Titleist 716 AP1 Irons Review

Titleist 716 AP1 irons review

Titleist AP1 Best Forgiving Irons 2017
Golf Monthly Verdict

The Titleist 716 AP1 irons offer distance and forgiveness in abundance as well as exceptional distance control. They strike the perfect balance between a piercing trajectory and stopping power and golfers will enjoy the powerful feel from the sweetspot

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Exceptional levels of distance and forgiveness that will help golfers find more greens

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Darker finish and oversized look at address may not appeal to all

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The Golf Monthly test team's Titleist 716 AP1 irons review, a club said to offer maxmium distance and forgiveness for the game improver

Titleist 716 AP1 irons review

The largest, longest and most forgiving iron in Titleist’s new range of 716 irons, the AP1 is aimed toward the improving golfer seeking as much help as they can to find the green with their approach shots and in AP1, they’re sure to find that.

Down behind the ball, the 716 AP1 inspires confidence immediately with the offset, thick top line and extra length from heel to toe. It’s size does reduce in appearance slightly due to the darker finish compared with the new Titleist 716 AP2 irons.

You would expect more distance from AP1 over AP2 due to the difference in lofts and that’s exactly what you get. The impressive levels of forgiveness come not only from the size but also from the tungsten weighting found in the heel and toe.

ap1 group

What was telling from our testing was that there was no evidence of that 'hot' shot from the sweetspot you often get from game-improver irons that travels ten yards further than any other shot you hit. In fact, distances remained pretty consistent from impact locations across the face, a trait that is vital when hitting shots into greens.

NEW TITLEIST 716 IRONS

The ball flight with AP1 wouldn’t appeared to have changed too much from the previous generation, offering a blend of a strong flight with stopping power, which is testament to the new 360° undercut construction and added tungsten weighting.

ap1 illo group

Despite the lofts being strengthened by one degree, golfers will gain distance without losing out on stopping the ball next to tight pins, performance that inspires confidence in club golfers and allows them to be more aggressive.

The XP90 stock shaft is also slightly lighter than the previous generation to help golfers swing the club faster without losing out on control. So if you’re looking for more distance and forgiveness in your irons, you need look no further than Titleist’s 716 AP1 irons.

Joel Tadman
Technical Editor

Joel has worked in the golf industry for over 12 years covering both instruction and more recently equipment. He now oversees all product content here at Golf Monthly, managing a team of talented and passionate writers and presenters in delivering the most thorough and accurate reviews, buying advice, comparisons and deals to help the reader find exactly what they are looking for. So whether it's the latest driver, irons, putter or laser rangefinder, Joel has his finger on the pulse keeping up to date with the latest releases in golf. He is also responsible for all content on irons and golf tech, including distance measuring devices and launch monitors.


One of his career highlights came when covering the 2012 Masters he got to play the sacred Augusta National course on the Monday after the tournament concluded, shooting a respectable 86 with just one par and four birdies. To date, his best ever round of golf is a 5-under 67 back in 2011. He currently plays his golf at Burghley Park Golf Club in Stamford, Lincs, with a handicap index of 3.2.


Joel's current What's In The Bag? 

Driver: Titleist TSR3, 9° 

Fairway wood: Titleist TSR3, 15° 

Hybrid: Titleist TSi2, 18° 

Irons: Ping i230 4-UW

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM8, 54°. Titleist Vokey SM9 60° lob wedge, K Grind

Putter: Evnroll ER2V 

Ball: 2023 Titleist Pro V1x