Martin Hopley
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The Titleist 915 driver brings with it a couple of firsts.

Titleist are promoting the 915 range with the 'Distance Without Compromise' strapline, which is the first time they have come out with a specific distance claim.

Titleist 915 D2 Driver

In the past they have gone down the performance/serious golfers route and whilst those values are still key, you will be hearing about distance a lot more.

The reason for this is the second more obvious first and that is the Active Recoil Channel (ARC) that you can see on the sole of the club. Titleist were at great pains to point out that this IS NOT A SLOT even though on the 915F fairway and 915H hybrid the thinner version would be mean coming up with another way to describe it, so let's stick with ARC.

Titleist 915 D3 Driver ARC

On the driver the ARC is most definitely a channel and it allows the lower half of the face to flex at impact as well as the crown and that increases the energy transfer from the clubhead to the ball so you get more ball speed and therefore more distance.

Keen followers of equipment may remember that the Nike VR Pro driver launched in 2010 had a similar channel and if so you can award yourself some bonus points.

Titleist say that they had this technology at a similar time, but as their channel is longer and wider, the manufacturing techniques were not good enough to make this in large numbers until more recently.

The crown is also lighter than the previous Titleist 913 driver, now that it uses Forged 6-4 titanium face a Ti-8-1-1 light density casting crown and a marginally thinner heel and toe to save weight.

Titleist 915 D3 Driver Address

However what is thicker is the centre of the face as the ARC increases the speed of that beyond the legal limits so they had to dampen it down. However the ARC also increases it on off-centre hits and that is the big difference with the 915 driver.

Titleist call this a Radial Speed Face and the result when I tested it on Trackman was hardly any loss in ball speed when I did not hit the ball with the centre of the club. The consistency of this was a little spooky as some pretty average hits were almost as good as the ones out of the middle.

Titleist 915 D3 Driver Face

As well as all this speed, there is more forgiveness even though the Moment of Inertia (MOI) has reduced a little to around 4500 g/cm². The is achieved because the spin is reduced so that the net effect is to make the 915D more forgiving.

Everything seems to come together very well in the 915 driver and for me the increase in carry and total distance of around 20 yards over the 910 driver is significant. You can see this yourself when you go for a fitting as there are two variations and the best one for your swing will pick you.

Titleist 915 Driver Fitting

Titleist 915 D2 Driver Review

Like the 910 and 913 drivers before, the 915 D2 driver has a large 460cc head that is designed to get the ball up in the air. The head is deeper and looks like it has been stretched back to front, which moves the Centre of Gravity (CG) further back and also creates a little draw bias.

Titleist 915 Driver

Compared to the 913 D2, the 915 spins the ball around 115 rpm less for an average swing speed of around 85-90mph. Combined with a slightly higher launch it should add a few more yards carry.

I thought it sat well behind the ball and even though I thought the head was a little deep the sound was better than the D3 version. However it is not really a personal preference thing as the 'sorting hat' of the fitting process will pick the club for you.

Titleist 915 D3 Driver Review

The 915 D3 driver is the smaller 440cc head, although it does not look at compact as previous models, which I prefer. On the downside the sound was a bit more hollow and higher pitched than before at impact, but as I was hitting it further and more accurately, I soon got over that.

Titleist 915 Driver

It is a whopping 2mm taller than the D2 and the CG is therefore a little closer to the face which reduces spin a bit more by around 250rpm.

Titleist 915 Driver

Both models come with a choice of Diamana and Aldila shafts at 45 inches, which is a good thing as too many drivers try and gain distance through longer shafts that consequently makes them harder to hit in the middle of the club. The shafts are standard after market shafts and not custom Titleist versions and they both seem a litter firmer than previous stock shafts they have used, but other options are available at fitting.

Titleist 915 Aldila Rogue Shaft

The D3 was the model that I was fitted into and one of the biggest things I noticed when I took it out on the course was the forgiveness and accruacy of the club as I felt the dispersion was a lot tighter than I had been used to before. One thing Graeme encouraged me to do during the fitting was to tee the ball up more with the 915 than I did before to improve the launch angle, so make sure you vary your tee height to find the point you get the most from this club.

SureFit Tour Hosel

Ever since Titleist launched the 910 range with the Sure Fit Tour adjustable hosel they have been one of the drivers to beat in the market. I have not really mentioned the hosel as it is the same as before, but is still the best at allowing you to adjust loft and lie independently of each other.

Titleist 915 D2 Driver

Given Titleist's current 2 year product life cycle, the 913 driver was starting to fall behind as other more distance orientated drivers stole the limelight. However with distance firmly in their sights, the ARC on the 915 driver has really increased ball speed on off-centre hits.

Combined with one of the best CG placements in the industry then you have a very forgiving, but sufficiently long driver that looks great and should be on everyone's list when they are looking for a new driver.

