Titleist T100 Iron £164 per club
GM Verdict
The latest iteration of the T100 has been made even more compact to better suit the eye of tour pros and better players who gravitate towards irons with a little more technology compared to the more traditional musclebacks.
Looking down at the iron in the playing position, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a blade because of how compact it is, especially the topline and the distinct lack of offset. This profile is perhaps intimidating at first, but it also narrows your focus on the strike – connect with the ball out of the middle and the feeling is sensational. The denser tungsten weights help deliver a solid, crisp ‘thud’.
The forgiveness on offer becomes apparent when your striking strays from the centre of the club, manifesting itself in consistent spin figures and carry distances.
The 7-iron loft is still 34˚, so it’s not an iron designed for distance or slower swing speeds. Our average carry of 167 yards was higher than expected, probably because of how well we struck shots while testing it. It was also refreshing to see that the spin could be high enough to add to the stopping power.
Forgiveness isn’t this iron’s strongest suit, though – there are more user-friendly irons in the new T-series. But the consistency of the flight and its feel set this iron apart. We were also struck by how the club got through the turf so briskly while still taking healthy-sized divots.
We’re now questioning the place of the 620 CB and MB irons in Titleist’s range, given the extra forgiveness that T100 offers with no obvious sacrifice in feel, flight or workability. It looks and feels like a blade but plays like a cavity back, which is a dream combination for low-handicappers who like to shape the ball and attack pins while also being prone to the occasional mishit.