Ap2 718 distance

Hi guys,

Really love the looks of the Ap2 718, and they can be had for a good deal right now. However, some online reviews seemed to indicate they aren’t necessarily a “long” iron, and distance on mishits can be pretty punishing. I’m not the longest hitter But am pretty consistent with my iron swing. I would like to add some distance with my next set but not at the sake of consistency and feel if possible. Are the 718 “short” compared to current iron offerings in the “players distance” category? For reference, I play to a 7 hc and gamed my j15 cb without issue last year and loved them, but again wouldn’t mind adding a bit of distance and maybe slightly more forgiveness.

I’ve never hit the 718s before, but I have heard through all my research that they will be a few yards shorter than T100/T200. I also hear that both T series irons are quite good in retaining distance on mishits.

My personal experience - I have T200 in 8iron thru GW (48), and I find that claim to be true. Great contact the ball goes where I want. Hit it real thin and I still ended up on the green pin high. High tor strike, still pretty good, maybe a few yards less. I’m very happy with my T300/T200 combo set.

If you’re a fan of the AP2s, I think T100 will be right up your alley.

> @9ironiscash said:

> Hi guys,

> Really love the looks of the Ap2 718, and they can be had for a good deal right now. However, some online reviews seemed to indicate they aren’t necessarily a “long” iron, and distance on mishits can be pretty punishing. I’m not the longest hitter But am pretty consistent with my iron swing. I would like to add some distance with my next set but not at the sake of consistency and feel if possible. Are the 718 “short” compared to current iron offerings in the “players distance” category? For reference, I play to a 7 hc and gamed my j15 cb without issue last year and loved them, but again wouldn’t mind adding a bit of distance and maybe slightly more forgiveness.

Coming from your j15 cb unfortunately the ap2’s will be a step back in distance, loft is certainly different between the two I do agree with posting above t100 would be closer just have to maybe strengthen a degree or two

They are a players iron. Slightly more forgiving than the cb model from titleist but perform almost the same. They definitely aren’t a distance iron like the ap3 or other players distance irons or GI style.

I don’t pay attention to reviews of clubs that talk about distance whether it’s they are shorter than x or longer than y. Distance is an individual thing and varies based on contact, ball being used, elevation, ball speed and so on. What I want to know is the consistency in performance and if I hit the same spot with the same swing the distance stays the same and when I miss the expected distance loss is consistent.

With that said the 718 ap2 are a good iron and anyone with consistent contact can play them. As for comparisons to j15 cb you would need to compare them on a monitor and see what the difference is. The Ap2 can be bent if needed to get some distance or change launch and spin characteristics

If you want something with a bit more pop, the Srixon 585 or 785 as well as the Taylormade P790 would be better options.

I've never hit the 718 AP2s but I've been playing for the past 3 years or so with the 714 AP2s. I have also played about half my rounds with my Titleist 681 irons. There is really no performance difference between those two except the 714s retain a bit more ball speed in slight mishits. The 681s look and feel better.

When they came out I got a set of the T100s which have taken over my bag. They look great, they feel very good, the go through the turf better than anything I have ever tried, and they are maybe a half a club longer than what I was playing. None of these clubs however are distance clubs if that's what you want..

Steve

I know it’s kind of the “unicorn” combo that everyone wants, but I don’t want to lose too much spin while trying to add that bit of distance. Kind of inversely related unfortunately lol. Don’t want to lose my ability to hold greens, and would still like the option to work the ball. Not necessarily looking for a pure “distance” club, but would like to add some yardage without sacrificing too much in other areas. Losing consistency will kill my score and would rather play an extra club than do that for sure.

> @9ironiscash said:

> Hi guys,

> Really love the looks of the Ap2 718, and they can be had for a good deal right now. However, some online reviews seemed to indicate they aren’t necessarily a “long” iron, and distance on mishits can be pretty punishing. I’m not the longest hitter But am pretty consistent with my iron swing. I would like to add some distance with my next set but not at the sake of consistency and feel if possible. Are the 718 “short” compared to current iron offerings in the “players distance” category? For reference, I play to a 7 hc and gamed my j15 cb without issue last year and loved them, but again wouldn’t mind adding a bit of distance and maybe slightly more forgiveness.

Agree with most of the above. The lofts are 2 degrees weaker than stock J15 CB and generally speaking the AP2 is a high spin, lower distance iron. They aren't particularly forgiving being a tour iron, but would be similar to J15. Basically, you've got a great set and you'd be taking a step back in feel and distance with no real gain in forgiveness.

> @9ironiscash said:

> Hi guys,

> Really love the looks of the Ap2 718, and they can be had for a good deal right now. However, some online reviews seemed to indicate they aren’t necessarily a “long” iron, and distance on mishits can be pretty punishing. I’m not the longest hitter But am pretty consistent with my iron swing. I would like to add some distance with my next set but not at the sake of consistency and feel if possible. Are the 718 “short” compared to current iron offerings in the “players distance” category? For reference, I play to a 7 hc and gamed my j15 cb without issue last year and loved them, but again wouldn’t mind adding a bit of distance and maybe slightly more forgiveness.

