Iron Fitting Results / Question

[JNQ_79]

Hello and thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice!  My apologies if this is a tad wordy or inappropriate for the forum.  I had a fitting done yesterday, and hit most of the usual contenders in the players distance category.  The two that stood out were the Titleist T200 (on my radar for sure) and the Wilson D7 Forged (nowhere near my radar).  I have no problem putting the Wilsons in play if they're the best for me, but I'd like to be sure.  As silly as it seems, the lack of "prestige" would be easier to get over if it wasn't for those damn "Power Holes" on the bottom of the club.  But, what's best for my game is best for game....

 

Quick background - my angle of attack hovers around 0, so my launch angles are higher than ideal and the fitter immediately pointed that out.  I knew this already, as I hit the ball higher than normal throughout my bag.  I don't "balloon" the ball per say, and outside of blustery conditions its not a problem to me.  So that was a point of contention to the fitter right off the bat.  Here are the pertinent numbers for the two mentioned clubs.  These are 7 irons:

 

T200:  Ball Speed 112mph, Launch Angle 23.5*, Spin 5374rpm, Carry 160 yds, Height 108ft, Descent 50.9*

 

D7 Forged:  Ball Speed 112mph, Launch Angle 19.5*, Spin 5175rpm, Carry 160 yds, Height 88ft, Descent 45.4*

 

Despite better ball speed and distance, the Titleist trajectory numbers were in line with every other iron I hit.  The Wilson's trajectory numbers were huge outliers.  Not sure if that is good or bad, or normal for a fitting where one club stands out.  The fitter was all about the Wilsons.  My admittedly uneducated concern is with the lower height and descent angle of the Wilson.  Do those numbers look concerning coupled with its low spin as far as stopping power goes?  The T200's are low spin also, but the height and steeper angle will help hold greens.  So, all of this was a long winded way of asking the more experienced and technical of you if my concern is legit or not.  Which numbers would you prefer?  I just want to be sure about possibly gaming an iron that I admittedly would have scoffed at before this fitting and while envisioning the Apex's and P790's of the world in my bag...

 

 

 

[ChrisLC40]

Firstly, if you're not a fan of the power holes/looks of the club then it's not going to be 100% best for you. You've got to like what you're always looking at. 

 

Assuming you hit both irons with the same shaft, the numbers on the T200 get the edge over the Wilson's in my opinion. Launch angle may be on the upper end of a 7i, but like you said the height and descent angle are very usable and can help make up for the low-ish spin numbers. I would much rather have a little too high of a launch vs. low that is going to be more difficult to stop where you want/need it to. The low launch, spin and descent of the Wilson are red worrisome to me. Were you using your typical gamer ball for the fitting? 

 

I've never hit Wilson's (local shops don't carry them and demo days never bring LH), but the T200's are performers.

Edited March 7, 2021 by ChrisLC40

[Tree Levino]

I would 💯 take the extra height from the Titleist. They’re a classier looking iron overall and you know what you’re getting. Power holes are a hard no for me. Even that aside the numbers are better on the Titleist so the Wilson’s wouldn’t even be on my radar if I were you. 
 

as an aside, working on attack angle and dynamic loft is not that hard with a good coach. You can literally fix that a good amount in two sessions. A couple of years ago I was the same and am now 5-6 down with a 7 and deliver dynamic loft in the very low 20s. You’re leaving a lot of distance and consistency on the table. 
 

for now though, get the Titleist. 

[Kyle M]

Greens at my club are firm and fast. I don’t like the Wilson # at all compare to the titleist. Also, if the fitter was trying to push one brand over another I’d be inclined to get a second opinion. 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Kyle M

[Tree Levino]

29 minutes ago, Kyle M said:

Greens at my club are firm and fast. I don’t like the Wilson # at all compare to the titleist. Also, if the fitter was trying to push one brand over another I’d be inclined to get a second opinion. 

 

Agreed.. having seen some rough wholesale numbers on both id saying there is some financial incentive to sell the Wilsons. 

[JNQ_79]

Thanks for the replies, guys.  FYI - the Wilson was with the stock KBS $ Taper Lite, and the T200 was with a C Taper Lite.  Both stiff.  I didn't swing the T200 with the stock AMT Black shaft, but I wish I had.  The only custom change I need is 2* flat, so I could get them much quicker by buying a stock set and letting the retailer bend them.  Plus the C Taper Lite is an upcharge from Titleist.

 

Also, in the fitter's defense, "pushy" was probably a bad choice of word.  I don't think it was the brand but more so the low launch angle that he seemed to think was important.   I will say that my smash factor with the Wilson was a tad better than with the T200.  Average swing speed was 80.8 with the Wilson and 82.6 with the T200.  Both with premium balls and outside off a mat.

 

Thanks again!

Edited March 7, 2021 by JNQ_79

[Cliffy2020]

Titleist numbers hands down. Not excessively high at all.  Worth mentioning, with some negative AoA numbers & shaft lean at impact you can bring the T200s down, increase spin and distance in the future.  At ~zero AoA that’s as high as the Wilson’s are gonna go and with those associated spin numbers front pins and  holding greens will be an issue. 

