SirShanksAlot
We get lots of email on a daily basis and every now and again I like to pull a common question aside and answer it on the website. We had a reader ask about some of the pros and cons of titanium faced irons so let's get to it!
Most companies either currently feature or have featured a titanium faced iron. The bulk of these fall into the game improvement category and they usually are found at the higher end of the price scale.
So.. what's the deal? The biggest reason companies use titanium faces has to do with perimeter weighting. These clubs feature a stainless steel body with a titanium face piece. The stainless steel cradle weighs a lot more than the titanium face. A heavier material surrounding a lighter material leads to more perimeter weighting. Companies can cut back on some of the bulk by employing this multi-material method… they don't need to make the club big and bulky to increase perimeter weighting. The use of titanium faces can be a good game improvement technique.
Ok… that sounds pretty good… so why don't all clubs have titanium faces? These faces do have their cons. The first has to be price. Most golfers are aware that titanium costs more than steel… and the use of titanium faces can really increase the price of a set of irons. Expect to pay top dollar for this technology! The second con is feel. Titanium faced irons seem to lack feel… it's a comment that we hear a lot. People say they these feel hollow and hard. Most people that look at these irons rank forgiveness above feel. There are other ways to make a club feel good and still be very forgiving!
What about full titanium irons? Ya… these have been done but the results haven't been good. The set that comes to mind for me are the Tommy Armour Ti 100's. These irons featured a full titanium head with a lot of sole weighting. The Ti 100's were very expensive, very big and felt awful. An interesting idea at the time but don't expect to see more like them!
So there you go… a brief overview of titanium faced irons! Hope this helps! Have a question? Send us an email!