TSi3 vs GT3

[prospect026]

I've been on the fence wondering if it's even worth testing, especially after watching this video and looking at the dispersion chart.   I know that it's an individual thing but I would love to hear experiences and feedback specifically between the TSi3 and GT3 and/or reasoning that you stayed with your TSi3.   

 

 

[zeke66]

Gt3 is great but not very durable. Easy to flatten the face etc. the tour guys replace them frequently. I had a tsi3 for years then it started to fly a little funny. Great club. Tsi might be the best of the bunch. Gt3 is a much different driver than the tsi or tsr. Forward cg. Don’t expect a direct comparison like tsi verses tsr. 

[longballjs]

I demoed my tsi3 vs gt3 last summer. Used my shaft. Gt3 went about a yard farther and no straighter. I played with some shafts and found a shaft I liked a lot. Spent 225-250 on the shaft. Then I hit the Elyte triple diamond this spring and that went noticeably farther and straighter. 

[bnperrone]

I love this topic considering I have a TSi3 on BST. I like my G410 LST better and I’d like to think somebody wants to spend a tiny fraction of a new driver and get all or nearly all the benefit. 
 

$600 -$700 drivers in stock configuration is kind of mind-boggling to me given how good recent models are. But that’s just my old man shouting at clouds take!

[stryper]

Full disclosure, I did not come from anything TSI, but rather TSR3, which I really liked.  But ultimately GT3 proved to be the winner.  
 

Full report is here.

Edited July 22 by stryper

[StoutKing]

I didn't have much luck with the TSi.  It might have been a one off.  Like Cantlay the TS3 was better for me, and the triple diamond Paradym and AI Smoke were much better.  I have to think the newer Titleist stuff is better too.

[MK Anderson]

I went from Tsi3 to Tsr3 to GT3 to GT2. GT3 was great on perfect shots, longer than the previous 2 gens, but I found the new forward weight configuration too difficult to control the face.  Bad shots were SOOOO bad. No spin duck hooks or super spin slices.  So I reverted to a GT2 and couldn’t be happier. GT2 is like a TSR 2.75 in my opinion. If you run your Tsi3 in neutral weight configuration, I highly advise you look at GT2. It’s really that good. 

[Theryanlaf]

9 hours ago, MK Anderson said:

I went from Tsi3 to Tsr3 to GT3 to GT2. GT3 was great on perfect shots, longer than the previous 2 gens, but I found the new forward weight configuration too difficult to control the face.  Bad shots were SOOOO bad. No spin duck hooks or super spin slices.  So I reverted to a GT2 and couldn’t be happier. GT2 is like a TSR 2.75 in my opinion. If you run your Tsi3 in neutral weight configuration, I highly advise you look at GT2. It’s really that good. 

Ok, this has me interested.. I run my TSi3 in neutral and hit the ball pretty straight as it is.. I haven't hit one yet but felt that the GT3 would be what I'd lean towards. I'll definitely be giving the GT2 a go. My main thing is really more distance would be nice. 

[bnperrone]

It does seem like they’ve all been marching the spin down with each model. I don’t have enough data to make a chart or anything, but it feels that way. 
 

A player such as myself, around 110 SS +\- with fairly good delivery and contact, fit into the G410 LST when it was current. The TSi3 when I tested it produced almost identical results side by side on the range, at least in terms of ball flight. Distance could’ve been slightly different but surely not much.

 

But if I were to upgrade, I’d almost certainly be in their Max model, the equivalent of going from Titleist’s 3 line to their 2 line. The resort I caddie at part time has Titleist rental sets with TSR2 woods, and I assume they’ve now replaced them with the GT line. I’ve been meaning to borrow one and drop my known shaft into it, match the headweight, and see what happens. There’s just no point doing it after I’ve walked 8 miles with 2 bags, and the resort is an hour from my house. One day, but I also don’t need to get the itch to spend money!

[rsballer10]

2 minutes ago, bnperrone said:

It does seem like they’ve all been marching the spin down with each model. I don’t have enough data to make a chart or anything, but it feels that way. 
 

