Hey Mike,

IMO I would go with the AP1s.   I'm a 10 handicap and absolutely love my 714 AP1s.  One big reason is the forgiveness...  You can't go wrong.   

Were you able to get fitted by a Titleist Fitting professional?  If not, i would HIGHLY recommend finding one if you can and go from there...

Best of luck with your choice! 

It sounds like the AP1 is a perfect choice for you!  However until you hit both I would not purchase...I am guessing the AP2's may not offer enough forgiveness...I have seen one or two tour pro's even use the AP1 so do not discount them!

Mike,

The best thing to do is to see a fitter and discuss your game with him. Look at your strengths (distance) and your weaknesses (consistency maybe?). Maybe there is another set of clubs that could be even more helpful to your game. Your fitter will be able to help you most.

If you choose not to see a fitter, demo as many clubs that you can and see what feels and performs best for you.

I know this isn't a great answer to your question but I truly believe this is the best route to take on your journey to a new set of clubs.

Let us know how it goes. Good luck.

I am not in a position to say what is the perfect club for you, but I might tend to agree with the others in saying that the AP1s might be a good club for you to test and get a potential fit.......the time spend with the fitter will be worth the money in the long run......good luck with your decision.......

Well it's not about what HCP you are.  I don't think HCP should be associated to what clubs you play.  You may hit irons great and hit your driver great but putt 40 times a round.  That could easily translate into a 20+ HCP player.  Maybe you hit two drives out of bounds on both the front and on the back adding 8 penalty strokes to your score.  So, with that said, you need to know what kind of iron player you are currently and where you want to go in the future. 

Some people argue that they can hit AP1s further than AP2s.  With all things such as lie angle, bounce, offset, shaft, etc equal, that may be true, because, the AP2 9-iron has a loft of 42 degrees and the AP1 9-iron has a loft of 40 degrees.  I probably will hit the AP1 9-iron further due to the 2* stronger loft.  Maybe not, if other things such as shaft, offset, MOI are blended in.  The AP1 6-iron has 29* of loft and the AP2 has 30* of loft - not much difference there.  However, the AP1 6-iron has .17 inches of offset whereas the AP2 6-iron has only .11 inches of offset.  Offset helps a right-handed player who leaks the ball right (push or fade).  This offset gives this type of player more time to get that club face square to target at impact( the holy grail of the straight shot).  Offset might not be good for a player who struggles with over drawing or hooking (normally, high HCP players don't have a problem with this).  over 85% of amateur golfers struggle with fades/slices.

Some questions to ask yourself. 

1. What type of courses do I play on? Soggy/moist?  Lots of thick rough?  Dry?  Nicely manicured?  Windy? 

2.  Are you hitting from the rough on 2nd and 3rd shots a lot? Do you play most shots from the fairway?   

3. Do you make good strikes with your irons (get some impact tape or spray some Dr. Schols spray on the face of your current irons and check where you are making contact EVERY shot).  Are you hitting a quarter ball above/left/right/below sweet spot consistently?  half a ball?  3/4ths a ball?  Are you making contact all around the sweet spot with varying degree of measurement?   Are you striking it pure 9/10 times?

4.  Do you like shaping the ball?  Drawing it, fading it?

5.  Do you want to hit the ball straight only and not concerned with having the ability to work the ball around? 

6.  Do you hit balls more consistently with less offset as the iron numbers decrease or do you prefer more offset in the irons.

So this is not a complete list at all, just some things off the top of my head that I would consider in purchasing a larger head (game improvement) iron with a higher MOI over a smaller head iron head with a smaller MOI.

The AP1s are meant for someone who just wants to hit it straight and not worry about working the ball left or right around trees and obstacles. Also may help the player who hits unwanted push shots and fades.  The bigger head and wider sole on the AP1s will help the person who chunks fairway shots and needs some extra punch out of the rough (especially if you find yourself in the rough a lot - again, this is what we see with lesser skilled, higher handicap players on average).

