Most golfers would love to be able to hit muscleback blades and irons designed for players with abundant clubhead speed and consistency, but the game is hard and those types of clubs are unforgiving. Catch a muscleback blade a little thin, and your 6-iron shot might get 4 feet off the ground. If you make contact far enough out near the toe, you might be lucky to get the ball to advance more than 100 yards in the air.
Thankfully, equipment makers know what most players need is a set of irons that helps generate more ball speed and height, clubs that can compensate for mis-hits. Today’s game-improvement irons pack loads of innovation into shapes that often look like a better-player’s club, which can instill confidence while also lending a helping hand.
If you are in the market for a new set of irons with qualities such as forgiveness, playability and increased distance, talk to a good custom fitter about the game-improvement clubs listed below.
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Callaway Rogue ST Max irons (Callaway)
Gear: Callaway Rogue ST Max
Price: $999.99
Specs: Cast 450 stainless steel with internal tungsten weight and urethane microspheres
Who it’s For: Golfers who want higher-flying shots with a softer feel
The Skinny: The Rogue ST iron family for 2022 is like Baskin-Robbins because, with so many clubs to choose from, there is something for everyone. The Rogue ST Max has a reassuringly thick topline, moderate offset and a sole that is wide enough to help mid-handicap golfers avoid digging on fat shots. The hitting area is designed using artificial intelligence to maximize ball speed, while a soft urethane material surrounds a tungsten bar inside the head to soak up excessive vibrations and enhance feel. Full review …
Cleveland Launcher XL irons (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Gear: Cleveland Launcher XL irons
Price: $799.99 (4-PW) with True Temper Elevate 95 steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grips. $899.99 with Project X Catalyst graphite shafts
Specs: Hollow-body long irons blended with cavity-back short irons. Counterbalanced shafts
Who it’s For: Golfers looking for a large, forgiving iron designed to be especially helpful on fat shots
The Skinny: About 15 percent larger than previous Launcher XL irons, the newest version consists of hollow-bodied irons from the 4-iron to 7-iron, with the 8-iron through gap wedge being cavity-backs. All the clubs feature Cleveland’s V-sole design to improve turf interaction and help golfers maintain speed through the hitting zone. Full Review …
Cobra King Forged TEC X (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Gear: Cobra King Forged TEX X
Price: $1,199 (Steel), $1,299 (graphite)
Specs: Cast 431 stainless steel body with forged ST-118 stainless steel face and tungsten insert
Who it’s For: Players who want more distance and forgiveness in a compact iron
The Skinny: The Forged TEC iron has been a better-player’s distance offering from Cobra for a few years, but for 2022 the company split it into two varieties, the standard Forged TEC and the Forged TEC X, which is slightly larger and more forgiving. This hollow-bodied club is designed to deliver more ball speed but retains the compact head and shape preferred by many players. Sixty-five grams of tungsten split between the heel and toe make this iron play bigger than it looks. Full review …
Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metal irons (Mizuno)
Price: $999.95 (4-GW)/$125 per club with Nippon N.S. Pro 950 NEO steel or UST Mamiya Recoil ESX graphite shafts and Golf Pride MCC +4 grips
Specs: Cast 4140 Chromoly with a cup-face design and pocket cavity
Who it’s For: Players who want the looks of a better-player’s iron but need help generating ball speed and distance
The Skinny: Using Chromoly instead of carbon steel allowed Mizuno to make the face of this iron thinner, so it flexes more to boost distance without sacrificing durability. The pocket-cavity design also let Mizuno lower the center of gravity to encourage a higher launch. Full Review …
Ping G425 irons (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Gear: Ping G425
Price: $999.25
Specs: Cast 17-4 stainless steel head with undercut cavity, multi-material badge and hydrophobic finish
Who it’s For: Golfers who want more stability and forgiveness on heel and toe misses
