2020 Official Member Review: Titleist T100S/T200 irons

[mpatrickriley]

From time to time, MyGolfSpy does brand-association surveys. Titleist is among the brands that fare best in these surveys: they have a reputation of no-nonsense quality and performance.

Here's my hunch: if the survey asked to identify a brand with the phrase "Tour Proven," Titleist would win in a landslide.

So here in the MyGolfSpy forums, we're delighted to work with Titleist to get four sets of their newest series of irons into the hands of our members for testing and reviews:

T100S:

• chisag
• thezipr23

T200:

• blackngold_blood, redeeming his golden ticket from being our 2019 fantasy golf champion in grand fashion!
• davep043

This was among our highest-demand testing opportunities, and I know we'll all be following along eagerly as these great forum members put their new sets of Titleist irons to the test!

[chisag]

Stage 2 is now posted below after Stage 1

Stage 1

… Well, well, well I received my irons a week after THEZIPR23, blackngold_blood and DavePO43, yet am the first to Stage 1. What a bunch of slackers!  A quick intro for those that don't already know me. chisag stands for CHIcago Screen Actors Guild. I have been a member of SAG for 42 years. Being an actor meant I was either very busy or had a ton of free time. The free time can work very well with a sport I am passionate about that takes a good 5+ hours to play considering the round and travel. As an actor gets older, roles are not as plentiful and free time is much more the norm than being busy. Obviously great for golf and I can take an entire winter off, which I did in 2019 playing 4 months in Phoenix. 107 out of 117 days playing golf can really fine tune your game. That said, this year due to a herniated disc, rehab and Covid closures, I did not play a single round of golf for 5 months. That is by far the longest break I have ever had from playing.

… While the short game is my bread and butter for scoring, iron play is certainly a strength of my game. Loving equipment, I have owned way too many iron sets to mention. I currently play and rotate some Taylor Made P760’s & P790’s, Cobra Forged Tours and some Srixon Z Forged MB’s. Needless to say, the last thing I needed was a new set of irons. But of course I always look and the irons that caught my attention in 2020 were the Titleist T100-S. When MGS offered a set for review, I threw my hat into the ring and was very pleasantly surprised to be picked. Thank you MGS. All of my current irons have strengths and weaknesses but I will concentrate on comparisons with my P760’s, the irons I played most. I love everything about them other than their surprisingly thick top line. One of my biggest questions going forward is will the T100-S mid/long irons be as long and forgiving as my foam filled P760’s.

 

 

 

… Right out of the box, the T100-S looked like irons I had a hand in designing. Head size, shape, hosel transition, sole camber and a thin top line is just about perfect to my eye and they immediately jumped to my favorite irons aesthetically. I dated a Playboy Bunny back in the late  70’s for a very short time and know all too well that looks don’t always match up with perfoprmance. So as beautiful to my eye as the T100-S are, they will have to outperform what I am playing now. That is a tall order.







… About 15 years ago I spent an entire fall playing only knockdown shots determined to master that shot in Chicago’s winds. Most courses here stop watering around October and the fairways can become rock hard. I am happy to say I now have that shot, but by pounding all my clubs straight down into the hard turf I developed a nasty case off elbow tendonitis. Per my Ortho’s orders (a serious golfer himself) I switched to heavy weight graphite in my irons to reduce the wear and tear on my elbow and my body. I am glad I did and I never went back to steel. My favorites are the Recoil Prototype 95’s and I was extremely interested in the Kuro Kage Tini 105 gm shafts that were available in the T100-S. I ordered them in Stiff Flex and soft stepped once. Specs and description looked really good and my only concern was feel. I found playing some Aerotech Steelfiber 95 shafts, the feel is a little closer to steel than graphite. Great for Pro’s that have been playing steel their entire lives, but I am used to the smoother, slightly dampened feel of Aldila VS Proto’s and Recoil Prototypes. With Tini wire in the tip section for stability, I was hoping they felt more like Recoils than Steelfibers. If not, I would just re-shaft with my Recoil Prototypes but after 3 rounds, the feel is exactly what I look for in a heavyweight graphite iron shaft. Stable, accurate and precise with a slightly dampened feel to absorb unwanted shock. They launch a little higher than I am used to, but adjusting should not be difficult.

… Due to the Corona virus I was not able to schedule a fitting for my T100-S but I know my specs and what shafts work for me, so it really wasn’t a concern for me. That said, I would always choose a fitting if possible. Other than 2* upright, soft stepped once and 1/4” long, my specs are standard. With only 3 rounds played, I m still trying to figure out yardages for each iron, something I will have down for Phase 2. I will say as an old school golfer that played a 48* pw for most of my golfing life, I have reluctantly learned to navigate the 6* gap between my 46* pw and 52* sw. But the opportunity to play a 48* wedge that Titeist calls a W2 was a welcome surprise. And instead of a W1 and W2 on the sole, Titleist labels these 2 wedges as P and 48* so no confusion pulling a wedge without reading glasses LOL. A small thing but a nice touch.

… While I can and have played MB’s, I see no advantage over a Players CB that gives me everything a MB provides with added forgiveness. Like many low index players, on my good days I can hit anything well, but on my off days and especially days when my back is tight I will use all the forgiveness I can get. I am very interested to see how forgiving the tungsten in the heel and toe of the mid and long irons will be on slight mishits. And would the slightly thinner face of the T100-S compared to the T100 produce a hair more distance. A myth is other than the longest hitters, a little more distance for a better player is not wanted in their irons. But a slight increase in distance is always a plus if that distance is accurate, repeatable and all your gaps are covered. Why would I not want to hit my 4 iron 205 instead of 200? While I have never experienced any fliers from a good lie with my P790’s, they can occasionally be a few yards longer, because with a 5* interval between irons they cover a larger gap than I would ideally prefer. My hope is going back to 4* gaps I will experience more precise yardages and gapping from my T100-S. (bottom left)

 

… And lastly, these are not GI’s or posses any magic that can correct a bad swing. Unlike many GI and certainly SGI irons, you will definitely know if you hit one thin losing distance and your fingers stinging similar to a MB. But the T100 series is the most played iron on the PGA Tour for a reason, and that tells me they can be extremely accurate and repeatable for guys who make their living knowing exactly how far they hit every iron. And make no mistake, the vast majority of players on all tours, PGA /LPGA/Champions want all the forgiveness they can get when it comes with accuraccy, for both direction and distance. So all I am looking for is an iron that:

1. Feels great
2. Looks ideal at address
3. Allows me to be laser accurate with my good swings
4. Gives me a little forgiveness with my bad swings
5. Produces a few more yards 

 

… If there are any specific questions about the T100-S irons or Kuro Kage shaft you would like answered, or something you are just curious about, feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer as I play and become more familiar with their capabilities. I have not requested to be considered for irons and a MGS review until the T100-S so they clearly have an opportunity to not only make it into my bag, but became my primary irons. I look forward to sharing my progress with all of you.

