Equipment
Titleist’s 718 Irons Offer Endless Possibilities, “Surprising” AP3
The biggest surprise of Titleist’s 718 iron lineup? It’s the AP3, an all-new design that has the potential to redefine what golfers expect from a Titleist iron.
In creating the AP3 irons, Titleist’s design team sought to blend the best features of two of its most popular irons: AP1 and AP2. It wanted to combine the distance and forgiveness golfers expect from game-improvement irons like the AP1 with the feel and consistency of PGA Tour-approved irons like the AP2 irons. The name of the new irons shows Titleist’s confidence in its work: AP1 + AP2 = AP3.
“You bring new technology to the [PGA Tour], and you wait to see what happens,” says Marni Ines, Titleist’s Director of Product Development for Irons.
The AP3 irons were first made available to PGA Tour players at the Quicken Loans National in July, along with the company’s new AP1, AP2, T-MB, CB, and MB models. “We expected a few players to use [AP3], but the tidal wave we saw was surprising,” says Josh Talge, Titleist’s Vice President of Marketing for Golf Clubs.
In a discussion about the AP3 irons, Ines recalled the response PGA Tour players had to Titleist’s AP2 irons when they were released 10 years ago. At the time, the vast majority of Titleist’s PGA Tour Staff was using the company’s CB and MB irons. The AP2 irons were significantly different from those irons, with a larger size and new technologies, namely an internal cavity and tungsten weighting for increased forgiveness. Despite the differences, PGA Tour players switched to the new irons at a much faster rate than the company anticipated. AP2 is now the most popular Titleist iron model globally on the professional tours.
“To see [tour players] stretch their perspective as to what [irons] they can and should play is cool,” Ines says. “They’re starting to see the benefits of faster, more forgiving irons, especially in their long irons.”
Possibilities for golfers within the 718 line go beyond the AP3. It includes six distinct models that can be mixed and matched to suit the specific needs of golfers throughout their iron sets. According to Titleist, more than 90 percent of its tour players used “mixed sets,” including the winners of the last two major championships: Jordan Spieth (T-MB and AP2 at the Open Championship) and Justin Thomas (CB and MB at the PGA Championship).
Learn more about each of the new Titleist 718 irons below, which are available for fittings beginning September 1 and in golf shops on September 29.
718 MB Irons
Titleist’s 718 MB irons are the company’s shortest-flying, least-forgiving model in the new line, and the company makes no apologies for that. “The majority of our PGA Tour players are saying, ‘Hey, I love the MB performance,’ Talge says. “We take that to heart.”
The back of the 718 MB irons looks slightly different than the 716 MB irons they replace, but the changes are purely cosmetic. The head design and shape is the same, relying on a one-piece, 1025-carbon-steel construction that gives golfers the ultimate in workability.
Purists will appreciate that the 718 MB irons maintain the company’s traditional lofts (the 6-iron is 31 degrees, the pitching-wedge is 47 degrees), as well as a minimalistic design that is unencumbered by medallions or badging. These irons are pure, which is what your swing better be to play them.
The 718 MB irons ($1299.99 for an eight-piece set with steel shafts) are available in 3-PW. The stock shaft is True Temper’s Project X.
718 CB Irons
The players iron category is brimming with forged cavity-back irons that look a lot like Titleist’s 718 CB, but to call the new CBs “yet another forged cavity back” is to miss the complex construction the company uses to squeeze more performance out of its classic CB shape.
Like the 718 MB irons, the bodies of the 718 CB irons are forged from 1025 carbon steel. That’s where the similarities end. The 718 CB long and middle irons (2-7) employ a 2.1-millimeter face insert that’s made of 17-4 steel. The thin, strong face insert isn’t designed to flex to increase distance; rather, it allowed designers to remove mass from the middle of the club head and reposition it to the corners where it enhances forgiveness.
In those corners of the club heads (the low heel and low toe), two high-density tungsten weights are added through a process called “co-forging.” It’s a secondary forging process that merges the steel body and tungsten inserts into a precisely-shaped iron head. It also maximizes the concentration of the higher-density material. On average, nearly 71 grams of tungsten are added to the 718 CB long and mid irons.
The co-forging process also has the advantage of placing the center of gravity (CG) of each iron closer to the true center of the club head than previous models, which creates more consistent distance on off-center hits across the club face. Another benefit is that it lowers the CG of the long and mid irons, helping golfers boost their launch angle and ball speed for more distance from the long end of their set.
The 718 short irons (8-P) are made with a one-piece, 1025 forged construction. Ines says the shape of short irons inherently gives them a higher MOI, as well as the higher CG better players prefer in their short irons. For that reason, a multi-material approach was unnecessary.
The 718 CB irons ($1299.99 for an eight-piece set with steel shafts) are available in 2-PW. The stock shaft is True Temper’s Project X LZ.