Golfalot Rating: 5 stars
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Titleist 915 D3 Driver - Product Details

UK Launch14 November 2014
UK Launch RRP£379
USA Launch14 November 2014
Handicap Range
Low
High
GolferMens, Women
Hand AvailabilityLeft, Right
Left Handed Lofts8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5°
Right Handed Lofts7.5°, 8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5°
MaterialTitanium
Lie58.5°
Head Volume440 cc
Club Length45 inches
AdjustabilityLoft, Face Angle
Shaft NameAldila Rogue Black, Aldila Rogue Silver, Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White, Mitsubishi Diamana S+ Blue, Mitsubishi Diamana M+ Red
Shaft TypesGraphite
Shaft FlexRegular, Stiff
GripTitleist Tour Velvet Flat Cap
Manufacturer's WebsiteTitleist Website

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User Reviews

May 2017

I hade the RBZ stage one with Aldila x stiff 65g I was hitting 300 to 325 yds max. I had it from new fitted by Taylormade and I paid some big money when it came first out, so that's why I never changed till now. Last week I purchase the 915 D3 Aldila S 70gr 3.3 shaft and the results are by 10% more distance then my old RBZ. I get better launch now not so high and 320 to 338 yards my max, average 300. I'm not going to say that you will get that, but if your a good hitter with club head speed above 115mph and hitting in the middle most of the times you will see your 320 yards easy with the titleist 915 D3.

June 2016

I have played the 909, 910 and most recently the 913 D3 7.5 driver with a Fubuki Alpha Stiff shaft and loved it until I purchased a new 915 D3 9.5 with an Oban Kiyoshi Stiff 04 Purple 65 shaft. I know its longer than my previous club but the feel is so much better and it felt more controlled with the same swing. Part of it is the great shaft but overall I'm very impressed. Now I just need to decide to move down to the 8.5 or keep both of them. Playing this weekend so we'll see where it takes me.

April 2016

I tried an older Titleist driver that a friend gave me, I was hitting it so well that I went out and bought the 915 D3. I'm hitting it straighter and longer. This is simply the best driver I've ever owned. I'm averaging around 235-240 yards in cool thick air. I can't wait until summer.

February 2016

I bought my 915 D2 after a driver fitting session at a large local golf centre last year (2015) I had come back to the game after a near 12 year lay off playing only occasionally in between. At the time I'd had a Taylor Made SLDR as my gamer and tried the G25, TM R15 and the 915 D2. The SLDR was giving me (summer conditions) reasonable performance but off centre hits lost a lot of distance. I had one of those sessions where I was swinging well so gave all the models a decent work out with the Trackman monitoring my performance and the Pro switching between shafts for all the models tested.I don't have a fast swing - 90 - 94 mph in range so I was looking for the best combination of distance and forgiveness.

The D2 won it hands down. Not quite as long as my SLDR which was longest on dead centre hits by about 8 yds but it had a really 'buttery' feel at impact and the club always felt under control - the shaft is 45" standard. Dispersion was miles 'tighter' than the other models.

The big difference once I bought one and got used to the feel was accuracy and confidence. Our starting 9 has three of the hardest driving holes for most golfing abilities on the opening 3 holes - card wrecker before you start. With the D2 I've no problem as long as I make a good shaped swing.It goes where I aim it and the forgiveness is a huge benefit on off centred strikes. I'm not always as long as some of the single figure guys in our medal comps. but I am rarely in the deep stuff or sand off the tee.

I've now developed more swing speed over the last 6 months and more control so the club works for me even better now.

The trajectory off the 10.5 degree head is strong and as the review says if you hit slightly up on the ball you get the best results.

I'd recommend these to anyone.

January 2016

I played recently a driver D2 913. It was very good. But still prefered Cobra driver. Very easy to use and always straight flight.

August 2015

I have played Titleist irons for several years. My last set was the AP2 710's that I have played for the last 5 years. I never played Titleist woods but that changed this week. I ran across a deal on a set of 714's and the 715 driver and 3 wood. I decided to give the woods a try even though I told a buddy of mine I'd sell them to him since I had a driver and 3 wood that I really like. I gave them a try and wow! I couldn't miss a fairway with the driver and it was long! The 3 wood was so much easier to hit than my other. I told my buddy I'll sell him my old woods but I'm keeping the 715's. I also love the 714's they seem to be a little more forgiving than my 710's.

June 2015

I hit my 915 much further than I hit my old 913 D3 driver. I can recommend it to senior golfers.

June 2015

Took a test drive with the 3 on my home course and compared known distance. 15-20 yards longer than my Ping i20 and miss hits go farther as well. Bought on the spot with the Pro letting me use the demo club until my order comes in. Really didn't want to go back to old driver until new one came in.

May 2015

Always used irons off the tee and decided it was about time I got hang of a driver. First round and I was hitting over 200 yards. Many straight down the fairway. I just get better with this club and even out driving players who consistently use drivers.

May 2015

Massive improvement. I bought the fairway and the D3 driver with a stiff shaft and have a lot more confidence of the tee. I am an 8 handicap golfer and a massive fan of Titleist. These cliubs just get better and better

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