[IPA4Me]

7 hours ago, ChrisLC40 said:

Firstly, if you're not a fan of the power holes/looks of the club then it's not going to be 100% best for you. You've got to like what you're always looking at. 

 

Assuming you hit both irons with the same shaft, the numbers on the T200 get the edge over the Wilson's in my opinion. Launch angle may be on the upper end of a 7i, but like you said the height and descent angle are very usable and can help make up for the low-ish spin numbers. I would much rather have a little too high of a launch vs. low that is going to be more difficult to stop where you want/need it to. The low launch, spin and descent of the Wilson are red worrisome to me. Were you using your typical gamer ball for the fitting? 

 

I've never hit Wilson's (local shops don't carry them and demo days never bring LH), but the T200's are performers.

I concur - if you already have doubts about the looks, you'll never be happy with them.

[BigVolGolfFan]

Titleist the whole way unless the wind is crazy where you live.  The decent angle and launch will always be great for holding greens.   It’s always easier to flight down a shot than add launch, so I would take the higher launch all day.   

[Moonlightgrm]

17 hours ago, JNQ_79 said:

Hello and thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice!  My apologies if this is a tad wordy or inappropriate for the forum.  I had a fitting done yesterday, and hit most of the usual contenders in the players distance category.  The two that stood out were the Titleist T200 (on my radar for sure) and the Wilson D7 Forged (nowhere near my radar).  I have no problem putting the Wilsons in play if they're the best for me, but I'd like to be sure.  As silly as it seems, the lack of "prestige" would be easier to get over if it wasn't for those damn "Power Holes" on the bottom of the club.  But, what's best for my game is best for game....

 

Quick background - my angle of attack hovers around 0, so my launch angles are higher than ideal and the fitter immediately pointed that out.  I knew this already, as I hit the ball higher than normal throughout my bag.  I don't "balloon" the ball per say, and outside of blustery conditions its not a problem to me.  So that was a point of contention to the fitter right off the bat.  Here are the pertinent numbers for the two mentioned clubs.  These are 7 irons:

 

T200:  Ball Speed 112mph, Launch Angle 23.5*, Spin 5374rpm, Carry 160 yds, Height 108ft, Descent 50.9*

 

D7 Forged:  Ball Speed 112mph, Launch Angle 19.5*, Spin 5175rpm, Carry 160 yds, Height 88ft, Descent 45.4*

 

Despite better ball speed and distance, the Titleist trajectory numbers were in line with every other iron I hit.  The Wilson's trajectory numbers were huge outliers.  Not sure if that is good or bad, or normal for a fitting where one club stands out.  The fitter was all about the Wilsons.  My admittedly uneducated concern is with the lower height and descent angle of the Wilson.  Do those numbers look concerning coupled with its low spin as far as stopping power goes?  The T200's are low spin also, but the height and steeper angle will help hold greens.  So, all of this was a long winded way of asking the more experienced and technical of you if my concern is legit or not.  Which numbers would you prefer?  I just want to be sure about possibly gaming an iron that I admittedly would have scoffed at before this fitting and while envisioning the Apex's and P790's of the world in my bag...

 

 

 

Were you given shaft options? I recently purchased the T200 irons and can’t wait for the snow to clear in my neck of the woods. When I went through the fitting process, the T200s ballooned on me with the S300  Red shaft. The instant the fitter put me in the S300 Black shaft my numbers were terrific. The fitter let me take the 7-iron for a couple of days and try it out on our empty course in December. I hit balls from all sorts of lies and the T200 passed the test. I can flight it,  shape it, and even hit balls from divots. If you like the club head, which I do, just make sure he fits you with the correct shaft. The True Temper shafts are the recommended option but my fitter had others to choose from. Good luck! 

[JNQ_79]

The shaft from the fitting was the KBS C Taper Lite in stiff.  Any thoughts on that shaft vs the stock AMT Black are welcome.  I've hit the stock shaft with practice balls on the range, but no numbers.  Feels ok.  My swing speed is 80-83 with a 7 iron.  Moderate tempo and transition. 

[Moonlightgrm]

1 hour ago, JNQ_79 said:

The shaft from the fitting was the KBS C Taper Lite in stiff.  Any thoughts on that shaft vs the stock AMT Black are welcome.  I've hit the stock shaft with practice balls on the range, but no numbers.  Feels ok.  My swing speed is 80-83 with a 7 iron.  Moderate tempo and transition. 

Those are close to my numbers (83-85 mph with a 7-iron). The KBS is a nice shaft but my numbers and the eye-test sold me on the AMT Black S300. My fitter supplied me with a wrench and the three best shafts, numbers-wise, for me to take to my course for a couple of days. In the end, the AMT Black shaft was the right fit for me. Finding the best shaft for YOU is the key. 

[JNQ_79]

Thanks for all the replies.  I was able to find a Titleist fitting event near me coming up in the next couple of weeks, so I'll be able to hit a bunch of different shafts and hopefully dial something in.  Not in a huge rush, golf season doesn't get in full gear for another month / month and a half here in the great state of Michigan.  (Also found a Callaway event.  Don't want to give up on the Apex's just yet...lol).