titleist tour model irons history

Titleist Irons by Year

By Coach Erik Schjolberg – Jan 10, 2024

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List Of All Titleist Iron Sets by Year Released

Titleist Irons Timeline Table:

Titleist Irons Over the Last 5 Years

Titleist has become synonymous with the game of golf. Attention to detail, consistency, and high performance has been delivered year after year. Over the last five years, Titleist has introduced the revolutionary T series, and new versions of the 700 series.

Now named the 718 irons, the 718 comes in a variety of options for all types of golfers. MB, T-MB, and CB for scratch and tour players, down to the AP1, 2, and 3 lines for mid to high handicap players.

Released in 2019, the 620CB and the classic Tour blade 620MB were met with great praise in style and performance. The 620MB goes back to the Titleist roots in styling, and offers that classic minimalist look a Tour pro desires.

Also released in 2019 is the popular T series. The T series comes in models T100, T100S, T200, and T300. Although performance was outstanding, the series was renewed in 2021 and received much praise for the upgrades.

The 2021 T series received a remodeling, but retained the most loved parts of the 2019 line. The 2021 series features a satin chrome finish as opposed to the polished look of the 2019 model. They were also redesigned into a more classic Titleist minimal look, which many players prefer.

Old Titleist Irons Through the Years

Upon the purchase of Golfcraft (arguably the largest club manufacturer in the world at the time) in 1969, Titleist, aka Acushnet, released their very first iron set dubbed Finalist Forged. Three years later the AC 108 was released and was one of the first irons to feature tungsten perimeter weights for playability.

The late 70s brought us the Titleist Tour Model, which is the classic muscle back forged irons that Titleist has built ever since. Thin topline, minimal offset, simple “Titleist” logo on the back, and workability many pros love.

The Tour Model is now a numbered model, most recently the 620MB, but features a similar design from the late 70s. Many top pros have had major victories with this line. Tiger Woods completed the “Tiger Slam” with Tour Model blades.

How Often Does Titleist Release New Irons

Titleist is all about improving their offerings, and being the best golf manufacturer on the market. To keep up with the demand of “more and better”, Titleist has released some type of new iron pretty much every year since the mid 90s.

It is safe to say that you can find a new, improved, and impressive set of irons, for all golfer types, from Titleist every two years. With their history and impeccable consistency, it is a guarantee Titleist will be at the top of club making greatness for a LONG time!

Other Irons by Year

Complete list of all Ping irons by year here .

Complete list of all TaylorMade irons by year here .

Complete list of all Mizuno irons by year here .

Complete list of all Callaway irons by year here .

Complete list of all Cobra irons by year here .

Complete list of all Wilson irons by year here .

About the Author

By Coach Erik Schjolberg – Last Updated Jan 10, 2024

Expertise:     Golf Instruction     Golf Equipment Testing     Golf Practice Programs     Online Golf Instruction

Coach Erik actively coaches several PGA Tour Professionals . He’s the head golf instructor and writer here at Swing Yard, was voted the “#1 Golf Coach in Scottsdale, Arizona”, and has been coaching for over 20+ years. Erik also owns and operates his own online golf school, EJS Golf Academy . His other credentials include: Active PGA Coaches Membership, Titleist TPI Level 1 and 2, Trackman Certified Level 1, Dr. Kwon’s Biomechanics Level I and II, Scott Cowx Certified Level I Advanced, BodiTrack and V1 Sports Pressure Mat Certified, Titleist Club Fitting and Ball Fitting Certified, PGA Hope, and Sportsbox AI. Check out Erik’s full bio and certifications for more info.

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6 thoughts on “Titleist Irons by Year”

The first Titleist irons were not named Finalist. It was a scotch blade with the back stamp Titleist with “by Acushnet” near the top line. It was the same forging used by the Golfcraft company to produce irons for Sears (probably other retailers as well). I could supply a picture if needed.

Ok yeah, I appreciate the feedback… the history is quite unclear at times when you go that far back! A picture would be great, can you please email it to [email protected] and I’ll review it and update the article. Thanks again!

I came acrose some old “titleist Tornado 2” . Where do they fit in list? Try to find some background info but its hard to comeby.

Kind regards.

Yeah I haven’t really heard of them before. There are a few pictures across the web but not a whole lot of legit information that I can find. Based on the images I’ve seen, I’d say they are from the early 90’s, possibly even counterfeit. But who knows.

Question on the Titleist DTR. I grew up playing the old Spading Executive blades in the early 1970s. Got to a 3 handicap with those then got into a period of 10 years with zero golf due to back injury. Picked up a set of excellent condition circa 1988 DTRs (cheap) and am playing to about a 12 handicap (age 69). Anyone on this board have a suggestion for a better (Titleist) club without breaking the bank to shave off another few strokes and reach single digit handicap again? LOL Thanks!

I’d recommend the 716 MB Forged from 2015 if you like more of a “blade” style, or the 716 AP2 Forged if you want a little more forgiveness. Both are on global golf (see the link in the table) for $450-$550.

Titleist Irons By Year: Complete List!

First established back in the 1930s, Titleist is known for its quality golf equipment.

Having initially poured focus into producing the perfect golf ball — the ProV1 — the brand entered the club-making space in the 1970s with its forged irons.

Since then, Titleist irons have found their way into the bags of some of the best players in the world — along with millions of everyday golfers.

In this article, you’ll find a comprehensive list of Titleist irons by year.

Titleist Irons By Year

Titleist launched its first golf iron in 1970, titled the Finalist Forged irons. Since then, the company has evolved to produce some of the highest-quality irons in the game. Most recently, the Titleist T-Series was updated with the T100, T150, T200, and T350 targeting players of various skill levels.

Here is a complete list of every Titleist iron release:

Titleist Irons: 1970-1979

Part of the Acushnet Company, Titleist is an American brand of golf equipment.

Founded in 1932, the initial focus was on developing golf balls. After years of progress, Titleist celebrated becoming the most-used golf ball on the professional tour at the U.S. Open at Medinah CC in 1949.

Fast forward to 1970, and Titleist ventured into club-making off the back of its parent company’s acquisition of Golfcraft — an established golf club manufacturer.

That same year, Acushnet released the Titleist Finalist Forged irons . The design marked the start of a line of players irons, with a slim profile and tiny sweet spot.

Two years later, the AC 108 irons were released. This club was revolutionary as it was one of the first irons to incorporate tungsten perimeter weighting. For this reason, it offered more playability than traditional forged blades on the market.

FUN FACT: The branded tungsten toe weights used in the AC 108 irons were used in the first prototype Scotty Cameron putters.

