Review: The new Titleist GT280 mini driver – and why it ticks every box

04/01/2025 09:58 AM

This year we’ve already seen Callaway, TaylorMade and PXG all release a new mini driver as manufacturers look to offer golfers more options off both the tee and fairway.

Now we have Titleist entering the market with their GT280 offering.

The 280 refers to the cc head volume – a driver traditionally is 460cc while a fairway wood will range from 150-190 so this sits somewhere in the middle and does the job of both clubs.

Loft wise the GT280 is 13˚ and the stock shaft length is 43.5 inches which is two inches shorter than the stock GT driver shaft length.

Why have Titleist released a mini driver?
This came via feedback from golfers, both pros and amateurs, who were looking for a club that sits between their driver and 3-wood.

"The design process for GT280 began with a request from J.J. [Van Wezenbeeck, Titleist's Senior Director of Club Promotions], and when we brought out our first mini driver prototype last year, we quickly saw that it fit a performance need for both tour players and amateurs," said Tom Bennett, Principal Product Manager for Titleist Metalwood R&D.

"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 situational '15th club,' there's a lot of interest in another go-to distance club that performs how GT280 does," explains Titleist’s Tom Bennett.

"The design goals for GT280 were multi-faceted. 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."

How has it been designed?
The GT280 has something called a forged L-Cup face which consists of a new insert that wraps around the bottom of the clubface. The face is deeper than the fairway wood so Titleist have designed the club to help with shots off the bottom of the club. So, when you do strike it low on the face, there won’t be any excessive spin and the sound/feel will be as good as it is from the middle of the clubface.

The leading edge also sits low to the ground and you’ll notice that the sole curvature from heel to toe has been softened to offer more forgiveness.

"We took the leading edge of a typical driver and really dropped it closer to the turf," said Bennett. "That's been one of the first things players have noticed when they set it down at address. It looks more inviting to hit off the turf than a club with its face depth typically would."

How does the adjustability work?
Similar to the GT4 driver, Titleist's most aggressive spin-reducing driver, the GT280 has forward and back centre of gravity adjustability. A heavier, 11-gram flat weight comes in the back (aft) position while a lighter, 3-gram flat weight is positioned forward. If you were to switch them around you can lower the launch and spin for that more penetrating flight.

"What we saw with our tour players, some were only looking for performance off the tee – this is like a second driver to them. Other ones were really interested in performance off the turf. So having these two CG options to adjust is going to be very valuable in both tour and amateur fittings depending on player needs," added Bennett.

How does it sound?
Everything about a Titleist metalwood is fairly spectacular and this includes the sound and feel. The GT280 has the same Seamless Thermoform Crown that features on the GT drivers. This is made from the same Proprietary Matrix Polymer (PMP), which works to preserve Titleist's signature sound and feel, and helps the engineers to save weight and position the centre of gravity to produce more speed, stability and the perfect launch.

The GT280 is available for fitting and pre-sale and it will be in UK and Ireland golf shops beginning Friday 18th April.

SRP: £459

READ MORE:The PGA Tour star who has made his own mini driver – and how you can do the same

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