A lot of golfers prefer forged irons because of their high quality manufacturing process and no-nonsense approach to giving you a good short game. In this guide, I’ll go over the best forged iron sets that you can buy today so that you can improve your game.
In a rush? Here are our top picks:
What are the Best Forged Irons?
- Callaway Apex Pro Iron Set (Best Overall)
“Callaway is a known brand when it comes to golf equipment. When asked about a golf brands, Callaway will surely pop into your mind. Callaway Apex Pro set of irons is our top choice. We love how it comes out with a classic and timeless look.“ - Ping i525 Irons (Best for Mid-Handicappers)
- TaylorMade P770 Iron Set (Most Compact)
- Cobra King Forged Tec Iron Set (Best on a Budget)
- Titleist T100 (Best Premium)
- Mizuno Pro 223 (Best Manufacturing Process)
- Mizuno JPX 921 Forged Iron Set (Previous Generation Pick)
- Wilson Staff D9 Forged Iron Set (Best for Beginners)
- TaylorMade P790 Iron Set (Best for Low Handicappers)
For each of the top forged irons, I’ll go over a bunch of things below:
- Key features you need to check out
- Some of the reasons why they are popular today
- How to buy each forged iron set
If you are ready to progress your game by buying your best-forged iron, then this list is for you. In this list, we will cover the leading clubs on the market today. These irons feel great at impact if players manage to hit the sweet spot.
If you think the best forged irons are something outside of this list, make sure you comment down at the bottom of this guide.
Review of the Best Forged Irons
Callaway Apex Pro Iron Set
Best Player Distance Iron
Key Features
- extremely soft feel
- promotes optimal shot
- low center of gravity
- 360 face cup
Review
If you’re a golfer looking for best forged irons set, you should seriously consider the Callaway Apex Iron Set. This is a great looking forged irons with excellent features. This set is used by dozens of PGA tour golfers today.
Callaway focused heavily on feel, sound and distance on this set. It is one of the best forged irons in the market. The Apex irons have a classic and timeless look with a straighter leading edge, higher toe, thin top line, and a smooth hosel transition. By default, these come with a grahite shaft.
Soft Feel
You will be surprised that this forged iron set is extremely soft feel. This is a tour performance iron with advanced distance technologies and for us the leading players iron. This is also ideal for a mid handicapper who is looking for distance and forgiveness without worry much about mishits.
1025 Carbon Steel
If you wanted to know more what makes this irons unique, Apex are forged with a 1025 mild carbon steel body. This promotes amazing sound and feel. Urethane microspheres also forge into iron for an incredible feel. The microsphere has millions of tiny air pockets that help you for unwanted vibration across the face for more ball speed. This will give you a nice feel and more confidence as you go over with your round of golf.
Tungsten Weighting
The tungsten infused in each iron promotes optimal golf ball flight control for scoring performance.With its multi-material construction it would be easier to locate the center of gravity .All irons are infused with an average of 50 grams of tungsten. It helps for precision while maintaining flexibility on the face cup as well as heel and toe.
The Callaway Apex iron set also has renewed 360 face cup technology for consistent distance and forgiveness. It has a shallow and flexible rim for on-center and off-center hits.
Ping i525 Irons
Best Forged Irons for Mid Handicappers
Key Features
- Improved sound off the club face
- Extreme tungsten weighting in each iron in the toe and shaft
- New forged face with MicroMax Groove Pattern
Review
The Ping i525 irons are a brand-new iron set released from Ping that take over the old i500s that were released back in 2018. Golf brands usually upgrade their technology every couple of years, so the fact that Ping was able to wait 4 years is saying something.
Increased Ball Speed
Ping advertises the i525s as player-distance irons. This means that although they are considered a forged face iron, they include new technology that improves feel, sound and increased ball speed. These irons are great for mid-handicappers because they will help maximize distance as well as forgiveness. Most mid-handicappers will look for player-improvement irons, so these i525s are a great premium alternative.
Forgiveness
Although looking down at the iron looks very compact, it is nothing like a straight blade forged iron. These are more of a muscle-back design which means you can feel the forgiveness in every shot. They also include tungsten weighting in each iron. Each iron has a different shaft tip weight which helps increase MOI and forgiveness off the club face.
