It’s Summer, Which Means It’s Black Vapor Time For Titleist’s T-Series Irons

The old clock on the wall says the Titleist T-Series irons have reached the halfway point in their lifespan. And like most middle-aged folks, it’s going in for a dye job.

Yes, friends, the Titleist T-Series is celebrating its midlife crisis by getting a spiffy new Titanium Carbide Black Vapor finish. Hey, if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it with a little style, don’t you think?

And even though the Vokey SM11 wedges are nowhere near their halfway point, they’re getting a midsummer shot in the arm, as well.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

Titleist T-Series Black Vapor irons

This one is right on schedule. Titleist launched the latest T-Series irons last July so the limited-edition Black Vapor irons come as no surprise.

To be clear, these are the same T-Series irons, just with a new suit of clothes. No new features or performance upgrade – just the usual midlife blackout option OEMs have been giving irons for well over a decade. The Black Vapor line covers the entire T-Series line from the T-100 all the way to the T-350.

The Black Vapor models will come at a premium: $285 per club in steel and $299 per club in graphite. They’re available left- and right-handed and blended sets can be ordered. They come standard with Golf Pride Tour Velvet Blackout grips and True Temper AMT shafts in an Onyx finish.

Presale starts today. They’ll be in shops starting July 23.

Vokey SM11 Black Vapor Wedges with Flight Lines

Titleist launched the Vokey SM11 line just this past January so this special-edition wedge release doesn’t really qualify as a midlife refresh. What is interesting, however, is the inclusion of Flight Lines in what will be a stock retail option.

Flight Lines is normally a $40 customization add through Vokey’s WedgeWorks. It’s a package of three precision-engraved lines on the wedge’s hosel to reinforce proper address position for three specific short-game shots. They serve as a visual cue for those who want it.

For a bump-and-run shot, you align the back vertical line with your nose. That setup gives you the proper shaft lean for a low, controlled shot that releases and runs to the hole. For a standard pitch shot, you align the middle line to your nose for neutral shaft lean to engage the wedge’s bounce and generate some spin. The forward line is for flop shots. It encourages an open face and sets the shaft angle for a high, soft landing shot. If you’re a visual cue-using kind of golfer, Flight Lines can certainly be helpful. If you’re not, well …

The interesting part is that Flight Lines will be available at retail in the Black Vapor finish. Those stock offerings include the 54- through 60-degree models, in Vokey’s S, D and M sole grinds. The entire lineup (48- through 60-degree) in all grind and bounce combos with Flight Lines will be available through Titleist’s custom order department.

They come standard with a custom Golf Pride Z Cord grip and a Dynamic Gold Wedge shaft in an Onyx finish.

The Black Vapor SM11 wedges with Flight Lines will be available in right-handed models only. Presale also starts today with retail availability set for July 23.

They’ll sell for $249 each.

A word about “Black Vapor”

Titanium Carbide Black Vapor is Titleist marketing’s fancy name for PVD. They’re careful not to call it PVD but that’s what it is.

Not that that’s a bad thing. PVD, or Physical Vapor Deposition, gets a bad rap in the golf world but it’s important to note that not all PVD is created equal.

PVD is a very thin, very hard coating. It’s not in the same league as a QPQ (Quench-Polish-Quench) or DBM (Diamondized Black Metal) in terms of durability but it’s not junk, either. It’s a tick or two below those finishes but don’t make the mistake of thinking it’ll wear off after one or two shots. That’s early 2000s’ thinking. PVD has come a long way since then.

The application process is interesting. After a clubhead is cleaned, polished and prepped, it’s popped into a vacuum chamber. The titanium carbide material is then literally vaporized into a plasma-like cloud of particles. In the vacuum chamber, those particles condense and bond to the clubhead. Additional post-process heat treatments further harden the coating and improve durability.

Will it eventually wear? Yes, with the keyword being “eventually.” Practicing in bunkers will accelerate wear so you might want to keep an old wedge around for that. Otherwise, the finish should last as long as the grooves last. For irons, the finish should last a good bit longer.

Just not as long as QPQ or DBM.