Picking irons that give you good distance, quality, and control all the way down the line is tough. In this guide, we review the best golf irons available today that you should consider adding to your golf bag.
We’ll review the best irons for golfers, including average players, beginners, and semi-pros.
Find out the best forged irons, blade irons, and what the tour pros use. Each iron in our list has gone through rigorous testing and truly stands out from the crowd.
If you purchased new irons this year, we want you to comment down below and let us know what you bought!
What are the Best Golf Irons?
- Callaway Rogue ST (Best Golf Irons for the Average Golfer)
- TaylorMade Stealth (Best Golf Irons for Beginners)
- Mizuno Pro 221 Irons (Highest Quality Irons)
- Srixon ZX7 MK II (Best Non-Premium Players Irons)
- Cobra King Tour Irons (Underrated Option)
- Cobra Speedzone One Length (Best Game Improvement Irons)
- TaylorMade Sim 2 Max (Best for Mid Handicappers)
- TaylorMade P770 (Best Forged)
- Mizuno Pro 225 Irons (Best Tour Golf Irons)
- Cleveland Launcher UHX (Best Driving Irons)
- Callaway Mavrik Max (Most Forgiving Irons)
- Mizuno MP-20 MB (Best Blade Irons From Last Year)
- Callaway Mavrik (Best for Beginners Last Year)
Callaway Rogue ST (Best Irons for the Average Golfer)
Key Features
- Made form high strength 450 steel
- Precision tungsten weighting gives you huge loft and power
- Other models for beginners or tour players
Key Drawback
- Higher price point
Review
Callaway is promoting their new Rogue ST irons as being the “longest ever”, which is a pretty heavy claim to make. However, a lot ot the features and specs in the new irons are made with distance in mind.
Callaway has designed the clubs out of high strength 450 steel, urethane microspheres, and precision tungsten weighting. The combination seems to work for the most part to add distance no matter what your golf handicap is.
Callaway has designed these irons for the regular golfer, offering forgiveness, performance, and high quality without a ton of effort required.
Up to 62 grams of tungsten have been added to these irons depending on which model you go for. Tungsten gives you stronger lofts and ball speed by adding weight underneath to the part of the irons that makes contact with the golf ball.
A urethane compound has been added behind face of all Rogue ST irons to enhance sound and make your hits feel full.
Overall, Callaway has built a high quality set of irons for the regular golfer. They aren’t as fat on the bottom as the new Stealth irons (see below), so they are more enticing for the regular golfer.
Click here to read our full Rogue ST irons review.
- Rogue ST MAX are Callaway’s longest iron ever, with refined game-improvement shaping for golfers who want incredible speed, forgiveness, and all-around iron performance.
- For the first time in the industry, they’ve combined high strength 450 steel with our A.I. designed Flash Face Cup. This delivers more ball speed and better ball speed consistency.
- They’ve applied our new A.I. Face Optimization for Rogue ST MAX. It’s unique for each model and loft to create spin rate consistency across the face. It creates high launch and COR plus a more controlled landing angle to help hold greens.
- New precision tungsten weighting features up to 62g of high-density tungsten, a 260% increase over MAVRIK. This provides improved launch conditions and maximizes speed across the face.
- Their patented urethane microspheres are now pushed further up the face in Rogue ST irons (up to the 6th groove) to enhance sound and deliver pure feel while maintaining fast ball speeds.
TaylorMade Stealth Irons (Best Irons for Beginners)
Key Features
- Cap back design just like the SIM and SIM 2 irons
- Thru-slot speed pocket for faster club speed
- Inverted cone in the sweet spot
Key Drawback
- Very thick backs
Review
The TaylorMade Stealth irons are the newest game improvement irons released by TaylorMade. Where the Stealth driver is geared towards golfers looking for a premium club with the latest technology, the Stealth irons have a bunch of beginner-friendly features that should appear to regular golfers.