Lastly, the Ping i525 irons have new MicroMax Milled Grooves. This is a new groove pattern which reduces the spacing between each groove. This will help with more spin near the green and also help with distance control on every shot.
TaylorMade P770 Iron Set
Best COMPACT IRONS
Key Features
- More compact than other forged clubs
- FLTD CG adjusts the center of gravity on each club
- Speedfoam Air technology
Review
The TaylorMade P770 was upgraded in 2023 with smart new technology from TaylorMade. It is a very popular players club on the tour and feedback from Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy was used to upgrade them.
Compact Shape
TaylorMade took their original P770 iron design and altered the shape just a little bit to add both distance and forgiveness to every shot. They made the topline rounder and a touch thinner and put less offset in the long irons.
FLTD CG (Flighted Center Of Gravity)
TaylorMade has included a new technology called “FLTD CG,” which stands for flighted center of gravity. This is a design process in which the center of gravity is positioned the lowest it can be in the long irons and progressively gets higher through the iron set.
What this does is help encourage an easier launch on the 3-iron and 4-iron, but more spin and control as you progress to the short irons.
Forged Performance
Each head’s new forged body construction is thinner than previous iterations, and the face is also relatively thinner. This enhances the feel, distance, and forgiveness in each shot.
Behind the ultra-thin face is about 45g of tungsten weighting that helps optimize the distance and help you get more ball speed.
Buy yours today and try them out!
Cobra King Forged Tec Iron Set
Best on a Budget
Key Features
- foam microspheres
- compact clubhead
- muscle back shape for low CG and controlled distance
Key Drawback
- a little bit chunkier compare to other forged irons
Review
The Cobra King Forged Tech set looks sophisticated and is a premium club since it is forged, and it is also easy to be customized. The finished is usually bulletproof and durable. It has a beautiful satin chrome color that comes with a steel shaft. At the back, it is covered with carbon fiber medallions to dampen up vibrations.
Low Center of Gravity Design
To deliver more forgiveness and precision, high-density tungsten weight is positioned on the heel and toe of the Cobra King Forged Tec. This is designed to lower the center of gravity. This set of forged iron also used the PwrShell Technology for larger sweet spot for faster ball speed and higher launch.
Technology
If you want to keep tract with how your performm this forged iron iron uses Cobra Connect Technology.This technology allows golfers to track their game improvement using detailed stats and analysis in your game. Sensors are embedded at the end of the grip.
The Cobra King Forged Tec is a set for everyone who wants to be a good player, but doesn’t want to play a bigger blade and for those who want to upgrade their distance performance with forgiving iron. Golfers will also love this set not just for the feel of this iron, but also its value for money.
Titleist T100 Irons
Best Premium Forged Irons
Key Features
- Improved feel
- Maximum forgiveness
- Premium tour forged iron look
Review
Our pick for the best premium forged irons on the market right now are the Titleist T100s, which also happen to be the irons that Justin Thomas just won the 2022 PGA Championship with. The new T100s have a brand new hollow body construction and were released back in 2021, but many of the PGA Tour Pro’s are still using them today.
Premium Construction
The T100s utilize D18 Tungsten weights and a new construction process design to be even more precise. This along with the dual cavity forged construction and you have a solid premium feel forged iron.
They also include a new continuous cradle construction which helps with ball striking and the 4 through 7 irons have a redesigned face for more spin and distance control.
Reputation
These irons were built based on PGA Tour Pro’s recommendations and you can tell. These irons are used by Justin Thomas, Cameron Smith, Will Zalatoris, Jordan Spieth and more.
The T100s have a very clean work that should be appealing to a wide range of golfers. The brush chrome finish has reduced glare and keeps these clubs looking strong.
They come with a variety of shaft options and come standard with a Golf Pride Tour Velvet grip. You definitely can’t go wrong with these irons.
Mizuno Pro 223
Best Manufacturing Process
Key Features
- Grain Flow Forged HD forging process
- Soft copper underlay for more shot control and spin
- Hidden milled slot in 4 to 7 iron for faster club speed
Review
The Mizuno 223 irons are forged cavity-back irons. The 223 long irons are multi-material, forged from chromoly steel and offering a ton of distance. This chromoly forging uses high temperature and high pressure to create a solid, well-designed iron. The short irons, from 8-iron to gap wedge, use a similar one-piece grain forged design as found in the 221 irons.
