Titleist GTS4 Driver vs. Tour Edge Exotics LS Driver Review

I took the new Titleist GTS4 driver head-to-head against the new Tour Edge Exotics LS driver recently and the results were expected and surprising.  I tested both drivers with the same 9 degree heads, the same Fujikura Ventus Blue 6S shafts,  used the same Pro V1x ball, and all numbers were recorded using GCQuad.

The GTS4 is going to win some awards.  It's like the craft IPA everyone talks about.  And there are some definite improvements from GT4 to GTS4 I'll touch on below.  However the Exotics LS is going to win over the crowds.  And in some ways Exotics LS legitimately outperformed the GTS4.  By comparison it's like the local lager that quietly wins blind taste tests.

The Numbers

A direct comparison of the GTS4 and Exotics LS in the standard weight settings

• GTS4 2.1 mph more ball speed than Exotics LS
• Exotics LS 3.2° higher launch than GTS4
• GTS4 331 rpm lower spin than Exotics LS
• Exotics 5.0 more carry yards than GTS4
• GTS4 6.9 more total yards than Exotics LS

A direct comparison of the GTS4 and Exotics LS with the heavier weight forward

When we switched the heavier weight forward in the Exotics LS (the heavier weight is already forward in the GTS4) we saw some interesting results.

• GTS4 2.6 mph more ball speed than Exotics LS
• Exotics LS 3.8° higher launch than GTS4
• Exotics LS 217 rpm lower spin than GTS4
• Exotics 6.2 more carry yards than GRS4
• GTS4 0.3 more total yards than Exotics LS

Impressions

My swing speed was 1 mph faster and smash factor 0.1 higher with the Titleist GTS4 compared to the Tour Edge Exotics LS.  And that played out in the slightly higher GTS4 ball speed I saw.  But when the heavy weight went forward in the Exotics LS the combination of higher launch and lower spin made Exotics LS arguably more effective and efficient than GTS4.

GTS4 reached a lower peak height than Exotics LS which likely boxes it into higher swing speeds (say 105+ mph) more than Exotics LS (which will probably fit swing speeds 90-105 better (for those needing higher launch and more carry).  And yet at the same time the Exotics LS lower spin will still be beneficial for higher swing speeds that already generate enough spin and ball speed to maximize launch and carry.

Conclusion

The Titleist GTS4 and Tour Edge Exotics LS are both great low spin drivers.  However the Exotics LS is the more low spin and higher launch of the two and will work for a greater range of swing speeds.  Exotics LS was also slightly more efficient in retaining launch, spin, and distance than GTS4 on misses.  And the Exotics LS has a larger area of face forgiveness by a few millimeters in all direction (high, low, toe, heel).

Exotics LS will be more playable for a wider range of golfers for the reasons I mentioned.  With that said GTS4 is more playable than GT4 (in my opinion) primarily because it launches higher than GT4 (and higher launch is something many players need).  Surprisingly GT4 was a fraction longer for me in total yards than the new GTS4.  But the GTS4 higher launch will make it more forgiving on misses than GT4 for some players.

 

Titleist fans will appreciate the small refinements in GTS4 over GT4.  However the Tour Edge Exotics LS is likely to help more players with greater consistency across the face and even greater comparative ease of launch and forgiveness.