Titleist CB 710 Irons Review – Are They Forgiving & Good for High Handicappers?

“The CB in Titleist CB 710 denotes that these are Cavity Back irons. Still, Titleist states that these are cavity backs aimed at the golfer with discerning tastes.”

We’ve always known Titleist to produce excellent player’s performance irons which is what makes the entire CB line so intriguing. The CB irons are forged cavity back irons that are meant to strike a balance between forgiveness and accuracy.

At first glance, the Titleist CB 710 irons look every bit the player’s performance iron. But how would they perform? Is there enough forgiveness here for beginners and high handicappers? Read on to find out!

Titleist CB 710 Irons Overview

“The Titleist CB 710 irons are forged from 1025 mild carbon steel.”

This gives them a very satisfying feel. I wouldn’t say that they feel as soft as say, Mizuno irons; but they feel very clean and clear at impact. And in defense of the slightly firmer feel, the Titleist CB 710 irons feel more solid than some of their Japanese forged counterparts.

At address, they also have a very clean look. The top line is thin and the soles are on the slightly narrow side. Even as cavity back irons, you don’t see the cavity undercut peek out at you from behind the head.

The Titleist CB 710’s have moderate offset. There is enough to reassure the player but not enough to send the ball left. There is also no shot bias in these irons so better players are free to move the ball left or right as they see fit. Indeed, workability is ratched up to a high degree with these irons.

The Titleist CB 710 irons also feature true “V”grooves on the face. These are pretty aggressive grooves which are great for imparting spin to the ball off the deck. You just have to be careful about fliers when using these irons out of the rough.

Speaking of the rough, the Titleist CB 710 irons have cambered soles and a blunted leading edge to help you out of tough lies.

Are the Titleist CB 710 Irons Forgiving?

“Not in the traditional sense.”

I really liked how these irons played from the rough. The cambered sole and blunted leading edge really let you glide over the turf. I didn’t chunk once while testing these irons. And much to my surprise, I wasn’t getting severely punished on low-face or heel side mis-hits.

The Titleist CB 710 irons feature perimeter weighting so these types of mis-hits don’t produce such severe results. For the most part, my mis-hits were producing pronounced fades. Toe-side mis-hits were a different story. Flight was much less consistent on toe-side shots. Still, the perimeter weighting ensures that you don’t lose a lot of ball speed.

But the Titleist CB 710 irons aren’t massive. They don’t have a particularly friendly look at address if you are a high handicapper. While they offer generally straight flight, you have to work to hit the ball flush since the sweet spot isn’t exactly gigantic.

Overall though, I was pleased and surprised at the straight flight I was getting with these irons. The cavity back design helps keep the MOI high which makes thes Titleist CB 710s very stable.

Are the Titleist CB 710 Irons Good for Beginners & High Handicappers?

“The Titleist CB 710 irons have low CG overall which helps with launch and makes the long irons more comfortable to swing.”

These are certainly good performance aspects for beginner and high handicappers. And the straight flight will help you stay on the fairway. Overall though, I wouldn’t say that the Titleist CB 710 irons are ideal for beginners and high handicappers. But not because they are mercilessly unforgiving.

I just mean that a lot of the best performance features of the Titleist CB 710 irons would be lost on beginners and high handicappers. The Titleist CB 710s are remarkably workable. You can shape your shots however you want with them and from almost any lie. But beginners and high handicappers aren’t likely to take advantage of that high workability. So a lot of what you are paying for with these irons would go to waste.

Should you Buy the Titleist CB 710 or the Titleist CB 690 Irons?

“The Titleist CB 690 irons are inherently more forgiving than the 710s.”

The Titleist CB 690 irons have wider soles, thicker top lines and a generally more forgiving size. They are also forged from 1025 mild carbon steel so they feel very similar to the Titleist CB 710 irons. If you are looking for a bit more forgiveness in your forged irons, I would suggest the Titleist CB 690s.