News
Spotted: “Titleist CNCPT-01” irons, via Instagram
In recent weeks and months, we’ve seen photos and information surface regarding new “Titleist CNCPT-02” irons. That begged the question, “What about CNCPT-01 irons?” Well, it appears we may now have that answer.
A photo, allegedly of the “Titleist CNCPT-01” iron in question, was posted on Instagram today by user Chris92009, with Titleist Performance Institute in Oceanside, California as the tagged location.
Here’s his post:
And below are the two CNCPT irons side-by-side (CNCPT-01 on the left, CNCPT-02 on the right):
Judging by the photos, it appears the CNCPT-01 irons will be the more forgiving option of the two CNCPT irons. As such, you’d expect the 01 irons to have slightly thicker soles and toplines, offering more forgiveness across the face, a higher launch, and higher ball speeds than the 02 irons. But, of course, that remains to be seen.
As some GolfWRX Members have speculated, it’s also likely these irons will come with a hefty price tag; one member, John Golia, said his inside information tells him $4,000 for an 8-piece set. That is simply speculation and rumor, however, until we have confirmation about the irons and their availability from Titleist itself.
Join the discussion about Titleist’s new CNCPT-01 and CNCPT-02 irons here.
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Morning 9: Wyndham Clark on back injury | DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take | Houston Open photos
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News
Four books for a springtime review
One thing that never changes over time: snowy evenings give purpose to reading (is it the other way around?) It has been a snowy 2024 in western New York, and I’ve had ample time to tuck into an easy chair with a blanket, coffee, and a book. You’re in luck, because despite the title of this piece, I’ll share five books and their worth with you.
There is great breadth of subject matter from one to five. Golf is as complicated as life, which means that the cover of the book isn’t worth judging. The contents begin the tale, but there is so much more to each topic presented within. If you’re like me, your library grows each year. Despite the value of the virtual, the paper-printed word connects us to the past of golf and humanity. Here’s hoping that you’ll add one or more of these titles to your collection.
Hughes Norton interviewed with Mark McCormack for 20 minutes (30 if you count the missed exit at Logan International) while driving the founder of IMG from Harvard to the airport. The lesson of taking advantage of each moment, of every dollar, because you might not get another opportunity, is the most valuable one that life offers. I say to you, be certain to read this book, because another opportunity to bend the ear of Hughes Norton may not come our way.
Hughes Norton was with Tiger Woods for waaayyy fewer years than you might guess, but they were the critical ones. Be warned: not all of the revelations in this tome are for the faint of heart. Some, in fact, will break your heart. Golf was a sleepy hamlet in the 1990s, until the 16-lane interstate called Eldrick “Tiger” Woods came into town. Everything changed, which meant that everything would change again and again, into eternity. Once the ball starts rolling, it’s impossible to stop.
My favorite aspect of this book is its candor. Hughes Norton is well into his time on Planet Earth. He has no reason to hold back, and he doesn’t. My least favorite aspect is that George Peper got the call to co-author the book (and I didn’t.) Seriously, there is no LFA for me, so this is the best that I could do.
Decision: Buy It!
The Golf Courses of Seth Raynor
Michael Wolf, James Sitar, and Jon Cavalier, in abject partnership, collaborated to produce a handsome volume on the work of gone-too-soon, engineer-turned-golf course architect. Seth Raynor was pulled into the game by Charles Blair MacDonald, the crusty godfather of American golf. Raynor played little golf across the 51 years of his life. His reason? He did not wish to corrupt his designs with the demands and failings of his own game.
Jon Cavalier began his photography career as a contributor to the Golf Club Atlas discussion group. I met him there in a virtual way (we still have yet to shake hands) and have exchanged numerous emails over the years. Despite the demands of his day job, Cavalier has blossomed into the most traveled and prolific course photographer alive today. His photography, both hand-held and drone, makes the pages pop. Michael Wolf invited me and two friends to play his home course, despite having never met any of us in person. His words, melded to those of James Sitar, are the glue that connect Cavalier’s photos.