In 1976, Titleist was purchased by American Brands — now known as Fortune Brands. At this time, they developed the Model 90 and Model 100 irons .

To round out a successful decade, Titleist launched the Tour Model irons in 1979. With a form factor drawn from the Finalist Forged irons released almost a decade prior, the Tour Model irons were designed for the best players and proved popular on tour.

Titleist Irons: 1980-1989

By the 1980s, Titleist had grown to become an established name in the golf space.

In 1981, the brand developed the Accu-Flo irons . Following a successful driver sporting the name two years prior, the Accu-Flo irons offered forgiveness in a striking design.

One year later, the Accu-Flo Plus irons were released. Featuring more offset and improved weight distribution, these proved easier to hit for the everyday golfer.

At the same time, Titleist was refining its bladed players iron. The Tour Model irons were updated in 1981 and 1982, offering subtle refinements to a proven head shape.

Subsequently, this was followed by the Tour Model 821 and Tour Model 841 irons , which were released in 1983 and 1984 respectively.

In 1986, the Titleist B-33 irons were introduced. Significantly, this club featured a foam-filled hollow cast head and marked the brand’s first foray into casting.

Following this, they developed the DTR irons . Also cast, these were designed with a large rear cavity. Basically, this allowed for weight to be distributed to the perimeters of the club head, adding forgiveness on off-center strikes.

Titleist Irons: 1990-1999

In the 1990s, Titleist focused primarily on two types of golf irons:

• The Tour Model series — blades designed for lower-handicap players
• The DCI series — game improvement irons for higher-handicap players

In 1991, the Tour Model blades received another update. This version proved highly successful, and the same design was manufactured up until 1997.

In 1993, the brand launched the DCI Black and DCI Gold irons . These targeted the everyday golfer, featuring a thicker topline and a large rear cavity.

Three years later, the DCI line received an update. Titleist developed the DCI Oversize + version, featuring a large and dependable club head for better strike and accuracy.

Toward the end of the 90s, Titleist released several iterations of the DCI line. This included the DCI 962 , DCI 981 , and DCI 990 irons .

Titleist Irons: 2000-2009

In 2001, the Titleist 681 and 681 “T” irons were released. Unquestionably, these limited-edition forged blades were targeted toward the better player who preferred the looks and feel of traditional forged iron blades.

That same year, the Titleist DCI 762 irons were introduced. In short, they were based heavily on the DCI irons of the 90s, crossed with more precise weight distribution.

In 2003, they released the 680 irons . With a classic appearance and a reasonable amount of offset for forgiveness, they initially proved very popular on tour. Adam Scott has spoken of his love for the early 2000s Titleist 680 blades:

“Irons are made so beautifully and perfect now, but it’s just a little different than what I grew up looking at. There’s very little offset; not many guys out here play with offset these days, but that’s what I grew up playing and that’s what the 680s have. Also, they have quite a sharp leading edge and sole, and that kind of turf interaction is a big thing for me. It’s quite a sharp edge and it keeps me very shallow, and I know if I’m getting steep the club is going to stick in the ground a little bit so it helps me keep my swing where I like it.” Adam Scott via Golf.com

In 2008, the brand launched the original AP2 irons . One of their most hyped releases, the AP2’s multi-material head design was referred to by its engineers as “a total process breakthrough for constructing an iron.”

At the rear, there was a tungsten nickel box to position more weight lower in the head. Hence, launch and forgiveness were improved.

When the AP2 arrived, it exploded Titleist’s reputation for its golf irons into another dimension. While the brand had previously been known for its blades for single-digit handicappers, the AP2 line opened up the broader golf market.

Titleist Irons: 2010-2019

In the 2010s, Titleist continued to ride the wave of success from its AP2 line.

In 2011, they introduced the 712 AP2 irons . These sat within a lineup targeting every type of golfer, along with the 712 AP1 , 712 MB , and 712 CB versions.

Later, Titleist casually dropped the C16 irons in 2016. At $3,000 and only available with a club fitting at one of the brand’s few locations, it was undoubtedly an exclusive release.

In fact, the “C” in C16 stood for “concept” and set the precedent for an experimental line of clubs released several years later titled CNCPT .

In 2019, the T-Series was introduced — the lineup included the T100 , T100s , T200 , and T300 . The T100 and T100s versions had smaller heads and suited the better player, while the T200 and T300 offered explosive launch and forgiveness.

Titleist Irons: 2020-Present

Moving into the 2020s, the T-Series remains the sole iron focus for Titleist.

In 2021, after initial testing conducted with its PGA Tour players, Titleist updated the full T-Series — with revised models of the T100 , T100s , T200 , and T300 .

The T300 irons were the brand’s best offering in the game-improvement iron category. Featuring a thick, strong head design, the T300 offers explosive launch off the clubface for consistently long carry distances in a beautiful design.

In 2023, Titleist refreshed its lineup with new T100 , T150 , T200 , and T350 irons.

Currently, the Titleist T200 irons are our favorites for mid-to-high handicappers who seek forgiveness — without compromising looks.

Simply put, they’re beauties. Check them out at Worldwide Golf Shops below:

Titleist T200 Irons

+ Plenty of forgiveness + Beautiful, classic appearance + Compact and sleek head shape + Strong distance capabilities + Suits a variety of skill levels

– Premium price tag – Not as soft feeling as other irons

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Hailing from the South West of England, Jake has been playing golf for over a decade. He founded Pitchmarks with the aim of helping everyday golfers like himself learn more about the game, through instructional content and honest gear reviews. He has a degree in Architecture and a passion for golf course design, along with a lofty goal to play the world's top 100 courses.

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Titleist Irons by Year: 50+ Years of History

Titleist earned a respected reputation for designing and manufacturing some of the best irons in the golf industry. They suit golfers from all skill levels. Depending on the iron that you buy, some of them set the standards for irons. Let’s take a look at the Titleist irons by year to help you form a clearer picture of this company and how they operate.

Titleist Irons By Year Chart

Will titleist release new irons in 2024, a brief history of titleist irons, titleist ac 108 (1972), 731pm limited lh set (2002), titleist 600 series (2003), original titleist ap2 (2008), titleist c16 (2016), benefits of using a titleist iron, tips to choose the right titleist iron for your game, what year were the titleist ap2 irons made, what is the most popular titleist iron, final thoughts.

Many of you may be wondering, “When are the new Titleist irons coming out?” We can expect to see the Titleist iron release date for the new T series in 2024 from 100 to 300. They will arrive somewhere in the late summer to early fall.

