
Titleist launches GT1 3TOUR fairway wood with lower spin, stronger loft for better players
Gear: Titleist GT1 3TOUR fairway wood
Price: $399 (Standard), $599 (Premium)
Specs: 14.5 degrees of loft, polymer crown with dual weight system (11g forward/3g aft), redesigned hosel, 43 inches long
Available: Fittings and pre-sale begin today; in stores August 7
Who it's for: Players who love a shallow-faced, easy-launching fairway wood but need lower spin and a more penetrating flight.
What you should know: The GT1 3TOUR is designed to be a powerful option off the tee for players with lower spin than a traditional 3-wood.
The Deep Dive: Over the last year, Titleist's GT metalwoods have gained traction on tour and among elite amateurs, and recently the company made the GT280 mini driver available to the public, but now comes the introduction of the GT1 3TOUR fairway wood.
While the standard GT1 fairways offer a combination of high launch, forgiveness and confidence-inspiring shape, the 3TOUR model was built to give better players a more penetrating option without sacrificing launch or turf interaction.
The 180-cubic-centimeter GT1 3TOUR shares the same compact, shallow-profile look that helped the original GT1 appeal to some accomplished players. But a closer inspection reveals performance tweaks that make a noticeable difference, especially for players with higher swing speeds or those who want to bring spin down without giving up the ability to launch shots off the deck.
The most significant change is under the hood — or more specifically, under the crown. While the standard GT1 fairway woods feature a stainless steel face and crown, the GT1 3TOUR uses Titleist's Seamless Thermoform Crown, a lightweight design made from the brand's proprietary Matrix Polymer. This is the same material used in the GT drivers, and it reduces weight from the top of the head, allowing engineers to shift the center of gravity lower and forward. This increases ball speed and reduces spin rates, while the 14.5 degrees of loft still helps to get the ball in the air.
That lower CG pairs with a stronger 14.5-degree loft to produce flatter, more controlled trajectories, which are especially useful in windy conditions or when golfers are trying to find tight fairways on long par-4s and reachable par-5s. Among the pros who already have a GT1 3TOUR I the bag are Doug Ghim and Cameron Davis.
However, the GT1 3TOUR is not a 'Tour only' rocket launcher. Instead, it maintains one of the GT1's original goals — playability — thanks to its high moment of inertia (MOI) in a clean, refined shape.
The dual-weight system seen in the GT1 lineup carries over, giving fitters the ability to fine-tune launch and spin using 11g and 3g weights. In its stock setup, the heavier weight is positioned forward to reduce spin and increase ball speed. Flip them, and you'll create a higher, more spin and boost forgiveness.
Titleist also reworked the internal hosel to reclaim even more discretionary mass, a subtle change that helps reinforce the club's mission: refined launch and spin for the stronger player who still values versatility.

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Motor Trend
30 minutes ago
- Motor Trend
Blood Sports: 2005 Ford GT vs. 2005 Ferrari F430
[Editor's Note: This story first appeared in the June 2005 issue of MotorTrend] It's hard to imagine a Ferrari feeling its best in south Michigan--the endless straight roads, slapping concrete surfaces, and potholes the size of a Kenworth; the speed limits, the traffic, the stoplights. It's definitely not Ferrari country. That's why we've brought the Italian's Detroit rival, the Ford GT, to the heart of Ferrari territory, up in the mountain back roads above Maranello, the very twisting routes where Ferrari tests Ferraris. The 2005 Ford GT and the Ferrari F430 face off on Ferrari's home roads. The GT excels in comfort and straight-line speed, while the F430 shines in precision and handling. Both cars have unique strengths, with the Ferrari feeling more special but the Ford offering impressive power and comfort. This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article Read Next And the Ford is loving it. It grabs these hillsides by the throat, dispensing its 550 horsepower onto the pavement with an urge that stuns. It rockets out of the hairpins, second gear throwing us back into the seat, widening our eyes. That one cog will blast to 90 mph when there's the chance, and when we reach the top of the hills it gets it, the bright red GT flashing along ridgetop roads like a low-flying jet. Today we're moving in formation. Shadowing the GT's every move is Ferrari's latest V-8 coupe, the F430. Two red flashes, vivid as slashes in your retina. The Ford impossibly low and wide, an organically primal shape, that flat rear deck offsetting the swollen rear fenders in a shape so