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Titleist T400 irons: Pure Titleist, pure distance

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Let’s be very clear from the start, the new Titleist T400 irons are built for one thing and one thing only: distance-driven performance.

The T400 occupy the fifth and final spot in the T-Series iron lineup—alongside the T300, T200, T100 and T100-S—and specifically target golfers with moderate swing speeds seeking greater height, distance, and forgiveness—all while still being distinctly Titleist.

2020 Titleist T400 irons: What’s inside and out

From sole to grip, the T400’s have been designed to maximize distance by any means necessary. Working from the sole up, the first thing you will notice is how wide the iron is from the leading to the trailing edge. This wide-body head shape pushes the center of gravity low and as far back as possible to boost forgiveness and increase launch.

To help eliminate any turf interaction issue that might come from this wide-body shape, Titleist employed a split sole design to elevate the last third of the sole and stops the club from bouncing into the ball and producing lower face strikes on firmer turf. With this design, the T400’s effectively play the same through the ground as the T300 but in a much more forgiving package.

You might recognize this sole design trait from another OEM since Cobra has used a similar sole shape in irons like the F9 and the new King Speed Zone. It’s no different than OEM’s using similar wedges grinds—since they all refine them differently—and it’s not a bad thing for the consumer either: it proves that both companies are onto something.

“Look, we already know what people are going to think when they see these loft specs, but they have to consider the target market and what we are trying to accomplish.” – To remain unnamed Titleist Employee

There is plenty of reason for the stronger lofts being part of the package beyond face technology and center of gravity placement. In fact, some of if even relies on psychology to help make the clubs easier to hit.

Before we get to the psychology part of the discussion, let’s get through the technological advantages the Titleist iron design team has brought to the T400 iron.

Hollow Multi-Material Head Construction: Hollow heads are not new, but as we have made clear over and over when talking about golf clubs, engineers only have so much mass to work with. Hollow multi-material heads produce an extremely high MOI (level of forgiveness) that maximizes ball speed on off-center strikes. It’s the difference between playing tennis with an old metal racket and making the jump to oversized carbon fiber. Bigger is better.

High-density Tungsten Weighting: Tungsten offers an extremely high-density mass-to-volume ratio that allows Titleist designers to push weight to the far reaches of the head to boost launch and fine-tune spin. This high-density weight positioning keeps the area behind the face of the iron open and unsupported to let it flex like a trampoline to increase ball speed.

Forged SUP-10 L-Face Insert: You might recognize this face insert from another recently released Titleist product, the Titleist U500 and 510 utility irons. The forged high-strength steel “L-face insert” comes in at less than two millimeters thick and is built to flex and retain ball speed. The “L” face has variable thickness and wraps under the leading edge of the iron to save mass by removing welds in the area of the face. This creates the opportunity for more discretionary weight on the heel and toe for the tungsten mentioned earlier.

Since the longer irons are where retaining ball speed is key, the SUP-10 face insert is found in the 5-7 irons and transitions to offer a more traditional face insert. It’s like having a combo set made with all the technology of a compact hybrid—something a lot of golfers truly need.

Optimized Weight Platform: The stock shaft and grip offering were all selected to match the performance goals of the T400 heads and also produce very light total weights to help golfers gain clubhead speed. For any moderate speed player, the opportunity to gain clubhead speed is a big benefit.

For many older players (not to go down a philosophical rabbit hole, but this moment, reading this right now, is the youngest you will ever be for the rest of your life…) being able to get back that extra club of distance and hit it higher and land it softer makes the game more fun. And who doesn’t want to have more fun?

This brings us back to something I mentioned off the top: How can a club be psychologically easier to hit? Just like how single length clubs can give golfers the confidence to set up better, not putting the number 4 on the bottom of a club can also create the same effect… seriously! During the testing process with players, there was the idea to make the set numbering go from 4-iron to W49, and, in essence, make the pitching wedge the 43-degree club instead of the 38-degree but this came with a few challenges

  1. The lengths would have had to change and for slower speed players longer clubs off the turf can be more difficult to elevate.
  2. The mental hurdle of a 4-iron vs a 5-iron may seem silly, but as a famous golfer once said: “The hardest distance to tame in golf in the six inches between your ears.” Player testing over and over showed that even when specs were the same, golfers hit the 5-iron better than the 4-iron. You can put that in the “strange but true” file.

The Titleist T400 golfer

One of the first things a golf company does before creating new products is to evaluate its current lineup and look at how newer clubs help cater to specific wants and needs of certain players. That alone is part of how we developed the categories in our GolfWRX Best Irons in Golf survey: to cater to player attributes not handicaps.

“T400 is the super distance Titleist iron. This club is engineered to get the ball in the air and launch it as far as possible, even when the strike isn’t perfect,” Josh Talge, Vice President of Marketing, Titleist Golf Clubs.