This happens because Titleist now releases its irons every two years, so you didn’t get a release for new irons in 2022. They release them every second year.

Titleist  debuted their first iron in 1970 with the Finalist Forged. In 1969, Acushnet, the parent company of Titleist purchased Goldcraft, which was the world’s largest club manufacturer at the time. Upon the purchase of Goldcraft, Titleist released its first iron in 1970, which was the Finalist Forged.

Two years after their first iron, Titleist released the Acushnet AC 108. This was one of the first irons that had tungsten perimeter weights. This means that they positioned the golf head at the perimeter of the club, rather than at the center.

In most cases, Titleist manufactures a traditional set of irons, but they have become known for producing some of the best irons on the market.

At the release of the 1979 Tour Model, we saw one of the first muscle-back forged irons from Titleist, and they have continued to build irons like that ever since.

Over time, we saw how the Titleist Tour models evolved to become a numbered model. For example, the 620 MB shows us an example of the latest numbered model.

Many of the biggest names in golf saw success with Titleist Tour models. Tiger Woods, for example, used the Tour Model blades to complete the “ Tiger Slam .” Much of the design from before looks similar to what you had in the late 1970s.

Suggested Read: How Long Do Titleist Golf Irons Last?

Best of All Titleist Irons Sets by Year

Many golfers request that we cover the best Titleist irons ever, so we put together this list of some of the best irons that Titleist has ever made. At one point, most people only knew Titleist as a golf ball company, but they have since moved beyond that evaluation by producing some of the most amazing irons ever made. Some of the one-piece forged blades from Titleist have a special reputation as some of the most technology-packed irons.

What distinguished the Titleist AC 108 from its competitors was its use a tungsten perimeter weighting found on the heel and toe. This gave the iron a unique center of gravity that was unique for the time. You can recognize an AC 108 easily enough because of the design.

If you looked at this iron based on today’s standards, you would consider it small. Many golfers at the time liked it due to it being an alternative to traditional forged blades.

The 731PM irons were another standout model that Titleist made, and they stood out as unique for several reasons. Phil Mickelson helped to design them, and they were intended to remain a prototype, but they were so good that they eventually went mainstream. Titleist made this as their first combo set, and you can’t mix and match it.

Phil Mickelson used the 731PMs to win his first major in 2004. Especially if you’re left-handed, they become a good choice because you can only use them if you’re left-handed.

Whenever a club wins on the PGA Tour 17 years after its release, you can trust that they used some great technology in it. The Titleist 600 series had a legendary lineup, but the most popular was the 680. The others that belonged to this series included the 660, 670, and 690. If you wanted the cavity back, you would choose the 690 CB. The cavity back would let you push toward the perimeter, and it would stabilize the clubhead better upon impact.

The cavity back helped to make the 600 series some of the best irons that Titleist ever produced. They were, in fact, so good that Web Simpson kept using them until 2017. Adam Scott uses them to this day with the 680s being his main iron of choice.

Titleist released this iron in 2008. While they intended it for the PGA Tour pros, they found that a wider golf audience appreciated it as well. You could control chip shots much easier. Soon, the Original Titleist AP2 achieved status as the most hyped iron of all time. They innovated big time here with their use of multiple materials. At the time, it wasn’t a common practice, but it has since gone on to become popular among most golf companies.

Titleist released the C16s quietly in 2016 without garnering much attention. They didn’t market them or go through a tour validation process. These irons were packed with all the technology that you’d expect from a $3,000 golf set, and it became a huge success. This release was meant as an experiment to see how much technology that they could put into one club, and they were pleasantly surprised by the results.

In the 2018 Masters, they spotted Jeff Knox with a C16. They originally intended this as a prototype, and the “C” in 16 stands for Concept. Titleist used the success from the C16 to launch into further successes with the CNCPT series 01 and 02.

The people who benefit the most from Titleist irons include the mid to high handicappers. If you’d like to learn more about the best irons for high handicappers, check out our article.

Many of the irons include compact head shape to provide you with a smaller sweet spot to hit the ball. The T400 irons have a reputation as some of the most forgiving irons on the market. Titleist golf irons will deliver both power and performance throughout your game, and they take a unique approach to iron engineering compared to other irons on the market.

The other thing that makes the Titleist irons worth getting is how many of them come packed with technologies designed to help you on the golf course. For example, the C16s were some of the most technologically advanced irons ever produced, and they came loaded with technologies. Important to note that you will need to spend a little more if you would like to get better golf technologies from Titleist.

How do you go about picking the right Titleist iron for your golf game? We put together this list of tips to help you choose better irons. Keep in mind that what works for one golfer may not work as well for another because we all belong to different skill levels, and we will need different things to play well.

Tip #1 Think About Budget: What works for one golfer may not work for the next because budget can play a big role. You don’t necessarily need the most expensive Titleist irons if you can’t afford them.

Tip #2 Check out Multiple Irons: You will need to swing a couple of different irons to discover what works best for you. Check them out at the golf pro shop to get a feel for what you like and don’t like with some irons.

Tip #3 Always Get a Custom Fit: A custom fit iron was suited to you who will hit the ball. This corrects the face angle of your swing and helps you to hit your target better with each hit. Custom-fit clubs will lead to better consistency, but it will ultimately lead to better scores on the course. It usually costs about $100 to custom-fit each of your clubs.

Read More: Where are Titleist Golf Clubs Made?

The Titleist AP2 irons were released in 2008, and for the time being, it was a highly advanced iron that became popular fast. Soon, this golf iron became one of the most hyped golf clubs of all time.

The T400 would in all likelihood be the most popular Titleist iron of all time. It has received the rank of being one of the best overall clubs of all time, and it has a reputation for helping you to hit balls to a greater distance.

Hopefully, this information highlights the best Titleist irons by year for you, and you learned some Titleist irons history. Titleist started at one point as being known only for producing golf balls, but they have become more known for their irons over time. Titleist has seen success in different golf arenas across the globe, and they have become a popular choice for the mid to high handicapper because of the high forgiveness with their clubs.

If you’re looking to replace your old Titleist irons, check out our article here of the best Titleist irons .

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• Hickory, Persimmon and Classic Clubs

Help Me Identify The Best Titleist Tour Model Irons Ever

By EmperorPenguin October 25, 2016 in Hickory, Persimmon and Classic Clubs

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Emperorpenguin.