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Stage 2 

To quote The Grateful Dead when it comes to finding the perfect irons “What a long strange trip it’s been”. I loved my P790’s until a winter in Phoenix where hard fast desert greens demanded more spin to hold approach shots. So I picked up a set of P760’s hoping they would be a suitable replacement and I ended up liking them even better. So I was not in the market for new irons but like most of us, my trips down the aisle of any golf store always included a peek at new irons. But the only irons that drew me in like the Sirens in Oh Brother Where Art Thou were the Titleist T100. (I promise that was the last song reference). So when Titleist offered the T100-S irons to My Golf Spy members for testing, I was aaaall in.

 

Looks

While I love the shape and size of my P760’s, their too thick for a players iron top line was always a distraction for me. I think the transition from short iron to mid iron is crucial and Titleist really nailed it with the T100-S irons. The short irons and the mid/long irons need a solid transition with the 8 iron, and the T100-S do exactly that with an iron shape that isn’t a short iron or isn’t a mid iron, but a little of both. The size and shape of the heads as well as the beautiful thin top line look like I had a say in their design.

An irons hosel transition should be something we don’t even need to talk about because it should blend seamlessly into the head and never even be noticed. The T100-S get it just right and the offset is also perfect. Just enough without too much, again harder to accomplish than many think. My only complaint, and I am really nit picking now, is the short irons have a slightly higher heel than I prefer. I appreciate a subtle yet technically advanced cavity as much as the next player. The T100-S are subtle enough to appeal to a more traditional player like myself, but have enough visual tech to appeal to younger players that have grown up in the bling era.





 

The no upcharge Kuro Kage Tini 105 gm graphite shafts are an excellent match for the T100-S. I read where a golf psychologist said a two tone shaft creates an illusion that the shaft is shorter and therefore seems easier to hit. I think she was on to something. The light silver top of the Kuro Kage shafts extend for about 40% of the length and then transition into dark silver that looks like steel. I really love the look but of course Titleist offers quite a few no uncharge steel shafts as well. 

Score 9

 

Sound & Feel

Titleist forgings have a crisper sound/feel compared to some other OEM forgings and it is one of their trademarks. I appreciate that feel, but when you flush them absolutely dead center they feel like absolutely nothing at all. Hogan once said he hit one, maybe two perfect shots in 18 holes of play, and the T100-S let you know exactly when you accomplish that feat. Slightly off and you get that really nice, crisp Titleist feel that lets you know you hit it really well, just not perfectly. The one area the T100-S can feel and sound pretty bad is high on the face, something that has happened to me when my ball is in deep rough above or below my feet and I am not quite sure where the ground is. 

 

 

Score 9

 

Practice Performance

After 2 back surgeries I can play golf almost every day as long as I walk and keep moving. I have not been to the range in about 20 years because standing in one spot and swinging over and over again would take a toll on my back. But I like to play practice rounds late in the day. I can hit several different shots from the tee and fairway and actually find it more beneficial than hitting range balls. I don’t think I am over stating the capabilities of the T100-S irons by saying they can do anything you have the skill to execute. High-low, left-right, draw-fade. But very quickly I learned they don’t mask bad shots. There is a reason the T-100 series went into Tour players bags faster than any other iron Titleist has produced. They are very precise irons. With my P760’s and even more so my P790s, hitting 3/4 shots tended to fly a little farther or shorter than I would like.  A slightly faster swing might produce a few extra yards. Certainly not the 20yd “fliers” some claim but when facing a 110 yd 3/4 pw to a pin in the back of the green an extra 4 yards can mean the difference between par and birdie.

 

Score – 18

 

On-Course Performance

After a few weeks of getting to know my T100-S irons, I played 5 rounds in a row under par, something I have never done before. That took “potential” out of the equation and I was able to shoot my age for the very first time. I was comfortable hitting these irons very quickly, sooner than any irons I have played and the number of iron sets is probably close to 50. That said, they are a completely different iron for me when it comes to loft and I am still trying to calibrate their distance in all conditions. We have had the windiest spring/summer I can remember in the Chicago suburbs so playing a “stock iron” shot has been pretty rare. The pitching wedge is 44* and I have never played a pw with a loft that strong. But my set also includes a 48* “wedge” that just has a 48 on the sole. The pitching wedge has a P and then 44 underneath. Printing 44 on the sole is one of the few errors Titleist made with these irons as a simple P would be much cleaner. After playing a 46* pw  and a 52* sw for years I was used to manipulating swings to cover that 6* gap. It did not take me long to appreciate hitting shots with my wedges and the 4* gap with my 48* meant less swing calculations. I use it much more than my old 46* or my 52* sw and has become a go-to scoring club for me.

 

The surprisingly forgiving 4 iron is one my favorite irons to hit. And while I am on the subject of forgiving, the high density tungsten in the heel and toe of the 7-4 irons make the T100-S pretty darned forgiving of shots hit a little on the toe side, which is my typical miss. Thin shots suffer more than heel/toe misses and as I said earlier, shots hit high on the face are pretty penal. The T100-S is not a Game Improvement iron so they do not mask mistakes. On my good ball striking days I still miss the center a little and the T100-S really shine when near the center, rewarding a slight mishit with a shot similar to a perfectly struck shot, just without that melt into the face feel. So I guess what I am trying to say is the misses with good contact are pretty good, while bigger misses would be better served with something more forgiving like the T200.

 

 

I usually take a very shallow divot or just brush the turf after contact. But when I have taken a healthy divot the T100-S are excellent slicing through the ground, carving out a uniform and easily replaceable divot. This means a sharper leading edge that will not be much help with shots hit a little fat, although that kind of help is probably not an issue for most players contemplating T100-S irons.

