They look similar but the ZX4 MK II and ZX5 MK II irons are made for very different players.
If you walked into a pro shop and saw both the Srixon ZX4 Mk II and the Srixon ZX5 Mk II irons on the wall, you might have a hard time telling the difference between the two clubs. Cosmetically, they look very similar, but Srixon designed these clubs for very different types of players.
Both clubs share some technologies, and with the help of custom fitters, many golfers blend the two clubs to create a combo set. However, their differences can significantly impact your game, so here’s a detailed comparison to help you decide whether the Srixon ZX4 Mk II or the ZX5 Mk II might be the best fit for you.
Srixon ZX4 Mk II irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Construction and Technology
The ZX4 Mk II has a forged 1770M stainless steel face attached to a 431 stainless steel body, along with a hollow chamber in the center of the head. This allows the face to flex more efficiently at impact to create more ball speed. The ZX5 Mk II has a forged SUP10 stainless steel face attached to a forged 1020 carbon steel chassis for a softer feel at impact, but it is solid instead of hollow. The ZX5 Mk II has also been designed with tungsten in the sole of the long and mid-irons to lower the center of gravity (CG) location and encourage shots with those clubs to fly higher.
The Srixon ZX-5 Mk II irons and ZX-4 Mk II have ridges and cutout areas called MainFrame in their faces. (Srixon)
Both irons have a cavity-back design and a ball-speed enhancing technology Srixon calls MainFrame. Adapted from Srixon’s wood line, MainFrame adds a series of valleys or channels on the inner-facing side of the face to allow more of the hitting area to flex efficiently at impact. It also reduces weight in the face.
Both the ZX4 Mk II and the ZX5 Mk II irons have been designed with Srixon’s Tour VT Sole. This gives the bottom of each club extra forward bounce, so they will work through the turf more easily and maintain speed through the hitting zone.
Both clubs also feature a progressive groove design. The 4-iron through 7-iron in the ZX4 MK II and the 3-iron through 7-iron in the ZX5 Mk II have wider grooves that are spaced farther apart to enhance spin and stopping power, while the grooves in the 8-iron through attack wedge are deeper and packed more tightly together.
From a size perspective, the ZX4 Mk II has a longer blade length, slightly thicker topline and slightly more offset, while the ZX5 Mk II has a more-compact shape.
Srixon ZX5 Mk II irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Who are the ZX4 MKII and ZX5 Mk II irons for?
The best way to find your ideal irons is to work with a good custom fitter, hit shots using a launch monitor, and then compare the data.
With that said, the ZX4 Mk II’s larger size and hollow-body design push it squarely into the game-improvement iron category. It creates more speed and will be more forgiving than the ZX5 Mk II.
The ZX5 Mk II will produce more spin than the ZX4 Mk II, which can allow players to work the ball more easily and hit draws or fades more effectively. With that added spin, the ZX5 Mk II should create a higher launch angle.
The Takeaway
If you are a player who prioritizes distance and forgiveness, the ZX4 Mk II might be a good option, while golfers who want more feel and control along with added forgiveness might be better served by the ZX5 Mk II.
When it comes to the Tour Edge Exotics 725 iron family, the Illinois-based brand has tried to make three irons that offer varying levels of distance, stability, forgiveness and shot shaping for three different types of golfers. Many of the same technologies are found in each club, to varying degrees and levels, which allowed designers and engineers to level-up certain traits and attributes based on what players typically want.
The Exotics C725 (competition spec) is a better-player’s distance iron,while the E725 (extreme spec) is a classic game-improvement club. The new model, the X725, is a max game-improvement offering for moderate and slower-swinging players who need the most forgiveness, height and distance.
Here’s what you want to know about each club:
Tour Edge Exotics C725 irons. (Tour Edge)
Tour Edge Exotics C725 irons
Price: $128.99 per club ($899.99 for 7-piece set) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip; $142.99 per club ($999.99 for 7-piece set) with Project X Denali Blue 80 graphite shafts. Specs: Hollow-body design with maraging steel face and 17-4 stainless steel body. Available: October 15 (pre-order); November 1 (in-stores).
Who it’s for: The Exotics C725 irons are engineered for single-digit handicap players who want distance and forgiveness in a more compact iron.
What you should know: The hollow-body design and perimeter weighting allow these better-player distance irons to create more distance and forgiveness while still looking like a club that belongs in the bag of a golf who plays in the A Flight in the club championship.
The deep dive: The Exotics C725 irons are a “player’s distance” iron that merges game-improvement technologies into a compact, workable shape.
The hollow-body construction enables Tour Edge to place the center of gravity (CG) low and deep, which increases the launch angle and helps produce a higher ball flight.
