Bridgestone returns to the North American club market with three new forged irons made for low- and mid-handicap golfers.
Gear: Bridgestone 220 MB, 221 CB, 222 CB+ irons Price: $1,050 with Nippon PRO Modus3 Tour 120 steel shafts (220 MB, 221 CB); $900 (222 CB+) with Nippon PRO 950 GH steel shafts. Specs: Forged stainless steel Available: December 2024
Who it’s for: Elite ball strikers, tour players and college golfers (220 MB); low single-digit handicap golfers seeking feel and control with a touch of forgiveness (221 CB); single-digit handicap players who want more height along with classic-iron looks.
What you should know: Bridgestone is reentering the iron and wedge market with forged offerings for accomplished golfers, ranging from a classic muscleback blade to a better-player’s cavity back to a dual-cavity iron for golfers with powerful, repeatable swings.
The deep dive: In North America, Bridgestone is best known as a leading golf ball brand and the maker of the Tour B X balls played by Tiger Woods. However, the Japanese company had stopped offering clubs in this market several years ago, focusing its club sales in Asia.
Now, Bridgestone is returning to the iron and wedge category with the launch of the 220 MB, 221 CB, and 222 CB+ irons, along with the BRM2 wedges.
Bridgestone 220 MB irons. (Bridgestone)
The 220 MB is a pure muscleback iron designed for players with powerful, repeatable swings. It prioritizes control and precision over power and forgiveness. The club features traditional lofts, with a 5-iron at 26 degrees and a pitching wedge at 46 degrees. Of the three models, the 220 MB has the thinnest topline, narrowest sole and least offset.
Bridgestone 221 CB irons. (Bridgestone)
The 221 CB offers a cavity-back design and, like the 220 MB, is forged from a single piece of stainless steel. Its 4-iron and 5-iron incorporate a dual pocket-cavity design that lowers the center of gravity, helping players hit higher, softer long-iron shots. The 6-iron through pitching wedge have varying center-of-gravity locations to optimize spin and improve control on approach shots.
Bridgestone 222 CB+ irons. (Bridgestone)
The 222 CB+ is the most forgiving of the three irons, featuring a dual pocket-cavity design throughout the set, not just in the long irons. This lowers the center of gravity and increases launch angles across all clubs. Bridgestone also added a slightly thicker area in the center of the face to soften feel. The 222 CB+ has a wider sole, which helps the irons glide more easily through the turf, particularly for players with steep swings.
Black has a way of transforming simple things into classics.
From leather jackets to little dresses, black has a way of transforming simple things into classics, and the list of great rock ‘n’ roll songs that include the word ‘black’ in the title reads like the back of a greatest hits album. There’s “Paint It Black,” by the Rolling Stones, “Back in Black,” by AC/DC, “Black Is Black,” by Los Bravos, Santana’s “Black Magic Woman,” and Pearl Jam’s “Black” … we could go on.
When it comes to golf equipment, black clubs hold a mystique. Black is the most popular color for drivers, fairway woods and hybrids, but most irons are chrome-plated or designed with a silver tone. Black irons are somewhat rare, but some golfers covet them and when brands release special black versions of previously-released clubs, they perk up and take notice.
Rickie Fowler is among them, having put the just-released Cobra King Tour Black irons in his bag this week at the 2024 Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi. Cobra has also just released the King CB and MB Black Combo irons for pros, college players and elite golfers.
Here’s your first look at the new dark-finished offerings from Cobra and everything you need to know about them.
Cobra King Tour Black irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Gear: Cobra King Tour Black irons Price:$1,399 with KBS-Taper 120 Black steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline Black grips Specs: Forged 1025 carbon steel with TPU insert, co-molded aluminum medallion and diamondized black metal finish Available: Oct. 18, but available for pre-order NOW
Who it’s for: Low-handicap players who want soft feel with extra control and spin.
What you should know: A better-player’s cavity-back, the King Tour irons have a vibration-dampening insert hidden in the back to soften the feel, along with the compact size and classic look that accomplished golfers demand.
The deep dive: These irons are identical to the standard King Tour irons that were released in 2023 and that Rickie Fowler used to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic last season, except they have been given a black DBM (Diamondized Black Metal) finish. Cobra claims it is especially durable and does a good job of diffusing sunlight to reduce glare.
The King Tour Black irons are made using 1025 carbon steel that is forged five times to increase the precision of the process, make the faces completely flat and enhance feel.
