50 Words or Less
The Titleist GT3 driver has more forgiveness than should be allowed in a driver this good looking. Mid launch and mid-low spin. Excellent, impactful adjustability.
Introduction
Matt Meeker and I share a first name, but our golf games don’t have much in common. Meeker rarely leaves the fairway; I rarely find one. Meeker’s club head speed is around 80 MPH; mine can go north of 110 MPH. Meeker is a model of consistency; I can look like an aspiring pro and a rank beginner, often in the same hole.
You wouldn’t think that we would get fit into the same club – and certainly not the same driver – but that’s exactly what happened with the new Titleist GT3 driver. In this review, we’ll dig into how one club is able to cover such a wide range of players.
Looks
The Titleist GT3 driver might be the best looking driver on the planet right now. And while, yes, looks are subjective, I don’t think too many people would argue with my assertion.
Starting at address, the GT3 has a tall face that contrasts beautifully with a compact front-to-back depth. It’s just slightly pear shaped, leaning toward the toe like old school players drivers did. The gloss black crown has a subtle “GT” alignment aid. Also noteworthy is something you can’t see: seams. My fitter explained that Tour players asked Titleist to keep the seams invisible from address, an impressive feat of engineering.
In the bag, the Titleist GT3 driver is very sleek. The sole is predominantly gloss black with a slash of silver bearing the “GT3” branding. Titleist remains at the head of the class for keeping their adjustability low key. If you’re not a gear head, you could miss the CG Track entirely.
Sound & Feel
I rely on a handful of words to describe the sound and feel of golf clubs. This is useful because it creates a common language that can be used for comparing different clubs. The downside is that sometimes I encounter a club and wish I had reserved certain words just for it. In the case of the Titleist GT3 driver, I wish I had never called another driver’s feel “solid.” On center – and even a bit off – this club feels incredibly strong behind the ball.
This stout, traditional feel pairs well with the quiet impact sound. I got to hit the GT3 head to head with some other drivers, which made it clear just how discrete the GT3 is. There’s still a satisfying “crack” to good strikes, but the volume is dialed way down.
Finally, as you would expect from a players driver, the feedback is excellent. You won’t hear a shocking difference between pure and poor strikes, but your hands will tell you everything you need to know about impact location.
Performance
Here’s a quick peak into how good the Titleist GT3 driver is: Matt Meeker and I – people who know equipment – both went into our fittings fully expecting to come out with the GT2. We both left with the GT3.
My fitter told me that he begins every session with the GT3 because of the adjustability and because, I’m paraphrasing, “The GT3 is so forgiving, not too many people need the GT2.” I started with a fantastic series of shots that gave me visions of putting this right into the bag. I saw mid launch with lower spin, and the adjustability was huge. Once my fitter understood my tendencies, he used both the CG Track and the SureFit Hosel to optimize my distance and keep my shots on track.
Matt Meeker went into his fitting expecting that the GT2 would be a fit because he needs more launch and spin. Instead, his fitter found that by simply adding loft to the GT3. Meeker didn’t need the additional forgiveness of the GT2, and the adjustability of the GT3 allowed him to dial in his shot shape with greater precision.
Comparing the Titleist GT3 driver to the TSR3 [review HERE], the biggest innovation is the Seamless Thermoform Crown. This ultra-light material freed up more weight and fueled Split Mass Construction. That saved weight was split – some forward, some back – to achieve a balance of speed, launch, spin, and forgiveness. The result is that the GT3 has much more forgiveness without sacrificing high end performance.
Another thing that pushed me toward the GT3 is the improvement to the CG Track. Though Titleist is famously short on specific performance claims, they state that moving the CG Track to the front of the club makes it “more dynamic.” I found that it has a bigger impact on ball flight. In previous generations, I felt that Titleist’s adjustable weight was only for small tweaks, but in the GT3 driver, it can significantly reduce a hook or slice.
Conclusion
In the last few years, a lot has changed at the top end of my bag. I starting gaming a non-PING driver, and now I’m thinking seriously about putting a players driver in full time. It’s a testament to just how good the Titleist GT3 driver is, and how much you can gain when you go into a fitting with an open mind. If you’re looking for better performance off the tee, the Titleist GT drivers need to be on your demo list, regardless of your handicap.
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Titleist GT3 Driver Price & Specs
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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22 Comments
Matt,
Great review. Curious what loft and settings they put you in. I have been following you for some time and idk if I’ve seen you have those carry/total distances with other driver reviews at the same club head speeds.
Just to piggyback on what you’re saying above: My regular playing partner is a good stick fluctuating between a +1.5-0.5 over the years we’ve played together. He was recently fit into a GT3 and I’ve never seen him drive the ball better (he was really good off the tee before). He picked up significant yardage and his dispersion is even tighter. This driver is now on my short list of heads to test over the winter as a possible upgrade to my bag.
Seth,
Thank you.
I ended up in the 9* head at the D4, T2 settings. I do expect that there will be some movement in the settings over time as I hook it more or less. :)
Best,
Matt
Is that the GD AD-UD? Was that the fitted winner? How about Meeks?
Keith,
The Graphite Designs Tour AD-UB was Matt Meeker’s fitted shaft. I was fit into the HZRDUS Black, which was surprising, but the clear best option for this head on that day.
