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Titleist AP2 Forged 712 Review

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Pros: Soft feeling, great to look at, perfect spin and forgiveness in a players body. Considered “Game Changers” to many top club fitters interviewed. One of the most popular models for Titleist Tour Players and well as top players.

Cons:
Finish of the satin could be improved and these irons are not cheap.

Bottom Line: We have a winner with the 712 AP2’s. These AP2 irons have the appeal and look of a players club. Some tour players as well as top club fitter we have talked to say the AP2 chassis is the perfect size and shape.

Technology packed multi material construction allows the Titleist engineers the ability to move might to the perimeter and move the center of gravity that only game improvement irons could do in the past. Bravo Titleist for designing and selling a premium iron with nothing spared to save costs.

While I think these will appeal to a lot of golfers, I don’t think they are a GI club by any means.

They aren’t going to make a bad swing good, and a chunky shot is still a chunky shot. What they will do is, allow you to sneak away with a slight miss hit and not bat an eye. I’m sold on them, and can’t wait to use them more.

Full Review

The time has finally come, my 712 have arrived, and I was able to get out give them a quick test drive.

Background: I played a combo set of 710 CB/MB’s last season. Not the greatest ball striker, but I’m not bad. I play to a mid/high single digit. Really enjoyed this set up, and thought it was about as close to perfect for me. 3-5 Cavity back, 6-PW in the MB. Love the set up, and despite the try to change, I can’t stand a huge top line, and a chunky over weight looking club.

The set up: I decided on a 4-PW set, and will order the 3-iron later if I decide to go that route perhaps.

4-PW 712 AP2
Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Standard length
2* Flat lie
D3 Swing weight
Lamkin PP 3 Gen grips

The low down and dirty

TItleist this year, went about trying to tweak the AP2 series a good bit. The 710’s were without a doubt a hit for Titleist, and while I didn’t play them, who couldn’t notice the love everywhere you looked. Tours abound, and even your local club.

While it was always geared to be a “players” club, it wasn’t quite received as that by some. Stuck in a middle of the road between a players CB/GI type of world. Would launch high, spin more, and in the end left many yearning for a lower stronger flight, and more consistent ball speeds from the face. Many also felt although touted as “forged” they really lacked that feel of a forged club.

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Titleist heard that, and decided to work on it. Enter the 712 line up. Titleist has this to say about them:

AP2 irons are technically advanced blades that provide increased forgiveness without sacrificing shot workability while combining traditional blade length and sole width with a more efficient multi-material weight distribution.

They claim they are 7% more forgiving, with no loss of workability.

Sounds like some decent claims, but when it gets down to it, who will really be able to see that.

They split the weight in the bottom of the club, pushed it towards the toe and the heel, and with this, allowed them to make the club easy to work, yet still offer the forgiving technology they have in them, without making it launch any higher.

We took the 712’s out, very windy day, with gusts around 10-15mph, around 50*, and pretty damp conditions from previous rain.

Looks

First thing I noticed is, that they set up similar to my 710 combo set. Although you can’t say they are AS small, they are pretty close. Very similar blade length, which is the easiest to notice at first. Offset was very close. The AP2’s have roughly the same. According to the specs, the 7 iron has the same offset as the 710 AP2, and .01 mm MORE than the MB’s. Close, like I said.

The top line is slightly larger than the MB, but from address looks much thinner, and very close as well.

From address, I love these. Very clean, no visual of the cavity, nice square look. Similar to what I’m use to looking at. No hint of all the tech packed away in them.

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The soles on the clubs have also been thinned down from the previous model. They have a nice blunted leading edge, less bounce and with that, they interact with the turf very well. I can have a steep swing and I take long heavy divots with them. These work perfect for me. No digging, despite the wetter conditions I played in. No trouble sending off a nice divot with the swing and it was effortless to do so.

