Titleist TSR2 v TSR3 Hybrid Golf Clubs Review
Neil Tappin and Joel Tadman look at two of the new Titleist hybrid models to see what you get for your money.
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00:00 If you're in the market for a new hybrid in 2023,
00:02 then Tightlist have three interesting options
00:05 for you to consider.
00:06 There's the TSR1, which is designed for sort of
00:09 moderate and slower swing speed players,
00:12 and then the two that we've got in our hands here today.
00:14 So I've got the TSR3, and Joel has the TSR2.
00:19 Now, Joel, do you want to just start by hitting one for us?
00:22 The main difference between them is the size of the head.
00:25 So the TSR3 is a lot more compact than the two.
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00:31 Good shot.
00:34 And Joel, just in terms of the looks,
00:35 how does the two compare to what we had
00:38 from Tightlist in the previous generation?
00:39 Yeah, so compared to the TSI2,
00:41 the TSR2 is actually quite a lot larger
00:43 down behind the ball.
00:44 It has a much bigger profile,
00:46 and that's driving the weight a bit deeper in the head.
00:48 And from the testing that I've done so far,
00:50 we've had a launch monitor out,
00:52 and looking at the ball flight,
00:53 what that's going to do is give you
00:54 a slightly higher ball flight.
00:56 So if you're someone who struggles to flight the ball
00:57 with your hybrid, you're really going to enjoy
00:59 what you get from the TSR2.
01:01 And obviously down at the dress,
01:02 because it is a bit larger,
01:03 just inspires a bit more confidence.
01:04 It's much more fairwayward-like in the way it looks
01:07 versus the TSR3, which you've got there,
01:09 which is a little bit more iron-like and more compact
01:11 for the slightly better player.
01:12 Yeah, I think if you want that feeling
01:15 that you've got a generous footprint,
01:16 it's going to help you get the ball up in the air.
01:18 You don't have to swing it too hard
01:19 to get the flight that you're looking for.
01:21 Also, think about the times that you're using it.
01:23 You're using it to hit green,
01:24 so you want that descent angle
01:26 to stop the ball on the greens.
01:28 - Yeah, definitely, and if you're someone
01:29 who's got quite a shallow angle of attack into the ball,
01:31 you're probably going to gravitate more towards
01:33 a club like this with a wider sole.
01:35 And what I also like about the TSR2 versus the TSI2
01:38 is that the line goes a little bit flatter,
01:40 so it tends to have less left bias on it,
01:42 which is a common complaint with hybrids,
01:44 especially with the TSR3,
01:46 which I know is a little bit more upright.
01:47 Testing we've done, it goes a bit more draw-biased to it,
01:51 whereas this is a lot more neutral.
01:52 So if you miss left, you're going to enjoy
01:54 the ball flight with the TSR2.
01:56 - Joel, do you want to hit just another one for us?
01:58 Because I think there's another key difference,
02:00 and that's in terms of the sound and the feel.
02:02 Hopefully you should be able to pick it up
02:04 on the microphones when Joel hits it.
02:06 - Definitely.
02:06 Now to me, the sound, it's quite interesting
02:11 because it just sounds a bit more fairway-wood-like
02:16 or driver-like.
02:17 It's got that slightly higher pitch to it, slightly louder.
02:20 - Yeah, it's a bit more metallic.
02:21 It's got a metallic fizz to it.
02:23 Like you say, a bit more driver-like
02:25 compared to the TSR3, which we'll hit in a minute.
02:27 Much more of a quieter, denser sound.
02:30 It's actually amazing how different
02:32 the two hybrids sound and feel.
02:33 There's a lot of contrast there.
02:34 - If you want that more powerful,
02:36 what I would describe as a more powerful
02:38 contact feel sensation, then the TSR3
02:42 is probably the way to go.
02:42 But that still sounds solid to me.
02:44 - It's really solid, and I think that's the other point
02:46 of difference, that this feels a lot more stable, I think,
02:48 versus the TSR3.