A player such as myself, around 110 SS +\- with fairly good delivery and contact, fit into the G410 LST when it was current. The TSi3 when I tested it produced almost identical results side by side on the range, at least in terms of ball flight. Distance could’ve been slightly different but surely not much.

 

But if I were to upgrade, I’d almost certainly be in their Max model, the equivalent of going from Titleist’s 3 line to their 2 line. The resort I caddie at part time has Titleist rental sets with TSR2 woods, and I assume they’ve now replaced them with the GT line. I’ve been meaning to borrow one and drop my known shaft into it, match the headweight, and see what happens. There’s just no point doing it after I’ve walked 8 miles with 2 bags, and the resort is an hour from my house. One day, but I also don’t need to get the itch to spend money!

I don't think you are too off base with your suspicions. I haven't demoed the GT, but did demo the TSR2 and TSR3. I found the TSR2 to be just as low spinning as my LTDx LS/Aerojet LS driver heads that I have. It's not a huge deal, it's just something to be aware of. It becomes a matter of forgiveness/shot shape because the rest can be dialed in with the correct model and loft. Lots of people get married to the loft they are playing, instead of finding the right head and dialing the loft up/down to suit their delivery. GT may just need to be played at a slightly higher loft. Or like you said, moving to a core/max head.

 

The only concern I have is OEM's making sure to offer core/max/LS heads in enough loft configurations to be able to fit. I think 12* LS and 8* max heads round out the fitting capabilities - don't make generalizations like only super fast players need LS heads because that may not be true.

 

[AlpineGolf]

During my Titleist fitting last fall, the GT2 paired with the HZRDUS 5G Black 70 TX came out on top. However, since then I’ve made some swing changes, which ultimately led to a pretty dramatic shaft switch. I used to favor “black profile” driver shafts in the >70g range to help manage a left miss, but I’ve recently transitioned to a Ventus Blue Velocore+ 5S.

 

My driver swing speed has consistently been in the 105–110 mph range (slow in WRX terms) but I’ve always preferred the feel and timing the heavier and stiffer shafts offer. With the swing adjustments, the Ventus 5S (still close to 60g uncut) provides just enough tip stability, despite its more noticeable kick. Interestingly, when testing on a Trackman Range setup (without spin data), I found that switching back to my old TSR3 head resulted in more consistent and longer drives. I’m able to aim at the left edge of the fairway and play a controlled fade back to center or the right side. As long as I don't put a terrible swing on it, the left side is effectively out of play—and at worst, the shot stays straight. By contrast, the GT2 head introduces a two-way miss and seems to launch with more spin, which costs me distance (both heads are 10° models turned down).

 

I'll likely keep experimenting with the GT2’s swing weight and SureFit settings, but for now, the TSR3 is staying in the bag.

[Theryanlaf]

47 minutes ago, AlpineGolf said:

During my Titleist fitting last fall, the GT2 paired with the HZRDUS 5G Black 70 TX came out on top. However, since then I’ve made some swing changes, which ultimately led to a pretty dramatic shaft switch. I used to favor “black profile” driver shafts in the >70g range to help manage a left miss, but I’ve recently transitioned to a Ventus Blue Velocore+ 5S.

 

My driver swing speed has consistently been in the 105–110 mph range (slow in WRX terms) but I’ve always preferred the feel and timing the heavier and stiffer shafts offer. With the swing adjustments, the Ventus 5S (still close to 60g uncut) provides just enough tip stability, despite its more noticeable kick. Interestingly, when testing on a Trackman Range setup (without spin data), I found that switching back to my old TSR3 head resulted in more consistent and longer drives. I’m able to aim at the left edge of the fairway and play a controlled fade back to center or the right side. As long as I don't put a terrible swing on it, the left side is effectively out of play—and at worst, the shot stays straight. By contrast, the GT2 head introduces a two-way miss and seems to launch with more spin, which costs me distance (both heads are 10° models turned down).

 

I'll likely keep experimenting with the GT2’s swing weight and SureFit settings, but for now, the TSR3 is staying in the bag.

How did the Ventus Blue 5s compare for distance?

[Pepperturbo]

Had both plus GT2. To my surprise, GT3 was longer and sweeter.  

