This was the biggest golf equipment story of 2022
An early prototype of the Titleist 621.JT irons Justin Thomas currently has in the bag.
Jonathan Wall/GOLF
Arguably the most interesting equipment story of the year started gathering steam last season when Justin Thomas and Adam Scott debuted one-of-a-kind Titleist irons as the Tour was winding down for the holidays. Custom prototypes are a perk for high-profile pros, but these particular irons were different.
They were complete one-offs designed specifially for Thomas and Scott — down to the profile, sole width and feel.
At the time, it didn’t feel like a trend, but merely two elite ball-strikers getting exactly what they wanted from their irons.
Then along came Scott’s “Jack Nicklaus-esque” Miura blades, a set of Titleist sticks blended from several different iron models for former major winner Webb Simpson and a custom set for Justin Rose, replete with his logo emblazoned on the head.
It was at this point that some gearheads started to wonder if one-off irons were becoming a trend. What I came to find out in the months that followed was the answer is somewhat complicated and could remain murky for the foreseeable future. However, there could be something special coming down the pipeline for weekend golfers.
In a twist I didn’t see coming, Titleist revealed the irons they’re currently making for guys like Thomas and Simpson are part of a bigger project that could see them possibly add a plethora of options — different profiles, grinds, etc. — to their iron lineups in the future. In a perfect world, golfers could select the best options and features for their game to create the perfect iron.
With Justin Thomas’ input, Titleist pursuing the ‘perfect’ iron design
“It’s pointing us in directions of what design can be,” Josh Talge, Titleist’s vice president of marketing, told me in November during a trip to the company’s equipment headquarters in Carlsbad, California. “Once we do enough of these over time, we might get to a point with the irons where we’re at with Vokey where we have a certain number of [iron] grinds. Now imagine if you could pick a sole, topline and blade length you want for each one of your irons. It helps showcase we have a lot of really good players that play our stuff at every level of golf — and that’s where we want to go to.
“A lot of what we’re learning from working with guys like JT and Webb goes in the in-line T100 and T200. Because what we learn about turf interaction, groove, offset, and shape will end up in line. And this MB portion, which we can do in-house, will just keep going until we think we have a really robust lineup.”
Custom irons for all? Maybe it’s not so far-fetched.
If more pros continue to debut new one-off sets in 2023, it might be time to get out that notepad and jot down your ultimate iron wishlist.
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