Indoor Golf: Titleist TSi Fairway Woods (TSi2 and TSi3)

Titleist TSi Fairway Woods – Key Takeaways

Titleist TSi fairway woods will be available in two models.
The TSi2 features higher launch and greater forgiveness.
The TSi3 offers a penetrating flight and movable weight technology.
The retail price is $299.

As is typically the case, the Titleist TSi fairway woods won’t receive the same amount of attention as the TSi drivers but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a story worth telling.

Titleist’s TSi fairway lineup will again include two models. Unfortunately for those looking for even more ATI 425, I’ve got nothing for you. TSi fairway woods feature 465 stainless steel faces. It’s not particularly exotic but it gets the job done.

Both the TSi2 and TSi3 are 175cc, so the visual distinction is again one of shape, not size. As was the case with TS, it’s important to understand that golfers who fit into the TSi3 driver may not fit into the TSi3 fairway. There’s little if any correlation between the two, which is why I’m going to fall back on one of my go-tos…

If at all possible, work with a fitter to determine whether TSi2, TSi3 or a pairing of the two is the right solution for your bag.

Titleist TSi Fairway Woods – ARC 4.0

Titleist TSi fairway woods feature Version 4.0 of Titleist’s Active Recoil Channel – the company’s version of slot technology. Your refresher is that, like other slots, Titleist’s ARC allows the face to flex a bit more, which helps preserve ball speed on low-face strikes.

As clubhead geometry evolves with each release, ARC has followed suit. ARC 4.0 features a shorter (top to bottom) channel wall. The redesign freed up five grams of weight which Titleist used to reposition the center of gravity.

Other enhancements include improved aerodynamics and refined topline visuals. That last one is a catchall but it’s fair to say it starts with the TSi alignment graphic which, for my money, is an improvement.

Titleist TSi2 Fairway Wood

The TSi2 fairway wood offers a larger address footprint with a shallower face. It’s the higher launching, more forgiving of the two Titleist TSi fairway wood models.

Titleist describes the center of gravity location as low and deep (shocking, I know). What you really need to know is that the competitive set includes the “Max” offerings on the market so if “easy to hit” is at the top of your fairway-wood wish list, the TSi2 fairway is most likely to deliver.

Titleist TSi2 Fairway Wood

The TSi2 fairway does not offer movable weights. However, it can be tweaked for swingweighting purposes. The stock flat weight is nine grams. Five-, seven-, 11- and 13-gram weights are also available.

The TSi2 fairway wood is available in 13.5, 15, 16.5, 18 and 21 degrees. That last one is for right-handed golfers only.

Titleist TSi3 Fairway Wood

The TSi3 is taller and more compact from front to back. It’s the more workable of the Titleist TSi fairway woods. That’s the pleasant way of saying it’s less forgiving but that’s to be expected given the more forward center of gravity location. With that, the TSi3 fairway should produce a flatter trajectory as well.

As part of what Titleist describes as its Tour Shape, the TS3i features a softer toe. As with TSi3 drivers, the idea is to make the face appear open without actually being open. If you’re a strong fairway player or an aggressive swinger, you’re probably going to love it.

Having said that, for many, fairway woods are already among the hardest clubs to hit so golfers who already feel like their 3-wood is going nowhere but right may want to pair the TS3i with a Xanax prescription.

TSi3 Fairway – Weight Elevator

The signature feature of the TSi3 fairway is, for my money, one of the most inspired movable weight solutions to date.

Titleist’s goal for the design was to enable heel-to-toe adjustability without moving the center of gravity back, buggering up the turf interaction, or, at a minimum, leaving the track exposed to fill with grass, dirt and other debris.

The solution has unofficially been branded “the weight elevator” and allows fitters (and golfers) to quickly adjust the position of the heel/toe weight without anything close to disassembly.

A double-threaded screw lifts the polymer and carbon fiber cover in just a few turns of the wrench. The entire process takes less than 10 seconds.

The track allows for three positions (toe, neutral or heel) and the cover almost entirely encapsulates the track, leaving only a couple of small notches exposed. It should keep the track almost entirely free of grass and whatnot.

It’s a bit of purposeful overengineering designed to save fitters time and headaches.

TSi3 Fairway – Heel to Toe Weighting

As with the TSi drivers, Titleist has opted not to label the perimeter weight positions on the TSi3 as draw and fade. Instead, it’s using N (neutral), T (toe) and H (heal). Using industry-standard speak, the toe is your fade position and the heel is your draw setting. While that may confuse some, Titleist takes a hosel-first approach to correcting shot shape issues.

While the movable weights can assist in that, Titleist is a strong proponent of aligning the center of gravity with impact. Under this philosophy, the selection of weight position should be driven by ball speed.

Again, working with a fitter is advised.

The stock flat weight is 12 grams. Eight-, 10-, 14- and 16-gram weights are also available.

The TSi3 fairway wood is available in 13.5, 15, 16.5 and 18 degrees. The 16.5 and 18 versions are available in right-hand only.

An Emphasis on Weight

I didn’t touch on it in the TSi driver story but Titleist is putting a bit more emphasis on head weight as a fitting variable. While the stock weights in both the TSi fairway woods and drivers should be a good fit for a healthy percentage of golfers, Titleist wants you to understand that increasing headweight will boost MOI (moment of inertia) and often ball speed as well.

“We want golfers to swing the heaviest hammer they can without losing speed,” says Stephanie Luttrell, Director of Metalwood Development for Titleist.

Given the limitations of a typical fitting (time and fatigue), it’s not always possible to dial in weight during the primary fitting session but if your fitter offers a follow-up session, it’s an opportunity to further improve performance.

Titleist TSi Fairway Woods – Featured Shafts

Featured shaft offerings (Titleist is no longer using the word “stock”) are the same for the driver, though fairway weights will typically be 10 grams heavier.

They include the Kuro Kage Black, Tensei AV Blue Raw, HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX and the Tensei AV White Raw.

Premium Featured Shafts ($200 upcharge) are Graphite Design’s Tour AD-DI, Tour AD-XC and Tour AD-IZ.

The retail price for both Titleist TSi fairway woods is $299.