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Titleist to offer limited-edition AP1 irons with “Smoke” finish

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In today’s market, wedges are becoming a pallet for creative expression as more and more companies offer different finishes and custom stamping options. Titleist, for example, offers a Jet Black finish that’s popular on Tour; Jimmy Walker recently switched to the finish on his Vokey SM6 wedges.

But what about irons? Will golfers begin gravitating toward unique finishes on their irons as they do with wedges?

That’s the question Titleist is looking to answer by experimenting with a new iron finish on its 716 AP1 irons called “Limited Edition Smoke.” They will have a dark, PVD coating instead of the polished stainless steel look of the standard offering.

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“We’re introducing the Smoke finish as a test run because golfers have been asking for it,” said Josh Talge, Vice President of Marketing at Titleist. “We’ve seen a trend in players gravitating toward the darker finishes in our Vokey SM6 wedges and many of them have asked if we’ll ever bring those types of finishes to our iron line. Smoke is our first experiment.”

As the most forgiving irons in the Titleist stable, the AP1 irons have the largest profile and thickest toplines of any Titleist 716 iron. The Smoke finish, along with reducing glare, may actually help make the AP1’s chassis look sleeker, according to Titleist.

AP1 Smoke finish (left), standard AP1

AP1 Smoke finish (left), standard AP1

“Not only does it have a great look, but for many golfers it will also make the club appear smaller at address,” Talge said. “It’s really a great option for those players who want all the benefits of a game improvement iron but want to look down and see something more slim and compact.”

Related: Titleist answers questions about the 716 AP1 irons.

Only 500 sets of the limited-edition 716 AP1 irons will be available from authorized Titleist dealers starting on March 24. They will sell for $112.50 per club in steel ($899 per set of 8) and $137.50 per club in graphite ($1,099 per set of 8).

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27 Comments

27 Comments

  1. D

    Mar 25, 2017 at 7:31 pm

    The upcoming 718 irons (release fall 2017)will include a new model that is positioned between the AP1 and AP2.

    • rymail00

      Mar 26, 2017 at 8:54 pm

      Wha really?
      I’m not sure if your joking or not? Can’t imagine Titleist adding a 6th iron set to the mix (AP1/AP2/T-MB/CB/MB). Wouldn’t the T-MB fit between the AP1 and AP2?

  2. Miuralovechild

    Mar 25, 2017 at 12:54 am

    I’ll take a Miura with a black boron over these all day long and twice on Sunday.

    • S Hitter

      Mar 25, 2017 at 1:38 am

      I gotta lotta floors in my house that need scrubbing on hands and knees, you’d better get started to help you pay for them Miuras lmao

  3. KCCO

    Mar 24, 2017 at 10:57 pm

    My thought on black is they look great in the bag on first day, and OTR, they just no matter the type of finish of black they wear, and look old quick. I saw a guy with a new set on black nikes, blue check; looked beatiful. I asked “how the finish is holding up?, response was this is first round” Chrome is horrible, i.e. MP64 look so beautiful, a couple rounds riding in a cart and chatter shows everywhere. So I would have to say satin, as most Ping irons, some new Mizzy’s and PXG seem to look freshest longest. Some don’t care, I do. They are also easy to refinish or freshen up. So I think I’ll stick with black wedges, black shafts, as satin is the winner for me in iron sets. Don’t get me wrong, black 945’s with black onyx x100’s may be my favorite looking iron, I would play them to cautiously to not want to destroy them.
    I also think that why driver faces are black, they wear quicker and make you feel a new driver is due. Just my opinion.
    ** but I do play black wedges with black shafts as I like the contrast and no glare in sand.

  4. rymail00

    Mar 24, 2017 at 8:29 pm

    I’d like to see a AP2 done in PVD. I hope the they offer it the 718 line. Personally I think the AP2 black and grey color scheme would fit the PVD better than the AP1 and the red

    And yes every PVD finish will wear over time, but it’s only the sole and sweet spot (well sweet spot area). I wish they’d do a black PVD like the old Adams A4 Tour irons which actually held up really well and was a true black matte PVD finish with the color of likea Golf Pride Tour Velvet grip.

  5. Fat Perez

    Mar 24, 2017 at 6:28 pm

    They must be bored to death over there. What’s next, the illustrious pewter finish. It’s ok Titleist, we know you guys have a 2 year windows between products, we won’t forget you.

  6. Tom Duckworth

    Mar 24, 2017 at 4:11 pm

    If they could come up with a dark finish that would hold up I would be all for it.

  7. JimmyJam

    Mar 24, 2017 at 12:11 pm

    Callaway did this years ago with the Razr X Black. I owned a set and the finish wears off making them look worse. The reduced glare does help, just wish there was a way to make the finish last, doesn’t seem to happen with the PVD though.

    • Ian

      Mar 24, 2017 at 12:35 pm

      +1. had a set of X24 hot irons with the black pvd – look disgusting in no time and hit one dirty ball and the mark is permanent.

