Equipment

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

Published

7 years ago

Mar 24, 2017

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

“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.”

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

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.

Reply Report comment
- 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?
  
  Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
- 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
  
  Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
- S Hitter
  
  Mar 25, 2017 at 1:39 am
  
  Who let this clown back in here
  
  Reply Report comment
  - rebfan73
    
    Mar 26, 2017 at 11:33 am
    
    The irons look sick……and welcome back big homie. You HAVE been missed!!!!
    
    Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
- 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.
  
  Reply Report comment
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

Reply Report comment
S Hitter

Mar 24, 2017 at 10:56 am

Gotta keep up with Callaway somehow

Reply Report comment
- 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.
  
  Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
- Skip
  
  Mar 24, 2017 at 5:20 pm
  
  Agree. $100 premium for a finish than wears off in no time is ludicrous.
  
  Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
- Someone
  
  Mar 24, 2017 at 12:26 pm
  
  note: “aesthetics”
  
  Reply Report comment
Mr Muira

Mar 24, 2017 at 9:35 am

Ugly as a dogs breakfast.

Reply Report comment
- Jim
  
  Mar 30, 2017 at 10:35 am
  
  No joke! Eerily similar ugly as Razr X irons were…..just as cheap casting too…
  
  Reply Report comment
Bullhead

Mar 24, 2017 at 8:59 am

To. Expensive

Reply Report comment
- 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.
  
  Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
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.

Reply Report comment
- cgasucks
  
  Mar 24, 2017 at 9:20 am
  
  Yes..they will wear off in time.
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

9 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

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And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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