3balls Golf
It’s official! Titleist’s 716 irons are on the way to production. Previewed at the July 27 Quicken Loans National, the roughly 20 sets were shipped to Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, allowing the pros to give these new clubs a try. John Peterson and Jason Bohn took the irons straight away that day, following the lead of Jimmy Walker, who took the 716s out on the course when the MBs were previewed at The Players Championship. Webb Simpson also swapped out his irons, trading his Titleist 680 MBs for the 716 MBs.
The Titleist 716 Irons Preview
Although Titleist has yet to release official documentation on the upgrades we’re going to see in the new clubs, we know a few things. The 716s are made up of five sets: AP1, AP2, CB, MB and a new addition, the T-MB. What the T-MB brings to the table is uncertain, but we know for sure that the “T” stands for “Tungsten.” The weight that runs along the entire sole and covers the lower portion of the muscle pad appears to be crafted of this metal, and if so, these may be a game changer.
With the weight distribution changed this dramatically; the T-MBs should be incredibly forgiving and with better feel than muscleback models of the past. The AP1s, AP2s and CBs are also stamped with the word “Tungsten,” so whether this is a marketing ploy or represents a major change to the Titleist 714 irons remains to be seen.
In the 714 AP2, tungsten accounted for roughly 20 percent of the head weight to increase the moment of inertia without having to increase the length of the blade — that meant a lot more power and playability out of a smaller iron, increasing the workability for the wallop.
The 716 CBs also got a serious rework, with a thicker piece of metal on the lower part of the cavity. They look more like the Titleist 990s than the 714s, so what new technology comes with that new design remains to be seen.
So far, the pros are loving these new clubs. Jason Bohn told PGATour.com “I’m impressed with the new irons. I always look forward to trying out the irons, and these don’t disappoint.” Not very specific praise, but certainly a hint that the latest generation of Titleist gear to drop may be a redesign rather than a regurgitation of older models.
Although the 716s haven’t landed yet, you can rest assured that we’ll have them in stock when they do. Until then, check out our new and used stock of golf gear, including Titleist irons, at prices you’ll love on our website at 3balls.com.
Photo credit: fotoablage_chris / Foter / CC BY