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Trajectory

I don’t naturally hit the ball that high. I’m not a low ball hitter by any means, but I’d say close to low/medium trajectory, generally with a decent bit of spin. With my CB/MB combo, I LOVED the flight. Very strong flight, enough to hold greens with a 5-6 iron consistently. I could stand to raise my flight, but honestly don’t care too.

With the AP2’s my flight is slightly higher. This may be a turn off to many, but it is compared to a muscle back. It’s going to be higher. It’s not much higher though. I’d suspect that most won’t notice them to launch much higher than what they might be using. Very flat flight, and doesn’t seem to over spin and fall steep. The wind gusting was interesting, I was able to flight them down and still maintain my distances with them like I could the combo set. Impressed as this I think is the reason many feel they can’t deal with a higher flight. No shooting up in the wind and falling down.

I was able to hold greens even with a 4 iron, and have them land and stop within 5 feet of my pitch mark. Nice high strong flight! I loved it!

Lofts are the same as what I’ve been using, and aren’t the juiced up strong lofts. I found myself to have roughly the same yardages, although I think I’m maybe a bit longer due to hitting them better from a more current fitting. 8 iron was flying around 155-160 yards.

So how forgiving are they?: This is the portion that blows me away. Maybe I’m not used to a forgiving iron. Maybe I needed it all along, but WOW. I tend to have a slight flip at impact as my miss. A pull, perhaps a nasty hook. With that comes a thin shot at times. My playing partner when I hit the new clubs today, didn’t notice I had new clubs. From trajectory to sound, it was all he knew, so it was funny to hear him comment on how “flush” I was hitting it today. I hit a thin PW that still flew my yardage, althought a bit short. Hit the green and spun BACK.

Hit a few off the toe, and while a back swing is bad, these still helped fly decently. Low on the face was still slightly okay, and high on the face was fine. Amazed with them, but again, could be the fact I haven’t used anything like this since my TM 09′ TP’s.

I am very impressed with the amount of forgiveness in them. Is there 7% more? I can’t tell. But what I do know is, that they are indeed really forgiving. I mis-hit them and I still didn’t have a terrible shot. I was able to get away with a decent bit and it was fun to be able to do so. I could also tell WHEN I hit it bad, even though the flight might have been lower, or higher, I could feel the mis hit, which is again, nice to be able to discern when that happens.

Workability

Can’t say there is anything missing here. I could make them do everything I could with my 710 CB/MB’s and while I’m not big on working it a lot, I could do it easily. High or low, draw or cut. It was all simple to do, and even a simple punch shot was easy to flight low and hit well.

Bottom Line

I think they have a winner with the 712 AP2’s. I love TItleist stuff, and while I could have gone another season or two with 710’s, I’m glad I switched. I think the fact that they were able to make a club as forgiving as it is, with the appeal and look of a players club is great. While I think these will appeal to a lot of golfers, I don’t think they are a GI club by any means. They aren’t going to make a bad swing good, and a chunky shot is still a chunky shot. What they will do is, allow you to sneak away with a slight miss hit and not bat an eye. I’m sold on them, and can’t wait to use them more.

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22 Comments

22 Comments

  1. Pingback: 2012 Titleist Ap2 Irons Review | Golf Fanatics

  2. Andrew

    Feb 11, 2014 at 3:07 am

    Just bought these ap2’s and on a scale of 1-10 ten being amazing… they are an 11!! feel and look of these irons are just unexplainable.

  3. cole brennecke

    Jun 30, 2013 at 1:48 pm

    I got these irons custom fitted to me and I can honestly say they are the best clubs I have ever hit. They feel great and even a miss-hit the ball goes still where I want it to. I have also gained quite a bit of distance with these irons. I am hitting the ball much longer and straighter, I don’t really even hit my driver or woods anymore because I just hit my 4 iron off the tee 260-280 depending on the shape of the shot I put on it. I recommend these clubs to anybody and everybody of all handicaps. only con- they aren’t cheap.