TaylorMade has revamped the Cap Back design in which the mid section of the toe has been completely removed to lower the CG (center of gravity) of the iron. In doing so, this assists with both ball speed and the launch angle of the ball off the face of the iron.
In addition to this, TaylorMade has included their patented Thru-Slot Speed Pocket, which when working together with the cap back design creates a larger unsupported area on the club face. This will translate to a larger and more forgiving sweet spot, plus a solid feel when you hit the ball..
TaylorMade was aiming to create a game improvement iron that was aesthetically pleasing to look at. After taking a look at the new Stealth irons, we can definitely agree that they are visually appealing.
The Progressive Inverted Cone Technology is located heel to toe in all TaylorMade irons. This is a new 450 stainless steel face that is specifically positioned on each club’s sweet spot that spans the most common impact points on the face of the iron. What this does is deliver explosive ball speeds and consistent hits every single time.
The long irons in the Stealth set are designed with slightly more draw bias. The mid irons are then designed with even more draw bias than the short irons. This design element is intended to provide the most accurate ball flight for a wide range of golfers.
The only thing we don’t like about these irons is that the cap-back is thick. It felt a bit too awkward to hit if you are a mid-handicap golfer. It’s hard to get a lot of spin with these irons because of it.
- The New Look of Game Improvement - The original Cap Back Design allowed TaylorMade irons to eclipse the performance of traditional cavity backs, using multi-material construction to promote better forgiveness, distance and feel. Adding the all-new toe wrap construction takes performance to yet another level, driving weight even lower so you can take your game to new heights.
- Fast and Forgiving - Powered by the all-new Cap Back Design with toe wrap construction, Stealth irons feature an intelligently positioned sweet spot that spans the most common impact points, delivering explosive ball speeds and consistency where golfers need it the most.
- High Launching - Taking mass from the toe and placing it in the sole lowers CG by close to 1mm in some irons. The result? Increased launch angle and peak height for a towering ball flight, long carry distances and heavy stopping power.
- Forged Iron Feel - A soft ECHO Damping System, fully enclosed by the Cap Back Design, stretches from heel to toe and absorbs unwanted vibrations, improving feel and maximizing face flexibility. In addition, the ultra-strong carbon material used within the toe wrap maintains structural integrity and upholds exceptional sound at impact.
- Thru-Slot Speed Pocket -This patented and proven TaylorMade technology is engineered to maximize face flexibility for increased ball speed and forgiveness on mis-hits low on the face.
Mizuno Pro 221 Irons (Highest Quality Irons)
Key Features
- One-piece grain flow forged manufacturing process
- Soft copper underlay, which allows you to add spin and control
- A wide center of gravity
Key Drawback
- Less forgiving than other irons on this list
Review
The Mizuno 221 irons are a traditional muscle-back blade iron. They are forged from a single piece of 1025E pure select mild carbon steel with the Grain Flow HD forging process we mentioned above. This gives them a dense hitting area which gives the distance to average golfers. The new 221 irons replace the old MP-20 lineup from Mizuno.
Mass has been shifted from the heel of the irons into the entire muscle pad. It also has a narrower top line, but there is no loss of mass in the upper blade, which is nice.
The 221 has a wide center of gravity which I felt was consistent when I tried these irons out. The new Mizuno 221 irons are a replacement for the previous MP-20 irons. They are certainly easier to hit than the MP-20s, which average golfers will like. They are also a bit shorter and more compact in appearance, which might throw Mizuno experts off a little bit.
One big drawback about the 221s is that they, like the previous MP-20s, are only available in right-hand only.
The Mizuno Golf Pro series irons are a premium selection of clubs for good players looking to become better players. The concept of Mizuno Pro is to incorporate the latest technology into a sleek and simple-looking design shape. Mizuno is known for using high-quality materials in the development of all its irons.
Srixon ZX7 MKII (Best Non-Premium Players Iron)
Key Features
- New PureFrame Technology
- Tour V.T Sole
- New laser progressive grooves
Review
Srixon didn’t need to make massive changes with the new ZX7 irons, as the previous ones were trendy among some of the best golfers in the world. They did tweak a few things that will push these irons over the edge into some of the best player’s irons available on the market.
