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Today I will be reviewing the Titleist 915Fd fairway wood.
Compared with its sibling, the 915F, the 915Fd has a slightly smaller head and is designed to produce lower spin rates and launch angles.
Labeled with the slogan “distance without compromise”, Titleist claims excellent workability and length off the tee and turf as well as very solid forgiveness for the 915Fd. Also claimed is more distance and lower spin over the previous 913Fd model.
Is the 915Fd worthy of being called an upgrade to the 913Fd? What are its strengths and weaknesses? How does it compare to the 913Fd?
Read on to find out what you need to know to make an informed purchase.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.
Quick Verdict
Rating: 5/5 (Excellent)
Classification: Better-Player
Pros
- a bomber that can serve as a good driver replacement
- good for golfers that struggle with high spin
- look, sound and feel are top notch
- a marked improvement over the 913Fd
- stock shaft and loft selection is extensive
- impressive amount of forgiveness given the better-player classification
Cons
- a little expensive
Best Suited For
This is a must-try for any golfer looking for a quality fairway wood.
The 915Fd is wonderful for low handicaps and professionals wanting premium feel, distance and workability in a smaller head.
It’s not quite as forgiving as the 915F, but there’s still more than enough forgiveness to keep higher handicaps who are up for the challenge of playing a players wood satisfied.
Best Places To Buy Online
The 915Fd fairway wood model is more than a few years old now, so you can find it at pretty amazing prices.
Right now, the best two places to get the fairway wood online are eBay and Global Golf. Go to these places and check out what’s available.
What are the reviews like?
Like the 915F, the 915Fd has received very high average review scores from customers and critics alike.
It has an average customer rating of 4.8/5 on Global Golf (click here to see those reviews), as well as numerous glowing in-depth critic reviews.
What People Like
- superb workability/control
- appealing compact profile
- adjustability
- premium feel at impact
- great length off the tee
What People Don’t Like
There really doesn’t seem to be anything that the 915Fd does poorly.
What are the features?
Aside from a slightly smaller head (discussed more later in the review) and a slightly more frontward center of gravity (which contributes to a lower launch angle), the features of the 915Fd are virtually identical to those of the 915F.
The more frontward CG on the 915Fd results in a slightly lower moment of inertia (MOI) and hence a little less forgiveness than the 915F.
For full descriptions of common features between the 915Fd and 915F, consult the “What are the features?” section in my review of the 915F on Golfstead.
The preceding link opens in a new window, so you’ll be able to easily come back to the 915Fd review here when you’re done.
How does the 915Fd perform?
Distance
Once you find yourself a nice solid trajectory with a good shaft and SureFit hosel adapter configuration, distance results are among the best for any fairway wood currently on the market.
Like the 915F, the 915Fd can very realistically serve as a replacement for your driver.
The 915Fd’s relatively low spin rate and launch angle makes it a true bomber, more so than the 913Fd.
Forgiveness
The 915Fd tends to be slightly less forgiving than the 915F due to the slightly smaller head and lower MOI resulting from the more frontward CG.
Although you should expect to pay the consequences for severe misses, the 915Fd turns out to be impressively forgiving overall for a players wood. It certainly minimizes the damage (distance-wise and even directional) on slight to moderate mis-hits.
Looking at the big picture, the 915Fd is able to compete with many of the so-called game-improvement fairway woods out there right now, which is awesome.
Playability & Trajectory
The 915Fd is lauded by many for being quite easy (arguably even easier than the 915F) to hit and shape shots with, whether off the tee, from the rough or from a tighter lie.
The 915Fd has a straight flight bias. Typical ball flights/trajectories are conducive to maximum distance: penetrating, mid-high and low-spinning, partly thanks to Titleist’s new Active Recoil Channel (ARC).
The exact flight of the 915Fd will depend on your loft/lie configuration, your shaft, and your individual swing type.
I highly recommend taking into account your desired launch and preferred feel when making decision on which shaft to use, and I also recommend experimenting with the different loft/lie settings so that you can work out a flight you really like.
What about look, sound & feel?
