What you need to know: Titleist launches its most extensive T-Series iron line to date with the next generation T100 and T150 designed for better players, an all-new T250 that includes a weaker-lofted “launch spec” model and a more player-friendly reimagined T350. With 80 percent of Titleist tour staff playing blended sets of irons, one of the primar3y design goals of the line was to provide proper distance gapping between clubs and sufficient green-holding ability throughout the bag via proper ball-speed gaps, peak height and angles of descent.
Availability/Price: New T-Series irons are available for fittings and pre-order immediately and will be in golf shops August 21. Cost is $1,499 for a 7-piece set in steel and $1,599 in graphite.
Better players will benefit from having the option of considering the new T100 and T150 models. The T100 features a forged, multimaterial clubhead but perhaps the main hero are more aggressive, steeper-walled grooves in the mid- to short-irons (7-iron through PW), which helps maintain spin rates out from the rough or wet conditions, allowing golfers to hit their yardages more consistently out of those conditions.
Not that other irons don’t get attention. A new muscle channel in the 3- and 4-irons lowers the center of gravity to increase launch and peak height. A new variable face thickness in the 3- through 7-iron maintains speed and launch on off-center strikes, while split high-density tungsten weighting and a progressive dual-cavity construction deliver stability.
“The main design goals with T100 were in alignment with our priorities across the entire lineup: improve long-iron launch and carry distance consistency,” said Marni Ines, Titleist’s director of iron development. “T100 has a new muscle channel in the 3- and 4-irons to raise launch and peak height, and its new variable face thickness, lower CG and progressive groove design are all really working to tighten up front-to-back distance dispersion.”
The T150 shares most of the same technologies of the T100, but in a slightly larger package that delivers extra ball speed with one-degree stronger lofts than T100 and an improved muscle channel from 7-iron up, which lowers long-iron CG. The result is faster ball speeds and higher launch.
The T250 is a complete reimagination of the company’s payers-distance model, including a name change from T200. The new T250 provides a much cleaner look, especially in back, that better players prefer. That was achieved by designers finding a way to incorporate the company’s max impact technology within an all-steel construction. “This allowed us to design all models in the lineup to have a really consistent look in the bag, which is especially important to golfers with blended sets,” said Ines.
To produce heat at impact, a forged L-face is employed (where part of t4he face wraps around the sole to enhance rebound, particularly on shots hit low on the face). This also helps foster launch on off-center and low-face strikes to promote consistent distance and peak heights. Split high-density tungsten weighting allows for a strategically placed CG location to up launch and stability as well.
Perhaps the most intriguing iron in the lineup is the T250 Launch Spec. Launch Spec has the same tech and features of the T250 but with a lighter headweight (6 grams) and significantly higher lofts (up to 4.5 degrees weaker) to assist players who have trouble getting irons high enough to hold greens.
Titleist isn’t just about better players, they’re about avid players, even if they need a little help on the course. The new T350 is aimed at that audience.
“Compared to the rest of our T-Series models, the new T350 has the largest clubhead, it’s got the fastest face, and it has a deeper CG,” said Ines. “This is really geared towards the player looking for all-out distance and stability. And then, like T250, we were able to create this high-performing hollow-body iron in an all-metal construction to make it look as good as anything in the lineup.”
Looks can only take you so far, however. Performance-wise, a high-strength steel L-face with a unique multi-zone VFT design drives high-launch performance on low-face strikes and generates fast ball speeds across the face. Split high-density tungsten optimizes CG and boosts launch, stability and consistency throughout the set.
