What you need to know: One of the most technologically advanced irons in the industry, Ti Fusion is Callaway’s “supercar concept” — a souped-up design with advanced materials and groundbreaking manufacturing techniques that places game improvement consistency into player-preferred shapes.
Price/availability: The irons cost $2,100 (six-piece set) for the Apex Ti Fusion and Ti Fusion 250. Both are available for pre-order at CallawayGolf.com and retail stores on July 25.
1. It’s a looker. Last year’s Ti Fusion was offered in an all-black diamond-like coating finish. The latest version comes in two finishes: black and chrome. In most cases, having a chrome finish wouldn’t even register on the “cool things” scale — but this isn’t your standard chrome.
“We knew we wanted to have a chrome finish,” said Brian Williams, Callaway’s vice president of research and design. “But the chrome-plating process is very difficult to work with on titanium. Titanium is a reactive material.”
Combining chrome-plating and titanium led Callaway to create a completely new process that took more than a year to refine. The process allows chrome to adhere to reactive titanium without affecting performance or durability.
“This was a finish we wanted to have for players that grew up on chrome-plated irons,” Williams said. “We also knew we could improve head wear with a chrome finish. We are very confident in the quality.”
2. Smart faces. At the heart of Ti Fusion is a thin titanium face that’s been brazed to a forged steel body. It should be noted that brazing isn’t a new technology and has been used in fairway woods and some driving irons before. The construction of the head, including the internal urethane microspheres, allows the iron to be fast while still offering a solid feel at impact.
Callaway’s Ai Smart face creates more consistent launch and spin on shots hit over a larger area of the face. The result is more consistent distance control. The other advantage of utilizing a titanium face, besides being stronger and lighter compared to steel, is that more mass can be placed low and around the club’s perimeter to increase overall forgiveness and performance.
“This project has been ongoing for several years at Callaway, where we identified limitations in other constructions we discussed,” said Williams. “We knew we had to come up with something proprietary. It’s a patented process for us — a joint construction that allows high deflection across the face for high ball speeds.”
3. More options. It never hurts to have options. Callaway recently added a Max model to the X Forged iron lineup and chose to do the same with Ti Fusion with the inclusion of Ti Fusion 250.
While the standard Ti Fusion profile is designed with the better player in mind, the Ti Fusion 250 captures a wider handicap range with a longer blade length, thicker topline and wider sole. The head shape is geared for mid-handicappers who struggle with impact consistency and need ball speed retention on mishits.
The 250 design is similar to the Ai200 but offers a step up in the technology department for those who crave distance and forgiveness in a sleek profile.
