Titleist U500 And U510 Irons First Hit Review

Titleist U500 & U510 Irons First Hit Review - Joel Tadman tests the new Titleist U500 and U510 utility irons at the stunning Adare Manor in Ireland

Titleist U500 And U510 Irons First Hit Review

Up until now, golfers seeking a Titleist utility iron option would turn to the 718 T-MB model, a club loaded with tungsten weighting that also became available in a full set in the most recent iteration.

But for the new generation, Titleist wanted its utility irons to be its own separate entity. If you remember, the brand’s first ever utility iron was the 503 model, and now Titleist has reverted back to the 500 series in the name ditching all references to the year.

Titleist is one of the only brands to now offer two shapes of utility iron, which we think is a smart move as different golfers have different visual and performance preferences from their utility clubs, assuming a hybrid is off the table for whatever reason.

The more compact, slimline U500 will suit the eye of the better player who has more club speed at his disposal and is looking to flight the ball a little lower.

The U510 provides golfers with a larger, more confidence inspiring shape that launches and spins a little higher. This makes it a more suitable option when hitting off the turf into long par fours and par fives. It also has a slightly lighter stock graphite shaft to help with the extra launch.

We tested both the irons at the stunning Adare Manor in Ireland under the watchful eye of Titleist Product Specialist James Robinson and were really impressed with the speed and forgiveness of both.

The ultra-thin forged face feels springy and hot, while the 95g or 98g grams of tungsten (depending on the model) helps stabilize the clubhead on slight off-centre hits.

The U510 is unquestionably easier to hit and is likely to be the favoured choice of the weekend golfer.

It flighted the ball around five yards higher in the 3-iron, which is 20° on both models. It also gave us a touch more ball speed, 500 rpm approx. more spin and around six yards extra carry distance. Interestingly, factoring in the roll the total distance from the U500 and the U510 3-iron was basically the same.

The 16° 1-iron available in the U510 is a curious offering and one that surprised us. It was surprisingly easy to strike cleanly, launched the ball higher than expected and created a stable flight that could easily become a go-to shot off the tee of tight par fours.

Tour players and low handicappers will likely enjoy how the U500 can manoeuvrer the ball flight in different ways, both high and low and left to right.

On both models, the turf interaction was noticeably cleaner and crisper, like it was travelling through the ground with less interference.

All in all, Titleist has done a great job with the U500 and U510 and regardless of the ball flight and distance you’re looking for, they certainly look to have you covered.