Justin Thomas switches drivers at FedEx St. Jude Championship

The caretakers at Oakland Cemetery started noticing the golf balls nestled against the simple granite headstone about 15 years ago. So many balls have been left on Bobby Jones’ grave, in fact, that workers must collect them every few months so that the green grass laid over the legendary golfer’s final resting place doesn’t die. “I think it’s a very charming tradition and tribute to a great man,â€� says David Moore, the executive director of the Historic Oakland Foundation. “.. And of course, we love to tell them it will take two strokes off their game, if they do — which I’m sure it does.â€� Moore estimates that thousands of balls, literally, have been harvested from Jones’ grave over the years. Many are, in fact, sitting in bags in his office right now, probably 500 or so, he tells a recent caller. “We tend to keep the ones that have the cute sayings on them, like ‘Bobby Jones made me a better golfer’,â€� Moore says. Golf balls aren’t the only mementoes left behind, though. Ball markers, divot tools, scorecards, even a towel from St. Andrews where Jones won the 1930 British Amateur during his historic Grand Slam year have been found there. Someone even left a Masters badge at his grave. A year ago, a media lunch ticket from the TOUR Championship, being played this week at East Lake Golf Club where Jones learned the game, was tucked reverently among the golf balls. (Hey, it was all we had!) Cemetery workers even find an occasional golf club laid on the grass trimmed so neatly it could be – and has been – used as a makeshift putting green. “Now whether they were left there to be picked up later figuring they would get some of Bobby’s mojo, his good putting skills somehow transferred to them or whether they were clubs that people just gave up on, I don’t know,â€� Moore said, chuckling. “What’s charming is – I love baseball and Babe Ruth but I understand his gravesite receives Baby Ruth candy wrappers and beer cans whereas we get the golf balls and it’s very respectful when people come here.â€� Oakland Cemetery is located about four miles and a 10-minute drive from East Lake, where the FedExCup Playoffs finale begins on Thursday. Moore says there’s always an uptick in visitors asking where Jones’ grave is located during the month of March (Jones was born on the 17th), in April because of the Masters and this week due to the TOUR Championship. Beyond Jones’ grave, the cemetery is a fascinating place, a patchwork quilt of history in 48 acres full of what Moore calls “neighborhoods.â€� There’s a Jewish section, as well as the African-American grounds, a Potter’s field and 55 mausoleums. Some of the architecture is stunning and great care has been taken to preserve the gardens. “We are really three things in one,â€� Moore says. “We are a historic cemetery, we are national historic landmark and we are a city park as the Victorians wanted their cemeteries to double as.â€� The cemetery was founded in 1850 and had sold all its plots before the end of that century. More than 70,000 people are buried there, including Pulitzer Prize winner Margaret Mitchell, who wrote the epic “Gone with the Windâ€� and Maynard Jackson, the first African-American mayor of Atlanta, who is among 29 who held that office interred on the grounds. Interestingly, while people are still buried there in family plots, Oakland Cemetery hosts more weddings than funerals these days – “some very traditional and some somewhat Gothic, perhaps, unique, if you will,â€� Moore says. And its Halloween tours, which are “designed to enlighten not frighten,â€� Moore says, are sell-outs. The HOF is about halfway through a 10-phase restoration plan that includes Jones’ grave and his particular neighborhood, which spans about three acres. Among the upgrades to come are interpretive panels that will be erected on the brick walkways on the way to the grave to tell the story of Jones’ life – with winning the Grand Slam and establishing the Masters, prime among the subjects. Signs that identify the 18 plantings that showcase the 18 holes at the Augusta National will also be added. New sod, irrigation and landscaping are also in the works. “Everything we do here — every event, every tour, ever part of the restoration — is tied back to the education experience so that when people come here they learn something,â€� Moore says. “In this case, certainly, it’s Mr. jones and all he stood for, not just as a golfing legend but a man of high ethics to continue to teach us and our children how to play not only the game of golf but the game of life the right way.â€� Moore says probably 90 percent of the 45,000 people or so who come to Oakland each year ask about Jones’ grave. The other most popular site to visit is Mitchell’s, where she lies surrounded by roses, her favorite flower, with her husband on one side and her parents on the other. Moore stopped short of saying whose grave was more popular. “It’s a toss-up,â€� he says diplomatically. “Those are the two most asked for folks, let’s say. If there was a playoff like’s going on now at East Lake, I don’t know who would win. It may be a tie.â€�

