First hit - Titleist 716 AP1 & AP2 irons

By: Owen Davies | Tue 22 Sep 2015

Titleist have launched their new range of irons - The 716 AP1 & AP2. It has been a long wait to see some new product from Titleist (they work on a refreshing long 2 year product cycle) so when I got the chance to head down to the National Fitting Centre at their UK headquarters in St Ives to ht the new irons I jumped at the chance.

There is nothing quite like unwrapping a brand new club for the first time and that is exactly what myself and the Titleist fitting team did with the new range of 716 AP1 and AP2 irons. They arrived into the fitting centre that morning, so I had the rather cool job of unboxing the new gear with the fitters and literally having the first hit!

Here are my first impressions:

Unboxing the new Titleist 716 AP1 and AP2 irons for the first time

Titleist 716 AP1 First Impressions

Wow! That was what I said following my first hit with the new Titleist 716 AP1. Now, I confess to not being a huge fan of larger headed irons, not that the AP1 can be described as chunky, but I was pleasantly suprised at how the AP2 looked at address. While it is verging on an oversize head which undoubtedly inspires confidence, it still has the looks of an iron that you can work the ball with.

There is a heap of tech that Titleist have employed to make this their "longest, most forgiving iron ever" and judging from my first few hits they have certainly delivered! The ball flight was long and I mean really long. I was gaining 10-13yards in distance with the AP1 when compared to my current irons and the scatter pattern was tight. Something I am always keen to see.

The club felt amazingly stable throughout the swing and the ball simply flew off what felt like a super hot clubface!

The Tech

Titleist AP1 tech

Titleist's new 716 AP1 is undoubtedly a great performer, but how does the tech stack up? Well an extreme 360º undercut cavity design with a large, thin and crucially unsupported face delivers speed and launch for more distance.

What makes the AP1 stand out is it's use of High Density Tungsten which cleverly allows them to precisely place weight low and in the toe of the long and mid irons. This produces a lower centre of gravity (CG) resulting in a higher launch angle. A higher launch has a kick on effect meaning that Titleist can strengthen lofts, a move that helps to increase speed for even more distance. Moving weight to the perimeter, increasing moment of inertia (MOI).

Titleist 716 AP1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPuo20EL-BU

The Bottom Line

Titleist could have just made some small tweaks to the 716 AP1 when compared to the 714, but they have not rested on their laurels and have really gone to town on the tech in this club. The use of expensive Tungsten makes a huge difference in how the club performs. Give it a try for yourself, we promise you will be saying Wow as well!

Titleist 716 AP2 First Impressions

A slightly smaller more compact head, the AP2 is clearly designed for the 'better' player. It sits nicely at address with a top line that inspires confidence that you will be able to shape shots and work the ball. I liked the chrome finish and the performance was superb. The smaller head allowed for more feedback on my shots and the slightly lower ball flight I acheived suited my eye. when compared to the AP1.

Much like the AP1 the ball came off hot! Again I gained some significant distance when compared to my current set of clubs while not sacrificing any control and only a little workability. The AP2 head combined with a stiffer shaft offering. This gave me teh extra control that I was looking for when compared to my first hits with a regular shaft. All in all the AP2 would be a superb iron choice for my game.

The Tech

Titleist AP2

Much like the AP1 the new AP2 irons uses a significant amount of high density tungsten weighting to position the centre of gravity low allowing for an increase of speed off the clubface. In addition an innovative co-forged construction places the tungsten low and towards the perimeter of the club resulting in an increased MOI.

The AP2’s innovative construction combines a forged 1025 Carbon steel body with extreme perimeter tungsten weighting in the long and mid irons for an unparalleled combination of low CG and high MOI with Solid Forged Feel.

Titleist 716 AP2 irons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmTmtnSLIp0

The Bottom Line

If you are single figure or aspiring single figure handicap golfer these are a must try iron. Offering workability, control and distance. They tick a lot of boxes. You may give up a little feel when compared to a blade or muscleback, but you will more than make up for it in performance