If you’re a brand aficionado, you should learn that the new Titleist TS1 is the latest member of the TS family, and it makes for a high launch-high spin lightweight driver which is aimed at “changing the game” for the company, just like the TS series have done in the past. It’s very interesting to observe how Titleist has literally become a global leader in the metal woods segment, after struggling to keep up with the others for the past few years.

And that’s entirely due to their new TS series, which has won the driver count this season alone at tour events countless times. Okay, maybe we can count the instances, but that’s not the issue. The point is, TS stands for Titleist Speed, and you can take that to the bank!

To give you a little context, Titleist released recently their TS4 driver, which has been designed to deliver extreme spin control, and, on the heels of the TS4, the company is looking to help golfers seeking for that “extra mile” of speed and launch by hitting the world with the TS1. That’s a nice story to tell your grandkids, right? Joke aside, and this time it’s no joke, the latest TS1 driver is specifically engineered to please golf players with moderate club speeds, and by moderate we mean 90 miles per hour or less.

In order to achieve this noble goal, Titleist’s Research and Development team did their best to help these slow-people gain launch, speed and increased distance off the tee. That’s what the new TS1 is all about in a nutshell. But how did they do it, more specifically? Well, the first thing Titleist’s engineers did was to go back to their drawing boards, provided these things even exist anymore, and seek for ways to reduce weight, and by that we mean the total weight of the respective driver. To give you a little bit of context, the average TS2 weighs 320 grams on average, total club weight that is, and that’s with a standard grip. Here’s the kicker: the new TS1 driver can be described as ultra-light, tipping the scales at just 275 grams, which is kind of amazing, and that’s due to Titleist’s dream team of engineers pushing the limits and playing with their CAD files or whatever they use these days for designing components and technology. Rest assured, as the ultra-light TS1 still benefits from all the technological bells and whistles of the Speed Project extravaganza, and here’s a quote from the company’s Director of Metalwoods Development at Titleist R&D, Stephanie (that’s a girl’s name?) Luttrell:

TS1 is designed for golfers who have a driver swing speed of approximately 85mph and below, and averaging 220 yards or less off the tee. By bringing our TS technology into this extremely lightweight configuration and adding a slight draw bias, we've been able to produce dramatic benefits for this group of players. What separates TS1 from other competitive lightweight products is that we haven't had to make sacrifices, particularly with MOI and adjustability.

The ultra-light TS1 driver is helped by the redesigned Fujikura and MCA shafts, which weigh a mere 40grams/45 grams respectively and come as standard, thus helping with delivering high launch via less effort, or something along these lines. Speaking of weight saving technology, we must also mention the Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 Lite grip, which shaves an additional 20 grams of weight, and, on top of that, we have Titleist’s ultra-thin titanium crown, which makes for the thinnest titanium made crown in the industry, and permits for the saved weight to be redistributed in other places in order to generate increased performance for low-swing-speed golfers. And speaking of low-swing golfers, the new TS1 comes with the company’s patented Radial VFT face, which is literally the fastest ever made by Titleist, and aimed at improving both forgiveness and ball speed.

But wait, there’s more: the titanium made crown is aerodynamically designed for encouraging more distance and more club head speed via reduced drag. Moreover, the TS1 benefits from optimized weight distribution, as its center of gravity is located deep in the head. This clever design trick also improves speed, launch and spin characteristics, which are must-have features if you’re looking to gain more carry distance.

On top of that, the TS1 driver comes with Titleist’s patented SureFit Hosel technology that allows for 16 distinct adjustments for both loft and lie, including head weight adjustability. We must mention the fact that the head of the Titleist TS1 driver is 8 grams lighter compared to the TS2 and slightly draw biased (don’t worry, not by much).

And if you’re curious about pricing and availability, the TS1 is already out there, at retail locations and shops all across North America, in 3 lofts (9.5, 10.5, and 12.5 degrees, plus 10.5 degrees for left-handed golfers); and if you’re curious about the price tag, well, it’s pretty much in line with the rest of the bunch: $499 MSRP, with Fujikura Air Speeder 40 or Mitsubishi Fubuki MV 45 shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 Lite grip.