The maraging steel face, which is welded to a 17-4 stainless steel body, is L-shaped and wraps into the sole, creating a hinging effect that improves face flex. By using a thinner steel face in combination with the hollow design, Tour Edge engineers have been able to increase ball speed across a larger portion of the hitting area, which means the C725 irons maintain their speed and consistency more effectively on mishits.
Internally, Tour Edge injected VIBRCOR, a thermoplastic polyurethane gel, into the hollow cavity of each head to dampen vibrations and improve feel. On the back of each C725 iron, a multi-material dampening badge made of carbon fiber and high-grade TPU further enhances acoustics and feel.
On the inner-facing side of the face, Tour Edge added its 3D Diamond Face technology, which includes 92 diamond-shaped areas of various thicknesses. Tour Edge claims they act like mini trampolines to help golfers generate more ball speeds and protect speed on off-center hits.
The Exotics C725 has the shortest blade length, thinnest topline and least amount of offset among the Exotics 725 iron family. The 14-gram weight on the back of the head is adjustable for fitters and allows them to change the swing weight of the clubs easily based on length or a player’s preferences.
Tour Edge Exotics E725 irons. (Tour Edge)
Tour Edge Exotics E725 irons
Price: $114.99 per club ($799.99 for 7-piece set) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip; $129.99 per club ($899.99 for 7-piece set) with Project X Cypher graphite shafts Specs: Hollow-body design with 360-degree undercut cavity, multi-material badge and injected thermoplastic polyurethane. Available: October 15 (pre-order); November 1 (in-stores).
Who it’s for: The Exotics E725 irons are made for mid- and higher-handicap golfers who want more distance and forgiveness.
What you should know: The Exotics E725 irons have a low and back center of gravity to boost forgiveness, increase the launch angle, and add distance.
The deep dive: While the Exotics C725 is designed for players who want a compact look with an extra punch that maintains shot-shaping attributes, the Exotics E725 irons are game-improvement clubs for golfers who shoot in the mid-80s and low 90s who want more forgiveness and more distance.
Tour Edge Exotics E725 irons have more offset and a thicker topline than the C725. (Tour Edge)
As it does in the other irons, the 3D Diamond Face technology broadens the sweet spot to protects ball speed on mis-hits. However, with a larger size than the C725 irons, the E725 irons boast 103 diamond-shaped elements on the inner-facing side of the hitting area instead of 92.
The E725 irons utilize a one-piece, high-strength steel body construction with a 360-degree undercut cavity that reduces weight in the center of the head and pushes the CG location lower and deeper. According to Tour Edge, the CG is 10 percent lower in the E725 than in the E723, the iron it replaces, so golfers should find it easier to get the ball up in the air.
To improve feel and dampen vibrations, Tour Edge injected VIBRCOR into the pocket of each E725 iron. The TPU treatment enhances sound and feel without impeding the face from flexing or reducing distance. The new multi-material badge also stiffens the heads for better energy transfer at impact.
On the sole, a heavy rail helps the club glide through the turf, minimize digging and maintain more speed through impact.
The Exotics E725 has a thicker topline, more offset and a wider sole than the Exoics C725.
Tour Edge Exotics X725 irons. (Tour Edge)
Tour Edge Exotics X725 irons
Price: $114.99 per club, with Project X Cypher shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip. Specs: 17-4 stainless steel body with VIBRCOR and 3D Diamond Face technology. Available in 5-PW, AW and SW Available: October 15 (pre-order); November 1 (in-stores).
Who it’s for: The Exotics X725 irons are designed for slow and moderate-swinging golfers looking for maximum forgiveness and stability, especially if they struggle with a slice.
What you should know: The Exotics X725 is Tour Edge’s attempt to translate its “iron-wood” technology into max game-improvement irons, emphasizing high launch, more distance and slice-fighting offset.
The deep dive: With the Exotics X725 irons, Tour Edge has tried to make its most forgiving, easiest-to-hit iron ever.
The shallow-face design, large size and long blade length are meant to inspire confidence in the address position. That large size also gave designers space to pull the center gravity location down and exceptionally far back, away from the hitting area, which should add spin and create a higher launch angle.
The Exotics X725 irons’ larger size allowed designers to pull the CG location further down and back. (Tour Edge)
Moving the CG lower and further back in the head also increases the stability and reduces twisting at impact, making the X725 irons more resistant to mis-hits. That should give golfers more confidence when they miss the center of the face, as the irons deliver straighter and more consistent shots across a larger area of the clubface.
Tour Edge added its thermoplastic polyurethane material, VIBRCOR, deep inside the 360-degree undercut cavity to soak up excessive vibrations, improve sound, and enhance feel. You can’t see it because the back of the head features a carbon and TPU back badge that stiffens the entire head at impact while helping to dampen vibrations and enhance sound.