    • Joel

      Nov 14, 2013 at 7:36 pm

      Yeah you don’t. 280 4 iron, hahahahaha

    • Nick

      Jan 21, 2014 at 8:18 pm

      Average distance for driver on the PGA tour is around 289. So………

    • Romando

      Sep 22, 2014 at 5:41 pm

      Probably meant meters?

  4. Daryl Abueva

    Feb 4, 2013 at 11:10 pm

    I just got my AP2 712 asian series yesterday with NS PRO Shaft 3-PW. It took me a while before deciding to buy it. Finally, after 12 years of using a Honma LB-280 I was able to find an equally forgiving if not better clubs that fits me.

  5. taha hamdan

    Jan 14, 2013 at 8:45 am

    Hye, I just wanf to ask with the many story of buying not the original set, how to differentiate the original Titleist set and the imitation one. Tqi

  6. Red Dog

    Jan 2, 2013 at 2:21 am

    I,since March 2012 own AP2 712.I find them soft feeling, forgiving although the head size is smaller than most. When I play in wind I am concious of the flight and adjust my stance accordingly as they can get taken by the wind a bit, but then I spose so can any club.I really love them,Every round gives me several shots that any touring pro would be proud of .They are totally workable ,Look pure at address,and give backspin like Ive not had before.I think the slight bit of help I get from the tungsten inserts low and stuff really helps.My iron plays always been a strong point and these are trully good tools.Looks great , feels great, Touch of help down there. All Good for me.

  7. Dom

    Dec 27, 2012 at 11:15 pm

    Playing a set of 845’s.. Yes, very old. Finally getting a new set. Have my mind set on these. Hoping to find some forgiveness to get my handicap firmly in single digits (now playing to a 9-12). Can someone advise as to what I can really expect as far as “forgiveness”? and will this act as a GI for me?

  8. Devin

    Dec 14, 2012 at 12:29 am

    I play MP33 blades currently, and am looking to finally buy a new set. I’m going to get a new set fitted and am excited. I’ll try a bunch, but I have a feeling these are the ones I’ll come home with. Does anyone know how they compare to MP33’s from Mizuno?

  9. Dennis

    Nov 18, 2012 at 5:25 pm

    Played Titleist 690.mb and when I switched to the 735.cm, I felt my iron buying days were over. I was very happy with them. Everytime I went to the golf store, I would look at woods and putters, but never irons. A bud of mine pick-up a set of the 712 AP2s @ a month ago. One day while playing, I was faced with a 195 yard approach shot into an elevated green, 1.5 to 2 club headwind, creek in front with greenside bunkers left and right. I grabbed my 3h (909 21*) to play the shot. However, my bud had been raving the entire day about his new “sticks”–he previously played the 735s and Cobra Carbon CBs–so I put back my 3h and asked to try his 3i. I told him that if I get that shot anywhere on the green, I’m buying a set. Stuck it on the green 15′ from the flag. Just picked up my fitted 712 AP2s yesterday…

  10. Jordan

    Oct 25, 2012 at 8:58 am

    The AP2’s are gods gift to golf! Lol

    I played the Ping i20 before these, and the Original AP2 before that. Both were great irons. Felt very good, but it was hard to take a divot and the i20’s spun way too much for me. So I purchased the 712 AP2 w/ KBS C-Tapers 4-PW with a 2* upright bend. It’s going to be hard not playing with these for the rest of my golf days! I love them! Easy to take a nice divot, plenty of spin, and feel amazing!! Thanks!

  11. DON

    Oct 22, 2012 at 12:00 pm

    IM NOT SURE I SEE MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 710 AND 712. ANY NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE?

  12. JOH

    Oct 19, 2012 at 8:34 am

    I too am interested in a comparison of the AP1’s and the AP2’s. Appreciate any feedback.

