Titleist has officially introduced their 917 metalwoods today – we’ve seen prototypes of the 917 driver in June as well as the official Tour Launch in August. In this feature, we’ll get into the details and specifications of their new clubs. The Titleist 917 drivers and fairways have been designed to deliver the most complete performance in the game today, providing increased speed for more distance, even on off-center hits, along with the capability for precise adjustability so every player can get the most out of every shot.
After more than three years of designing, developing and enhancing technologies, the Titleist golf club R&D team made the trip to Congressional Country Club in late June to test the Titleist 917 prototype drivers with some of the world’s best golfers on the PGA TOUR. Player testing is an essential step in the product development process as the feedback received along the way helps the team evolve the product along every step of the prototype phase. Ultimately, this ensures that before any club hits the shelves the very best golfers have validated its performance.
The key feature in the Titleist 917 drivers and fairways is a weight cylinder that can be oriented in the sole to alter the center of gravity and affect trajectory, direction and how a player squares the face at impact, similar to the Titleist C16 driver. The SureFit CG is Titleist’s unique take on movable weight technology based on the experience of Titleist’s research and development team with its extensive tour staff.
“We discovered that about 30 percent of our tour players were customizing the center of gravity location by using a light flat weight and using hot melt,” said Stephanie Luttrell, director of Titleist metalwood development. “If 30 percent of the world’s best players are needing help in terms of manipulating the center of gravity to get their face to square up appropriately for them, then there’s a huge potential for the golfing public.”
The weight system features both a neutral weight and a draw-fade weight that is heavier on one end. It is positioned at an angle in the sole to promote better spin consistency for the draw and fade positions, encouraging a little more spin in the draw setting, while minimizing spin in the fade setting. It’s all part of a measured approach to the idea of adjustable weight so that the system doesn’t negatively affect the clubhead’s moment of inertia, or off-center hit stability.
The 917 drivers, the 917D2 and 917D3, feature several upgrades from the 915 drivers. Most notable are refinements to the channel at the front part of the sole to improve flexibility in the lower half of the face and also reduce spin. The channel has been selectively thinned in the heel and toe section compared to the 915’s constant thickness. Also enhanced is the 917 drivers’ face insert. The variable thickness face features eight distinct areas around the center section. Each section is designed with a constant thickness that varies from section to section and is consistently thinner in the top and bottom of the face than they were on the 915 drivers.
Like all previous models, the 917D2 is a 460CC model with a deeper center of gravity, a higher MOI and a higher flight than the 440CC, lower spinning 917D3. The 917D2 is full pear shape, while the 917D3 is a tour-inspired more compact pear shape. The 917D2 is offered in 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 12 degrees, while the 917D3 will come in 8.5, 9.5 and 10.5 degrees. The retail price will be USD $500 and be available in stores October 21.
The Titleist 917 fairways feature a more dramatic tweak to the sole channel seen on the 915 fairways. In order to increase face flexibility, the channel is open into the head and is filled with an elastomer insert that features a concave depression to provide more give at impact and thus more ball speed potential. The fairways also incorporate a variable face thickness design to improve off-center hit ball speed.
The 917F2 features a larger profile for more forgiveness, while the 917F3 is a more compact design with a deeper face and less spin. The 917D2 is offered in 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 12 degrees, while the 917D3 will come in 8.5, 9.5 and 10.5 degrees. The retail price will be USD $500. The 917F2 fairway wood is offered in 13.5-, 15-, 16.5-, 18- and 21-degree lofts, while the 917F3 is offered at 13.5 and 15 degrees. The retail price will be USD $320.
Source: Titleist
