50 Words or Less
The Titleist T400 irons are really long. Easy to hit. Low spin due to very strong lofts.
Introduction
Most golfers regard Titleist as the “players brand.” From the ProV1 to players cavity back irons, the vast majority of what they do is geared toward the high end golfer. However, even Titleist needs to offer products to the regular player, the one who needs forgiveness and wants more distance. It’s that spirit which created the T400 irons.
Looks
From every angle, the T400 is not your typical Titleist iron. At address, the top line is quite thick and there’s plenty of offset, though less than I expected. What struck me the most is the shape of the face – long and oval with a proportionally short toe. You’ll also see the sole of the club sticking out beyond the top line at address.
In the bag, the T400 looks a bit like the pricey Titleist CNCPT irons [reviews HERE]. The lack of bright colors gives this club a more player-ish look in the cavity. That impression is undercut, however, but the massive, tiered sole.
Sound & Feel
If the look of the T400 didn’t let you know that this isn’t a traditional Titleist iron, the sound will. This may be the loudest iron on the market. Impact creates a “clap” that will announce your presence with authority.
Feedback on strike quality is surprisingly good. Small misses get covered up, but medium and large misses sound and feel distinct.
Performance
There’s no way that we can’t start with the lofts. The T400 irons may have the strongest lofts in all of golf (full specs below). If you need to rant about that in the comment section, feel free but know that vulgar comments will not see the light of day. Moving on.
Titleist promotes that every aspect of the T400 is about distance, and they certainly deliver. I was seeing consistent 6I smash factors in the high 1.4s and carry distance as high as 195 yards. That’s about 15 yards longer than my gamers.
Equally impressive is the forgiveness. Titleist states that they use as much as 100 grams of tungsten in the longer irons, and the effects are noticeable. I don’t think I hit a single shot – and there were some bad swings – that registered a smash factor below 1.42. That’s a ton of ball speed and distance for a bad miss.
The one other element that needs to be noted is the lack of spin. Spin in irons is a double-edged sword. Low spin is great for distance (to a point) and reducing unwanted curve. Low spin is not great if you want your ball to stay on the green or if you’re hitting a ball that falls out of the air. Make sure to test these with a fitter to see if you’ll be able to hold a green with your new, longer iron shots.
Conclusion
Loft issues aside, the Titleist T400 irons are impressive for their forgiveness and ease of use. If getting more distance from your irons is a priority, this is a set that’s worth a look, but be sure to get a fitting so the low spin doesn’t hurt your scores.
Titleist T400 Irons Price & Specs
Matt Saternus
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Good review. What’s the point of these lofts? All that means is you carry one less “#-stamped) long iron (or hybrid) & since the PW is 38 deg, you’ll need one more wedge to fill in the gaps. So now we have:
1) Pitching wedge
2) Gap wedge
3) Sand wedge
4) Lob wedge
Hmm, have to find a new name for this extra wedge. how about “my lofts are so artificially JACKED up I need another wedge & I can’t think of what to call it right now” wedge? These are for the guy who says, “hey, I used to hit a 7 iron on this hole 5 years ago, now I hit a 6″, look how much longer I’ve gotten”. Ego. Loser.
So tired of people whining about the non traditional lofts on iron sets. If you don’t like them then don’t buy them, but don’t try to belittle & bully other people from trying or buying them. Only thing JACKED up is your attitude.
Can t400 be weakened and by how much?
Roman,
Yes, a good builder should be able to get at least 2 degrees.
-Matt
What is the logic behind calling a 20 degree iron a 5 iron? Are people who would be inclined to play a set like this so intimidated by having a low number on the bottom of the club that they would rather just be blatantly lied to? It’s an 8 club set that is made up of 8 clubs that almost match the traditional lofts for 3-pw. Why do they feel like they have to call it 5-sw? It doesn’t make sense.
Wow… not a rant but how does the lofting work with these irons. I hit 46 degree pw about 145 yards (R7 FORGED). That pw is equal to my 8 iron I think, just fail to see how they could be used properly with the wedges.
next they will make 15 degree 8 iron…
please find another way to engineer the irons instead of messing with the loft numbers
These clubs are criticised by people who don’t need them, like Mike…so why do they comment?……it’s about ego?…🙄….I’m now well into my 60’s with long term back problems and can’t hit the distances I used to, without extra effort….which ain’t good for the back. These clubs allow me to hit similar club distances with less effort. So, it’s not about ego, it’s about continuing to play the game we love with a club that makes life a little easier for those not blessed with the obvious skills of Mike. Loser.
