I first encountered Titleist’s 2023 T-Series Irons at the 2023 Memorial Tournament where PGA Tour Players began testing the new iron family. New irons include an updated T100, a new T150 model, a redesigned T200 and a new T350.
13 golfers switched to at least one T-Series Iron in the first week. As the weeks progressed, more names were added to the list. As more players made the switch, my interest in these irons grew.
Then I covered all the changes in design and technology within the irons.
It’s great but will I ever get to use the irons myself? !
My number was called earlier this month and I was invited to the Titleist Performance Institute in Oceanside, California to undergo a full iron fit with Chris Baingo, an expert fitter.
Baingo, one of the best club fitters in golf, walked me through the T-Series irons, making adjustments as we went. After months of anticipation, I was thrilled to finally hit all the shots.
I would also like to have some questions answered…
Do the T100s actually perform better? Are the T100s any better?
The new T150 models caught my attention.
How much longer will the T150 irons go compared to T100’s? Will these be my new irons?
As you can see in the video on the top of this page, I got all my questions answered.
The experience was more than just a test of the new irons. I learned about yardage gapping and general iron fitting rules, as well as how to set up my bag using a mixed iron set.
The video doesn’t reveal everything Baingo said, but one thing I took away from the fitting was this: There should be 5 mph difference in ball speed between irons as they progress through the set. Peak heights should also match throughout the set.
If your ball speed is 130 mph for a 7-iron and you have a maximum height of 110 feet then your 6-iron’s speed should be 135 with the same height. A gap of less or more than five mph between the irons is required.
The most impactful and noticeable gap or “breaking point” is usually between the 5- and 6-irons or the 4- and 5-irons. The ball speed may be reduced to less than five mph in these pockets and the ball will fly lower. It’s time to consider a 4- or 5-iron with more forgiving technology.
In my case, the T150 irons had a proper gapping speed until the 3-iron. I noticed that the ball speed gap between the T150 3-iron and T150 4-iron was below the ball speed guideline of 5 mph. This meant it was time to switch to a T200 or T350 iron. The T200 2-iron was equipped with a Fujikura Ventus HB Black 10 TX (whereas the T150 4-PW irons were shafted with Project X 6.5 Steel shafts).
Titleist offers long iron fitting packages which allow the consumer to perform this task under the supervision and guidance of a professional. Baingo taught me that getting an iron fit is more than just hitting 7-irons at each other to find the perfect one.
You should test 7-irons for the perfect fit, but you should also test long irons to determine the proper gaping and the “breaking point”, so you get the exact club you want, where you want it.
The golfer can use a full fit to determine the gaps, particularly at the top of their bag.
The fitting lecture is over. You can watch the T-Series irons being tested in the video below.
