Titleist 718 AP1 Irons Review - Are They Forgiving & Good for High Handicappers?

Titleist 718 AP1 Irons Review – Are They Forgiving & Good for High Handicappers?

The Titleist 718 AP1 irons sort of straddle the line between game-improvement irons and player’s performance irons. That being said, they are some of the best irons that have ever attempted to produce such a combination – at least of the many irons that we have tested.

Titleist 718 AP1 Irons Overview

The Titleist 718 AP1 irons have a unique hollow body design in the long irons that lends a more blade-like, muscle back look at address.

So right away, you will feel like you are using player’s performance irons rather than game-improvement irons. Make no mistake about it though; the Titleist 718 AP1 irons are certainly game-improvement irons.

The long irons were built for distance. Only the 4 and 5 irons in this set have a hollow body design. But what does hollow body design do for the high handicap player? Well for starters, it makes for a larger, unsupported face.

An unsupported face will hinge more to produce faster ball speeds thus generating better distance in general. While this certainly hinders feel and accuracy, it does a lot if you are struggling to get down the fairway.

The Titleist 718 AP1 irons also have a cast 17-4 stainless steel construction so some consistency is lost as well.

Are Titleist 718 AP1 Irons Forgiving?

The Titleist 718 AP1 irons are nothing if not forgiving; but they have a lot more to offer than just forgiveness.

The Titleist 718 AP1’s feature precisely shaped tungsten weights – there is up to 56 grams of tungsten in the 4 iron which is more than previous Titleist 718 AP1 models. This gives plenty of power to the long irons and plenty of launch in the short irons.

While you will still have to be pretty accurate on your downswing with these irons, moderate precision will yield very impressive results. Distance and launch are nearly automatic with these irons.

The shorter irons also have an undercut cavity so they launch naturally. The pre-worn leading edge also makes short work of tall or thick turf.

Are Titleist 718 AP1 Irons Good for Beginners & High Handicappers?

If distance and forgiveness are your main concerns, then the Titleist 718 AP1 will suit you well.

We wouldn’t go as far as to say that the Titleist 718 AP1 irons are the best irons for beginners and high handicappers; but they are a great investment if you are serious about improving your game.

They are accurate enough to suit mid handicappers so you won’t have to replace them once you break 100.

Should you Buy the Titleist 718 AP1 or T100 Irons?

Like the Titleist 718 AP1 irons, the T100 irons have a cavity design.

However, the T100 irons are not nearly as forgiving as the Titleist 718 AP1 irons. The T100 irons are forged and have a more combat head size and a smaller blade length. While this helps with workability, it does almost nothing for the high handicapper.

Whether you should choose the Titleist 718 AP1’s over the T100 will depend greatly on your skill level and how quickly you want to improve. The Titleist 718 AP1’s will be better for an immediate boost in distance – for whatever that may be worth to you.

Titleist 718 AP1 Irons

Category: Game/Improvement

Titleist 718 AP1 First Impressions

We were expecting a lot from these irons before we ever hit the course with them simply because they were Titleist irons and we know Titleist to make awesome clubs no matter the category.

We can honestly say that we were impressed with these irons at the end of the day. What struck us the most was the fact that our high handicap testers were able to land more greens.

The Titleist 718 AP1 irons do an amazing job of launching high and landing soft. They produce an ideal descent angle no matter what your skill level is. In short, the Titleist 718 AP1 will help you perform above your handicap.

Our high handicap testers noted better short game control as opposed to the irons they typically use. We honestly weren’t expecting such accuracy around the pin from these game-improvement irons but of course, we were happy to have it.

Titleist 718 AP1 Selling Points

Hollow body design in the long irons
Undercut design in the short irons
Pre-worn leading edge
Custom tungsten weighting in each iron
Fairly thin top line for irons in this category

Who are the Titleist 718 AP1 Irons for?

We don’t want to say that these irons are best for high handicappers and beginners because that would be less accurate than saying they are best for high handicappers who are serious about their game.

If you are casual about the game, play a few times a year or aren’t particularly concerned about breaking 100, don’t get these clubs. There are plenty of cheaper irons that would suit you better.

If however you are committed to getting better, the Titleist 718 AP1 irons will work great for you. They provide great distance and surprising short-game control.

The AP1 Family

If you are looking for even more forgiveness then the Titleist 716 AP1 irons would be a good choice. They too feature an undercut cavity but have more perimeter weighting than the Titleist 718 AP1 irons.

This will help preserve ball speed when you hit near the perimeter of the face as opposed to the sweet spot. The 716 AP1 irons also have a more noticeable cavity in the back at point of address.

You can actually see the sole jut out a bit more with the 716 irons which may be a welcome sight to beginners and high handicappers. However, in terms of distance the 716’s come up short of the Titleist 718 AP1 irons.

The lack of a hollow body design in the long irons make the 716’s consistently shorter than the Titleist 718 AP1’s.