Best new irons – Syndication Server

Tour Edge Exotics C725, E725 and X725 irons

Here’s what you want to know about each club.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Callaway Apex Ti Fusion irons

Callaway Apex Ti Fusion irons blend a soft stainless steel body with a titanium face.

Gear: Callaway Apex Ti Fusion irons
Price: $300 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Gunmetal steel shafts or Mitsubishi MMT graphite shafts and Golf Pride Z grips
Specs: Forged 1020 stainless steel body with brazed titanium face, internal urethane microspheres, adjustable back weight, and diamond-like coating
Available: NOW

Who it’s for: Low- to mid-handicap golfers who want more distance, feel, and consistency.

What you should know: Callaway Apex Ti Fusion irons blend a soft stainless steel body with a titanium face designed using artificial intelligence and internal urethane material to create more ball speed, a softer feel, and more consistency.

The deep dive: “Ladies and gentlemen, have fun.” Something like that must have been said to the club designers and engineers at Callaway before they created the new Apex Ti Fusion irons.

While the new Apex Ai200 and Ai300 are game-improvement clubs for the masses, the materials and technologies packed into the Apex Ti Fusion enabled Callaway’s club makers to elevate their design approach for a slightly-better set of players.

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The story with the Apex Ti Fusion irons is all about the hitting area. The forged stainless steel body is similar in design to the new Ai200, although it is slightly smaller. However, the cup face given to the Apex Ti Fusion irons is very different. While the new Ai200 and Ai300 have forged stainless steel faces, the Apex Ti Fusion irons feature titanium faces.

Callaway is not claiming that the Apex Ti Fusion irons are the first titanium irons in golf, but the Carlsbad, California-based company developed a new way to bond titanium to stainless steel, a process that typically is not possible. The new manufacturing process allows the thin, titanium cup face to flex more efficiently at the moment of impact for increased ball speed instead of being slowed by the stiffer stainless steel that holds it.

To maximize the titanium face’s performance, Callaway designers used artificial intelligence to simulate and test different face patterns and designs, then determined which would produce the best performance for each club in the set. As a result, the long iron faces were optimized to enhance distance and forgiveness on mishits, while the short irons and scoring clubs feature more spin consistency for better distance control and accuracy.

BUY: Callaway Apex Ti Fusion irons

Historically, titanium-faced irons have been made for mid- and higher-handicap golfers who want more ball speed and distance, and the addition of a titanium hitting area certainly helps to do that in the Apex Ti Fusion, though the Apex Ti Fusion is geared toward a different audience. As the numbers in Callaway’s new nomenclature get larger, irons get bigger and more forgiving. For instance, the Ai300 is bigger and more stable than the Ai200, but the Ai200 has less offset, a smaller blade length, and aims to appeal to better golfers. The Apex Ti Fusion can be thought of as a 150, slightly smaller than the Ai200, and its dark finish makes it appear even slimmer. Golfers can expect the Apex Ti Fusion irons to perform more like the updated Apex Pro released last year. Still, thanks to the titanium face, the irons should provide more distance and better performance on mishits.

The Apex Ti Fusion irons’ lofts are modern, with a 5-iron at 23.5 degrees and a pitching wedge at 43 degrees. An attack wedge is available that comes standard at 38 degrees.

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Below are several close-up images of the new Callaway Apex Ti Fusion iron

TaylorMade P·770 irons (2024)

The P·770 is a better-player’s distance iron.

TaylorMade’s first P·770 was released in 2017 alongside the P·750, and it was a better-player’s cavity-back iron, but in 2020, it was updated and radically changed. The cavity-back design was gone, and in its place, the 2020 P·770 featured a hollow-body construction that featured a look in the address position that accomplished golfers would appreciate.

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That club was updated again in 2023, and now TaylorMade has updated it again for 2024. The new P·770 irons have the same script on the side and brushed chrome finish that the other P Series irons have been given, so from a visual standpoint, golfers and fitters can opt to use them as a complete set or blend the P·770 with P·790, P·7CB or even P·7MB irons to create a blended but cohesive set.

Who are the new TaylorMade P·770 irons for?

The P·770 is a better-player’s distance iron. It is for low-handicap golfers who want a compact head shape but who also desire more ball speed and some forgiveness.

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What should you know about the new TaylorMade P·770 irons?

In the address position, golfers may notice TaylorMade has designed the topline of the updated P·770 to be thinner, but looking at the clubs, they might not notice the leading edge of the 3-iron through 7-iron have been smoothed and pre-worn. The sole is still slightly wider than the P·7CB and P·7MB, but it is thinner than other TaylorMade irons. According to TaylorMade, the tight leading-edge radius and thin sole should help the P·770 get in and out of the turf more efficiently while also creating a higher launch angle with the long irons.