hormonally suggestive it ought to be banned from daytime TV. How can any car make a Ferrari look so narrow, pinched, and tall? That's not to say there's no interest in the Ferrari shape: The way it handles air in/out ducting is beautifully worked, and the scarcity and narrowness of its cutlines make it seem a higher-quality piece than the Ford. Both use rear glass to make display cases for their engines. At 4.3 liters versus 5.4, the Ferrari is down on capacity on the GT and down by a supercharger, too. Crucially, the F430 is also down on weight. And, as we're finding through these enchantingly challenging roads, the local opens up a gap on the visitor. We swap between the cars, and the Ferrari pulls out in front, steadily making distance--at least until the road goes straight, when the Ford winches the Ferrari back in. This is a fascinating contest; a series of drives that will sear their way into our memories. So how does the Ferrari find this twisty-road speed? Not through extra grip, oddly. Broaching the limits in this car is not, to be honest, a job for the likes of me. What this car does brilliantly is signal the outer edge and hardwire itself into your nerve endings, bringing magic to the fingertips. The faster the corner, the more this intimacy comes into play. One secret, and its great advance over the 360 Modena, is the E-Diff, an electronically controlled variable-locking differential. As it locks, it inclines the car to go straight, increasing traction, understeer, and steering weight. It's mapped to open itself on corner entry then lock on exit, and the degree of its actions can be selected via the five-position rotary switch on the steering wheel. Step by step, this car can grow from a conservative machine, with understeer and eager ESP intervention, to an edgier dry-roads animal where the ESP threshold stays far, far out. The GT has colossal traction and requires a different driving style. Where the Ferrari dives flat and instant into a corner like a racer, the Ford's steering is nowhere near as eager, and there's a remote, viscous quality to the system that holds you at arm's length. This isn't an endearing quality in a supercar this fast. But once into the corner, squeeze on that mighty supercharged V-8 and feel the outer rear tire load up. Balance the load and listen to the car via its rear--whereas the Ferrari needs to be driven via its nose. Even without the full electronic safety net Ferrari provides, you and the GT are soon comfortable together, and, in short order, truly rocking. One real surprise, given that these are Ferrari's roads, is how at ease the Ford is over the bumps. The surfaces are buckled and corrugated. The Ferrari--even if you set its dampers soft by winding back the electronics--is always harsh and edgy in its ride. The Ford has excellent damping control, but manages to breathe much more deeply, moving fluently over the surface, avoiding getting knocked off course. And at all speeds, it's far more comfortable. On better highways, this manifests itself as a more relaxed gait that helps the GT change footwear from running spikes to seven-league boots. That complements the engine. Wafting in sixth, you can do fast autostrada speeds, while barely dipping your toe into the Ford V-8's deep waters. If their suspensions are merely dissimilar, their engines are poles apart. The Ford is massively torquey. It pulls just over 60 mph in first gear, more than 100 in third, with three still to go. In the Ferrari, one cog lower offers the same effect. The Ford V-8 is all-American in muscle and sound. There's a faint supercharger whine, but mostly the exhausts wrap you softly in V-8 woofle just as the engine kicks your butt clear to the horizon. I was long into driving it before needing the upper rev range--it'll turn to 6500, but there's so much force lower down that I never felt the need to go there. But, when I did, and passed 5500-ish for the first time, a whole new realm of intergalactic surge opened up. If the Ford has revs to spare, the Ferrari needs and craves them. It goes to 8500 and goes there often. Oh, it's perfectly tractable at low-to-mid rpm, and each micron of throttle movement gets a corresponding result--albeit, a relatively mild result. Once the feral howl from behind is signaling its optimum operating range, the Maranello V-8 is a scorching experience. The soundscape is less dramatic than the old 360's manic chorus of different voices, but deeper, more liveable, and more satisfying. Ford commissioned a new six-speed transaxle for the GT, and its manual shift is like a 911's, never failing to find its way home. Beside the long, slow, messy Viper and Corvette manuals, it's a revelation. The Ferrari's F1 automated sequential manual continues to improve, nearly always finding just the right throttle and clutch modulation for an upshift and blipping