  8. Scott R

    Mar 24, 2017 at 11:33 am

    It seems Titleist is uncomfortable with this offering … limited production and the VP of marketing calling it an “experiment” … hmmm

  9. S Hitter

    Mar 24, 2017 at 10:56 am

    Gotta keep up with Callaway somehow

    • Jim

      Mar 30, 2017 at 10:31 am

      ….they should make better stuff….period.
      Head Weights NEVER matched
      Hosel Insert Depths inconsistent
      Loft & Lie ALMOST never correct thru an entire set…
      More failed / reground / DC’d iron models in last 30 years than even TM.

  10. Terry (TMAC)

    Mar 24, 2017 at 10:40 am

    Looks cool when they are new. Look like crap after they start to wear though.
    At least they aren’t charging more, unlike most other companies that offer black/smoked irons.

    • Skip

      Mar 24, 2017 at 5:20 pm

      Agree. $100 premium for a finish than wears off in no time is ludicrous.

  11. Alex

    Mar 24, 2017 at 9:57 am

    PVD looks horrible. Why OEMs keep using it is beyond me. Matte Black is the only way to go for irons and wedges. The Apex Black is far superior in aesthetics.

  12. Mr Muira

    Mar 24, 2017 at 9:35 am

    Ugly as a dogs breakfast.

    • Jim

      Mar 30, 2017 at 10:35 am

      No joke! Eerily similar ugly as Razr X irons were…..just as cheap casting too…

  13. Bullhead

    Mar 24, 2017 at 8:59 am

    To. Expensive

    • Brian

      Mar 24, 2017 at 9:26 am

      Same price as the standard AP1, if I’m not mistaken. I’m very rarely a Titleist apologist, but at least they didn’t jack up the prices like Callaway (CF16 black) and PXG on their dark finish irons.

  14. Brian

    Mar 24, 2017 at 8:59 am

    I always forget just how ugly the 716 AP1 and AP2 are, until I’m reminded by pictures.

  15. gwillis7

    Mar 24, 2017 at 8:38 am

    I like it, will be even better if down the road they add the AP1 forged iron to the mix.

  16. David W.

    Mar 24, 2017 at 8:29 am

    Will these PVD finishes wear off with time? It is expected that an iron set will have a longer usable lifetime than a set of wedges. Same questions for the Callaway Steelhead Pros.

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Whats in the Bag

Chesson Hadley WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70 TX

3-wood: Titleist TSR2+ (14.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T200 (3), Titleist 620 CB (4, 5), Titleist 620 MB (6-PW)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 105 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG 2-Ball
Grip: Odyssey

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Check out more in-hand photos Chesson Hadley’s clubs here.

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Whats in the Bag

Gary Woodland WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Cobra Darkspeed X (8 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 70 M5

  • The white circle that appears at the top of the face a removable sticker that’s used for launch monitor tracking, and Woodland removes it for competition!

3-wood: Cobra Darkspeed X (14 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

7-wood: Cobra LTDx LS prototype (20 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

Irons: Wilson Staff (18 degrees), Cobra King MB (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X

Wedges: Cobra SB (48), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-08F, 56-14F), Cobra King (60)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X (48 degrees), KBS Tour V-Ten 125

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 3.0P

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

See more in-hand photos of Gary Woodland’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

Q&A: Martin Trainer on his Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers” putter, 6.5-degree driver, and “butter knife” 2-iron

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As unbiasedly as I can put it, Martin Trainer has one of the coolest club setups in professional golf. (At some point soon, I’ll put together a top-10 list of “coolest club setups on Tour,” but I know that Trainer will be in the top-10)

What a lineup. He plays a 6.5-degree Wilson prototype driver, a 13-degree Wilson prototype 3-wood, a true blade Wilson Staff Model 2-iron, and a Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers Commemorative” putter!

 

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I mean, look at this 2-iron from address…

To quote the great author R.L. Stine: “Goosebumps.”

On Wednesday at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, I caught up with Trainer to learn more about his bag setup.

Here’s what he had to say:

You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?

MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.

And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.

When did it come back in the bag?

MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.

What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?

MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?

Do you remember how much you paid for it?

MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.

The driver is interesting, too. What went into the prototyping process?

MT: That was a version of the current driver, but it was the prototype that they first came out with for Tour guys to try. And for whatever reason, I just never switched out to the new one.

It’s just 6.5 degrees, right?

MT: Yeah. Very low loft, yeah.

What kind of ball speed do you have with that these days?

MT: Like high 170’s.

Yeah, that’ll work. And then a 2-iron blade? We’re seeing fewer and fewer of those out here.

MT: Yeah. The butter knife.

Very cool thing to have in the bag. Have you done any testing with driving irons? 

MT: Yeah, I used to have a thicker one, but it was a little offset, and I never hit it that well. And then finally, I started messing around with the butter knife. And I remember the first time I looked down at it, I was terrified. And then I ended up getting used to it, putting it in play, and it’s been in place since. It’s a pretty good club for me.

How far do you carry that? 

MT: Like 235.

A good little wind club, I’m sure.

MTL Yeah, exactly. I can hit it very low. It’s great.

I love it. You have people shook looking at that. Thanks for the time, man. 

MT: Absolutely.

To see more photos and discussion of Trainer’s bag, click here.

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