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There is a small TPU insert in the back of the King Tour Black irons (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The cavity-back shaping is created by computer-controlled milling. This allowed engineers to make subtle changes to the undercuts around the head, taking extra material out of the top of the long irons to lower the center of gravity.
Cobra designers added a thermoplastic polyurethane insert and an aluminum co-molded badge to the back of the King Tour heads to soak up excessive vibrations.
Who it’s for: Elite ballstrikers who demand the ultimate in feel and control.
What you should know: This combo set for the game’s best players combines forged cavity-back long irons with muscleback blade scoring clubs and comes with a black finish that Cobra feels is more durable.
The deep dive: In early 2023, Cobra released the King CB and King MB irons for professionals, college players, and elite golfers with powerful, repeatable swings. If you are looking for forgiveness, go check out Cobra’s Dark Speed irons because neither the King CB nor the MB is designed to give you that. However, if you want feel and control, the King CB and MB are at the zenith of what Cobra can provide.
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The Cobra King CB Black irons (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Now, Cobra is offering the King CB and King MB Black Edition irons for low single-digit handicap golfers and tournament-level players who want something that delivers the highest levels of feel, control, and that look, well … kinda badass.
These clubs have the same diamondized black metal (DBM) finish that was given to the King Tour Black irons.
They King CB and MB Black irons are typically sold as a combo set comprised of cavity-back 4-, 5- and 6-irons that are blended with muscleback blades in the 7-iron through pitching wedge. While the CB long irons have slightly more perimeter weighting, all seven clubs have a thin topline, practically no offset, and a narrow sole. The King CB and MB Black irons feature the shortest blade length of any Cobra iron.
Cobra King MB Black irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
If you have a repeatable swing and can generate all the distance you need, the Cobra King Tour CB/MB Combo set can allow you to hit controlled draws and fades, knockdown shots, and more. At the same time, golfers will immediately know where on the face they hit the ball, thanks to the softness of the metal.
In addition to the standard blended set, the CB and MB models are each available as full sets in a 3-iron through gap wedge. The CB is available in both left- and right-handed versions, but the MB is only available as a complete set for right-handed players.
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TaylorMade has not released any specific information about the irons.
Collin Morikawa won the 2021 British Open at Royal St. George’s Golf Club using a blended set of irons that consisted of TaylorMade P•770 (4), P•7MC (5-9) and P•730 (PW) irons. During the seasons that followed, he kept using blended sets that often included some prototype P•7CM irons (with the CM standing for Collin Morikawa).
After tinkering with some prototype cavity-back irons throughout the spring and summer and adding a prototype 4-iron to his bag starting at the Wells Fargo Championship, Morikawa debuted what appears to be the next generation of better-player, cavity-back irons from TaylorMade last week at the RBC Scottish Open, and they are in the bag this week at Royal Troon.
The yet-to-be-released P•7CB irons are, cosmetically, similar to the P•7MC irons that have been in the TaylorMade lineup for about a year. TaylorMade has not released any specific information about them, so we don’t know if there has been a change in the blade length, the width of the topline or sole geometry, which are all things elite players focus on. However, while Morikawa’s irons appear to have the same general shaping at the muscle-cavity P•7MC irons, and the P•7MC irons had milled faces, the yet-to-be-released P•7CB irons have clearly-visible milling over the entire hitting surface while the P•7MC irons do not.
Collin Morikawa’s TaylorMade P•7CB irons have milling marks over the entire hitting area.
Is that a big deal, possibly. While high-handicap golfers are usually happy just hitting straight irons shots, low-handicap golfers and elite players want irons that create spin so they can cut, draw and shape the ball around the course. While the milling lines may be cosmetic, it’s possible that TaylorMade is trying to enhance spin, and thereby give good ballstrikers like Morikawa, more control.
Collin Morikawa’s TaylorMade P•7CB irons have a narrow sole and very little offset.
Entering this week’s British Open, Morikawa ranks a solid 39th on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (0.39), but that is down from his season-ending rank of No. 2 (1.012) in 2023.
Gear: TaylorMade P·770, P·790 Copper Price: $1,499.00 (4-PW) with KBS C-Taper Lite Black shafts and Golf Pride TaylorMade Victory Copper grips” Specs: Hollow-bodied irons with 8620 carbon steel chassis, forged 4140 steel face, vibration-‘dampening foam.
Who It’s For: Golfers who love the look of vintage clubs but who also want to experience the benefits of modern, distance- and feel-enhancing technologies.