The AP2 is for a more skilled player with respect to iron-play and ball striking consistency.  If you can consistently hit your sweet spot on your irons then the AP2s might be ok for you.  It is tougher to hit these out of the rough as well without some technique and skills found in more advanced players (typically mid to low HCP players).

So you can see why AP1s are marketed as Game Improvement and usually suggested to a higher HCP player.  But, what most people fail to ask is, "what makes you a high HCP player?"  Is it poor driving?  Poor putting?  Poor short game?  Or poor Iron Improvement.  If you putt 40 times a round and are a 20 HCP you are considered a high-HCP player.  But, if you knock off 6 putts per round you now becaome a 14 HCP; considered mid HCP player by most.  Does this improvement tell us anything about your iron play?  Maybe... maybe you are sticking the irons in closer and not leaving such huge putts.  But maybe not.  Maybe this player can't make 6 footers to save their life! 

I think the best answer is this;  go take a lesson.  Let a PGA Pro (or a few Pros) look at your swing and talk to you.  Give them insight into what you are considering;  AP1 vs. AP2.  Then they can recommend the set that best suits you. 

Hopefully, after reading this, you probably can guess what iron set is better for your type of game. 

Sincerely,

Shawn

Berlin, MD

Shawn's post is one of the best posts I have seen. Please really read it and study it, it will really help all who do.

Thanks Shawn for putting so much thought and time into that post. I think it is going to help a lot of people.

An excellent post from Shawn and exactly the reason why you should go to a Certified Titleist Fitter for all your clubs. Shoot off a message to Cathi and she will hook you up with a fitter in your area.

                                                                                               Frank P

Great post Shawn !!!!! I do believe yours is the best post I've seen on TT's Site. You have said it all, and my hat's off to you.

Mike, now is the time to go and get fitted for those new AP1s..................want to make sure you get the right setup and the right shafts.......only thing left to do.....good luck and happy golfing......

In general, the AP1 tends to be a better iron for players that need help getting the ball up in the air. The added offset sets the hands just a bit more forward and promotes more confidence with a slightly less skilled player.

the best way to determine what iron, or any other club, that you need is to go see a qualified fitter. The fitter will be able to help you determine what is the best combination of irons and shafts to get the most out of your game.

seems like we are similar golfers. i got my new AP1 irons about a month ago and absolutely love them. don't think you can go wrong with them. even when i miss hit a shot it still tends to work out. i wish i would of gotten them months ago !!

Being in the industry, I would suggest the AP1 for your scores and the fact that you already hit the ball a long way.  Most high handicappers that hit the ball long need more forgiveness. 

The casting process and technology of the AP1 will give you the forgiveness you need, whereas the forging process and workability of the AP2 may hinder you from the forgiveness you are looking for.

Mike,

One more thing.  Don't make a decision based off of just one fitting.  You are paying premium price for a set of AP1s or AP2s.  Get fitted at least three times by the same person to be sure your getting the best average evaluation. 

The first fitting, you might be trying too hard to really hit the clubs good and it might not be your average swing the fitter is seeing.  It might be less than average or a pumped up, above average swing you are grooving that day.  Maybe the first day, the lie board is showing toe strikes.  Maybe another day you are showing heel strikes on the lie board.  Which is it???  Or is it neither.  Several fittings will help ensure a correct match.  Maybe the first day you go for a fitting your back is a little stiff.  That could affect your swing.  Go back two more times to that same guy before making a decision. 

You could, also do the same thing with another fitter to get a valuable second evaluation.  Imagine if two fitters gave a different recommendation.  Wouldn't you feel better about not buying just yet.  Or better yet, if they told you the exact same thing; you might feel a lot better about dropping several hundred on the clubs. 

Heck, go a step further if you have to and see a third fitter if possible.  Remember, it's your money; not theirs.  You need to make sure you feel confident about your purchase - these are irons you will potentially be playing with for many many years to come!

Shawn