We had to wait a couple of weeks to see the new Titleist 910 test pack. There have been a few rumours about the different shafts that are available and we can honestly say the driver itself is very good but there are a few interesting points to highlight that might help you with your decision to buy one.
Firstly the head design is quite good but there is a new and different shaft depth in the hosel. The new 910 has a shorter hosel which may not sound too relevant but it makes the driver feel and play a whole lot different, With a shorter hosel comes a softer shaft feel through impact. The shaft and head connection does not feel as solid and the driver head is definitely has more torque feel to it. The better player with stronger ball speed might not like the feel of this “softer” driver and will need to be very cautious about his shaft choice in order to have the club play solid with less hooking qualities.
Now I know I am always on about the shaft but in this driver case, it is by far the most prevalent. Most of the golf companies are cutting corners to try and save on cost and they are reducing the quality of the shafts in their drivers and fairway clubs. There is a big move to dual branded shafts with Diamana making an exclusive shaft for Titleist. This should not be mistaken for the real thing and I can assure everyone that the “made exclusive” shaft plays and feels nothing like the real version.
Which leads on to the shaft matrix and what you can buy at no extra up-charge. There are 3 Mitsubishi Diamana shafts. The ‘ilima, the ‘ahina and the kali. These are by no means like the original “real” versions of the Diamana shafts and Mitsubishi have taken a big risk in putting their name on a shaft that bears absolutely no resemblance to their real shafts that are in play on Tour. The ‘ilima is the softest of the three with a very soft tip section and even in X Flex plays very soft, the ‘ahina is a little stronger than ‘ilima but is still really flexible at impact and with the shorter hosel you cannot go after the driver and hit it hard as it lags too much into the hit. The kali is the strongest of the three but is a very poor copy of the original with massive spin numbers and very high flight. Even with the adjustable head you can’t get any of these three shafts to square the head up once the ball speed goes above 150 mph.
The Aldila RIP 60 is also not entirely like the real shaft, we flex tested them here and found that the Titleist one has a higher torque reading ( plays softer in the tip) and is much softer in flex ( about 1 flex range less on the frequency machine).
The only shaft that will hold any light to the Titleist player is the Project X 7C3 6.0 shaft. This shaft feels really solid for the 155mph+ ball speed striker and the Titleist player who likes that solid feel off the head and likes to hit through the ball. This shaft is by far the best of the bunch but needs to be in X Flex to allow it to feel as stable as the Titleist drivers of old.
We also tested the Mitsubishi Javelin which is awesome in the head, the Fujikura Motore F1 75 Stiff which made the head hum with delight. However the star of the show was the UST Mamiya in X Flex. This bad boy was by a street the best shaft for the good ball striker and was so accurate and consistent in the new head. The only downside is that, it and the other two shafts come at an up-charge.
The adjustability of this new 910 is great for everyone and I think that the guys in Titleist are trying to make the driver more accessible to the masses, especially since they sold off Cobra this year. The head adjustability now allows the guy who has a little fade to correct it with a closed face and a softer flex shaft. The versatility of the driver now allows the golfer who would normally in the past buy Cobra, to step up to the Titleist mark and own a driver that before was only really for the better player.
However, Titleist may have run a risk in this bold move away from the old mantra of “for the better player only” and the strict designs that were for golfers who inspired to be better and wanted to play the clubs the low handicap guys were using. I think perhaps in a bid to make the club for everyone, they may have forgotten the loyal Titleist player, who if by chance happens to get the new driver but with the wrong shaft …. might end up going back to last years model.
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