The Skinny: The TaylorMade P·770 and P·790 Copper are identical to the previously-released versions of the P·770 and P·790 but have been given retro styling and details that pay homage to TaylorMade’s 1980s offerings.
The Deep Dive: For the past few years, golf footwear makers have been revisiting popular shoes from “back in the day” and releasing updates and modern interpretations, adding better materials and technologies while trying to maintain what made the shoes appealing in the first place.
With the release of the Copper Collection, TaylorMade is doing the same thing. Two weeks ago, the BRNR Mini Driver Copper was released, complete with a throwback logo on the sole and a shaft that was cosmetically designed to harken back to the old Burner Bubble shaft from the 1990s. Now, the brand is releasing the P·770 Copper and P·790 Copper, two better-player distance irons that are identical in design to the previously-released P·770 and P·790. However, both clubs look like they would have been at home in the bags of players at Baltusrol Golf Club back in 1983 when Lee Janzen was battling Payne Stewart at the U.S. Open.
The TaylorMade Copper family, including the BRNR Mini Driver, P·790 and P·770 (TaylorMade)
Both irons feature a hollow-body design that allows the forged 4140 stainless steel faces to flex more efficiently at the moment of impact, resulting in more ball speed and distance. They also have a Speed Pocket slot in the sole that helps to enhance performance on thin shots and TaylorMade’s FLT CG system. It shifts mass inside the heads, so the center of gravity (CG) location in each iron is optimized. In the long irons, it’s lower to help get the ball up more easily, while in the scoring clubs, it is elevated to help keep the ball down for enhanced distance control.
The hollow chambers in both clubs are filled with SpeedFoam Air, a second-generation material that absorbs vibrations, enhances sound, and removes weight from the center of the club.
The smaller P·770 has a body made from 8620 carbon steel, while the P·790 has a thick-thin back wall construction to save weight.
But let’s be honest, all those performance features are available in the standard P·770 and P·790. If these clubs spark your interest, it’s because of the copper-toned finish and the retro style. You like the way copper-toned irons create a throwback look to your bag and how the old-school grips feel in your hands. You probably also like the use of TaylorMade’s original logo on the toe instead of its current logo.
TaylorMade says the copper finish will “mature over time,” but for golfers who love the throwback style of the P·770 and P·790 Copper, that will only enhance the vibe.
Below are some close-up looks at the P·770 Copper and P·790 Copper irons
Who It’s For: Low-handicap golfers who want a compact, classic-looking blade or a better player’s cavity back iron that emphasizes feel and control.
The Skinny: The first irons from Bettinardi are crafted with the same level of precision and attention to detail that has made the brand’s putters desirable for deep-pocketed golfers for decades. For golfers who shoot in the 60s or 70s, they deliver a high level of feel and control.
The Deep Dive: Bettinardi has been known for decades as being one of the finest putter makers in golf, specializing in milled blades and mallets that look like something that might be displayed under glass at Tiffany’s next to engagement rings and diamond bracelets. Starting a few seasons ago, the Tinley Park, Illinois-based company started offering milled wedges and multi-material putters, but now the brand is offering its first pair of irons—the CB24 and MB24—and they are precisely what you might expect from Bettinardi.
The CB24 and MB24 are both forged from 1025 carbon steel for a soft feel, but Bettinardi has co-forged the inner portions of each head with high-density tungsten and ceramic matrix composite material.
The addition of the tungsten and ceramic matrix composite material allowed Bettinardi designers to shift the center of gravity (CG) location in each club, lowering it in the long irons to make them easier to hit high and elevating it in the scoring clubs to make it easier to flight the ball down for better distance control.
The perimeter weighting and extra mass low in the head add a touch of forgiveness. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
While both clubs have a compact blade length and just a touch of offset, the CB24 is a classic better-player’s cavity-back iron. Its perimeter weighting around the outside of the head should make it more stable and give it more forgiveness than the MB24, which is a true muscleback blade. Instead of perimeter weighting, the MB24 added mass directly behind the impact area to enhance ball speed and create a more solid feel at impact. The MB24 also has a slightly thinner topline, although you would have to look at the top clubs carefully, side-by-side, to notice.
In a nod to Bettinardi styling, both clubs feature the brand’s honeycomb in the back of the face.
Below are several close-up images of the new Bettinardi CB24 and MB24 irons
Ping i530 irons are better-player distance clubs made to enhanced distance and forgiveness.
