Titleist T Series Irons - 2023 Forum Review

[ole gray]

That makes 3 of us on team 67*

There’s just something about them Titty babies er I mean Titleist


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[golfinnut]

On 10/4/2023 at 2:52 PM, ole gray said:

OR buy a LAB putter as it's supposed to almost putt by itself 

they pretty much do  

On 10/5/2023 at 5:31 PM, bens197 said:

Ask me about mine

and mine 

[Jim Shaw]

36 minutes ago, golfinnut said:

they pretty much do  

and mine 

so,  they putt by themsleves, but do they sink the putts?

 

[GolfSpy_BEN]

We were asked for some glamor shots of the irons today and these turned okay, so I thought I would share:

[chisag]

... Nice photos! These new phones have insane camera's. This was the first picture I took with my iPhone 15 Pro and it is better than anything I could have taken back in the day when I had a serious camera, lenses and equipment hobby for a couple years. 

 

[Jim Shaw]

17 minutes ago, Ben Joest said:

We were asked for some glamor shots of the irons today and these turned okay, so I thought I would share:

looks pretty glamorous.... good job... 

[golfinnut]

11 hours ago, Jim Shaw said:

so,  they putt by themsleves, but do they sink the putts?

 

Indeed it does.  My putting hasn't been better.  I now have the confidence that I can make it from anywhere.  Especially inside 8 feet.  As long as I pick the right line, they always have a great chance 

[golfinnut]

These irons will finally be in the bag very soon.  

[ole gray]

Glamour shots of my T350s

 

 

LOVE these beauties and they work just as well as they look! 

[Jim Shaw]

34 minutes ago, golfinnut said:

Indeed it does.  My putting hasn't been better.  I now have the confidence that I can make it from anywhere.  Especially inside 8 feet.  As long as I pick the right line, they always have a great chance 

I wil have to give one a go  thanks

[ole gray]

I have to say the more I hit my W48 set wedge the more impressed I have become.  This thing is a dart thrower with the prettiest high soft shots you could ever imagine. From 75 to 105, this thing is money. LOVE IT! 

[GregB135]

Still experiencing technical difficulties getting the final review posted. Mods are working the issue.

This is a test.....

[GregB135]

This looks promising.... hopefully I'll have final  posted this evening.

[ole gray]

3 hours ago, GregB135 said:

Still experiencing technical difficulties getting the final review posted. Mods are working the issue.
This is a test.....

Dayuuuuummmmm that’s a good looking stud right there! 


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Edited October 11, 2023 by ole gray

[GregB135]

10 hours ago, GregB135 said:

Still experiencing technical difficulties getting the final review posted. Mods are working the issue.

This is a test.....

  Thanks. AKA "Greg with the hat"

[GregB135]

Still trying to figure out how to get the final review posted. Every time I try I get a server error message. But seems like these short comments, even with the photos, don't trigger the same issue. I'm stumped. Anyone have any thoughts?

[GolfSpy_BEN]

57 minutes ago, GregB135 said:

Still trying to figure out how to get the final review posted. Every time I try I get a server error message. But seems like these short comments, even with the photos, don't trigger the same issue. I'm stumped. Anyone have any thoughts?

Have you tried posting the words without the pictures in a new post? Or the pictures without the words? I got mine to go, but it was a lengthy trial and error process that took up a good chunk of the Saturday it was due. That most frustrating part was the parts it would take or reject were random

[GregB135]

Final Review 3 Oct 2023

Titleist T-Series Irons (T200) – Official MGS Forum Review by Greg Barker


First Impressions 18 out of 20

From the very beginning the testing experience for the T-series irons was first rate. You can read more in-depth about the fitting and un-boxing in those posts. My fitter, Joe, is one that I’ve worked with before so it didn’t take him long to get me dialed in with the T200 5-PW, and the TRS2 4-Hybrid all matched up with the Mitsubishi Tensei Blue graphite shafts.


Truthfully, the two-point deduction is only for the packaging for shipping. Given Titleist’s reputation of class and prestige, 

And how hard they work to maintain that image, the packaging was plain and minimal, but effective. The simple carboard box with basic wrapping on the club heads and not much to keep the clubs separated in the box falls a little short of what some of their DTC competitors do to make receiving the shipment feel special.

(photo package)


The clubs themselves look fantastic. Titleist has marketed the new T-series as more easily blended than previous sets. And, while I didn’t wind up with a blending of the T-series this time, my previous set was blended T-300/T-200. Not so much for looks, but for playability differences I went back and ordered the T-200 club heads to replace the two 300s. 