 

Now, the negative. I still am not quite sure how far I hit all of them because the lofts are so different than what I have normally played and I just have not had an opportunity to play them on many windless 70-90* days, so stock irons shots have been rare. And as much as I love the 48 and the 4 iron, I have had to remove a club from my bag to make room for both of them. I like to play a 3 wood, hybrid and a Driving Iron. The hybrid I use from the rough or when I need max carry and the DI I use from the tee or a 2nd shot into the wind. So I have to decide by course type/weather forecast if I want the hybrid or DI in my bag on any given day.

 

 

Score - 28

 

Miscellaneous

I have had more questions from players I have been paired up with than any other irons I have played, several playing earlier versions like AP2’s and AP1’s, along with a few questions about the Kuro Kage shafts. The one thing that is a constant is “Those just look soooo good” kinda comment. I almost had my first HIO with my T100-S.

 

Score 9

Play it or Trade it

The P760 mid and long irons are a bit longer than the T100-S for me and that is the only reason I hesitate to call the T100-S clear winners. I will do some head to head testing this fall. But for now the T100-S irons will stay in my bag. As I stated earlier, I was not looking at any irons other than the T100 series and if you put my feet to the fire I just might have preferred the T100 with weaker lofts so I could keep both my hybrid and DI in the bag. Yet I love the addition of a 4th wedge and it has improved my short iron play. Admittedly I am being a little greedy. 

 

 

Points – 18

 

Conclusion

The T100-S irons are exactly what you think they are. Stronger lofted Players Irons that are an absolute joy to play but do not travel silly distances or cover up egregious miss hits. I think they provide the kind of look and performance you expect from a MB, with the added forgiveness you want in a Players Iron. With their thin top line and slightly smaller profile, they are perfect for MB players looking for something a little more forgiving. They can execute any shot you have the skill to play and enough forgiveness to help when you miss them a little. If you are a marginal ball striker, the T100-S are probably not for you. But the better player that hits the center and has command of trajectory and partial shots will absolutely love these irons. Considering new Forged Irons are selling for $1200-1400 it is difficult for me to say if the T100-S are worth the cost. But if you’re in the market for a Players Distance Iron or would like to transition from MB’s while keeping the look at address, I think the T100-S should be at the very top of your demo list. 5 rounds in a row under par is a record for me so there is no doubt they have improved my scores and I can certainly see why so many Pro’s have put the T100 series in their bags. Thanks again to Titleist and My Golf Spy as well as all of you that have followed this thread!

 

 

 

Final Score – 91

 

 

 

[THEZIPR23]

 

Stage 2 Posted Below

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you to Titleist, MGS, and the Moderators for allowing me the opportunity to review the T100-S irons.

 

My name is Ryan, and I have been playing this beautiful game for the last 25 years. Life has gotten in the way a few years in there but the enchantment of golf always brings me back. Living in California the weather allows me to play year round, in a normal year it is nothing for me to play 4 times or more a week. My home club is about half way home from work, so there are many evening rounds where it is just me out there, chasing a white ball, listening to music and facing a new challenge that this game presents with every shot. Of course this year is entirely different (more on that later). At the age of 43 my handicap has dropped to a level that it has never seen before. I take advantage of my length off the tee and survive with putting. The middle part of the game has always been the weak link, especially iron play. I know that in order to bring my game to the level I want I need to lower my approach handicap 2-3 shots. So let’s talk about Titleist T100-S.

 

 

 

While not a players distance iron the T100-S seem to try to close the gap between players distance and a players iron. They are not just strong lofted T100’s either. By moving tungsten and redesigning the sole Titleist created a fully forged iron designed to give players the extra distance they need to shoot lower scores. My current gamers are a blended set of Srixon Z585 (4-5) & Z785 (6-AW). I moved to these in Sept of 2019 from a set of original P790’s. So I should be able to give good feedback on whether Titleist was able to close the distance gap while maintaining the control that I get with the Srixon’s. This is the biggest question I have going into this test. Is it possible to have the best of both worlds, distance and control? All while putting it in a package that is appealing and maintains feel that players expect? Seems like a tall task for sure.

 

 

 

 

 

As everyone can attest to, this year is anything but normal. Due to Covid-19 we were unable to get fit, out of everyone’s control and luckily for me not a big deal at all. I am comfortable with my specs and there are plenty of stock offerings that I was confident I could fit myself.

 

 

 

I do have to hand it to Titleist, I received my clubs extremely fast after they were able to reopen. I imagine that “MGS Tester” as a PO moved us to the top. Nice to have some pull! Nothing too fancy in my specs, but they are a little flatter than my current gamers. It has been close to 10 years since I have played the Project X shaft. My first “fitted” set of clubs and really first set of clubs from any major manufacturer was a set of 2-pw Titleist DCI 962. They were +1 1/2” and 2* upright. (Fitting has come a long way since 1998) I’ll never forget the excitement of walking into the Pro Shop picking up my new clubs and walking out like a complete BA with Titleist clubs and a large bucket of range balls. Walking on air I arrive at the range and proceed to hit every single ball (100 in a row) absolutely perfect, just perfectly on the hosel. Completely dejected and questioning all my life choices I walked back into pro shop got another large bucket absolutely determined to find 1 groove anywhere. Well this bucket went didn’t go much better, about 90 more shanks and I had my first trunk slam moment. Sorry for the trip down memory lane. It is always the first thing I think of when I think of Titleist. I played those irons a long time and continued to have that shaft in the next 4 sets of irons.

 

 

First look, THEY KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK!! My first thought was they achieved they perfect blend of tech and traditional. From address they are a beautiful MB, very thin top line and traditional Titleist shape. In the cavity you have years of technology designed to achieve the results Titleist claims. In the bag they look like a club designed with all the enhancements that you would expect in 2020.

 

One of the things that I am curious about is the turf interaction with the sole Titleist designed. Srixon has the V sole, and it is wonderful. Looking closely at the sole to the T100-S the sole has a similar shape although with appreciable more rounded edges. I play two courses frequently, my home club would be on the softer side, while the other is on the firm side. How does the club play across different course conditions?