I remember this particular model Titleist Tour Model iron as a very solid iron. I bought the 6 iron one day in a used barrel for $5 and it had a great feel to it. I heard from a friend that they were the 1996 model, but for now let me refer to them as the '96 model.They felt a little more solid than my Golden Rams, maybe because the heads felt a bit heavier and the muscle was a much larger than my Rams? I have done a little shopping of Titleist Tour Model irons and found many renditions of the club, with some of them absolutely hideous in design (i.e., some had flanges, some were bullet backs, some had smaller muscles, some had straight-back muscles versus arched muscles). I remember checking out some older Titlest Tour Model irons which had flanges and they felt horrible. They were certainly not as solid as the ones pictured below (the '96 model?). Is this particular model the best of the series? I think they are, but my experience with Titleist Tour Model is very limited. Can somebody please identify exactly which year(s) this model was produced, and if anyone thinks a particular model is just as good if not better, please post those pictures as well.

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rex235 2 posts

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Oct 25 2016

Nov 22 2016

Nov 23 2016

Can't help you much. Titleist made so few LH Tour Models during this period.

The Golf Club ID and Price Guide by Golf Works should narrow the years of your search.

Steve Elkington was successful Titleist staffer in the mid-90s, but I'd put the Titleist Forged Iron series used by Tiger near the top of the list.

Dude, I'm your guy. But i can't pick a winner. I played Wilson Staff in high school, MacGregor in college, Hogans right out of college, Maxfli Australian Blades a few years, Titleist TM (won some $$ with those babies), Mizuno's for 5-6 years, Back to Titleist, back to Mizuno, back to Titleist, in the MB's now.......Every one of them were great.......BUT, I've played a few rounds with the new Srixon's, and the Bridgestone's.......Loved them both..........And the FINAL vote is?........Can't decide.......If you look at All-Time records, I'm pretty sure the Staff still has the most Major wins.......But, I could be wrong.......As far as Titleist, gotta be the 714 MB's........SWEET!!!.......

These look like the Tour Model that Titleist put out from '91-96

Attaching a link to Titleist web page. Look through the various years....I can't see anything else close to this.

I personally had a set of the 1981 Tour Models, and loved them....wish that I still had them, because the metal in them is just something that you can't seem to get in the states anymore.

Hope this helps!

http://www.titleist.com/previous-models?page=6

southplains

I've played most of the Tour models at one time or another and my vote goes to the 1984 Tour Model 841.

I have three sets of them and always looking for the matching woods and X100 shafts. Sweet blades.

If you're lucky, you can find them with Neumann Calf leather grips.

The TT Gold shafts may have Sensicore vibration dampening inserts. That may or may not be

a good thing for purist players, but they sure feel good at impact.

Trying to post an image, but you will find them at the Titleist link previously posted.

http://acushnet.scen...?wid=800&qlt=95

Just noticed a set of 2-P S300 on ebay with auction starting at $100 and BIT $199.

That's a bit pricey since PGA tradein value is only $25 and the pw grooves are worn.

Probably not leather grips, since that isn't mentioned in the listing.

However, they don't show up very often. It will be interesting to see if any bids

or if it gets re-listed at a lower starting point.

Ping G430 HL 10.5*

Wilson Staff Dyna Power 5 wood Ping 410 7 wood XXIO 10 5 Hybrid, Tour Exotics 6 Hybrid Wilson Staff DynaPower forged 7-GW

Wilson Staff 56*

Wilson Staff 60*

Bettinardi BB0 TRI DASS Skull and Bones 2023 33" 

Like Edberg's forehand, my swing is held together with a paperclip and a rubber band.  

• 4 weeks later...

The set pictured is of the 1991-96 Tour Models and they are one of the best along with the 1987 Box Blade Tour Model (very hard to find) and as mentioned already the 1984 841 Tour Models. In 1990, Titleist was transitioning from the 1986-89 Tour Models (Bullet Back) and made a few sets (about 6 months) of the 1991-96 Tour Models like the ones you have posted, but they had the diamonds next to the grooves like the 1986-89 model. These sets are extremely rare. I had a used set of them a few years back and sold them to a former WRX member in Australia for a small fortune. If you can get your hands on a set of the Box Blades or 841's they are sweet blades as well.

Those streamlined Titleist muscle-backs (entire lower half of blade) were sort of game-improvement

designs, compared to the earlier McGregor diamond shape muscles concentrated

into the middle of the face, which, in turn, were game-improvement designs compared

to 40's designs just adding weight along the bottom of the blades. I guess the even older

designs were the "true blades" with no added weight to the bottom or back.

That would be a radical "new" re-design - a real player's blade with modern metals and shafts.

Listen up, Titleist - lose the fancy back cavities and find a new market with a real blade.

• 5 months later...

I am interested in the Box Blade irons. The heads look compact, very square and no offset, which I like. However, I wonder how they compare to the '96 model Tour Models as specified in the original post. I am looking at the Titleist website and see that no 1 iron is available, so if I buy a set of the Box Blades I will have to put in either a 4 wood or a middle wedge to make up for it. For those of you who had both the Box Blade and the '96 Tour Model irons, which one feels better? Perhaps it may be a case of splitting hairs, but I always remember how the solid the '96 Tour Models feel. If the Box Blade feels even more solid, I might buy a set of them.

Original 690MB (no dot) are worth looking at too,super quality irons.

Titleist was pretty much RH ONLY when it came to their forged irons in the '80s-'90s. Their equipment rep at the time said it was by Design.

They made very few LH models- (Model 90s) but AC-108s? "Box Blades"? Check the RH Only box on those.

It was printed then Titleist staffer Steve Elkington had irons ground a size larger (the 2 iron was a 3 iron size stamped "2" on down...)

Russ Cochran wore a Titleist hat when he won the Senior British Open, but am not even sure Titleist made forged irons for him, or whether Phil Mickelson's LH 731 PM irons were.

Titleist's first LH forged irons were quite similar to early First Flight NALG irons.

No, the translation between the RH and LH forged models at one point was simple-RH Only. Check those RH 841 Tour Models...

Titleist had RH Persimmon woods subcontracted to Joe Powell. LH Models? Good Luck.

Those LH Titleist forged irons you speak about were quite a few years after someone asked Titleist about LH equipment.

See Brian Harmans win today, and flashback to his USGA Junior win. Didn't Harman have a "Titleist" hat on then?

• 2 weeks later...

I have two sets of the 96's 3-pw X100, 2-pw smoke finish X100. I picked up a set of the Box Blades 2-pw, these need some restoration as most of the ferrules are separated from the hosels, Tour Flex shafts match up to DG S300 perfectly. X100's ss 1x going into them, will try to preserve the ferrules, but have Black/copper/black/copper ferrules in the shop. Two sets of 712's, one with Tour Issue X100's, one with Project X 7.0 shafts that are either going with the heads or being replaced with DG Tour shaft (X7 on butt stamps) may need to ss 1 or 2 x's. 670's, 680's, 681's not T stamp, enough about my Titleist blade irons, have others too but this is a Titleist based thread.