Included in the new ZX7 MKII irons is a new PureFrame technology. This PureFrame ridge is forged as an 80% thicker piece of steel and is placed right behind the sweet spot on the iron where most good golfers can strike the ball. You can see where it is located on the iron and notice a difference when hitting the ball. It helps to provide a very soft feel.
Srixon also still has its dynamic Tour V.T. Sole. This sole ensures a higher bounce on the leading edge and prevents digging into the ground. They have a lower bounce on the trailing edge, which curves away from the ground, allowing you to work the ball however you want.
After review, the Srixon ZX7 MKII Irons are an excellent choice for low-handicap golfers who want a sleek blade iron while still getting maximum performance and workability. The forgiveness on off-center hits isn’t great, but if you are playing these types of irons, you shouldn’t be worried about that.
The Srixon ZX7 MKII Irons are available in one shaft, the Nippon NS. Pro Modus3 Tour 120. The stock grip is a Golf Pride Tour Velvet.
- PUREFRAME Forged into ZX7 Mk II as an 80% thicker portion of 1020 Carbon Steel, PureFrame is strategically placed right where you strike the ball, delivering an enhanced impact feel for pro-level performance.
- PLAYERS IRON SHAPES Tour-level and low-handicap golfers prefer the thin topline, narrow sole, short blade, and minimal offset of ZX7 Mk II. These compact players Irons feature a muscle-back cavity for maximum workability and a razor-sharp look at address.
- PROGRESSIVE GROOVES The 3i–7i feature wide grooves, ideal for longer shots in all conditions. The 8i–AW have deeper, closer set grooves which cut through grass and debris to enhance spin on approach shots. Laser milling between each groove, on every loft, enhances friction in all conditions.
- TOUR V.T. SOLE Tour V.T. Sole takes turf interaction to a whole new level of detail with a proprietary combination of sole widths, bounce angles, and notches that encourages a smooth glide through fairway, rough and sand to strike the ball solidly without losing speed.
Cobra King Tour Irons (Underrated Option)
Key Features
- Improved shape from the King Forged TEC irons
- CNC Milled Undercuts to improve launch
- TPU Inserts for a better feel and sound
Review
The Cobra King Tour Irons are a brand new player’s iron. Cobra took what they did with their previous King Forged TEC and King Tour MIM irons and built upon that in better ways. They made a thinner topline, less offset, and made them a more compact blade look. The result is a great iron that will work for several golfers and increase distance due to the lofts being strong-lofted by 2 degrees.
Traditional irons usually utilize a 4-step forging process, but Cobra takes it one step further for an even better feel and precision in the fifth step. On the back of each King Tour iron, there are CNC-milled undercuts that allow them to reposition weight to a lower center of gravity which helps improve the launch on every shot. The lower CG also helps add forgiveness on mis-hits.
These CNC-milled undercuts are then filled with a TPU material which helps to soften the blow on every shot and helps provide an exceptional feel and a great-sounding shot. After using the King Tour irons, I can confirm that the feel of every shot is incredible. It was so effortless to square up the ball and sent it into the air, and the compact blade-like helped with spin and workability around the course.
If you are a lower handicap golfer who doesn’t like the feel of traditional blade irons, I would highly recommend checking out the Cobra King Tour Irons. You definitely won’t be disappointed.
- ELEGANT SHAPING A compact address profile inspires precision and workability with a touch of forgiveness provided by the cavity back design.
- 5-STEP FORGED Crafted and 5-step forged from 1025 carbon steel for exceptional feel and compact shaping
- TPU INSERT FOR ENHACED FEEL A TPU insert behind the sweet spot creates a satisfying soft feel
- ALUMINUM MEDALLION An aluminum medallion enables better weight distribution for added forgiveness when you need it.