the downshifts seamlessly. On these twisting roads, the ability to downshift on a fingertip, while keeping both hands on the wheel, is a bonus. In the Ford, gear-changing might not be necessary, as second and third cover all hard-driving eventualities hereabouts. Ford has set the car to max out in sixth, so then the rest, from fifth to second, could've been shuffled upward in ratio, making the car even more accelerative and giving more chances to savor that high-rev muscle and the satisfaction of a cleanly made manual gear change. Both cars have brakes that'll punch you in the chest. On the road, the Ford's iron rotors match the Ferrari's five-figure carbon ones. Neither will fade nor run out of power, because hard road braking is a question of tire grip (itself determined by things like surface texture, damping, and unsprung weight), not ultimate brake power. That said, we preferred the Ferrari's pedal travel--as with the steering and throttle, the pedal is simply more precise, like a microtuned precision instrument, and you can back off the pressure by miniscule degrees just as you can add it. Plus, on smooth pavement, the power of the Ferrari's ultra-exotic system wins out. Rejoice in the Ford's crazy retro shape, but there are times it comes back to bite you. Vision is poor to the rear and nonexistent over the shoulders. The windshield pillars approach your eyes closely, blocking out a lot of the arc of a tight bend. In the Ferrari, you sit higher and have a better view to mount an attack on the roadway. Those cut-roof doors are sheer drama, one of the essential cues to making you feel all Le Mans. They just happen to make the GT completely inaccessible unless the door is wide open: If someone parks next to you while you're in a restaurant, you won't be going home. There's more impracticality in the Ford cabin: The Ferrari has a front trunk and space for a case behind each seat; the Ford has a smaller, autoclave-hot trunk by the radiators and supercharger-size subwoofer filling the space behind the seats. That bass bin is part of an optional stereo package: The CD-radio may be styled to look like a 1970s eight-track machine, but it's actually a $4000 McIntosh ear-melter. This retro theme runs through the Ford cabin: the layout of the dials (it takes a bit of acclimatization to look there for the speedo) and the shape of the switchgear below them, plus the HVAC dials under your elbow. But there are nasty mass-market stalks, and the leather is PVC-like. The Ferrari, too, echoes its exterior in the cabin. The face air vents aren't unlike the taillights, resembling eyes bulging out of the head of a straining athlete and the pouting lips of the passenger-side airbag cover mimic the car's rear face. The Ferrari uses more authentic materials in its cabin: real carbon fiber, solid aluminum, leather with the aroma and soft waxy touch of the genuine article. The original GT40 might have been built to beat Ferrari, but from the reborn GT's get-go, its engineers knew there was no point building a Ferrari facsimile. The GT had to go its own way. It does. Its immense torque and supple suspension make it a better companion on the way to your favorite secret route. And, when you get there, its straight-line performance and ultimate grip take no prisoners. But wait: The F430 isn't impossible on a daily roadway, and it wins on visibility and space. Sure, the ride is plain hard, but the engine is amazingly tractable for one so highly tuned, and the F1 transmission will slur unobtrusively in traffic. The Ferrari feels more special, like every single part of its mechanical organs is machined from a billet, with no tolerance or lash anywhere. It's a device of startlingly well-oiled precision, and you feel that whether you're wafting or racing. When you're at the racer's edge, that electrifying degree of connection is more than enough compensation for even the Ford's seismic power. The Ford returns to Michigan with its head held high--but without an overall victory. Airplanes vs. Video Games It's no coincidence we're at a regional airstrip for straight-line testing of these two cars--either one could take flight at the end of a quarter mile at speeds in excess of 120 mph. In the 360 Modena and all prior models with a Ferrari F1 manual transmission, launch strategy involved turning off the traction control, selecting first gear, taking both feet off the pedals, whacking the throttle, and waiting for the clutch to drop at some random rpm. From that point--until it was time to grab second gear--getting a good number was an exercise in pedaling the throttle to allow wheelspin, but not too much to achieve a 0-to-30-mph time below 2.0 seconds. With the introduction of a selectable-rpm launch control in the F430 F1, the result is greater predictability and repeatability. As before, the driver turns off CST traction