My favorite aspect of the books is the access it gives to the private-club world of Raynor. Fewer than five of his courses are resort or public access, and knowing people on the inside is not available to all. My suggestion? Write a letter/email and see if a club will let you play. Can’t hurt to try! My one complaint about the book is its horizontal nature. Golf is wide, but I like a little vertical in my photos. It’s not much of a complaint, given the glorious contents within the covers.
Decision: Buy It!!
Big Green Book from The Golfer’s Journal
Beginning with its (over)size, and continuing through the entire contents, there is no descriptor that defines the genre of the Big Green Book. It is photography, essay, layout, poetry, graphics, and stream of consciousness. It harnesses the creative power of a lengthy masthead of today’s finest golf contributors. Quotes from Harvey Penick, verse from Billy Collins, and prose from John Updike partner with images pure and altered, to immerse you in the diverse golf spaces that define this planet.
One of my favorite aspects is the spaces between the words and photos. Have your friends and others write a few notes to you in those blank areas, to personalize your volume even more. One aspect that needs improvement: the lack of female voices. I suspect that will be remedied in future volumes.
Decision: Buy It!!!
Troublemaker and The Unplayable Lie
Books that allege discrimination and mistreatment check two boxes: potentially-salacious reads and debate over whose perspective is accurate. In the end, the presentation of salacious revelation rarely meets the expectation, and the debate over fault is seldom resolved. Lisa Cornwell spent years as a competitive junior and college golfer, before joining The Golf Channel as a reporter and program host.
Despite the dream assignments, there were clouds that covered the sun. Cornwell documents episodes of favoritism and descrimination against her, prior to her departure from The Golf Channel in 2021. Her work echoes the production of the late Marcia Chambers, who wrote for Golf Digest in the 1980s and 1990s. Chambers took issue with many of the potential and real legal issues surrounding golf and its policies of access/no access. Her research culminated in The Unplayable Lie, the first work of its kind to address issues confronted by all genders and ethnicities, and immediately predated the professional debut of Tiger Woods in 1997.
My favorite aspects of the two works, are the courage and conviction that it took to write them, and believe in them. My least favorite aspects are the consistent bias that many groups continue to face. Without awareness, there is no action. Without action, there is no change.
Decision: Buy Them!!!!
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
GolfWRX is on site in the Lone Star State this week for the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
General galleries from the putting green and range, WITBs — including Thorbjorn Olesen and Zac Blair — and several pull-out albums await.
As always, we’ll continue to update as more photos flow in. Check out links to all our photos from Houston below.
General Albums
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Monday #1
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Monday #2
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Tuesday #1
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Tuesday #2
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Thorbjorn Olesen – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Ben Silverman – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Jesse Droemer – SoTX PGA Section POY – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- David Lipsky – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Martin Trainer – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Zac Blair – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Jacob Bridgeman – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Trace Crowe – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Daniel Berger – WITB(very mini) – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Chesson Hadley – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Callum McNeill – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Rhein Gibson – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Patrick Fishburn – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Raul Pereda – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Gary Woodland WITB (New driver, iron shafts) – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Padraig Harrington WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
Pullout Albums
- Tom Hoge’s custom Cameron – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Cameron putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Piretti putters – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Ping putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Kevin Dougherty’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Bettinardi putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Cameron putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Erik Barnes testing an all-black Axis1 putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Tony Finau’s new driver shaft – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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geohogan
Dec 11, 2018 at 3:21 pm
High prices are due to the tariffs. When the tariffs come off in 2025
and we are at the bottom of the next great depression prices will be much lower.
So much to look forward to!
stephenf
Dec 2, 2018 at 4:11 am
Better be brought to me on each shot by a topless, extremely fit young woman, with an “I’m just bad enough” look.
joey
Nov 25, 2018 at 3:09 pm
$500 per club… now that’s more like in my price range for the best of the best golf clubs.