 

 

Looks are one thing, feel is another but to me it all comes down to one thing, performance. Do they find the sweet spot between players distance and players irons? Are they forgiving enough? Do they maintain the control I need? To me these are the questions when evaluating any new club. In the end do the irons perform, I can get past almost anything else.

 

What would you like to see tested? What questions do you have? My club is getting set to open to closer to normal hours next week, which will allow me to get out and really see what these things can do. 

 

 

Stage 2!!

 

 

For those that didn't see it in the thread, here is trailer video, probably best part of review. Now on to stage 2. 

 

 

Stage 2

 

It really is enjoyable to be a tester for MGS, it is work no doubt, however it is work that I love. Nights on the Skytrack, evenings on the course all alone trying different shots, tournament rounds and analysis, collecting information and deciphering it. I approached this test different than before. When the test was announced I was hesitant to apply. I was unquestionably playing the best golf of my life and was worried about interrupting that. But I am a member of a golf forum, so well yeah, the hesitation didn’t last long. Rather than breaking down each club vs my current gamers (Srixon Z585/Z785), when the T100-S arrived I threw them in the bag and let the results speak for themselves. I played 16 rounds in total, which included 4 tournament rounds, as well as my normal sessions on Skytrack. It wasn’t until after those 16 rounds that I started to make individual comparisons. I wanted to see how they affected the whole body of my game first. It is a luxury to be able to do that for sure, but one that I felt would give me the truth to the answer “Did I play my best”?

Looks (10 out of 10)

Titleist hit a grand slam. In the bag they look fabulous. A modern look that gives the impression of being on the cutting edge of technology. At address they look completely different, in the best possible way. A traditional blade look. Thin top line, little offset, just one of the best looking clubs from the top. They truly look like a cavity back iron and blade melded together. A complete package that in my opinion is the best looking iron that I have seen in recent years, maybe ever. When looking at the set as a whole you can really see the transition from long iron to the wedges, but the 8 iron is the transition iron. I hope the picture captures it enough but when comparing the 8 to the 7 you can see the change starting. More rounding, higher toe, exactly what you would expect as you move to the scoring clubs. 

Sound & Feel (7 out of 10)
Feel is one of the most subjective and divisive words in all of golf. A lot of factors and so many individual quirks comprise it. For myself it is farther down the list than most. However if I was at a fitting and the fitter handed my a T100-S I would have hit 3 shots handed the club back to the fitter with an emphatic no and moved on. Fortunately that wasn’t the case. After 2 rounds I thought there was something wrong with them, I didn’t hit a single shot that felt good. Harsh and clanky come to mind. However after and little bit of work on the range I was able to locate the sweet spot. And what a sweet spot it is, just pure forged glory. If you ask me it is a little higher and on the toe than what I thought it would be. We all know feel doesn’t equal reality so in all likelihood it is dead center of the club. They do not feel or sound good when you miss though. When missing the center they remind me of hitting a Hogan Apex 1 iron, they don’t vibrate up to your ears like a 1 iron does but you know you missed it. 

Basic Characteristics (18 out of 20)

This is where it starts to get foggy for me and the T100-S. Repeatable distance, controllable trajectory and the ability to hit partial shots are big keys to what I look for in irons. I play my irons based off maxed distance for a good swing. My PW flies 139 if I flush it, depending on conditions I adjust from there but it I know that 139 is max. The T100-s, for the most part they are very precise, not accurate, precise. However when in testing on the course I did hit a PW farther in the air than a 9 iron on the previous swing from the same yardage. To me that cannot happen, in my experience bad things happen when you are long. And one of the worst feelings is looking up at a pure iron shot, right on the flag only to see it continue flying over the green. These instances happened throughout the bag during the last 2 months. I am not convinced it is the head, but rather I have a strong suspicion it is the shaft. It seems that the combo of T100-S and Project X altered my delivery of the club. I was getting less spin, a lower launch and more side spin. All things of which lead me to lose some control over the golf ball. Hence, why I said precise and not accurate, they did it every time in a very repeatable fashion. The bucket on Skytrack that I was hitting my PW into was just magnificent, Hogan would have nodded in appreciation. A 10 yard by 11 yard circle, folks it doesn’t get better than that for myself. Even the 7 iron, while a larger circle, was smaller than my z785. Very precise, but as you can see not very accurate. 51 feet left of target on 7 and 39 feet left on PW. It was the same on the course, as I will get to. As far as the forgiveness side of the equation, they are about what you would expect except for one caveat. Because the feel is harsh to me on off center hits, there were times when I wouldn’t even follow the shot thinking that I missed it so bad it had no chance, only to look up and see it sitting on the green. They are forgiving, or about what you expect from this category of irons. I would even say that for repeatable distance across the face they are some of the best I have ever put my hands on. Now the sweet spot is small, so don’t expect to be all over the club face with impact, but in the vicinity and you will get the distance you are looking for. 

On Course Performance (15 out of 30)

This is where the disappointment starts. I say that because everything about these clubs I like or may even love (the looks). The scorecard however is the great equalizer, 16 rounds with T100-S completed with an average score of 77.6. Even if I drop out the 4 highest rounds during that time it only drops to 75.8. For comparison my previous 16 rounds were an average of 72.5. That is not the direction I was looking to be heading. A shot or two would have been acceptable and something i could have lived with. But 5 shots is just not cutting it. I was never able to get the accuracy I needed. Shots were continually missing left, and while that is my miss, it didn’t matter what swing i put on these, they were going left. Being as though they were consistently going in the same place, i would have liked to think that changing my aim point would rectify it and it did on a smaller scale. But it was just too tough in practice to hit to a flag on the right and aim 30 feet right of it. Their one shining moment came in my City Championship. I think in the two days I only missed 4 greens with the T100-S in my hand. But overall they were just not accurate enough for me to keep in my bag. I have played 5 rounds since taking the T100-S out and my average is 74.2. It is unfortunate that the shaft, head and my game just didn’t match up.

Miscellaneous (10 out of 10)

As everyone knows 2020 has been a year, it was the same week or within a couple of days that the testers were announced that Titleist shut down operations due to Covid. We knew that it was going to be a different process because of this. Once Titleist opened up they moved MGS near if not to the front of the line. We received our clubs much faster than i expected. It was an unexpected move that resonates from a relationship perspective.