  13. Tim

    Sep 24, 2012 at 3:51 am

    Great evaluation! I play off 15 (short game is my killer) with 10yr old Ben Hogan Apex plus irons. Looking at AP1s or AP2s. Have you done a report on the AP 1 and as a fairly consistent ball striker, which should i choose? Many thanks

  14. Kasper

    Aug 17, 2012 at 11:07 am

    Thanks a lot for a very comprehensive review. I am currently playing Wilson fg 59, and must admit that I am not playing/practicing enough to hit the ball consistently. So i am looking at the ap2 712 and razr x and similar at the moment, how would you compare the ap2 to its peers?
    Thanks in advance

    Kasper

  15. Sean Cassidy

    Aug 14, 2012 at 9:12 pm

    To the author… You mentioned “I haven’t used anything like this since my TM 09? TP’s”.

    I’m still playing those clubs and currently looking around at options for the next set of irons to play – I’m going to wait until the new Ansers come out, and compare them, the 712’s, Razr X forged and Razr X tour irons.

    I’m interested in hearing your feedback on the 09 TP’s vs your current 712’s, and any of the other irons I mentioned. I’ll go and get fitted, but just doing some initial research and hearing what other players have to say.

    Cheers

    Sean

  16. Dano

    Jun 19, 2012 at 8:31 pm

    I purchased these AP3 712 irons 5-PW at my clubs pro shop. I practiced with a 6 iron demo club before deciding to spend the dollars on the set. I was not disappointed at all. The irons are all they are advertised to be and more. Very forgiving and sweet hitting irons. I previously have played Hogans and Pings. These are far and away better designed to help strike the ball with the same results each time and long. My handicap goes up and down from 8-12. Two weeks after playing these irons it went to a 10 and should drop again this week. Buy these clubs and you won’t be disappointed in the performance and your game will inprove.

  17. sabres13

    May 29, 2012 at 10:56 pm

    I just bought these irons last week and I can vouch for how great they feel and look. The ball feels so sweet off the face on a well struck shot

    • Jay Morris

      Aug 13, 2013 at 3:50 pm

      I am in the market for a set but frankly considering the AP2 714’s are almost here now with the hype of Jason Dufner winning with the AP2 714’s likely launching sooner rather than later, I suggest you wait until the 714’s come out and the ridiculous price of $1099 comes down on the AP2 712’s.

  18. Pingback: Titleist AP2 Forged 712 Review | Augusta Blog

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Club Junkie

Club Junkie Review: Cobra’s new King Tour irons

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The Cobra King Tour irons have been proven on the PGA Tour already and will be in bags of better amateur players this year. The previous King Tour MIM irons were very underrated and offered great precision with a solid shape that many players liked. Cobra went away from the Metal Injection Molded construction and went with a five-step forging process for soft and solid feel.

Make sure to check out the full podcast review at the links below and search GolfWRX Radio on every podcast platform.

I was a big fan of the previous Tour MIM irons and played them in rotation throughout the last two years. Out of the box, I was impressed with the more simple and clean look of the badging on the new King Tour. Badging is mostly silver with just small black accents that should appeal to even the pickiest golfers. I didn’t notice the shorter blade length in the new irons but did notice that the leading edge is just slightly more rounded. Topline is thin, but not razor thin, but still has enough there to give you the confidence that you don’t have to hit it on the dead center every shot.

Feel is solid and soft with just a slight click to the thud on well struck shots while mishits are met with a little more sound and vibration to the hands.

These King Tour irons are built to be cannons and place more emphasis on consistent and precise shots. I also felt like the new irons launch easily and maybe a touch higher than some irons in the same category.

My launch monitor showed my 7 iron with an average launch angle of 22 degrees and spin right around 5,800 with a Project X LZ 6.0 stock shaft. Ball speed isn’t the ultimate focus of this iron but it did well with an average around 108mph and the iron was able to keep the speed up well when you didn’t strike the center. You will still see a drop off in speed and distance when you miss the center, but you don’t have to be Navy SEAL sniper accurate on the face to achieve a good shot. Dispersion was very tight, and while there are bigger irons with more forgiveness, this players cavity still allows good playability when you aren’t bringing your A-plus game to the course.

