Singapore: New Titleist 917 drivers set the standard for complete performance off the tee, providing maximum distance and forgiveness with precise adjustability to benefit dedicated golfers at every level of the game.
Titleist 917D2 and 917D3 models, engineered with proprietary Active Recoil Channel 2.0 and SureFit CG technology, are the result of an uncompromising ‘complete performance’ design strategy employed by Titleist Golf Club R&D to develop the industry’s most comprehensive and efficient driver designs – ones that have earned immediate acceptance and validation by many of the world’s best players, including Adam Scott, Bill Haas and Jimmy Walker, who trusted a 917D2 8.5º model to his first Major title at the PGA Championship.
Dan Stone, Vice President, Titleist Golf Club R&D, said: “When we talk to golfers about driver performance, distance and forgiveness are always paramount.
“But they aren’t the only attributes that players look for in a driver. They also want a repeatable trajectory, a shot shape they can count on for better accuracy. And they need it to look, sound and feel great.
“The meticulous nature of our R&D process guarantees that any new innovation ultimately complements the overall package, and we’re confident that 917 delivers on golfers’ each and every requirement. There may be other adjustable drivers in the market, but none are able to maximise the total driving performance for golfers of all abilities like 917.”
Available from October 21 in golf shops worldwide, Titleist 917 drivers deliver increased ball speed for more distance with superior forgiveness, industry-leading adjustability with optimised trajectory control, and Tour-inspired sound and feel through the following key technologies:

• Active Recoil Channel (ARC) 2.0, a long, wide, deep sole channel, actively flexes and recoils at impact to launch the ball off the face with higher speed and lower spin for more distance. Refined thickness areas throughout the channel, including thinner heel and toe regions, produce greater face flexibility for a more consistent deflection that reduces spin and increases speed across the face.

• Radial Speed Face 2.0, a high-speed forged face insert, is tuned with ARC 2.0 to promote greater off-center ball speed for more overall distance.

• A precise, High-MOI Design, with a low and deep centre of gravity location, delivers stability and forgiveness by preserving off-centre ball speed for more distance, more often.

• Titleist’s industry-leading SureFit Hosel and new SureFit CG weight system deliver the ultimate in precision fitting for every player.

– The proprietary 16-setting SureFit Hosel allows golfers to set loft and lie independently to optimise ball flight for improved shot control and maximum distance.
– New SureFit CG provides precise adjustability through a highly efficient interchangeable weight system, optimising spin and launch conditions for a more consistent trajectory and tighter shot dispersion. The unique orientation of SureFit CG, positioned at an angle deep on the sole, enables the centre of gravity to be moved from Neutral to a back, heel position (Draw) or forward, toe position (Fade). Each SureFit CG position affects dynamic face closure and gear-effect sidespin, enabling golfers to enhance their preferred ball flight and shot shape through more consistent impact and spin. The streamlined design of SureFit CG – which provides significant weight savings versus competitive ‘track’ systems – allows the CG to be manipulated while preserving 917’s high-MOI properties for distance with forgiveness. SureFit CG also provides the flexibility for headweight adjustability (+/- 4 grams).
– 917’s adjustable technologies offer the type of customisation previously available only on the Titleist Tour Van. A Titleist authorised fitter will utilise the SureFit Hosel and SureFit CG, coupled with interchangeable shafts, to determine a player’s optimal set-up so they are playing a 917 driver that is fit precisely to their swing.

• Two models (917D2 and 917D3) provide distinct performance choices, particularly in spin and trajectory, for greater fitting flexibility and precise flight and shot shape optimisation.

– 917D2 provides distance and forgiveness in a large 460 cc full pear profile. 917D2 offers more forgiveness and produces a higher peak trajectory with 250 rpm more spin versus 917D3. (Available in 8.5º, 9.5º, 10.5º and 12º lofts.)
– 917D3 provides distance with workability in a traditional, Tour-inspired 440 cc pear profile. 917D3 offers more workability and 250 rpm less spin versus 917D2. (Available in 8.5º, 9.5º, and 10.5º lofts.)
– In player testing, golfers properly fit for a 917D2 or 917D3 driver experienced an average of 0.5-1 miles per hour additional ball speed and 100-200 rpm lower spin with the new model as compared to 915D2 or 915D3 – for an average of three to five yards more carry distance. With both 917 models, players experienced more consistent speeds and lower spin across the face than their 915 drivers. Players’ SureFit CG position preferences were similarly distributed between Neutral, Draw and Fade.

• Optimised head shapes and structures, designed to produce specific acoustic frequencies, deliver a Tour-inspired sound and feel that the world’s best players demand. SureFit CG, by aligning the centre of gravity with the impact position, also contributes to a more solid feel. At address, 917’s Tour-validated ‘liquid slate’ finish provides added confidence.

Stephanie Luttrell, Director, Titleist Metalwood Development, said: “The Titleist Metalwood team is always examining how we can advocate and bring new technologies to our player base without diminishing our complete performance strategy. SureFit CG, for example, truly is a technology that plays upon that mantra.
“It’s taken more than five years of extensive research and iteration to perfect this system. First, it’s an exceptionally lean structure that allows us to preserve our high-MOI properties for forgiveness.
“Second, we’re delivering centre of gravity movement that is meaningful to the golfer. The way we’ve engineered the SureFit CG differentiates us from the competition, allowing us to moderate and control spin in the draw and fade positions for a more consistent trajectory and shot shape while maintaining our high-MOI properties for maximum ball-speed off centre.”
Stone added: “The combined power of the SureFit hosel and SureFit CG takes us to another level in terms of optimising spin and maximising distance potential.
“We’ve seen through our extensive player testing that when you determine the appropriate CG for a player, the club squares up and times up more consistently for them. They hit the centre of the face more often, they gain club head speed and ball speed, and their shot dispersion tightens significantly.
“What’s also notable is that because of those results and that feeling of being dialled in, we’re seeing players gain more confidence and swing more aggressively, which creates even more ball speed and more distance.”
The 917’s high-performance stock shaft matrix features four new aftermarket options from the two most played driver shaft families on the PGA Tour to fit a wide range of players and swing speeds. Each of these shafts will be making their market debut with 917 drivers.
The stock line-up, each with a stock length of 45 inches, includes the Aldila Rogue M*AX 65 (low-mid launch); Mitsubishi Diamana Limited D+ White 70 (low launch), Mitsubishi Diamana Limited S+ Blue 60 (mid launch), and Mitsubishi Diamana Limited M+ Red 50 (high launch).
In addition, Titleist offers an industry-leading number of custom shaft choices.
Titleist is part of the Acushnet company, a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.