Review: Titleist 905T Driver

My new Titleist 905T Driver plays a starring role in my Burton golf bag. Okay, I love all of my Titleist golf clubs!

In addition to my new set of Titleist 904F Fairway woods (you know, the woods I vowed never to part with) I also received a brand new Pro Titanium Titleist 905T driver. Ernie Els used to own it but he is now trying the Pro Titanium 905R 460cc prototype driver but with the same loft (9.5) as mine. At least his shaft is the same design as mine…the Titleist Speeder by Fujikura. But just look at that picture from Titleist. Please! I'm a leftie!!!

Since I never owned one of the newest and best drivers on the PGA Tour I decided to check out the Titleist website first and read the specs.

Then it was on to the range to see the difference between my no-name 330cc driver (which was put together for me by a local golf club maker) and the driver which Ben Crane uses on tour.

A brief rundown on my particular golf club. There are two Titleist drivers featured on the site, the Pro Titanium Titleist 905T driver and the new Titleist Pro Titanium 905S driver. I selected the 905T for the following reasons.

1. Both drivers are tour proven (see below for the PGA Tour players who use Titleist equipment) but the 905T is a "larger profile driver that provides an optimal combination of high launch, reduced spin and maximum ball speed for longer tee shots with a penetrating downrange trajectory". The 905S has a "flatter launch angle" which I didn't think was right for my game. I wanted a driver that was easy to hit and the 905T seemed like it was more for the average golfer than for Ernie Els.

2. The Titleist website also stated that "the aspiring player will benefit from the increased size and playability". I knew right away that this better suited my game. I had tried several drivers at the local golf store that were 460 cc but liked this club beacuse it was somewhere in between what I had and what I was trying at the golf store.

3. I liked the way the golf club was constructed. There is a "separate face, body and hosel construction" and a "CNC milled 6061 T-6 aluminum hosel tube with lightweight, structural aluminum". It's light and easy-to-hold. Swinging it seemed easy.

4. My 330cc driver had a launch angle of 12 degrees but I hit it really well so I decided to move to a 9.5 degree driver for some extra distance. The Titleist 905T driver has a 400cc head with a 45" shaft. I knew it was going to be totally different than what I was used to but decided to take it to my swing coach and let him analyze my swing and make suggestions. Always take a lesson. You will improve your ball-striking ability ten-fold! And remember that the month of May is Free Lesson Month…one of my favorite months!


Okay, enough of the specifics. You get the drift. It's a quality golf club and the latest equipment on tour. I just had to have it, but could it perform?

I headed out to the driving range and met with my swing coach Bob Moro, formerly head pro at Whipporwhill CC in Westchester County. He uses a swing camera to videotape the swing so you can see your faults and make corrections.

I couldn't understand how I wasn't hitting my new driver like the old one. After looking at the video I was relieved to see that the faults didn't lie in the new Titleist 905T driver but in my swing. WHEW! What a relief! I found my swing plane heading on an out-to-in path, a certain loss of power and a typical slice. The next step was to ask my coach how to fix the flaw. As I was practicing I noticed that I had chosen well because Bob also has a Titleist 983 driver in his bag as well as several woods, ahem, all Titleist.

At the end of our session Bob helped me to gain distance and power and this winter I will be trying to hit golf balls with my beautiful new Titleist 905T driver over the fence at the driving range (about 250 yards to the middle of the fence). I can try, can't I? Seriously, my average drives are about 225. ;-)

Conclusion: Thanks to Titleist for creating such a nicely weighted driver with a nice sized sweet spot for the slightly above average golfer.

Some Notable Tour Players Who Play

Ernie Els, Adam Scott, Davis Love III, Mark O'Meara, Ben Crane, Steve Elkington, Brad Faxon, Lucas Glover (nice ace, Lucas!), Jay Haas, Ryan Palmer and Bill Haas.

Michelle Wie Sent Packing!