On the inner-facing side of the face, Tour Edge added its 3D Diamond Technology, which includes 92 diamond-shaped areas of various thicknesses. Tour Edge claims they act like mini trampolines to help golfers generate more ball speeds and protect speed on off-center hits.
Finally, the sole of the X725 irons features a heavy rail, which improves turf interaction by allowing the club to glide through thick grass without digging in. The rail also has extreme heel and toe relief, which, combined with the significant offset, should help players square the face more easily through impact.
The Exotics X725 should produce the highest ball flight and be the most forgiving of the three new 725 irons, while also having the most offset and thickest topline.
Gear: Callaway Apex Ai200, Ai300 irons Price:$200 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid steel shafts or UST Mamiya HDC Recoil Dart graphite shafts and Golf Pride Z grips Specs: Forged 1020 stainless steel body with forged 455 stainless steel face, internal urethane microspheres, and adjustable back weight Available:NOW
Who it’s for: Mid- and higher-handicap golfers who want more distance, feel, and consistency from shot to shot.
What you should know: Callaway enhanced the feel and updated the look of its game-improvement Apex irons, then used artificial intelligence to create iron faces that deliver more distance, along with spin and trajectory consistency.
The deep dive: When Callaway sold Ben Hogan Golf in 2012, it retained the naming rights to Apex, an iron family that had been synonymous with high performance, feel, and classic looks for well over a decade. The first Callaway Apex irons arrived in 2014 and were popular from the start. The standard Apex irons retained the classic looks while hiding game-improvement features, while Apex Pro and TCB irons blended feel, control, and consistency into clubs that could help amateur golfers win club championships and professionals like Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele win majors.
Yes, Callaway released an updated Apex Pro last year, along with the Apex CB and MB, but the standard Apex’s most recent update was in 2021. Now, however, Callaway has announced the release of the Apex Ai200 and Ai300, two new Apex irons that blend popular Callaway technologies and features with Apex heritage.
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Callaway has reorganized the names of the new Apex irons to make it easier to understand how they relate to each other. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
First things first: the new names. To make understanding the Apex line easier, Callaway has switched to a number system. The larger the number, the bigger and more forgiving the irons will be. Smaller numbered clubs will focus more on feel, precision, and control. Callaway hopes that even before they hit the new Apex irons, golfers will be able to easily understand how each club relates to the others in the Apex family.
The Apex Ai200 (which replaces the Apex ’21) and Ai300 (which replaces the Apex DCB) now cosmetically match the most recent Apex Pro, CB, and MB irons, even though both are hollow-bodied irons designed for mid- and higher-handicap players.
Callaway Apex Ai300 iron. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The Ai200 and Ai300 feature a forged 1020 carbon steel chassis that is attached to a thin, forged 455 Carpenter stainless steel cup face. Callaway injects urethane microspheres inside each Ai200 and Ai300 head to soak up excessive vibrations, enhance feel, and improve the sound created at impact.
While some of that may seem familiar, what is new is that the 455 Carpenter stainless steel cup face has been created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) in the same way Callaway used it to create the faces in the Ai Smoke drivers. Knowing they wanted to create more ball speed but maintain the spin rates and launch angle characteristics in the Apex irons, Callaway engineers programmed supercomputers to run thousands of simulations of impacts using different face patterns and designs. The result is a hitting area that should give golfers more distance, but also more consistency because the hitting area does not have hot spots or excessively rigid areas.
The faces of the Apex Ai200 and Ai300 irons were designed using artificial intelligence. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Callaway has added an adjustable weight plate to the back of the Apex Ai200 and Ai300. It is not meant for golfers to change, but it allows fitters to adjust the swing weight of the heads during fittings for extra customization.
The Ai200 has been designed for slightly more skilled golfers who tend to hit down on their iron shots and compress the ball. It has a thinner topline than the Ai300, along with slightly less offset and a narrower sole. The Ai200 should produce a lower initial launch angle and a touch more spin than the Ai300, but because it is larger, the Ai300 will offer more stability on mishits to go along with its higher ball flight.
Both the Ai200 and Ai300 have strong, modern lofts. The Ai200’s 5-iron has a loft of 23 degrees and a pitching wedge at 43 degrees. The Ai300’s 5-iron has 22 degrees of loft, and its pitching wedge is 42 degrees. Working with a custom fitter, golfers should easily be able to create blended sets of Ai300 long irons and Ai200 scoring clubs.
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Below are several close-up images of the Callaway Apex Ai200 and Apex Ai300 irons.