control, but now selects launch control and keeps his left foot on the brake while raising the revs with his right foot. Releasing the brake rapidly engages the clutch and off you go. Because the airstrip was grippy on one end and slippery on the other, effective launch-rpm needed to vary from 3200 to 3600 rpm. As with previous Ferraris, chirping the rear tires without spinning excessively is the key to a good run. With the F430 set in this launch mode, 8500-rpm upshifts occur with a casual tap of the right paddle, but are well executed every time. Our Race Pak GPS data logger indicated textbook-perfect upshifts that don't allow the engine to overrev between gear changes--meaning, the car won't produce those black stripes when the clutch reengages after the next higher gear is selected. Ferrari's claim of 15-millisecond shifts is optimistic. Our best shifts ranged between 21 and 29 milliseconds and occurred at the following speeds: first to second at 47 mph; second to third at 72 mph; third to fourth at 96 mph; fourth to fifth at 122 mph; and sixth gear was never needed. The most noticeable difference between pulling the trigger on the new F430 and the 360 Modena or Challenge Stradale (besides 722cc greater displacement and 58 additional horsepower) is that the all-new flat-plane crank V-8 also features variable intake- and exhaust-valve timing. The new engine is more tractable and doesn't require big revs to make torque or power as it did before. A full 80 percent of the engine's torque is now available at 3500 rpm--right at the launch's sweet spot. The throttle's previous toggle-switch character has been replaced with a more variable and predictable pedal. If it sounds like there's a lot to think about while launching the Ferrari, running the supercharged Ford GT down the quarter mile is comparatively easy. With 12.4-inch-wide rear tires, the GT has so much available grip that a launch nearly the same as the Ferrari's 3500 rpm was needed. With first gear engaged and the clutch pedal on the floor, 3200 to 3500 rpm was all that was necessary to nail a 1.7-second 0-to-30-mph time--that's quick. It's all first gear from there until after 60 mph when the tach reaches its 6500-rpm redline. We were told that, if we snatched second gear at 62 mph and heard the supercharger belt chirp, we got the shift speed right. We heard that chirp (and left scratch marks) three times in the quarter mile with shift speed ranging from 16 to 29 milliseconds. The balance of the shifts occurred at the following speeds: second to third at 93 mph; third to fourth at 126 mph; and we never needed fifth. We've tested the GT twice before and, while this test yielded a slightly quicker 0-to-60-mph time of 3.6 seconds (previously 3.7), this car's quarter-mile time and, more telling, terminal speed were off. The previous best was recorded for our October 2004 "Top Speed" story at 11.2 seconds at 131.2 mph. This time out, our U.K.-based GT with over 12,000 journalist-miles on the clock clicked off consistent quarter-mile blasts of 11.7 seconds at 126.2 mph. But the story doesn't end there. After we shared our data with Ferrari and Ford personnel (who were largely pleased), the factory Ferrari driver hinted that his car might be able to "make a better result" with a little-known launch technique. Insisting that this technique is for qualified drivers (and they blessed me with that status) and is not publicized by Ferrari, il piloto showed me the "not-recommended" protocol. Just like getting the cheat code for a video game, it involves a series of button pushes and shift-paddle manipulations that wouldn't occur by accident in normal driving. When it's set up, the car is in first gear with the clutch engaged and spinning. Holding the car in place with the brakes, the driver shoots the revs up to 4000 rpm and releases the brake pedal. Rather than spinning the tires, the clutch spins down from 4000 rpm until it locks up at the top of first gear for a launch that'd be about as smooth and quick as those you see on a Formula 1 grid. At 1.3 seconds to 30 mph, the "secret" Ferrari chops two to three tenths from every measured speed and finishes the quarter mile only one tenth of a second and 3.4 mph behind the GT. In our spec chart, we ran the "normal" and "secret" launch acceleration numbers in parentheses. For shift speeds and relative acceleration rates, see the above graph for the best recorded runs of these two cars. -Chris Walton
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Doug Ghim Reaps Rewards With a Remarkable Round at John Deere Classic