“There are so many golfers, particularly players with moderate swing speeds, who can benefit from this technology. T400 gets the absolute most out of your swing while still providing the playability of a Titleist iron along with that look, sound and feel that dedicated players demand.”

Speaking to “the dedicated player,” the T400’s are progressive in blade length, hosel length, and overall shape from address to still allow for precision shots as a player gets closer to the green. Just because an iron is built for distance doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have the opportunity to hit controlled shots. This once again appeals across player profiles.

Left: T400, Right T300

The last part of this story is similar to other OEM’s, and that is Titleist’s desire to have a single brand/line of clubs across markets instead of segmenting based on geography. What do I mean by this? Japan and South Korea.

Japan and South Korea are the second and third largest golf markets in the world by dollars (Yen and Won) spent on equipment. It’s an impressive feat considering the number of active golfers is much fewer than other parts of the world, including Europe. The largest part of the audience is moderate swing speed players looking for more distance, and in a golf marketplace where non-conforming drivers are more widely accepted and used, the “loft jacking” conversation is a moot point—it’s all about hitting clubs further.

Shaft and grip specs

T400 offers premium lightweight graphite and steel aftermarket options to help the target moderate swing speed players maximize performance.

The stock shafts are

Graphite: Mitsubishi Fubuki MV IR: A mid to high launch shaft that comes in at 50g.  MV stands for “Maximum Velocity” – since the profile encourages higher ball speed through its ultra-lightweight iron-specific graphite design.

Steel: True Temper AMT Red: The highest launching in the AMT family of True Temper steel shafts ascends 95-107g (3g per club) with lighter long iron shafts for increased launch and speed and heavier short iron shafts for control.

Along with the stock shafts, Titleist offers a bevy of custom shaft choices, with many at no up-charge.

T400’s 43-gram stock grip, the Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 Lite+, weighs in nine grams lighter than
the T-Series stock Tour Velvet 360 model.

Pricing and availability

The Titleist T400 irons will be available in golf shops worldwide beginning March 27 with fittings tools making their way to fitters beginning March 6.

They are priced at $185.50 per club ($1,299/set of 7) for steel and $199.50 per club ($1,399 /set of 7) in graphite.

Another way to experience T400

Beginning February 27, golfers can experience the T400 irons for themselves by attending a Titleist Fitting and Trial event, being held at hundreds of locations nationwide.

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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.

15 Comments

15 Comments

  1. Chris Elliott

    May 17, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    As my father told me I don’t care what you use as long as A. 8t works for you B. You kick butt.
    I believe Phil commented that Tiger was using inferior clubs Nike and he still kicked everybody’s butt. So gentlemen if it works for me and I take your money you can say what every you want.

  2. Neil Armstong

    Jan 21, 2020 at 12:10 am

    They look just like my ’18 AP3’s with a face lift! Lol! Just flat out comical with all these multiple 100’s, S’s, Double S’s, and who know’s what’s coming down the pipe! T minus 300 and counting…Houston we have an over production problem!

  3. dat

    Jan 20, 2020 at 10:32 pm

    Nice lofts, lol.

  4. jgpl001

    Jan 20, 2020 at 9:29 pm

    As a Titleist diehard for many years its sad to see them go down this route and offer this nonsense, the T300 is bad enough, but this….
    Sure, I don’t have to buy them and I won’t, but the golf world is full of this rubbish now
    Every time I open the WRX page there is some new hollow, nasty cast or false welded-forged face iron, etc., with a 7iron at 25 degrees
    Oh God, please make it stop

  5. Shallowbutdeadly

    Jan 20, 2020 at 5:07 pm

    Dumbest iron set yet, someone should be fired. Titleist thinks the golfer is stupid.

  6. Tenbuck

    Jan 20, 2020 at 12:09 pm

    This gives new meaning to the phrase “bagging a bunch of wedges”.

  7. Rich Douglas

    Jan 20, 2020 at 12:06 pm

    Distance is way over-rated in irons. Gapping is a key. Forgiveness is even more important. But distance? That can be achieved by lengthening shafts and jacking lofts. But that is really just changing the number on the iron and fooling yourself.

    If a 6-iron is 1/2″ longer and has a lower loft, it’s a 5-iron. I don’t care what the number on the club says.

  8. Jordan

    Jan 20, 2020 at 11:27 am

    These are great. Really been looking for a 5 driving iron for a while. Couldn’t find one to save my life.

  9. Shallowface

    Jan 20, 2020 at 10:26 am

    CP beat me to it, but since the psychological aspect has been “proven” to be so important, and since “everyone” can hit a wedge, just call the entire set wedges. The 20 degree club is the A wedge, the 23 the B wedge and so on. That makes the 43 the G (Gap) wedge. Just perfect. Put the Vokey name on the set for the finishing touch.