TaylorMade Sim 2 Max Iron Set (Best for Mid Handicappers)
Key Features
- Lots of distance
- Very forgiving
- Feels forged
- Easy to launch long irons
Key Drawback
- The top-down look is very thick
Review
The TaylorMade SIM 2 Max irons stand out as the best irons of mid handicappers. It is one of the best cavity back golf irons that I tried because they almost feel like they don’t have that cavity in the back.
TaylorMade has worked very hard to take their distance technology and their forgiveness and make it feel suitable for the average golfer. It uses its revolutionary speed bridge technology. Speed bridge makes SIM 2 max to have an explosive carry distance, forgiveness, and even sound and feel.
With the TaylorMade SIM 2 Max irons, you will see one of the best golf irons that have the highest ball speeds in golf. The speed pocket technology has been part of the Taylormade golf irons for several years now, and it just keeps getting better.
TaylorMade combined this speed technology with a large and forgiving club head and added their echo damping technology. This is what helps to eliminate the majority of vibration at impact. When you take this vibration away, golfers will get a much better feel even on those shots that miss the sweet spot slightly.
- Cap Back Design - The all-new multi-material Cap Back Design utilizes high-strength stainless steel and ultralight weight polymers. Designed to maximize distance, forgiveness and feel with an extremely low CG.
- Fast Forgiving Face - The all-new SIM2 Max irons use a fast and forgiving face to give golfers more performance exactly where they need it.
- New ECHO Damping System - The new ECHO Damping System uses a softer polymer blend and multiple contact points across the face to channel away harsh vibrations creating forged iron like feel.
- Thru-Slot Speed Pocket - Patented TaylorMade technology engineered to maximize face flexibility for increased ball speed and forgiveness for mishits low on the face.
- Progressive Inverted Cone Technology - Each face has been uniquely designed to position the Inverted Cone Technology (ICT) on each iron face to optimize forgiveness and minimize side spin to counteract the common right miss.
Cobra Speedzone One Length Irons (Best Game Improvement Irons)
Key Features
- easy to hit and launch
- PWRSHELL face insert
- very forgiving
- excellent for high -handicappers
Key Drawback
- It’s chunky
Review
The Cobra King Speedzone One Length iron is ideal for beginners and high handicappers looking for game improvement iron. The irons set are all in 7-iron length to promote repeatable set up for players to be consistent regardless of the iron your hitting. Speedzone One Length irons were both available in graphite or steel shaft with different flex options.
If you’re going to look at the One Length, it is almost identical to the Speedzone standard. The standard has a dynamic gold, while this club has a blue color. We actually like this iron; aside from forgiveness, it has exceptional sounds and feels. The only drawback that we found about this iron is that it’s chunky, which other golfers also complained about.
- Carbon Topline-The Light Zone-Carbon fiber inserts are 40% lighter than steel, saving 3 grams to move the CG lower and increases ball speed.
- Speed back Shaping-The Stability Zone-Extreme heel and toe weighting creates a lower CG and higher MOI than most traditional iron shapes.
- PowerShell Technology-The Power Zone-A PWRSHELL face insert is forged with a larger think pocket from heel to toe, and deeper undercut to enhance ball speed and launch across the face.
- Co-Mold Medallion-The Feel Zone-A Co-Mold medallion dampens vibration for exceptional sound and feel, even on off-center hits.
- Included Components: 5 Iron, 6 Iron, 7 Iron, 8 Iron, 9 Iron, P Wedge, G Wedge
Mizuno Pro 225 Irons (Best Tour Golf Irons)
Key Features
- Grain Flow Forged HD manufacturing process
- Fast-flexing face insert for maximum control
- Hollow-body design with included tungsten weights
- Maximum quality
Key Drawback
- Not for average golfers
Review
The Mizuno 225 irons are hollow irons with a fast-flexing face insert and small tour-ready profile that provides distance, quality, and control. They feature tungsten weights in the bottom of the club head to help provide some extra launch on the club. Mizuno irons such as these have been used by a majority of PGA players have been ranked #1
The face thickness on the 225s are variable in order to promote quicker ball speeds for each club. The Hot Metal Blade design is very high quality.
