Excellent clubs. I was afraid to play balde clubs though I've been shooting inthe 70s for over a year now. With a regular swing, these react perfectly, feel great and provide extra confidence and feedback. These will make you a better player. They're no harder to hit, but require more attention at address. Distance is good, control is wonderful, buut the confidence they provide makes no difference. Bar in mind, that when shooting below 85, a bad swing is a bad shot, will not alow you to shoot for a pin. A bad swing with these is no worse in result, but feels worse. That is why you wil become a better golfer - to avoid that feel and develop the gorgeous buttery feel of blades. Apparently one of the best sets around with the Mizuno MP33 (not available in LH) The look is perfect, ordered with rifle 5.0 and I have a mmoderate swing speed. 5 iron carry is app 170 yards, so no need to be a power hitter either.

Customer Service

No problems, was able to custom order the shafts and grips with no problem, odelivered to me with a certificate with control of loft, lie and swingweight. Nothing to complain about yet - I'll see if I ever need to replace a club (these are limited edition, and mine are left handed...)

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Recently had Macgregor VIP CB - good feel, but huge offset for a beginner or mid level player wanting forged clubs . Also have Mizuno MX20 - very forgiving and easy to play club - the best cavity back

Friends, in my pathologically disturbed quest for golfing delight, I have owned (not demoed, but owned) every iron on the market, just about. So email me, if you want to know anything about any iron. And suffice it to say, that the 690's are just about the best out there. The larger head (than Mizuno mp 14s, 29s, Nike's and Apexes) makes this club seem more forgiving and easier to consistently achieve loveliness with. They seem extremely comparable to the Miz mp 33's. Now all of the above are great clubs, but I have a jollier feeling with the 690's, and I recommend them over the others. As for the almost cliche question of, "Are they forgiving enough for an 80 shooter like me," the answer is heck yes, with two provisos. First, you have to be into the process of improving your swing. And second, you have to swing in control. Any blade demands that you swing it with care, versus the wild flailing abandon you tend to fall into when you're swinging a Callaway. If you swing in control, the way you should, you will have wonderful results. If you overswing like some steroidal Ghengis Khan, you will look and feel like an idiot playing these clubs. That said, I have hit horror shots with Hawkeye irons and felt like a boob who can't even hit a Hawkeye straight; and I've hit horror shots with my many blade sets, and felt like a boob who has no business hitting anything better than a set you'd buy at Target. But on balance, while you can probably lower your score (if that's ALL you care about) with a cavity back like the excellent RAC LT, the excellent Ping I3+ Blade or something, I believe you will ultimately be a far better ball striker with a blade. There seems to be something in the balance of the 690's that feels stable through the ball. The head seems to have a tiny bit of offset (especially if you like to hood the ball a bit like me)that sets up very well for me. Distance is much better (by about 5 yards) than I was getting with the I3 Pluses or the RAC's. I'd put it up against juiced-loft clubs like the Callaway x14 and x16 pros. This is a beautiful club that is a pleasure to own and play. Is the club worth the premium you pay for it. Absolutely, if it is the right club for you. Don't be scared off. Have some guts and go for it. And then have fun trading it in for something else, if it doesn't work out, since it commands great resale.

Customer Service

Haven't needed it.

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Everything. Absolutely everything, and my game is far worse for my unrequieted odyssey to satisfy some psychological hole in my bored brain.

I have to emmit it they are great looking clubs. but unless you stike the ball very well, they are not easy to hit. my score went from low 80s to low 90s.Hate to say it but iam going back to my old clubs. ping i3...

After playing the Titleist 990 set for about 3 years, I found them to be forgiving. I found the 690mb's on the internet and was hooked in an instant by the looks. They've been in my bag for 2 weeks now, and I must say that they got my game from a dip to a high I've never been on. When you hit the sweetspot you get rewarded with the most tight flight on a ball ever to be seen with the right length -but as with every blade- when you miss-hit it the results are way less. I wouldn't advice these clubs to hcp's higher than 10 but if you're over 10 and serious about playing better this set will still match your needs. Plusses 1)Great looks 2)PERFECT workability 3)Reward your swing 4)good length 5)make you concentrate Minussus 1)Tiny sweetspot(hey it's a blade!) 2)they fly pretty high on average hits 3)Forged clubs wear quite quickly so high maintenance Honestly, everyone who is serious about getting better would be fine with this set although the serious advantage will be with the low single players. I play of a hcp of 4.4 but I played my very first round under par with this set the 2nd round I played with them. They're DEFINITLY more rewarding then my old 990's. If you're looking for a bit more forgiving blade make sure you demo or check the Mizuno MP33's or the semi-blade 690CB's. I give the set 4 stars, because the flight on 'usual hits' is a little high, but on great hits it is perfect. I hope this will help you decide, Brian

Customer Service

Every large brand has a pretty messy customerservice so I don't think Titleist will be different. Never needed them though..

