It’s no surprise that Tour players’ gear preferences are detailed and personal, but there’s actually some fitting logic behind why players like what they like.
On this past week’s episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped, co-host Johnny Wunder explained how RBC Heritage winner Justin Thomas uses a custom, one-off set of Titleist 621.JT irons with essentially no offset, prompting co-host Wadeh Maroun to ask why some players love offset while others have no time for it.
Wunder explained that many players don’t like offset because of a fear of missing left. With more offset, and thus a clubface that is further behind the hosel of the club, that gives players more time, even if we’re just talking fractions of a second, to square the clubface. That’s why you see so many game-improvement and super game-improvement clubs designed with a lot of offset, to help hackers fight a slice.
“There’s no metric to prove that, but it’s just an optics thing, right?” Wunder said.
Pros don’t need that anti-slice tech, although some like to have the extra time, or simply just like the look.
The other aesthetic characteristic that can make a difference in shot pattern is blade length.
Titleist T100 Custom Irons
The preferred iron for more touring pros now rewards players with an even more solid feel, along with subtle refinements that continue to make T100 the standard for modern Tour iron performance.
Feel is essential for the best players in the game. The refined, fully forged dual-cavity construction of Titleist T100 produces a more solid feel at impact, while the precision CNC face milling process leads to more consistent contact for greater control.
ENHANCED FEEL
The latest evolution of the T100 dual-cavity forged construction features an enhanced back bar to produce a more solid feel at impact. Informed by modal testing and Tour input, T100 irons are tuned to provide the exact stability and sensation the world’s best players desire from a well-struck shot.
REFINED FOR GREATER CONTROL
In addition to the improvements made to the body construction, T100 benefits from a new precision CNC face milling process. Combined with a subtle shift in CG the result is more control and consistent ball flight, especially when moving from fairway to first cut.
EFFORTLESS TURF INTERACTION
Working with Tour Pros and the grind experts at Vokey Design, our engineers were able to further improve our Variable Bounce Sole by smoothing and softening the trailing edge to allow the club to flow faster through the turf, even after contact. A simple but surprisingly meaningful improvement.
BETTER TUNGSTEN FOR BETTER FLIGHT
By utilizing dense D18 tungsten and a 2000º aerospace brazing process, Titleist engineers can eliminate weld points and be more precise with CG placement to give you the benefit of modern engineered performance with a solid forged feel.
“Titleist blades, for example, are short heel to toe,” Wunder said. “So they rotate quite a bit. More than, say, the P7TWs. That’s like a long blade length, right?”
A shorter blade length means the head can rotate faster and square up more easily. On the flip side, longer blade lengths take longer to square and are generally preferred by fade players.
We’re only talking about millimeters of difference here. The average 7-iron blade length ranges from 69 to 79 mm. Personally, I play a draw, but my current gamers fall in the middle to longer side at 76.6 mm. This helps neutralize my ball flight a bit and even play a fade if I want to.
On Tour, Wunder said that based on a players’ preferred shot shapes, you’ll typically see them play irons that have a blade length to match that.
Miura MC-502 Custom Irons
New to the MC-502 is an increase in face progression (less offset), which has always been a welcomed look for the better player. Additionally, a softer, more rounded top line and toe profile found their way from the sketch pad to the final product. The result is an iron that is easy to align while delivering an unrivaled level of confidence and playability.
There were no compromises when it came to the new design. The sound, feel and performance, which have been hallmarks of Miura irons since 1957, embodied the finished product.
MATERIAL
Premium S20C Soft Carbon Steel
FINISH
Satin Chrome
“So if you think of the cutters of the golf ball, the guys hit it straight — Tommy Fleetwood, [Scottie] Scheffler, players like that — what do they play? P7TW,” Wunder said. “A blade player that draws it like, say, Justin Rose, he plays Miura blades that are short.”
So, take a look at your bag. Are your irons helping your natural tendencies, or are they hurting?
Jack Hirsh is the Associate Equipment Editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.
