NEW TITLEIST IRONS HAVE PGA TOUR PRO'S WINNING

The answer on who just might win that next PGA Tour event, or that major
championship might be very obvious. Just look at the side of their golf bag.

If the name is Titleist you have come to the right place. While there are
many companies making good equipment, the improvements by the
folks at Titliest this year on all fronts are having a major impact on golf.

The 2011 year started with a release of a new line of drivers and fairway
woods, the 910 D series has players excited about how they are putting
the ball in play from the tee box. Steve Stricker who has already won the
Memorial Tournament and the John Deere Classic is a Titliest player who
made a change with his driver earlier this year. With two wins and some
strong finishes in the majors that change has already paid dividends for
the 44 year old Stricker, who recorded his 10th and 11th PGA Tour
career wins.

Earlier this year Stricker said he switched golf balls too. Stricker already
was playing a Titleist ball, but liked the changes to the PRO V1 and PRO 
V1X models. Looking at the boxes the new PRO V1x's come in, the
outside promotes the new models as having longer distance,a more
consistent flight, and exceptional spin control. PGA Tour players seem
to be getting just that, as the ball count as most tournaments on all levels
of golf, are growing stronger in the direction of Titleist.

Titleist also added some new fairway woods to their line this year, the 
910F and 910 F-d series have provided golfers with better control and
feel from the tee or fairway. 

    
 THE NEW TITLEIST MB FORGED IRONS MADE A QUICK IMPACT ON
THE PGA TOUR.

While the early season additions of drivers, fairway woods and improvements
to the PRO V1 line of golf balls have made an impact. What really has come
flying out of the starting gate are the new Titleist Irons. They were first given
to the PGA Tour Titliest staff players at the AT&T tournament during the
first week of July.

Nick Watney put them in his bag that week and won the tournament. Other
Titliest players had great weeks. One week later at the John Deere Classic,
several players had added them, or players who did not play at  the AT & T
put them in for John Deere. Multiple caddys said their players had added
them and loved them immediately.

While it's not uncommon for a player to tweak a club, or change a putter
or a driver mid-season on tour. Putting in a full new set of irons that means
changing out half or more of the bag mid-season, in the heart of major
championship time, doesn't happen all to often. But none of the players
interviewed didn't find the quick change to be a problem. Stricker said
he had hit new irons and they were very good, but would wait until he
took some time off after the British Open, and hit them a little more
before he would work them into his bag.

Fellow Titliest staff player Zach Johnson also speaking at the John Deere
Classic said he hadn't made the change to the new irons yet. Johnson
admitted he is slow to work new equipment in, but that he liked the
new irons and would probably be adding them at some point. The
Titliest PGA Tour reps were working on a new sets of clubs for
both Stricker and Johnson in the trailer at the John Deere Classic.

Rookie Matt McQuillan who came to John Deere after missing seven
straight cuts, added the new irons and made a change with his Titliest
Driver. McQuillan finished T-3 with Johnson for his best finish on tour
.
 
STEVE STRICKER 2 PGA TOUR WINS IN 2011 US OPEN CHAMP RORY MCILROY
BOTH PLAY TITLEIST PRODUCTS. MCILROY SEEN HERE WITH A TITLEIST
SCOTTY CAMERON PUTTER.

"It's been a great start to the year, " says Titliest VP Clubs Marketing
Chris McGinley. "Were coming off a lot of excitement from the 910
(Driver) metal launch, that product has had success on tour. Players
are using it and winning with it."

The PGA Tour players wasted no time adding the new irons when
they hit the tour at the AT & T.

"The new irons are called the 712 series, " McGinley said. "We use
the 700 for irons like we use the 900 for metals, and 12 is for the
year like 2012 so that's the code. The new models are the AP-1,
AP-2, CB and MB. The first week 19 players put them in the bag
and that was a phenomial start and more than we expected. So
right now our product line has momentum and the pay off was
Nick Watney winning the tournament."

So what will a tour player gain by changing from Titliest iron to
the new ones.

"Two primary differences in the AP-1 and Ap-2 Irons, " says
McGinley. "The story is in the weighting, not just weight distribution
but both are multi-material designs. So it's how we use the different
materials and what their different densities are and where the
weighting is located. The bottom line is to produce a higher MOI, 
or more forgiveness, more stability and playability. The irons are
more stable which gives you more distance control which is what
players want from their irons. So even when a tour player has a
mis-hit there is still more consistent distance and not as much of
a drop off. That's the difference in AP-1 and AP-2."

Since the other Titliest irons the CB and MB are the number
one iron in play on tour, the company didn't want to change
them too much.

"They are both very well accepted and they perform great, "
McGinley said of the CB's and MB's. " We just took some of 
the players ideas and made some nice tweaks. We have changed
to a more satin chrome finish, which got great reviews from the
players. On the MB we made some changes to the sole design,
and narrowed it up a little bit in the back by relieving the trailing
edge and the heel area. For a thin soled blade iron we wanted
a more crisp contact with the ground. So the club goes through
the turf better."

McGinley says that where most of the development process
starts is the feedback from the 50 some Titliest staff players.
"Some contribute more technical things, some of it is more
about look, sound and feel."

What does it all mean for the amateur player. McGinley says
that amateurs are basically looking for the same thing that tour
players are. But the better amateur player will notice in clubs
like the new AP-1 iron the stability and forgiveness, because
they don't hit it dead center as often as the PGA Tour player
does.

McGinley says the new iron lines will be available to the
general public in fall, maybe late October or in November.

When asked about the only Titliest areas unchanged this
year, like Scotty Cameron Putters and Bob Vokey Wedges.
McGinley says, "stay tuned, we have new wedges planned
for later this year as well as a new line of putters. We are
not going to forget about those two categories either."

TO HEAR RORY'S INTERVIEW WITH TITLEIST VP
OF CLUB MARKETING, AND FROM TITLEIST STAFF
PLAYERS STEVE STRICKER AND ZACH JOHNSON 
CLICK HERE:    

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