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Titleist U500 utilities are coming to retail: All the details on U500, U510 irons

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5 years ago

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“Say hello to your new 1-iron!” How many times do you hear someone say that in 2019? Well, with the new U500 series from Titleist, expect to be hearing it a lot more.

Initially introduced and seeded to tour players at the Memorial Tournament, we now have all the info on the new utilities from Titleist that includes two versions—the “players” versions the U500, and the more player-friendly U510. Think hybrid performance in an iron-like package (the initial prototype name was the Wide Body).

U500 3-iron from address

U510 from address

The Titleist U500 is shorter heel to toe and maintains a very “player” profile with its deeper face. The U510, on the other hand, has all of the same technology but is longer heel to toe, shallower, has a wider sole, and more offset. A lot of the inspiration for these came from the very original 503i (remember that one—the super rare tour only driving iron that would sell for over $1,000 on the open market?) Keep it clean and make it work!

What also makes these different from the previous TMB is the U500 series are stand-alone utilities and will not be a part of a larger iron set. Titleist will be leaving irons up to the T100, 200, and 300 series and let golfers mix and match combo sets as they see fit. Could we see a T400? Only time will tell (I seriously have no idea) but if the drivers drivers is any indication my golf club Spidey Sense is tingling.

The Technology of Titleist U500s

So how does Titleist plan to improve on what is already one of the most popular driving irons, the TMB? With more tech that draws inspiration from the Concept series and building clubs based on some highly requested attributes from their tour players.

Here’s the breakdown:

  • A forged High Strength Steel “L-face insert” comes in at less than two millimeters thick and is built for speed.  The one-piece forged “L” face has variable thickness and wraps under the leading edge. This saves mass by removing welds in the area of the face and creates more discretionary weight on the heel and toe for increased MOI meaning faster ball speeds on anything hit outside of the sweet spot.
  • Speaking to MASS, there is close to 100 grams of high-density Tungsten weight in each head—the average is 97 grams! That’s a LOT. To give you an idea of what that really means from a mass properties perspective (since it seems that almost every club nowadays is using tungsten): The average 2-iron final build head weight is 233 grams (based off standard length and normal club specs). 97 grams in 233 grams is 41.6 percent. So almost 43 percent of the U500’s heads mass is comprised of a material which is more than twice the mass of 17-4 steel used in the body. (Tungsten is 19.3 g/cm3 vs. 7.75 g/cm3). That’s the physics of forgiveness!

When talking to the design team at Titleist, the one thing that was brought up on a few occasions is why the Concept series is so important to them. Being able to use data and information gathered through the production and prototyping stages of those clubs then allows the engineers to bring those lessons to clubs being released on a grander scale. The biggest lesson in technology has been in developing thin, unsupported, fast faces for irons and understanding the materials and their limitations. But the other side of this is feel—you can make a face thin, but if the geometry isn’t right, you’ve just created a very fancy cowbell.

The Shaft Story

The one thing that has always limited driving iron utility clubs are the shaft options (from a stock perspective). These clubs are almost always (and in Titleist’s case always) are tapered heads. For experienced club builders, this isn’t a big deal, but for the general golfer that wants to get fit and order a club that they can take right to the course, options have been limited.

Titleist will be opening up its entire graphite hybrid shaft matrix to the new 500 series. Thanks to a consultation with its shaft suppliers and some new tools in the customer department, they will have the ability to make .370″ parallel shafts into .355″ Taper. This is something a lot of experienced builders already do, but bringing it to mass production has been limited. This is how graphite taper shafts are made already, and with a tool designed to do it on a grand scale, this opens up a lot more options for players.

The reason graphite (HZRDUS Smoke Black 90g in the U500 and 80g in the U510) is being used is at the request of tour players and the growing trend of graphite in these longer clubs. If you can maintain stability, increase distance and make it easier to swing why wouldn’t you?

Club Specs

  • U500 will be available in: 2 (17°), 3 (20°), 4 (23°)
  • U510 will be available in: 1 (16°), 2 (18°), 3 (20°), 4 (22°)

Both models will retail for $250

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Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Carl

    Jul 15, 2019 at 9:49 pm

    Woof $250 for an iron. Weren’t the t-MB’s $175?

    Reply Report comment

  2. greg mcneill

    Jul 15, 2019 at 2:14 pm

    The U510 looks a lot like Taylormade’s (now 3 year old) P790s.

    Reply Report comment

  3. JK

    Jul 15, 2019 at 2:10 pm

    Left Hand?

    Reply Report comment

  4. Bike Mountains

    Jul 15, 2019 at 12:24 pm

    Hmmmm……..looks like Cobra Speedback 4 iron technology!

    Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head

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5 hours ago

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Apr 19, 2024

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head

From the seller: (@lasallen): “For sale is a BRNR mini 11.5 deg head only in brand new condition.  $325 shipped.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head 

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

Published

1 day ago

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Apr 18, 2024

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.

From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.

Specs/ Additional Details

-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)

-Original Anser Design

-PING PP58 Grip

-Putter is built to standard specs.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Equipment

Inside Collin Morikawa’s recent golf ball, driver, 3-wood, and “Proto” iron changes

Published

1 day ago

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Apr 18, 2024

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As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.

The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.

On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.

Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.

At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.

“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.

Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.

“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.

“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.” 

In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.

On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.

According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.

“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.” 

See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here. 

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