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Titleist 714 AP1 Review Thread

SuperStroke
I got to hit an AP1 7i on the weekend and boy oh boy was it impressive. I found the feel/sound to be nothing worth writing about but the performance was there. I wasn't hitting on a monitor so I can't rattle off spin rates and the like but what I saw was a higher trajectory and more distance. My J40 7i carries 155 shot after shot and the AP1 7i was averaging about 170 but was much less consistent with the distances. One shot would go 175 and the next 162 followed by 168. Dispersion was the same with both with the nod going to the AP1's.
I'm not ready to jump ship at all yet as I still love my J40's and they suit my game. I think the real telling factor will be to hit the AP1's on a day where my swing is crap and see how much that extra mass really helps.
 
Hawk said:
Don't let your ego get in the way. I see what is basically three outliers with the XP's when it comes to distance.
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Just touching on this point. Have you noticed any flyers/hot spots on these clubs, similar to the old Burner 2.0s? In my last range session with these (off mats), I definitely felt like I noticed at least 1. Maybe it was just that 1 perfect swing/compression, but it was noticeable.

I cant comment on my own experience on the course yet since there is 6 inches of snow on the ground. That was one thing I definitely liked about the MP54s, I never noticed 1 of those, and distances were very true/consistent. I have found that less true with GI irons in the past, hoping Ap1 is different.
 
I tend to think there's more myth to reality for the jumper phenomenon, so my answer would be no. Yes, I can get that perfect strike with that perfect swing and hit something farther than normal here and there, but I take that more as the stars lining up than the club doing something different. I can easily sit there for a half hour with one iron and see very consistent ball speeds with decent strikes.
 
How do the ap1 irons wear , by that I mean do they mark up easily if rattling against other clubs in the bag ?
 
Not all that great imo. The satin gets beat up pretty easy.
 
So I was chatting over the phone with a fellow lefty golfer today and told him what I got fitted for. The 714 AP1 5-P with i95 shafts. He tells me that he's got a mint set, 712 AP1 5-6i and AP2 7-P with the same i95 shafts that I was fitted for that he'll sell me. Only played 3 rounds with them and stuck them in the closet.

I've hit the 712s in the past and really liked them. I just wasn't looking for new irons then otherwise I would have picked them up. I really like the 714s but if I can save a lot of cash, I may have to go this route instead.
 
Adam, that sounds like a good opportunity for you.


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Golfwolf said:
Adam, that sounds like a good opportunity for you.


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Yea. I like the 714 AP1 a little better than the 712 in the looks department, but my woke will like that I can save some money.

I'm gonna hit the 712 on the monitor this evening to see what numbers it gives me. I'll make sure the same i95 shaft is in it too.
 
Cool, looking forward to reading your thoughts.


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Ok so I want to post while it's fresh in my head. I hit the 712 and 714 AP1 and AP2 with a Steelfiber i95 shaft.

Distance:

The AP1 was 5 yards longer than the AP2 in both the 712 and 714 lines. The difference between the 712 and 714 was less than 0.5 yards. The 712s had a 1* higher launch angle over the 714 in both the AP1 and AP2 heads, but the carry and total distance was almost identical.

Dispersion:

In my fitting the 714 AP1 had a dispersion of 16'. I was able to get that down to 10' with how well I was swinging tonight. The 712 AP2 had a dispersion of 11'. Again almost identical.

The 712 AP1 had a dispersion of 18' while the 714 AP2 had a dispersion of 16'.

Forgiveness: I define forgiveness as how much distance is not lost on miss hits off of the heel or toe. No club can correct a open or closed face at impact. This is not the most accurate test as I was pulling these numbers from where I saw the ball mark on the club head when I had a miss hit.

The 712 lost 18 yards when hit off the heel and 22 when hit off the toe. The 714 lost 7 yards off the heel and 11 off the toe. Numbers were similar for the AP2 irons.

All in all the numbers from the 712 to the 714 weren't that different. I will say this:

If you currently have 712s there is no need to rush out and get the 714s. If your looking for new irons right now, get the 714s unless the shop has the 712 at a seriously discounted rate. The forgiveness that Titleist added to the 714 line is impressive.
 
All that said....I'll be ordering the 714 AP1 5-PW as originally planned. The extra forgiveness in the 8 and 9 irons over the AP2 isn't necessary but may help. The interesting thing is that the 714 AP1 5i is only lofted 2* weaker than my current 4i. With this set make-up, I'll have a 4* loft change from the 5i all the way through my 56* wedge. I'll also be picking up a 24* 913h. The hybrid was 15 yards longer than the AP1 5i and 40 yards shorter than my current 15* 3w. So I'll have to think about ditching the 62* or 52* wedge in place of a 21* hybrid or a 5w.
 
