Titleist 915 Drivers
The 915 line is a line of new drivers, made by Titleist, set to release November 14, 2014 for the general public. The line comes in two models and introduces some new changes to the previous 913 design. In addition to being able to tweak the driver head, Titleist also pairs with Diamana and Aldila shafts, which provide many options for further customization.
Video 915 line
Design
Titleist releases a new line of driver every other year, the last line being the 913 set. Much like the previous 913 line, the D2 comes in a 460 cubic centimeter head and the D3 comes in a 440 cc head. The clubs still have the same visual look from above as its older models, but went through some radical changes regarding the bottom of the club over the last two years. This is mainly in regards to the "Active Recoil Channel" that was added just behind the face of the club. The face of the club also went through some small changes.
Active Recoil Channel
The Active Recoil Channel (ARC) is a fairly long, deep channel that runs along the bottom of the head right behind the face. The idea behind the design is that when the ball impacts with the face, the channel will "actively" flex and compress which will lead to lower spin off the face and higher ball speed. Clubs that don't have the channel tend to be more rigid and produce excess spin while losing ball speed.
Head Structure Changes
There were also minor changes in the structure and design of the head. This is mainly in regards to the thinness/thickness of the titanium throughout the driver. This kind of change has two different effects on the club: shifts the overall weight, and varies compression in the face. Thicker areas pull weight toward them while thinner areas push weight away. Compression is fairly similar; thinner areas compress more while thick areas are more rigid through impact. Further details of how the 915 line accomplished this and the impacts of it are explained below.
- In the top of the head, the weight of the 915 head was shifted from the front to the back. The top of the head right behind the face was made thinner while the toe and back of the club were thickened. This allowed the center of mass to shift away from the leading edge and more towards the back which allows the face to stay more stable through the impact. This keeps the face squarer when you come in contact with the ball which in turn leads to more consistent ball flights.
- On the face of the club, the center portion was thickened considerably to maximize the ball speed. For the face, it was made radially thinner. This idea is mainly focused toward forgiveness on shots struck off the center of the face. The thinner metal allows the face to compress more, which in turn will reduce the amount of excess side spin on the ball, helping to save poorly struck shots.
D2 vs D3
The D2 and D3 models vary in two aspects:
- The D2 is 460 cc and the D3 is 440 cc: This allows the D2 to stretch further back than the D3; the back of this head is also rounded. This assists with forgiveness when the ball is struck poorly or not on the center of the face. In contrast, the D3 is much more circular from above. The D3 is often described as "pear shaped".
- The size and design of each face: The D2 actually has a smaller face than the D3. The D2 chose to stretch its volume back and pull its mass away from the face. This leads to a shallow face which produces less compression, putting more spin on the ball. The D3 moved its volume toward the front and has a more circular face than the D2. This allows for the club to produce more compression and therefore less spin. However, due to the difference in compression, the D2 can be launched higher with ease, which could benefit amateur golfers more. The D3 tends to require better players, who can produce more swing speed, to launch the ball at the right height. The D2 also has a slight draw bias while the D3 does not.
Maps 915 line
Customization
The Titleist Drivers always feature the ability to further customize the club to fine tune it to the golfer's swing. This is done through many aspects of the club: the variable extra weight in the back of the head, the loft of the driver face, and the SureFit Hosel design.
Variable Weight
What inspired the weight in the back of the head was the idea of being able to better feel (and therefore control) the head of the club. The extra weight allows the head to be felt better throughout the whole swing. Previous models tended to have a very light head and players lost the feeling of where the club was within their swing. The extra weight not only allowed for better control over the club, but also pulled the center of mass away from the face and produce a better launch angle and ball speed.
The additional weights come in five options: 4g, 7g, 9g, 11g, and 14g
Lofts
The loft of the club in the most basic sense determines the height of the ball. Each person needs a different loft on their driver to fit their unique swing. It mainly determines the angle at which the ball shoots off the face.
Effects of Incorrect Loft
If that angle is to high or too low, then you won't be maximizing your ball flight. Loft also affects the spin of the golf ball coming off the face, which has major impacts on the flight of the ball. There are three main types of spin that can be put on the ball.
- Back spin: Back spin can lead to the ball ballooning in the air, which changes its forward movement into upward movement causing the ball loose yardage.
- Side Spin: Side spin creates the same effect in the horizontal direction. The ball will drift in the same direction of the spin on the ball.
The D2 model comes in 7.5, 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, 12 (RH), and 7.5, 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 (LH).
The D3 model comes in 7.5, 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 (RH), and 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 (LH).
(All of these are also adjustable up to 1.5 degrees through the SureFit Hosel design which will be explained below)
SureFit Hosel Design
The SureFit Hosel design is a new idea that is beginning to become a norm in the driver industry. This tool is a new hosel (neck of the club) that allows the head to come completely off the shaft. This in itself allows for an easier exchange between driver heads and shafts.
It also allows you to, when the head is off, change the settings on the shaft. This will change the way the head mounts back on the shaft and will alter overall specs on the driver. The design is in the neck of the 915 drivers and offers 16 unique settings to further fine tune the specs of the driver to fit your own swing. The settings range from changing the loft of the club 1.5 degrees higher to .75 degrees lower and the angle of the face from 1.5 degrees closed to 1.5 degrees open. The standard setting for the stock drivers is whatever loft you buy the club at and a .5 degree open face.
Shafts
The shaft is often said to be more important than the head of the club. The shaft can be tweaked in numerous ways to adjust to one's swing such as flex point, weight, and stiffness. Each of these impacts a different aspect of the club and will change the way the entire club behaves during swing.
Flex Point
The flex point is, simply, where the shaft bends. While this may seem like an easy concept, the flex point of the club has a huge impact on the flight of the ball. Shafts that have a flex point closer to the head tend to have more of a draw bias than those that have ones near the grip. However, this whip-like flex near the head produces a faster club head speed. The idea is to find a point that fits your swing in regards to the face being square while maximizing the club head speed.
Weight
The weight of the shaft can influence several things in the swing. It would seem like the lightest shaft would be the most effective, but that is proven to not be the case. This area is very closely tied to the preferences of the player. Very light shafts allow the player to manipulate the club better and gain better control over it. This also leaves room for the club to get into weird spots during the swing and get off path much easier. Heavier shafts tend to stay on path easier and more square through contact, but lose the ability to shape shots. This can be great for amateur players who merely want to hit the ball straight, but it is a huge downside for skilled players who need better feel and control over their driver. Weights can range from 50g to 90g.
Stiffness
Stiffness is much less complex than the other two topics. This is directly and solely tied to your swing speed. The faster the swing, the stiffer the shaft. This is because the faster you swing, the more the club will bend; if the club bends too much, it will whip through impact and the face will be square for a very short time. Stiffer shafts don't flex as much and keep the face squarer through contact. The other side is less stiff shafts will produce a higher ball speed off the face. So the goal is to get the most flexible shaft that fits your swing, but stiff enough so it doesn't hurt your control. This is why it is important that you make sure you are swinging the right shafts for you. Possible options are junior, women, senior, regular, stiff, and xstiff.
Diamana
Titleist works closely with Diamana and Aldila shafts and allows the golfer to choose from various shafts that best fit into your swing. Listed below are the possible options of shafts.
D2
Aldila Rogue Black 70g
Aldila Rogue Silver 60g
Diamana D+White 70g
Diamana S+Blue 60g
Diamana M+Red 50g
Diamana M+Red 40g
D3
Aldila Rogue Black 70g
Aldila Rogue Silver 60g
Diamana D+White 70g
Diamana S+Blue 60g
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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