Tika
Nov 12, 2018 at 1:01 am
So one is redefined c16 iron and another a TMB rebadged…..but cost 2k more……like to see these companies explain why these gonna be so expensive rather than just polish em up and give general “political vague statements”……tungsten, titanium, multi alloys and hollow designs are already being used so what makes these so special……injected with foam or rubber isn’t gonna cut it, lol
Curt
Dec 13, 2018 at 4:14 pm
Same rubber as the proV1’s lol
Ken Tucky
Nov 11, 2018 at 4:45 am
Why the Nike designers gotta be lost and now found?!! Hahaha!! =D That was a good one!!
Scheiss
Nov 10, 2018 at 9:39 pm
In the meantime, Spieth removes the TS2 and puts back the 915 in the bag, and misses the cut
Andrew Levy
Nov 10, 2018 at 2:05 pm
I have hit them both. They were fitting at my club. The 01 is a tmb but a little bit slimmer and short bladed. It was nothing special it just felt clunky. It also didn’t feel that soft. The blade one is the best forged titleist club ever. It felt amazing jumped off the face everything. They even had the four iron with some hybrid shafts in it and it was amazing. But the price tag is so high I will not be giving up my current sticks. Hopefully we see some progression into the 720s. The c16 irons do have characteristics we now see in the 718 tmbs. I am going away next week to try out the proto prov1 and prov1x.
doug
Nov 9, 2018 at 4:59 pm
And fine and dandy and all that, but what’s the point?
These clubs have no connection to the average golfer; none.
And here in Australia, because of the relative weakness of our dollar, they have w@anker/show-pony value, but not much else.
Time for top-end brands like Titleist to take a good, hard look at what Wilson and Cleveland are doing with their ‘Infinite’ and ‘Huntington Beach’ brand of putters. Excellent and affordable kit, at a price that the player on a regular budget can actually afford to buy.
I- and most players I know – are no more likely to spend the kind of money these new irons command, than we are to walk to the Moon. But if Titleist can afford to spend zillions on R&D, just to sell a few thousand sets World-wide…well, good luck to them.
Even at my Australian Top 100 club, most guys I know get the irons they need, spend dollars adjusting the lie/loft/length etc etc…then play those perfect babies until the grooves go.
Mike
Nov 9, 2018 at 12:16 pm
Iron tech is just not evolving fast enough to justify this cost… unless it comes with my own personal RoboCop, which by the looks of the 01 model here, may be a possibility.
ronnie
Nov 9, 2018 at 3:14 pm
I love the shinyer CNCPT 01 model cause its more pretty.
Tom Donnelly
Nov 9, 2018 at 9:43 am
At least we know where the Nike club designers ended up.
ogo
Nov 9, 2018 at 3:10 pm
A second year engineering student could design golf clubs …. which are no technological design challenge. The only challenge is to sculpt the back of irons and the bottom of drivers to suck in the gearhead suckers… it’s called “marketing” and marketing also involves manufacturing decisions…
Dan
Dec 11, 2018 at 1:33 am
Your either trolling or very ignorant. You have no idea what goes into designing a golf club. Is the industry littered with marketing, yes. Why? Because most people are uneducated as to the game so that the marketing jargon is the only way they’ll understand it. Every design change that improves something negatively affects something else. It’s that fact that challenges designers to come up with new ideas to fight physics. Your comment reeks of ignorance
ogo
Nov 9, 2018 at 12:12 am
BREAKING NEWS******* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kuFf8cCQlg
Hailstorm in New South Wales, Australia, hailstones the size of GOLF BALLS!!!
Those Aussies really take their golf seriously !!!!!! 😮
Tom
Nov 8, 2018 at 7:25 pm
If you place an order immediately, you get the sail boat model? “I want that!”
Tom
Nov 8, 2018 at 6:03 pm
Uncle Rico tested these prototypes and “hit the ball clear over that there mountain!”