I assume you watched the Rick Shiels video? He had some really bad swings with the 4 iron and it still flew 195. I don't care if you are hitting a SGI iron or a blade, if you mishit it in the right spot, you're going to lose 10 yards. I find them as long as anything out there with comparable lofts and they are forgiving enough for an above average ball striker.

> @JStang said:

> > @9ironiscash said:

> > Hi guys,

> > Really love the looks of the Ap2 718, and they can be had for a good deal right now. However, some online reviews seemed to indicate they aren’t necessarily a “long” iron, and distance on mishits can be pretty punishing. I’m not the longest hitter But am pretty consistent with my iron swing. I would like to add some distance with my next set but not at the sake of consistency and feel if possible. Are the 718 “short” compared to current iron offerings in the “players distance” category? For reference, I play to a 7 hc and gamed my j15 cb without issue last year and loved them, but again wouldn’t mind adding a bit of distance and maybe slightly more forgiveness.

>

> I assume you watched the Rick Shiels video? He had some really bad swings with the 4 iron and it still flew 195. I don't care if you are hitting a SGI iron or a blade, if you mishit it in the right spot, you're going to lose 10 yards. I find them as long as anything out there with comparable lofts and they are forgiving enough for an above average ball striker.

Lol good ol Rick! ????

They were kind high fliers but they were nice.

Best looking of Ap2 line

and better looking than its replacement.

I don't really think distance should be that much of a deciding factor for this type of iron. There is going to be some variation but i don't think anything in this category is going to be magically that much longer. I have the 718 AP2s and have never thought they aren't long enough, admittedly i haven't hit many irons and my previous set was 712 AP2s. The 718s were a solid half club longer than the 712 but i don't have any comparison with current irons on the market. I can say, these irons look, feel and perform great.

I agree with some of above and disagree with some as well...

AP2 are not distance irons and don’t pretend to be. They spin plenty. In fact spun a bit too much for the launch angle I was getting out of them.

Regarding forgiveness - don’t be fooled by the cool kids or those quick to point out they were the most played iron across all Men’s professional tours. They are a GI iron in a mid size chassis. I’m all for folks playing what they want and some folks are more confident looking at a bigger iron. But, assuming you don’t go so deep in the set you can’t get appropriate launch (eg, 3i for most, 4i for some), if you can’t play the AP2, you need to switch to bowling.

In my opinion, 718 was the best iteration with 714 a close second.

718 AP2 are fantastic irons. They are NOT distance irons, so you will have to accept that they won’t go as far as some other brands in the same category. What they WILL do is spin and fly high so you will have plenty of stopping power on hard greens and you can go pin hunting if you are a good striker. They will make you learn to control trajectory and get good at knock downs.

I love mine, and loved my old 710’s as well.

ZA

Get the right shaft and they are equal to anything with similar lofts.

They don’t be as long as the new crop of “players distance” irons...whatever that means.

My 718 ap2 at hands down the best irons I’ve owned and I’ve owned ALOT.

I was recently fitted for 718 AP2 towards the end of the summer. I'm a five handicapper and ball striking with irons is one of my strengths. I hit the ap2 and cb the same distance +- 2 yards. Miss hits were 5-7 yards short but still straight. I noticed that a great strike wasn't an additional 10-12 yards longer, which I would notice with ap3's or p790, but was only 2-3 yards longer. The ap2 was more predictable for distances and consistency for the yardages that I needed. Shaft fitting makes a big difference in the performance of the head, but I did notice that these heads do spin a lot no matter what shaft we tried.

My recent use is showing a club less than my 716 AP1, which looking at the specs for lofts is spot on... So, are the 718 AP2 short or more 'realistic'?

718 AP2 7i is 135m (147 yards)

716 AP1 8i is 135m

And the bag runs to same sequence from 4i to PW in 718 AP2 (716 AP2):

4i 165m (5i)

5i 155m (6i)

6i 145m (7i)

7i 135m (8i)

8i 125m (9i)

9i 115m (PW)

PW 105m (GW)

Mishits with 718 AP2 are equally forgiving for me as the 716 AP1s. Slightly thinned or toed I feel it, but still straight and loses about a club in distance. 716 AP1 would be more offline and lose up to same distance (about a club). So for me, the 718 AP2 are just as, maybe slightly more, forgiving than the 716 AP1.

Sorry, not sure how I manged to post a blank post.

Also not sure how to delete it?

Watch TXG (Tour Experience Golf) miles better than Shiels. Ian Fraser is the club whisperer and has forgotten more than Shiels could ever learn.