What's new? How much does it cost? And how does it perform? Hannah Holden brings you the low down on Titleist's new TSR4 driver
How does the lowest-spinning Titleist TSR driver perform? Find out in our Titleist TSR4 driver review.
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NCG SUMMARY
The smallest driver in the Titleist line-up is excellent for workability, precision and spin control.
This is perfect for golfers who want to reduce spin and still get fast ball speeds.
PROS
- Smaller, more refined shaping
- Low spin option
- CG can be customised to your swing
CONS
- Not as forgiving on off-centre strikes
- Only works for high-spin golfers
Titleist TSR4 driver review: First Impressions
Straight away over the ball, you can see this is a better players club. We have a smaller pear-shaped 430cc head with a deeper club face than other models in this range. Although this is very attractive, I would think for the majority of golfers; this might be more intimidating than confidence-inspiring.
Titleist TSR4 driver review: NCG Verdict
The TS4 driver is basically two products in one. This is because are two ways you can configure the sole weights to either maximise spin reduction or maximise forgiveness.
If you put the heaviest weight at the front, the centre of gravity is moved nearer to the club face. This gives you maximum spin reduction, but it also reduces MOI making the driver less forgiving. If, however, you put the heaviest weight at the back, there is more weight on the perimeter, which drives up MOI and forgiveness and provides more spin.
As it turns out, this massively affects performance. I don’t generate massive amounts of spin, so the weight back 3.5 option, as Titleist are calling it, worked best for me. I actually got thirteen more yards of carry distance in this setting, as well as 5.4 mph more ball speed and 500 rpm more spin.
It really goes to show you how a custom fitting is beneficial, as just trying this model in the standard 4 setting wouldn’t show you all the performance possibilities.
I was really impressed with how much performance I got out of this, as I didn’t think it was a model that would suit my game. I got my highest club head speed of any TSR model with this, which gave me an impressive average carry distance of 238.5 yards.
Clearly, the 2045 spin was a tad on the low side, though, and you can see how this affected my consistency. My bad strikes were carrying almost 20 yards shorter than my longest, which is definitely a big drop-off. This shows how both the smaller head and reduced MOI properties require precise ball striking for optimal results.
If you are here for spin reduction, both these settings work fantastically well. The TSR4, in its pure form, spun 1000 rpm less than the TSR2 and 500 rpm less than the TSR3.
Overall this is a great addition to the TSR line-up, but it works for a very specific type of player who wants to reduce spin and doesn’t need massive amounts of forgiveness.
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Titleist TSR4 driver review: The Details
Available: 23rd September (Custom fittings and pre-order now)
RRP: £529; £699 with premium shaft
Right-handed lofts: 8°, 9°, 10°
Left-handed lofts: 9° (8°, 10° custom only)
Titleist featured shafts: Hzrdus Red CB, Tensei AV Blue with XLink Tech, Hzrdus Black, Tensei 1K Black
Premium shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD UB, Tour AD DI, Tour AD IZ
More information: Titleist website
