In both the golf ball and equipment categories, Titleist tends to build on their winners, utilizing the Tours, and their extensive East and West Coast test facilities, as proving grounds.

It’s pretty logical if you think about it, and in the case of the AP2 irons – that won the first three majors of 2015 – it was extra important to validate the latest design. The resulting product, the AP2 716, provides even more forgiveness than its predecessor, but that’s just the beginning. If you’re playing one of the previous models of AP2, you would be wise to get your “numbers” and on- course feedback with the AP2 716. (I’m guessing most of you don’t use iPhones that are more than one or two product cycles old, lest you lose out on the latest advancements. Same goes here.)

FIRST GLANCE

No matter what angle you look at it the new AP2 716 is a beautiful iron

There’s no question about it – this latest model looks fantastic. They beg to be hit. When I put them through the paces on the practice range, I grabbed the wedge and nine iron first. I love the look of the AP2 short irons. At address, and impact, I wasn’t disappointed. Playing off tight lies I had no trouble taking a small divot and getting excellent launch and ball flight. The AP2 716s have a pre-worn leading edge, which helps on tight lies. And the amazing forged feedback is wonderful in such a forgiving club.

THE FORGIVENESS FACTOR

Prior to the official launch date, we had a chance to talk to Chris McGinley, Vice President of Marketing at Titleist, and he gave us his perspective on forgiveness.

"Tour players don't typically ask for more forgiving clubs," says McGinley. "But when you provide it they certainly don’t complain.”

So in the case of the number one cavity back iron on Tour, Titleist paid attention to not messing up a good thing (the looks and feel) while letting their engineers take perimeter weighting to the limit. On the 3-7 irons (where you need low CG and high MOI the most) Titleist used 25% more Tungsten in the AP2 716s than their predecessor.

“For the AP2 716, our designers shaped the Tungsten to the perimeter,” said McGinley.  “They didn’t worry about how it would be made.”

While that kind of design may have caused Titleist engineers to wrack their brains (and computers) a bit, the co-forging process they developed to get the job done will likely help them make future enhancements easier.

SHAFT OPTIONS: ANOTHER BIG REASON TO LOOK AT AN UPGRADE

You may not have heard of “Dynamic Gold AMT” (unless you spend a lot of time on the equipment-dedicated websites) but you’re going to. McGinley is particularly excited that Titleist is the exclusive OEM launch partner of this unique shaft, which Tour players like Jimmy Walker love.

The way it works is simple. You’ve got the industry-standard Dynamic Gold shaft, with an “Ascending Mass” which increases the weight from the long irons to the short irons by 3 grams per shaft. This is not to be confused with a flighted shaft, which alters the launch angle throughout the set. With Dynamic Gold AMT, your long iron shafts will help you get more speed and launch because they are lighter. The short irons will help you flight and control your approach shots inside 150 yards, because they’re heavier. It’s that simple.

SUMMARY

Extreme Tungsten perimeter weighting equates to consistency and forgiveness

The AP2 716 is the sixth generation of the most popular Tour-played cavity back iron. I only joke when comparing golf clubs to iPhones, but there is some truth in it. If you’re more than a generation or two old, and you love your AP2s, I suggest heading down to your clubfitter and seeing if you love the AP2 716 a little bit more. And if you’re in the market for new irons, perhaps because your handicap is dropping, you might find that the AP2 716 is the perfect way to “get into forged” without sacrificing forgiveness. There’s nothing like the feel of a perfectly- struck forged iron. And moving to a smaller blade size could allow you to work the ball even better.

The folks at Titleist have done it again. Learn more at www.titleist.com.

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