02:49 So if you want a lot more forgiveness
02:51 from your hybrid shots, if your strikes tend to deviate
02:53 quite a lot across the face, you're gonna enjoy
02:56 the extra MOI and forgiveness you're getting
02:58 with this particular club.
02:59 - Yeah, and obviously, it's tight-listed.
03:01 There's plenty of different fitting options.
03:03 I think we would both recommend that if you're gonna
03:04 invest in one of these, they are premium price point.
03:07 You want them to fit in exactly the right spot
03:09 at the top end of the bag.
03:10 So going through that process with somebody
03:12 who knows what they're doing to fit you in
03:13 in terms of the numbers makes sense,
03:15 regardless of which one you go for.
03:17 - Yeah, and it's worth pointing out that
03:19 testing this TSR2 up against the TSI2 today,
03:23 the ball flight was relatively similar.
03:25 Like I said, slightly less draw-bites to it,
03:27 but I was getting a little bit more speed out of this
03:29 hybrid versus the previous generation.
03:31 So kind of about one mile an hour more ball speed,
03:33 which doesn't sound much, but it was equating
03:34 to a few extra yards.
03:35 So I think you're getting a little bit more performance
03:37 as well as a bit more stability out of this club
03:40 versus the TSI2.
03:42 And the other change they've made with this sole
03:44 in particular, these relief pockets,
03:46 which tight-listed, say, gives you better turf interaction
03:49 because it's essentially taking away parts of the sole
03:51 that's contacting to the ground.
03:53 I didn't necessarily notice any difference
03:56 in the way the club interacted with the ground,
03:57 but I think you might notice it a bit more from the rough
04:00 when the club tends to get a bit snagged.
04:02 You might find that it feels a little bit quicker
04:04 through the rough, so that's just something to bear in mind.
04:06 - Yeah, and because of that lie angle
04:07 that you were talking about earlier,
04:08 maybe if you feel like you've had tendencies with hybrids,
04:11 particularly in the rough, getting snagged,
04:12 hitting them left, maybe this one might help you
04:15 on that front.
04:16 - I think it's gonna be a bit more playable
04:17 from different lies.
04:18 You want a hybrid to perform out of different lies,
04:20 off the tee, off the deck, out of the rough.
04:21 I think it might get you out of trouble a little bit more,
04:24 but the differences between the TSI 2 in that regard
04:26 are probably a bit more subtle.
04:28 - Yeah, okay, right.
04:29 Let's have a look at the TSR 3.
04:31 Did you ever hit the TSR 3?
04:32 - Yeah, let's swap positions, deal,
04:34 and you can talk us through.
04:36 Well, so you've hit both of these hybrids,
04:37 but you've played the TSI 3 hybrid in the past,
04:40 so you're very familiar with this franchise.
04:42 How does the TSR 3 maybe compare to that
04:45 and also compare to the TSR 2?
04:47 - Yeah, I think, let's say, it's the shape of the head,
04:50 and if you're somebody that prefers a hybrid
04:52 that's more iron-like to look down on, much more compact,
04:55 then the TSR 3 is definitely one to test this year.
04:58 We had a look at a whole host of different hybrids
05:01 across the market yesterday.
05:02 This is definitely one of the most compact that you'll find.
05:05 I quite like that feeling of hitting a little bit more
05:07 down into the ball with a hybrid,
05:09 bit more turf interaction, so I quite like the TSR 3
05:13 from that standpoint, and the other big difference
05:15 is the feel.
05:17 - Yeah.
05:17 Yeah, it's a much shorter sound, isn't it?
05:23 Much more iron-like.
05:25 - Much more iron-like, and the ball flight
05:27 is much more aggressive, quite a lot lower than it is
05:32 with the TSR 2.
05:33 I think that means you've got room to play with
05:35 in terms of the loft, and again, that point about fitting
05:38 is important here, because if I was hitting too many shots
05:41 like that one, that one came out pretty low,
05:43 I'd probably want to crank up the loft.
05:45 That's fine, because I'm not looking to hit this
05:46 as far as I possibly can, so you've got room to work with,
05:49 is what I would say.
