Friday, November 8, 2024

These 5-year-old irons keep winning on the PGA Tour

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The Titleist 620CB iron continues to rack up wins five years after their initial release date.

Golf.com

Beyond a trusted fairway wood, irons are the one club tour players hold onto the longest because their primary performance factor is accuracy and distance control, and on top of that most pros hate having to reconfigure their golf bags for distance gapping.

This is why many pros use iron models years after their initial release and why the Titleist 620CBs continue to be a hit on the PGA Tour, with the most recent win coming this past week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic where Cam Davis shot a final round two-under-par to win the event for the second time in his career.

U.S. Open champ Wyndham Clark shares the differences in his approach while playing a links course versus a more traditional parkland course
Wyndham Clark has played Titleist 620CB since 2022.

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When asked about his use of the Titleist 620CB irons in a video with Golf.com, 2023 U.S. Open winer Wyndham Clark said “I like these (irons) because they fit the number. I was hitting the MB and I was taking too big of a divot and not spinning the ball (in the correct window), and then I hit the T100 and it was going too high and I didn’t like that amount of offset. Once I got into the CBs my numbers were great and I love these irons.”

The other notable player who had a big 2023 with the Titleist 620CB irons was Brian Harman, who used the irons to win the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool and has used them since 2021.

Titleist 620CB history

The Titleist 620CB irons, which were initially made available to the public in August 2019, mark a unique departure from Titleist’s tried and true release formula for irons, which has always been on a two-year cycle for each model. Although since 2019, Titleist has updated the T-Series twice since the first offering, the 620CB and MB irons remain the same.

Titleist 620 CB Custom Irons

$175

Read more about the Titleist 620 CB Custom Irons at Golf.com
Aimed at low-mid handicaps, this sleek classic style cavity-back provides consistency and a smooth turf interaction to ensure clean contact.
The 620 CB features a traditionally designed, players style cavity back for plenty of shot-making capabilities and co-forged tungsten in the long irons for a boost in stability and forgiveness. With reduced offset and a thinner topline, the 620 CB stays true to what players desire in a cavity back iron. To optimize consistency throughout the set, Titleist uses progressive blade length and a tour-refined sole for improved turf interaction. 

Brushed Chrome finish

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titleist justin thomas irons

With Justin Thomas’ input, Titleist pursuing the ‘perfect’ iron design

By:


Jonathan Wall



That’s not to say Titleist hasn’t worked with its PGA Tour staff to develop upgrades and custom options for its players when it comes to irons. Titleist has worked with players including Webb Simpson, Cam Young, and Justin Thomas to build irons exactly to their liking by adjusting the offset, bounce angles, blade length, and center of gravity locations to dial in ball flight, feel, and ground interaction to produce the most consistent results.

Although this type of customization is currently not an option for recreational golfers, it goes to show that behind the seems Titleist continues to gather data on iron performance with the hopes of potentially one day offering multiple options like it does with Vokey wedges.

titleist justin thomas irons
Titleist has worked on numerous prototype MB irons for players including Justin Thomas, Cam Young, and Webb Simpson.

Jonathan Wall

“It’s pointing us in directions of what design can be,” said Josh Talge, Titleist’s vice president of marketing. “Once we do enough of these over time, we might get to a point with the irons where we’re at with Vokey where we have a certain number of [iron] grinds. Now imagine if you could pick a sole, topline and blade length you want for each one of your irons. It helps showcase we have a lot of really good players that play our stuff at every level of golf — and that’s where we want to go.”

Can’t forget Tiger’s irons

Scottie Scheffler plays a shot surrounded by a gallery at the Travelers.
Scottie Scheffler has used the TaylorMade P7TW irons since 2021.

Gatty Images

The only other iron option that has remained the same over a similar time period from a major manufacturer is the P7TW irons developed for Tiger Woods. Although Tiger might not be playing a full schedule now the irons still get plenty of use in the bags of TaylorMade staffers Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood.

TaylorMade P7TW Custom Irons

$249.99

MILLED GRIND SOLE DEBUT

Milled Grind eliminates variances in sole geometry from head to head and ensures precision in every iron set, while the CNC machined sole geometry and a precise leading edge promote consistent turf interaction.

TIGER’S FINGERPRINT

Each iron has been meticulously shaped to meet Tiger’s discerning eye—longer blade length, thinner topline, progressive face height, and more.

 

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It goes to show that unless your golf swing undergoes a big change in dynamics or speed, there might now be a big reason to change the irons in your golf bag. But, on the other hand, if you have noticed a change in ball flight or distance loss that could mean that it’s time to find out how a fitter can help you get the most from your irons again.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2024? Find a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

Ryan Barath

Golf.com Editor

Ryan Barath is GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com’s senior editor for equipment. He has an extensive club-fitting and -building background with more than 20 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. Before joining the staff, he was the lead content strategist for Tour Experience Golf, in Toronto, Canada.

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