• 2 years later...

Jamesbondings

Hi seayhorse,

The set you are referring to, I am pretty sure I have a set. Any idea how I get these looked at and appraised? I am struggling to get any great info on them on the Internet.

I need a new set of irons and if this could fund/part fund it that would be great.

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Titleist Golf Club History: Models Worth Remembering

Titleist is a brand of golf equipment and clothes developed and marketed by the Acushnet Company. Acushnet, the Fairhaven, Mass. company, also manufactures Pinnacle golf balls, Foot-Joy golf gloves, clothes and shoes, Scotty Cameron putters, and Vokey wedges.

Phillip W. "Skipper" Young

Phillip W. "Skipper" Young, a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, founded the rubber company in 1910 with two friends. The company, called Peabody, Young & Weeks, was located in Acushnet, Mass., before moving to New Bedford, Mass. By the early 1920s, prices for rubber plummeted, forcing the company to shift its focus.

According to company legend, Young was a frustrated golfer, who decided one day to x-ray golf balls to find out why they did not fly straight. He discovered that many balls were off-centered, and he decided to create a better golf ball, thus turning the company's focus to golf.

By the early 1930s, the company was making golf balls with a machine that spun rubber around a core, leading to the "dead center" Titleist golf ball. The company only sold its golf ball to pro shops, creating a high demand.

Dynamite Thread

During World War II, Titleist concentrated its efforts on making equipment for the troops. Following the war, golf experienced a boom that helped establish Titleist as a leading brand in the sport. In 1948, the company began selling a ball that contained the "dynamite thread" to boost yardage, and in 1949, Titleist was the most played ball during the U.S. Open.

Acushnet Golf Growth

In the 1960s and 70s the Acushnet Company continued to grow in the golf industry, acquiring other companies along the way. In 1962, the Acushnet Company started developing and marketing golf clubs when it purchased John Reuter Jr., Inc., the company that made the Bulls Eye putter. Acushnet followed that acquisition in 1969 when it purchased Golfcraft Inc., a maker of golf clubs and bags. In 1975 the company purchased Shelford Group of England, a golf cart business.

One year later, American Brands, Inc., a maker of consumer products such as Sunshine Biscuits and James Beam purchased Acushnet.

In 1985, Foot-Joy became the latest addition to the family of brands Acushnet produces for the golf industry and by 2002 Titleist experienced over $1 billion in revenues. In 2010, Fila purchased Acushnet Company increasing the global reach of Titleist.

2010-Present

The Acushnet Company went public in 2017 under the “GOLF” symbol as they own and operate three golf ball manufacturing plants that produce 1 million balls a day, including the ProV1 line, the No. 1 ball in golf. Golf Clubs and FootJoy Golf wear accounted for 28% of Acushnet’s sales in 2019 and Titleist gear alone represented about 10%.

Pro Staffers

Acushnet’s brands see numerous pro golfers using their products. Scotty Cameron’s models are some of the most-played putters on the PGA Tour and Vokey wedges have been used more than any other brand on the PGA Tour since 2004.

Some of the pros that use the ProV1 golf balls are the likes of Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Adam Scott.

Titleist has 114 brand ambassadors on the PGA Tour, and four on the LPGA in Jessica and Nelly Korda, Danielle Kang and So Yeon Ryu.

Titleist Clubs by Year

From the Bulls Eye putter to the numerous irons, hybrids, drivers, putters and fairways alike, Titleist produces some of the top clubs in all of golf. Release details of some of the most memorable Titleist clubs and company milestones are below.

Image: Paul Severn/Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

The greatest Titleist irons of all time

Since the introduction of our ongoing “greatest of all time” series, Titleist irons have been one of the most requested lists to tackle. Even though, at one point, Titleist was basically known for being “just a golf ball company,” it uprooted that notion decades ago and has since produced some of the most notable irons of all time. From one-piece forged blades to some of the most technology-packed irons on the market, Titleist continues to be a leader in irons across player categories.

This is our list of the greatest Titleist irons of all time.

Original Titleist AP2 – Released 2008

The very first AP2 iron was one of the most hyped Titleist irons ever—full stop. Titleist engineers called the multi-material design “a total process breakthrough for constructing an iron,” saying, “never has a back piece with that kind of function or complicated geometry been welded to a forged body.” The back piece was a tungsten nickel box that placed more mass low in the head to boost forgiveness and launch in a compact head. This use of multi-materials is commonplace now, but in 2008 it was not.

When the AP2 originally arrived on the scene in 2008, it took Titleist’s already solid reputation for producing great irons and sent it through the stratosphere. The entire 2008 Titleist AP series, including the AP1, reintroduced Titleist as an iron company to many golfers who overlooked them because of their reputation for being a company that strictly catered to single-digit handicaps.

It’s not that the previous-generation Titleist irons totally stunk either. The 755 and 775CB were still nice clubs (just ask Steve Stricker—he used them for over a decade), but in reality, they lacked the technology other companies at the time were beginning to introduce to the market for both forgiveness and feel. The AP2 entirely changed Titleist’s reputation and single-handedly created a completely new category of iron: players technology.

Titleist AC 108 – Released 1972

We kicked this list offer with an iron that featured tungsten. Now, we’re going to go back to the Titleist roots to talk about the AC 108—one of the first irons to offer tungsten perimeter weighting on the heel and toe. But, before we talk more about this specific club, let’s go deeper…

Titleist clubs history

The first Acushnet irons debuted in 1970 and were known as the Finalist Forged irons. They were introduced to the market just one year after Acushnet (Titleist) purchased Golfcraft in 1969 to get into the space. If you are not familiar with the Golfcraft Company, it produced top-of-the-line forged clubs under a number of brands dating back to the 1940s.

In fact, in 1966, three years before Acushnet purchased it, the Wall Street Journal called Golfcraft the largest golf club manufacturing company in the world. Beyond its own brands, it sold blank heads to some other manufacturers to do final finishing and shaping. If you have read other articles in this series, you might remember that back in 1961, a man named Karsten Solheim bought some blank Golfcraft heads and milled the backs out to produces the very first cavity back iron: the Ping Ballnamic ’69 (reference:  Greatest Ben Hogan Irons of all Time) . The purchase of Golfcraft made Acushnet an instant player in the category to complement its already strong position in the ball market.

