As predicted in February and expanded upon in March (and discussed in our forum), Titleist is going to be introducing a new line of irons on August 15. The 735.CM blends the forgiveness of a cavity-back in the longer irons with the control of a muscle-back in the short irons. Aimed at skilled players who are looking for a little more help in the long irons than a full muscle-back set provides, this is Titleist’s first off-the-shelf “combo” set.
As with all Titleist equipment, the 735.CM has been extensively used on tour this year by an impressive list of Titleist staff members, including: Davis Love III, Brad Faxon, Frank Lickliter II, Bill Haas, Tom Kite, Tom Byrum, Lucas Glover, Steve Stricker, Rob Rashell, Hunter Haas, Dudley Hart, Jason Hartwick, Chez Reavie, Craig Perks, Kip Henley, and others.
Click for a larger image. See the March story for more images.
The Titleist 735.CM (“CM” stands for “cavity to muscle”) irons are going to be available in two different alloys – forged stainless steel and chrome plated forged 1025 mild carbon steel. The first will resemble the existing 704 irons, while the latter will look like the image above. Titleist says that the Forged 410 stainless steel will provide a soft, solid feel with a rich, non-glare satin finish. The Forged 1025 mild carbon steel, the primary choice of tour players, provides an even softer feel with traditional chroming for a stunning appearance. The stainless steel forging will offer a few more custom options than the carbon steel irons.
The 735s feature a modified bore-through design that removes non-essential mass from the hosel. It’s not a true bore-thru as the shaft does not extend through the club, but a plastic plug is inserted into the bottom of the hosel. The removed weight is repositioned behind the hitting area and around the cavity to create optimal centers of gravity and launch conditions.
Club Specifications
The stock shaft will be a True Temper Dynamic Gold Steel in R, S, and X flexes with a Titleist Tour Velvet Cord grip. As with most other Titleist irons, custom shaft and grip options are available.
Loft Lie Offset Bounce Length Swingweight 2I 19° 59° 0.150" 0° 39.50" D2 3I 22° 60° 0.140" 1° 39.00" D2 4I 25° 61° 0.130" 2° 38.50" D2 5I 28° 62° 0.120" 3° 38.00" D2 6I 31° 62.5° 0.110" 4° 37.50" D2 7I 35° 63° 0.100" 5° 37.00" D2 8I 39° 65.5° 0.095" 6° 36.50" D2 9I 43° 64° 0.090" 7° 36.00" D2 PW 47° 64° 0.085" 8° 35.75" D2
If we compare 6-irons across Titleist’s current lineup, we see that the 735 fits nicely:
Loft Offset Bounce 704 31° 0.120" 4° 690.CB 32° 0.120" 3.5° 735 CM 31° 0.110" 4° 680 32° 0.105" 2° The Lie is 62.5° and the lenght is 37.50" across all sets.
Titleist remains mum on the release date of the Titleist 660 (which may replace the 670 and 680) and the Titleist 695.CB and 695.MB (to replace the 690s).
Availabability
The Titleist 735.CM will be shipping to stores on August 15, 2005 for both righties and lefties. Suggested retail price is $112 for the stainless model ($129 graphite) and $120 for the chrome carbon steel models ($137 graphite).
Demand
Titleist players are a loyal bunch, but many fans have been disappointed that the 690 – a line that features both cavity-back and muscle-back clubs – have not been available as a custom-order combination set. With a large contingent of 704 players and a small but dedicated group of players who created their own combo sets after buying both 690.CBs and 690.MBs, the interest in the 735s has reached surprising levels and demand for these clubs is quite high. If you’re interested in picking up a set, I suggest you get your order(s) in now.
What is a Combo Set?
Cavity Back Long Irons – Cavity back 2, 3 and 4 irons produce easy-up launch conditions for a high, penetrating ball flight with greater playability and forgiveness.
Shallow Cavity Mid Irons – Shallow cavity mid irons deliver the ideal blend of maneuverability and playability required to access tough pin locations.
Muscle Back Short Irons – Muscle back short irons offer skilled players precise trajectory, spin and shot control into and around the greens.
Photo Credits: © GolfWRX.com.
They sure are good to look at.
Great article and review. I treated myself to a new set of irons two years ago and had it in my mind I needed to take advantage of large cavity back design. I plumped for the Callaway X16 pro series and they are superb. The problem I have is they feel clunky but even a bad connection sends the ball towards the target which is causing me to play lazy golf. I play off 6 but don’t strike the ball pure enough for an investment in blades so when I saw the Titleist 735 cm’s I had a demo. They are awesome. The feel and feedback through the club is incredible and it’s just what i’ve been missing. I have put my order in for a set and finally decided to go for the chrome finish though the satin does look nice.
I bought the Stainless version of these irons about two months ago on ebay for $400. I sold an old set of 695CBs to get these and I think my game has improved dramatically as a result of the ball striking requirements and feedback from the muscle back irons. I’d recommend these clubs to anyone looking to improve their ball striking, get more consistent and serious about golf.
There is no better feeling than hitting a muscle back iron solid and true and the mis-hits aren’t necessarily any worse than with a cavity back. You’ll know when your poor shot is due to poor contact because the feedback is so much better. I think this has led to overall better ball striking in my game, so it will probably help you as well.