My new Titleist 905T Driver plays a starring role in my Burton golf bag. Okay, I love all of my Titleist golf clubs!In addition to my new set of Titleist 904F Fairway woods (you know, the woods I vowed never to part with) I also received a brand new Pro Titanium Titleist 905T driver. Ernie Els used to own it but he is now trying the Pro Titanium 905R 460cc prototype driver but with the same loft (9.5) as mine. At least his shaft is the same design as mine…the Titleist Speeder by Fujikura. But just look at that picture from Titleist. Please! I'm a leftie!!!
Since I never owned one of the newest and best drivers on the PGA Tour I decided to check out the Titleist website first and read the specs.
Then it was on to the range to see the difference between my no-name 330cc driver (which was put together for me by a local golf club maker) and the driver which Ben Crane uses on tour.
A brief rundown on my particular golf club. There are two Titleist drivers featured on the site, the Pro Titanium Titleist 905T driver and the new Titleist Pro Titanium 905S driver. I selected the 905T for the following reasons.
1. Both drivers are tour proven (see below for the PGA Tour players who use Titleist equipment) but the 905T is a "larger profile driver that provides an optimal combination of high launch, reduced spin and maximum ball speed for longer tee shots with a penetrating downrange trajectory". The 905S has a "flatter launch angle" which I didn't think was right for my game. I wanted a driver that was easy to hit and the 905T seemed like it was more for the average golfer than for Ernie Els.
2. The Titleist website also stated that "the aspiring player will benefit from the increased size and playability". I knew right away that this better suited my game. I had tried several drivers at the local golf store that were 460 cc but liked this club beacuse it was somewhere in between what I had and what I was trying at the golf store.
3. I liked the way the golf club was constructed. There is a "separate face, body and hosel construction" and a "CNC milled 6061 T-6 aluminum hosel tube with lightweight, structural aluminum". It's light and easy-to-hold. Swinging it seemed easy.
4. My 330cc driver had a launch angle of 12 degrees but I hit it really well so I decided to move to a 9.5 degree driver for some extra distance. The Titleist 905T driver has a 400cc head with a 45" shaft. I knew it was going to be totally different than what I was used to but decided to take it to my swing coach and let him analyze my swing and make suggestions. Always take a lesson. You will improve your ball-striking ability ten-fold! And remember that the month of May is Free Lesson Month…one of my favorite months!
Okay, enough of the specifics. You get the drift. It's a quality golf club and the latest equipment on tour. I just had to have it, but could it perform?
I headed out to the driving range and met with my swing coach Bob Moro, formerly head pro at Whipporwhill CC in Westchester County. He uses a swing camera to videotape the swing so you can see your faults and make corrections.
I couldn't understand how I wasn't hitting my new driver like the old one. After looking at the video I was relieved to see that the faults didn't lie in the new Titleist 905T driver but in my swing. WHEW! What a relief! I found my swing plane heading on an out-to-in path, a certain loss of power and a typical slice. The next step was to ask my coach how to fix the flaw. As I was practicing I noticed that I had chosen well because Bob also has a Titleist 983 driver in his bag as well as several woods, ahem, all Titleist.
At the end of our session Bob helped me to gain distance and power and this winter I will be trying to hit golf balls with my beautiful new Titleist 905T driver over the fence at the driving range (about 250 yards to the middle of the fence). I can try, can't I? Seriously, my average drives are about 225. ;-)
Conclusion: Thanks to Titleist for creating such a nicely weighted driver with a nice sized sweet spot for the slightly above average golfer.
Some Notable Tour Players Who Play
Ernie Els, Adam Scott, Davis Love III, Mark O'Meara, Ben Crane, Steve Elkington, Brad Faxon, Lucas Glover (nice ace, Lucas!), Jay Haas, Ryan Palmer and Bill Haas.