The P·770 irons have L-shaped faces that are forged using 4041 stainless steel. They are designed to wrap under the leading edge and into the sole, and the 3-iron through 7-iron have been designed with a Speed Pocket slot that is positioned directly behind the leading edge. The slot, which is covered by a polymer to keep water and debris out of the heads, allows the lower portion of the hitting area to flex more efficiently on low-struck shots for increased distance.

TaylorMade fills the inner chamber of the P·770 with SpeedFoam Air, a light material that soaks up excessive vibrations to enhance sound and feel. Making the center of the club lighter also pushes more overall weight to the perimeter, which boosts stability without making the clubs larger.

Designers also strategically positioned tungsten weights inside each head, with the precise location and amount of tungsten varying by club. This allows TaylorMade to lower and elevate the center of gravity (CG) location based on what the club is designed to do. TaylorMade refers to this as FLTD CG, with the long irons having the most tungsten and lowest CG, so they produce a higher launch angle. Progressing through the set, the CG location rises, so the short irons feature the highest CG locations, so shots come off lower for increased accuracy and control.

The P·770 lofts are typical for modern, better-player distance irons, with a 3-iron at 19 degrees, 6-iron at 29 degrees and 9-iron at 41 degrees. The P·770 pitching wedge has 45 degrees of loft, and there is an attack wedge available that has 50 degrees of loft.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop new TM P•770 irons” link=”https://go.linkby.com/DKDWACGB”]

How does the TaylorMade P·770 compare to other TaylorMade irons?

The TaylorMade P·770 is very similar in construction and appearance to the P·790, but the P·770 is smaller and has a shorter blade length and slightly thinner topline.

The P·770 is slightly larger than the new P·7CB, but the P·7CB is a solid-bodied club while the P·770 is hollow. Therefore, the P·770 should create more ball speed and distance, and its slightly larger size should make it more forgiving and stable on mis-hits. The P·770 will also hit the ball higher and with less spin than the P·7CB.

How much do the new TaylorMade P·770 irons cost?

The TaylorMade P·770 irons cost $1,399.99 (seven clubs) and come standard with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid 115 steel shafts and Golf Pride Z grips.

When will the new TaylorMade P·770 be in stores?

The TaylorMade P·770 irons will be available for pre-sale on July 31 and should be in stores starting on September 6.

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TaylorMade P·7CB irons (2024)

The TaylorMade P·7CB irons are designed for consistent ballstrikers.

While clubs like the TaylorMade Qi irons and Stealth irons offered mid- and higher-handicap players more distance and forgiveness, within the TaylorMade stable, P Series irons have always been for more-accomplished golfers, players who want enhanced control and more feel. The P·7MB is a modern muscleback blade and the P·7MC is a solid muscle-cavity, while the P·770 and P·790 are hollow-bodied clubs designed as better-player distance offerings.

Starting about two years ago, TaylorMade began hearing from players who wanted something between the P·7MC and the P·770. Now, after both Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa tested and started using prototypes of the TaylorMade P·7CB, the Carlsbad, California-based equipment maker is releasing it to everyone.

Who are the TaylorMade P·7CB irons for?

The TaylorMade P·7CB irons are designed for consistent ballstrikers and elite golfers who want a touch of forgiveness to go along with a compact, control-oriented iron.

What you should know about the P·7CB irons

Each of P·7CB head is forged using 1025 carbon steel, but TaylorMade mills two pockets into the sole of the heads. A longer pocket extends from the heel through the middle of the sole, and it is filled with a metal matrix composite (MMC) material that is one-seventh the weight of stainless steel. A small pocket near the toe is filled with up to 11 grams of tungsten.

TaylorMade P·7CB irons — The P·7CB irons have a light metal matrix composite piece and a tungsten toe weight hidden under a steel sole plate. (TaylorMade)

By removing the 1025 carbon steel and replacing it with a lighter metal, then concentrating extra weight in the toe, TaylorMade designers can counteract the weight of the hosel, pull the ideal hitting area into the center of the face and in the long irons, lower the center of gravity (CG) location.

You can not see either of the pockets because TaylorMade adds a co-forged steel sole plate over both areas before the whole head is re-forged.

TaylorMade P·7CB 2024 — The TaylorMade P·7CB has a machined face area and grooves. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

TaylorMade has machined the hitting area and grooves in the P·7CB irons to ensure the face is perfectly flat. Good players will be able to generate the spin needed to hit draws, cut shots and work the ball up and down as needed.