Blake
Nov 8, 2018 at 4:34 pm
The thing is if im in this price range for irons im just going to get a boutique companies offering before titleist. And i currently play titleist
Robert Pfeil
Nov 8, 2018 at 3:01 pm
Just wait another year and they have a retail set with this technology. That’s how it was with the previous Titleist concept irons/woods.
Ryan Michael
Nov 8, 2018 at 2:54 pm
The rising price of clubs in general will drive new people from picking up the game let alone releases like this! The game needs go down in overall cost. I know you can go cheap with used equipment and put a decent set together for peanuts but there are also people out there who are on the fences about giving golf a try and they read an article about a $4,000 set of clubs and it turns them of to the game all together.
Tom
Nov 8, 2018 at 1:51 pm
They should price them at $1,000,000 per iron and just sell a few hundred sets.
stephenf
Dec 2, 2018 at 4:07 am
you said it.
G-head
Nov 8, 2018 at 12:45 pm
PXG… CNCPT… PXG… CNCPT… PXG… CNCPT… ???? {{{sigh}}}
HBO
Nov 8, 2018 at 12:26 pm
They better hit themselves at that price. Regardless how much you pay for clubs they can’t make you much better than you already are.
Richard Rorty
Nov 8, 2018 at 10:42 am
Flashy equipment for discriminating golfers who are in need of a certain, postmodern, ‘je ne sais quoi’. . .
stephenf
Dec 2, 2018 at 4:08 am
Yeah, something like that. 😉
dat
Nov 8, 2018 at 10:20 am
Should have gone for at least $400,000 per club.
TONEY P
Nov 8, 2018 at 10:06 am
Only a salesman could love those ugly sticks. Now the rich have something else to waste money on.
Brian
Nov 8, 2018 at 8:55 am
Good god are those ugly. A face only a mother could love.
dick head
Nov 10, 2018 at 4:04 pm
you have no idea – a recent online survey showed 85% thought they looked awesome
Ardbegger
Nov 8, 2018 at 8:35 am
Can’t replace my Mizuno SC’s
James Awad
Nov 8, 2018 at 8:34 am
Looks like something some man-bun wearin’ dipstick would think “looks awesome”. Looks like Nike & Cobra had an ugly kid
4K for Titleist?? The cats who can’t properly headweight a custom ordered set – or get the lofts right?
not even if Tiger used ’em to win another major
Yup
Nov 8, 2018 at 2:36 am
CUNcpT
po' boy
Nov 8, 2018 at 1:06 am
OMG!!!! I wish I was the first to see these awesome irons! At $4000 they are boutique clubs for the uber-rich gearheads who don’t have the time to practice… only play at their plush country clubs… oh well…
Tom
Nov 7, 2018 at 9:26 pm
More lipstick on the pigs…..
Roy
Nov 7, 2018 at 4:57 pm
Seems pretty obvious you can build a better product if you are given a higher budget to work with – what makes golf clubs any different??
po' boy
Nov 8, 2018 at 1:08 am
They are status clubs for the uber-rich gearheads who likely can’t play a snot anyway… a statement that I am rich and you aren’t…
Carter
Nov 9, 2018 at 11:51 am
USGA regulations of what clubs can do. That makes clubs different.
Gerald
Nov 7, 2018 at 3:41 pm
So are they saying my tungsten in my AP2s are useless?
Its a hard pass for me.
Ajc273
Nov 7, 2018 at 3:36 pm
I don’t understand the point of this product, especially if they are going to come with a $4,000 price tag. With their MB, CB, T-MB, and AP1, 2, & 3 they seem to have all handicaps and ability levels covered with great clubs. Why would anyone want to pay $4,000 for a set on CNCPT-01 irons when they can get a set of AP1’s for 1/4 the price, unless they just want to tell their friends they paid 4 grand for a set of clubs??
JP
Nov 7, 2018 at 8:30 pm
It’s the pxg effect. My Dad caught a fish THIS big…
golfraven
Nov 7, 2018 at 3:28 pm
Nice but note really hyped about those. Very pleased with my Ap3, T-MB set