In Golf for beginners 01-15-06 episode ten we blog about Shigeki Maruyama's expensive habits and love of clothes, Greg Norman's empire which tops $160 million and relate one of our listener's hole-in-one stories.

Have you ever gotten a hole-in-one? If so, please either post it here and tell us the details or send it to our email address golfforbeginners@aol.com. We will put your name and great story on the internet for all of our listeners to hear!

Our new segment is entitled "Blogger Weekly". With every new podcast we will scour the internet to search the blogs for the latest talk on the web. This week's discussion is all about Michelle Wie's failed attempt to make the cut at the 2006 Sony Open. Although she tried valiantly for two days, her mistakes on the first day cost her a chance at a weekend layover. The question is not only about her ability to make the cut in a PGA Tournament but whether or not "The Big Wiesy" should try winning in the LPGA Tour first and then try her hand in another PGA tournament. The quotes and websites we turned to this week are listed below. Barry and I have inserted our own commentary on our Golf for Beginners podcast as well.

Hookedongolfblog.com states:
"Michelle Wie should now focus her golf career on the LPGA Tour. My guess is that this is going to be the sentiment of 99% of all golf bloggers and sports writers and it is true. She has done basically nothing on the LPGA. She needs to get into the grind of the tour and win some tournaments. She doesn’t even need to win majors right away. She just needs to start making her mark on the LPGA, period."

Suzanne at businessgolfblog.blogspot.com writes,
"After cheering for Annika and Michelle to make the cut, I have to wonder why they are attempting to compete against their male counterparts. For Annika to do so, I understand better. She's the number one ladies golfer in the world and she wants to see how her game compares against the men.

I question why Michelle, who hasn't won yet an LPGA event, has set such unreasonably high expectations for herself."

Michellewieblog.com states:
"She will make a cut on the men’s tour and she will win many LPGA tournaments in her career. When she does, these tournaments will be a distant memory. She is just getting warmed up. Despite what critics say, we have not heard the last or even the beginning of Michelle Wie."

Michellewienews.com quotes Wie's playing partner on day two, Chris Couch:
“Some guys don’t like it. But if she can make it out here, I’d love to see it,” Couch said. “Look at what it’s done for this tournament. If you’re going to give anyone an exemption, it might as well be her.”

Michelle Wie actually answered this question herself when Mark Rolfing from The Golf Channel posed it to her: “Which would give you more satisfaction, making the cut in a PGA tournament, or winning on the LGPA?”

Michelle replied: "I would choose both. Winning an LPGA tournament would be awesome because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. And making the cut on the PGA would be a whole different feeling, to be able to do something no one else has ever done.” You tell him Michelle!

I'll be searching the blogs on the 'net this week to see what the hottest weekly stories are and will post commentary on next week's segment of "Blogger Weekly".

Until then, play good golf!

Golf Tips: The Low Shot

Feeling a bit rusty after the off-season? I hope these tips will help you through the early part of the season.

How many times have you watched a golf tournament to find a pro under the trees after a wayward tee shot?

The trouble golfers have with this particular low trajectory shot is that they try too much to hit the golf ball into the air when they should focus their attention on getting the shot safely out of danger.

Remember these few suggestions when attempting this shot and you will get back into the fairway and save strokes too!

1. Choose the right golf club: With a clean lie, use a 5 or 6 iron. If the ball sinks down into the rough, use a 7 or 8 iron as the higher loft will help get the ball out of the rough. It is important, however, to use a club that will keep your shot from hitting the obstruction.

2. Set Up: Ball back in your stance,, hands ahead of the ball and weight on your left side (for righties - opposite for a lefty)

3. Slow Down: The low shot is hit most effectively with a slower swing speed. This provides less backspin and a lower trajectory.

4. Finish: Keep your hands low at finish to keep the flight of the ball low.

Mental Note: You might not be able to reach the green. If you don't think you can, DON'T TRY! Instead, attempt to get the ball out of trouble first, aiming for the fairway. Once in the fairway, it will be easier to get the ball up and down to possibly save the hole.