Titleist 905R Driver

History

Here's a company whose suffered a long absence from the "Popular" driver front. Almost deservedly so. I'm certain it wasn't on purpose, but Titleist Drivers had become a shade too "Elitist" for the rest of us. They were horrendously expensive, as unforgiving as "Attila the Hun", and distance wannabes as compared to the New Generation of Clevelands, Taylor Mades, etc.. Yet they remained extremely effective in the hands of "The Chosen Few" who had developed tour quality swings. Basically, the 905 T, succesor to the 983K was only available to fat wallets and slicked-out swings.

If I sound a bit sour, it's probably because long ago and far away, I used to swing a 975D----a real piece of magic in its day. The club was forgiving, long, deadly accurate, easy to steer, and ---attractive--- basically ---anything you could ever want from a driver! Though a few of it's successors have been "Very Good " drivers, (975J, 983 K), none of them matched the almost exclusivity of Driver Supremacy enjoyed by the long obsolete 975D. Back then you knew you were paying a bit more,--BUT-- as in the case of a BMW vs. a Chevy...you were getting a hell of a lot for your money.

The Actual Performance

If you read my reviews regularly, you will note that I have been covering lots of drivers as of late. Lots of good new stuff out there, as well as the usual lode of over-hyped, underwhelming mass of mediocrity. After literally trying well over a hundred drivers, I've decided that this one and the New Mizuno have got to be the best bang for the buck "if you have a fairly repeatable swing. " Both are dripping w/exceptional quality, easy workablility, good looks, and smooth as butter forged feel that is sensitive enough to tell you swing after swing--EXACTLY where on the face that the ball was struck.

The first stop was a vector monitor. It was demo day, and I got to re-shoot the Calloway X, (which seemed to perform a little better than my somewhat harsh review.---The Fuji shaft is actually pretty good on this thing. My shot dispersion was consistent, and distance was good. Trouble is --it still sounds like an aluminum baseball bat and doesn't outperform my 2 year old Nickent which I bought for half the price.) I got to try the Cobra HS 9 again, in several different models. Again--I didn't care for it, but that doesn't make it a bad club. The Ping G-5 also got another shot. Good club---Ping's best effort in years. I was tired of drawing the same conclusions as before, and grudgingly asked to try the Titleist 905R. I was gun shy after a very disappointing session w/the 905T (A club which seemed so ambiguous that I did not even bother to review it. Shades of the 975E.)

I tested the 905R w/10.5 * loft and Aldila NV 65 in Regular Flex. It was blowing past everything I demoed, (some names I won't even mention, simply out of respect--HA!--All the aforementioned plus Adams, MacGregor, Cleveland, Nike etc....) Not only was it blowing by everything, the ball was going absolutlely straight. I was having too much fun, and kept on swinging. The ball kept going "Long and Straight" (You know--that new driver mantra so similar to the new ball Mantra of "Long and Soft.") So I decided to see if this old 15 handicapper could work this club. --"SURVEY SAYS"-------Absolutely!!!! Close the face a tad bit---nice draw. Open it a shade---nice fade. Close it a bit much---insta-hook,,open it a bit much---Mega slice. This club is a finesse golfer's wet dream.

Well launch monitor sessions are fine and dandy, but how about real play? Especially on a club whose initial MSRP was $499.00. I hit, and I do mean literally hit, 14 of 14 fairways. Admittedly some mis hits barely made it to the short grass from the rural route tee boxes, and some balls landed just barely inside the first cut rough. But Fairways is Fairways, and this baby delivered. At address this baby has that lovely traditional Titleist Pear Shape, and they found a way to make a 460cc head look beautiful, and not mutant like as we have seen w/so many other manufacturers. It is a real confidence builder to look down at such a handsome club.

14 fairways?---How about distance!?---As with the launch monitor session this baby was launching them further than any club I've had the pleasure of hitting lately. Please note I have reviewed The Sasquatch, The Hi-Bore, and Taylor Made 425. It left 'em in the dust. Well what about shaft options? ----Yeah---What about it? ---Aldila, Fuji, Graphite Design, the options are all there. Get fitted for one of these, as the shaft really does make the difference.

This club truly delivers the goods for Titleist, and it has been a long time coming. Its got looks, distance, accuracy, workability, shaft options, blah, blah, blah. It is still a shade costlier than most, but for the first time in a long time you can honestly call it---"The Tileist Difference", and know that you truly are getting a lot for your money---especially now that they can be had for $399---same price as everyone else's Top Shelf Driver.