Titleist ZB Irons

[iammpspeer]

Does anyone play them? What are your thought about them? I really like how Titleist incorporated a blended set in to this Z series product line. How do they compare to a full blade set or a full cavity back set? Are the mis-hits bad etc.?

Thanks!

[goblue107501]

I have had them for a little over a year and don't think I will get rid of them anytime soon. I absolutely love them. For me, they are real easy to hit. As they describe, it is a perfect blend of forgivness and playability in one package. I don't know why more companies don't make clubs like this.

They are not for everyone though. If someone would be comfortable playing blade irons but want a little extra help these are perfect. Or if someone who is a good ball striker with short irons but stuggles a little with the longer irons this is a good set too. The mis hits would be similar to playing a regular blade club, but with a little more forgiveness with the longer irons. I have found that for me, the mis hits stay straight, but lose some distance, which is pretty typical with most clubs.

Don't let the cavity back fool you though. These are not game improvement clubs in any way. Think of them as true 'players' clubs with a little extra help in the long irons.

[iammpspeer]

Is there another type of blade you could compare these to? Some blades are much more forgiving than others, is there a comparable model?

[McIlroy_man]

i know this doesnt answer your question, but i noticed your playing with 57's atm. Have you though about getting a set made up of different Mizuno models?
maybe 52's 3 & 4, 58's 5,6,7, and 68's 8,9,PW? i know quite a lot of guys do this and i preferred the feel of my 67's to the Titleist blades when i tried them.

Just an idea

[iammpspeer]

I have thought about it, but I would rather just have one set, not a mix. Thats why I like the idea of titleist having a single, continuous blended set.

[mcgregja]

I've played the zbs for about a year and a half now. I love the 'automatic' extra forgiveness gained from the longer irons. As previously mentioned there is still a significant amount of forgiveness on the shorter irons, my mishits don't lose much distance, but there is certainly definitive feedback when you don't get it right.

I would say that if you're looking to gain workability with bladed short irons, only consider these if you can accept the feedback the clubs give you.

I'm not at a point in my game yet where I can strike the ball perfectly time after time. I find that the feedback, while allowing forgivable mishits, is just not a comfortable feeling for my casual golfing. If I worked at my game a little more, these would be perfect for me, but for my current habit, I find some uncomfortability in not attaining a more solid strike on a consistent basis.

Overall, I think these are great clubs in the right set of hands. If I had to do it over again, I might lend some more consideration to the ap series, or mizunos. While the feedback is great, I'd trade back the consistency and feel of modern cavity backs for what little extra workability you get with the blades.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I agree with mcgregja. The AP2 might be a better option if you're thinking about a forgiving players type iron from titliest. The Z series are forgiving (for a better players iron) but are not the best for an inconsistent ball striker. I found my misses with the ZB's were more severe than with the AP2 i use now. Well struck shots spun more with the ZB's than with the AP's for me, though.

[iammpspeer]

  DavidFehertysBike said:

I agree with mcgregja. The AP2 might be a better option if you're thinking about a forgiving players type iron from titliest. The Z series are forgiving (for a better players iron) but are not the best for an inconsistent ball striker. I found my misses with the ZB's were more severe than with the AP2 i use now. Well struck shots spun more with the ZB's than with the AP's for me, though.

I am more concerned with the overall performace of the club, though mishits are a factor, I was more concerned with the clubs as a whole. Overall, are they basically a mix between the current CB's and MB's? Or is the playability and feel different?

[mcgregja]

I believe, although I'm not absolutely certain, that zb's are simply a "designed mixed" set. Essentially the short irons are the mb series, the long irons are the cb, and either two or three clubs in between are blended and not found in either.

To try and answer your question more specifically, when I hit flush with these clubs, they are great performers and a couple of really low rounds will reflect that. However, as my game improves and declines so often, modern cavity backs would improve my overall average round.

If you have a consistent swing, which mine really isn't, you'll love these. If you're looking to really fine tune even, these can provide the feedback to help do that. If you're a proficient casual golfer, like myself, you'll probably enjoy the other series previously mentioned.

If this helps any, I'm sticking with them because I plan on making an effort to really improving my ball striking this upcomming season, and I think this model will really help do that, as well as show great performance going forward.

Hope this helps.