The PXG 0311 GEN7 irons feature a new material inside the hollow portion of the head that returns energy more efficiently.
Gear: PXG 0311 GEN7 irons Price: $229.99 per club with chrome finish, $239.99 with Xtreme Dark finish Specs: Hollow-body design including forged and milled 8620 carbon steel body, HT1770 maraging steel face, internal tungsten weight, internal polymer and adjustable titanium back weight.
Who it’s For: Five- to 18-handicap golfers who want more ball speed and more forgiveness on mis-hits from a club that looks like a better-player’s iron.
The Skinny: The PXG 0311 GEN7 irons feature a new material inside the hollow portion of the head that returns energy more efficiently, while exotic materials like a tungsten weight and titanium back weight enhance performance and allow fitters to customize the clubs more easily.
The Deep Dive: The tungsten screws that ringed the perimeter of early PXG irons are gone, but many of the core concepts and technologies that the Scottsdale, Arizona-based equipment maker included in its early offerings have been refined, improved and updated through the years. Now, with the release of the seventh generation of the 0311 irons, PXG is showing it can use exotic materials and unique manufacturing techniques to produce clubs that continue to look like a better-player’s blade while delivering game-improvement levels of forgiveness and distance.
Each PXG 0311 GEN7 iron is forged five times before the back is milled to create the final shape. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The PXG 0311 GEN7 P and 0311 GEN7 XP irons both start as glowing red billets of 8620 carbon steel before they are forged five times. After each forging is completed, the still-hot metal is moved into a different tool and then forged again so the intricate shapes and contours, like the deep internal cavity, can be produced. Then, the back of each head is milled using a computer-controlled bit that passes back and forth over the clubheads, shaving off tiny ribbons of material and making the walls thinner than forging can refine.
An HT1770 maraging steel face is then attached to the chassis. The steel is exceptionally strong, allowing PXG to make it just 0.05 inches thick. According to PXG, it is the thinnest hitting area in golf, so it can flex more efficiently at the moment of impact.
The 0311 GEN7 irons have an extremely thin face and hollow chamber filled with a new polymer material. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The most significant difference between the 0311 GEN7 irons and their predecessors is the internal material PXG has injected inside the heads. The company has used different polymers and combinations of polymers in the past, but its new QuantumCOR polymer is the fastest yet. It supports the face and helps with durability but also returns more energy created at impact back to the ball, so golfers can generate more ball speed and distance.
To increase stability and forgiveness, PXG designers added a 20-gram internal tungsten weight in the toe of the 0311 GEN7 irons. The tungsten offsets the weight of the hosel and shifts the ideal hitting area into the middle of the face.
The titanium screw in the back allows fitters to change the swing weight, while also pushing more overall weight to the perimeter for increased stability. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
There is also a large titanium weight screw in the back of each head. Titanium weighs less than the 8620 carbon steel used in the rest of the head, so when combined with the internal tungsten weight, more of the GEN7 iron’s overall weight shifts to the perimeter, resulting in a higher moment of inertia (MOI) and less twisting on off-center hits.
During the fitting process, fitters can swap out and change the back weight to allow golfers to try different swing weights and overall weights to see which best matches their swing and needs.
PXG claims the GEN7 irons produce nearly the same launch angle as the GEN6 irons but with more ball speed and less spin, resulting in more distance and tighter dispersion.
The 0311 GEN7 P irons are designed for low to mid-handicap golfers who want more distance and stability, while the XP is for mid- to higher-handicap golfers who need maximum forgiveness and distance. The P has a smaller blade length, less offset and a thinner topline.
Cosmetically, the clubs look very similar, but the lofts of the XP irons are significantly stronger than the lofts of the P irons. Still, golfers can mix and match them to create a blended set by working with a custom fitter.
The Cobra Limit3d irons are 3D printed to create a unique internal shape and enhance performance.
Gear: Cobra Limit3d Irons Price: $2,999.99 (4-PW) with KBS Tour $-Taper shafts Specs: 3D printed 316L stainless steel body and face with internal tungsten weights. Available: June 7
Who It’s For: Golfers with deep pockets who want an iron that looks like a muscleback blade but plays like a game-improvement iron.
The Skinny: By 3D printing the Limit3d irons, Cobra removed a massive amount of weight from the middle of each clubhead, then added tungsten weights to boost perimeter weighting and stability without increasing head size.
The Deep Dive: Every iron you have ever owned or seen in pro shops was made in one of two ways: casting or forging. Casting involves heating metal until it melts, then pouring the liquid metal into molds, allowing it to cool and then breaking open the molds before sanding and polishing the heads. The forging process superheats metal rods before they are pressed under massive pressure into the shape of a club. In most cases, the metal is forged several times to produce the final shape.
