714 CB's or 714 MB's

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By James C

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  1. James C

    James C
    Burbank, CA

    Hi Team Titleist 

    I am interested in buying new irons. I currently play swoosh VR TW blades with Project X 6.0 shafts  I went to bunch of places to get fit for Titleist 714 CB and MB with KBS Tour stiff shafts. My results showed me that on 714 CB 6 iron, Club head speed 79.7, Ball speed 108.4, Launch angle 15.3, total spin is 5844, carry is 147 yards, total distance is 157 yards. On the 714 MB's 6 iron Club head speed 84.0 Ball speed 114.2 Launch angle 16.9 Total spin 5961 Carry 158 Total Distance 166. I hit both really well and as of now i can't decide which one to get. Both of them looks good, feels good and work really well for me and i don't like to mix my irons. I wanted to stick to these irons that i am going to get for a long time so i don't have to go buy new clubs. Is there any recommendation which ones to get?? Which will help me in the long run??

    Thanks 

    From James C 

  2. James, if it were me and I needed a tie breaker I would consider the CB's...I prefer the sound at impact and on slight misses.  IMHO

  3. James C

    James C
    Burbank, CA

    Thank you for your suggestion, Is it true CB's is less workable,more forgiving and MB's are more workable and less forgiving? I went in to a golf shop today to try it out it feels that way so I wanted to know what i felt is right?? Do you feel or think the same way?? 

  4. Jesse P

    Jesse P
    Lenexa, KS

    The main difference between cavity back and muscle back irons could be categorized in the way they are produced and the forgivness of the club.

    Muscle Back (or Blades):  Manufacturers were able to keep the head small and thin just as a traditional blade iron however they found that they could add more metal low and behind the hitting area to create more forgivness than a true blade would give you.  However, if you fail to hit the sweet spot the club can leave you looking like a hack.  High caliber players like the immediate feedback as it is a better gauge as to how they are striking the ball.  You are correct in that a muscle back or blade will allow for an easier shot shaping scenario as cavity backs were made to help the ball fly straight.

    Cavity Backs:  CB irons have much more forgiveness and do not require a perfect shot to advance the ball high and staight. The trick here was to move the weight more towards the sole of the club and along the periphery of the iron head.  This made for an iron that was much more easier to hit and your ball flight to be straighter and higher on missed shots. 

     

  5. James C

    James C
    Burbank, CA

    Thank you Jesse P

    I appreciate your comment. it was helpful. it boiled down to miss shots. CB's is going to be forgiving when miss hit it and going to have consistent ball flight (straighter and higher). MB's will be easier to shape shots. When it comes to miss hit, its going to have inconsistent ball flight and (lower ball).

      

  6. James E

    James E
    Wauwatosa, WI

    James,

    Sadly, I can't really help with that question as I am just not familiar enough with the CBs sadly. Hopefully others can chime in in order to help with that question.

    I'll try to hit the demo CB tomorrow and see what I can feel. But for me it is tough just demo'ing and not playing the whole set over rounds.

    Sorry

  7. James C

    James C
    Burbank, CA

    James E,

    Thank you for your opinion, It was helpful, it made me think, its up to me basically to make the decision which one to go with. 

  8. James E

    James E
    Wauwatosa, WI

    James C,

    You are welcome. I wish it was more helpful. The good news is, I don't think you can go wrong with either of those two selections.

    Let us know which you end up getting and how you like them.

    All the best and play well.

  9. James E

    James E
    Wauwatosa, WI

    James,

    How do you define "help"?

    What is "long run"?

    I think your age and fitness might also be factors.

    Why are you switching away from the TWs? Is it the grooves or is it a performance issue now?

    I have a set of the VR TW blades as well. I like them a lot. I have the MBs as well. I can move between those easily. So if you are looking to switch I would personally go with the MBs as they are similar to the TWs at least to me. But if the TWs are getting a bit more difficult to perform with the answer may lie elsewhere.

    From your numbers I would personally also go with the MBs.

    But it really depends on what you are looking for. I haven't hit the CBs in a very long time as I just prefer the blades. So I can't really give a great reason of MBs over CBs.

    Others could help on the pros and cons of the CBs vs the MBs.

    Hopefully this was kind of helpful

     

  10. James C

    James C
    Burbank, CA

    Hi James E, 

       Define "help": I mean (Will the MB make my shot improve?) reason why is, You can tell right away if you miss hit with the blades or MB's, you can feel and see what you did wrong because its not forgiving.  If I get the CB's ( Am I still going to learn what i did wrong? Since there is forgiveness, (Am I not going to learn and make my shot improve?) just because of forgiveness of the club. 