Hawk said:
Not all that great imo. The satin gets beat up pretty easy.
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Hawk, do you have any pics? I was thinking the satin finish would be better than the chrome finish in previous years, is that not the case?
 
Adam Hartzell said:
All that said....I'll be ordering the 714 AP1 5-PW as originally planned. The extra forgiveness in the 8 and 9 irons over the AP2 isn't necessary but may help. The interesting thing is that the 714 AP1 5i is only lofted 2* weaker than my current 4i. With this set make-up, I'll have a 4* loft change from the 5i all the way through my 56* wedge. I'll also be picking up a 24* 913h. The hybrid was 15 yards longer than the AP1 5i and 40 yards shorter than my current 15* 3w. So I'll have to think about ditching the 62* or 52* wedge in place of a 21* hybrid or a 5w.
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I read your post about the numbers, thanks for that. So Steelfibers it is for you, sounds like you will have a nice set of irons for 2014 and more to think about with regards to adding another hybrid or 5W, congrats on your decision.
 
Golfwolf said:
I read your post about the numbers, thanks for that. So Steelfibers it is for you, sounds like you will have a nice set of irons for 2014 and more to think about with regards to adding another hybrid or 5W, congrats on your decision.
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I have a slower than average swing speed for a 32 year old male. With my old irons using KBS Tour shafts the club head speed for my 6i was 73.5 mph on average. With the XP95 shaft my club head speed dropped to 70.9 mph but I gained 9 yards. Sadly the dispersion was 39'. The Steefiber i95 shafts cage me a club head speed of 70.5 and was 1 yard shorter than the XP95 but the dispersion tightened up to 16'.

I did try the i80 shaft last night but that was WAY to light even for my slow swing speed. I just couldn't control it at all. The dispersion was 56', but I did gain a few more yards.
 
Golfwolf said:
Hawk, do you have any pics? I was thinking the satin finish would be better than the chrome finish in previous years, is that not the case?
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I don't have any handy at the moment, but will try to remember to get some up.

Having seen a set of the 712's, the satin is better. Compared to the finish on the Speedblades though, not as durable.
 
Thanks Hawk, whenever you get a chance, no rush.
 
After hitting both 712 and 714 side by I picked up a set 5-W on the bay from a shop that I have done biz with in the past. Stop at my local shop and a guy I know asks me how I like my new clubs. I am surprised that he knows I have new clubs and quiz him. He let the cat out of the bag about my new clubs that Santa is bringing ordered direct from Titleist. Good thing she was not here when my new to me 712's showed up on Tuesday. :doh: If she wanted to surprise me it worked!
 
Adam Hartzell said:
All that said....I'll be ordering the 714 AP1 5-PW as originally planned. The extra forgiveness in the 8 and 9 irons over the AP2 isn't necessary but may help. The interesting thing is that the 714 AP1 5i is only lofted 2* weaker than my current 4i. With this set make-up, I'll have a 4* loft change from the 5i all the way through my 56* wedge. I'll also be picking up a 24* 913h. The hybrid was 15 yards longer than the AP1 5i and 40 yards shorter than my current 15* 3w. So I'll have to think about ditching the 62* or 52* wedge in place of a 21* hybrid or a 5w.
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Thats exactly what Im doing. carrying the 913H 24 degree in the bassara stiff along with the ap1 5 iron and up. Even though there is only a 2 degree difference between the hybrid loft and the 5 iron loft, its at least 10 yards longer as you pointed out. the 913Hs are great clubs, played them all last year.
 
Lions81 said:
Thats exactly what Im doing. carrying the 913H 24 degree in the bassara stiff along with the ap1 5 iron and up. Even though there is only a 2 degree difference between the hybrid loft and the 5 iron loft, its at least 10 yards longer as you pointed out. the 913Hs are great clubs, played them all last year.
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Cool. That was the first time I hit the 913h with the Bassara shaft and I loved it.
 
Just paid for my new irons. 714 AP1 with Steelfiber i95 shafts. I rehit the XP95 and the i95 again this morning and the i95 was defiantly the way to go.
 
Congrats Adam.
 
Picture of the finish as requested. Probably worse than it really looks in person. Most used iron of the set.

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Looks like you're hitting the sweet spot quite often.
 
Thanks Hawk, I appreciate your effort.
 
A little toe side, but definitely could be worse!
 
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