The 2 through 7-iron features a 28.5g tungsten weight, while the shorter irons go without any weight placement because they don’t have any measurable benefit. The 8-iron, 9-iron and wedges do have a 1025E carbon steel face and 17-4 stainless steel cap over the muscleback area. Long story short, these features allow you to add spin on to your shots around the green.
Being hollow, the 225s feature a COR forged hollow body design (except for that tungsten we mentioned above).
The new Mizuno 225 irons are a replacement for the previous MP-20 HMB irons. They should be picked up by a few PGA tour players this year to give them some extra legitimacy.
TaylorMade P770 Iron Set (Best Forged)
Key Features
- Brand new high performing technology
- Thin face for extra distance
- Thinner top line
Key Drawback
- Expensive new release
Review
If you have followed golf equipment in the last few years, you know that the TaylorMade P790 irons have also been some of the most popular and high performings. The P770 irons are an improvement on the P790 with some slight tweaks.
The P770 are forged irons, so they will have an incredible feel. They are built with the same SpeedFoam technology that TaylorMade has been perfecting for years. This Speedfoam allows for the hollow club head while still having some great feel and very low vibration at impact.
Sometimes when you switch to forged iron, you will see a decrease in the distance the ball will fly. With the P770, this is just not the case. This club has a compact player shape but still has plenty of distance and power.
The speed pocket technology used to create some of the best ball speeds that golf has ever seen is continued in the P770 iron. Golfers across a wide range of handicaps will enjoy the performance of this iron.
Cleveland Launcher UHX Irons (Best Driving Irons)
Key Features
- Progressive design
- Tour Zip grooves on the pitching wedge and short irons
- Wider sole on the long irons for higher ball flight
- Very fair pricing considering the technology
Key Drawback
- The top-down look is still a bit thick for a lower handicapper to enjoy the look
Review
Cleveland is known for making some of the highest performing golf irons on the market for the mid and high handicapper. This progressive UHX iron offers incredible control in the short irons and lots of launch and distance in the long irons. That is a combination that is hard to beat, especially for this price.
Our favorite thing about the Cleveland Launcher UHX irons is the progressive design. The pitching wedge is going to look a bit different than the four iron, and that is exactly the way a forgiving set of irons should be built.
The longer irons will have a wider sole, and they will help promote a higher launch and some better ball speed and flight. The short irons on this set are built with the Cleveland Tour Zip grooves to help golfers get the spin they need to stop the golf ball where they want.
The UHX irons are built for the mid handicapper that is looking to improve their game, but they want to do so with a set of irons that rewards for good shots. The low center of gravity on the UHX will help you get some forgiveness should you miss the center of the clubface slightly, but you will also get rewarded when you hit a great shot with the UHX iron set by Cleveland.
Callaway Mavrik Max Irons (Most Forgiving Irons)
Buy It Now
Key Features
- Amazing feel
- Very low center of gravity
- Higher ball flight
- Large sweet spot
Review
The Callaway Mavrik irons are an update and a significant improvement from the Callaway Rogue irons of last year. The Rogue was long, forgiving, and had a low center of gravity. The problem was that they didn’t look and or feel all that great.
Callaway went to the drawing board and, using artificial intelligence. It could develop a very high-performing replacement with golfers hitting the ball longer, straighter, and more consistent than ever before.
The Mavrik Max Irons are built with slightly higher lofts than some other game improvement irons on the market. The 360 face cup for better great speed. We love this fact about them. The golf iron set in today’s world keeps getting lower and lower lofts to increase the distances. For golfers that are working on their game, they need shot-making capabilities in addition to distance.
The extra loft the Mavrik Max provides allows players to get the ball in the air and hit the shots they need to score. This is a mid to high handicapper iron with some performance benefits that golf has never seen before.