    The manufacturers think the customers are ignorant at best and stupid at worst. Why would you give your money to someone who would insult you to that degree?

  10. joe

    Jan 20, 2020 at 10:04 am

    If they lofts are going to be SOOO out of sync with the iron-number, maybe we should move to icons instead of “P, 9, 8, 7…” Maybe a tree, a house, a fish, a bear.

    …It’s on par with called RocketBladez, “blades”.

  11. CP

    Jan 20, 2020 at 10:01 am

    Is the end result a set of a 20* pw then 8 gap wedges?

  12. Moses

    Jan 20, 2020 at 9:42 am

    Oh come now 38* PW? And then 43* Gap Wedge?
    Lofts are so jacked up that they have 3 degree gaps from 5-6-7. 20 degree 5 iron oh my. That’s a 3 iron in my book.

    • Shallowface

      Jan 20, 2020 at 10:34 am

      When I look down at a 5 iron and see a 2, that doesn’t inspire confidence.

      A moderate speed player is going to struggle to hit any 20 degree club that isn’t a wood, regardless of design.

      Really going to be interested to see The Golfworks measurements of these clubheads that will show just how low the COG and just how high the MOI really is.

      • goodman52

        Jan 20, 2020 at 12:08 pm

        hi did you ever heard something about dynamic loft with this whippy ultralight Shafts?

        • Shallowface

          Jan 20, 2020 at 4:39 pm

          Hi back at you. Sure have, and it won’t be enough to make a difference. I’ve never seen a bad design overcome by a shaft, and any anecdotal evidence you might present to the contrary was a temporary placebo effect that didn’t last. That’s reality, which I know has little or no place on a golf equipment website. Thanks for playing!

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Equipment

Spotted: Tony Finau’s driver shaft change at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open

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Tony Finau has always been known as one of the longest players on the PGA Tour, but he has recently been working on adding a little more distance. Last year, Finau averaged 118.3 mph club head speed and 178.08 mph ball speed, all while playing a Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX driver shaft. This year, he has increased his club head speed to 123.93 mph and his ball speed to 183.32 mph.

However, Finau’s overall distance has decreased by two yards in that time. From a fitting perspective, something was amiss. We asked Tony about the shaft change at the Texas Children’s Hospital Open.

“[I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin. My driver’s been a little high spin for me over the last month or so, and so I just figured it was time to probably check out the equipment,” Finau said. “And it definitely showed me that I was using a shaft that’s maybe a little too tip-stiff for me, the way I load the club now. [I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin.”

Finau switched from the Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX into the Diamana GT 70 TX. The newer Diamana GT has a slightly different profile than the D+ Limited with the stiffest handle section in the Diamana lineup. The mid sections between the two are similar stiffness but the tip is just slightly stiffer in the Diamana GT. Both shafts are within one gram of each other in the 70 TX. The torque rating on the GT is 0.1 higher than the D+Limited’s 2.7 measurement.

Mitsubishi lists the Diamana GT as a shaft between the mid-launching Diamana TB and the new low-launch Diamana WB shafts. For most players, it would be considered a mid/low launch and low-spin shaft option. Mitsubishi’s Xlink Tech Resin System makes sure the maximum carbon fiber content is there for smooth feel without reducing the strength of the shaft. MR70 carbon fiber is used for reinforcing the shaft and boron is used in the tip for its high strength and compression properties.

Finau is still using his trusty Ping G430 LST driver in 9 degrees and has the adjustable hosel set to -1 degree of loft (standard lie angle). Finau’s long-time favorite Lamkin UTX Green grip is installed. He definitely has a few extra wraps of tape under that grip as you can see the bulge down where the grip meets the shaft.

One final note: Per Ping’s PGA Tour rep Kenton Oates, Finau’s driver is also adjusted to play with an additional degree of loft to help dial in his desired launch.

We’ll see how he fares with the new setup this week in Houston!

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Whats in the Bag

Zac Blair WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Titleist TSR2 (10 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Red 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade M5 Rocket 3 (14 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 757 Evolution V1 X

Utility: Titleist U510 (3)
Shaft: Aldila Tour Blue 85 X

Irons: Ping i210 (4-6), Miura MB-001 (7-9)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46-10F, 58-08M @57, 60 @61), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (52-M)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 105 X

Putter: Scotty Cameron prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

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Whats in the Bag

Martin Trainer WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Wilson Staff Staff Model (6.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kai’li Blue 70 TX

3-wood: Wilson Staff WLabs Prototype (13 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange 80 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Staff Model (2, 4-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Wilson Staff Staff Model (52, 56, 60)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Putter: Bobby Grace Greg Chalmers Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

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