Engineered to be longer and more forgiving than a fairway metal yet easier to control and more workable than a driver, Titleist’s new GT280 mini driver offers a unique option off the tee or off the deck in the GT metalwood family.
The GT280 mini driver ($499) is designed for distance and control off the tee as well as playability from the turf, leveraging the technology from both Titleist’s GT driver and fairway lineups. The 13-degree tweener club offers more distance and forgiveness than a traditional 3-wood. Its 280cc head volume is smaller than some other mini drivers with a deeper profile than even plus-size fairway woods.
“GT280 is a completely new offering that was born from golfer feedback,” said Josh Talge, Titleist’s vice president of golf club marketing. “We heard from more and more players who were looking for a club that gapped between their driver and 3-wood. For some, this club is for tee shots only. Others need to be able to hit this club off the turf. GT280 is designed to perform exceptionally under both conditions.”
Titleist began seeding the PGA Tour in January at Kapalua with its new GT280, the result of collaborative testing with the TSR 2W prototype which debuted at the 2024 Players Championship in the bag of Cameron Young. The GT280 has two movable weights on the front and rear of the club, similar to the GT4 driver, which help fine tune the center of gravity for individual performance.
“What we saw with our tour players, some were only looking for performance off the tee – this is like a second driver to them,” said Tom Bennett, principal product manager for Titleist metalwood R&D. “Other ones were really interested in performance off the turf. So having these two CG options to adjust is going to be very valuable in both tour and amateur fittings depending on player needs.”
GT280 features the same seamless crown made from the same proprietary matrix polymer that composes the crowns of GT drivers. The Titleist SureFit hosel system allows for loft adjustment range from 12.25 to 14.5 degrees. The forged L-Cup face has a full horizontal groove pattern similar to fairway metals and helps maximize performance on strikes low on the face.
PHOTOS COURTESY TITLEIST