Mizuno MP-20 MB Irons (Best Blade Irons From Last Year)
Key Features
- Tour level performance
- Great for the low handicap player
- One of the thinnest top lines on the market
- Made with high-quality materials
Key Drawback
- Does not offer much forgiveness
Review
Low handicap players are always looking for workability and control when it comes to an iron set. These types of golfers don’t necessarily want a golf club to do all the work for them. They want to feel when they hit a bad shot and be rewarded for the great shots.
Mizuno has always led the way when it comes to the best blade irons on the market. The new Mizuno MP 20 MB has a tour look, and they have the performance to match. Mizuno MP is one of the best golf irons of all time that offers a great iron set.
The topline is probably one of our favorite things about this golf iron. The top-down look is the thinnest that Mizuno has put out in the last few years. That thin look appeals to the majority of lower handicap golfers, and it gives them the confidence they need to perform certain types of shots.
The Mizuno is made from mild carbon steel, and then they are plated in soft copper and nickel chrome. This combination of materials has worked for Mizuno in the past. They are bringing it back this year to give players what the golf world may currently be missing.
Callaway Mavrik Irons (Best for Beginners Last Year)
Key Features
- Stronger loft
- Incredible carry distance
- Large sweet spot
- Used the urethane microspheres for a better feel
- Lightweight and easy to swing
- 360 Face Cup
Key Drawback
- Price
Review
Callaway Mavrik has released different models of irons, the Standard, Max, and Pro. Among these three, the Callaway Mavrik Standard is the one that fits beginner golfers. From the look itself, the Callaway Mavrik is cavity head is a little thinner compared to the max. It has a polished toe and heel finish. It has a moderate club head that does not sacrifice forgiveness. Its unique loft and sophisticated face design increases the spin and boosts ball speed.
Callaway Mavrik Max is not just best for beginners but also for those who are looking for maximized distance forgiveness. This is possible with Callaway Mavrik as it uses the tungsten in the bottom of the head that pulls CG to the center of the head.
Best Golf Brand for Irons
Callaway
Callaway is one of the top golf companies known for their golfing equipment, clothing, and golf needs. It is one of the companies that introduce some of the best golf irons ever made in the market. The premium design of their golf iron set can captivate any golfer.
One of the cons with the irons Callaway is the price. But please don’t let this discourage you.
Its premium design and construction, and performance is worth the price. Callaway Rogue ST is one of the best golf irons ever made by Callaway. It has an offset designed that can help you get straighter golf shots and are easy to get power with. They also have good quality in their Mavrik and Apex lineup too.
TaylorMade
For years, TaylorMade irons have been one of the favorites of many golfers. Its iron is pack with innovative features that appeals to different handicapped players. Among its irons, the TaylorMade Sim 2 Max is one of the best golf irons ever made. It feels like forged iron compared to the other cavity back irons made by TaylorMade.
Ping
If there’s one brand that we can consider iconic and already made history with their irons, we can say it’s Ping. For decades, it continues to be innovative in producing the best golf irons ever. These irons became popular but amateurs and professional golfers.
Ping often plays catchup in popularity compared to Callaway and Taylor Made, but have carved out their own niche and popularity. Their new irons offer maximum forgiveness and high launch to appeal to the most number of golfers.
Titleist
Titleist is one of the brands that produces the best golf irons ever. They are known initially with their golf balls, but over time they have been able to produce some of the best golf irons for both amateur and professional golfers. Their irons are packed with technology that can help golfers take their game to the next level.
Cobra King
Cobra King is one of the most sought golf brands in the market. Over the years, they introduced an array of the best golf irons ever in the market to help golfers advance in their game. They are one of the best golf brands that offer irons with the best value of money. Their irons will be a bit pricy, but it is worth every penny.
Mizuno
When it comes to your golfing irons needs, Mizuno is one of the brands you don’t want to miss out on. Mizuno irons have sleek and minimalist design and the best irons ever made.. Their irons have an exceptional feel.
