Titleist says look out for the recoil with new 915 drivers

Titleist is introducing a new range of 915 drivers. With all club manufacturers looking for a unique selling point, Titleist has a new design feature termed Active Recoil Channel. Titleist’s proprietary Active Recoil Channel (ARC) is a long, wide and deep sole channel that the company says actively flexes at impact and recoils to launch the ball off the face with higher speed and lower spin. The ARC allows the entire clubface, both crown and sole, to deflect at impact for high speed. Titleist claims that clubs without ARC technology have a more rigid sole and deflect mostly in the face and crown at impact resulting in less speed and higher spin.

Titleist has manufactured the 915 drivers with a high-speed forged face insert termed Radial Speed Face, with it says a radially thinner perimeter in the heel and toe. This works with the Active Recoil Channel to increase ball speed on off-centre hits. 915 drivers also have a high-MOI design with a low and deep centre of gravity location delivering stability and forgiveness by preserving off-centre ball speed.

The 915D2 driver is a 460cc full-pear shaped head designed for forgiveness and a slight draw bias. The 915D3 features a 440cc pear shape that is forgiving and workable, and offers 250rpm less spin than 915D2 to produce a lower peak trajectory. Titleist says both models launch similarly to their previous generation Titleist 913 models.

Dan Stone, vice president of Research and Development at Titleist Golf Clubs states, “The new 915 drivers are a game-changer for us. We’ve increased speed and lowered spin without sacrificing MOI or forgiveness – and we’re the first to get that combination right. With the Active Recoil Channel, the ball is compressing in a different manner and doesn’t have the chance to gather as much rotational energy so it departs the club face with less spin. It also creates a greater recoil effect, which imparts more speed, particularly low on the face.

“It’s also important to remember that less spin across the face also means more consistent spin across the face. When we launched these drivers on tour, the most dominant point of feedback we received was that the spin and speed are very consistent across the face. And what that translates to for every golfer, not just PGA Tour players, is that you’re going to see better launch conditions and more distance even if the ball is hit off-centre.”

The new Titleist 915D2 and 915D3 drivers will be available in golf shops worldwide from 14 November with a suggested retail price of £379.

Read the full report on the new Titleist 915 range in the October edition of GOLF RETAILING out next week.