Both casting and forging have pros and cons, but with the release of the Limit3d irons, Cobra may be providing a glimpse of the future of golf club manufacturing. The Limit3d irons are 3D printed, and this process opens up a world of designs that would be impossible to create using either casting or forging.
Cobra has used 3D printing to create pieces of putters for a few years and quietly 3D printing wedges for staff players like Rickie Fowler and Gary Woodland. However, the 500 sets of Limit3d irons are the brand’s first foray into 3D printing irons.
The shape of the Limit3d irons was based on the forged King Tour irons, the clubs Fowler plays on the PGA Tour. They have a compact blade length, a touch of offset and a thin topline.
To make each Limited iron, a computer controls a direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process that applies tiny layers of 316L stainless steel powder. With each pass of the machine, another layer of powdered metal is added on top of the previous layer and bonds to it. In all, there are more than 2,600 layers of stainless steel powder applied to make each head and it takes about 24 hours for the process to be completed. The computer applies the powdered metal in exact locations, adding more layers to some places, less to others, and none where Cobra designers don’t want it.
The Cobra Limit3d irons have an internal lattice and tungsten weights. (Cobra)
After studying several different internal structures and options, Cobra engineers decided that an intricate internal lattice structure was ideal because it provided enough strength while reducing the weight of the central area of the club by about 100 grams. Typically, engineers sweat and work to save a few grams here and there, so creating 100 grams of discretionary weight is a massive savings.
Much of that weight was repurposed in the form of three tungsten weights. Each Limit3d iron has a small weight in the hosel, along with massive weights in the heel and toe area that boost the moment of inertia (MOI) and make the Limit3d irons significantly more stable. So, while the Limit3d irons look like the King Tour irons in the address position and are similar in size, they are much more forgiving and stable on mis-hits, like a game-improvement club.
The hitting area is 3D printed using the same 316L stainless steel powder used to create the internal lattice structure. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The lattice is encased in a traditional-looking outer layer of 3D-printed 316L stainless steel,-and tungsten weights are covered by 316L 3D-printed caps that help keep them in position and hide them from view. The hitting area, back of each club and body structures are also 3D-printed using 316L stainless steel.
The lattice structure you see on the back of each Limit3d head is cosmetic. While Cobra is eager to show off its technologies, exposing the open lattice would allow water and debris to get inside the clubheads.
According to Cobra, the Limit3d generates about 3 miles per hour more ball speed than the King Tour irons, which translates to about 5 more yards of distance. The Limit3d and King Tour create nearly identical peak heights and descent angles.
In the address position, the Cobra Limit3d irons looks very similar to the King Tour irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
With a price of $2,999.99 and with only 500 sets being offered worldwide, the Limit3d irons are not something you are likely to see in person. However, Cobra designers point out that the price of this seven-club set five to seven years ago would have been 10 times more. Like other technologies, the cost of 3D printing metal is coming down, so at some point in the future, it may be affordable to the masses.
So, think of the Limit3d irons like a Formula One car, a demonstration of what Cobra designers and new technologies are capable of doing and what may be on the way to more golfers in the years ahead.
Below are several close-up looks at the Cobra Limit3d irons:
Gear: Ping i730 irons Price: $185 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline grips. $200 each with Ping Alta CB Black graphite shafts Specs: Cast and heat-treated 17-4 stainless steel with high-density toe and heel weights.
Who It’s For: Mid- and higher-handicap golfers who want a big, easy-to-hit iron that delivers more distance and forgiveness.
The Skinny: This powerful iron is the most forgiving in the Ping lineup for 2024, and golfers who typically shoot in the 90s and 100s should find it delivers more distance thanks to a thin face with enhanced feel.
The Deep Dive: From its start in 1959, Ping has been synonymous with golf equipment that is designed to make the game easier to play. Sure, the Phoenix-based brand has always offered irons for elite ballstrikers, like the just-released Blueprint T and Blueprint S, but this is the company that created the most-copied putter in golf, the Anser, which was designed to be forgiving. Ping also deserves credit for jumping on the stability train earlier than just about any equipment maker and leading the trend in high-MOI drivers that help golfers overcome mis-hits.
Now, for 2024, Ping is releasing the G730, a game-improvement iron that replaces the G710.
While many irons designed to be forgiving and increase ball speed feature a hollow-body construction, the G730 has a cavity-back design. It has a slightly shorter blade length than the G710 but slightly more offset and a wider sole from the leading edge to the back to help golfers square the face more efficiently and make solid contact more often.