The new Pro Series from Mizuno has a golf club for every kind of golfer, all manufactured using a high quality forging process from Hiroshima, Japan.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
With all the iron choices on the market, golfers have lots of questions about which set to pick. We understand how overwhelming this can be. Here are a few of the questions that we get asked most frequently about how to choose the best golf irons on the market.
What Should A High Handicapper Look For In A Set Of Irons?
Many people think that the high handicapper needs distance and forgiveness in a set of irons. Although this can be true, the distance factor is not always the case. There are plenty of high handicap golfers that can still hit the ball a long way.
When choosing a golf club set for the high handicapper, it is ok to choose forgiveness over distance. The forgiveness is what will allow golfers to get better ball speed and flight and increased consistency.
High handicappers should stay away from blade-style irons, and they should look for something with a low center of gravity. If a higher handicapper does happen to struggle with distance, it makes sense to look for a lighter shaft with a graphite design.
What Should An Average Golfer Look For In an Iron Set?
If you are an average golfer looking for a new golf irons set, it is important to consider why you are an average golfer. Are you an average golfer because your short game is terrible? Are you an average golfer because you can’t hit your irons long enough?
Being honest with yourself about your golf game and breaking down why you are the handicap that you are will help make choosing a set of irons much easier. Average golfers that struggle with distance should look for graphite shafts with very low weights.
Average golfers that struggle with forgiveness should look for a cavity-type design with a low center of gravity.
Average golfers that tend to have very good iron performance can absolutely look into forged and or blade type irons. If your irons are the best clubs in your bag, you should play to your strengths and play with the highest performing iron you can handle.
How Many Irons Should I Carry In My Golf Bag?
Most irons sets are sold as a 4-pitching wedge. In recent years with all of the loft changing done by golf companies and the popularity of the hybrid golf clubs, you are seeing these iron sets sold more in the 5-gap wedge configuration.
The most important thing about choosing which irons you should keep in your bag is to make sure that you have the swing speed to hit them all well. If your swing is starting to slow down a bit and you can’t get your five iron to launch or travel like it used to, take it out of the bag.
There is no sense of carrying equipment around that you can’t hit well. Take the five iron out of the bag and put in a five hybrid. You will be glad you made this decision when you see the difference in the types of shots you can hit and the control you have over these shots.
Why Are Some Golf Irons More Money Than Others?
When shopping for golf irons, you will see a wide range of pricing on the market. The reason behind this pricing variance usually has to do with the manufacturing process and the materials that were used. If the manufacturers are making a forged club or a blade, the process takes longer and is more expensive.
This cost will be conveyed to the user, and it will increase the pricing of the iron set. Some very cheap golf irons use lower quality graphite in their shafts. The major difference you will notice between high priced irons and low priced irons is the feel.
Most of the time, the higher priced irons are going to feel much better than the lower-priced irons. If you are new to the game, this feeling will not make that much of a difference. As your game gets better and you are looking for higher performance in your irons, it makes sense to spend a bit more money on a set.
Who Should Use Hybrid Irons?
Hybrid irons are mostly built for the higher handicap player. With a set of hybrid irons, all of your clubs will look and perform like a hybrid. For many players, this is a great benefit, and it allows them much more forgiveness from the rough and much better ball flight as well.The only downside of the hybrid irons is that you won’t have as much control over the shorter irons as you do with a traditional iron. This takes a bit of getting used to, but it will certainly be a great choice for those who struggle to get wedges and nine irons to get up in the air and land softly on a green.
Testing Criteria used for evaluation
Before you make your final decision about the best golf irons ever sets on the market, there are a few things you should consider. Making sure you purchase a set of clubs that fit your game both now and five years from now is a bit of a challenge. Here are the most important factors to consider.
Fitting
It has become very popular for golfers to go and get fitted before purchasing a set of clubs. There are some great things about a golf club fitting, and there are some things that are just not necessary.
To start off, if you are taller or shorter than average height, then it almost always makes sense to get fitted for golf clubs. The standard men’s golf clubs are made to accommodate players that are 5’6” to 6’0”. If you fall outside of this range, a fitting is probably not necessary.