The Skinny: Ping has designed perimeter-weighted irons for decades, and the G425 takes it to the extreme. With a large undercut cavity, added weight in the heel and a weight screw on the toe, Ping boosted the moment of inertia so there is less twisting on off-center hits. At the same time, the variable-thickness face increases ball speed. Full Review …
PXG 0311 GEN5 irons (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Gear: PXG 0311 P GEN5
Price: $349 each
Specs: Forged 8620 carbon steel body with HT1770 stainless steel faceplate, tungsten weights, polymer insert and milled back area
Who it’s For: Deep-pocketed golfers who want a club that looks like a better-player’s iron but has game-improvement distance and forgiveness
The Skinny: The fifth generation of PXG’s irons features a lighter version of the company’s internal polymer, which creates more perimeter weighting for forgiveness and stability while also improving sound and feel. The ultra-thin face is designed to increase ball speed. Full Review …
Srixon ZX4 irons (Srixon)
Gear: Srixon ZX4 irons
Price: $1,137.50 (steel), $1,224.99 (graphite)
Specs: Hollow-bodied irons with 431 stainless steel chassis, internal tungsten weights and forged HT 1770 stainless steel face
Who it’s For: Golfers who want more ball speed from an iron with a clean design
The Skinny: This hollow-bodied iron looks like the Srixon blades that are in the bags of tour pros, but it has a faster face for increased distance and internal tungsten weights that lower the center of gravity and encourage a higher launch. The wide V.T. sole is designed to help avoid digging. Full Review …
TaylorMade Stealth irons (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Gear: TaylorMade Stealth
Price: $999.99 with KBS Max MT steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline 360 grips. $1,099.99 with Fujikura Ventus Red or Aldila Ascent Ultralight graphite shafts
Specs: 450 stainless steel face with hollow-body design and a polymer vibration-dampening piece
Who it’s For: Golfers who want a clean, modern-looking iron that hides tons of technology on the inside
The Skinny: The successor to last season’s SIM2 irons, TaylorMade designed a large portion of the back using a polymer instead of metal to save weight, then added an accordion-shaped polymer piece inside the hollow head to soak up vibrations and improve the sound. The Speed Pocket slot in the sole helps improve performance on low-struck shots. Full Review …
Titleist T300 irons for 2021 (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Gear: Titleist T300
Price: $999 with True Temper AMT Red Tour Issue steel shafts or Mitsubishi Tensei Red AM2 graphite shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grips
Specs: Cast 17-4 stainless steel with internal tungsten weights, internal polymer insert and forged SUP-10 stainless steel face
Who it’s For: Golfers who want more stability and higher-flying shots
The Skinny: To help the face snap back faster at impact and generate more ball speed, Titleist designed a polymer button on the back of the head. As the hitting area bends back into the Max Impact system, the button acts like a trampoline to help the face return to position faster. Tungsten in the heel and toe boost stability. Full Review …
Tour Edge Exotics E722 irons (Tour Edge)
Gear: Tour Edge Exotics E722 irons
Price: $599.99
Specs: Cast stainless steel heads
Who it’s For: Players who want more ball speed and better performance on mis-hits
The Skinny: Compared to the Exotics E721, the new E722 is larger, which should help golfers who want more forgiveness. It also has a wide sole, and its generous offset can help golfers square the face more easily. The hollow-body design is complemented by diamond-shaped areas on the inner-facing side of the hitting area, allowing the face to flex more efficiently for increased ball speed and distance. Full Review …
Wilson Staff D9 irons (Wilson)
Gear: Wilson Staff D9 irons
Price: From $749.99 with KBS Max Ultralite steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline Genesis grips; $749.99 with Mitsubishi Tensei graphite shafts
Specs: Cast stainless steel with urethane
Who it’s For: Players who want a massive sweet spot and who battle misses to the right
The Skinny: The sole of these irons were designed with a series of asymmetrical slots that Wilson calls PowerHoles. They are covered by a polymer, and they allow the face of these hollow-bodied irons to flex more easily, especially lower on the face, to enlarge the ideal hitting area. Ample offset should help golfers square the face more easily for a more-solid strike. Full Review …
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