Aesthetics 9 out of 10 


Titleist continues to make really great looking clubs with a simple and classic appeal. The T-200s really nailed the look for taking a player’s distance design and giving it the classic look of it’s more blade-like siblings. The look at setup frames the ball nicely, and the slightly thicker top line keeps the bulkier back side of the club head out of view, which for me helps give a bit of confidence when I’m trying to shape a shot. The change in the badging, enclosing the cavity and other inner workings of the clubhead gives these that classic ‘look at me, I’m a great club’ appeal that has become Titleist’s go-to.

(photos 7setup, 5 setup)


Sound and feel are where the T-200s lost a point for me. The previous T200 got a bad rap for sound because the badge enclosing the back of the clubhead made a goofy, annoying, clicky sound if you happened to tap a ball with the back of the club. Granted, you would only do that on the range and not when hitting a shot, but it was still there. They improved that mightily with the new version. Comparing these directly to the original T200s, the sound of the strike tells me a little bit more than the feel. Maybe it’s the combination of the updated design and the graphite shaft but the feel feedback I get from this set feels a bit muted versus their predecessors that really told your hands when you flushed it or missed it. The sound and feel together though is more than enough to decipher the quality of the shot. The good news: Even when sound and feel say you missed it by a bit, the inner workings of the club provide a shot that stays pretty close to the one you intended.


It took me a few range sessions to get accustomed to the feel and balance with the graphite shafts. It seemed strange to me that the lighter graphite shaft had what seemed like a stiffer, or more rigid feel to it than the steel shafts in the other irons. I got over that quickly when I saw the consistency in the numbers and the ball flight.



The Numbers 10 out of 10


I put these irons through a number of range sessions using the Rhapsodo MLM. I had a couple of lessons with my coach using them. I played a number of practice rounds, and had them almost immediately in play in league competition for the final event of they year and post season match play. I could see right away, consistently higher ball flight. That was identified as a target during the fitting to improve carry and descent angle. I started very consistent club and ball speeds using the MLM, and as a result, more consistent distance with each club. It was doing some impact drills that really honed in the sense of the sound and feel mentioned above. Once I get to (or at least close to) the A swing, the side-to-side dispersion seems to be A LOT better to boot. All-in-all this set of T200s with the TSR hybrid was really easy to get dialed in and ready to take on the course with confidence.

(photo rangedata)


I used them in a practice round on the course immediately after the hurricane passed through. So the fairways were not cut down to their usual height, and there were some soft conditions to deal with as well. These irons flowed really nicely through the deeper fairway grass and at the same time I’ve had no issues, and even hit some really good shots, from thin or other troublesome lies. The sole design seems to be working as advertised in that regard.


On-Course 20 out of 20


For the past several seasons, I’ve pretty steadily averaged 5-7 GIR per round and scored pretty steadily in the high mid 80-s to low 90s range. Looking back at my scorecards with these irons, including one 9-hole irons only round, I’ve seen that GIR average bumped up to 7-9, included one round with 10 GIR. Two of five rounds with the T200s in the bag had 10+ holes at par or better, with 5 individual 9 hole scores under 40. On top of those competitive rounds, was the irons only 9 that carded a 38. I managed to break 80 for the first time in something like 3 years. The last round I played was in a team match play event. Even with some early miscues in the first round, the T200s kept me competitive through the weekend. I hit a handful of difference making shots in 4-ball and alternate shot. Then in singles, with the match even after 14 holes; I hit 3 of 4 GIR coming in, including slightly mis hit layup and approach shots on the par 5 18th, but that was enough to take the match 2-up and earn my second full point for the weekend.


(photos T palms card, Consvtry card)


The Good, the bad, the in-between 20 out of 20


The good – with my previous set, I dreaded pulling the 4 or 5 iron for approach shots. I had just about zero confidence in either of those clubs. Interestingly, it’s been the 5 iron and 4 hybrid that have generated some of the best, and most clutch shots I’ve hit with this new set.

The bad – with the very slight increase in carry distances, this set managed to stretch out what I already thought was too great a gap between my PW and lowest lofted wedge. That’s left me without a club in the bag for the 105-115 distance. 

The in-between – going into the fitting, I told Joe, “everything is on the table” as far as set makeup, shafts, etc. I’ll admit I was a little skeptical when he grabbed the first graphite shaft option. The performance of this combination though was just too hard to beat and the Tensei blues got the nod over the Nippon Zelos lightweight steel shaft.

The only other negative to all of this? If I keep scoring this well, I’m gonna wind up in the A Flight and one set of tees further back (at least the 4h and 5i are pulling their weight now)


Play it or Trade it? 20 out of 20


If you’ve read this far, you can probably guess the answer to that one. These irons are definitely in the bag to stay. Giving props to Joe for yet another really good fitting and further testimony to the value of that in selecting clubs, I’ve played some of my best golf in years with this set in the bag. I’ve regained some lost confidence in using the longer clubs for approach shots.  Seeing my GIR number on the rise, and looking at score cards with 10 and 11 holes played to par or better has me more excited about where my game is, and where it could get to, than I have been in a long time.