When you go to a fitting, they will give you valuable information about ball speed, distance, and dispersion. You can then use this information to choose the best irons of all time for your game. The problem with these fittings is that sometimes the recommendations are very specific and they are very expensive.
A golf club fitter may tell you that the Mavrik Max irons are the best for your game, but you need a $70 shaft upgrade in each club. For some players spending this time of money will make sense, and they will get a set of clubs that a computer says works really well for them.
For the average golfer, you have a number in mind that you will spend on a set of irons. If that number does not include custom shafts, grips, lie angle changes, and more than a fitting is probably not going to make much sense.
Be realistic about what you are going to spend and how much information you really need about your game to purchase the best golf clubs.
Shaft
People get confused about shaft material and shaft flex. Golf shafts come in two materials, graphite and steel. Irons also come in many different flexes. For men’s clubs, you will mostly see extra stiff, stiff, regular, and senior.
Your swing speed will tell you which shaft is the best for you. If you have a faster swing speed, you are going to need a stiffer shaft. Slow swing speeds need lightweight shafts that have more flex to them.
Graphite shafts are best for distance, but they are not always as accurate as steel. Steel shafts are great when it comes to control, but they may cost you a few yards. If you hit the ball a long way but struggle to keep things on the proper fairway, the steel shafts are going to be a much better fit.
Senior golf shafts are always going to be graphite. The graphite in the senior shaft will help players get the ball speed they may have otherwise missed. If you are a senior golfer that still gets plenty of distance, it is perfectly acceptable to stick with the regular shaft until you need to make a switch.
Cavity Back Vs. Forged Vs. Blade
It can be very difficult for the average golfer to decide if the best golf irons set for your game are cavity back or forged. Most of the time the blade irons are going to be saved for the lower handicap player.
When a golfer has to choose between the cavity back and the forged iron, they need to consider what matters to them most in their irons. Do you care about feel? Do you want to hit the ball from left to right sometimes? Do you want something that offers ultimate forgiveness on each and every shot?
Depending on your preferences, you can make an informed decision about the cavity back or the forged being the best irons for your game.
Choose the forged irons if you want . . .
- Better feel
- Ability to hit more draws and fades
- Ability to control ball flight
- Very little vibration at impact
- Ultimate forgiveness
Choose the cavity back irons if you want . . .
Set Makeup
If you are purchasing new irons, you must consider the other clubs you have in your bag before deciding on the final set of makeup. If you have several hybrids and wedges in your bag already, you must figure out those lofts before you make your purchase.
The most important thing to start with is the wedges. Figure out the lowest lofted wedge in your bag and make sure that the next iron you choose has a loft that is only a few degrees off. For example, if you have a sand wedge as the lowest lofted wedge in your bag, then you will want to add a gap wedge in with your irons. The jump from a pitching wedge to the sand wedge will be too big.
If you already carry a gap wedge that you won’t be replacing, you won’t need to purchase one with your iron set.
The other area of the bag to look at is the hybrids. Some golfers have a three-hybrid, and then they go right to the irons. This would make sense for a golfer to purchase a four iron in addition to the other irons in the set.
If you struggle with hitting a four-iron, you may consider adding another hybrid and only purchasing the five iron down in the irons. The most important fact here is to make sure that you are considering the other clubs in your bag before you make your final decision on irons.
Conclusion
Hopefully, our guide highlighting the best golf irons ever has helped you figure out the perfect set of clubs for your game. As we mentioned, purchasing golf iron sets can be a bit overwhelming, and that is very understandable for the average golfer.
If you are tired of the research and are ready to make a purchase, it is hard to go wrong with either the Cobra King Speed Zone or the TaylorMade Sim Max. Each of these irons offers enough distance and forgiveness to make the game of golf a lot more enjoyable for the average golfer. Although these sets of irons are not the cheapest on the market, they will offer you high-performance levels and years of relevant technology before you need to replace them.
Last update on 2023-06-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
