I had the chance to be among the first to hit and be fitted for the 917 driver and fairway woods at the Oceanside Titleist Performance Institute today. We got a chancce to meet with Josh, Chris, Cathi, and a whole host of Titleist employees to walk us through the new product, the technology, and the like.
I think everyone came away really impressed with the 917 line-up. After making a number of tweaks to the loft/lie and the new Surefit CG system, I saw a nice increase in distance. What blew me away was the impact that the CG placement had and how easy it was to see it in the ball flight and the roll out on landing.
Several people saw increased carry and roll out with the fittings. I was fit two years ago for my 915 and was getting a carry of about 245-255 with and totalling about 260-270. Net, I picked up about 2-3 MPH ball speed, carry was about 260-265 and rolling out to about 280. The long of the day was about 290. Spin came down about 200-300 RPM on average. I think fitting is key with this club.
A few notes:
- The Surefit system stays the same. We pulled the shaft from my 915 and started the fitting with that.
- The D2 is still 460cc, but it looks compact. I'm still in the D3 and stayed in the D3, but for those that think the D2 is too big -- all is say is give it a chance.
- Getting fit for this club is worth the time, especially since you can see the changes quickly.
The grey is nice and appealing to the eye. The sound of the club is solid.
It was a fun day and thanks to everyone at Titleist for putting on a great show.
Scott