Doug Ghim Reaps Rewards With a Remarkable Round at John Deere Classic originally appeared on Athlon Sports. You know that feeling you get when you are cheering for the underdog to prevail? That's exactly what I feel when watching golfers like Doug Ghim. For seven years, the 29-year-old from Illinois has been quietly putting in the work on the PGA Tour. He has been building a reputation as one of those guys you can't help but root for. And after Thursday's 62 in the opening round of the John Deere Classic, Ghim finds himself somewhere he's never been before: leading a PGA Tour event. Advertisement From Illinois to Augusta National Talk about a dream come true. Ghim's path to professional golf reads like something out of a sports movie. Growing up in Des Plaines and Arlington Heights, he was just another kid from the Chicago suburbs who fell in love with golf. After graduating from Buffalo Grove High School, he headed down to the University of Texas, where he really started getting noticed. And what a run he had as an amateur. We're talking about a guy who won the Ben Hogan Award as college golf's top player and earned low amateur honors at the Masters Tournament — you know, just casual stuff. That Masters appearance came after a heartbreaking runner-up finish at the 2017 U.S. Amateur, but honestly, what a way to announce yourself to the golf world. Ghim's amateur resume is stacked with victories at prestigious events and representing the U.S. at both the Palmer and Walker Cup matches. Then, of course, there was that week at Augusta National where he made multiple eagles and walked away with crystal goblets, the event reward for making an eagle. Those moments at Augusta were pure magic. Advertisement The Professional Reality Professional golf is tough. Really, really tough. Ghim's amateur success had everyone expecting fireworks once he turned pro, but the reality has been a slow burn thus far. Don't get me wrong, however — his journey has not been unimpressive at all. In 162 starts on tour, Ghim has been building something special. A runner-up finish at the 2024 Shriners Children's Open wasn't just a good week — it was validation that all those years of grinding were paying off. Sure, he's still chasing that first victory, but watching him get so close was genuinely exciting. This season has thrown some curveballs his way, with Ghim entering the John Deere Classic ranked No. 124 in the FedEx Cup standings. His best result came at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, where he tied for 11th. It's been one of those seasons where the breaks haven't always gone his way, but that's what makes Thursday's performance so special. Advertisement A Career-Best Round Sometimes the golf gods smile on you, and Thursday was one of those days for Ghim. His bogey-free 62 wasn't just a career-low round — it was seven years of hard work coming together in 18 beautiful holes. Playing in his sixth John Deere Classic, he finally found that magical something that every golfer spends their career chasing. There's something really special about Ghim taking the lead at the John Deere Classic. Historically, this event has always been marked by breakthrough moments and feel-good stories. With Ghim, you have a guy from Illinois playing in front of essentially his home crowd. Advertisement You can just feel the poetry setting up for something special this week, can't you? This tournament simply loves crowning first-time winners, and Ghim couldn't fit the bill any better. The Grinder's Path Ghim's story is compelling because of his authenticity. In a world where young players sometimes seem to come out of nowhere, claiming multiple victories, Ghim represents something different. He is an example of persistence and steady improvement. He's the guy who shows up every week and just keeps working, regardless of where his game may be at. His background adds another layer to his story that makes you want to cheer even louder. As a Korean American player who grew up in the Chicago suburbs, Ghim represents the changing face of professional golf in the best possible way. His journey from Buffalo Grove High School to the PGA Tour shows what's possible when talent meets determination, and his success would mean so much to communities that don't always see themselves represented at golf's highest level. Advertisement The Moment of Truth With three rounds left at TPC Deere Run, Ghim has the chance to rewrite his story completely. Yes, there will be pressure — that's inevitable. And yes, this season has been challenging, with tour status implications hanging in the balance. But here's what Thursday's 62 tells us: Doug Ghim is ready. Sometimes, the best stories are the ones that unfold a little more slowly. And if Thursday was any indication, Ghim's story might just be getting to the good part. Related: The Soul of American Golf: A Journey Through the Game's Heart and Heritage Related: Justin Thomas Has Big Ideas for What Should Come Next in Golf Related: Keegan Bradley's 2025 Ryder Cup Vice Captains Could Deliver Victory to US This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.