The AC 108, although small by today’s standards, offered a lot of playability for golfers looking for an alternative to traditional forged blades. One final fun fact about the AC 108, the branded Tungsten toe weights from the iron were used in the first prototype Scotty Cameron putters that had tungsten weighting.

Titleist DCI 962 – Released 1993

The Titleist DCI (Direct Central Impact) line first came out in 1993 with the black and gold models, denoted by a colored triangle in the cavity. The DCI line was a way to introduce more golfers to Titleist irons by offering a classic shape with the added forgiveness of a cast cavity back. It also allowed them to be offered at a different price point compared to the forged blades of the time. The DCI 962 is highly regarded as the pinnacle (no golf ball pun intended) of the DCI line, thanks to its clean look from address and its C-shaped sole profile.

But the other reason the 962’s are on this “great irons” list is there was a second model, the 962B, which offered the same sole but in a smaller blade profile, hence the “B” designation. It was the second DCI “B” iron, but it is by far the most well know and still sought after. The 962B’s were David Duval’s go-to irons while with Titleist and helped him shoot 59 at the Bob Hope. The 962B is also regarded as one of the greatest small cast cavity back irons ever made, thanks to its shape and sole design.

Titleist 600 Series blades – Released 2003

For any club to win on the PGA tour 17 years after its initial release, you know there must be something special about it. The Titleist 680 was part of the legendary original 600 series from Titleist that included the 660, 670, and 690, which was also offered in a forged cavity back, the 690CB. This heritage is part of the reason Titleist decided to name the newest forged blades and cavity back irons the 620 MB and CB and give a tip of the hat to some of the best it ever made.

While modern blades look to offer flowing CG’s and added forgiveness (a relative term for any blade design), the 680s are an uncompromising set of “ you better hit this pure ” forged blades. It’s one of the reasons—beyond the old school higher heel look—Web Simpson used them up until 2017 and Adam Scott continues to use them on the PGA Tour today ( Adam Scott 2020 WITB) . The 680s have been such a mainstay in Mr. Scott’s bag, Titleist did something almost unheard of: produced a limited production run in 2018, releasing 400 sets for sale to the general public—while also keeping an undisclosed number of sets for Adam to use into the foreseeable future.

The lineage of the 600 series dates back to the original 1979 Tour Models and the name stuck around until 1997. Like all clubs, the Tour Models went through a number of changes throughout their run as player preferences changed. From straight muscles to curved dual muscle pads, most of the changes were to the soles and address profiles. Two of the most well-known models are the “Square Toe” and “Box Blade.”

731 PM Limited LH set – Released 2002

Every list needs to have one odd standout, and for Titleist, it has to be the 731PM irons. The 731PM irons are unique for a number of reasons

• They were designed with Phil Mickelson to be his personal set and were, from all accounts, originally intended to remain a prototype.
• They were Titleist’s very first designated combo set. There was no mixing and matching to build your own. This set transitioned club to club from full cavity to high muscle blade.
• They were cast. Even though the set had blades into the shorter clubs, the set was cast and not forged—making them the only cast set of blades Titleist ever made.

Photo: Dave Martin

Phil used these irons to win his first major in 2004. Last but not least, this is probably the only completely unique retail set that was only ever available in left-handed—for the first time ever, it was right-handed golfers that were left out in the cold.

Titleist C16 – Released 2016

The Titleist C16 irons were released in an under-the-radar secret handshake way in late 2016. No marketing, no tour validation process, just a simple “hey look what we have” arrangement, and it was off to the races. The going rate for a set of irons was $3,000, and there was good reason for it—they had every possible technology packed inside.

To even get the opportunity to test the C16 series, which also included a $1,000 plus driver, you had to sign up and take part in a fitting at either TPI in Oceanside or one of the few Titleist fitting locations offering the iron. It was Titleist’s first attempt to break into the ultra-exclusive, spare-no-expense concept car-style golf club market—and it was a huge success.

Here’s the part that made the C16’s so unique in the market and for Titleist. Generally, Titleist clubs go through an extensive tour validation process to make sure they are ready for the consumer, but in the case of the C16 irons, the development process was conducted behind closed doors and the validation was conducted by Titleist fitters working with consumers willing to participate in the experience.

It was a large scale experiment to both collect data and offer the most technology-forward clubs ever produced to golfer willing to participate. In total, there were around 2,000 sets of the C16’s ever produced, and it’s not often they are spotted in the wild—although the driver was most notably sighted at the 2018 Masters when the quietly famous marker, Jeff Knox, was spotted with one.

The “C” in C16 was for Concept, since the entire line was a limited run. However, it was only a few years later when Titleist once again put everything on the table and introduced the CNCPT (Concept) series 01 and 02 models to the mass market.

Here’s how they are described

“To put it simply, we’ve never seen the ball come off the face of an iron faster. Engineered to produce higher launch, greater distance and the most generous impact possible, with high density tungsten making up nearly 50% of the total head weight in the lower lofts.:

The CNCPT Series are the supercars of the Titleist iron lineup, and unlike the original C16, they are offered in both a more forgiving shape and also in traditional blade-like profile—except with all the same technology jammed inside. I’m not saying the CNCPT series would have never existed without the original C16s, but they were the seedling that formed the root of this family tree.

Titleist 712U – Released 2012/TMB MOTO Released 2016

As mentioned previously, Titleist for a long time had a reputation of only making clubs that appealed to lower handicap golfers—something that is very much a misconception.

Engineers had the original DCI, they offered the AP1, and then in 2012, they went a step further by introducing their very first (for full retail release) hollow driving iron in the 712U—the original being the tour only 503i . The 712U was available from 2-4 iron with a 5-iron available to tour players.

It wasn’t long after the 716 T-MB’s came to market as part of the Titleist MOTO (Made Only To Order) Program, and even though they were hard to get, they were still very much a successful iron. This eventually leads to the full release 718 T-MB, and, if you connect the dots, you can see the lineage into the T400 iron—even though they are targeted to a very different group of golfer.

If it wasn’t for the 712U and the 716 T-MB, where would hollow Titleist irons be today?

Titleist T-Series 2019 – The new baseline?

The most recently released irons, the  Titleist T-Series, marks an evolution in the Titleist iron lineup along with a complete rebranding of the Titleist “players technology line.”

The T100 and T100-S are smaller than any previous AP2 iron, while still offering greater stability than any previous iron. The T200 and T300 have been built with the new Max Impact technology to boost ball speeds off a thinner face while still maintaining the signature Titleist feel. Finally, T400 irons have incorporated technology from a number of other Titleist products, including the U500 and CNCPT series, to build the ultimate Titleist distance iron that sacrifices nothing.

