Titleist

There are two hard truths that get in the way of making fairway woods easier to hit. First, because fairway woods are played off the ground most of the time, the majority of impacts occur below the centre of the face. That’s not where the highest loft is. Second, metalwood faces don’t tend to flex as well low on the face. Titleist’s solution is to cut a slot in the front part of the sole to get the lower part of its high-strength steel alloy face to deflect more at impact. Of course, achieving this design feat is more complex than it sounds. Wall thicknesses, widths and depths determine whether the slot works like it should. The channel is also relatively heavy, so the weight isn’t in the best place for forgiveness. This year, Titleist’s slot (“Active Recoil Channel 4.0”) is five grams lighter. That saved weight is redistributed in different ways in the two clubheads. The TSi2, which has a shallower face but appears larger at address, distributes the weight on the perimeter for optimal forgiveness and a higher launch. The TSi3, which has a taller face but looks more compact at address, features a 12-gram moveable weight across three settings. The unit hides neatly within the sole for unobstructed turf interaction.

LOFTS 13.5, 15, 16.5, 18, 21 (tsi2); 13.5, 15, 16.5, 18 (tsi3)