Titleist 909 D3 Driver
Decisions, decisions…
Titleist drivers tend to have a following which often is comprised of better players with lower handicaps. Back in the day, if you were playing a Titleist driver, you probably knew what you were doing. With the advent of larger, more forgiving heads, many companies had offerings that were appropriate for a larger segment of golfers. With the 909 series drivers (909D2, 909D3, and 909 Comp) there is something for everyone and new fitting opportunities to get dialed in with the best combo for your swing. I had the opportunity to be fit at a Titleist demo day for a new driver, and the results I will describe below, along with the fitting process.
Having attempted to play the 907 series drivers unsuccessfully, (too much spin and too high launch for me,) I wondered how the new Titleist heads would perform for me. The 909 Comp is for players needing a higher launch and spin, and we did not focus on that head at all for my fitting. Titleist has a fitting cart system which they refer to as their “Surefit System.” I was a bit dismayed to see that there was a decided lack of X flex shafts to choose from in the cart, and the 8.5º heads were suspiciously missing from the cart as well. In this day of launch monitor technology, I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a launch monitor at the demo day. Essentially, the components that I had at my disposal that had a chance of fitting me were the 909 D2 and D3 heads in 9.5º loft, the Diamana Whiteboard 73x shaft, the made-for-Titleist version of the Aldila Voodoo in X flex, and the UST V2 76 stiff. The day was hot and extremely windy. We were facing into the winds which were gusting up to 30 miles and hour. Spin control and proper launch angle were certainly going to be tested during the fitting. To be fair, MOST players will fit into the lofts and shafts that the “Surefit” cart is comprised of. However, given Titleist’s reputation as a “player’s” brand, the exclusion of appropriate lofts and shafts for longer hitters was a bit curious.
The first combo I tried was the 909D2 9.5 head with the Voodoo shaft. I very much liked the forgiveness of the D2 head, and the launch angle wasn’t too bad. I found it to be very straight-hitting (perhaps due to slightly higher spin rates) and although the launch was higher than optimal, it still cut through the day’s strong winds pretty well. It was a shame there was not an 8.5º D2 head available, as that may have been the best combination of forgiveness and distance for me. The feel of the 909 series heads is light and crisp with a muted “ting” at impact. In this regard, I had already deemed the 909 to be a major improvement over the 907 series. The face angles of the 909 series are slightly open and seemed to take the left side out of play pretty well, although they are able to be turned over more easily than the 907 series. Under the watchful eye of my fitter, we pretty well abandoned the D2 head and moved on quickly to the 909D3 head to help lower my launch and spin rates.
Next up was the 909D3 9.5º with the Voodoo x flex. Immediately I noticed a more penetrating launch angle and greater carry. We were getting closer. The Voodoo shaft felt pretty good, although it still exhibited some looseness for me. I had a few drives spinning high and right. Next, we tried the V2 76 stiff. Having played this shaft in the 905R driver, I was familiar with it and it felt good. I have played this shaft in X flex as well and this shaft is one that I just need the magic touch of a clubfitter to make it work for me. Stiff isn’t quite stiff enough, and the X flex is generally too much in this shaft for me. With that in mind, I tried the last X flex option available: the Mitsubishi Diamana Whiteboard 73x. Bingo! The launch angle was down (estimated to be 11 to 12 degrees by my fitter) and the carry distance was further than the previous shafts into the strong wind. I was confident that we had found the right combination. The shaft was light enough to keep my swing speeds up while stable enough to keep my shots straight. The 440cc head size of the D3 did not look small compared to some other drivers I have played recently, and the forgiveness seemed close to that of the 909D2 head. All in all, it was a good fitting, and I appreciated the input of the fitters who were helpful and friendly.
The 909D3 9.5º/Whiteboard 73x arrived shortly after my fitting. I eagerly took it out for its maiden voyage to my home club to see how it stacked up on a course I was familiar with. Without any warm up, I ran to the open first tee box. The course was wide open and I had it all to myself, which boded well for a few extra drives to see what the 909 could do. First hole my drive found my target and was about as long as I experience with my typical drive on this hole. The second hole at my home course is my nemesis, with tall fescue to the left just waiting to devour premium golf balls. Again, I found my target on the right side of the fairway, and repeated this on the 4th and 5th holes as well. My drive on the 5th was about as long as I have ever hit for that hole. Overall, I was very pleased how my on-course experience was going. The 7th hole I momentarily lost my swing, with not one but three balls hooking wildly left into a neighboring farm field. Where did that come from? The par 5 9th, I hit my target off the tee, but I noticed a pronounced draw to my shot and thoughts of the hook started creeping into my head.
One thing that stood out to me about the 909D3 head was how relatively shallow the face was for a “low spin” head. I varied my tee height a bit and finally settled on a height that was slightly lower than what I normally play. Thinking back to the 983E and 905S heads that had deeper faces which I had success with in the past, I found myself wishing the D3 head was just a touch deeper in its face height and it reminded me of the 905R in this respect. All in all, I had a great day driving the ball and my misses were quite manageable. 9 of 11 fairways was an impressive driving day for me on the holes I used the D3 to tee off.
The 909 series head is a slight change for Titleist as far as the hosel design. Gone is the “bore-through” hosel of past Titleist drivers in favor of a blind-bore hosel. Those who like to switch shafts will likely see this as a benefit. The design elements of Acushnet’s sister company- Cobra, could be seen in the D3. A weight screw is located low and back in the head to shift the center of gravity as well as providing a means for custom swingweighting. The Titleist “arrow” alignment aid is present on the crown, along with a good scoreline pattern on the face to get you aligned properly. One or the other would be my preference, with the nod going to just the scoreline pattern on the face. Otherwise, the 909 heads are strictly business from the top in a reflective black paint, and polished chrome sole that is quite attractive. The headcover is a magnetic one that is a little grumpy, but manageable.
I felt as though my fitting using the Surefit cart resulted in a good match for my swing. Although more options for faster swingers were needed, most people should be able to find their ideal combination using the Surefit cart. A launch monitor is one suggestion I would make to Titleist to really round out the fitting experience, as well as including more lofts and shaft flexes. However, there is something to be said about having someone watch you swing and pick up on your tendencies. The resulting club was the head and shaft that I would have picked if I had to “guess” without hitting first. In this way, the 909 series heads were an improvement for me in launch angles and spin rates over their predecessor 907 series drivers. The launch and spin were closer to what I have come to expect over the years with previous models of Titleist drivers. With three models to choose from in the 909 series, there is likely to be a head to fit everyone, with options for more forgiveness or more workability. The sound and feel were muted and pleasing and an improvement. There are a lot of decisions to be made when getting fit, but with a qualified fitter and a good selection of heads and shafts at your disposal with Titleist’s Surefit cart, you will be well on your way to optimizing your driving performance.
Michael White
Independent Equipment Reviewer
GolfDiscussions.com 