Cobra lists the King Tour as an iron for a Tour level player up to a 7 handicap and I think this iron could see the bags of more golfers than that. I am a 9.4 handicap, and I felt more than comfortable playing this iron even on less than perfect days.

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Iron Reviews

Review: Honma TW737-Vs Forged Irons

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Equipment

GolfWRX Member Reviews: TaylorMade 2017 M1 and M2 Irons

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One of the many benefits of being a GolfWRX Forum Member is exclusive access to Giveaways and Testing Threads. For Giveaways — we give away everything from golf clubs to golf balls to GPS units — all it takes is a forum name. Enter any Giveaway, and we select winners randomly. You’re then free to enjoy your prize as you wish.

For Testing Threads, the process a bit more involved. GolfWRX Forum Members sign up to test the latest and greatest products in golf, and then they provide in-depth reviews on the equipment. Being the intelligent golf-equipment users they are, GoflWRX Members are able to provide the most-informed and unbiased reviews on the Internet.

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In this Testing Thread, we selected 75 members to test a TaylorMade M1 2017 7-iron and TaylorMade M2 7-iron. Each of the clubs were built with the stock lofts and shafts — M2 2017 (28.5 degrees) with a TaylorMade Reax shaft, and M1 2017 (30.5 degrees) with a True Temper Dynamic Gold S300 shaft — and the testers were instructed to post their review of the clubs here.

Below, we’ve selected what we’ve deemed the most in-depth and educated reviews out of the 75 testers. We have edited each of the posts for brevity, clarity and grammar.

Thanks to all of those involved in the testing!

Brock9007

To be honest, looking down on the TaylorMade M1 and M2 irons at address, there is really not much difference. I would have to pick one up to see which is which.

The first 10 balls I hit were with M1 and 6/10 felt great, while the other 4 were toe hits, which I felt and the distance reflected that. Kinda what I expected with a club design for lower-handicap players. Distance was about 1/2 longer than my Srixon iron and dispersion was close, as well. I will say they did not feel as good as the Srixon on center hits.

Next 10 (ok, 15) balls were with the M2. Wow, can you say “up, up and away? The ball really popped of the club face, but wasn’t a ballon flight. Waited for the ball to come down and WTH, with the roll out it was 5-8 yards longer than balls hit with M1, and that is with a few toe shots. I did some smooth swings and then very aggressive swings and was a little amazed at this iron. Just like the M1, it does not have the forged feeling and does have a clicky sound (which I hate).

Bottom line: M2 is the longest iron I have ever hit. I love my 545s, but I could see myself playing M2 very easily. Matter of fact, I will be taking this M2 7 iron in my bag and play it more head-to-head against my Srixon 545 on the course.

deathbymuffin

These are both beautiful clubs. What surprised me the most is how much alike the two clubs look at address. I was expecting a chunky topline and significant offset in the M2, but it’s footprint looked almost exactly the same as the M1, outside of the chrome finish on the M2 versus the frosted finish of the M1. The M2 could almost pass as a player’s iron to my eye at address. These clubs both get A’s from me in the looks department.

The M1 felt a tad thicker than most player’s irons I’m used to, but it seemed to come with a bit of added forgiveness too. Well-struck shots felt good, with a nice mid-trajectory and with the workability that I’ve come to expect from a player’s iron. But true to TaylorMade’s claims, the M1 seemed more forgiving than a traditional player’s iron. Had a nice soft feel at impact, mishits didn’t sting and left you with a more playable result. A really nice combination of the better attributes of both player’s and game improvement irons. I’ve been playing with an old set of Tommy Armour blades, but I’ve been recently wanting more forgiveness for when I’m stuck with my B or C swing. Based on the early returns, I could definitely see myself bagging these.