(And the Gap Wedge to work into the bottom of the set to fill in that yardage gap is on order)


Conclusion

What does Titleist claim for the T200 irons? They call it a Player’s Distance iron, so it should be the middle ground between the workability of a muscle-back/blade design, and the forgiveness of a cavity back, perimeter weighted game improvement iron. In other words, the sweet spot for my mid-handicap game. Even comparing these directly to their original release predecessors, I got improvement all across my iron game using the new T-200.

Titleist also claims:

Enhanced Feel – If by enhanced they mean softer, I can concur. If you’re accustomed to the more distinct feedback to the hands of a forged blade or muscle back, these will feel “muted” to quote myself and another tester. That doesn’t mean they don’t tell you enough to know when you nailed the sweet spot, or got one a little thin. I also felt like I had a little better club head awareness through the swing and transition with these.

Clean and Confident Shape – Titleist has changed their mindset on whether or not they want you to blend their iron sets. The T-series is designed just for that. While I didn’t wind up with a blended set after my fitting, the lines and appearance at setup frame the ball nicely. Closing the back of the clubhead and making it more of a hollow body cavity back makes the look consistent when you do blend the set, and, at least for me, gave me a little more confidence up and down the set.

Effortless Turf Interaction – Definitely a Check! I got to play these in a variety of conditions, and from a variety of fairway and off-fairway lies. My divot shape had been a little shallower, but definitely more consistent on the range. I’ll also testify to seeing far less distance given away on shots where I said “caught that one a little heavy” while the ball was in fight. Also very consistent performance for me through the set in this category, helping to restore some lost confidence in the longer irons.

Better Tungsten for Better Scoring – Also Check! I’ve carded some of my best scores in years during this test period. The upgraded tungsten in the new design generated higher ball flight and better descent angle than my earlier version T200s. My GIR numbers improved along with my number of par-or-better holes each round. 

Final Score 97 out of 100
At least for this mid-handicap, self-described “B-Flight hack”, the Titleist T-200 irons more than fit the bill, and proved out just about every detail Titleist claims. If you are in the market for a new set of Players Distance type irons, I am more than a believer in these.

(photo final bag)



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[GregB135]

10 hours ago, Ben Joest said:

Have you tried posting the words without the pictures in a new post? Or the pictures without the words? I got mine to go, but it was a lengthy trial and error process that took up a good chunk of the Saturday it was due. That most frustrating part was the parts it would take or reject were random

I tried every possible option. With and without pictures. Copy/paste from Word. All over several frustrating days. Shout out to @GolfSpy_APH for finding a workaround to all the server issues to at least get the text of my review up. I even got rejected this morning with the Internal Server Error trying to quote the post to add the photos.

I'm frustrated and disappointed because it all makes it look far below the level of my other review work and it puts my name on an end product that is below the quality that I would publish. Not Jamie's fault, he went way above and beyond to find a way to get it up there. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 12, 2023 by GregB135

[GregB135]

First Impressions - 18 out of 20

Points off for packaging - A little plain considering what I've received from some other OEMs

 

Aesthetics 9 out of 10

Clubs have that clean traditional look even with all the GI engineering under the hood (7 iron left, 5 iron right)

 

On Course 20 out of 20

I haven't had so many 9 hole scores under 40 in quite a long time. These irons are a great fit for my swing and my game

 

 

The Numbers 10 out of 10

Once I got the swing tuned in, side-to-side dispersion looked really good

 

Conclusion - The T200s are going to be in the bag for a long time

[GregB135]

Okay then. If you can imagine that string of photo posts included in the review post, you'll have an idea of what I inteded my end product to look like. My apologies to the mod team and all of you for the delays caused by dealinlg with the server issues. 

Even with all the frustration here at the end of the process, it has been great, and a lot of fun working with this group of testers and the mod team to get here.

[Grand Stranded]

On 8/26/2023 at 11:42 AM, ole gray said:

I'm fortunate to have a nice driving range about one mile from my house.  I went up this morning to spend more time with my Apex DCB irons that were converted to  2-degrees flat.  Each time out with this new spec I see such an improvement in dispersion, ball flight, and overall distance. This new lie angle will feel natural by the time the T350s hit my front porch.  Getting pumped!   A proper fitting is slicker than a fat pig at the county fair!

I don’t know if you received your T350’s yet, but if you did can you tell me how they stack up against the DCBs?

The 5-AW set of DCBs we talked about in the what did you buy thread is arriving sometime today… I feel like a kid on Christmas morning.

[bens197]

My heart says keep going and my hands say wow it’s cold. Casual range session today in 48* weather. 

Today was a therapy session. 
 