718 AP2 Irons
In recent years, Titleist’s AP2 irons have come to occupy a unique space in the players iron market. Competitive models have increasingly been given fast-face technologies to help the irons create more distance. Despite the peer pressure, Titleist has continued to focus on feel and consistency above all else with the AP2, opting to launch entirely new models like the T-MB and AP3 to offer golfers more distance.
“We’re being honest about what [AP2] is and who it’s for,” Talge says. “It’s our bread and butter tour product. [Tour players] like that size. They like that loft package.”
With fast-face technologies and stronger lofts off the table (the 6-iron is 30 degrees), Titleist investigated new ways to improve the AP2 recipe. The result was a new main ingredient, a high-strength steel known as SUP10, which is used to make the forged bodies of the 3-6 irons. Titleist also used SUP10 to form the face inserts for the 3-6 irons. Because SUP10 is stronger and lighter than the 1025 carbon steel bodies and 17-4 stainless steel face inserts Titleist previously used to create the AP2, designers were able to move the CG of the new irons lower in the club heads for higher ball speeds and a higher launch angle.
Like the 718 CB, the 718 AP2 irons are also co-forged to concentrate high-density tungsten weights in the corners of the club heads to improve MOI and exactly center the CG of the irons. “This is the Tour iron that’s really in reach [for most golfers] because it’s so forgiving,” Ines says. “The MOI is now pretty much at the level of the 714 AP1 irons.”
Another change, which could be just as important as the structural changes for discerning golfers, is the addition of a pre-worn leading edge to the soles of the 718 AP2 irons. The sole grind is inspired by the shaping of Titleist’s MB and CB irons, and it has also been added to the 718 T-MB, AP3 and AP1 models. It can help golfers make cleaner contact, particularly from tight lies.
The 718 AP2 irons ($1299.99 for an eight-piece set with steel shafts) are available in 3-PW, 50. The stock shaft is True Temper’s Dynamic Gold AMT Tour White.
718 T-MB Irons
“[The 716 T-MB] is what allowed us to feel like we can go forward with fast-face designs and give our players what they’re looking for,” Talge says. Which is to say, if you’re happy to see more fast-face irons from Titleist, you have success of the T-MB to thank for that.
Like the original 716 T-MB irons that marked Titleist’s entry into the fast-face players iron category, the 718 T-MB irons have a hollow-body construction that makes them longer-fliers than the AP2. That has made them particularly popular as long-iron replacements on the PGA Tour due to their higher launch and faster ball speeds.
Like the 718 AP2 irons, the new T-MB long and mid irons (2-6) use SUP10 club faces, but they’re made with an L-shaped club face that encourages the head to flex at impact for increased ball speed. Their cast construction also contributes to improved distance and forgiveness, enabling an average of 91.5 grams of tungsten to be welded inside the club heads to optimize the launch angle and spin rate of each iron.
The 718 T-MB irons ($249 each, $1,999 for an eight-piece set with steel shafts) are available in 2-PW, 50. The stock shaft is True Temper’s Project X PXi.
718 AP3 Irons
More distance, more forgiveness. That’s what golfers should expect from Titleist’s 718 AP3 irons when comparing them to the company’s traditional players irons. In Titleist’s robot testing, an AP3 4-iron offered an average of 6.4 yards more carry distance when compared to an AP2 4-iron at a moderate swing speeds.
According to Ines, higher-swing-speed golfers should see an even larger distance increase, a realization that has had several of Titleist’s PGA Tour players to swapping their current long irons for AP3s, including Jimmy Walker, Bill Haas, Byeong Hun An, and Jason Kokrak.
To create the additional distance, Titleist gave the AP3 a size that falls roughly in-between the AP1 and AP2 irons. Compared to the 718 AP2, the AP3 long irons are between 3-4 millimeters longer from heel to toe. The AP3 short irons are only fractionally larger than the 718 AP2, however, creating a progressive design that merges longer-flying, easier-to-hit long irons with short irons that could be mistaken for AP2s.
The internal design changes, on the other hand, are unmistakable. Titleist gave the 718 AP3 irons what it calls a “hollow-blade” design. The bodies of the irons are cast from 17-4 stainless steel, and they’re given L-shaped club faces made of 455 Carpenter steel to boost flexing at impact. The result is not just more distance, Ines says, but more “playable distance.”
Ines’ emphasis on playable distance has to do with consistency of the irons, which is boosted by an average of 84.9 grams of tungsten in the 3-7 irons that’s positioned strategically to optimize the trajectory of each iron. It ensures that each AP3 iron is not only as forgiving as possible, but that the irons also offer golfers enough height and spin to stop their shots on even the most demanding greens. The playable distance promise extends to the feel of the irons, which were fine-tuned to create an AP2-like sound at impact.