I’m not sure if it’s the shaft, the design of the clubhead, or a combination of both, but the M2 is definitely a different animal than the M1 at impact. This club launches the ball high, arguably ridiculously so. I was hitting Jason Day moonbombs with this bad boy. Didn’t seem to matter what kind of swing I put on it, the ball launched high, flat and dead straight. The club was super forgiving and if not for the insanely high ball flight, I would love to have a set of these for when my swing is out of sorts. I didn’t really try to flight it at all, so I’m not sure what it’s capable of at this point. One other note was that the M2 had a clicky feel at impact. It didn’t bother me since it still felt so sweet… so strange as it sounds, clicky, but smooth and sweet at the same time. I think these clubs will be big winners with the mid-to-high handicap set.

The M1 is a fine iron, but doesn’t really stand out in any way from other irons of its class.

The M2, on the other hand, is an iron on steroids. I’m really starting to love this thing. It’s super forgiving and just goes and goes. According to my laser, flush shots were going 195 yards (my usual blade 5 iron distance) and very high. I can’t help but think golf would be a whole lot easier, particularly longer courses with long par 3s, with a full set of these in my bag.

poppyhillsguy

M1 feels softer than the M2 and I felt the ball flight was more consistent and what I want in an iron. The M1 did have a harsher feeling in my hands than I typically like, but I’m going to credit a lot of that to the range balls.

M2 flies very high. It was a windy afternoon and about 100 degrees. I love the high ball flight on the range, but I have a concern what that ball flight would be like on the course. I like to hit the ball different heights for different shots and I don’t think I could do that confidently with the M2, but I could with the M1. I don’t like the sound of the M2. It sounded “clicky” to me.

Fourpar18

Initially on the range I was scared because the M1 had a regular flex in it, so I took it easy for my initial 10-15 swings with it. Ball SHOT off the face, loud crack (didn’t care for it, but not too bad) and ball just kept rising and rising but didn’t balloon. I thought, “whoa,” that’s not what I expected…did it again…another CRACK and the ball just flew. I set another down and I paid attention to how it looked behind the ball, not much offset for a game improvement and I thought…”I could actually play this club!”  The 5-7 were EASY swings, aimed at a target of 170 yards away (my normal 7 iron distance) and with a EASY swing I was flying it by 20 yards or so. The next 5-10 I really went after it, same CRACK and ball just flew but to my surprise it was a nice draw, harder draw than the first but it was a nice 10-yard draw. This time the balls were landing just short of the 200 yard marker. Damn, 200 yards with a 7 iron! I know they are jacked lofts but it feels good to say “my 7 irons just few 190-200 yards!”

P.S. LOVE the Lamkin UTX grip!

Now, this was interesting, the M2 was quieter then the M1… weird!  Now, there is more carbon fiber added to this one and there is a “Geocoustic” label on the back. I am sure that it has something to do with all that carbon fiber but it does have a better sound. Other than the sound, it played exactly like the M1: long and straight. The REAX shaft felt a little weaker than the True Temper shaft and it flew a little higher but nothing else I could pick up.

noahdavis_7

Finally got out to the range after getting these bad boys in on Friday. My first impression of them is that they look really sharp. The graphics and design really stand out and really give these clubs a cool, modern look.

They were both a little to big IMO, as I am currently bagging Mizuno MP-68s. The M2 isa definite “game improvement iron”, while the M1 was similar in size and shape to my previous irons, Titleist AP1s.

They both really launch it, high and far. Ridiculous for 7 irons. I don’t have access to a launch monitor, but it was about a 20-yard difference between my gamer 7 iron and these (stronger lofts, as well).

The M1 definitely was more suited for my eye, and produced more consistent ball flights. It felt much more smooth and solid as the M2 had a clicky, cheap feel.

