Gear: Titleist T400 irons
Price: $185 per iron with True Temper AMT Red steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 Lite+ grips; $199.99 per club with Mitsubishi Fubuki MV IR graphite shafts
Specs: Hollow-bodied irons with forged SUP-10 stainless steel face and internal tungsten weights
Available: March 27
Titleist is known for making muscleback blades and cavity backs such as the 620 MB and 620 CB irons for elite ballstrikers like Justin Thomas, Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth, but the company also has offered game-improvement clubs.
Last August, Titleist debuted the T300 for mid- and higher-handicap golfers who want more distance and forgiveness. Now the company is releasing the new T400, a super-game-improvement club that is bigger, more powerful and more forgiving than any other club in Titleist’s stable.
At address, golfers looking down at the T400 irons will see thick toplines and plenty of offset because these clubs were not made for pros. They were designed to help moderate and slower swings produce more distance.
Each T400 iron is hollow, and the 5-iron through 7-iron feature a thin, forged SUP-10 stainless steel face that is shaped like an L, wrapping under the leading edge and extending into the sole. It flexes easily at impact to create more ball speed, especially on shots struck low in the hitting area.
An added benefit of making the T400 irons hollow is Titleist designers were able to add large, internal pieces of heavy tungsten to the heel and toe areas. The precise amount varies by the club but goes up to 100 grams, which creates extreme perimeter weighting to boost the stability on off-center hits.
The internal tungsten weights are in the back of the split sole on the bottom of the club, and by adding that weight so far back from the hitting area, Titleist was able to lower the center of gravity. That in turn helps the clubs produce higher-flying shots. At the same time, the split-sole design reduces turf interaction.
To help golfers generate more clubhead speed, Titleist also reduced weight in other areas of the club. The stock Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 Lite+ grips are 9 grams lighter than the stock Tour Velvet 360, while the True Temper AMT Red steel shafts feature lighter long-iron shafts for extra speed and heavier short-iron shafts for more control.