    The reason why I am switching away from TW's because of the shafts, the grooves. I love the head. Project X 6.0 feels too stiff for me, i have a hard time at impact because its too stiff. I want to less stiff but still have stiff shaft. I am not getting the launch that i want which KBS does give me the launch that i want. If i am going to get new shaft, i rather spend more little bit more to get a new clubs instead of spending money on the shafts. I also, have every club in my bag Titleist except irons so. 

    Thank you James E.

  11. James E

    James E
    Wauwatosa, WI

    James C,

    Thanks for the additional information.

    It makes a lot of sense as to why you are looking for new clubs. If you want new shafts it does make sense to just get a new set with new grooves and the shafts you want. As long as you like the new heads which I am sure you will.

    I think your thoughts about blades are absolutely correct. I think a blade with less forgiveness will encourage a player to get a better swing in order to hit the ball better. Of course this takes effort and time. Back in the 80s I went from Hogans to png Eye 2s. I still think that was the worst mistake I made as it allowed me to get sloppy. Sure my mishits were better but swing errors got bigger without my knowing it. I was "getting away" with mis-hits. The Hogans I would have corrected them more quickly and they would never gotten as out of hand as they did. 

    Now, I would also think of the ball flight as well. I love my MBs (and my TWs, VRs, miz's, Scratch's, Miura's) because I can work the ball a bit more (even with these new balls) and I can flight them better for playing in the wind. I am going to hit the demo CB today and I'll see if I can flight it ok (and work it). And see how forgiving it is.

    So, the reason I asked for the definition of help is the forgiveness question. Is "helping" feedback for swing issues or better shots for mis-hits. I think I can see where you come down on that question now.

    I would also consider your swing speed  longevity. If you want this set for 10 years and your swing speed is now or will be slowing down (so less spin, less height, distance etc) then a little help in getting the ball up might be a consideration for the longer run. If you are in a state where your swing speed will remain constant than you may not want or need a club that will help get the ball up. If you don't mind spending some money in a few years if your swing speed changes then it might be a different answer. I ask this because you mentioned your shafts in your TWs feel a bit stiff. So I fear that your swing speed may be slowing a bit. I could be very wrong though. Something to think about especially if you want to reduce the outlay on clubs for the foreseeable future. 

    I am going to hit the CB today and I'll let you know my take. I'll try to take it out on the course rather than just on the range to get a better feel. I'll let you know.

    Hopefully this brings up some things to consider and hopefully it is somewhat helpful. I'll let you know what I think of the CBs. 

  12. James E

    James E
    Wauwatosa, WI

    James C,

    I demo'd the CB 6 iron today. I hit range balls and took the club out on the course. I thought it was a very good club. It flew a bit higher for me, I think I can flight the ball down a bit better with the MBs, the CBs were very consistent on distance and went basically the same distance as my MBs. I like the feel of the MBs more, I don't know what it is really, maybe psychological. Personally I did not find a great difference between the two of them. Now it was a limited test and it was not with a full set. But personally I prefer the MBs after this limited test, but that is me.

    Hopefully others who have gone through your search can help more with why they made the decision they made.

    Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with either, both are very good clubs in my opinion.

    Hope this helps a little. 

  13. Jon S

    Jon S
    Collinsville, CT

    Military

    I don't know what it is, but I don't like the feel of the CBs at all.  I love the AP2s, and I love the MBs.

    I recommend not being sucked into the MBs for the simple fact that even professional golfers have an advantage with the longer irons in a more forgiving design.  Perhaps the answer to your question is a CB/MB mixed set.

  14. Edward K

    Edward K
    Wesley Chapel, FL

    Military

    In all honesty, I don't see the CB cavity as that  significant. It's a very small cavity compared to the typical cavity back cast or forged club. IMO, if a guy isn't a low to mid-70's golfer, the AP's are the club. Yes, the forged feel euphoric when you hit the dime, but the bad ones are bad.....

  15. Johnny B

    Johnny B
    Modesto, CA

    I struggled with this same issue and I ended up going with a mix.   I can shape shots enough when I need to with either.  The 714 cb's have been terrific.  