Knowing that the G730 was not going to appeal to fast-swinging, low-handicap players, Ping’s designers were freed to make the face especially thin and not worry about durability and excessive stress. As a result, the face of the G730 is 7 percent thinner than the G430’s face, so it flexes more efficiently. The center of gravity has also been positioned very low in the head, which should promote a higher ball flight.
The PuFlex badge flexes at impact to soak up vibrations without decreasing ball speed. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Enhanced feel is a trait commonly associated with better-player irons, but a PreFlex badge on the back of the G730 – which is made using 10 different pieces and bends in five different areas – improves the sensation of impact because two different molded plastic pieces soak up excessive vibrations.
Golfers who routinely shoot in the 90s and 100s should not be playing a 3-iron or a 4-iron, and Ping is not making those clubs in the G730. The strongest-lofted iron available is a 23-degree 5-iron. While the lofts of all the clubs are strong, Ping is making four G730 wedges (44, 49, 54 and 56 degrees), so working with a custom fitter, players should be able to create a set configuration that gives them the yardages and the gaps they need. A stronger-lofted PWR Spec version and a weaker-lofted Retro Spec version are also available.
Finally, to normalize spin and improve performance in wet conditions, Ping gave the G730 a Hydropearl 2.0 finish that repels water and helps to reduce its presence between the ball and the hitting area.
Cleveland ZipCore XL irons are designed to create more ball speed and more spin consistency.
Gear: Cleveland ZipCore XL irons. Price:$899.88 (7 clubs) with KBS Tour Lite steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline 360 grips; $999.99 with UST Mamiya Helium Nanocore 60 graphite shafts. Specs: Cavity-back designed stainless steel heads with stainless steel faces. Available 4-iron through sand wedge. Available: January 19, but available via pre-order NOW
Who It’s For: Golfers with a handicap ranging from eight to 18 who want a traditional cavity-back iron designed to deliver more distance and consistency.
The Skinny: A unique face design combined with a surface-roughening treatment that changes throughout the set helps the Cleveland ZipCore XL irons produce more ball speed and more spin consistency through the bag.
The Deep Dive: One of Cleveland Golf’s sister brands under the Dunlop Sports umbrella, Srixon, makes several different cavity-back irons, including last season’s ZX4 Mk II, ZX5 MkII and the ZX7 Mk II, but if you perused Cleveland’s website recently you would not find clubs like those. Instead, the brand focused on hollow-bodied game-improvement irons like the Launcher XL and the Launcher Halo XL that dropped two years ago.
Cleveland used to make several irons for mid-handicap and even low-handicap golfers (Vijay Singh and David Toms won majors using Cleveland irons) and for 2024 Cleveland is re-entering the game-improvement category with the ZipCore XL.
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In the address position, the ZipCore XL displays a long blade length, but moderately-wide topline and offset. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
In the address position, the ZipCore XL showcases a moderately-thin topline. However, the extra length in the blade and the offset hint that this club is made to help golfers overcome shortcomings in their swing and reduce the penalty for mis-hits.
To help golfers generate more ball speed and distance, engineers gave the ZipCore XL irons a MainFrame face. It is a series of channels that are milled into the inner-facing side of the face of the 4-iron through 7-iron. They allow the hitting area to flex more efficiently, while weight pads help to lower the center of gravity location and encourage higher-flying shots.
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The HydraZip face treatment helps normalize spin and increase consistency. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The ZipCore XL irons also feature the same ZipCore design found in many of Cleveland’s popular wedges. Instead of steel, designers fill the lower portion of the hosel area with a lighter material. This is the first time Cleveland is bringing the technology to an iron, and it helps to make the heel area lighter, so the ideal hitting area shifts in the center of the face.
To help players get consistent spin, Cleveland has added a face-blast treatment called HydraZip that changes throughout the set. In the long irons (4-7), the HydraZip face-roughening treatment is rougher to reduce spin and encourage more carry. In the short irons and wedges (8-SW), the HydraZip treatment is less aggressive to help golfers get more spin and stopping power on the greens.
The V-shaped sole helps the Cleveland ZipCore XL irons get in and out of the turf quickly. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The V-shaped sole should help golfers who have a steep angle of attack work the ZipCore XL irons through the turf more efficiently. Golfers will also benefit from an 8-gram weight Cleveland adds under the top of the grip. Referred to as Action Mass CB, the weight counterbalances the head of the club and makes it feel lighter when you swing.
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The Cobra Darkspeed irons are made to help mid- and high-handicap golfers hit shots farther, higher and straighter.
Gear: Cobra Darkspeed, Darkspeed One-Length irons Price:$999 (4-PW or 5-GW) with KBS Tour Lite steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline grips. Specs: Hollow-bodied long and mid-irons with 17-4 stainless steel faces, 431 stainless steel chassis, CNC-milled grooves and internal weights. Available: Jan. 11 presale, Jan. 19 in stores
Who They’re For: Mid- and higher-handicap golfers who struggle with inconsistent contact, need more distance and want more height on their shots.