Play it or trade it (10 out of 20)

I have thought About it a hundred different ways. Do I reshaft them? Do I go through a fitting? Do I do nothing and just chalk it up as one of the many clubs on the market that just doesn’t work for me? Do I continue to try to find a shot shape I can control with them? Of those the only answer I have is as built they will not be in my bag. They can serve as a very nice set of backup clubs. But they are just not right for me to have in the bag. 

Conclusion

Titleist made a great iron, incredible looking with the characteristics that you would expect, a players club from a players company. They just didn’t work for me. The shaft head combo was just not one that I could get the results from. If you are looking in this category of irons, do yourself a favor and hit the T100-S. I do believe that they are a great club. 

Final Score

70 out of 100

 

 

[GolfSpy_BNG]

 

Stage 2 post below stage 1

 

Stage 1

First off I really want to thank MyGolfSpy and Titleist for the opportunity to do this review.

 

For a more complete bio you can find it here.  https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/32612-2019-official-forum-member-review-lynx-black-cat-and-prowler-vt-irons/?tab=comments#comment-560524

If you prefer the short version here goes.  My name is Mark Kramer and I live in North Central Iowa.  I work as a HVAC Technician and as you can imagine this is the busy season for me.  Not only are people finally starting the A/C's for the year but the weather has become perfect for golf.  On top of that my daughter turns 18 on Monday and will officially have a graduation ceremony on Father's Day.  I have been married to my beautiful wife and best friend for 5 years now.  I love everything associated with golf from club building to playing to club ho'ing.

 

 

To say I was excited and anxious to receive the T200's would be an understatement. I took off work the day there were delivered and this was my waiting spot!

 

  First impressions are as important in golf as they are in dating.  Right when I opened the box from Titleist I knew I was dealing with a company that cares about how their clubs are packaged.  I have received clubs from other manufactures that had very little packing to keep clubs from banging around on each other. 

 

From all of the pictures online to the reviews, these T200's have everything I look for in an iron cosmetically.  Thinnish topline, nice sole width, not too long heel to toe, and just enough offset to help with my right miss without being off putting.

 

 

For this review we were originally going to be fitted at a Titleist Thursday in our area, obviously with the Covid-19 pandemic we weren't sure when Titleist would resume so we decided to either get fitted locally or if we knew our specs we could go that route.  I called the closest golf store to me that does fittings and they informed me that they were never sent their fitting irons from Titleist.  It seemed off to me and I will gladly discuss with anyone wanting more details via Personal Messages.  I will just say this, I don't believe this is to be considered a knock on Titleist.  I have played a fair amount of different equipment over the years and have a fairly decent idea of what works for my swing so I decided to go that route.  My specs that I ordered were T200's 4-W2(GW) with Project X LZ 5.5 shafts, GP MCC black/black standard grips, -1/2" length, 1* upright, and logos up(I'm weird that way!)  When I received the irons everything was spot on except the logos of the shafts were down.  Not a huge issue and probably my fault for not specifying.

 

 

When it comes to reviewing and playing an iron set, my main focus is and always will be consistent distance.  I want to know that if I put 2 similar swings on a club that the ball will travel the desired distance.  I am a big believer in not caring/worrying whether my 7-iron goes 165 or 155 as long as I can count on it going that specific distance.

I do have a couple iron only rounds planned as a little side competition with [mention=55883]Berg Ryman[/mention] to add a nice twist to the review process.  If there is anything specific anybody wants to see or have tested please let us know.

Again a huge thank you to MyGolfSPy and Titleist for this opportunity! 

 

 

 

 

 

Stage 2 Review

 

I can't start this review without first thanking MyGolfSpy and Titleist for the opportunity to review the T200's.  I would also like to thank my fellow reviewers for allowing me to tag along.  While I know I used my Golden Ticket to be involved, I still like to think I had a legit shot at joining these 3 MGS Hall of Famers without it!

For this final stage of reviewing, my primary focus was on the course.  I did hit the range a couple of times but that was more to find my swing again.  For those that weren't following along, I had a couple rounds where I couldn't hit any club in my bag including the putter!    Luckily it didn't take long to find it, and I managed to have some of my best rounds ever with these in the bag.

Looks: 8 out of 10

This category was an easy one to grade.  The T200's are just about the perfect overall shape for me.  If I was able to create my own iron, they would share a bunch of qualities with the T200's.  If I am nitpicking, I would shorten the heel to toe size slightly, use a satin finish to reduce glare, and have no cavity.  The finish of the T200's are a mirror chrome that looks sweet until you get into bright sunlight. -1pt

The cavity was another small inconvenience for me due to being an early morning dew sweeper.  Grass and water would collect in the cavity and would be hard to get out every now and then.  -1pt

The heel to toe size is strictly a personal preference and by no means a turn off.  I would say the T200's are a happy middle ground between true players mb and a super game improvement iron.

Sound & Feel 6 out of 10

This category was the hardest for me to decide on.  When you hit the T200's on the sweet spot the ball melts off the face and flies high and fast.  As you move away from the sweet spot, the feel becomes harsher and the sound gets extremely clicky.  This is a nice thing to have to know that you missed the center but for me, I would prefer that feeling with a more severe miss as oppose to a slight one.  I did miss a few to both extremes of the face and my hands and elbows hated me!

 

Basic Characteristics 16 out of 20

The T200's are very strong lofted with a 43* PW so raw distance was never an issue.  I did have issues with consistent distances though, more on that later.

Accuracy and control were exactly where I'd expect an iron like this to be from a side to side aspect.  While the T200's wanted to fly high and straight, a draw or fade were not a problem with the correct swing.  I played a few rounds in slightly windy to blow you over windy and knockdown shots with the T200's were more of a struggle to execute.  Don't get me wrong, they are absolutely doable, they just took more work for me to pull off.

 

On Course Performance 24 out of 30

Alright folks if you have managed to read through my blabbering to this point, thank you.  This is the meat and potatoes of MGS reviews in my opinion.  The on course performance is what I always like reading as that is where the clubs really have to shine.

For those that have followed along as we put these clubs through their paces, you know that I commented more than once on the out of nowhere fliers that the T200's produced. I am talking 20-30 yards too far from what felt and looked like a normal strike.  Consistent distance is the most important aspect of an iron for me.  The courses I play do not have many playable areas behind the greens.  On more than one occasion I had to take a penalty due to the ball flying the extra 20-30.  For this reason alone I subtracted 12pts from the score.

