Equipment

Why Justin Thomas put the new Titleist TSi3 driver in play this week

Published

6 years ago

Oct 17, 2020

If you follow the equipment news at all, it’s no secret that Titleist new TSi metal woods are now a hot ticket item. Beyond Titleist staff players, multiple noteworthy free agents have put it in play (Fleetwood, Fitzpatrick, Horschel—and even Justin Rose was seen testing this week at Shadow Creek).

Oddly enough this is the first we will be seeing Titleist’s main draw, Justin Thomas, put it in play in PGA Tour competition.

Thomas isn’t a player that dives too much into the nuance of his equipment. Rather, he leans on the likes of Titleist tour rep JJ VanWezenbeeck to get it just right. JT has been testing the new gear for a while now, and we wanted to know what that process was like and how he eventually landed on his new gamer.

WRX chatted with VanWezenbeeck and this is what he had to say.

WRX: In early testing, what benefits did JT find in the new TSi3 over his TS3?

JJ: JT, as with a number of our Tour Team members, is involved throughout the development process. They are so good that as we try for more distance and better performance, they can provide valuable data. You can also see the tour feedback in TSi shaping—with the beautiful shapes at address, they are very classic but confidence-inspiring. So, by the time we got the final product, JT had already seen and hit a few of the iterations over the last 27 months since we launched TS.

WRX: Any dramatic improvements in ball speed or launch conditions?

JJ: First hits for JT he noticed a ball speed jump, which for all players provides excitement. For a tour player, the next handful of hits is what really made him excited–consistent stable flight. When he would make a “bad” swing, he saw similar ball speeds, good direction, similar launch conditions. The MOI improvements really started to stand out the more shots he hit as we dialed in the driver and he kept commenting how stable the driver was. This was a consistent thread across tour players who were testing.

WRX: What were his reactions to the sound feel?

JJ: Sound and feel were also big standouts–he said it felt really good and liked the sound. Then he went to his older metals and realized how much he LOVED the new feel. Said he never would have called his old gamer bad feeling until he hit TSi–then he noticed how big an upgrade it was.

WRX: Diamana TB. Why that profile over ZF?

JJ: JT had a lot of success with BF before we switched to ZF which has also worked well so we never stray too far in profile. The spin reduction in TSi3 is great for a lot of players but for JT’s draw, we were looking to have a little more spin. The TB had a really good feel for JT but allowed just slightly more spin vs ZF which matched with TSi3 really well.

WRX: What are JT’s “have to’s” with a driver?

JJ: We normally look at 4 shots with JT.

“Stock” – which will be a mid to high launch, small cut. This shot needs to be very repeatable.

“Draw” – he will then make sure he can shape a shot on command right to left, high launch lower spin but can shape into specific fairways.

“Fairway finder” – very low cut, mid-spin, high speed – peak height near 70 to 80.

“Bomb” swing hard, swing up, go far – least important of the 4 but likes knowing he has when needed and TSi stability really shows off here where even at high speeds allows him to really control the flight across the face.

WRX: Will the 3-wood go in play?

JJ: JT currently isn’t in the 3-wood but is actively testing. Really a hard club for tour pros, and when we add ball speed to this club, sometimes it gets a little long for tour players depending on the course. He likes how it sets up, but with the complications of the schedule this year, we are being slow and methodical making sure his bag is dialed in for the remainder of the year.

Justin Thomas’ new drier specs

Driver: Titleist TSi3 (9 degrees; SureFit Hosel – B1, Surefit CG – T1)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana TB 60 TX (44 7/8″)

Grip: Tour Velvet Cord Logo Down

Equipment

Interesting clubs at top of bag – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

8 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, users are talking about top of bag setups that are non-traditional or thought-provoking in some way. Original poster @SuperSpurs106 inquired about other members who might use unorthodox set-ups to help with gapping issues or weak spots.

They wrote:

“I currently have a PING G430 driver, TM Qi35 3W and a TM Qi4D 7W. Driver and 7W are fine but can’t get on with my 3W and have always struggling with this club over the years. Thinking of adding a 2H which I know would look odd. Just wondering if anyone else had a weird set up at the top of their bag?”

Our members in the forum have offered up their thoughts and personal experiences with non-traditional top of bag set-ups, and their reasoning for thinking outside of the box to begin with. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

BowMain42: “Don’t worry about what “looks” odd. If the club does what you need it to do, it’s the right club.”
scooterhd2: “I cant hit 3 woods either. Thats why I roll with a unicorn XL Hibore 2 wood. 400 cc head at 16 degrees of loft and its just a monster 3 wood off the tee. Off the deck, we are playing the f6 baffler. 5 wood at 41.75 inches and its easy to control.”
phizzy30: “I had driver, 3 metal, 2/4 hybrid once upon a time as a higher ss player. 4 hybrid is gone and in place is a driving iron nowadays. I don’t think what you’re proposing is weird in anyway, however the yardage gap might be glaringly huge between driver and 2 hybrid. What is it about your 3 metal that has got you all messed up? You could always go 4 metal with shorter shaft and see if that works.”

Entire Thread: “Interesting clubs at top of bag”

If you aren’t a member, join us in the GolfWRX forums today!

Equipment

Members of the Mini Driver Club – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

8 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user has gone searching for fellow users of a mini driver. In a post, @TightFade asked for other mini driver users to chime in with their weapon of choice, the reason for employing a mini, and what club follows it in the bag.

@TightFade asked:

“What mini are you playing? What spot in the bag did it take over? What’s the next club after it? For me: Elyte mini 13.5. Replacing 3w. Next up club looks like it’ll be 5w.”

Our members in the forum have been sharing their own bag setups featuring the mini driver, and the various reasons they purchased one in the first place. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

RCGA: “Ping G430 Max 12* ‘Thriver.’ Next club is a 4w and 2i (I play a weird course).”
JMB3: “R7 at 12.75 with Diamana BB 63s. 3w replacement. Next Club: Elyte Ti 5w at 17*.”
ColdOkieGolf: “R7 15.5 turned down to 13.5 It replaces the 3w. I found it surprisingly easy to hit off the deck, and it’s very rare that I need or want to hit something beyond 250 from the fairway, so next club is my 7w.”
ChaosTheory: “I’m sub-90 MPH with driver. But I’m able to hit DOD. I have been wanting something like the R7 15.5, so I just ordered one. I have a spot in the bag so nothing has to go. But I could see it replacing my trusty 4 wood, which I never use for approach shots. Just tee shots and lay ups. If I drop the 4 wood, I will turn my 7 wood down to ~20 degrees and will have good gaps. I recently tried a thriver build: 12 degree driver turned to 14, with a heavier 44 inch shaft and added head weight. I hit it great. Very accurate and not overly high, but the problem was that it sometimes went as far as a typical drive. And that’s not what I needed. So I will probably turn the 15.5 up to 16.5 or even 17.5. It’s all theoretical at this point. ?”

Entire Thread: “Members of the Mini Driver Club…Check In.”

If you aren’t a member, join us in the GolfWRX forums today!

Whats in the Bag

Chris Gotterup WITB 2026 (June)

Published

8 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Chris Gotterup had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.

Drivers: TaylorMade Qi4D (8 degrees), Ping G440 LST (9 degrees @8), Ping G440 LST (7.5 degrees)
Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Grey 6.5 TX 70 g, Project X HZRDUS T1100 Handcrafted 6.5 TX 70 g, Project X HZRDUS Smoke Grey 6.5 TX 70 g