It is a common belief among golfers that Titleist is the “premium” brand. They don’t usually offer many options when it comes to women’s golf irons. For a woman golfer looking for more of a classic look and a better feeling option, the AP1 Irons can be a great choice. Whether or not these clubs will work for you depends on a few key factors, mostly budget and playing ability. Here is our honest review of the Women’s AP1 Irons and a great alternative in case the Titleist AP1 718 iron set is not the right choice for you.
Player Profile
As we mentioned, Titleist is known for making the players clubs; you can bet that many golfers on tour have Titleist clubs in their golf bag. The Titleist 718 AP1 set is not considered to be a player’s option. This is the most forgiving and longest iron in the lineup. If you are a mid to high handicap player, there is plenty of forgiveness packed into this club to give you the results you need.
Thin Club Face
When we say that the 718 irons are thin, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the view from the top down is thin. The face on the Titleist 718 AP1 ladies golf irons is very thin, which helps to create a significant amount of ball speed. The ball does come off of these irons with ease. You can feel the jump when the ball is first hit, and there is some power there.
Shape & Appearance
This is considered to be a more traditional cavity back iron shape. Although the shape is classic, it is a relatively large club head. A large club head has its positives and negatives. The large head gives plenty of room for a big sweet spot, but some players don’t like looking down at something so significant.
The Titleist AP1 718 iron set is a progressive set. As the clubs move closer to the five iron, they get increasingly thicker in the sole and provide a bit more offset. As the game gets harder, Titleist makes it easier on you. Keeping the shorter irons more traditional allows maximum feel and spin on the scoring clubs.
Impact
The leading edge on the Titleist AP1 718 iron set is nice looking. It is a clean look, and the AP1 does have some excellent turf interaction at impact. If you want that crisp feeling when you hit an iron, the AP1 will provide that. With a low center of gravity, this club will also deliver the launch and forgiveness that you need.
Negatives/Downsides
When it comes to a more traditional looking, forgiving, and long iron set, the Ap1 irons are a great choice. The problem we have with them is the price. These irons have been out for several years. Titleist has now released the T100, T200, T300 and T400 (not all available to women). You can see that technology has changed quite a bit since the release of the Ap1, but the pricing of the set has not. This is still one of the most expensive iron sets available to women. If price is not a problem for you, then, by all means, go for the Ap1 irons, but if you want something for about half the price that provides a classic look and plenty of distance, try the TaylorMade M2.
Alternative: TaylorMade M2 Ladies Irons
Yes, we know, we are switching brands on you, but we have our reasons. The TaylorMade M2 irons have a very classic look to them, and they pack plenty of forgiveness and distance. This set is several years old, but there are still some new and used options around.
The M2 irons were the start of the Speed Pocket technology. The Speed Pocket technology has been a real revolution in the game of golf and the ball speeds that players are capable of getting. In years past, if you couldn’t swing it hard enough, you would always lack distance. Today clubs are designed to help you swing faster and let the ball jump off the clubface.
M2 irons have a very low center of gravity, which is excellent for forgiveness. Since they have this low center of gravity, TaylorMade adjusted all the lofts down a few degrees. The adjusted lofts will help you get some extra yards with each club. The only time you need to watch out for sets with lower lofts is when you look for gaps in your golf bag. The difference between your pitching wedge and sand wedge may be rather vast, but adding a gap wedge or approach wedge into the bag should not be an issue.
If you’d prefer to stick with the Titleist brand, you cant go wrong with one of the older models of the AP1 irons. You can go as far back as 710, which was made about 10 years ago. The 710, 712, 714, and 716 AP1 irons are all great options for mid to high handicap women golfers.
Recap
The AP1 Irons are long, forgiving, have exceptional feel, and they are also quite expensive. There is no question that if you are a Titleist fan and playing with an old set of Titleist ladies irons, then you will enjoy the upgrades to these AP1. If you are looking for a traditional style iron for much less, try out those M2 by TaylorMade.
