FIELDREPORT
“It means the tungsten effectively forms the perimeter of the club,” says Temple. “That expands the amount of
tungsten we can use without
sacrificing the CG position in the centre of the face. But as in the AP1, the CG has been shiſted a touch lower, giving more efficiency from centred strikes, creating easier launch and controlling spin.
“But the main benefit is the head’s boosted resistance to twisting. Our graphs demonstrate this iron’s MOI is about where AP1 714 was.” With the 714 generation, AP1 and AP2 constituted around 85% of the brand’s iron sales, and Titleist do not expect 716 to be much different. Nevertheless, they’ve given the same time and care to their two more elite-player offerings – the compact cavity CB and muscle-backed MB. While featuring the latest CAD technology to nail CG positioning through the set, the 716 version of the MB is in fact something of a throwback. “We knew that the likes of Webb Simpson, Jimmy Walker and Adam Scott had adjusted their irons to have them look a bit more like the 680 we launched in 2003,” Temple continues. “It was a very popular line, so the high muscle, sharp toe, thinner top line and slightly squarer profile of the 716 will remind people of that iron.”
“This may be the fifth time we’ve upgraded the same four irons,”
Temple concludes. “But we feel there is real value in retaining these names. For one thing, it doesn’t take too long to work out which might be the club for them. But also, the two-year life-cycle gives our R&D team the time to develop new technologies, and product that gives users of the existing irons a reason to upgrade – and that’s certainly the case with the class of 2016.”
www.titleist.co.uk
Meanwhile, just as the new AP2 has moved into AP1 levels of forgiveness, 716 CB has similarly moved into AP2 714 territory – and again, it’s down to tungsten. The 3-7 irons are no longer completely solid behind the face, instead featuring the dual-cavity construction like the AP2. That has permitted the positioning of tungsten in the heel and toe, co-forged as with AP2. “It’s made CB 12.5% more forgiving than the prior generation, without taking anything away,” Temple insists.
While remaining a clean and elegant head, 2016’s CB actually has the word ‘tungsten’ etched on to the toe – a small example of the increasing need to make technology visible. “It is important for people to know the technology in a product, and it can be hard to show when it’s under the bonnet,” Temple adds. “Elements like our Active Recoil Channel are plain to see, but the tungsten isn’t. Some of our competitors are talking up their use of tungsten, but as we use far more of it the construction of our irons, it’s important for us to talk this up.”
Ultimately, though, the theme for the new irons is improved
performance from the same chassis. The increased presence of tungsten means more forgiveness and easier launch, through lowered CG.
14 SGBGOLF
At a glance: Titleist 716 irons and 816 hybrids All clubs are available from 23 October 2015 in the UK.
MB and CB AP1 AP2
T-MB utility iron (2,3,4 and 5 irons)
RRP: £117(s), £133 (g) RRP: £93(s), £107(g) RRP: £117(s), £133(g) RRP: £169(s), £189(g)
816H1 and H2 hybrids (19º, 21º, 23º, 25º, 27º) RRP:£205
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