Review: Titleist 915 D3 Driver

Titleist's Best Driver Yet
Titleist doesn’t rush drivers to the market, but has a calculated plan to introduce a better driver every 2 years, they spend that time making improvements over the previous model.  For me it starting back with the 910 drivers, when they added one of the best adjustable hosel systems on the market.  Then they made some minor tweaks for the 913 series, and now they made a big change for the 915 series.  The ActiveRecoil Channel is a form of slot technology similar to what we’ve seen from other companies.  It creates more forgiveness for the face, which translates into better overall drives.   This really it Titleist’s best driver yet.
The ActiveRecoil Channel is the real buzz point of this driver.  It isn’t going to suddenly turn the face into some crazy trampoline and rocket drives 400 yards down the fairway, but it does create more consistency and a bigger sweet-spot, especially for low on the face hits.  I found it to be more forgiving that the 913 D3 driver, essentially it makes the D3 more like the D2 model in terms of forgiveness.  The D3 is still going to be for the better players, but an improvement in forgiveness is welcomed by all.
 

I was fit again for this driver by my local rep, and we found that the 8.5 head is still ideal from a spin standpoint and I can still achieve plenty of lift off the tee so there was no need to go higher.  I started with the X-flex Aldila Rogue for a demo round and learned that it was too much for me, everything when right.  I went with the S-flex Aldila Rogue on the driver I ordered and it turned out to be a great fit.  This shaft has been getting lots of tour buzz with all of the wins and rightly so.  It is a great feeling shaft, with tight dispersion and excellent low spin rates.

The hosel settings are adjustable but I basically went with standard position which is the same settings I had for the 913 D3 (A-1).  It looks good at address in this setting and hits the ball the straightest for me.  I’d rather not manipulate the face angles and stuff too much because it throws off my alignment at address.

I only got 1 round in with this club in MN because the snow came early this year, but I did get it in play on my trip to Hawaii.  Even though I was rusty from lack of play, I hit this driver great right out of the gates.  I averaged 10 out of the 14 fairways over the course of 4 rounds .  I felt like I had good control of this driver.  It isn’t a forgiveness machine by any means, but if you have a halfway decent driving game, you will like this driver.

Another big improvement is the spin.  It was significantly dropped from previous models.  I couldn’t really even get the 913 D3 spin low enough for an ideal fit, but with the Titleist 915 D3 I ended up some excellent low spin numbers yet more accuracy with the ActiveRecoil Channel and higher MOI with the rear head weight.
 

 
FlightScope Results
Total Distance: 267.5 yards
Carry Distance: 250.1 yards
Ball Speed: 101.1 mph
Clubhead Speed: 149.1 mph
Spin: 1992 rpms
Launch Angle: 15.4*
Dispersion: 9.8 yards

Titleist kept many of the qualities that golfer like in their drivers; classic pear shape, all black, solid sound and feel and the same adjustable hosel system.  But they added some big changes like the ActiveRecoil Channel, sliding more weight forward and making it spin less yet be more forgiving.  If you already play a Titleist Driver there is reason to upgrade.  If you haven’t played a Titleist driver yet, give this one or the TS3 Driver a serious look and get fit.  It really is Titleist’s Best Driver Yet.

For more information: www.titleist.com

Quick Hits
+Improved Forgiveness
+Lower Spin
+Same “Titleist” sound
+Good traditional looks
+Excellent stock shaft

–For the mid to low handicap golfer.