The M2 just isn’t for me. I felt like it was launching too high and ballooning, which could be due to the shaft (the M1 had the S300, while the M2 just had a stock “Reax” shaft). The feel off the face of the M2 just turned me off, to be honest.

While I don’t think I’ll be putting either model in play, I can definitely see the appeal for mid-to-high handicaps. Both irons were super forgiving, and they should be a dream to the average weekend golfer who has trouble with ball striking consistently.

golfnut5438

Looks: As expected, I preferred the M1 with less offset, slightly smaller sole and a smoother finish. Less glare looking down on the iron. I must say the M2 did not look as bulky, or have as much offset as I thought it might have.

Feel: This was a close race, probably due to the shafts as much as the heads. The M1 was just a slight bit smoother feeling on solid shots. But the M2 was not bad at all, just not quite as smooth.

Distance and performance: Our range has a slight incline up the length of the range, so specific yardage gains or losses were difficult to measure. Both irons had a higher trajectory than my gamer 7 iron. Neither sole dug onto the turf either. The lofts for both irons are a degree or two stronger than mine, so I would think they probably flew a little further than my gamers. Neither iron flew “too” high, however. Might be a little harder to hit knock down shots, though.

Final thoughts: I had hit both the M1 and M2 irons last year during a fitting day, but did not like either. This year’s model were both better in my eyes. I asked a fellow member at our club to hit both and he felt the M1 was his preferred model, and he is a 20-index player. So coming from both a single digit, and a high double-digit, the M1 won this battle of wills. I will try and see if I can locate both a 5 iron and 9 iron to see if a full set might be a winner for me.

DblEgl

I was surprised that the M2 was the winner in this brief session. It felt better, flew higher, easier to hit and about 1/2 club longer that my gamer Apex CF16. The feel/sound was better than I thought it might be, but really not up to the CF16. I could, however, easily game the M2’s.

Bstein74

Feel: I hit the M2 first, and found it to be very solid when hit on the screws. There was almost no feel off the club face at all. When I mishit it, you knew it was, but it wasn’t harsh at all. Hit the M1 next, and same type of feel when hit solid. Much more harsh when mishit though, but I knew that was coming.

Distance and performance: This is was where I was curious to see how they would play. The M2 went out high in the air, and just kept going forever. Now granted my eyesight isn’t that great anymore, but it looked like I got about 10-15 yards more from the M2 compared to my Wilson D300. The only thing I didn’t like about the M2 was how much I was able to turn it over. Got a lot more hook compared to my D300. Don’t know if that was from the REAX shaft, but would love to find a less spinning shaft to correct that.

The M1 wasn’t a great performer for me. Same height as the M2, but much straighter off the club face. Didn’t get any great distance advantage as compared to my D300. Can’t game a player’s iron anymore, and testing this one just reaffirmed that.

Final thoughts: Was very happy with the distance I gained with the M2 compared to my current gamer. Very good-performing iron for me, and something I would definitely consider changing them out if I could reduce the spin off the face. If you’re looking for more distance, you need to try these out. The M1 just wasn’t for me, but as a player’s iron, I can see it as a great option.

Bobcat271

Like the other testers, I found the M2 to launch the ball much higher and is 10-to-15 yards longer than my Adams XTD forged 7 iron. Of the two 7 irons I prefer the M1. I like the design of the M1 and its visual appearance at address. I feel more confident in trying to work the ball with the M1. The M1 gave me more feedback as to where the club head was in relation to my swing plane. If I had my druthers I would put the M1 in the bag as it stands now. Will continue to test, what a treat to compare the two irons.

myurick2

Once I started making solid contact with a decent shoulder turn, the M2 really came alive in my hands. Towering flat height, for me, and very long. No more clacky hollow feel, just a very mild pleasant sensation… then zoom. Once I started making better swings, back to the M1, which was a very nice iron. Shorter than the M2 (though not short) and a little lower ball flight. Felt nice and substantial without being heavy. Very forgiving on slight mishits.