Visually, the TaylorMade P·7CB, with an anti-glare Tour Satin finish, fits in with the other P Series irons. The topline is slightly thicker than the topline of the P·7MC, and the blade length is slightly longer, too, but in the address position, it would take a very sharp eye to notice those things. The P·7CB has marginally less offset than the P·7MC.

Turf interaction is critical for good iron players, and with a sole that is slightly wider than the bottom of the P·7MC, the P·7CB should work in and out of the ground quickly and easily for low-handicap golfers.

As you would expect, the lofts of the P·7CB irons are traditional, with a 3-iron at 20 degrees, 6-iron at 29 degrees and the pitching wedge at 46 degrees of loft. An attack wedge is also available at 51 degrees, so players and fitters should be able to use the P·7CB with other TaylorMade irons to create a blended set.

How much do the TaylorMade P·7CB irons cost?

The TaylorMade P·7CB irons cost $1,399.99 (seven clubs) and come standard with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid 115 steel shafts and Golf Price Z grips.

When will the TaylorMade P·7CB irons become available?

The TaylorMade P·7CB irons will be available for pre-order starting July 31 and should be in stores starting September 6.

Best new golf irons you can buy in 2024

Check out Golfweek’s list of the best irons available to purchase in 2024.

As Golfweek explained in our 2024 Driver wrap-up, the undeniable trend in the world of drivers is toward higher-stability offerings that not only perform well when you hit the ball in the middle of the face, but also help you hit straighter shots and help you maintain distance when you mis-hit toward the heel or the toe.

When it comes to irons, the trend continues to be the broadening array of offers to meet the needs of different types of players. Not that long ago, equipment makers sold blades to the best players, cavity-backs to golfers who needed some forgiveness and oversized clubs to high-handicappers and beginners. Those clubs still exist, but they are complemented by better-player distance irons, sets that blend hybrids and irons for forgiveness, and sets that blend hollow-bodied long irons with precision-minded scoring clubs.

Take Ping as an example. The Phoenix-based brand now has the Blueprint T and Blueprint S for elite players, the tour-proven i230 for good players who want more forgiveness, the i525 for golfers who want a better-player’s distance iron, the game-improvement G430 and it still offers the G710 as a max game-improvement club. Brands like Callaway, Cobra, Mizuno, TaylorMade and Titleist have similarly deep stables.

Early this suumer, new irons like the Bettinardi MB24 and CB24, the Cobra Limit3d and the Wilson Staff Model RB Utility iron have dropped.

So much variety is great golfers, but it has never been more important to seek out a good custom fitter, try several different shafts and heads and see what the data reveals.

Below are many of the irons that you will see in pro shops and specialty stores. Use this list as a starting point to discover clubs that might be ideal for you game.

Best golf irons in 2024

Ping i730 irons

The G730 is for mid- and higher-handicap golfers who want a big, easy-to-hit iron that delivers more distance and forgiveness.

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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.

Ping G730 irons — 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.

Cobra Darkspeed, Darkspeed One-Length irons

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.

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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.

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Cobra Darkspeed Iron — 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 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.

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Below are several images of the Darkspeed and Darkspeed One-Length irons:

Ping Blueprint S irons

A new forging process helps make Ping Blueprint S iron more forgiving.

Gear: Blueprint S irons
Price: $230 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold S300 steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips, $245 each with Ping Alta CB Black graphite shafts
Specs: Forged 8620 carbon steel with a high-density toe screw and Hyrdopearl 2.0 finish. Available 3-iron through pitching wedge.
Available: Jan. 9

Who They’re For: Accomplished golfers who want a better-player’s distance iron with extra forgiveness in the long irons.

The Skinny: A new forging process gives the Blueprint S enhanced performance and feel in the long irons without making them too big, while the short irons in this better-player’s distance set deliver control and precision.

The Deep Dive: The better-player distance category has been one of the hottest parts of the golf industry for the last few years, with more and more brands offering distancing-enhancing clubs that look like muscleback blades. In 2021, Ping released the i59, a club with a clean look, a thin topline and a touch of offset but that hides an internal aluminum piece (AlumiCore) that creates more perimeter weighting and stability.

The i59 is being replaced in 2024 by the new Blueprint S iron, a club that resembles the forged muscleback blades that most tour players love. And once again, Ping is hiding some features that make the Blueprint S more playable.

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The new Blueprint S has a topline that is a few millimeters wider than the i59, and there is a little more offset, too. The Blueprint S is forged from a piece of 8620 carbon steel, but what sets it apart is how it is forged compared to other forged irons.

