Golf equipment brand Sub 70 began with a promise: unlike other companies that release clubs on a yearly or quarterly basis simply because people will buy them, the company promised to only release a new iteration of its clubs if and when it achieved its objective of measurable gains in performance. The next generation of its award-winning 699 irons do just that.
The 699 is a game improvement distance iron, and the 2023 redesign represents a three-year journey in research and development that culminated in the holy grail of improved distance, forgiveness, and playability.
The new 699 retains the original 699’s successful two-piece, TPE resin-injected, hollow body design in 431 stainless steel. However, the newly designed 699 now has a reactive 1.7mm thin VFT face composed of S-450 aerospace steel, which not only results in improved distance, but also more consistent distances across the entire face. This means that even when struck imperfectly, on the toe or heel of the club, distance loss is minimized, resulting in more greens hit.
While the original 699 excelled in forgiveness, the new iteration is a true game changer in that regard. The channel back of the original 699 irons has been expanded in the new model, which provides further improvement in forgiveness on off-centre strikes. Moreover, two reinforcing ribs have been placed within the head to reduce body deformation at impact, thus allowing for maximum energy transfer and higher ball speeds even shots that don’t find the centre of the club face.
The 2023 699 iron also shows off improvements in playability, with a squared leading edge grind for easier alignment at address, as well as an attractively thinner top line. Moreover, the sole now sports a 4-way camber, allowing it to set up perfectly at address as well as provide improved situational playability. The sole of the 699 allows for workability in any vector, high or low, right or left. Finally, shorter, constant length hosels have allowed for improved centre of gravity positioning and new offset progressions provide more predictable directional performance.
The updated 699 also offers set-matching in pitching, gap and sand wedges. The sand wedge face is CNC milled for additional spin and control around the greens. Set-matching long irons and utility clubs are also available.
Satin finishes are the most popular finish in golf, allowing the beauty of the club to stand on its own. Elegant and timeless, satin finishes maintain themselves effortlessly, and will show beautiful face wear when kept for years.