GTS distribution expands to fairway woods this week at the RBC Heritage and JM Eagle LA Championship. Details remain scarce, but the weight setup is worth talking about.
Three weeks after the GTS drivers appeared on Tour, Titleist is expanding the family. This week at both the PGA TOUR’s RBC Heritage and the LPGA’s JM Eagle LA Championship (yes, that’s the full name), tour reps Titleist are debuting GTS2 and GTS3 fairway woods to players. Well, mostly the first time. Cameron Young and Johnny Keefer crossed the line slightly, both playing GTS3 7-woods before the official debut – Young at Augusta, Keefer at the Houston Open.
No GTS win at Augusta, but getting drivers out is on track
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: Titleist didn’t get the storybook ending he expected at the Masters. A GTS driver win at Augusta would have been the kind of narrative that practically writes its own press release (and I’d be happy to let it). This did not happen. What happened is that more than 40 PGA TOUR players have fielded GTS drivers since the Houston Open, and at the Valero Texas Open, there were more GTS drivers in the field than any other brand combined. So yes – the slow burn towards consumer launch is proceeding exactly as planned.
What we are looking at
The pictures provided by Titleist won’t win any awards for detail, but they show you what to expect. The GTS2 is the largest and shallowest option. The GTS3 is more compact. Standard Operating Procedure for Titleist Fairway Woods. Both are adjustable, because that’s what Titleist does.
What’s really interesting is the weight setup. Both models appear to share the same movable weight setup: weights placed forward in the heel and toe positions. This is notable for several reasons.
First, this is the first time we’ve seen movable weight on a Titleist 2-wood free model. The freeway GT2 was a fixed-weight design, so adding adjustable weighting expands what fitters can do with it. Second, the fact that both models share the same configuration is a bit of a departure. With the GTS drivers, the 2 and 3 have significantly different weight configurations. Here, Titleist seems to be taking a more unified approach. We don’t yet know if this is a simplification play or a reflection of what testing has shown works best in fairway woods.
Question GTS1 (again)
As we noted when the GTS drivers launched at the Tour, there was no GTS1 in the lineup. It still is. There are no GTS1 drivers on the USGA compliant list and there are no GTS1 wood distributions on Tour either. But here’s the thing: The GT1 is currently included in Titleist’s promotional discounts along with the rest of the outgoing line. This means one of two things. Either a GTS1 is coming, or Titleist is content to waive the difference for a model it doesn’t plan to replace until January.
I suppose the interesting footnote in this part of the conversation is that the GT1 freeway woods play a bit in the Tour, so a reasonable argument should be made for taking out the 1 with 2 and 3.
What’s next
Retail availability for the complete GTS family is expected in May. Price, specs and technical deep dive are all still TBD. For now, this is Titleist doing what Titleist does: controlled presentation, tournament validation first, consumer details later. It’s not the most exciting approach in the world, but it’s sustainable. And it works.
We’ll have more as Titleist gets ready to share it. In the meantime, tell us—are you waiting in the GTS fairway woods, or has Titleist’s drop-in approach tested your patience?
