Equipment: Titleist 917 driver spotted ahead of tour seeding
By James Savage
We’ve been given a sneak peek of the new Titleist 917 driver which is expected to be tested out by staff players on the PGA Tour this week.
Titleist have two-year product cycles for their balls, irons and metalwoods so it’s no surprise to see the successor to the 915 driver on its way.
The actual product isn’t expected to be launched until September but Titleist tour players such as Bill Haas, Charley Hoffman, Webb Simpson, Robert Streb, Justin Thomas could put the new product into play at the Quicken Loans National this week.
We’re unsure about the new technologies in the new 917 driver but all will be revealed in the coming weeks and months.
The 915 drivers and fairway woods were among the best-performing consumer golf clubs the brand has released. The 915 driver was as popular among tour players as it was 18-handicapers.
One of the key technologies was the active recoil channel behind the face which helped to improve ball speed and reduce backspin.
There won’t be any hybrids launched with the 917 driver and fairway woods as the 816 range were aligned with 716 irons last year.
It will be interesting to see if the new 917 driver is as user-friendly as the 915 driver was but as we’ve come to expect from Titleist it won’t just be new for the sake of it.
General manager Steve Pelisek told me at the last metals launch that they believe it takes at least two years to make a product better.
I’m sure the 917 range will have been in the making for much longer than that.
Keep your eyes peeled and your ears to the ground for more information.
James Savage
Former equipment editor of NCG. Inconsistent ball-striker and tea-maker.