If this set started with a 20 degree 4 iron and ended with a 49 degree gap wedge, and the only thing different about the clubs was the number on the sole, how would that be any less helpful for golfers like yourself?
Thanks Matt for the review. Titlelist has it right with the strong lofts because “us” weekend hackers with the imperfect swings need all the help we can get. On a good day I will break 90, but for us with regular jobs and little time to practice, this is great. And when I do break 90, sinking putts is what does it !!
From what I have gathered by researching these for a couple weeks along with the 300 series is that the center of gravity is way lower so essientially the angle of reaction, from ball compression, will be higher. While you will have lower spin the specs I have read from robot tests is that the trajectories launched from said club face are almost identical with old tech, about half club difference, maybe. So at 175 if you are 6 iron now you can hit 7 or maybe heavy 8. Leading to even higher flight however less spin.
This is the correct answer. If they kept the same lofts with the lower COG, they would launch straight up in the air.
I have had a set of T400’s for a month and I really like them. What to hear loud, hit these irons with Left Dash ProV1x’s. But with any ball, they go far and I’ve never been concerned with too little spin or rolling of the green. Coming from Bridgestone TourB HF1 Irons, I was used to the lofts. I see these as JDM clubs as they tend to favor an older player. And the best part is that I now play Titleist irons. Always wanted to however never could get the AP’s to work. Kudos to them to break out of their past model and capture a large audience.
Hi Mark, I’m very interested in these clubs so I was happy to hear from someone who has them. Regarding your comment on how they sound, do you mean they are loud? Is the sound unpleasant? Also, the short irons of your Bridgestones have the same or similar lofts but longer shafts by about 1″, so how do your distances compare? Are the Bridgestones actually longer? And do the Pro Vs stop quickly with all the irons? Would appreciate hearing anything you have to say. Thanks.
Well, the 6 iron has a 4 iron loft, so the extra 15 yards of distance makes sense. I guess the advantage might be that it the ball will fly higher than a normal 4 iron.
I thought about maybe making an obscene comment, but giving the quality of your reviews, how much they have helped me understand where golf club technology is currently, and how much I look forward to your reviews; all I can say is how much I appreciate your efforts towards educating the golf public and me in particular. Please keep up your good work.
Our little course here in SC has shown much growth since the virus has started; people are going out and playing more.
I currently carry 6 irons (6-gw) and 2 sand wedges. If I bought the T-400’s, I would end up with 7 through SW plus my current sand wedges. This is what is interesting to me about strong lofted irons. Anyway you slice it, the lowest lofted iron I can hit will be between 26 and 28 degrees of loft, it doesn’t matter if it has a 4 or a 7 stamped on the bottom. What I like about my strong-lofted Mavrik Max irons is the forgiveness and I think that is the real performance value of SGI clubs.
All these people talking about “jacked up lofts” . ” traditional lofts”…..probably aren’t playing persimmon headed drivers with steel shafts….they probably never played a balata ball ! And I guarantee non of these people ever played on any professional tour !!! Just people that think because they play from the “tips”, that makes them a real golfer !LMAO !!! They probably don’t have as “MUCH FUN” as the rest of us with “jacked up” lofted irons !!!
I just purchased a set 6/pw T400, thank you titleist for thinking out side the box, and giving people such as myself confidence and having fun golfing again. Since my spinal injury I’ve come to term with myself that I’ll never do a lot of the activities I loved doing at 100%, however I’ve just added 3 hobbies i can do, at 40/45% that’s hiking with assistance, using an elliptical machine and now golf.
T2T, I’m thinking about changing irons and the T400 with a 48, and 53 degree T300 wedge are “strong” candidates.
Don’t let the haters dissuade you. I am 56 and a 5 handicap playing Taylor Made PSI’s. I decided to move to the T400’s looking for a little more distance and higher launch. I must say that on a well struck shot my PSI’s were deadly, but on a poor shot, I could easily miss the green. Well, that all changed. These clubs, while NOT as accurate for me when hunting for pins, they do not miss the green very often. I will take “on in regulation” and trust my putter every time as opposed to 5 or 6 missed greens a round with a “player’s iron”. I also moved to the Titleist TS4 driver and I’be been shooting high 70’s the last 5 rounds in 45 degree weather in Chicago. So, call it what you will, but Titleist is now catering to good players trying to get better, not just good ball strikers. I am sure as I play more with them next year, I will get used to them and get closer to the pins. I couldn’t be happier.
For me sounds just ridicular to have such astrong loft and low spin. That s not golf, it is hockey!
why not just put the loft # on the bottom and get rid of the number. Call it whatever you want it’s the loft# that you need to know to hit GIR. I am slowly losing distance and i have no problem pulling an extra club or moving up a set of blocks i don’t see it as an issue it’s about scoring in the end and whatever improves that i’m all for. If i start breaking par too often i can always move back a set of blocks but it happens less frequently than ever. maybe these will help
Bonjour à tous, j’ai 74 ans, 12 de handicap, une opération du dos en 2020. Je devais arrêter le golf que je joue depuis 45 ans. Merci à Titleist, un très bon fitting, une très bonne série de T400 et je rejoue avec plaisir. Le golf est trop difficile pour ne pas profiter des améliorations que nous offre le matériel. Peu importe le loft, l’essentiel est de continuer à jouer en prenant du plaisir. Trois parcours, 84, 82,78, quoi de plus. Enjoy.
Well, I bought a set today and at this time am very insecure, even to the point of returning them. Maybe tomorrow I’ll take them to the course and try them out. But for now, I’m hesitant. I’ve played Apex irons for many years, and always loved them but getting older and weaker made me look towards game improvement, these may be the answer. I’ll follow-up.
Follow-up, well I took them back this morning. I never hit them but couldn’t I deal with the special engineered strong lofts, and really light small diameter shafts that look like women’s shafts. Grips were so small. Then I noticed the faces have very “fine” groves which I’m sure is designed to keep spin down, but with shot iron shots near the greens, this would present a problem stopping the ball. Beautiful clubs to look at, but I had to move on. I must add, the clubs are top quality, no doubt.
Well done Titleist! The T400 irons are exactly what this 60 year old man with a partial wrist fusion of the left wrist needed. I have been playing golf since I was 12 years old, started with old used blades and have owned too many too count sets of clubs in my lifetime. I still carry a nine handicap, much different from the time I carried a 3 handicap. There comes a point were the ego has to take the back seat to knowing where you are at in life. These irons have given me a whole new outlook to the possibilities of my golf game. Thanks Tileist
I just bought used T400 irons 6-PW and they are great. The length of each match the club number with my older irons. The technology in these make it easier to hit with a little more distance (which I need). So I recommend these for people who may have lost some swing speed. The physics is obvious. Thank you Titleist. It looks like the newer T300’s will replace these for now from Titleist.
Just bought the 6-GW today after hitting a whole bunch of different game improvement irons at a PGA Superstore. The t400’s
made me feel 58 again. (I’m 72). The 55 g graphite shafts and stronger lofts had me hitting 163 yard 6 irons, with more pure hits than my old Speedblades. At this point I just want to play from the white tees and hit more greens. Once there, reading Bob Rotella’s book Putting Out of Your Mind once a month will help me lower my handicap back towards the old days. I am positive these will be worth the premium price. Good for Titleist in recognizing that as the population continues to age there are going to be more old farts like me looking to still have that thrill of breaking 80.
Just bought the 5-GW for my 32yo wife with neuro multiple sclerosis .
She was 9 handicap 8 years ago and was unable to play golf since the apearance of the desease .
So ok , these clubs was clearly not for a certain population of young low handicap golfer or new player with all capacity but for many people its an incredible help .
Sorry for my english come from france .
Mike sounds like a pain in the ass who rolls the ball and takes 3′ gimmes.he cant afford the t400,never played a t400,and should not comment on the t400!
I think you hit the nail on the head about Mike. If a club feels good, looks good and gives you a little extra help why not go for it. Not everybody can hit a players club and enjoy the round.
I have basically played forged / blade irons for the last 40 years and have just got shorter and shorter. I bought a 6 iron T400 head and put a reg shaft in it. Wow! Feels great, forgiving and have some old distance back. Realize it has a strong loft but still fly quite high. Didn’t notice any less stopping power. Loved it so much I bought a complete set. Superb alternative set for an aging single figure player. Perfect!!!!
i got fitted for t400s when i got back into golf (much higher handicap) and now i’ve been playing a lot (handicap has been cut in half).
i’m in my early 40s so i hit these a mile, but obviously have trouble holding the green. was thinking about making the switch to a last generation set of t 300s that i found for cheap on a clearance site. i dont think i’m quite ready for the t 200s, so figured this might be a nice compromise. wondering if anyone had any thoughts/input/suggestions , etc.
thanks!
Al,
My input is always to get fit. You may be surprised what works for you. Also, while clearance pricing is attractive, you’ll forget about those savings long before you forget about the fact that the new set doesn’t do what you hoped it would.
Best,
Matt