The Look
The 915Fd has a 155cc “traditional pear-shaped” profile (compared with the larger 175cc “full-pear” 915F) which, as you might guess, traditionalists should really love.
The aesthetic of the 915Fd is a little different than that of past Titleist offerings, but it still manages to retain the classic and clean look (with the red/white/black colour scheme) Titleist fans have come to know and appreciate.
Aside from slight size and shape differences, the look is nearly identical to that of the 915F — a rich black crown with a standout alignment arrow near the face, a “three-prong design” sole with informative labeling and the ARC near the face, and an adjustable weight near the vertical center.
The SureFit Tour adapter is easily accessible on the hosel.
The Sound & Feel
Sound and feel has traditionally been one of Titleist’s greatest strengths, and they certainly don’t disappoint in this regard.
The 915Fd produces a “tight”, fairly quiet sound at impact that isn’t overly sharp or metallic. The clubhead feels fairly weighty throughout the swing, and feel at impact is soft yet very solid.
The ball feels very responsive (almost explosive) off the face. Although very similar to the 915F, some might argue that the more compact head of the 915Fd translates into even better sound and feel comparatively speaking.
Mis-hit stability should technically not be quite as good as it is on the 915F due to a lower MOI, but in absolute terms it’s still very good.
Hit feedback is dependable in the sense that you’re easily able to tell where you make contact with the face.
Where should you buy this fairway wood online?
For new 915Fd fairway woods, your best bet would probably be to look through eBay for the specific build you’re looking for.
If you’d rather save money and get a used 915Fd fairway wood, you can also check out the stock on Global Golf.
Conclusion
The 915Fd is a definite step up from the 913Fd.
Its distance, forgiveness, workability, look, feel and sound are all top. You can’t really ask for much more out of a fairway wood that isn’t provided by the 915Fd.
Although it’s not particularly cheap, you’re certainly getting what you pay for and more, and I’m not confident enough to say that about very many clubs I review.
The 915Fd is a must-try for golfers (higher handicaps included) looking for an all-around quality fairway wood that they can depend on. As a players club, it’s an excellent fit for professionals and lower handicaps who are looking for quality feel and supreme workability among other things.
Golfers who could benefit from a lower spin/trajectory and appreciate a compact clubhead profile may be better off getting the 915Fd over the 915F.
Have any thoughts or opinions about the 915Fd fairway wood? Don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.
I always thought that forgiveness was the most important quality to have with my woods, probably because I am not a very consistent player. From your review it looks like they shied away from adding forgiveness to this fairway wood. Maybe I will give this one a try to see how much forgiveness it really lost from the older model.
Thanks for the comment. The 915Fd fairway wood is not intended for pure forgiveness, but as I mentioned, the forgiveness is very decent — impressive for a players wood with as much workability and feel as it has.
I haven’t yet done a direct comparison of the 915Fd and 913Fd (the previous model) but all indications would point to the 915Fd coming out on top in the forgiveness department. That shouldn’t be surprising considering it is a direct upgrade and it does feature newer technologies. So, in that sense you needn’t worry.
Would you suggest that this would be a good starting point for a beginner like me or do I need more basic woods or woods with specific weighting. I need all the help I can get so I am looking for some solid guidance. I see that you think it perfect for professionals and lower handicaps but I’m wondering what this is based on?
Hi Brendan. The 915Fd would be just fine for beginners. As I said in the review, forgiveness is good, although it’s not quite as good as it is with the 915F — you might want to consider that model as well. You don’t need any specific club; what would be ideal for you would mostly depend on your budget, preferences and what you want out of your fairway wood. The 915Fd is considered a players fairway wood, designed with maximum workability in mind; the slightly smaller head and lower launch/spin (compared with the 915F) are normally features that skilled golfers are attracted to. In that sense it’s a great fit for pros and low handicaps.
If you’re looking for extreme forgiveness in your fairway wood, you should consider options like the Callaway XR. I will say that I don’t think it’s terribly important which clubs you use starting out. Let me know if you have any other questions or need clarification.