Now if your paying attention, your probably saying "But Mark, 24 out of 30 is only 6 points!"  Well you would be correct, however as I have said in this thread as well as the "How did you play" thread, I have had a career year score wise and the T200's have been in the bag for almost all of them I believe.  There was a couple rounds where they weren't really needed due to my driving but there were there none the less! LOL  For that reason, I added 6 points back because let's face it, this game is about playing your best as often as possible.

 

Miscellaneous 10 out of 10

I will use this category to praise MyGolfSpy and Titleist for making this review happen during the pandemic we have been facing.  With everything that has been going on, getting us equipment junkies some clubs was fairly low on the importance scale.  The fact that Titleist got these to us as quickly as they did was awesome and I can't thank them enough.

Play it or Trade it 15 out of 20

This was another difficult one for me to score as I have played really well with these in the bag.  This distance consistency thing is huge for me which is the reason for the score.

These are staying in the bag for now, even with a trade it overall score.  The heads are awesome and I can't help but think a shaft change may unlock the final consistency I am looking for.

 

Conclusion

If you decided to just skip to this part as I tend to ramble, no hard feelings.  The T200's are almost the perfect club for me.  Looks, Raw Distance, and playability are all in the upper echelon for irons in this category.  Unfortunately for my grading process the inconsistent distances are the most important which leads to the lower score.  I will have no problem amending my negatives if the shaft change does what I am hoping.

Total Score 79 out of 100

 

[DaveP043]

Once again, I’m back with a review, one of the lucky few selected to review the Titleist T200 irons.  Thanks to Titleist for providing the clubs, and to MyGolfSpy for selecting me.
An introduction to me, I'm a 64-year old Geotechnical Engineer, living in the Washington DC suburbs. I play golf a bit further west, at Stoneleigh Golf Club in Round Hill, VA. Stoneleigh is on the eastern flank of the Blue Ridge. The course is pretty hilly, lots of uphill and downhill shots, with rolling to really severely contoured greens. The greens are generally moderately firm, its not possible to stop a ball with trajectory alone, spin is important. Its not really long, only 6800 yards from the back tees, but it doesn't need to be. The course is pretty breezy most days, so dealing with the wind is important.
I've been playing golf since I was a teenager, so I'm approaching 50 years of experience. I was largely a hacker, maybe a 15-handicap at best until I joined the club in the early 90s. Since then, with the help of a couple of lessons, a good bit of practice, and lots of play, I've become much better, currently a 6 handicap. I love to play and love even more to compete. Lucky for me, my wife is the same. Almost all of our vacations involve golf, we own a condo in the Pinehurst area, golf is a huge part of both our lives. I play club tournaments, and on the inter-club leagues. And when my wife and I play together, we're always playing a match “for all the money in the world.” 
A quick equipment summary: I just replaced my driver over the winter of 2018/2019. Through a fitting session at Mid South in Pinehurst, I ended up with a Calloway Rogue SubZero with Graphite Design YS-Six shaft. Irons are (or used to be) AP-2 714 with KBS Tour S shafts, with Vokey wedges of various ages. Putter is an old Ping G5i (with the blue inserts) B-60.
As I mentioned, I'm a single-digit handicap, current with a 5.0 index. I generally keep the ball in play, hit a fair number of greens. Due to a change I've been working on over the last couple of years, I'm hitting the ball pretty straight, and a little higher than I used to, with a slight tendency towards a draw. Long irons are decent, short irons are generally good, short game and putting have been pretty solid recently. 

I’ll post a video of my swing. 

https://youtu.be/lRfXUFutw0w

 I’m not a power player, driver swing speed is just under 100 mph.  7-iron with my AP-2s is around 150 yards.  I’m not one to change equipment very often.  My AP-2 irons are about 5 or 6 years old, before that I had Mizuno MP-30 irons for 6 or 7 more years.  I bought my current irons from my home club.  I wasn’t really fitted by today’s standards, although I did try a number of clubheads and shafts from the fitting package in the pro shop, working with the head pro to visually evaluate ball flight and distance.

For the T-200s, I went to a nearby Titleist fitting center, at 1757 Golf Club in Sterling, VA.  I worked with Tim Brogan, analyzing all of the available shafts through Trackman.  I want to send my thanks to Tim! https://www.1757golfclub.com/club-fitting-repair#team

I think I was the first of the four to actually receive my clubs, and posted just a couple of photos here:
https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/37482-2020-official-member-review-titleist-t100st200-irons/?do=findComment&comment=631645
Since I received the clubs, I’ve played 7 rounds of golf, so they don’t look quite so shiny and clean, but I haven’t bunged them up too badly.  Obviously, these clubs look great, pretty classic at address.  The “technology” is only apparent when you look at the back of the clubs, but who really looks there?  As with every time I’ve done a review, some of it will be evaluating how well these clubs fulfil Titleist’s marketing claims, but a big part of it will simply be comparing them with my current irons.  This would be my normal way of thinking about a different clubs, but will also fulfil requests by at least a couple of MGS members who also play AP2s.  For that, I’ll add a few photos showing the T200 against the AP-2

6-iron

Pitching Wedge

In case you can’t tell by the wear pattern, the T200 is to the top in each photo.  You can see that the T200 is slightly larger for each one, which is most apparent to my eyes when I’m swing the shorter irons.

From the top:

6-iron

Wedge

It may be hard to tell from that angle, but the topline on the T200 (right) is a little sharper than on the AP2.  I couldn’t get a photo to show it clearly, but the leading edge is a little sharper on the T200, the AP2 is a little more rounded.  Another interesting look, and it only shows up on the 4 and 5 irons, at address I can see just a bit of the trailing edge of the sole.
 

I haven’t felt like my swing is really crisp coming into this review, probably because I’m not practicing as much as I usually do (COVID stuff, ugh).  Still, my first impression of playing the clubs is solid.  Consistent with my fitting results, the x-iron goes a bit further than the old x-iron, while the launch angle is just as high.  Phrased differently, to avoid offending the “loft-jacking opponents”, my 150-yard club now flies higher than the previous 150-yard club.  Forgiveness seems OK (and I’ve hit a bunch of off-center shots), and the well-struck shots just feel effortless.  

