As this year’s PGA Driver Derby is slowly coming to an end, two clubs dominate: the TaylorMade SLDR and the Titleist 913s. Although the SLDR wasn’t a huge surprise, nor was the 913D3, which is geared more toward professional level players, what was a bit of a shocker was how many wins the Titleist 913D2 drivers have earned. After all, these clubs are designed and marketed as an advanced weekend golfer’s driver! Nevertheless, they’re hitting it out of the park this year, with five of the best golfers in the PGA keeping a D2 in their bags.
Lucky for you, the 913s have been on the market long enough for there to be a healthy stock of used Titleist drivers, so if you’re looking to do some swapping, you’ll easily find a Titleist 913D2 in your price range. Although these clubs lack a lot of the features and flash that other manufacturers add to their drivers, the Titleist 913D2 is one of the most solid clubs on the market. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Here’s a quick list of the pros who rose to the top with D2s this season, according to PGA.com:
- Ben Crane (FedEx St. Jude’s Classic)
- Zach Johnson (Hyundai Tournament of Champions)
- Matt Jones (Shell Houston Open)
- Scott Stallings (Farmers Insurance Open)
- Jimmy Walker (AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Sony Open & Frys.com Open)
So, what’s in this Driver Derby business for you? Well, first what this proves is that there’s no such thing as playing too much golf with a club designed to help you hit longer, straighter balls. The Titleist 913D2 is not a game improvement club at the same level as a TaylorMade RocketBallz or Callaway X-Hot, but it’s not an impossible driver to hit, either.
It seems like for the longest time, pro players were pushing themselves to do more with clubs that gave less and less — so much so that winning a big money payout was as much a battle against their driver as the conditions on the course. Today’s pros are starting to see this — they’re getting big results with TaylorMade’s SLDR and Titleist’s 913D2, and there’s no shame in using a techy driver or increasing your loft if that’s what it takes to get more yards. Period.
Titleist’s 913D2 is hardly a driver for wet behind the ear beginners, but it does offer some great features, like interchangeable weights and an adjustable lie and loft via the SureFit hosel. With a 45 inch length standard and available lofts of 7.5, 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 12 degrees, the D2 is a force to be reckoned with.
Next time you find yourself battling with your driver instead of working with it in harmony, consider how the pros are playing — nice and easy. Your game could be simplified, too, with a quick visit to 3balls.com. We’ve got the best Titleist drivers, including the D2, ready to ship straight to your door.