The Skinny: The hollow-body design, low center of gravity and vibration-dampening foam combine to give the Darkspeed irons more ball speed, greater height and a softer feel at impact.
The Deep Dive: Rickie Fowler and Justin Rose broke through and won again on the PGA Tour in 2023, and both players used Cobra irons. In Fowler’s case, it was Cobra King Forged Tour irons, while Rose used a blended set of a Cobra King Tour (4), King CB (5-6) and King MB (7-PW). As might be expected, all those clubs are designed for accomplished ballstrikers with powerful, repeatable swings.
Conversely, most amateur players likely would benefit from a game-improvement iron that delivers more distance and more forgiveness on mis-hit shots. That is the type of iron Cobra set out to make with the new Darkspeed and Darkspeed One-Length.
The Darkspeed irons have a reassuringly thick topline and some offset to help mid-handicap golfers square the face more effectively on the downswing.
The PWR Shell face wraps into the sole, while the PWR Bridge lowers the center of gravity. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Inside the heads of the 4-iron through pitching wedge, the Darkspeed irons are hollow to allow the thin 17-4 stainless steel faces to flex more efficiently at impact. The sand wedge and gap wedge are half-hollow, with an open chamber behind the hitting area.
Cobra gave the 4-iron through 7-iron a PWRShell face, which is 21 percent thinner than the face of last season’s AeroJet iron and wraps under the leading edge of the club and into the sole to broaden the sweet spot.
These irons also were designed with a single post in the head that supports a weight that designers call a PWR-Bridge. It extends from the heel to the toe, lowers the center of gravity and helps golfers hit higher-flying, faster-stopping shots.
The H.O.T. Face is designed to protect ball speed on mis-hits. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The hitting area and grooves have been CNC-milled to ensure the face is perfectly flat and the grooves are precisely in place.
Inside the hollow chamber of the 4-iron through pitching wedge, Cobra added 924D foam microspheres, a material that soaks up excessive vibrations to improve sound and feel. However, the material is elastic, so it allows the face to flex and snap back quickly without inhibiting ball speed. Cobra studies showed that adding the foam helped reduce spin, which led to more distance and straighter shots.
The standard Darkspeed has a darker finish over the 431 stainless steel body, which helps reduce glare. The set’s lofts are strong, with a 5-iron being 21 degrees and the pitching wedge at 42 degrees. Those lofts help golfers achieve more distance, while the low center of gravity helps shots fly as high as players expect.
Cobra also offers the Darkspeed iron in a One-Length edition, with each club being 37.25 inches long (the same as a typical 7-iron). Some golfers find that using irons that are all the same length makes it easier to achieve solid contact and consistency.
TaylorMade Qi and Qi HL irons aim to enhance consistency and forgiveness.
Gear: TaylorMade Qi, Qi HL irons Price:$1,099 with KBS Max 85 steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline 360 grips; $1,199 with Fujikura Ventus Blue TR graphite shafts Specs: Hollow-body heads with multi-material back badge Available: Feb. 2 (Qi), March 15 (Qi HL), but available for pre-order NOW
Who They’re For: Golfers with a handicap between 10 and 20 who want more consistency from shot to shot and enhanced ball-speed protection on mis-hits.
The Skinny: By modifying the thickness of each iron face and managing how the hitting area flexes, TaylorMade aims to improve accuracy and consistency for mid- and higher-handicap golfers.
The Deep Dive: For golfers who typically shoot in the 80s and 90s, the most-common miss off the tee with a driver is to right because they slice. With game-improvement irons, many of the same players also struggle with a right miss, especially with their long irons, but for a different reason. With the release of the new Qi and Qi HL irons, TaylorMade set out to help golfers improve their accuracy from the fairway, especially with their long irons, while also providing more distance and enhanced feel.
TaylorMade said the typical construction of a game-improvement long iron can significantly contribute to the right miss. As the blade length grows longer, the toe side of the hitting area bends back more at impact than the heel side, even on shots hit in the center of the face, creating a fade bias. As blade lengths grow shorter in the scoring clubs – such as the 7-iron, 8-iron and 9-iron – the effect decreases, which is why many golfers don’t see the impact in fittings because the 7-iron is commonly used in iron fittings.
The faces of the Qi irons have been made thicker in some areas and thinner in others to enhance consistency. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
With the Qi and Qi HL irons, TaylorMade has brought a design philosophy that debuted in its recently released P·790 irons – individual head optimization – to game-improvement clubs. In the P·790, that meant shifting the center of gravity in each iron to a different location to make it easier to hit the type of shots players often hit with that specific club. In the Qi and Qi HL, it involves integrating the face thickness, the Speed Pocket slot, topline ribs and the toe wrap.