Manufacturing
The Mizuno Pro Series irons are forged irons created with Mizuno’s greater precision manufacturing process. All are a work of art in their own specific way, providing both distance and forgiveness. Tons of professionals and amateurs hit Mizuno clubs because of their high quality.
The 223 irons have a hidden milled slot in the sole on the 4-iron, 5-iron, 6-iron, and 6-iron. This flow micro-slot help provide faster club speed and longer distance in these medium length clubs.
Workability
The 223s are tailored for low to medium handicap golfers hitting 12 over par or less on average. The steel design offers some good control and shot-shaping capabilities. The back edge of the club has a beveled edge which makes it look like a PGA tour iron but with some extra mass.
Mizuno JPX 921 Forged Iron Set
Previous Generation Pick
Key Features
- made from Chromoly 4120 material
- lightweight
- compact and cleaner look
Key Drawback
- Price
Review
If you’re willing to spend more dollar for your irons. Then consider JPX 921 on your list. This is one of the best forged irons on the market with the greatest technology and design.
High Performance
JPX 921 Forged Irons is the previous version forged irons released by Mizuno on the market. The sleek look of this iron captures our attention too. It successfully make a breakthrough of creating a forged iron from Chromely 4120 material instead of using a carbon piece of steel. Compared to other materials used for making a forged irons, the chromely is more stronger and lighter.
This is one of the best-selling forged irons of Mizuno. It is compact and has a cleaner look. The name Mizuno is absent on the iron. It has a new Pearl Brush finished to reduce the sun’s glare and enhance durability. It is open at the heel to enhance stability, launch, and loft-appropriate flight apex for soft-landing approaches.
High Power
Mizuno JPX 921 has an across the face milled layout. Mizuno JPX921 is Grain Flow Forged HD for more compact feel. This HD forging also improves the feel for shots hit low in the blade and subsequently improves the golfers game. It also take advantage of the stability frame features, in which some mass on the two was reduce and put on the the golf club head for perimeter weighting. This will keep the club head stable even if you miss to hit the ball square on the center.
Launch
The Mizuno JPX 921 forged irons boast a larger area of minimum face thickness for consistently increased golf ball distance and forgiveness. The face designs provide much-needed deeper center of gravity making it a true players iron.
It was also built with a stable frame to enhance the launch position while producing a tour-level vibration. Regardless of the skills golfers usually loves this set. It is consistent with carry distance and will be your favorite new set of forged iron set.
Wilson Staff CB Forged Iron Set
Best for Beginners
Key Features
- Uses Flx Face technology for more forgiveness
- lightweight carbon steel
- uses Hole Power technology
Key Drawback
- Price
Review
The Wilson Staff CB is one of the best-designed set of forged irons in the industry. Wilson usually focuses more in the value range for golf clubs, but these are designed for absolute power and playability.
Lightweight
The head of is a forged iron from 8620 carbon steel construction making it a lightweight iron set. It has mid-sized top line. Players that prefers small cavity back usually like this iron set. The club head looks sleek and very clean with only lettering on shield.
Game Improvement Irons
Wilson Staff CB Forged Iron set uses the Power Hole Technology which provides maximum flex. This forged iron is design with power holes. How does this power holes a great feature for this iron?
Well…this will result for great distance and feel and will power up your game. CB forged irons will help players become more consistent on their game when it comes to ball speeds for longer distances. It is one of the best forged irons set for beginners that wanted to purchase a game improvement irons
This Wilson Staff CB set is pack with the revolutionary distance of Power Holes for shape and feel. It has power holes up to the 8-iron. Shorter irons like the 9, PW and GW are hole-less. Having no confidence and can’t make creative shots? This CB Forge is for you.
These are also for single-digit handicappers looking for a little distance, confidence, and creative shots.
TaylorMade P790 Iron Set
Best for Low Handicappers
Key Features
- speedfoam injected on club head
- forged hollow construction
- Tungsten weighting for more flexibility and control
Review
TaylorMade is a golf brands that is known to the golfers because of its design and years of experience. TaylorMade Golf P790 is the best forged irons set from TaylorMade. It appeals to most golfers not just because of its slim design but also because of the ball speed it creates, forgiveness, and forged feel.