Only time will truly tell if the newest T-Series will be included on this list, but based on consumer feedback, sales to date, and the technology packed inside, these irons are well on their way.

Is the lob wedge overrated? – GolfWRXers have their say

What GolfWRXers are saying about the best driving irons

Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

20 Comments

Christian Roberts

Jun 25, 2022 at 8:35 am

I am fortunate enough to have a set of Tour Square toe irons and 962DCi which I play with to this day and they are fantastic irons. I’m currently in the process of full restoration of the Tour models and hope to play those again soon. They were my Grandfathers and Fathers before me they will eventually be my Grandsons blades when he is old enough.

Mar 23, 2021 at 8:23 am

You forgot the 841s.

Mikel Jorden

May 4, 2020 at 10:43 pm

Wow!! I’ll take a set of those Box Blades, standard length, 2′ degrees flat, Royal Sand Wrap grips with reminder and 2 1/12 wraps PLEASE!!

May 4, 2020 at 2:02 pm

Titleist 716CB. Awesome feel combined with tungsten made it as forgiving as earlier AP2 irons.

William Davis

May 4, 2020 at 1:44 pm

Seems as tho’ Titleist have never made a poor iron. One day I would like to see an article on all the duds produced by the big brands.

May 4, 2020 at 1:43 pm

I’m still gaming the ZB Blades 6-PW, love them

May 4, 2020 at 1:39 pm

Have really enjoyed these lists but this one left a lot to be desired…

The 762’s can’t be forgotten

As someone mentioned already the 735 CM’s were pure

The CNCPT series isn’t something that 99% will ever try so why add them to the all-time list?

May 4, 2020 at 12:45 pm

My first set of irons was a set of AC108s as hand me downs on the 1997.

Bill Rutledge

May 4, 2020 at 12:20 pm

Agree with the AC-108s as well as all your selections. The same-generation Pro-100s were really nice, too. Smaller blade, less offset, but some ‘help’ on off-center hits. Enjoyed the article.

dwayne bretzky

May 4, 2020 at 11:12 am

every titleist iron is the best iron ever.

Bladehunter

May 4, 2020 at 10:37 am

Totally missed the opportunity to include the “ custom grind “ MOTO program for the tour model and 681 blades. Left out the Miura forged T limited blade set , and last but not least the entire DCI line is glossed over in favor of picturing the 962 thrice. It’s the gold over size and the actual DCI- B that put titleist on everyone’s radar.

And since the comments were turned off for the tiger iron post I’ll have to say it here. Why did you miss the fact that there are 3 sets of tiger titleist irons pictured ? One T. One with no T and one with Tw-p3 ( practice set early edition ) pictured. The T irons didn’t come until last. It would be better to open up the comments than to miss obvious things that the pics depict. And you never know when someone can chime in with actual experience. Since I own a set of the “ blank “ 681s as pictured IN tigers bag. The no T version. Several titleist staffers had these. Matt jones , Steve Stricker , and jay haas to name 3. And most people have never seen a set. Sure “ nobody cares “ but if that’s true why print the article ?

May 4, 2020 at 9:55 am

Forged 735 CM

May 4, 2020 at 12:34 pm

I use the 735 stainless version and like them. It would have been fun to try the 731s had they ever made a right-handed version (you lucky lefties!). Titleist shows that the lofts on the 731s are 2* stronger than the 735s, so that would have created a bit more of a loft gap – at least on paper – with my SW. The 731s also look to be a more rounded shape and from the pics I’ve seen, they appear to have a more pronounced slope from toe – hosel. I always thought the 6 & 7 irons are really neat-looking with that scooped area in the muscle. Wonder what kind of steel they were cast from?

May 4, 2020 at 1:00 pm

These were great! I mixed them with a set of 660 blades, but the 735 felt so much better. Thanks for reminding us.

Steve Finley

Jan 31, 2021 at 12:21 am

Can’t really do this list without them.

May 4, 2020 at 9:30 am

Titleist Golf 1979-80 TOUR MODEL

May 4, 2020 at 9:29 am

May 4, 2020 at 9:26 am

i believe mizuno mp-19 late 90’s were first lefty only irons

curt j benjamins

May 4, 2020 at 9:38 pm

I had a set of the tP 9’s directly from the mizuno rep when I worked at the course in Washington.

Great sticks with old school lofts, felt like butter

May 4, 2020 at 7:42 am

I loved the look of the AC-108s and always wanted a set. However, as most clubs of the time they were not available left-handed. It’s better now, but there are still gaps.

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It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.

When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”

“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”

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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.

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“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.

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It seems like the RBC Heritage is full of new gear to be spotted, and you can add TaylorMade’s P-UDI utility irons to that list.

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From what we can tell, this new P-UDI utility iron looks to have some of the usual TaylorMade technology as we can see the Speed Slot on the sole of the club for additional face flexibility. A toe screw is usually used to close off the hollow body design that will probably be filled with a version of TaylorMade’s Speed Foam that is present in the current iron lineup. This hollow body, foam-filled design should offer additional ball speed, soft feel, and sound, as well as an optimized CG for ball flight.

“Forged” is etched into the hosel, so we can assume that either the face, body, or both are forged for a soft and responsive feel. The club looks good from behind and at address, where we can see just a little offset and a topline that I would consider medium thickness. We don’t have the full details on what is under the hood or how many loft options will be available yet.

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Predicting the PGA Championship winner is a much different beast than doing so for the Masters , considering that Augusta National hosts that tournament every year and thus has some extremely sticky course history (i.e., certain types of golfers seem to play well there every year). Because the PGA Championship is played on a different track each year, course history is generally thrown out the window, though this year’s host, Valhalla in Louisville, has hosted the tournament three times, most recently in 2014, and a number of golfers in this year’s field were among the participants 10 years ago.

So we’re left to rely a whole lot on current form, which has proved to be a good predictor for PGA Championship success. We’ll combine that with what we know about the course to try to identify a winner.

