Titleist 716 AP1 irons review

The Golf Monthly test team's Titleist 716 AP1 irons review, a club said to offer maxmium distance and forgiveness for the game improver

Titleist 716 AP1 irons review

The largest, longest and most forgiving iron in Titleist’s new range of 716 irons, the AP1 is aimed toward the improving golfer seeking as much help as they can to find the green with their approach shots and in AP1, they’re sure to find that.

Down behind the ball, the 716 AP1 inspires confidence immediately with the offset, thick top line and extra length from heel to toe. It’s size does reduce in appearance slightly due to the darker finish compared with the new Titleist 716 AP2 irons.

You would expect more distance from AP1 over AP2 due to the difference in lofts and that’s exactly what you get. The impressive levels of forgiveness come not only from the size but also from the tungsten weighting found in the heel and toe.

What was telling from our testing was that there was no evidence of that 'hot' shot from the sweetspot you often get from game-improver irons that travels ten yards further than any other shot you hit. In fact, distances remained pretty consistent from impact locations across the face, a trait that is vital when hitting shots into greens.

The ball flight with AP1 wouldn’t appeared to have changed too much from the previous generation, offering a blend of a strong flight with stopping power, which is testament to the new 360° undercut construction and added tungsten weighting.

Despite the lofts being strengthened by one degree, golfers will gain distance without losing out on stopping the ball next to tight pins, performance that inspires confidence in club golfers and allows them to be more aggressive.

The XP90 stock shaft is also slightly lighter than the previous generation to help golfers swing the club faster without losing out on control. So if you’re looking for more distance and forgiveness in your irons, you need look no further than Titleist’s 716 AP1 irons.