Gear: Ping i530 irons Price:$205 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 steel shafts and Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet grips. $220 each with Ping Alta CB Black graphite shafts Specs: Forged C300 maraging steel face with 17-4 stainless steel chassis
Who It’s For: Golfers who want the look of a better-player’s iron combined with the distance of a game-improvement club.
The Skinny: These hollow-bodied, better-player distance irons look like blades but were made to generate more ball speed and distance while also offering enhanced forgiveness and feel.
The Deep Dive: Ping recently released the Blueprint T and Blueprint S, the new irons that comprise the “precision” offerings in Ping’s stable designed for pros and accomplished players. With its machined back and classic looks, the just-released i530 appears like it fits into that category too. However, several hidden design features and technologies set it apart and position it as a better-player’s distance iron.
The i530 replaces the i525 iron that was released in 2022, and it has a hollow-body design that is similar to the design of Ping’s metalwoods. The thin, forged C300 maraging steel face is welded to the 17-7 stainless steel body, which creates a hollow chamber inside the head. This hollow-body design allows the hitting area to flex more efficiently at the moment of impact, so golfers can generate more ball speed and distance.
A toe screw and heel weight create more stability without making the i530 bigger. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
To improve the sound and feel of impact, engineers added a polymer to the back of the face. It soaks up excessive vibrations without restricting the bending of the hitting area at impact, so it does not reduce ball speed.
When golfers see the back of the i530, they might think the milled area is there for show, but each machined line represents an area where steel was removed from a high location in the head. Machining the back and making it thinner created discretionary weight that designers were able to reposition in the form of an internal mass pad that is 10 grams heavier than the pad found in the i525. Consequently, the i530 has a lower the center of gravity (CG) location, which should help golfers create a higher launch angle and more stopping power on the greens. A bonus of positioning extra mass low in the head is it puts more steel directly behind the area where golfers tend to hit the ball, which results in extra ball speed.
To make the i530 more forgiving without making the clubs larger, Ping designed each head to house a high-density toe weight that compliments a weight added to the hosel area. The added mass increases the perimeter weighting of the heads, making them more stable on off-center hits.
In addition to a Hydropearl 2.0 finish that improves performance in wet conditions, Ping gave the i530 MicroMax grooves. Introduced on the i59 and the i230 irons, MicroMax grooves are packed more tightly together in the hitting area to enhance performance in all types of moisture conditions and reduce the effect of flier lies.
Designed together, Wilson’s newest irons for elite golfers feature classic looks, soft materials and precise shaping to amplify feel and control for low-handicap and championship-level players.
Gear: Wilson Staff Model Blade, Staff Model CB irons Price:$1,199.99 (4-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid 115 shafts and Golf Pride Z grips Specs: Forged 8620 carbon steel with milled face and back areas. 2-iron, 3-iron and gap wedge available through custom order Available: Jan. 24, but available for pre-order NOW
Who They’re For: Professional golfers, college players and elite amateur golfers who want to maximize feel and control.
The Skinny: Designed together, Wilson’s newest irons for elite golfers feature classic looks, soft materials and precise shaping to amplify feel and control for low-handicap and championship-level players.
The Deep Dive: There is a cliché regarding fine timepieces, sports cars and houses that says that if you have to ask how much it costs, you probably can’t afford it. The Wilson Staff Model Blade and Staff Model CB fall into a similar category. These clubs have been made for elite ballstrikers, college golfers and players who can genuinely say they will be contending for their club championship. If you have to wonder if you are consistent enough and powerful enough to use them, you probably aren’t.
The Staff Model Blade and Staff Model CB were designed together, so many features and aspects of the clubs are the same. For example, each club is forged from 8620 carbon steel to give it a soft feel at impact. Both clubs have the numbers in the identical portion of the toe and dots on the hosel.
Both clubs have also been designed with Wilson’s Fluid Feel hosel that removes mass from the lower portion of the hosel and allows designers to add it to the lower portion of the head, behind where impact is made. Extra mass has also been added to the toe area. Combined, the Fluid Feel hosel and added mass in the toe pull the center of gravity and ideal impact spot into the middle of the hitting area, amplifying the feel for accomplished golfers and reducing the likelihood of left misses.
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The face and hitting area are also milled to ensure they are perfectly flat and the grooves are added precisely. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The faces of the Staff Model Blade and the Staff Model CB have also been milled to be perfectly flat to ensure low-handicap golfers get the spin and consistency they expect from shot-to-shot.