Here are a few aspects I’m considering:

• The PGA Championship is the only major championship that does not extend invitations to amateur players, though 20 spots are set aside for PGA club professionals. Therefore, the tournament annually garners the highest strength-of-field rating as compiled by the Official World Golf Ranking. Though the PGA has produced some surprise winners in the past 15 years — Jimmy Walker, Jason Dufner and Y.E. Yang say hello — it has become increasingly unlikely that an unheralded player will topple the world’s greats.
• As with all majors, the PGA Championship winner almost always enters in great form: 17 of the past 18 champions made the cut in their previous tournament, and the one exception — Brooks Koepka last year — plays on a LIV Golf circuit that does not have cut lines. Three of those 18 champions were coming off a win, nine finished in the top five in their previous outing (including Koepka last year), and all but two finished in the top 20 in their most recent event.
• Of the past 20 PGA Championship winners, 15 had won a tournament in the same calendar year. Nineteen had at least three top-10 finishes, and all 20 had at least one top-20 finish in the same calendar year (although the PGA Championship used to fall later in the year, allowing for more time to accomplish such feats).
• Five of the past six PGA Championship winners already had a major win on their résumés. The one who didn’t — Collin Morikawa in 2020 — has since won another major (the 2021 British Open).
• This is another issue of small sample size, but in the four PGA Championships played in May since 2019, three of the winners also finished in the top 10 in that year’s Masters. (Phil Mickelson, the outlier in 2021, finished tied for 21st at Augusta that year.) This year’s Masters top 10: Scottie Scheffler, Ludvig Aberg, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith, Xander Schauffele, Tyrrell Hatton, Cameron Young and Will Zalatoris.

After some tinkering, Valhalla will play long — 151 yards longer than in 2014 and the third-longest course among PGA Tour venues this year. It also should be firm and fast, unless it rains a whole lot to take the starch out of the greens, as happened 10 years ago. The rough will be up, too. However, low scores were predominant the past two times Valhalla hosted the PGA Championship. In 2014, when Rory McIlroy won the tournament at 16 under par, there were 179 rounds below par, fourth most in tournament history, and 58 players finished under par, with 14 of them at least 10 under. In 2000, Tiger Woods and Bob May set what was then the PGA Championship stroke-play record at 18 under before Woods won in a playoff.

Valhalla, which was designed by Jack Nicklaus , also has a number of quirks ( some would say to its detriment ). The par-5 seventh hole features a split fairway, which allegedly rewards drives that choose the riskier left path. There’s also an elevated island green at the par-4 13th (island greens on par-4s are relatively rare) and a horseshoe-shaped green at the finishing hole.

In general, we’re looking for big hitters (McIlroy ranked second in driving distance when he won at Valhalla in 2014) and — considering the course’s length — players who are accurate with long irons on their second shots.

Here are a few bets worth considering at this year’s PGA Championship. All odds taken Wednesday morning from DraftKings Sportsbook .

Scottie Scheffler (+400)

We were on the world No. 1 to win the Masters , which he did, for a second time. Picking Scheffler to win a golf tournament kind of feels like cheating at this point — he followed up his win at Augusta with another one the next weekend and has won four of his past five starts, with the one miss a tie for second — but until someone takes him down, he needs your consideration, even at semi-ridiculous odds. The one caveat this week is that Scheffler’s wife just gave birth to their first child , so who knows where his mind is. Still, Scheffler doesn’t seem to get fazed by much.

Rory McIlroy (+750)

While Scheffler was on baby watch, McIlroy filled the void with two wins in three weeks, one in a team event with Shane Lowry and another when he shredded Quail Hollow’s back nine to race past Xander Schauffele on Sunday at the Wells Fargo. And now you’re telling me he gets to play an arguably easier course, and one at which he already has won? If Scheffler is the world’s best golfer at the moment, McIlroy is the one with the most momentum, and he has to be a consideration at Valhalla.

Brooks Koepka (+1600)

The defending tournament champion enters in fine form, having won the most recent LIV Golf event in Singapore earlier this month and tied for ninth in the tournament that preceded it. Koepka’s Grand Slam record is absurd: In 39 major championship appearances, he has five wins (three at the PGA), four second-place finishes and nine other top-10s. Koepka hits the ball a mile, and it’s hard not to like his chances this week.

Bryson DeChambeau (+2800)

DeChambeau no longer is cartoonishly muscle-bound, but he still has plenty of power off the tee — he leads LIV in driving distance — which should serve him well here. DeChambeau has finished in the top eight in three of the past six majors, including at this year’s Masters (at a course where he previously never played well), and he has four top-10s on the LIV circuit this season. Plus, his 2020 U.S. Open win was at Winged Foot , which might prove to be a favorable comp to Valhalla.

Max Homa (+3500)

Three of Homa’s six PGA Tour wins have come on long, upper-echelon courses (Quail Hollow, Riviera and Torrey Pines). And, thanks to a tie for 10th at last year’s British Open and a tie for third at this year’s Masters, he finally has shaken his reputation as a guy who never shows up at majors. Homa trailed just two players in strokes gained: approach on his way to a tie for eighth last weekend at the Wells Fargo, one of three top-eight performances over his past six tournaments.

Sepp Straka (+8000)

Straka isn’t the longest off the tee, but he’s one of the most accurate, which should serve him well if the rough is an issue at Valhalla. The Austrian with the Southern accent (he moved to Georgia at 14) has quietly been putting together a solid season, with top-16 finishes in five of his past six tournaments, and he’s becoming quite the big-game hunter in majors: He tied for seventh at last year’s PGA, tied for second at last year’s British Open and tied for 16th at this year’s Masters.

Taylor Pendrith (+18000)

Pendrith, who ranks ninth on the PGA Tour in driving distance, has had a weird year. He scored his first PGA Tour win at the Byron Nelson a few weeks ago — on a TPC Craig Ranch course that matches Valhalla in length — and has four other top-11 finishes, two of them at elite-field events (the Farmers Insurance Open in January and the Wells Fargo). But he also missed five of six cuts in one stretch, his hopes doomed by inaccuracy off the tee and grim approach play. If the Canadian can show consistency, he could be worth a look down the odds board, or as a top-10 or top-20 play. Pendrith was never really in contention at the Wells Fargo — it was a two-man race between McIlroy and Schauffele — but he finished a respectable 10th, and there’s no reason for his odds this week to be the same neighborhood as those of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, who probably have no shot.

As of Wednesday morning, here were the odds to win the PGA Championship of the leading contenders, according to DraftKings Sportsbook:

• Scottie Scheffler: +400
• Rory McIlroy: +750
• Xander Schauffele: +1400
• Jon Rahm: +1600
• Brooks Koepka: +1600
• Ludvig Aberg: +2200
• Bryson DeChambeau: +2800
• Collin Morikawa: +3000
• Max Homa: +3500
• Joaquín Niemann: +3500
• Wyndham Clark: +4000
• Viktor Hovland: +4000
• Patrick Cantlay: +4000
• Cameron Smith: +4500