There was a time, not too long ago, when irons designed for single-digit handicap golfers came in two varieties. If you were good enough to play them, muscleback blades were touted as being the ultimate in feel and control. If you weren’t quite good enough for those, cavity-back options offered a little forgiveness thanks to some perimeter weighting, but they were still compact in size and featured thin toplines, narrow soles and only a touch of offset.
In recent years, however, the better-player iron category has fragmented and added a new genre. While there are still muscleback options for elite players and game-enhancing cavity-backs out there, better-player distance clubs have emerged as one of the hottest areas of the market. They typically have the compact looks of traditional clubs, but use multiple materials and different design features to create more ball speed, increased forgiveness and better performance for players who have a repeatable swing.
Equipment makers typically produce new game-improvement and max game-improvement irons every season, but better-player irons often run on two- or three-year product cycles, meaning they are updated every 24 to 36 months. Why? The market for irons designed for single-digit handicap golfers is significantly smaller and players who often shoot in the 70s (or better) are usually not in the market for new technology. They prefer refinements to things they know and trust, so innovations come more slowly.
If you are someone who typically shoots below 80, who contends at your local club championship or is an aspiring tournament player, the irons listed below could give you the combination of control, feel and distance that you need to take your game to the next level.
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