Many low-handicap players will also like the traditional lofts of the Staff Model Blade and CB irons, with the 5-iron at 26 degrees and the pitching wedge at 46 degrees. Compared to previous Wilson blade-style irons, the 2024 Staff Model Blade and CB will have a softer, lower-pitched, deeper sound, as well as a softer feel.
The Staff Model CB is the same size and shape as the Blade, but the perimeter weighting adds a touch of forgiveness. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
While the Staff Model Blade is a true muscleback, the Staff Model CB –which has the same thin topline, narrow sole and minimal offset – offers some perimeter weighting to boost stability and forgiveness. That’s a relative thing because with a blade length this short, misses on the toe will be penalized more than with other Wilson irons, such as the game-improvement DynaPower irons.
As you might suspect, having been designed together and sharing the same price, the Staff Model Blade and CB can easily be mixed and matched into blended sets, giving players and fitters the option of going with more-forgiving long irons and precise scoring clubs if the golfer desires.
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Below are several images of the Wilson Staff Model Blade and CB irons:
For elite ballstrikers, collegiate players and low-handicap golfers, Ping offers the new Blueprint T.
Gear: Ping Blueprint T irons Price:$230 with True Temper Dynamic Gold S300 steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips, $245 with Ping Alta CB Black graphite shafts Specs: Forged 8620 carbon steel with a high-density toe screw and Hyrdopearl 2.0 finish. Available 3-pitching wedge. Available: Jan. 9
Who They’re For: Low-handicap golfers who want a traditional-looking iron that maximizes feel, control and precision.
The Skinny: The Blueprint T has the compact size, clean lines and control-oriented design that elite ballstrikers crave.
The Deep Dive: Golfers such as Tony Finau and Tyrrell Hatton have powerful, repeatable swings, so they don’t look for irons designed to create more ball speed. They aren’t looking for more forgiveness. What elite golfers want from their irons is an enhanced sense of feel. They want to know exactly where each shot was struck on the hitting area, along with the highest level of predictability, because when golfers like Finau and Hatton make a particular swing, they demand a specific result.
For elite ballstrikers, collegiate players and low-handicap golfers, Ping offers the new Blueprint T, and the Phoenix, Arizona-based company has tried to design it as everything low-handicappers want.
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The Blueprint T replaces the original Blueprint, which was released in 2019. It is the most compact Ping iron, with an extremely short blade length, a narrow topline and only a touch of offset. The Blueprint T is also the only Ping iron with a single, non-variable blade length in the 3-iron through 8-iron.
The heads are forged from a single piece of 8620 carbon steel before the hitting area is machined flat, and the grooves are added.
Ping designers added tip and toe weights to the Blueprint T to subtly increase its perimeter weighting. This should make the clubs resist twisting on off-center hits. Slightly.
The Blueprint T creates a lower launch angle than the new Blueprint S and generates slightly less spin. The clubs come standard with the same traditional lofts, with the 5-iron being 26 degrees and the 9-iron being 41 degrees. This should make it easier for players and fitters to create blended sets while maintaining consistent distance gaps between different types of irons.
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Below are several close-up images of the Ping Blueprint T irons:
PXG 0317 T irons deliver better feel, more control and improved forgiveness.
Gear: PXG 0317 T irons Price: $169.99 each Specs: Hollow-bodied construction with forged, 8620 carbon steel body and HT1770 stainless steel face, internal tungsten weight and vibration-absorbing polymer. Available in Chrome and Xtreme Dark finish.
Who It’s For: Accomplished players who love the look and feel of muscleback blades but now want more forgiveness.
The Skinny: This is the first hollow-body PXG iron designed for elite ball strikers, with an internal polymer that helps to improve the spin consistency.
The Deep Dive: PXG has used United States Marine Corp Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) numbers to name its clubs in the past, and that tradition continues with its newest offering for high-level ball strikers, the 0317 T. That number, 0317, designates scout snipers, which should tell you precisely what PXG is trying to do with this iron.
The 0317 T irons are triple forged using 8620 carbon steel, for a softer feel at impact, but after the forging process is complete, the hitting area of each head is then milled to ensure it is perfectly flat before the grooves are milled into the face. The back of each head is also milled, leaving behind a series of small, thin lines created as the high-speed, computer-controlled bit passes back and forth and shaves off tiny pieces of metal until the desired shape is achieved.
The PXG 0317 T has a thin topline, minimal offset and a thin sole. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The 0317 T has a thin topline, narrow sole and only a touch of offset, like the previously-released 0317 ST blades and the 0317 CB irons. However, the 0317 T irons are different from those solid-metal clubs because the 0317 T is hollow.