05:50 - Yeah, definitely.
05:50 Definitely produces a flatter flight, versus the TSR 2.
05:55 Even though that one popped up a little bit,
05:58 but I don't think that was as high as where my TSR 2
06:00 was going, the window is a bit lower.
06:02 But obviously with the TSR 3, you've got that movable weight
06:05 in the side with those five positions.
06:06 I mean, that's gonna help change the trajectory,
06:08 whether you're taking one side of the golf course out,
06:11 how beneficial is that gonna be for better players?
06:13 - Yes, I think it is, and for the reason
06:15 that the shot that I've just hit there,
06:16 so when I was hitting that shot earlier,
06:18 and I had the weight tracking neutral,
06:20 it was turning over quite a bit.
06:21 I mean, it was still fine, it was playable,
06:24 but I would probably be tempted to move that weight
06:26 into the toe to give me maybe that feeling
06:28 of more of a neutral ball flight.
06:31 - Yeah, because I do think, I tested the TSR 3 as well,
06:33 it does seem to sit a little bit more upright,
06:35 so it had a tendency to go a bit left.
06:37 But actually, when you move the weight in the toe,
06:39 it was surprising how much of an impact
06:40 that had on the flight, wasn't it?
06:41 - Yes.
06:42 - You know, it wasn't curving, it was relatively subtle,
06:44 it wasn't curving as much as it was in that neutral position.
06:47 - Yeah, I've always been a bit sceptical in the past,
06:49 actually, about movable weights in more compact woods,
06:53 about how much of a difference that makes,
06:55 but certainly from the testing that I've done
06:57 with this today, I really can feel
07:00 and see the difference between them.
07:02 Now, one of the things, Joel, that I would mention
07:10 about both of these models, but also about some
07:11 of the other hybrid models that I've seen
07:13 and tested this year, is about consistency,
07:15 is about the work the brands are doing with these models.
07:18 Seems to me to be around giving you
07:20 that consistent ball flight spin
07:23 that you want and that you need.
07:24 It feels like they're talking about it a lot
07:28 in terms of drivers, you know, giving you that forgiveness,
07:31 that consistency, but you really notice it as well
07:33 in some of the other woods.
07:34 And if you're coming into the greens with one of these,
07:36 you want that reliable ball flight,
07:38 and I think that's what you're getting
07:39 with this generation.
07:40 - Yeah, definitely packed a lot of playability
07:42 into these heads, even with the TSR3,
07:44 despite it being compact, it's still quite forgiving
07:46 off-center, I think.
07:47 - Yes, yeah, that's probably what surprised me.
07:49 So if you're maybe veering away from a more compact hybrid,
07:53 even though that's what you'd prefer,
07:55 I would still test it because I think there's
07:57 a good amount of playability, as you say.
07:58 - I think while the TSR3, the shaping appeals
08:01 to the better players, there's no reason why
08:03 mid-handicappers couldn't benefit from the technology,
08:06 and maybe they popped the ball up a little bit too high
08:09 and they need something that's going to bring the flight down
08:11 and you're going to get that with the TSR3.
08:13 - You're going to get that with the TSR3,
08:15 and I also think that you do get really good ability
08:17 to play this from different lines around the golf course.
08:19 So if you're wanting to hit hybrid shots,
08:23 if you play a golf course with rough around
08:25 and you're hitting longer shots from the rough,
08:26 then that more compact hybrid, I think,
08:28 gets through that quite well.
08:30 - Yeah.
08:31 Very good.
08:34 I think that's a pretty good shot to finish on, Neil.
08:37 So there you go, that's the new TSR2 and TSR3 hybrids.
08:41 Two excellent options if you're on the market
08:43 for something in that area of the bag.
08:45 I think with these two models, with the adjustability
08:47 on offer in both the heads, it's going to suit
08:49 a broad range of handicaps and playing styles.
08:51 And hopefully you found this video useful
08:53 in narrowing down your search in terms of picking
08:55 the model that's right for you.
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