Reviews 4.9
The GT280 will feature all the benefits of the GT line, including the seamless thermoform crown, the same proprietary matrix polymer that makes up the GT drivers and is engineered with Titleist’s signature player-preferred sound and feel.
Mini drivers have become a trend within the industry, so Titleist took in feedback on the possible addition of a mini driver to its GT line and decided to bring it to life.
“We heard from more and more players who were looking for a club that gapped between their driver and 3-wood. For some, this club is for tee shots only,” Titleist Vice President of Golf Club Marketing, Josh Talge, said. “Others need to be able to hit this club off the turf. GT280 is designed to perform exceptionally under both conditions, and it will be a really valuable addition to our metalwood lineup.”
The design process began with a request from Titleist’s Senior Director of Club Promotions, J.J. Van Wezenbeeck, who works with Tour players. When Titleist brought the prototype to life in 2024, they saw that there was a fit for all player types.
“Whether GT280 is going to have a permanent spot in a player’s bag and replace their strongest-lofted fairway, or if it’s more of a situation ‘15th club,’” Titleist’s Principal Product Manager, Tom Bennett, said. “There’s a lot of interest in another go-to distance club that performs how GT280 does.”
The mini driver has a fit for most player types depending on what each individual golfer is looking for. As Bennett said, it can be a strong-lofted fairway metal to hit off the deck or it can be a fairway finder off the tee in the middle of a driver and three-wood.
The GT280 comes standard with a 43.5 inch shaft, which is two inches shorter than a standard GT driver shaft length, giving you more control and precision. The head size is 280cc, which is smaller than the GT drivers, but larger than the three-wood.
The size, combined with a deeper face, gives more confidence and forgiveness to hit off the tee while not losing distance from the three-wood. The standard loft is 13 degrees, but still has the adjustability of the drivers.
Similar to the GT4 driver, the GT280 has forward and aft center of gravity adjustability with an 11-gram and three-gram weight that can be moved to change launch and spin. Titleist saw that some of its Tour players were looking for performance off the tee and some were looking for performance off the turf, so the adjustable weights can help fit the golfers needs.
Titleist also dropped the leading edge of a typical driver to give more confidence to hit the GT280 off of the turf.
“The design goals for GT280 were multi-faceted,” Bennett said. “GT280 needed to have exceptional distance and speed off the tee, it needed to perform from the turf, and it needed to offer adjustability for fitting purposes. That’s a long list of demands, but we approached the challenge by building off both our GT driver and fairway platforms.”