But the M2 was the star for me. High trajectory and very long. Club felt lively and fun. Frankly, unless a player wanted a lower trajectory, or likes to hit a lot of knock downs or feel shots, I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t choose the M2. They are very attractive and a very fun iron. I think folks who say that the M2 feels and/or sounds clicky, clacky or hollow may be mishitting the iron toward the toe. I am not judging — I mishit a lot of shots at first. I agree on toe mishits the iron did not feel great. It almost felt like plastic. The ball still flew pretty well, but it wasn’t a very enjoyable experience. Not painful, just felt very dead. But when hit nearer the center, the iron felt fantastic. Light, springy and very lively. 

hammergolf

They are both good-looking clubs. Not too long heel to toe and toplines were not that distracting. M1 is more what I like to see shape wise, but M2 was not bad at all. Personally, not a fan of seeing the face slots. But I could see how some people may like how they frame the ball. 

Ace2000

M1 

– Has a very odd sound on contact, almost sounds a tad like a fairway wood “ting. Not a fan
– Looks very good at address with the brushed finish
– Most shots I hit with it seemed to fall out of the sky (very likely a lack of spin). Ball flight was much lower than I would have expected (not super low, just not much different than my 7 iron)
– Inconsistent misses. Next to no distance gains vs RocketBladez Tour 7 iron

M2

– Doesn’t look as good at address as the M1. Chrome finish at address is not an issue in even direct sunlight for me
– Feels and sounds quite nice to my ears at impact. Not a classic sound but very good considering what type of club it is
– Ball flight is very strong (comes off hot). Ball stays high in the air for awhile. Very high and lands soft
– 10-12 yards longer on average vs my 7 iron, it even had the horsepower to hang with my 6 iron
– VERY forgiving on thin strikes. Couldn’t believe how a near-top still traveled to nearly the front edge in the air and still went as far as the M1 did on a good strike
– Shaft is too light

Even though I’m a 2-handicap and don’t fit the M2 “mold,” I could see myself playing this club from 4-6 iron (although gapping would be a major issue mixing these with almost anything else) if it had a heavier shaft in it (I can only imagine how far this 4 iron must go… yikes)

M1 = 2.5/5 stars
M2 = 4.5/5 stars

tpeterson

Visual first impressions: The M1 7-iron is visually appealing to me as far as the finish and overall look. Even though it is classified as a player’s iron, it doesn’t seem so tiny that it would be tough to hit. I am not a huge fan of the bright-yellow badging, but I probably could get over it. The iron inspires confidence with its topline and a little bit of offset. The “rubber” piece on the hosel is a little bit funky to me.

I thought the M2 7-iron would look clunkier than it really is. Besides the finish being a little bit different, the difference between the M1 and M2 is actually pretty small. The M2’s topline and sole are a touch wider, but not by much. Not a huge fan of the fluted hosel since it can be seen at address. The M1’s fluting is only on the rear of the club.

I did notice that the sole’s finish did scratch pretty easily. Overall, I thought the M1 and M2 are pretty good looking, but I would definitely give the edge to the M1. I also preferred the stock Lamkin grip on the M1 vs. the ribbed M2 grip.

On course action: They both feel solid. I tried hitting both irons in all different types of on-course situations over a two week period. Both clubs launch the ball high but I would not say they balloon. For me, the M2 was about 10 yards longer and higher than the M1. Compared to my Cleveland irons, they are 1 to 1.5 clubs longer.

M1 loft = 30.5
M2 loft = 28.5
Cleveland TA7 loft = 33.5

I know this accounts for the distance gain but the ball definitely comes off hot compared to my set. I was hoping I would hit the M1 better since I like the appearance better, but that was not the case. The M2 definitely felt better for me and I felt more confident with it in my hands.

Discussion: Read all 75 reviews and the responses in our Testing Thread

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