REVIEW: Sub 70 699U Utility Club

The Sub 70 Golf 699U utility club is the direct-to-consumer brand’s foray into the driving iron category. Featuring minimal graphics and a thick cavity back design, the 699U holds its own against some of the most popular clubs in this category.

Sub 70 Golf 699U utility iron.

Technology and Specs

The Sub 70 Golf 699U is available in two lofts: 17- and 19.5-degrees. Fitting into your bag in either the 2-iron or 3-iron slot, the 699U features a lie angle between 60-60.5° and standard length of 39.5 to 39 inches, respectively.

Sub 70 deems this driving iron to have the “hottest face with the largest sweet spot achievable with current manufacturing tolerances.” This is a big claim considering the market this club hopes to influence, and at a fraction of the price ($99). Strategic weighting throughout the length of the blade helps with launch, while the thicker sole helps with forgiveness on off-center hits.

The club’s face is 455 Carpenter Steel (1.7mm) wrapped by a body comprised of 431 stainless steel. As per any club offered by Sub 70, the 699U is available with steel or graphite shafts of your choice.

Performance and Feel

At impact, the 699U feels extremely solid and muted, which you all know is a sound and feel I prefer. The ball feels like it is swallowed up by the clubhead as it leaves the face with plenty of height and lift. I didn’t mind the slightly thicker-than-usual look at address; after all, this is a utility club meant to replace a hybrid or shorter fairway wood.

I tested the 19.5° 3-iron for this review, which is a half-degree stronger than my gaming iron. Shaft builds were similar in flex profile and kick points, resulting in an output report on my launch monitor very similar to which I am accustomed.

The 699U carried an average of 190 yards with total distance averaging just over 200 yards. This is a little shorter than my gamer in a controlled setting, but I have no doubt this would translate well onto the course with repeated plays.

Launch trajectory was right at 16° resulting in about 30 yards of peak height, which is what I expect to see from a utility club for my game. Shot dispersion was a little spotty during my test, however, which might have more to do with the shaft than clubhead performance. Backspin clocked in at under 5000 rpm, which was slightly lower than my gamer.

Overall Impression

The Sub 70 Golf 699U utility iron is a solid option for this space in your bag. I found it to be extremely similar to my current gamer, which should be encouraging for golfers on a budget. At a price point that is $30 less than comparable irons, it’s surprising how similar the 699U performs to their more costly counterparts.

I’ve had the chance to test a large volume of Sub 70 offerings to date, and I can safely say the 699U is one of the best in their stable. The irons is solid, sounds great, performs admirably, and could easily fit into my game right away. I highly recommend it.