Historically, PXG has designed its game-improvement and max game-improvement 0311 irons with hollow heads filled with a vibration-dampening polymer supporting an extremely thin face. In the most recent offering, the 0311 GEN6 irons, the X COR polymer also helps to protect ball speed on mishits and expand the sweet spot. The 0317 T irons are filled with a different material, S COR, a polymer that is less elastic, so not as fast as X COR, but helps produce a lower launch angle and higher spin rates, which should give accomplished golfers more control and enhanced shot-making abilities.
In many better-player irons, the ideal hitting area is slightly to the toe-side of the middle of the face, so to pull the sweet spot into the center and offset the weight of the hosel, PXG designers added an internal 15-gram tungsten weight in the toe area.
An internal piece of tungsten in the toe pulls the ideal hitting area into the middle of the face. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
PXG designers also gave the 0317 T a large back weight in the center of the head that can be swapped during the fitting process so players and fitters can quickly test different swing weights while golfers are testing clubs.
The PXG 0317 T irons are fairly traditional lofts, with the 5 iron at 25 degrees, 9 iron at 41 degrees and pitching wedge at 46 degrees, but they are being touted as PXG’s most-forgiving, better-player irons. The company claims they have a moment of inertia (MOI) that is 14 percent higher than the 0317 ST and 11 percent higher than the 0317 CB. They also have a slightly longer blade length and thicker topline, but the offset is about the same. However, these clubs are noticeably slimmer than 0311 P GEN6 irons, which had been PXG’s previous better-player’s distance iron.
Below are several close-up looks at the new PXG 0317 T irons:
The Titleist U•505 utility iron provides distance and height off the tee and the turf.
Gear: Titleist U•505 utility iron Price:$269 each with Project X HZRDUS Black 4G shaft and Titleist Universal 360 grip Specs: Forged SUP-10 stainless steel body and face with internal tungsten weights. Available as a 1- (16 degrees), 2-, (18 degrees), 3- (20 degrees) or 4-iron (22 degrees)
Who It’s For: Golfers who want more distance and height from an iron that can replace a hybrid and link a player’s longest iron to their shortest-hitting fairway wood.
The Skinny: Designed with a wide sole and low center of gravity, this utility iron provides more control and shot-shaping than a hybrid but is easier to hit and provides more distance than typical long irons.
The Deep Dive: There has always been a macho factor associated with driving irons and a mystique about being good enough to use one off the tee to keep the ball down in windy conditions or split the fairway on a tree-lined hole. Most recreational golfers understand that driving irons are not for them, but a utility iron, that could be another story.
The updated Titleist U•505 is too thick and chunky in the address position to be mistaken for a driving iron, even though it is only offered as a 1-, 2-, 3- or 4-iron. But that doesn’t mean it will not provide ample distance off the tee and extra versatility.
Like the other T Series irons Titleist has released, the U•505 has a forged SUP-10 stainless steel body and a forged stainless steel face designed in an L shape. The face plate wraps under the leading edge and into the sole, which helps to pull the sweetspot down and allows players to get better results on thinly-struck shots.
As you might suspect from an iron this size, the U•505 is hollow, which allows the face to flex more efficiently at the moment of impact to create more ball speed. The thin face is complimented by a system that Titleist refers to as a Max Impact Generator. It includes an internal steel post that extends down from the topline and connects to the bottom of the head in the back of the sole. In the center, Titleist has placed a thin polymer, which acts like a spring and compresses when the ball hits the face and flexes it back. The polymer snaps back and trampolines the face back into position faster than it otherwise would, which enhances ball speed and distance. The Max Impact Generator’s posts also stiffen the body at impact, which, along with a redesigned back panel that has a sound-absorbing waffle pattern on the inner-facing side, helps improve the sound shots create.
While the updated U•505 has a shorter blade length than previous versions, it still has two large internal tungsten pieces, one in the heel and the other in the toe, that boost the moment of inertia and increase stability, so shots hit outside the middle of the face fly straighter and the head twists less. The tungsten also helps to lower the center of gravity location, which results in shots that fly with a higher initial launch angle.
Titleist designers softened the leading edge to help the U•505 work through the turf more easily and gave the wide sole more curvature and bounce.
That improved turf interaction, moderate offset and a wider sole, should translate to a utility iron that accomplished golfers can use as a hybrid replacement and intermediate players who want a long-iron replacement that is easier to hit high and provides extra distance.