The P790s have a clean, classic, and compact head design. During the test, its golf shot has an incredible distance thanks to its precision engineered construction. The short irons are constructed on one piece forged to to enhance your shots.
Ball Flight
TaylorMade Golf P790 is designed to deliver unparalleled distance to the player’s iron. This is indeed offers a variety of options, from hand orientation, shaft material, flex, and configuration. This is one of the best forged irons on the market that uses a speed foam technology.
The company combined forged construction and foam technology for these irons. This provides unbelievable feel. With these two it can generate more speed resulting in higher golf ball speeds and optimized the feel and the sound. Ultra-light urethane foam is injected inside the head engineered to push the engineering limits of face speed and thus ball speed.
Ball Trajectory
Another feature of P790 is the low-profile tungsten designed for a lower center of gravity and a higher launch, thus increasing MOI. Inside of 3- 7 iron is high-density tungsten.
All irons also have a progressive inverted cone technology design to improve accuracy and protect off-center ball speeds. The forged 4140 faces and carbon steel body help with incredible distance hit results. At the same time, they keep a softer feel even in the long irons. This is one of the best forged irons set on the market if you want to deliver more distance with your game.
What Are Forged Irons?
Forged iron is iron that is heated and molded from a single piece of metal. When golf iron is forged, it is compressed until it takes the desired shape before the other machines take place to finish the process. It is more solid because it is constructed from single steel.
Forged irons are usually used by advanced players and are sometimes also referred to as players irons. Manufacturers try to give the utmost benefits for better forgiveness for every player. Half of the PGA Tour players were already using them around the mid-1990s and the number has further grown since then.
Forged irons are thinner and a more solid type of iron verses a traditional cast-iron club. They also generally have a smaller sweet spot on the face. Forged irons offer golfers a chance for more distance, more accuracy, and excellent feel and response. Craftsmen usually have a lot of control over their work, resulting in better results as opposed to casting irons.
Depending on how much a golfer plays and takes care of his irons they can usually last up to 10 years. Forged irons help golfers to hit longer golf shots more accurately. Who doesn’t like the soft feel and the sound of these premium irons?
Premium forged irons are more expensive. For most golfers, these are known as blade irons. Any golfer can use forged iron.
If you’re a high handicap golfer, I recommend that you look for a larger club face. A larger club face means a larger sweet spot and will allow you to hit these irons better.
Advantages of Forged Irons
There are many advantages of forging irons, including:
• Better feel and workability
• Longer lasting
• Easier to swing
• Less likely to break
• Higher quality
• More durable
If you are comfortable with the game of golf and want to start looking at hitting some more advanced shots, forged irons are a great step to take. The advanced manufacturing process allows ball strikers to hit more advanced iron shots.
Japanese Forged Irons
Some of the best forged irons are manufactured in Japan where there is advanced processes in place to great good quality golf clubs.
Japanese forged irons are made by forging steel plates together. This process makes the club more rigid than traditional cast or stamped irons. Japanese forged irons are also available in different lengths, lofts, and weights and each is tested to ensure perfection. Because of the solid construction process, these irons have less vibration at impact, allowing you to get a cleaner golf stroke.
The Japanese forged iron is a popular choice among players who want a high-performance club to improve their golf game.
Forged Iron Videos
Want to learn more about how the best forged irons are made and why they are highly respected today? Below are some of the top instructional videos today.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
What Is The Difference Between Forged And Cavity Back Irons?
One of the major difference of forged irons and the cavity back irons are how they are made. Forged irons are are poured into one piece and are usually thinner compare to the cavity back irons. Forged irons will give you a lot of consistency, and control over your distance shots. This is often the best pick irons for low handicappers golfers. Compared to the cavity back, forged irons make less vibrations upon contact with the ball.
Cavity back irons were designed with a hollow at the back. It is made by pouring hot metal into the mold. Doing so, it gives the club head shape. Most high handicapper and beginner players stick to cavity back iron. For cavity back irons, you can add extra components like perimeter weighting and so on because it can be easily poured into the pre-molded designs. The perimeter weighting of the cavity back helps to give golf irons maximum forgiveness.
What Are The Characteristics Of Great Forged Iron Sets?
The process of forging creates more weight in the center and gives the material a softer feel. The extra weight of the club will help you follow the correct path on your swing. Doing this can help players improve their game and hit a more wide range of shots. With the improvement in feel, you will be more at ease swinging your irons and hitting straighter shots.
Why Do The Pros Use Forged Irons?
A forged iron generally comes with a better center of gravity, which leads to a top performance sweet spot and extra ball distance. Pro players usually value the control, distance and forgiveness which forged irons offers. For pros, using a forged irons make it easier shape their shots.
What Are Golf Iron Shafts You Can Recommend For Forged Irons?
There are two shafts that players can choose for their forged iron: graphite or steel. Most of the player’s irons are available in both options. It is really up to you what to choose.
However, graphite and steel shafts differ from each other. The most significant difference between the two is weight. The graphite shaft is lighter than steel and more popular as well.
Beginner golfers usually stick with steel shafts because the added weight can assist you in getting a faster swing speed. This will all you to get a better launch angle and more distance.
Are the Best Forged Irons Scratch Resistant?
Forged iron is not scratch resistant. Players will notice hairline scratches on their iron over time of playing. These scratches will tend to accumulate over years and years of playing. However, this will not affect the irons’ playability. It is important to take care of your irons after playing as well as during play.
Golfers must also pay attention to how they arrange iron on the bag and make sure the iron heads are not clicking together much.
Still, it lies in your hands on how you will take good care of your forged iron to make it more durable and with fewer scratches. Scratches are inevitable, but you can lessen those by being mindful of your irons.
Do Forged Irons Wear Quicker?
The short answer is YES. The material for forged irons is softer, which is one of the major appeals of them. At the same time, this also makes them more susceptible to wear.
How Do You Clean Golf Irons?
The durability of the tools usually reflects on the owner. Aside from how often he plays and uses those tools, how he takes good care of it is still a big factor.
Golfers can clean their golf irons with warm water and mild soap. Mixed with warm water and soap in the basin or bucket and then dip your iron in the water for a few minutes. This will help soften the dirt or mud that stick on the iron.
Scrub the grooves with the brush to remove those hard to remove dirt. Rinse it with water and dry it off with a soft towel. Make sure to dry it thoroughly to avoid rust on your iron.
Aside from cleaning your golf irons, you may also be considering re-grooving your iron to keep your tools in shape. You can use the GrooveMaster Adjustable Golf Groove Sharpener!
In addition to cleaning, here are some additional tips on how players can take good care of their irons. Please pay attention to how you arrange your equipment in your bag. You can use covers; without them, they will mark quickly. And, please stay away from rocks wheres possible.
TESTING CRITERIA USED FOR EVALUATION
Distance
Forged irons are for golfers who are looking for more control and consistency of their shots. The iron looks like the same, but each of them has a different angle of the club face.
Longer irons deliver higher distance but a lower trajectory, while the short irons deliver higher trajectories that often result in a shorter distance.
Feel
One of the key criteria for choosing the best forged iron is the feel. As the ball speeds up when you hit it with your golf club, how your forged irons feel in your hands upon impact plays a great factor in your game improvement.
To be more confident, it should have a soft feel and lessen the vibration at impact as the sweet spot of your forged irons and the ball meet.
Accuracy
Accuracy on your iron set is very important, especially with your long irons. The long irons give you more distance with a low trajectory. Having the best forged irons with great sweet spots helps the ball speed and therefore, gain distance to get the ball near the hole in the green.
Forged irons have a more compact shape, so you want to have a consistent swing in order to take full advantage of them.
Spin
Forged irons will give you better control of your shots over a distance. Your longer irons are designed to create less back spin. Short and mid irons will adapt to your swing more to allow you to hit different kinds of shots.
Forged irons have more minimal offset compared to traditional cavity-back clubs, which make them easier to work with and control the golf ball.
Conclusion
Above, I’ve shown you the best forged irons on the market. Hopefully this list will help you to make a sound decision to choose the best forge irons for your game improvement. Among the best forged irons, the Callaway Apex Forged Iron setis our pick. This is a great forged iron especially if you’re transitioning from your cavity back to forged irons.
If you’ve bought forged irons recently and can comment on how they’ve helped your golf game, comment down below and let us know.
Last update on 2024-10-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