The hitting area of every other forged iron is flat once the forging process begins and the hot steel is pressed into shape. But in the Blueprint S 3-iron, 4-iron and 5-iron, the first rough forging and second strike bend the head so the top portion of the club angles downward, spreading the back of the club. Then the metal is reoriented (tipped) to allow a small pocket to be milled into the back of the head. The pocket is like a pilot hole you might use when screwing something into a wall. The next strike utilizes the milled pocket and creates a pocket in the back of the head. Finally, with the pocket in place, a final two strikes of the hot metal flatten the hitting area again.

Previously, a construction like this was only possible in a cast club because you cannot create an angled cavity in the back of an iron head if the press comes straight down on top of the billet.

Ping believes this seven-step forging process can uniquely deliver the feel low-handicap players demand while removing 10 grams of steel (weight) and replacing it with a piece of vibration-absorbing thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) that is capped with stainless steel. It also helped Ping designers lower the center of gravity and make it easier to hit the Blueprint S long irons on a higher trajectory.

The 6-iron through pitching wedge are traditionally forged and do not have the TPU insert in the long irons. The mid-irons and scoring clubs also have blade lengths that are progressively shorter.

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For several years, Ping has added weight screws in the toe and tip weights in the heel of irons to boost the moment of inertia and increase stability. The Blueprint S has these features, plus an updated steel shaft hosel stick. The stick weight is molded in a cap that goes up from the hosel and into the tip of a steel shaft. It ranges from 1 to 10 grams. Ping now also has a molded sleeve ranging from 1 to 5 grams designed to accommodate graphite shafts with a much smaller hollow area in the center.

Compared to Ping’s new Blueprint T, the Blueprint S is slightly larger and has more perimeter weighting, and will be more forgiving. The Blueprint S will also launch the ball higher, but it still creates a lower launch than the i230, which has the highest launch angle in Ping’s better-player iron lineup.

Finally, to make it easier for players and fitters to create blended sets that include Blueprint S and the new Blueprint T irons, Ping matched all the lofts of its better-player irons (including the i230). The flight and feel varies subtly from club to club, but now it should be easier to create consistent distance gaps between different types of irons.

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Below are several images of the Ping Blueprint S irons:

Ping Blueprint T irons

For elite ballstrikers, collegiate players and low-handicap golfers, Ping offers the new Blueprint T.

Gear: Ping Blueprint T irons
Price: $230 with True Temper Dynamic Gold S300 steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips, $245 with Ping Alta CB Black graphite shafts
Specs: Forged 8620 carbon steel with a high-density toe screw and Hyrdopearl 2.0 finish. Available 3-pitching wedge.
Available: Jan. 9

Who They’re For: Low-handicap golfers who want a traditional-looking iron that maximizes feel, control and precision.

The Skinny: The Blueprint T has the compact size, clean lines and control-oriented design that elite ballstrikers crave.

The Deep Dive: Golfers such as Tony Finau and Tyrrell Hatton have powerful, repeatable swings, so they don’t look for irons designed to create more ball speed. They aren’t looking for more forgiveness. What elite golfers want from their irons is an enhanced sense of feel. They want to know exactly where each shot was struck on the hitting area, along with the highest level of predictability, because when golfers like Finau and Hatton make a particular swing, they demand a specific result.

For elite ballstrikers, collegiate players and low-handicap golfers, Ping offers the new Blueprint T, and the Phoenix, Arizona-based company has tried to design it as everything low-handicappers want.

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The Blueprint T replaces the original Blueprint, which was released in 2019. It is the most compact Ping iron, with an extremely short blade length, a narrow topline and only a touch of offset. The Blueprint T is also the only Ping iron with a single, non-variable blade length in the 3-iron through 8-iron.

The heads are forged from a single piece of 8620 carbon steel before the hitting area is machined flat, and the grooves are added.

Ping designers added tip and toe weights to the Blueprint T to subtly increase its perimeter weighting. This should make the clubs resist twisting on off-center hits. Slightly.

The Blueprint T creates a lower launch angle than the new Blueprint S and generates slightly less spin. The clubs come standard with the same traditional lofts, with the 5-iron being 26 degrees and the 9-iron being 41 degrees. This should make it easier for players and fitters to create blended sets while maintaining consistent distance gaps between different types of irons.

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Below are several close-up images of the Ping Blueprint T irons:

TaylorMade Qi, Qi HL irons

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.

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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.

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TaylorMade Qi irons — 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.

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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: