I Tested The 6-Year-Old Set Of Irons That Recently Won $4 Million On The PGA Tour

Joe Ferguson wanted to find out why a 6-year-old set of Titleist irons were used earlier this season to pick up a huge cheque on the PGA Tour. The results were extremely interesting...

Photo of Joe Ferguson looking at his irons with Russell Henley in the background
(Image credit: Getty Images)

As an equipment writer, when I am watching golf on television, I can’t help but have one eye on the players' golf bags to see what they are plying their trade with, and while watching the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, something in the winner's bag caught my eye. Russell Henley was using Titleist T100 irons, which in itself may not be extraordinary, but as I looked a little closer, I could see that they were in fact the 2019 version of this popular model from Titleist.

With manufacturers continually pushing the virtues of their innovation and newer models, I was intrigued as to why Henley, a Titleist staff player, would be using a model at least a couple of generations old. So, I got in touch with my friends at GolfClubs4Cash to see if I could get hold of the models in question to put them through their paces. I scrolled the GolfClubs4Cash app and sure enough, I swiftly found the irons I needed, ordered them up, and was surprised to see just how low the price tag was considering they are still being used at the highest level of the game. The irons, which I have to say were in exceptional condition, were just £419.99.

Photo of the price tag of the irons

(Image credit: Future)

As soon as they arrived at my door, I headed off to the practice ground armed with a Foresight Sports GC Quad launch monitor and a bag full of balls to see what I could find out, and truth be told, I was very surprised. I took along the subsequent two models (21’ and 23’) of T100 irons to my session for comparative purposes, and the quantifiable data between the two newer models in terms of carry distance, peak height, and spin rates was, to all intents and purposes, the same.

Data table for the three irons

(Image credit: Future)

There was less than two yards of carry variation, all were within 1.5mph of ball speed, and 2 yards of peak height! However, when I got the 2019 version in my hands, the ball flight window immediately changed. It was coming out significantly lower yet spinning up quite significantly after that. For context, it was launching between a degree and a degree and a half lower but with over 500 rpm more spin. The additional spin culminated in a peak height of around 10 feet higher and a steeper descent angle, and herein may lie the reason Henley is opting not to switch…

Photo of the 2019 T100 iron

(Image credit: Future)

PGA Tour courses - particularly Bay Hill, where his recent win came - are often set up with exceptionally firm greens and some very tight pin positions, so the additional spin and descent angle on offer from the 2019 version could prove a significant advantage. But where does this different window come from, from a technical standpoint? Well, for me, the answer lies in the bounce angle. The 2019 model has visibly more bounce and an increased radius on the sole, and when bounce is increased, the leading edge will rise a little relative to the ground. In turn, this tends to promote a lower strike on the clubface, facilitating a higher spin profile due to impacting significantly below the CG.

Photo of the clubface of the 2019 t100

(Image credit: Future)

Could Russell Henley find a couple more yards or an mph of ball speed or two more from a newer model of irons? Yes, I would suggest he probably could, but would those small incremental gains in power translate into lower scores on the golf course? Well, he clearly doesn’t think so, and I am inclined to agree. Aside from the benefits of the higher spin profile, in my opinion, the time it would take to build up similar levels of situational familiarity with a newer product for Henley would completely negate any data gains on offer, and he is not alone at the top of the game in that regard.

Photo of the three irons together

(Image credit: Future)

World number one Scottie Scheffler has been in the same P7TW irons for the best part of four years, and recent Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy has been playing his “Rors Proto” irons for even longer still, and the list goes on. In fact, the more time I get to spend with these top players talking about their golf equipment, I get the feeling that the vast majority would barely change at all without occasional contractual obligations or when they have simply worn through the grooves! Unless a significant, tangible performance gain is on offer, the risk is simply too high at the top level, and I think we can benefit from that at the consumer level.

Photo of the 2019 T100 full set

(Image credit: Future)

The primary purpose of this exercise was to identify any performance differences between the models I was testing, which, it would be fair to say, were definitely evident, and for the right player could be potentially very beneficial. With this in mind, I firmly believe there is some smart money to be spent in the second-hand market if you are looking to change things up with your irons.

As I mentioned, the 4-PW set of 2019 Titleist T100s I picked up set me back just over £400, when at today's prices you could be looking at adding the best part of £1000 to your outlay for some of the best irons in the game, so there are clearly massive savings on offer for comparably performing equipment. You must consider, however, that these clubs are in no way custom-fit for your game, which can be a drawback when shopping in this market; however, in many instances, for a small fee, irons can be somewhat “retro-fit” through adjustments such as loft and lie changes and re-gripping, all of which GolfClubs4Cash offers.

Joe Ferguson
Staff Writer

Joe has worked in the golf industry for nearly 20 years in a variety of roles. After a successful amateur career being involved in England squads at every age group, Joe completed his PGA degree qualification in 2014 as one of the top ten graduates in his training year and subsequently went on to become Head PGA Professional at Ryder Cup venue The Celtic Manor Resort. Equipment has always been a huge passion of Joe’s, and during his time at Celtic Manor, he headed up the National Fitting Centres for both Titleist and Taylormade. He’s excited to bring his knowledge of hardware to Golf Monthly in the form of equipment reviews and buying advice.

Joe lives in North Devon and still plays sporadically on the PGA West region circuit. His best round in recent years came earlier in 2023 where he managed a 9 under par 63 at Trevose GC in a Devon & Cornwall PGA Tournament.

Joe's current What's In The Bag?

Driver: Switch between TaylorMade Qi35 and Callaway Elyte TD - both with Fujikura Ventus Black 6-X

Fairway wood 1: TaylorMade BRNR Copper Mini Driver - Fujikura Ventus Black 7-X

Fairway wood 2: Callaway Apex UW 17˚- Fujikura Ventus Black 9-X

Irons: TaylorMade P7CB 3-PW with Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts

Wedges: Callaway Opus 50, 54, and 60 degrees - Project X LS 6.0 shafts

Putter: LAB Golf Oz.1 (zero shaft lean)

Ball: TaylorMade 2024 TP5x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 60R

Bag: Vessel Player IV Pro DXR Stand