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Titleist had a singular goal in mind during the creation of its new TS drivers and fairway woods: Build a product that was not only markedly better than its predecessor but focused specifically on increasing club head and ball speed. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the TS stands for “Titleist Speed.” “We wanted to get rid of the slow, spinney label that had been placed on Titleist drivers in recent years,” said Josh Talge, Titleist’s VP of golf club marketing. “We measured every little thing to get better results, with the goal of creating a club that’s considerably faster than anything we’ve created in the past.” MORE: See photo gallery below Titleist believes the new TS2 and TS3 drivers check all the boxes when it comes to speed. In fact, they were so good during prototype testing that Justin Thomas and Rafa Cabrera Bello — Cabrera Bello picked up more than 15 yards — pushed to get the driver in the bag ahead of the usual TOUR launch at Quicken Loans National. Constant pressure from the Tour staff led Titleist to move the launch date to U.S. Open week, where 17 players put the new drivers in play, including Thomas, Jimmy Walker and Adam Scott. Thomas wound up recording the longest drive of his career that week (422 yards) with a 9.5-degree TS3. “It was very easy to transition, as it always is,” Thomas said. “The new TS driver was instantly faster off the club and I was able to get a few more yards carry when needed. More importantly for me, my spin numbers were more consistent therefore it has helped me drive the ball much better. The fairway metal too has gone up in spin to give me control and can easily fly it 280-285 off the tee if needed. Which is such a great asset and club to have.” TS DRIVERS Most of the newfound speed comes the company’s Speed Chassis, which is comprised of four different technologies. Titleist engineers began by significantly thinning out the Radial VFT face, getting it to .35 millimeters in some regions. In previous years, the face thickness on a Titleist driver was somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.5 to 2.8 millimeters. With a paper-thin face, Titleist was forced to get creative with the score lines and laser them on, as opposed to etching them into the face as they’ve done with prior generations. The new face design yielded a weight savings of six grams that was repositioned low and back in the head to create the deepest center of gravity (CG) position ever in a Titleist driver for a higher launch angle and lower spin, as well as a 12 percent increase in Moment of Inertia. Titleist also plans to 100 percent inspect each face that comes off the line to ensure every driver, regardless if it’s going to a TOUR winner or a recreational golfer, has the maximum allowable speed. “We don’t want the guys on TOUR to get something special and the rest of us to get something that’s not as warm,” said Talge. “We’re always going to be within the rules of golf, but we want to give people something that says, ‘We’re going to be legal here, but we’re not going to be so slow that you’re going to be giving something up.'” An ultra-thin titanium crown, the lightest in the industry, and new streamlined shape round out the new Speed Chassis package. Titleist toyed with the idea of adding bumped or raised areas to the crown to improve airflow efficiency but opted for a sleeker, more aerodynamic shape that reduces drag by up to 20 percent for more speed through the hitting area.  “What we found during testing was that there was no real competitive advantage, so we really wanted to provide a very classic, clean look,” said Stephanie Luttrell, Titleist’s director of metalwood development. “We don’t think it stands out from a shape perspective, but we really think it makes a difference.” Due to the new CG position and weight savings that was gained from the crown and face, Titleist removed the Active Recoil Channel (ARC) from the sole, believing it no longer served a purpose. Luttrell was quick to point out that with ARC no longer in the picture, players should notice a more pleasing sound at impact. Player feedback also led to a return of the classic, high-gloss black crown that was last featured on the 915 Series. Both drivers come in at 460cc with the high launch, low spin TS2 being the “pure distance” model in the lineup. Instead of adding a SureFit CG cartridge to the sole, Titleist kept the profile simple, focusing on forgiveness across the entire face. The mid launch, low spin TS3, which has the same forgiveness as 917D2, will continue to house the SureFit CG cartridge in the sole that makes it possible to alter center of gravity, via a cylindrical cartridge, to produce a fade or draw. The Surefit hosel can be found on both drivers and offers 16 independent loft and lie settings. A multitude of premium aftermarket shafts (45.5 inches stock length) are available as well, including Mitsubishi’s Kuro Kage Black Dual Core 50 (high launch, moderate spin), Tensei AV Series Blue 55 (mid launch, spin), Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 60 (low to mid launch, spin) and Even Flow T1100 White 65 (low launch and spin). From a usage standpoint on TOUR, Titleist currently has a near split between the TS2 and TS3 worldwide. The percentage differs greatly from what it’s seen in recent years with 917 and 915, where 917D2 and 915D3 were the runaway favorites. TS FAIRWAY WOODS Titleist’s TS2 and TS3 fairway woods take a page from the thinner, lighter TS driver playbook with a Speed Chassis that’s designed to reduce weight in the crown by 27 percent. Discretionary weight from the .4 millimeter crown was placed low and back to produce a higher launch, more spin and 11 percent higher MOI than 917 for additional stability. An optimized aerodynamic shape and thinner VFT face boost ball speeds and clubhead speed, and work in tandem with a third-generation Active Recoil Channel that’s taller than its predecessor — producing even more flexibility for consistent face deflection and speed across the face. “We still had a need for ARC in the fairway woods,” Luttrell said. “Players will be using these clubs a lot off the turf, which means the bottom of the face is a crucial area for ball speed retention.” Similar to the drivers, the TS2 fairway wood no longer includes then SureFit CG cartridge in an effort to focus on forgiveness and speed. The 175cc head is designed with a more playable, modern shape for a high launch and mid spin. The TS3 is also 175cc but features more traditional shaping and the company’s SureFit CG. For players who require more adjustability with a mid launch and low spin, TS3 should be a consideration during product testing. Titleist has seen a similar TOUR adoption to the TS fairway woods with more than 75 put in play since they were introduced at Quicken Loans National. Jordan Spieth (15 degrees) and Bill Haas (15 and 18 degrees) are currently playing the TS2, while Justin Thomas (15 degrees) and Jimmy Walker (13.5 degrees) opted for TS3. Mitsubishi’s Kuro Kage Black Dual Core 55, Tensei AV Series Blue 65 (mid launch, spin), Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70 (low to mid launch, spin) and Even Flow T1100 White 75 (low launch and spin) are the stock aftermarket shaft offerings. Each shaft will be making its debut with the TS fairway woods. PRICING AND RETAIL DATE Titleist’s TS2 (8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 11.5 degrees) and TS3 (8.5, 9.5 and 10.5 degrees) drivers retail for $500 and will be available Sept. 28. The TS2 (13.5, 15, 16.5, 18 and 21 degrees) and TS3 (13.5, 15, 16.5 and 18 degrees) fairway woods are offered for $300 per club.

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