New Titleist 716 AP2 irons launched

The 716 AP2 irons offer the distance, forgiveness and consistency that better players demand.

New Titleist 716 AP2 irons launched

The new 716 AP2 model offers the distance and consistency good players demand, as well as forgiveness in abundance. Its appeal has been extremely broad for many years and has been  found in the bags of mid handicappers as well as Tour players like Zach Johnson and Jordan Spieth.

It's part of the latest family of clubs to be released by Titleist, including the 716 AP1, 716 CB, 716 MB, 716 T-MB and 816 hybrids.

The 716 AP2 irons employ a similar technology found in the AP1 iron through the use of high-density tungsten. In fact, the 716 AP2 uses 25 per cent more tungsten weighting, 56g in total, in the heel and toe of the 3 to 7-irons to increase forgiveness and bring the centre of gravity lower for a stronger ball flight and better feel.

Titleist 716 AP2 irons review

These irons use an advanced co-forging process that concentrates the tungsten weights low and to the perimeter of the clubhead. Unlike in 714, where the tungsten was inserted into a cylindrical hole bored out from the heel, the tungsten is sculpted and tightly integrated to the perimeter of the body, ensuring it is positioned low and very far out for maximum forgiveness in a relatively compact head.

The 716 AP2 irons are the same size, length and loft as the 714 version, but offer a 5.5% higher MOI through the set on average thanks to the new construction. Furthermore, a pre-worn leading edge aids turf interaction.

The new Titleist 716 AP2 irons are the first to offer True Temper’s Dynamic Gold AMT (Ascending Mass Technology) steel shafts as a stock option. The shafts increase in weight from the 4-iron (112g) up to the pitching wedge (130g) in three degree increments. A lighter shaft in the long irons helps raise the trajectory and increase swing speed, while a heavier shaft in the short irons offers a more penetrating flight for extra precision. Titleist are the exclusive OEM launch partner for six months with these shafts that already have a number of PGA Tour wins to their name this season.

Details

The 716 AP2 irons have an RRP of £117 steel and £133 graphite per club, just a £3 increase from the 714 versions launched two years ago.

716 AP1 v AP2 irons: How do they compare?

- Same stock shaft length

- AP1 is 3 degrees stronger in the 7-iron and mostly through the set, slightly less in the short irons.

- AP1 has a longer blade length, more offset and a thicker top line.

- AP1 3-7 irons have 42g of tungsten on average, 50% more than 714

- AP2 3-7 irons have 56g of tungsten on average, 25% more than 714

- High MOI, CG height ratio in AP1