Titleist VG3 Driver Japan Only!

Titleist VG3 Driver!
Titleist has a large following all around the world and very much so in Japan as well. But as an American brand in Japan they have not followed in the same footsteps as Taylormade and Callaway when it comes to releasing Japan only products. Besides a few putters and the recent Vokey TVD, most models of clubs were US models (sometimes with Japan brand upgrade shafts).

Last week however, Titleist bucked the trend by announcing its new Japan market only driver, the VG3 for 2010.  The new VG3 will be released in late February right around the Japan Golf Fair time.

The all new VG3 is a 460cc all FORGED Titanium Driver and features an all new Variable Gravity design based on Titleist Japan’s research on typical Japanese golfers. Titleist worked to create a forgiving high performance driver that will help a golfer square the face and grab the ball with optimal impact. In their research, Titleist found that many golfers depending on their level and swing speed lose distance due to the inability to make pure contact or to grab the ball at impact squarely on the sweet spot.  The Variable Gravity design is used in the three lofts that Titleist offers which probably accounts for the new name VG3.

Each loft features a different CG point and sole weighting. The 9* loft which is typically for the faster swinger and better player features the shortest center of gravity and the smallest gravity angle. This allows for more workability left and right and a lower more stable trajectory. As the lofts move through 10 and 11* the CG moves further back and more towards the center of the club. This creates higher launch and allows the head to rotate quicker to square the face at impact.  More average golfers who go with higher lofts for maximum carry sometimes battle the right side with a glancing blow across the ball.  The VG3 works to eliminate those weak drives with the variable gravity design.

Another aspect Titleist address is the sweet spot area. The VG3 shifts the sweet spot lower and towards the heel where they found many golfers were losing distance.  The VG3’s all forged design is made to provide wonderful feel and performance. It’s head is not overly large like many high MOI 460cc designs these days but instead a rather Titleist traditional shape.

To suit the different range of golfers, Titleist is also offering a choice of 3 different stock shafts. A VG60 mid kicking low torque  60-64g shaft for the better more aggressive swinger, a VG50 low-mid kicking shaft in the 50-54g range for the smoother swinger. A third shaft, the Titleist Motore 5.0 is also available for those who want a lightweight mid kicking shaft that provides distance as well stability. Of course the best Japanese shafts will also be available as upgrades.

We look forward to getting a test model in here and speaking with Titleist on the performance aspects of the new VG3. According to Titleist there will aslo be a new Titleist Japan only VG3 Iron later this year.

Thanks to GDO here are some live pics from the press conference with Nobuo Serizawa.

[nggallery id=51]