Titleist 913 D3 Driver Review

Oct 2012 – First Hit, by Equipment Editor Joel Tadman

Titleist is a brand I’ve always considered to be the choice of accomplished golfers and that’s maybe no surprise given their success on Tour with the best players in the world.

However, recently I had the pleasure of sitting through a two-hour science-fest on the technology involved in Titleist’s new 913 drivers – don’t feel sorry for me, I love that kind of thing – where they insisted their range of big sticks are among the most forgiving on the market.

That came as a surprise to me, but they backed up their claim with graphs and illustrations showing centre of gravity, moment of inertia and co-efficient of restitution, which all add up to greater levels of forgiveness.

However, golf clubs aren’t swung in the classroom so the notebooks and pencils were packed away and off we trudged to the range to put the forgiveness theory to the test.

The first thing to note is how appealing the clubheads are at address. The D3 has a smaller 445cc head but it won’t intimidate the life out of a higher-handicap player. In truth the differences between the two models aren’t vast. Both deliver the same initial launch and spin characteristics and deliver high ball speeds across more of the face.

Another positive is the sheer number of shafts available as custom-fit options while Titleist’s SureFit Tour hosel is a brilliant way to fine tune your ball flight with the right guidance. Titleist’s refusal to go above the 45” standard shaft option is also a refreshing change in an era where shafts seem to be getting ever longer in the quest for distance.

As always, we would recommend a custom-fit session as a must. A poorly-fitted driver simply won’t be as forgiving.

The 913s, once fitted, definitely lived up to Titleist’s forgiveness promise. These are undoubtedly some of Titleist’s best drivers – and with one in your bag, your playing partners might even mistake you for a great golfer too.

>> Click here to find out how the Titleist 913 D3 scored in The Drivers Test 2014.

At first glance the 913 D3 doesn’t look drastically different from the 910, but in its first week on Tour in July around 50 per cent of Titleist staff players switched to the new drivers. By the end of 2012, 90 per cent of Titleist’s staffers are expected to have switched – a clear sign of a measurable performance boost.

The key difference, say Titleist, is their newly developed face insert; invisible technology to the naked eye but a development that has a big impact on performance. Thicker in the middle and progressively thinner towards the edges, the insert is designed to give improved ball speeds on off-centre strikes. Hit the ball out the middle of the clubface and you won’t notice much difference – but on mis-hits Titleist insist the 913 models deliver an 11 per cent increase in the maximum ball speed area on the face.

Other subtle differences include a thinner crown, a flatter weight design to lower the centre of gravity and slight shape changes. But one thing that remains from the 910 models is the adjustable SureFit Tour hosel, allowing loft and lie to be independently altered.

913 D3

Head: 445cc
RH: 7.5º, 8.5º, 9.5º, 10.5º
LH: 8.5º, 9.5º, 10.5º

Website: www.titleist.com