Some shots of the set as we head into the fall / winter and I’ll wrap up later with a few additional thoughts…

Edited October 13, 2023 by bens197

[ole gray]

1 hour ago, Grand Stranded said:

I don’t know if you received your T350’s yet, but if you did can you tell me how they stack up against the DCBs?

The 5-AW set of DCBs we talked about in the what did you buy thread is arriving sometime today… I feel like a kid on Christmas morning.

They're both awesome irons and they are very similar in the fact they have forged faces.  The ball comes off both sets with a nice flushed feeling.  The T350's are a little more forgiving on toe and heel strikes and a bit longer. The difference in length could be related to the T350's 7 iron at 29 degrees and the DCB 7 iron at 30 degrees. 

The DCB irons are a Great set of irons and you will enjoy the heck out of them! Looking forward to your take after a few rounds. Oh and by the way, my wife bags the DCBs and she LOVES em. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

I have thoroughly enjoyed playing these irons.

I will have a full writeup in a coming weeks however I have to say these irons continue to impress. 

In my tournament today I managed 5 straight greens in reg, before pumping a drive ob and making a simple double bogey after. With 7 greens in reg on the front. 

The back wasn't as good but still solid with another 4 greens in reg and another 2 holes which the irons really shined. 

[GolfSpy_BEN]

Made it out to the range today. The focus was primarily on a new driver shaft I am breaking in, but I had to hit some irons because the T150’s are a joy to strike. 
9 iron

a little on the short side, but the shape and height were excellent.

8 iron

A perfect shape, height, and distance for an 8 iron in my set up. Absolutely love this club.

Here is where it gets interesting. 2 7 irons, one is the T200 and the other is the Apex MB 18 blade. Can you guess which is which?

The first is the T200. The second is the blade. Despite being 3.5 degrees stronger lofted the T200 is 5 yards shorter, which tells me 2 things:

1) The T200 7 iron and I are not getting along

2) I still love to hit blades.

Gonna have to order that T150 7 iron sooner or later…

[GregB135]

Got a quick session in on the range before football time today. Took a couple of glamor shots while I was there

[bens197]

12 hours ago, Ben Joest said:

Made it out to the range today. The focus was primarily on a new driver shaft I am breaking in, but I had to hit some irons because the T150’s are a joy to strike. 
9 iron

a little on the short side, but the shape and height were excellent.

8 iron

A perfect shape, height, and distance for an 8 iron in my set up. Absolutely love this club.

Here is where it gets interesting. 2 7 irons, one is the T200 and the other is the Apex MB 18 blade. Can you guess which is which?

The first is the T200. The second is the blade. Despite being 3.5 degrees stronger lofted the T200 is 5 yards shorter, which tells me 2 things:

1) The T200 7 iron and I are not getting along

2) I still love to hit blades.

Gonna have to order that T150 7 iron sooner or later…

This is something that I began to consider once I really dialed in my set. I have gap issues between my 4 iron and 2 iron. 
 

2 iron is 235 off the turf and 4 iron is 215 off the turf. 
 

While rare, I am not sure how I want to fill that gap. 
 

Near the other end of my set, I go 46-50-54-60 but rarely use the 54. 
 

Several years ago I went 52-58 and that worked well and as my wedges tire, I may switch to that setup to see if I can free up space for a 3 iron. 

[chisag]

1 hour ago, bens197 said:

This is something that I began to consider once I really dialed in my set. I have gap issues between my 4 iron and 2 iron. 
 

2 iron is 235 off the turf and 4 iron is 215 off the turf. 
 

While rare, I am not sure how I want to fill that gap. 
 

Near the other end of my set, I go 46-50-54-60 but rarely use the 54. 
 

Several years ago I went 52-58 and that worked well and as my wedges tire, I may switch to that setup to see if I can free up space for a 3 iron. 

 

 

... Amen brother. While I am not as long as you I struggle with those same gaps at either end of my bag. As much as I don't like to pay attention to stats, I should probably chart a few weeks of what clubs I use on either end and write down any inbetweens I face. Right now I'm using a 46*, 51* and 58*. Having won the 3 Vokeys in the Ryder Cup contest  I ordered the 50*, 54* and 58*. To add the third wedge I'll have to drop my 7 wood or 4 hybrid that I rotate depending on the course and conditions. 

[bens197]

5 hours ago, chisag said:

 

 

... Amen brother. While I am not as long as you I struggle with those same gaps at either end of my bag. As much as I don't like to pay attention to stats, I should probably chart a few weeks of what clubs I use on either end and write down any inbetweens I face. Right now I'm using a 46*, 51* and 58*. Having won the 3 Vokeys in the Ryder Cup contest  I ordered the 50*, 54* and 58*. To add the third wedge I'll have to drop my 7 wood or 4 hybrid that I rotate depending on the course and conditions. 

Thats the intelligent play. I want to be better with the SW but just cannot get it to jam. SM10 or T24 this season upcoming will be the contenders.