too soft, too high launching, or too inconsistent have gone by the wayside. This new batch of graphite iron shafts has been played by all levels of golfers, from players who do need help with launch and spin to professionals who are looking for added control.

Today, we’re taking a look at one of these “new graphite iron shafts.” UST Mamiya Dart V irons shafts come out of the company’s TSPX Lab that creates the most cutting-edge designs and uses the latest materials.

Check out the full review on YouTube below or on any podcast platform.

UST Mamiya’s Dart V shafts are designed around Dual Action Recoil Technology that makes sure the entire shaft flexes consistently for much tighter shot dispersion. The Dart V shafts are offered in 90, 105, and 120-gram weight options to fit a wide range of golfers. UST Mamiya also has very tight tolerances and quality control to ensure that every shaft is the same in the set. Utilizing Torray M40X carbon fiber gives the engineers a material that is 30% better tensile strength and gives the shafts better feel with less harsh vibration.

I went with the Dart V 105 F4 (stiff) shafts as I have found more success with lighter shafts as I have gotten older. Building these shafts up with a set of Vega Mizar Tour heads was very easy and didn’t take a lot of tip weights. I think the 7-iron needed a small 2g tip weight and the rest were installed without any weight at my desired D1 swing weight at standard length with standard size grips.

Out on the course, the first thing I noticed was how tight the Dart V 105 feels. Every swing feels like the shaft is under complete control, no matter if you take a partial or went after it. Stout is a great term for the shafts as they definitely play true to flex, but they aren’t harsh feeling. While the Dart V plays stiff, it still does a good job of reducing vibration and keeping joints or injured body parts free from additional shock.

You can feel the shaft load during the transition to the downswing, but it has a stiffer feel of less flex than some other graphite shafts. Some players like this boardier feel and will get it with the Dart V. Feel at impact is similar to the loading where you are going to feel some kick at the bottom of the swing, but it won’t be as aggressive as other shafts. On center strikes the Dart V offers a very solid feel with great, soft feedback. When you mishit shots with these shafts you get immediate feedback with some additional vibration that feel players will really like. The mishits aren’t too harsh on the hands but still let the head give you the louder click that your ears will want.

Ball flight for me was lower than I expected with UST Mamiya listing the shaft as more mid-launch. I would consider my launch with the Dart V mid-low launch with a more penetrating flight. Better players will like the ability to flight shots, with any club, higher or lower in order to get the ball close to the hole. The penetrating flight helps in windy conditions as it offers a stable trajectory that doesn’t waver from your aiming point.

Shots that you mishit off the toe or heel go pretty straight and you don’t see big curvature that causes you to really miss the green. Most of those misses come off the face fairly straight and leave you with a fairly easy chip or pitch shot to the green. Distance control is consistent and repeatable as I found on the range that well-struck shots have a very tight carry distance window and I have yet to see some wildly long or short shots show up.

Overall, the UST Mamiya Dart V iron shafts are solid options for players who are very particular about performance. Like other shafts among the new breed of graphite iron shafts, the Dart V delivers the type of shots you need when you need them.

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Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/8/24): Scotty Cameron Art of Putting Laguna putter

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Scotty Cameron Art of Putting Laguna putter.

From the seller: (@kcsf): “Scotty Cameron Art of Putting Laguna. -I will regret this one selling for sure. It does have one small nick on the face near the toe as shown, otherwise in amazing new condition.  -BOS reconditioned and received last month. Oil can finish as done new by BOS when this putter was released many moons ago. -Head cover is authentic SC and shows age. Velcro is worthless of course, but does stay closed.  -Length is 34.25 inches, original shaft. -Grip is old and needs replacing. I can have my pro do it prior to shipping at an additional cost of the grip only. -$475.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Scotty Cameron Art of Putting Laguna putter

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Mitsubishi Diamana WB: What you need to know + club build, on-course testing

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GolfWRX’s Resident Club Junkie, Brian Knudson, was naturally excited to get his hands on Mitsubishi’s new Diamana WB shaft.

In this video, BK gives you a brief overview of the new WB, builds up a driver, and takes it to the course for some testing.

With the rebirth of the iconic Whiteboard profile, Mitsubishi didn’t just re-issue a classic, but rather infused all the company’s latest tech into a new shaft, paying homage to the original with its quintessentially Hawaiian-inspired stylings. A summary of that impressive roster of technology, below.

  • 80-ton Dialead pitch fiber: Positioned in the handle, Dialead is designed to deliver greater ball speed via better energy transfer.
  • Aerospace-grade MR70 carbon fiber adds additional strength, and 46-ton fiber in angle plies in the tip section reduce torque for tighter shot dispersion.
  • Consistent Feel Design: Engineers target minimal variance across shafts (butt OD, weight, and balance point) to make the fitting process easier.
  • Xlink Tech Resin System: Engineers continue to reduce resin content and increase carbon fiber volume for greater feel without sacrificing strength and durability.
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