In the long irons, TaylorMade made the low-toe portion of the face thicker so it flexes less, and the area close to the heel is thinned so it bends more easily at impact. In addition to making the hitting area flex more uniformly, which should help golfers hit straighter shots, by adding mass low in the hitting area and stiffening the metal around the Speed Pocket slot in the sole, the Qi and Qi HL long irons can help golfers get long-iron shots up more quickly.
Most golfers don’t struggle to get a 7-iron high in the air because it has more loft, so TaylorMade designers modified the construction and made the high-toe area stiffer while the area around the Speed Pocket is thinner and more flexible. To enlarge the sweet spot, the area around the edge of the face is very thin.
The Speed Pocket has not been designed into the 8-iron, 9-iron and wedges, and the thickest regions of the hitting area are once again high in the toe. This design should help golfers control spin and trajectory more easily.
While each Qi and Qi HL iron is designed slightly differently, they share several common technologies that make the set cohesive.
All the Qi and Qi HL irons have an internal Echo Dampening Bridge that runs from heel to toe behind the face and soaks up excessive vibrations to improve sound and feel. They also feature a 360-degree undercut cavity design covered by a multi-material back badge. TaylorMade refers to this as Capback, a feature that debuted in 2021’s SIM2 irons. The composite back section reduces weight from the back of the head while still allowing the face to flex efficiently.
These irons have a thicker topline and ample offset, which is common among game-improvement irons. The sole is also fairly broad, but the leading edge is lower. Accomplished golfers tend to shy away from features like these, but they can be visually reassuring to many recreational golfers because the clubs look easy to hit.
While the standard Qi makes it easier for mid- and higher-handicap golfers to hit the ball straight and long, the HL model takes it further. The HL stands for higher and lighter, and with the club’s lighter shaft and grip, moderate-swinging players should be able to generate more speed with it. The lofts in the HL version are also 2 degrees weaker (higher lofts), so shots should also fly higher.
Cosmetically, the Qi and Qi HL irons look similar to the Stealth irons they replace, but TaylorMade is now complementing the visible carbon fiber on the badge with chrome-plated metal to create a more premium, aspirational look.
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Below are several close-up images of the TaylorMade Qi and Qi HL irons:
Moderate and slower-swinging golfers will benefit from the Paradym Ai Smoke’s fast faces and low centers of gravity.
Gear: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke, Ai Smoke HL, Ai Smoke Max Fast irons Price: $999.99 (seven clubs) with True Temper Elevate steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline grips; $1,099.99 with Project X Cypher 2.0, Mitsubishi Tensei Blue White or Eldio graphite shafts Specs: Hollow-bodied stainless steel iron Available: Feb. 2, but available via pre-order NOW
Who They’re For: Golfers who want a distance-oriented, game-improvement iron that launches the ball high.
The Skinny: Callaway designers used artificial intelligence to design iron faces for the Paradym Ai Smoke and Ai Smoke HL irons to deliver enhanced ball speed for moderate-swinging players and more distance and height for slower-swinging players.
The Deep Dive: Jon Rahm has no trouble generating distance with his Callaway irons because the 2023 Masters champion has a powerful, repeatable swing. Time and again, he hits the center of the face. However, recreational golfers who shoot in the mid-80s and 90s tend to swing more slowly. They often hit the ground first instead of the ball and make contact all over the face. On some shots they hit it in the center, but they are just as likely to strike the ball near the toe or in the heel.
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To make that happen, Callaway designers used supercomputers to study hundreds of thousands of swings of actual golfers to see how they hit shots. Using that data, the supercomputers employ artificial intelligence to create thousands of iron faces and simulate how they would perform in the real world. All those faces look the same on the outside, but the inner-facing sides are covered with thick and thin areas that act like miniature sweet spots.
That work resulted in the faces designed into the Paradym Ai Smoke irons. Attached to the hollow-body chassis of each iron, the faces flex more efficiently at impact to generate more ball speed on every shot and tighten the dispersion pattern.
There are three different Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons: the standard model, HL and Max Fast.
Callaway offers the Paradym Ai Smoke HL, which stands for high launch, for golfers who need more height and lift on their shots. The face design and low center of gravity combine with weaker lofts in this iron to make getting the ball high in the air easier, especially with the long irons. While the Paradym Ai Smoke’s 5-iron has 22 degrees of loft, the 5-iron in the HL version has 24 degrees of loft. Callaway believes this club should be ideal for golfers with a driver swing between 70 and 90 mph.
