Titleist have updated the T-Series irons for 2021, and I'm excited.
The new irons were first seen at The Travelers Championship a few weeks ago as Titleist began their now obligatory tour seeding process. I was lucky enough to also get an early look and test of each iron model in the range from T100 to T300 at Titleist's brand new Performance Centre. The level of quality and the amount of investment into the new centre at Woburn Golf Club really is unreal, it looks like a range you'd find in Carlsbad, America... not Milton Keynes.
To start with, I was very impressed with the new look T-Series irons and I think this year there is a better continuity throughout the family which is especially clear in the new T200 irons, named by Titleist as their “Tour Distance Iron”. This is a brilliant looking club - let's get into it.
What's It All About?
The changes are a lot bigger and more noticeable in the T200 model than the changes between the T100’s from 2019 to 2021 I would say. As with a lot of modern day, clean looking, mid handicap range irons, the T200 irons don't look to be packed with too much tech on the surface, but under the hood there is plenty!
'Max Impact' remains but has been improved as part of a new Max Impact 2.0 chassis in which there is a new Core Support and higher resilience polymer core. Titleist have also worked with the Pro V1 ball department to gain more ball speed across the face. The face is a forged, high COR SUP10 L face which in short is there to maximise feel.
The head is has multi material body that has been engineered to save as much weight as possible and hide the max impact which was on show in the cavity of the previous 2019 T200 model. The muscle plate is also there to enhance the sound and feel.
Finally, Titleist have gone big with the tungsten weighting (D18) in all of the T Series irons. Titleist have used the highest amount of heel/toe tungsten weighting in this iron category (100g), which is placed to maximise MOI by precisely placing the CG. To put this into perspective the other irons in this category usually have around 31g of tungsten in them.
Is I said, tungsten features heavily throughout the new T-Series range which in my experience of reviewing golf clubs is rarely a bad thing - especially when it comes to irons.
The Test
As I mentioned earlier I had the pleasure of being custom fitted for each model in the new T Series irons range at the new Titleist Performance Centre in at Woburn Golf Club. This place is special and it was great to test each iron of some beautiful turf, hitting to different pin locations on a stunning range.
As usual I had a Trackman launch monitor with me to look deep into the numbers.
As you'll notice with all my Titleist T Series iron reviews - they don't feature a golf course, just me the range and a bucket of Pro V1 balls. I haven't hit this many golf shots on a range in a very long time...
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Titleist T200 21 Irons Review
Looks
When looking down at the club in the address position, the T200 head looks more like a T100 than a 1st generation T200 I think.
There's been a few tweaks made to achieve this, such as: a slightly shorter blade length, very similar offset as the T100 and T100s irons, a narrower topline and slightly thinner sole than we saw in 2019. All this adds in my eyes to make the T200 look better than it did previously. They are now great looking golf clubs, where as before I have to say they were a little busy - especially in the cavity.
The back of the head is now a lot cleaner looking. There cavity is now filled in and almost non-existent giving the irons a more modern Mizuno/TaylorMade P790 look.
You can no longer see the tungsten weighting as it is hidden behind polymer case - dare are say that the T200s are a little blade looking?
Overall it looks more like a T100 and less like a T300 which is great for people aspiring to play blades but haven’t quite got the speed or strike. Whereas in 2019 the T200 got a little lost in the pack, in 2021 they certainly stand out on their own.
Feel
The T200 irons were slightly louder than the T100s but also slightly easier to hit, they didn't quite give you the loud crack of the T300, but I certainly knew I'd hit one when I did - I suppose you have to give and take when moving through the T series models.
I was impressed by the feel of the T200 irons - the new Max Impact 2.0 and polymer core seemed to be doing it's thing.
Performance
If I'm honest, I can’t say I noticed too much difference between the T100s and T200 when it came to the numbers (maybe because I loved the T100s so much).
There was certainly a difference between the T100 and T200 however, but that may have had something to do with them being 3 degrees stronger in loft - should this change in loft equate to a lower ball flight and less spin though?
The spin rate across the two was very similar which is great and the ball speed was up by 4 mph whereas the launch and land angle were the same as the T100. This all equated to 6 yards more distance but with no loss of the great trajectory I was getting with the T100 irons.
All in all, this is exactly what I wanted to see from the T200 irons and exactly Titleist have claimed for the T200 model so you can't say fairer than that.
I also had a few goes with the 4 iron as this is where my fitter Nick suggested "You could be like Ryu So-yeon and Jordan Spieth" and move up a model with a cheeky little combo for that little extra help. In doing so I noticed a touch more ball speed, height and a potential to add some more yardage over a T100 iron. I would feel much more comfortable hitting the 4 iron in the T200 from a poorer lie or over water/bunkers.
To get the most out of the T Series range - this is definitely something to consider.
Titleist T200 21 Irons Verdict
These irons look quite straight lined in the head which is something that stuck out to me as I’ve never been a Titleist irons player - everything is very tidy and very Titleist, so I can see a lot of Titleist loyalists loving these irons.
It’s ribbed inside plate at the back of the head (the cap hiding the max impact and polymer core) makes it look like an entirely forged head when in fact it’s just the face insert that is forged. I think this is very clever design by Titleist - looks great and saves a lot of weight in an unnecessary spot.
The long irons (4 and 3 irons) are in the bag of Jordan Spieth (as seen in his 2nd place finish at Royal St. George's) Ryu So-yeon and Justin Thomas. Thomas has interestingly switched out the T-MB 2 iron as he felt it looked and felt better.
As you can see it is the top players in the men's and women’s game that use these as a driving and utility irons but they do not have them in all of their irons. It's a 'better players' iron but not a 'tour iron', there's a definite difference, which is exactly the reason I think these new T200 irons will sell very well.
At the end of the day you gain a bit of ball speed without losing that sleek, players forged look. Happy days.
Who Is It Aimed At?
These irons are aimed at a player who wants a bit of help in ball speed but without on the sacrificing looks, feel and flight.
If the T100’s are aimed at tour players and elite amateurs, these are aimed at most golfers that come in below that level (which is a lot right???), scratch to 10-12 handicap golfers or even a golfer who wants the looks but can’t quite back it up. I’d call it an “aspirational tour looking iron”.
If you're already looking at Callaway Apex Pro, TaylorMade P770s then add these to your testing list also.
Would I Use Them?
I would use them for the full bag. They didn’t offer enough improvement in distance compared to the T100s in my game. However I do think I could combo them at the top of the bag like Spieth does, maybe a 4 iron in the T200s...
Pros
- Looks more 'bladey' than 1st generation T200
- Looks are clean and modern
- The amount of tungsten used in the head is impressive
- Definite difference from T100 iron
Cons
- When tried against the T100s I noticed little difference in length and a lot of players will prefer the looks and feel of the T100
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