So what’s my plan going forward?  Well, I’m just going to play and practice.  As I said earlier, part of my evaluation will be a comparison to my current clubs, the AP2 714.  The other part will be an evaluation of the clubs performance as compared to Titleist’s claims.  Here’s what they say, without going into the technical details:
“Max Impact Technology will produce maximum ball speed from nearly any point on the face
More tungsten weighting will increase MOI, producing tighter shot dispersion
A forged clubface will increase ball speed on the lower portion of the clubface.  Progressive weighting moves the CG lower in the longer irons, producing “superior ball flight”
For anyone interested, you can check out more details here”
https://www.titleist.com/golf-clubs/irons/t200
and from Tony Covey’s article here:
https://mygolfspy.com/titleist-t100-t200-t300-iron-review/
 

Stage Two – The Review

OK, back again with my (semi) definitive review of these clubs. This has been difficult to do. In my opinion, every review is almost as much about the reviewer as it is about the piece of equipment. While I’ve been playing and practicing over the past few months, I don’t feel like I’ve been at my best. Part of that is a decrease in practice time. For a good while, I was working from home due to COVID stuff. Since my club is near my office, and not too close to home, I wasn’t practicing as much as normal, so my season got off to a slow start. Even as I’ve gotten back into my more normal routine, my play has been erratic. I’m not playing particularly bad, but I haven’t had real good days either. I think my erratic play has probably influenced by opinion about the clubs.

Anyway, as I said at the end of Stage 1, I have simply been playing and practicing, comparing my experience with the T200s to my “normal” play with my 714 AP2s. One to two practice sessions (typically 30 to 40 minutes) a week, play on Saturday and Sunday just about every weekend. I’ve played generally OK, Handicap Index is 4.5 (it was 3.5 a year ago), scores generally from 75 to 83.

Looks (9.5 out of 10 points)

As noted in the Stage 1, these are good-looking clubs. Thin top line, pretty classic looking at address. The slightly wider sole gives a pretty comforting appearance at address in the longer irons. The tech is apparent on the back side of the club. This photo shows the 7 and 8-irons.  

The little “button” on the 7 is said to be the anchor point for a wee bit of elastomer (plastic to me) that is intended to even out the response of the club across the entire clubface. To me, the looks while playing the club are great. The look of the back is interesting, but not flashy enough to be objectionable. And they look good in my bag!

Sound & Feel (8 out of 10 points)

The clubs simply sound solid. I don’t hear a “clonk” or a “plink”, just a solid “smack”. I can definitely feel significantly off-center strokes (more on that later), low on the face, but the results from those poor strikes aren’t unreasonably poor. Slightly off center results are actually pretty good. My experience over the last 10 or 12 years has been with Mizuno MP30, 714 AP2, and now the T200. These new ones are pretty similar in feel to the AP2s, and slightly less “harsh” than mishits with the Mizunos. Good shots feels really good with all 3. I think the T200 has a good balance, good feedback from mishits without huge performance loss.

Basic Characteristics (17 out of 20 points)

I expected these clubs to perform well, and they lived up to my expectations. During most weeks, I’ve had about an hour or a little more of concentrated range time to explore these clubs. As expected from the fitting experience, these clubs are a bit longer than my AP2s, about one full club. After a couple of decades on the same range, and 6 or 7 years with the same irons, I know pretty well which clubs I need to use to hit specific targets. I’m reaching the “yellow” post with a 7-iron most days (considering wind variability) when I need my 6-iron from the AP2 set. The black post was a 9-iron previously, now its the 43* wedge. This agrees completely with the information from the fitting.

I’m also seeing higher ball flight for a given distance. My T200 7-iron (30* loft) flies higher than my old 6-iron (at the same 30* loft). Taking away any of the ego benefit of hitting a 7-iron further than before, what this really means is that my shot for a specific yardage can now fly higher than it could before.

I’ve been pleased by the consistency of my shots with these clubs. Good swings get good results, I’m not seeing much dispersion from solid swings. Distance control is good, and I can modulate my swing intensity to take a bit off. I’ve been very pleased to be able to control trajectory. Particularly with shorter irons, I don’t care to hit a shot real high. With the T200, I can flight a wedge or 8-iron to fly full distance but lower than “standard”, and that really suits my eye. Just as before, I can draw these clubs easily, and I can hit them pretty dang straight when I choose to. Also as before, I can’t reliably hit a fade, but that’s a “me” problem and not a “club” problem.

Heel and toe forgivenness is really pretty good. This photo

 

shows two shots, one to the toe side, one to the heel, about a half-inch off center each way. These two shots felt perfect, flew nearly identically, and landed in pretty much the same spot next to my target.

Sadly for me, I’ve struggled a bit this summer with thin shots, particularly in the longer clubs. I think I understand what’s happening, and am working to correct it, but nevertheless I’ve done a pretty extensive examination of the T200s and thin strikes. And they suck, I definitely lose distance, 5 to 10 yards for what feel like minor mishits. These are definitely mishits, so I expect to lose something. But one of the claims Titleist makes is that “The T200 forged face wraps around the sole to increase ball speed on the lower portion of the clubface.” Based on my experience, I’m not sure that the technology is really successful, I’m still losing noticeable distance on low strikes. They’re definitely not worse than the AP2s, but I’m not sure they’re any better.

All in all, I am very satisfied with the basic performance of the clubs.

But (there has to be a but) for all of my consistency on the range, it doesn’t all translate the same to the course. Its one thing to accept the increased distance of the new clubs, its a completely different thing to hit an 8 where I always hit a 7, and not try to press to hit it. More in the next section.

On-Course Performance (22 out of 30 points)

Remember back there when I suggested that a review as much about the reviewer as it is about the clubs. Now I’ll explain. As I mentioned, my handicap is up a stroke from this year at this time. I don’t blame that on a club change, I feel like most parts of my game are a little bit off (except my driver). To add to that, I’ve needed to adapt mentally to new clubs. The biggest hurdle for me was the increased distance, I now need to hit a higher-number club than I used to. That’s fine, I understand this rationally, but I’ve had a hard time NOT pressing to hit my 8 “harder” when somehow I know its always been a 7, like on this hole:

And when I press, I maybe swing harder and hit it long. Or I mishit it and end up short. My swing changes a bit and I block one way right, or I give it the power flip and hit the power-hook. I have ALL the shots! I’ve had to stop “helping” the clubs go longer, and just “allow” them to go longer. I’ve been more erratic on the course than I expect. I’m gradually getting over it, and my distance control and my accuracy and my consistency are all improving, but its taken a lot longer than I had expected.