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Titleist 990, Ping I3+ blades. MP33(great also). Well, I'm the 'been there, done that & got the t-shirt' kinda guy.

Before reading reviews about these iron, I never really gave them much though about purchasing them. After all everyone says forged clubs are hard to hit except for the scratch and under. Many reviews stated that they were hard to hit but not overly so and that good shots felt exteremly good. I found this to be exactly the case. Theses are totally "neutral" clubs. You put a horrible swing on the ball and you get horrible results. You put a decent swing and you get decent results. When you put an excellent swing on, watch out, you will feel the sweetest feeling in golf. Thats what I love about these irons. The bottom line is that I dont want a club to correct my mis hits, I want them to tell me when my swing sucks. Same goes for a good swing; I dont want decent results, I want great results. Get these sticks if you are a) a good ballstriker. b)if you are willing to put in the time and effort to really enjoy these. If you fit into one of thoes catogeroies, get these, you wont be disappointed. Warning: if you a a lazy golfer who wants the easy way out or someone who get frustrated easily- dont get these. stick with oversized sticks with massive toplines; stick that wont tell you if you hit a good or bad shot. Do not fall into the trap that you have to be extememly good to play these. I had 6 different people tell me that I cant hit them and they will ruin my game- not the case at all. They make me practice harder, reward me more, and tell me if my swings not on.

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nike forged pro combo, titleist 981, taylor made supersteel, titleist 990.

Made four leaps in the past 12 months; Ping Zing2 (played for a year) to Ping I3+ Blades (5-10 rounds) to Nike Forged Irons (4 months) and now onto the Titleist 690.MBs. Had the clubs custom fit and built to my specs. Totally unhappy with a month and a half wait while Titleist got caught up with their production of 8-PW heads. Clubs arrived and I shot out to the range. Not much gained over the Nike’s at first and my short irons seemed about 1.5 to 2 clubs shorter and long irons were the opposite, hitting my 5-iron 210 yds off the deck. Briefly contemplated a mixed set, but stuck with the 690.MBs. Now almost three weeks (8-10 rounds) with them, a subtle grip change for my short irons, I can not be happier. Accuracy, strong ball flight, work ability, confidence, and “looks”!!! A great set of irons! Now I am messing around with playability (calling “high draw”, “low cut”, etc. and pulling off the shot). Highlight and inspiration for this posting, 167-yd 7-iron, hole-in-one at my home course!!!

Customer Service

Have not used.

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Ping I3+ Blades and Nike Forged.

UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE! If you haven't already done so, HAVE YOUR LOFT AND LIE CHECKED ON THESE CLUBS!!! Even...make that ESPECIALLY if you got your clubs fitted by Titleist. I bought a set off of eBay as "standard loft and lie." The guy wasn't being deceptive, as he only charged $450 and they are in excellent condition. I hit them for two rounds and started to notice that I was hitting the 9 iron as far as I was the 7 iron, and the spacing was all jacked up on the other irons as well. Also, no matter what I did, I was basically slicing the ball. I knew that playing a forged iron was going to sacrifice some distance, but this was clearly a loft/lie issue. I took them to Don Sherwoods (golf retailer around here) and had the loft and lie checked. The guy who did the testing worked at the Titleist factory for 12 years, and told me that Titleist was notorious for sloppy fitting. Sure enough, the irons were anywhere from 2 to 3 degrees flat, and the lofts were anywhere from 1 to 3.5 degrees weak. I had him bend them back to a standard lie, and went 1 - 1.5 degrees strong to get that little extra disctance you lose from going forged. While I was there, I decided to have him test the Vokey Oil Can wedges I had bought in his store - and guess what? The 52 degree wedge was 54, the 56 degree sand wedge was 58, and the 60 degree was actually 62! the lies were spot on to Titleist standard specs, but the lofts were wacked. Also, Since my first post, I have thrown my old Ping 3,4,and 5 irons out, and gone exclusively with the forged irons. These things are truly amazing! I was totally nervous about going forged, but I am here to tell you this right now - those who tell you not to buy them unless you are scratch or near it are dead wrong. There will be a gradual learning curve, but you will get the hang of it, and these things WILL IMPROVE your game. You will learn how to concentrate, you will learn what you were doing wrong and you can self-correct it, you will learn how to work the ball. Sure, the mis-hits are worse with these irons, but you will be so dialed in that the mis-hits are fewer and further between. This is the type of club that golf was meant to be played with - Don't buy the hype that these are too difficult for you, they aren't...trust me! And hey, if you don't like them, they still fetch grip used and on eBay! Ben

