Titleist TSR1 Fairway and Hybrid

• Titleist has announced the TSR1 fairway woods and hybrids.
• The TSR1 features light overall build weight.
• Performance benefits include higher launch and improved MOI/forgiveness.
• Retail price is $349 (fairway), $299 (hybrid). Pre-sale begins Feb. 2. In stores Feb. 23.

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With the TSR1 fairway wood and hybrid, the first shall be last … numerically speaking, at least.

Several months ago (Sept. 8, to be exact), Titleist introduced the first batch of TSR drivers and fairway woods which included the expected TSR2, TSR3 and TSR4 models. The TSR2+ fairway wood provided an unexpected surprise.

Then last week, Titleist launched its TSR2 and TSR3 hybrids and now, with the TSR1 fairway and hybrid, the family picture is complete.

Are you the (TSR) 1?

Let’s start with a simple question: Do you swing the driver at less than 90 mph? If so, that’s the soft line Titleist draws to help define “moderate swing speed” players who can benefit from the lightweight design of TSR1. That doesn’t necessarily exclude golfers with more speed—particularly if there’s a clear need for technological assistance in creating higher launch and more spin.

That aside, the TSR1 fairway and hybrid fit the requisite lightweight metalwood story. Essentially, the first objective is to remove any weight that isn’t absolutely necessary. Then, if possible, shift the CG slightly lower/further back to generate higher launch and more forgiveness.

Not every golfer will swing a lighter club faster. But this target audience generally does. So the line of thinking is simple: Swing faster. Generate more ball speed. Add in a little trajectory boost and, hopefully, the result is more distance.

It’s also worth noting that it’s becoming somewhat of an industry trend to talk about the importance of trajectory and spin. To be clear, we’re talking about more spin and a higher trajectory. For many golfers, less spin and a lower overall flight is detrimental. Consider that during your next fitting.

Titleist TSR1 Fairway

 

Aerodynamic efficiency is a major point of emphasis with TSR drivers. That said,  fairway woods and hybrids are by default already aerodynamic. Smaller heads, less surface area. That sort of thing.

With that, Titleist set out to create the highest-launching, most forgiving fairway wood in the line-up. At 180 cubic centimeters, it’s a larger footprint than TSR2 but slightly smaller than the 190cc TSR2+. But the real story is that it’s 20 grams lighter than the TSR2. A chunk of the saved weight comes from an open hosel construction which removes mass from the high/heel area and helps push the CG lower. The net result is 15 percent more MOI/forgiveness compared to TSi1.

The Titleist TSR1 fairway is available in RH and LH: 3W (15°), 5W (18°), 7W (20°), 9W (23° | custom only).

Titleist TSR1 Hybrid

On the hybrid-shape continuum, the TSR1 hybrid looks more like a small fairway wood than a traditional hybrid. Again, that’s done with the intention to give the target consumer a hybrid that looks easy to hit. This often manifests as a larger footprint that allows the golfer to see more of the face at address. It’s also why the lowest loft offered in the TSR1 hybrid is the 4H/20°.

Regarding performance, Titleist boosted MOI/forgiveness while making the TSR1 hybrid a half-inch longer than the previous generation. Most importantly, it accomplished this without increasing the swing weight. Typically, hybrid shafts have a  tip diameter of .370 inches.  But fairway wood and driver shafts have a .335″ tip diameter. So Titleist saved a couple grams by going with the .335″ version in the TSR1 hybrid.

Stock Shafts

Part of the lightweight story is a lighter than standard stock shaft. As with the TSR1 driver, Titleist is using Mitsubishi MMT SpeedMesh shafts in the TSR1 fairway wood and hybrid. The 40-gram version is available in R2, R and S flex while the 35-gram version is available in R3 (really soft regular).

The MMT SpeedMesh hybrid shaft is slightly heavier but still tips the scales just under 50 grams.

The stock grip is a 43-gram Tour Velvet Lite 360.

Titleist TSR1 Driver – Pricing and Availability

Retail price is $349 (fairway), $299 (hybrid). Pre-sale starts Feb. 2 with in-store availability beginning Feb. 23.

For more information, visit Titleist.com.