Now that I’ve outlined my personal mental deficiencies, lets get to the clubs. They work. I can hit the trajectory I choose. I can get the ball flying out of moderate rough. I’ve hit some lovely low shots under trees when I needed to. I’ve lofted a 5 or 6 iron over trees to hit a par-5 in two. I’m now stepping up and absolutely trusting that I can hit a shot the right distance, the right trajectory, the curvature that I want (as long as its not a fade). I have absolutely no complaints about the clubs.

Now, to Titleist’s marketing claims, from their website:

“Max Impact Technology will produce maximum ball speed from nearly any point on the face”

I haven’t noticed any unprovoked “jumpers”, no hot spots on the face, so I believe they’ve succeeded.

"More tungsten weighting will increase MOI, producing tighter shot dispersion"

As I’m beginning to make more good swings, and fewer “forced” swings, I’m seeing improved dispersion. These clubs won’t overcome bad swings, nothing can, but for minor mis-hits the perform well.

"A forged clubface will increase ball speed on the lower portion of the clubface. Progressive weighting moves the CG lower in the longer irons, producing “superior ball flight”

As mentioned before, I’m seeing enough distance loss on thin hits that I’m not sure they’ve been successful here.

So between my personal shortcomings, and the slight over-marketing of the clubface, I can’t give full marks here, but these are still really good clubs.

Miscellaneous (7 out of 10 points)

In the middle of a nationwide, a worldwide medical crisis, Titleist got us our clubs in a hurry. My personal experience with Titleist has been outstanding.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some issues that a friend at my home club had. He got a set of T200s last fall. He loves the clubs, but has had several workmanship issues. At least 2 clubheads have come unglued, one in the first week he had them. The little bits on the back side of one clubhead came undone. He is very complimentary about Titleist’s reaction to the issues, but that type of thing is disappointing. There’s a thread on the Team Titleist website about this, where the Titleist staff guy says they had a short-term issue with epoxy that has been addressed, so presumably it won’t be a problem going forward.
Play it or Trade it? (19 out of 20 points)

I’ve wondered over the past month or more whether I made the right selection when faced with the T100S or the T200. I know the AP2 I used before are relatively analogous to the T100 line, but I’m 64 years old, and am likely to need more forgiveness as I get even more ancient. So I picked the T200, and was lucky enough to be selected. From that standpoint alone I made the right choice, who knows whether I would have been selected to review the T100S.

But now I’ve decided, I’m playing these, and I’m going to keep playing these for the foreseeable future. Between my game coming around, and my ever-increasing comfort with club selection, these will be in my bag. I don’t believe any single club change is transformative, and these aren’t likely to take me from a perennial 4 to 7 handicapper down to scratch. That’s on me, if I choose to put in the work. But these clubs will definitely allow me to play as well as I can, and will give me a couple of small advantages over my previous set of good clubs.

Conclusion

Titleist has completely revamped their lines of irons, no more AP1, AP2, and AP3, now we have T100 (and T100S), T200, T300, and T400. The T200 that I reviewed has a number of game-improvement features in a very classic-looking clubhead. Lofts are stronger, yet launch is as high or higher. Forgiveness is good on decent mis-hits, but can’t overcome bad ones. I like these clubs, I like the appearance, I like the way they set up, I like the ball flights that I can achieve, I like the consistency of my distance. I’ll never try enough clubs to say these are the absolute best for me, but they’re more than good enough to let me play my best.

Final Score: (81.5 out of 100)

That number seems low to me, but I’ve noted that in some ways the score reflects on me as much as it does on the clubs. You can each  read the entire review and decide whether that’s fair or not. These are good clubs. Period! (to quote that other manufacturer)

[null]

Do the forum proud, gents! 

[cnosil]

Solid group of players there. Looking forward to reading their thoughts.

[MDGolfHacker]

Congrats guys!

 

MDGolfHacker

[sirchunksalot]

Phenomenal group of testers chosen, you'll all do a great job! Congratulations guys!

Sent from my SM-N975U using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[M. Parsons]

Congrats guys!  Looking forward to this review and your fitting of these 2 sets of irons.  Have fun out there!

[GolfSpy_BOS]

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on these guys!  I know we're going to get great content out of this group.

@DaveP043 can't wait to see your thoughts on the T200 vs 714 AP2 as that's what's in my bag now.  From what I've read they should be similar sized. 

[bens197]

Congrats fellas! 

[PMookie]

Congratulations!!!!! Very cool!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[JScott]

Congrats!  Looking forward to the info

[Shankster]

Congrats gentlemen! Can’t wait to read about these bad boys!

[jayjay0808]

Great group of guys for this test... Enjoy the shiny new sticks and put them through the dirt!

[McaseyM]

Congrats guys! enjoy the tests!!

[StrokerAce]

Have fun gentlemen! Definitely want to hear some hole in one stories from this one...

 

[mysterygolfguy]

Congrats guys! Can't wait to read you reviews!

[THEZIPR23]

Thank you Titleist, MGS and mods. 

Congrats fellow testers.

This is going to be awesome!!

[cwojtowicz]

Congrats guys! Great choice for your golden ticket @blackngold_blood

[MattF]

Congratulations fellas!

[daviddvm]

Great group of members here...congrats...I will be following you all closely !

[Henri8]

Congrats to being selected. Look forward to reading your assessment 

[ballplayer002003]

Congrats guys!  Eager to hear how they feel! 

[DaveP043]

Wow, all I can say is wow.  Thanks for the opportunity, I can't wait to give them a shot.

[GB13]

Great group right there!! I can’t wait to see how these work for y’all! 

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

Good luck all and congrats! I CANNOT WAIT to see this and read what you think (courses opening dependent)

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy Stroker said:

Have fun gentlemen! Definitely want to hear some hole in one stories from this one...

 

If they do get any ACES...Does that mean we all get a round on them?? asking for a friend

[MaxEntropy]

Congrats! This will be great to follow!