Customer Service

N/A

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This, That, The Other

These #%*&@! things are probably the most love hate possesions I own. I got my first set of fitted clubs for my wedding gift; my wife knows I like Ernie Els and did the research and had me fitted. To my surprise she got me the same clubs he plays. Now for the review; I went from hitting in the low 80's (Like 80 alot, threatened 79, f'en putter) to the 90's in seconds. I must have hanked (I won't say the "S" word anymore) more flippin balls in the first three weeks I played these things. I was ready to give up, but then I would clean them after the round and I have to admit these are the most beutiful clubs on the market today. After week three I started to hit them pretty good. I cannot put into words what it feels like to pure one of these things, but "Oh, Baby!" Now I can shape the ball like never before, and the scores are back down there closer to earth. They are a little shorter because of the higher loft angles, but you can quickly remedy that by hooding it a little and sqeezing out the extra yards when needed. Over all I would give these the highest mark you can, because I actually believe they have made a better golfer. The price is pretty steep, but I see that people have found them on e-bay and other places for alot better price.

Customer Service

I wouldn't know, because I have had no problems. It took only about a week or so for a fitted set to reach me after I was fitted.

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The only other forged blades I have played are Wilson Staff Tour Blades

here's the deal for you people on the fence who want to hit a muscle back iron, but have heard all of the advice to the contrary - and i say this because those people who definitely have the game to play these clubs already know which irons to play. ok, here's the skinny - i was totally on the fence regarding hitting muscle backs - i wanted to play a "traditional" iron and even went so far as to buy a set from a retailer a few months ago. i had a couple of bad rounds striking the ball, and ran right back to the ping i3 os set i had been hitting. i then went a couple of months striking the ball pretty well. i finally decided to create my own set of "combo" irons. i bought a used set of 690 mb's off of ebay, and put the pw - 6 in my bag, and kept the 3 - 5 pings, for forgiveness. i have read reviews from people who shoot in the 100's saying that these clubs are great, etc. Definitely not the case. if you shoot in the 90's...maybe. if you shoot in the 80's and occasionally in the 90's, like myself, these clubs, at least the short to mid irons, are definitely playable. if you shoot in the 70's, they are pure butter. i was drawing them on demand today, and i promise you this - when you strike these clubs on the (oh-so-small) sweet spot, you can scarcely tell that you've made contact with the ball - it is a thing of pure beauty. bottom line is this - these are absolutely not a forgiving set of irons, but conversely, they are very playable for a muscle back iron. they are progressivley offset, the heads are slightly larger than traditional blades, and the center of gravity is a little lower - i put a little lead tape on the bottom/heel to get a little more loft and to enable a draw. what makes these clubs so beautiful in my mind is the fact that they actually improve my ball striking - i know i have to pure them, or i'm in trouble. i focus alot more, and therefore hit them pretty well. the bottom line is this - if you want an iron that will give you excellent feedback and that you can grow into and improve with, this is the set. if you are happy with easy to hit "game improvement" irons that give no feedback, stick with what you got. if you shoot in the 80's and have thought about moving to a muscle back, this is the set. sir chan destroy

Customer Service

bought on ebay

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ping eye2 black dot, ping i/3 os black dot, ping i/3 blades black dot, taylor made rac os - total junk!!!

I was playing the 731PM but ordered the 690MB as soon as they were available left handed. Pluses: 1. Very responsive. Dream a shot up and it will happen with these clubs. 2. The higher swingweight ( mine are D6 ) and general weight allow for good position and feel through the entire swing. 3. Reduced bounce and thinner sole good from ALL lies. 4. Excellent feel and feedback 5. Beautiful looks and setup at address. 6. Surprisingly forgiving. Minuses: 1. They are real long. I even had my lofts checked as I find they are 1-1.5 clubs longer than the 731PM 2. Higher than expected trajectory with regular swing. 3. The blades are a little on the long side (physically). Took a while to get used to around the greens. Until the 680 is available left handed this will be my club. If you are concerned weather your swing is good enough for these clubs, give them a try you might be surprised. I think they are more forgiving than the 731PM. They are still certainly not a "game improvement" club for the average golfer.

Customer Service

N/A -- bought from pro shop at club. In general most big company service is poor and I am sure Titleist is no different. I have owned 981 , 990 , 731 PM , 690MB , 975F , 975D , 975J , Scotty Cameron's and Vokey wedges and never onced called Titleist. They should call me !!!

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Titleist 731PM , Nike Pro Combo , Cleveland TA3