[AlpineGolf]

17 hours ago, Theryanlaf said:

How did the Ventus Blue 5s compare for distance?

 

Like for like, my best drives tend to finish slightly shorter, but overall, my average distance is longer thanks to more consistent contact. Playing mostly at an elevation of around 1,200 feet, I'm perfectly happy with on course drives ending up in the 250–260 meter / 275–285 yard range. That’s more than enough distance, especially considering that many of the courses I frequent penalize even small misses—just missing the fariway by 5–10 meters can mean a lost ball due to thick rough or tall grass. Given that, I much prefer a reliable shot shape and a controlled miss over chasing maximum distance. 

 

Switching from a 70 TX shaft to a 5S (despite it being close to 60g uncut) initially felt like swinging a noodle. It definitely took some time to adjust, but once I did, the lighter shaft started to feel great. I had previously experimented with a GD VF 5S in an Ai Smoke TD head (which I sold in the meantime), which felt a bit more stable and had less kick, but with my current swing, only the Blue Velocore+ paired with the TSR3 head consistently takes the left side out of play.

[PowerCobra98]

23 hours ago, rsballer10 said:

 Lots of people get married to the loft they are playing, instead of finding the right head and dialing the loft up/down to suit their delivery. GT may just need to be played at a slightly higher loft.

 

 

Yes!  I struggled with the GT3 after I got it and ultimately went back to TSR3.  I revisited the GT3 and after I increased the loft by .75* it came alive for me and ball flight completely changed for the better.  It's crazy how much that little loft adjustment transformed the driver's characteristics.

[EDT501]

Just switched into a GT3 from a TSi3 a few months ago. Main reason I was in the market for a new driver is that I needed to swap out the one in the bag I keep at my parents place and figured I’d slot the tsi3 into the backup and the new one into the daily use bag. Same shaft and everything. 
 

I don’t think there is much between the heads from a performance perspective assuming proper fit. I ended up needing to loft up 1° to get into the same numbers. Despite the more forward CG I found mishits just as if not slightly more stable on the GT3. Ball speed on mishits maybe a little better. Good strikes gave identical results. GT3 feels much better IMO. TSi3 on mishits, even slight mishits, could feel a bit metallic and harsh. GT3 is more muted but still has that crisp explosive titanium face feel. As someone who is neither a fan of the muted carbon feel nor a loud tinny impact sound, I think Titleist made the best feeling driver ever with the GT series. So that’s a great perk, but performance wise not a serious upgrade assuming good fit I don’t think.

[rsballer10]

1 minute ago, PowerCobra98 said:

It's crazy how much that little loft adjustment transformed the driver's characteristics.

I agree. So many people just look at spin rates and pick the driver head based on that. But there's so many ways to get to the right ball flight. Rory is a perfect example. Fleetwood fitted him in a taylormade video and got great #'s with a Qi35LS. However, what Rory actually chooses to game is a core model head, at a lower loft and a touch of hotmelt. So it goes beyond just picking the head and fitting the player, it's also about the preferred way to achieve the desired launch conditions.

[tipperi]

For me it would depend on what loft you're playing in your TSi3 and how close to ideal on course you think your spin window is.  

For me, an 11 degree TSi3 (now TSR3) checked the boxes.  It spun enough to maintain control and still gave me the once a round dime sized Titleist strike that jumps and finds that extra gear that we are all accustomed to. Because of the loft I was in, and someone who cannot afford to close the face using the surefit adapter, GT3 at the same loft was not playable.  The great ones were great, but anything average or worse was almost guaranteed to be a penalty.

If you have room to go up in loft, or struggle with a miss that is higher in spin like a heel-cut, GT3 could be a winner.

If you're already in a higher loft TSi3 and don't have much room to go "up", and struggle with a toe side, left, lowish spin miss I think theres a real chance the more forward CG of the GT3 would actually be worse for you over your TSi.

We've been stuck at 1.49/1.50 smash for quite a while now out of the middle, looking for a few yards has to come from finding a little more forgiveness or better managing your misses and controlling spin.  Not much to be had anymore on good strike vs good strike on two well fit heads.