Whither the T400s?

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By John B

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  1. John B

    John B
    North Carolina

    The T400 irons were released in 2020 and marketed by Titleist as a club designed for players with moderate (slow?) swing speeds. The T300s came out about the same time. Since then the 300s have been updated, reimaged into the T350s and a newer version comes out again this summer. Why no love (improvements) for the T400s?

    The idea for the T400s really appeals to me but they could certainly be improved. Has Titleist moved on from this market segment? The clubs were classified as "super-game improvement" but I think this is misleading, as a player can have a pretty good game albeit with a slower swing speed.

    Would love to see Titleist back in this segment as they are with the TR1/GT1 drivers, fairways and hybrids. Any plans to try another iteration of the 400s? Cheers.

  2. Don O

    Don O
    Madison, WI

    Ther was a 2023 version but only released in Japan. My thought was the T300 was updated to the T350 as the alternative to the T300 and T400.

    The wide sole of the T400 resembles a superGI iron. The lofts are strange even in a world of jacked lofts. I’m a slow swinger, but I enjoy the T200 far more than a previous T400 set I’ll guess the market did not support continuing the T400 series.
  3. John B

    John B
    North Carolina

    I would guess the market did not respond well to the T400s. The lofts were too strong and, based on my experience, they just did not fit what I was looking for. Titleist seems to have done well with the TSR1s and now the GT1s for the players with more moderate swing speeds. I hate to see them give up on this market segment in the iron offerings. I play the T350s with senior shafts but these are more a "game improvement iron" for everyone offering. I still think the T400s were a great idea but they need some modifications to meet what the potential buyers want. Still hoping Titleist takes another stab at it.
  4. Dale V

    Dale V
    Surprise AZ

    I just think the market segment was too small to justify the cost that Titleist puts into their irons. The brand will not stoop to producing a cheap product and risk their reputation just to capture a super small segment. I believe their goal was to produce a T350 that is capable of helping the high handicap player but great enough to perform in the hands of any golfer.
  5. That's me. I swing on the slow side which means not as long. When I try and crank one I start getting inconsistent. I play the 2019 T300 and T200 in short irons. Honestly I can't tell much distance gained from those from the 2016 AP2s I use to play.
  6. Jim V.

    Jim V.
    St. Marys, GA

    I have a set of 2022 T400's (JP Version) that I play occasionally when my T200's give me fits. Titleist incorporated the "Max Impact" Technology and they have much better feel than the 2020 T400's. They launch high and are crazy long too! Below is a link to a video.

    www.youtube.com/watch

    I am not sure Titleist's plan for a future T400 release. I am excited to demo the 2025 T350's!
  7. I am 57 years old and still play to a single digit handicap. I grew up on the blades of years gone by as the only company to make a game improvement iron was png. As a traditionalist, I would not play clubs that looked like spaceships on shafts. I did my fitting yesterday and will be placing my order for the 2025 T350 as soon as I am able. I will also be adding the GT1 driver, 21 and 24 fairway woods to my bag. Titleist has nailed it with these two lines, easy enough for the higher handicap player but appeals to the older traditionalist that needs some launch assistance.
  8. John B

    John B
    North Carolina

    I think there is some confusion when we assume all players with slower speeds are also high handicappers. In a Venn Diagram there would be some overlap but these can be treated as two distinct market segments. Further, I do not think either of these market segments are small. I don't recall the exact statistics but a significant number of golfers (30 percent?) swing their driver at less than 90 mph. If we define high handicap as someone with a GHIN over 20 this would probably apply to over half the recreational golfers in the U.S. as well as world-wide.

    Titleist might not have a desire to penetrate these market segments for other reasons but the numbers are not inconsequential.

    Recently, the TS1, TSR1 and GT1 clubs seem to have done quite well with slower swinging consumers. That is why I am perplex that Titleist does not try to offer similar characteristics in a set of irons. When the T400 came out it was explicitly offered for more moderate swing speeds to improve distance (hence the really strong lofts, among other features). I would like to see Titleist take another shot at appealing to the under 90 mph crowd in their iron offerings, and, a priori, these would not have to end up in the super game improvement category. The original marketing that I recall when the T400s came out was focused on distance and forgiveness for the moderately paced swinger. It was never self-characterized as a super-game-improvement, though it was considered a game improver (lower case). Cheers.

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