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Titleist officials say that some 30 percent of golfers fall in the category of a moderate (less than 90 mph) swing-speed player. So, it makes sense for them to add a line of metals made specifically for those golfers. Called the TSi1, it features drivers, fairway metals and hybrids.
While the TSi1 driver boasts a 460cc head, the club itself is 40 percent lighter than a standard driver. And by reshaping the head, engineers moved the center of gravity closer to the face center, which results in more ball speed. That CG positioning also makes this high-launch, mid-spin stick the most draw-biased driver Titleist offers.
“It’s important that we look at the overall weight of the driver,” said Josh Talge, vice president for golf club marketing. “For this audience, they’re going to perform better with a lighter overall club weight. Secondly, the TSi1 has all the attributes of the TSi2 and TSi3 in terms of material, aerodynamics and all of the CG locations. But we’re doing it with a lighter-weight head. The combination really gives that total performance to the player for whom it was developed.”
As for the TSi1 fairway metals, they are almost 50 grams lighter than standard fairway metals, something that was accomplished in part by taking weight out of the head while maintaining the moment of inertia at the same level of the TSi2 fairways. CG depth also was pushed back further to encourage a higher launch. And by lightening the overall heft, that makes it easier for players to produce greater ball speeds.
Then, there are the hybrids, which are larger profile, “wood-type” clubs also built to be high-launch and mid-spin. They possess a bigger sole and an extremely high MOI, for enhanced forgiveness, and are light, too.
To be sure, the extra distance that comes from these lighter-weight clubs is quite important. “But what separates TSi1 from other competitive lightweight metals is that we haven’t had to make sacrifices, particularly with MOI and adjustability,” said Stephanie Luttrell, Titleist’s director of metalwood development.