Titleist 718 AP3 Vs. Titleist 718 AP1 Irons Comparison Overview

Titleist has produced the AP series of irons for a variety of different kinds of players. Today we will be taking a look at the Titleist 718 AP1 and the Titleist 718 AP3 iron sets to help you make sense of their differences.

With the Titleist 718 AP1 irons, we are definitely seeing a set that was geared more towards 18+ handicappers while the Titleist 718 AP3 irons look to be more useful for mid to low handicappers. Let’s take a closer look!

Titleist 718 AP3 Irons Overview

The Titleist 718 AP3 irons have the look of player’s performance irons but were also made to help with distance.

The loft profile tells more of the story. These are strong-lofted irons that are certainly reminiscent of the player’s performance category. The looks of these irons also tells a story. Compared to the Titleist 718 AP1’s the AP3’s have a more compact design head and shorter blades.

However, the Titleist 718 AP3 irons have a similar feature to the Titleist 718 AP1’s: a hollow body design. This is a feature that is meant to drive ball speed and distance. In our testing, we found that the Titleist 718 AP3 irons indeed played long as our testers were averaging 178 yards with the 4-iron.

Titleist 718 AP1 Irons Overview

The Titleist 718 AP1’s have larger blades and a chunkier look behind the ball so they will look better to higher handicap players.

The long irons feature a hollow body design while the mid and short irons feature an undercut cavity. This is a combination that makes for incredible distance and surprisingly high apex height. The 7-iron in this set is 30 degrees which should give you an indication of how lofted these irons are.

Our testers were also really impressed with the distance of the 5-iron as well, mentioning that it plays more like a driving iron. Offset is stronger in the Titleist 718 AP1 set than it is in the Titleist 718 AP3 set which could result in leftward trajectories for more advanced players; but is near perfect for high handicappers.

The Titleist 718 AP1’s also have a louder sound on impact. The AP3’s have a softer overall feel. Overall though, we got more or less what we expected from our testing results. The Titleist 718 AP3’s are certainly more workable while the Titleist 718 AP1’s are better for high handicappers.

Titleist 718 AP1 Irons

Category: Game/Improvement

Titleist AP3 718 Irons

Category: Player’s/Distance Irons

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 AP3 718 Irons First Impressions

We tested the AP3’s second so the lower handicap players in our party were relieved at the sight of the slightly larger heads.

The AP3’s have something of a hybrid cavity back/muscle back design. The undercut in the rear also serves to pop the ball high in the air in both the long and short irons.

The AP3’s were also noticeably more forgiving than the Titleist AP2 718 irons. That’s probably because of perimeter weighting in the heel and toe via tungsten weights.

The AP3’s also have the “L-shaped” face insert that has been included in many other Titleist irons.

The Titleist AP3 irons are slightly more suited to lower handicap players and lack some of the advanced features of the Titleist AP2 718 irons like the co-forged, infused tungsten weighting and carbon steel construction.

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

Titleist AP3 718 Selling Points

Better for mid handicappers
Slightly larger profile
L-shaped face insert
Good forgiveness on low face shots
Brushed leading edge
Good forgiveness

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.

Distance: 94/100

Accuracy: 97/100

Forgiveness: 94/100

Feel & Control: 94/100

Overall Score: 96/100

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Who are the Titleist AP3 718 Irons for?

The AP3’s would be great for any single digit handicapper who is looking for a bit more feel and help with contact.

While the Titleist AP3 718 irons are a great introduction to the AP family. They are more forgiving than the Titleist AP2 718 irons but provide you with better short game control than the AP1’s.

While not on the same performance level as the Titleist AP2 718 irons, the AP3’s do provide comparable distance in a great looking player’s iron shape.

The Titleist AP Irons

The great thing about the Titleist AP3 irons is that they sit perfectly between the AP1 and AP2 in terms of size.

While the AP2 is certainly the only model that can be considered a tour-grade iron set, the AP3 and AP1 will appeal more to players who have just broken into single digits.