Best,
Matt
I was fit for a TSR 2 when it came out and surprisingly, the HZRDUS Black 4G was the best option for me too. I tried the Graphite Design shafts and the Tensei shafts. Goes to show they really thought about their stock shaft offerings.
Wow. Both with the higher launch and spin than I’m used to seeing from your reviews, and with the Hzrdous Black (guessing high 60s weight, 6.5?) beating out other shafts you’ve liked more in different reviews?
What other heads & shafts did you try besides the GT2 and 3? Did you try the GT4?
Finally, is Meeks going to give us his impression of the GT3 as well?
Thanks. As always, one of the few great golf review and discussion sites on the Internet.
George,
I hit the GT2 and GT3 in the fitting. I tried the GT4, but that’s not for me; I’d barely consider it part of the fitting.
If you have any questions for Meeker, feel free to ask them here and he’ll answer them.
-Matt
Was in a bay at the Superstore next to a college kid who just started playing golf seriously about 2 years ago and can really bomb it. He was hitting his new driver (mid-high 160s ball speed) and was just gushing over it. It was a Titleist. His shaft wasn’t for me (generally 150s ball speed) but his enthusiasm stayed with me. I used to be an over the top swinger but after lots of lessons and lots (like, lots) of practice, I now swing properly and am not sure my Ping 425 LST is still the best fit for me (had the 410 LST but broke the crown and Ping – bless them – replaced it gratis). Due to him and this specific review, I’m going to give the Titleist line a good going over once the season ends. Thanks for the great review, as usual, Matt. Thank Meeks, too. : )
Pretty startling that the fitter said the GT3 is SO forgiving that there is no point of the GT2. I’d bet that is not a consensus through all their fitters and definitely not to titleist. I personally did not feel it was more forgiving than the GT2 and feel it was on par with the TSR3.
Do you feel that the GT3 launches lower than the TSR3 loft for loft? I feel it was a bit but only hit it in a simulator and not outdoors so it could be not even noticeable.
Glen,
I didn’t test the GT3 head to head with the TSR3, so I can’t give you a knowledgeable comparison other than to say both drivers launched close to my expected window.
-Matt
I curious as to what the settings are on the CG track
thanks
Scott,
Moving the weight toward the toe promotes a fade; moving the weight toward the heel promotes a draw.
-Matt
Hey Matt,
I just purchased the GT3 and while I was in my fitting, I noticed that initially, my ball wanted to start left. Coming from the QI10, I noticed on the specs between the 2 drivers that the lie angle on the QI10 was 54 degrees and the GT3 being 58 so the fitter put me in B1 setting. Did you have the same experience initially?
Branny,
TaylorMade’s website shows the Qi10 driver having a lie angle range of 56-60 degrees. Or are you playing the LS, which does get as flat as 54?
In any case, no, my gamer’s lie angle is 60*, so I didn’t have any issue with starting it left due to lie angle.
Best,
Matt
Oh my! This is tempting me to give a shot to knock the g430 LST out of my bag.
For laughs, I went on Titleist’s website and plugged in some numbers (I’m closer to Meeker in swing speed, and the online tool had me at GT3 with 11 degree loft.
Funny, I’m closer to Matt’s speed than Meeks, and it wants me in that head too. I am guessing the higher loft (I play a Ping at 10.5, flat now) is from me desiring higher launch. Still sticks me in a 1k Black though, lol.
No substitute for an in-person fitting. I like the Titleist ones—I’m very happy with the hybrid I bought as a result of it, and with the fitting process as well. But at $100 (fully refundable with purchase) you either need to be sure that you’re buying that day, or just go be poor somewhere else, lol.
I’m generally swing around 105-107. Was in a TS2 at 8.5. went through a fitting and ended up in the GT3 10 degree. Couldn’t believe it but the numbers didn’t lie.
I bit the bullet on a fitting for $100 which ultimately wasn’t planning on buying. I thought about it the entire day and pulled the trigger on a 8 degree GT3 in a Hzrdus black gen 5 60g tx shaft. Only took a week to get to me and tried it today. Easily best investment I’ve made in a while.
Hi Matt,
Enjoyed reading your review. I’m surprised you found the GT3 more forgiving than the TSR3, seeing that the MOI sum in the GT3 is over 10% less than in the TSR3. Did you hit them side by side? GT3 going in the bag? Thanks!
I did not hit the GT3 and TSR3 head to head.
I haven’t made any final decisions about what’s going in the bag.
-Matt
I tested all 2 of the GT2, GT3, and GT4 extensively. I was coming from a Callaway Epic Flash Tour Certified (8.5*) with a Tensei White CK 70 gram TX shaft. I tried all sorts of loft and shaft and weight combos in the GT3 and a couple of shaft and loft combos in the GT4. None of them were really consistent. However, as soon as I tried the Graphite Design Tour AD-VF 6S shaft with a GT2 8* head and the +2 (now in a +4) gram weight, I was SOLD. I’d probably done 25 driver fittings over the past 2-3 years, and nothing other than the AiSmoke TD 8* with a Ventus Blue VeloCore 6S shaft had come CLOSE to knocking the Epic Flash out of the bag…but the GT2 not only did that, but I had the eBay draft for it done not long after I got home from placing the pre-order on the night of my fitting (the 3rd of 3 GT series fittings was where we finally got the right setup).