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Chris McGinley on the 735.CM Irons

Titleist's Vice President of Golf Club Marketing talks about the company's first set of blended irons.

Chris McGinley
Chris McGinley

We sat down recently with Chris McGinley, Titleist's Vice President of Golf Club Marketing, to talk about the recently introduced Forged 735.CM irons.  The first blended set of irons from Titleist, the Forged 735.CM irons were the choice of Titleist ambassador Brad Faxon in his recent victory at the Buick Championship.

The Forged 735.CM irons are described as Titleist's first "blended" set. What do you mean by that?
It means the design of the Titleist Forged 735.CM irons are optimally blended for appearance, performance and specifications with a fluid transition from cavity back long irons to muscle back short irons.  Progressive blade heights, blade lengths, offset, topline, sole, center of gravity and moment of inertia allow each club to perform to tour level standards for every shot that is required.  There are nine individually created irons in this set, all blended perfectly to provide the best long, mid and short iron performance.

735.CM Irons
Brad Faxon chooses 735.CM Irons

What are the key features and benefits of the Forged 735's?
First, they are a really well executed set of irons in terms of profile, shape, size and offset.  The long irons are slightly bigger than the shorter irons due to the progressive blade length and blade height design.  Second, is the flighted performance.  The long irons are more playable because of the larger size and deeper cavity.  The short irons are more controllable because of the smaller size and muscle back design.  The flighting (meaning the window through which the ball flies) is very tight from long irons to short, and that is just what better players like to see.

735.CM Irons
735.CM Irons

Unlike most traditional blade irons that have the weight biased closer to the heel, the 735's use a unique bore-thru design to improve the GG (center of gravity) location.  The modified bore-thru design takes weight from the heel and uses it to reposition the CG lower and closer to face center (which is slightly more towards the toe), producing more consistent launch and spin throughout the set.  You're also going to get extraordinary feel.  We replaced the mass from the modified bore-thru with a lighter weight pin which dampens vibration before it can travel up the hosel.

The 735.CM irons are available in two different alloys.  What is the difference?
Titleist 735.CM irons are available in forged 410 stainless steel and chrome plated forged 1025 mild carbon steel.  Forged 410 stainless steel provides a soft, solid feel with a rich, non-glare satin finish and a wider range of custom options.  Forged 1025 mild carbon steel, the primary choice of tour players, provides a soft, solid feel with a traditional bright chrome plated finish for a classic appearance.

What type of golfer are the 735's geared towards?
The Titleist golf club line is designed for the competitive and better player, and we have seen these clubs attracting a wide range of better golfers.  From players using muscle backs but looking for more long iron playability, to players using cavity back irons looking for more traditional scoring clubs, the 735's offer the better player the ultimate in long iron playability and mid and short iron control. We recommend that any golfer, no matter what their talent level, be custom fit by a well trained, professional club fitter to find the appropriate model and personal specifications that work the best.

The Titleist iron franchise utilizes forged technology exclusively.  Why?
For better players, forgings provide the ultimate in feel, distance and shot control.  Many better players want irons that are built for control and feel, and forgings provide the best of both.  There is nothing really different about 735 irons from a material point of view.  The biggest difference is in the forging process which Titleist has worked very hard to modernize.  It starts with a multiple step process where the clubs are hammered with progressively more accurate dies.  The end result is that no real grinding is needed to produce the final shape, just a light polishing.  There are several post forging machining operations involved as well to insure consistency and accuracy.  The faces are milled flat and the scorelines are machine cut.  The hosel outside and inside diameter are machined insuring accurate loft and lie.  And the final outside profile is milled.
 
Brad Faxon recently won the Buick Championship with the 735's in his bag.  How have the new irons been accepted across the worldwide professional tours and among PGA Club Professionals?
Brad's victory and the strong use of the 735's on the PGA TOUR is affirmation of the quality and performance of the design.  Even more important is that Titleist is clearly the top choice of irons among the competitive golfer.  Not only is the Titleist family of irons the choice of more players on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour, but by PGA Club Professionals and competitive amateurs.  Titleist's player counts at the most important events for these golfers, like the PGA Club Professional Championship, U.S. Amateur and U.S Junior Amateur speak for themselves.  Golfers will not find a more competition proven iron anywhere, period.

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