The AP3 irons ($1299.99 for an eight-piece set with steel shafts) are available in 3-PW, 48. The stock shaft is True Temper’s AMT Black.
718 AP1
Titleist’s 718 AP1 irons offer golfers the most distance and forgiveness of the company’s new iron line. They accomplish the feat with a cast, hollow construction and thin, unsupported club faces that boost both ball speeds and MOI.
The 4- and 5-irons in the set are designed to be particularly lethal from long range, with a fully hollow construction and club faces that measure just 2 millimeters in thickness. They also use an average of 57.4 grams of tungsten (4-7 irons) to lower CG for higher, more consistent shots. According to Ines, the 718 AP1 irons are about 5 yards longer than the 716 AP1 irons, but as with the AP3 irons, the faster golfers swing the more benefit they’ll see.
“If you have more speed, all technology is going to be even better,” Ines says.
The 718 AP1 irons share the same sole design as their predecessors with the exception of a pre-worn leading edge that can improve turf interaction. The club heads also have a lower profile than previous models.
The AP1 irons ($999.99 for an eight-piece set with steel shafts) are available in 4-PW, 48, 53. The stock shaft is True Temper’s AMT Red.
The stock graphite option is Mitsubishi’s Tensei Pro Red AMC (Ascending Mass Concept). Like True Temper’s AMT White, Black, and Red steel shafts, the shafts gradually increase in weight from long iron to wedge to help golfers maximize the performance of each iron. With graphite shafts, the 718 AP1 irons sell for $1199.99 for a set of eight irons.
Discussion: See what GolfWRXers are saying about the 718 Irons in our forum.
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Equipment
Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage
Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.
It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.
When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”
“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”
View this post on Instagram
According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.
Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:
“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.
“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.
“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.
“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.
“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”
So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.
His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.
See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here
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Equipment
Spotted: TaylorMade P-UDI driving iron
It seems like the RBC Heritage is full of new gear to be spotted, and you can add TaylorMade’s P-UDI utility irons to that list.
We spotted a 17-degree P-UDI 2-iron in Nick Dunlap’s bag yesterday, and now have some photos of both the 3- and 4-irons. Nick has his P-UDI 2-iron setup with a Project X HZRDUS Black 4th Gen 105g TX shaft.
From what we can tell, this new P-UDI utility iron looks to have some of the usual TaylorMade technology as we can see the Speed Slot on the sole of the club for additional face flexibility. A toe screw is usually used to close off the hollow body design that will probably be filled with a version of TaylorMade’s Speed Foam that is present in the current iron lineup. This hollow body, foam-filled design should offer additional ball speed, soft feel, and sound, as well as an optimized CG for ball flight.
“Forged” is etched into the hosel, so we can assume that either the face, body, or both are forged for a soft and responsive feel. The club looks good from behind and at address, where we can see just a little offset and a topline that I would consider medium thickness. We don’t have the full details on what is under the hood or how many loft options will be available yet.
TaylorMade P-UDI 3-iron – 20°
TaylorMade P-UDI 4-iron – 22°
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage
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Whats in the Bag
Collin Morikawa WITB 2024 (April)
- Collin Morikawa what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60 TX (45 inches)
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (4), P7MC (5-6), P730 (7-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Mid 115 X100 (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (7-PW)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-SB09, 56-LB08), TaylorMade MG4 TW (60-TW11)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: TaylorMade TP Soto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0
Grips: Golf Pride Z-Grip Cord
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
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Dr. Freud
Aug 25, 2017 at 3:26 pm
AP3 = APE subliminally. Are you a gorilla golfer?
Dodo
Aug 25, 2017 at 6:24 pm
No, but you are, obviously
Dr. Freud
Aug 25, 2017 at 9:59 pm
I see what’s subliminal, therefore I am smarter than you, you Dodo.
Fhfuv
Aug 25, 2017 at 3:58 am
Do the ap3 and ap1 get progressively longer because they have genuine technology or is it because the lofts are stronger?
Anyone know uk prices?
luke
Aug 27, 2017 at 7:04 pm
ap3 are 1 degree stronger than ap2. and ap2 are 1 degree stronger than cb and mb.
i think this contributes to the length but they will have a lower cg so they should produce the same apex height.
luke
Aug 25, 2017 at 12:25 am
I need offset, swing weight and bounce specs. im looking into a ap3/2 combo with a tmb driving iron
Derrick
Aug 25, 2017 at 12:20 am
Effortless power built into those AP-3s……… they ooze with power…… they even “empower” me. They go in my bag asap.
