Gear: Titleist T100, T100•S irons (2021)
Price: $186 each with True Temper AMT White Tour Issue shafts (T100) and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grips. T100•S comes with Project X LZ shafts.
Specs: Forged 1025 carbon-steel with internal tungsten weights and forged SUP-10 stainless steel face. 3-iron through gap wedge available.
Available: August 26
Two years ago, Titleist replaced the venerable AP2 irons, clubs used to win numerous PGA Tour events and several majors, with the first generation of the T100. Like the AP2, the first T100 was made for accomplished golfers who wanted the look and feel of a muscleback blade, but with more forgiveness. In early 2021, Titleist released a stronger-lofted version, the T100•S, for golfers who prefer the compact blade length, narrow topline and minimal offset of the T100 but who wanted more distance.
At the 2021 Travelers Championship, Titleist debuted an updated version of the T100 and T100•S on the PGA Tour, and the company is ready to release the clubs to retail soon.
For pros, elite amateurs, college golfers and players with repeatable, powerful swings, the T100 is a club to consider along with Titleist’s 620 MB and 620 CB. In the address position, it has the traditional looks that better players prefer. It’s what you don’t see, what Titleist has designed inside the heads, that makes it play differently.
Titleist T100 irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The T100 3-7 irons have a forged 1025 carbon-steel body and forged SUP-10 stainless steel faceplate. Behind the hitting area in the lower back portion of the heads, Titleist designed a dual-cavity area that houses tungsten weights in the heel and toe areas. The exact amount of tungsten varies by club but averages 80 grams. By positioning the tungsten low and at the perimeter of heads, the center of gravity is lowered and the clubs resist twisting more on off-center hits. This should increase forgiveness and help golfers hit shots higher without making the clubs bigger.
The T100 8-iron through gap wedge – the scoring clubs – are one-piece constructions forged from 1025 carbon steel. They do not have tungsten inserts.
The T100 has a thin topline, marginal offset and a thin sole. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
To help the T100 work through the turf more effectively, Titleist updated the sole design and gave it variable bounce. Engineers reduced the bounce in the heel area but increased the bounce near the toe. The sole is still thin, however, and there is minimal offset.
Titleist T100•S irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The updated T100•S irons were made to look and feel like the T100, but the lofts throughout the set are 2 degrees stronger, so players should get more distance. For example, The T100 5-iron has 27 degrees of loft, while the T100•S 5-iron has 25 degrees.
Titleist made the T100•S instead of encouraging club builders to bend T100 irons for distance-hungry players to ensure the sole geometry and turf interaction are not compromised. De-lofting irons reduces bounce and can encourage digging, which reduces speed and efficiency.
Removing mass from the bar that runs across the back of the T100•S reduced weight. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Titleist removed about 3 grams of mass from the bar that extends across the back of the head, above the dual-cavity area. Designers then added slightly more tungsten in the heel and toe areas in the T100•S, averaging 90 grams per club. As a result, the T100•S not only creates more distance, the irons tend to hit the ball higher than the standard T100 because the center of gravity location is slightly lower.