  16. Allen L

    Allen L
    Clarington, OH

    James, yeah its a tough choice.  I'm far from qualified to make a recommendation but I'll share my experience.  I've had my 714 MB's for a year and love them.  I always liked the classic muscle back design and never saw much if any improvement when I was playing cavity backs.  To me a bad hit is a bad hit and a CB mis-hit ends up as bad as a MB mis-hit.  I seem to find the sweet spot much more often with my MBs compared to my old CBs.  My first shot with the 714 PW was at 100 yards, over the past year that wedge is now playing 110-120, 5 Iron is playing at 170 - 180, and the 6 Iron plays to about 160-170.  Other golfers always remark how good the MBs look, the other day I was playing with a fella who has some of the new cally's, he was 150 out and I asked him if he wanted to try a shot, he put a 7 iron MB to the back of the green and said wow, coaxed him into trying the 8 and he put it hole high a little right, his comment was that the clubs felt great because they felt a little heavier and easier to swing.  So I'm a happy Titleist MB 714 player.  Isn't this game something?  Looks easy but its not, and even picking out clubs, balls, gloves, hats ... gets complicated with too many choices, and we come back for more.  Have fun, you'll make the right choice.

  17. Stephen M

    Stephen M
    Sonora, CA

    If you're going to choose one or the other; IMHO you should make your decision based on your style of swing and course conditions. If your a picker and play firm conditions; then no brainer MB. If you take a decent amount of turf and frequently play in softer conditions; the wider more cambered sole of the CB is the way to go. Both are awesome!
  18. Hi 

    I currently have the CB 714s, and absolutely love them. To be fair though I have never hit the MBs as they are a little too much club for me at this stage. The CBs are very clean with virtually no offset and a tiny cavity. I can confirm that you certainly do get feedback on them - you know exactly at impact whether or not you hit it in the sweet-spot! Especially in winter it really stings my hands if I don't get it.

    But as everyone else has said they are both wonderful clubs and you can't go wrong with either.

  19. James C

    James C
    Burbank, CA

    Hello Everyone,  

    Thank you so much for giving me suggestions. I appreciate for your responses and your opinions which one's to get. So I have finally made a decision which irons to get. I know all of you are curious what my choice of iron head I went with. After 2 weeks, I have thought which one to go with. It was very difficult for me to choose. After reading your responses and opinions, it helped me a lot. Without all this I would be still debating and still deciding which one to go with. I know you are all eager to which one I chose. I have chosen to go with 714 MB's.  

    Thank you 

    James C

  20. James E

    James E
    Wauwatosa, WI

    James C,

    Great to hear, I think you are going to love them. It will most likely be an easy transition for you.

    Thanks for keeping us up on your decision, play well and enjoy the new clubs. they are fantastic.

  21. Nick E

    Nick E
    Columbus, OH

    Just received 7,8,9 in 714 MBs and I love them, hitting them about 10 yards farther than I was with 712 AP2s

  22. Eddie C

    Eddie C
    New York, NY

    I have tried both sets on course and depending on your ball strike ability I'd say the CB's were easier to hit. I have a tendency to strike more towards the toe on bad days and with the CB's the loss in distance is less than the MB's. My ball flight is higher with the CB's and the workability difference for me was minimal. Though clearly with the MB, a lower handicap player should have greater workability. I just had trouble finding the club head on my swing with the MB and so I went with the CB and never looked back. I consistently hit the 7 iron about 160 and had no trouble finding the green from 150 out last weekend when I played Pinehurst. Your best option is a mix set I'd say, get the MB's for PW - 6 and bag the CB's for 5 - 3. I even took out my 4 hybrid and went to the 3 iron because of how much more flight control I get with the CB's. Hope this helps and best of luck on your decision. 

  23. I had the same decision to make about a year ago. Tried both and found, for me, there wasn't much difference between the cb and mb irons when you make good contact. However when you miss the sweet spot, the cbs were more helpful. I went with a mixed set, 5,6,7 cbs and 8,9,pw mbs. This has worked well for me. Best of luck.

    Duke

  24. Brian D

    Brian D
    Norton, MA

    Hi James, I played with the MB's and really liked them.  I started w a split set of CBs and MBs but did not like the split myself. I think it really depends on what looks good to your own eye and how they feel.  After playing with the MBs for a year, I actually switched back to the AP2s and love the feel of them

    I struggled with the MB's as I was playing as much and found the AP2s more forgiving in the 3,4 and 5 iron.

    No matter which iron you choose, the switch to Titleist will be the right one.

    good luck and let us know what you decide to go with.

    Brian

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