Titleist has unveiled two new utility irons designed to expand a player’s shot options at the top end of the bag.
The new U500 and U510 models are designed to produce more distance than a standard iron and less spin than a hybrid.
Available at retail from August 30, and priced at £245 per club, the U-Series utilities combine forged L-face technology with extreme amounts of high-density tungsten to deliver higher launch and faster ball speeds for game-changing long iron performance.
The more compact, lower-lofted U500 is aimed at better players, and delivers high launch with a soft landing and precise distance control. The U510 is aimed at high handicappers and provides hybrid-like performance in a forgiving, muscular iron shape. Offering higher launch, a larger and a wide-sole design, the U510 is so forgiving that Titleist has included a 16-degree 1-iron in the set.
Already in the bags of dozens of tour players, including Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, Jimmy Walker, Ian Poulter and Bernd Wiesberger, the U-Series Irons have quickly become the most played utility iron on both the European and PGA Tours.
Speaking about the new range, Josh Talge, Vice President of Titleist Golf Clubs, said: “There are a lot of golfers out there who don’t want to play a hybrid, but are still searching for that kind of performance at the long end of their iron set. They want to be able to launch it higher and farther, they want to be able to shape shots, they want to be able to land it close to the hole – they just want to do it with an iron in their hands. Everything that went into U500 and U510 was geared towards giving these golfers the performance, look and feel they’ve always hoped for in a long iron, and maybe didn’t think was possible.”
The U500 is offered in 2I (17º), 3I (20º), 4I (23º) lofts, and is fitted with a HZRDUS Smoke Black 90 graphite shaft as standard, plus numerous custom options at no extra charge.
Marni Ines, the brand’s Director of Iron Development, said: “U500 is the incredibly versatile utility iron that tour players have been asking us for. It shares a similar size and shape to our prior generation T-MB iron, but has been completely re-imagined to give players specialised long iron performance. It’s faster, launches higher, lands softer, and feels better through impact. As you go up in the set and down in loft, everyone eventually can use help with launch. But from what we’re seeing on tour, it’s a club that can be hit almost as high as you want or as low as you want, and players are really gravitating toward that versatility.”
Speaking about the more forgiving U510 model, which is offered in 1 (16º), 2 (18º), 3 (20º), 4 (22º) lofts, Ines added: “U510 is the launch king. The larger shape and wide sole allowed us to place the tungsten weighting so that the CG is lower and further back than any iron we’ve developed – and what that translates into is a lot of launch angle. The ball just gets up and out and goes. It’s a very stable and forgiving golf club, but it’s got that extra forgiveness in terms of launch. During our consumer testing, golfers couldn’t believe the shots they were hitting with a 1-iron or 2-iron – they would just turn around and smile.”
Titleist will be hosting fitting and trial events, including Titleist Thursdays, at hundreds of locations across the UK ahead of its official launch at retail on August 30. To find an event, or book a free fitting, golfers should visit www.titleist.co.uk