Jerry/SwingMan
Aug 24, 2017 at 7:01 pm
I predict AP1 sales will plummet as golfers go to the AP3. Just on looks alone…
bill kerplowsky
Aug 24, 2017 at 6:34 pm
so 6-7 yards further for the ap3….actually further or did they just jack the lofts stronger? Pretty soon we’ll all be hitting 21 degree pitching wedges
Derrick
Aug 25, 2017 at 12:21 am
No, it’s the Magic of Tungsten weights in the heel and toe for massively more MOI….. the good stuff.
Joe
Jan 7, 2018 at 11:16 pm
They are 2 deg stronger on the 4 5 and 6 and then 3 degree stronger on 7 8 and 9. Mmmm doesn’t come across in the article …. 21 deg pitching wedges coming soon
Terry (TMAC)
Aug 26, 2017 at 2:38 pm
I’ll bet the lofts are stronger than the AP2’s.
rymail00
Aug 24, 2017 at 6:26 pm
Has anyone seen a list offset specs for the 718 line?
Donald Trump Rules
Aug 24, 2017 at 6:10 pm
Need to release a single length iron set.
Brian
Aug 24, 2017 at 10:00 pm
NOooooooooooo
Dodo
Aug 25, 2017 at 6:24 pm
YESssssssssssssss
Harry
Aug 24, 2017 at 4:16 pm
Having played titleist clubs over the last 8-10 years irons woods wedges at various time I have no desire to play the new irons as I agree not enough change to make me a better golfer
jgpl001
Aug 24, 2017 at 3:42 pm
Agree that the AP line is getting a bit fussy looking, but that does detract from their performance and that’s what really counts
Moaning about MB on the blades is really petty…..
ALL Titleist clubs perform and these will be a no different
Good to see all have different stock shafts and delighted to see PX in the MB’s
Allan A
Aug 24, 2017 at 2:16 pm
Clubheads cannot “give you speed”. They are inertial mass that resists speed. Only by reducing the weight of clubheads can you gain speed. Light weight clubheads are problematic.
Otherwise the cosmetics of these Titleist clubs are fantastic.
Ccshop
Aug 24, 2017 at 2:01 pm
These look fantastic! Can’t wait to hit them!
fmaxturbosi
Aug 24, 2017 at 1:31 pm
Would have considered looking into the ap3 IF……….they were forged, and if they weren’t chrome.
Holly Sonders
Aug 24, 2017 at 12:34 pm
+1 to what Johnnylongballz said, would love to get back to an old school MB head that doesn’t have NASCAR-esque Stamping on it. Less is more people.
Gazonkas
Aug 25, 2017 at 7:49 pm
Show us yer tatas Holly
Scott
Aug 24, 2017 at 11:55 am
I think the reason why the ap2 doesn’t look like a “classic club” because it’s not a classic club. There’s a lot of technology going on there behind the scenes I personally cannot wait to put that club in my bag Wasn’t thrilled w the look of the 714s
Travis
Aug 24, 2017 at 11:09 am
Not too thrilled with the direction of Titleist clubs. The MB’s are fine, but they’re just a rehashed design… would’ve loved to see a little creativity there. The CB’s I think are going in a solid direction, but again, nothing different from the 714 line.
Unfortunately, I think Titleist is really losing their way with the AP line… 714 was the last solid year of AP2 design, and these 718’s are trying way too hard to look robotic and futuristic, instead of air on the side of classic club design Titleist is known for…
I know there’s not all too much we can do in club design anymore. Year over year are just going to produce cosmetic changes. But now more than ever I have no desire to play the new Titleist lineup…
Raider Fan
Aug 28, 2017 at 12:58 pm
“losing their way on the AP line”? Did you miss this: “AP2 is now the most popular Titleist iron model globally on the professional tours.”. When a 10HC can play the same clubs (understand the mods Ppos get) as Jordan Speith, kind of hard to think Titleist has a problem.
birdy
Aug 24, 2017 at 10:55 am
would love to see a head to head review of Mizuno MP18 MMC and AP3.
May boil down to fact Mizuno offers so many other shaft options at no upcharge.
Scott
Aug 24, 2017 at 10:27 am
Talk about closing the deal wow that was easy. 9/1 can’t come soon enough. Boo ya!
Johnnylongballz
Aug 24, 2017 at 10:19 am
Why do they insist on stamping that “MB” on the blades. Other than that they are pretty perfect!
Hatch
Aug 24, 2017 at 11:05 pm
Agreed. I have the 716 and would love to see them without MB and forged. Just the Titleist script.
Tcann32
Aug 24, 2017 at 9:20 am
Some of the purest looking MB’s out there.. They’re gorgeous.
The AP2’s keep getting busier-looking unfortunately. This isn’t exclusive to Titleist, as many of the “Players CB’s” seem to be going that route, which I don’t understand. You’re either a minimalist and play an iron that people will say is outdated, and not a good fit for your game, or you’re swinging a golf club that looks like a spaceship.