Associated Press
3 days ago
- Associated Press
Davis Thompson makes late birdie to break out of a logjam and lead John Deere
SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Davis Thompson made a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Saturday to break out of a logjam that at one point featured 10 players tied for the lead, giving him a 4-under 67 on a much tougher golf course and a one-shot lead in the John Deere Classic. Thompson was among five players tied for the lead when he stood over his final putt, after Brian Campbell had just holed a 30-foot birdie putt. His final birdie put him at 15-under 198, one shot ahead of Campbell, Max Homa, Emiliano Grillo and David Lipsky, each of whom had a 68. About the only player not in the mix was 36-hole leader Doug Ghim, who played his last 10 holes with two bogeys and no birdies and shot 74, pushing him outside the top 20. Thompson had a birdie-birdie finish, though he missed an 8-foot eagle attempt on the par-5 17th hole. He will try to become the first player to win back-to-back at the John Deere Classic since Steve Stricker won three in a row from 2009 through 2011. Also at stake for Thompson is a chance to get into the British Open, as a victory would move him to the top of the alternate list determined by the next world ranking. But the final 18 holes feels a lot longer off considering how many players are very much in the mix going into Sunday. 'Nice to have some momentum going into tomorrow,' Thompson said. Camilo Villegas (69) and Austin Eckroat (67) were among four players three shots behind. Matt Kuchar (67) and Auburn junior Jackson Koivun were in the group four back. Thirteen players were within four shots of the lead. Of the top 14 players, only Lipsky, Koivun and Kevin Roy have yet to win on the PGA Tour. Homa is the most proven of the lot, though he has been trying to pull himself out of a deep slump that has left him on the outside of just trying to make the PGA Tour playoffs this year. Homa was steady again, even after one of his rare misses. He was some 40 yards left of the green at the par-5 10th, even going across the road, but managed to escape with par and then took advantage of the scoring holes on the back nine for his 68. Homa last won on the PGA Tour in January 2023 at Torrey Pines. He has been under scrutiny this year for his poor form — more than a year since his last top 10 — while changing coaches, equipment and twice changing caddies. 'Golf has just been very boring for me this year. I haven't had a whole lot of stress, and you want to be stressed out. So I look forward to the butterflies in the morning; I look forward to the first tee shot,' Homa said. 'It's just nice to get to feel that again. It's been a while.' This was not the same TPC Deere Run that yielded low scores over the opening two rounds. The starting times were moved up to avoid afternoon thunderstorms, and hot weather and wind combined to make the greens firmer and fasters. Plus, several of the pins were tucked along the edges, punishing misses on the wrong side. No one shot lower than 66 in the third round. There were 28 scores of 65 or better over the opening two rounds. 'Certainly makes for a fun Sunday when a bunch of guys have a chance,' Kuchar said. One of them is Koivun, still four shots back but with a chance to make it two years in a row with an amateur winning on the PGA Tour. Nick Dunlap won The American Express last year in January and left Alabama to turn pro, having $20 million signature events to play. Koivun already is assured a PGA Tour card through the PGA Tour University accelerated program, but is deferring that to return to Auburn. 'It's obviously very inspiring to see what he did about a year ago now,' Koivun said. 'Obviously, to be one of the few (amateurs) to win a professional event would be great. At the end of the day I just got to go give it my best shot and be happy with the result.' ___ AP golf: