The Mighty Titleist DCI 962 Irons
When I was a kid it seemed like there were two names at the top of the list when it came to irons. Those were Ping Eye 2 and Titleist DCI irons. It felt like all of the real-deal players at your local course had one of those sets in their bags, but the best players had DCIs. Now, I have no idea how good any of these players actually were, but as far as we were concerned, DCI irons were as cool as it got at this point in time. All of us wanted a set of DCIs. We didn’t care which model as long as they said “DCI” and had the little triangle logo on them. I was always partial to the Titleist DCI 962 irons myself. A clean set of DCIs and a Cameron TeI3, a few Cleveland wedges, and you had the coolest bag in golf.
My uncle actually had a set of DCIs (can’t remember which model) that he “long-term loaned” to me at one point. I was devastated that the D5 swingweight and compact profile was just WAY too much club for me at the time. So close, but a set of DCI irons would continue to elude me for the foreseeable future.
Well Look What I Found…
Fast forward a few decades years and a lot of great irons from different brands have obviously surpassed the elite DCI standard of the 90s. However, I still apparently have that DCI soft spot in my heart. On one of my many club thrifting trips, I happened upon four Titleist DCI 962 irons and my eyes practically jumped out of my skull. Though the rest of the set wasn’t there and I have a strict policy these days against buying incomplete sets or single irons, I bought them anyway. For $2 each, I couldn’t leave these behind. 12 year-old Bill would never forgive me.
My plan was to complete the set via thrifting over time, but an evening eBay browse had other plans. Sure enough, there was a listing for literally the exact irons I was missing. After letting the listing sit in my “watched items” list for a few a days, the seller sent an offer. I countered with an offer just a few dollars above what I’d essentially expect to pay if I found them in my thrifting adventures. Within an hour, the seller accepted and the seemingly random smattering of irons was mine! While 20-some years later, I’d finally have my set of DCIs!
About a week later, a box shows up containing my “new” DCI 962 3, 5, 8, and 9 irons. I ripped the box open and put the set in a Titleist staff bag a neighbor found by a curb (?!?!?!?!?!) and gave to me. They sat alongside a newly-found DCI 2 iron, some Pro Trajectory woods, and a 975 driver. While so much modern gear has left this setup in the dust, I still get a warm heart just looking at this bag of clubs.
Some History of the Titleist DCI 962 Irons
Released in the mid 1990s, the DCI 962s were a groundbreaking design that offered a combination of distance, forgiveness, and feel that was unmatched at the time. (That’s a subjective statement of course.) Pros and amateurs alike were drawn to the DCI 962. Titleist would cast their “Direct Central Impact” irons rather than forge them. At the time, Ping was having success with their cast cavity back designs amongst elite golfers, so other brands were starting to explore casting rather than forging in their high-end offerings as well. The 962s ended up being a popular choice amongst a wide range of players thanks to their “player profile” but increased forgiveness from the cavity perimeter weighting.
The DCI 962 was also an early example of progressive offset in a more “player” iron. This made the longer irons easier to hit while the shorter irons had minimal offset. Additionally, they have an interesting sole design to help with turf interaction. It’s sort of a combo of a V sole and a C grind. While a lot of irons today have more complex soles, this was a fairly unique concept for a set of irons in the early 90s.
Final Thoughts
I feel like I got pretty lucky with this find because not all DCIs were created equal, so to speak. The 962 happens to have a really nice profile, especially at address, and feels really good. Are the Titleist DCI 962 irons the greatest iron of all time? Of course not, and realistically, probably not even from that era. I still have a very very very soft spot in my heart for them and I’m super pumped to own a set all these years later. The beauty of relentless thrift golf club hunting, am I right? Worst case scenario, I’ll find another 90s nostalgic golfer like myself and I’m positive these irons would make their day!
I still take my 962b’s out to the range from time to time for some nostalgia. Hands down my favorite set of irons… could also be that they coincided with my best golf in high school and I have found memories of being young and flexible!
Spot on, as a kid my parents surprised me with a set of these irons around 1998. I was a pretty decent golfer and played provincial golfer as a school boy. I loved…and still love my irons to this day, 25 years later and still going strong. I would love to see what a new more modern set of irons would do for my game…but mentally and emotionally my heart still belongs to my 962’s and forever will!
I may have my hands on a set of minty 990’s Not at all familiar with them. Do you have any experience or knoweldge of the differences? Definitely love the thrifting for clubs. Found a Honma set also incomplete but 6-P and the 3 which makes for a good sunday bag.
I don’t know much other than they’re a newer model than the 962 and the lines are clearly more evolved.
I have a full set of the DCI 962. From the driver to the pw. I bought back in 200 and I still use it on the golf course.
I found a Titleist 975J 9.5° driver with an X100 steel shaft and bought it for $5 for kicks before going to the range. This was going to be a joke, me hitting this old club. I was striking bombs ! I thought it was a fluke. I had a thrifted Titleist carry bag, threw the club in it, and started my build.
DCI 962s were the top of the list. My playing partner gave me a 975F 13.5° 3 wood.
Absolute money!! The irons are perfect. And indestructible.
Love it! What putter and wedges do you have in that rig???
I went to a local sporting goods store and found a Brand new set of Titleist 962 irons. Flawless and in absolute perfect condition. Has the original Titleist corded grips. These irons have never been hit. Although I wasn’t looking for these irons, I knew what a find it was. $95. Took it home. Have not taken them out to hit as of yet. This was 2 months ago. 3-PW.
Wow where did you find them? Any thoughts on selling?