The Titleist “1” metalwood platform has always been a product designed for higher-handicappers and slower swingers to help them get the ball in the air.
But after this past week, Titleist GT1 fairway woods have now won multiple PGA Tour titles in just the past few months and have seen a big uptick in usage.
Michael Brennan just became the newest PGA Tour winner with the GT1 3Tour variant for his 3-wood. The 23-year-old pro, who only held status on the PGA Tour Americas before this week, put on a clinic off the tee at the Bank of Utah Championship, gaining more than 7.5 shots, the most of any player all season.
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Brennan added the GT1 3Tour to his bag this past week after working with Titleist Tour rep Nick Geyer in Utah to replace his previous GT3 fairway. Geyer said Brennan loved the shallower face of the GT1 compared to the GT3, and it was easier for him to get the ball up in the air off the turf without losing any off-the-tee performance.
That was evident in the final round, when Brennan used the 3-wood to drive the green on the 312-yard par-4 14th to set up his final birdie of the week.
The GT1 fairway wood, like all other Titleist “1” products (ie, TSi1, TSr1), was designed as an ultralight product with a super deep center of gravity to help players get the ball in the air. But with the addition of forward and aft adjustable weighting, throwing the heavyweight forward in a standard weight spec creates a high-launching, low-spin fairway wood that even better players are drawn to.
“During GT1 fairway testing, we found some tour players really loved the shaping and face height, but we knew that many of them would need a little less loft and lower CG for a stronger flight,” J.J. Van Wezenbeeck, Titleist’s senior director of club promotions, said.
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The GT1 3Tour that Brennan uses takes the design and gives it a slightly stronger loft and even lower CG to help players with speed produce a flatter trajectory, but still take advantage of the wide and shallow profile.
Van Wezenbeeck told GOLF at the Travelers Championship that GT1 Tour usage was nearly on par with the GT3 and just behind GT2 in the Titleist fairway wood lineup. Kurt Kitayama won the 3M Open earlier this year with a GT1 3-wood and 7-wood in his bag.
