Your iron game need a boost? Check out these clubs for more speed, height and forgiveness.
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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Cobra’s two new hollow-bodied irons deliver more distance and feel for better players and mid-handicap golfers.
Gear: Cobra King Forged TEC, Forged TEC X irons
Price: $1,199 (Steel), $1,299 (graphite)
Specs: Forged 1025 carbon steel body and MS-300 stainless steel face with tungsten insert (Forged TEC); Cast 431 stainless steel body with forged ST-118 stainless steel face and tungsten insert (Forged TEC X)
Available: April 29
Who it’s for: The King Forged TEC is for accomplished golfers who want more distance, while the Forged TECX X is for mid-handicap golfers who want more distance and forgiveness in a compact iron.
The Skinny: The fourth generation of Forged TEC irons has a shorter blade length, thinner topline and narrower sole to make it appeal to better players, and Cobra also is releasing the first Forged TEX X, a game-improvement club that looks similar but is larger, more forgiving and delivers more ball speed for mid-handicap players.
As with many Cobra irons, the Forged TEC and Forged TEC X are available in a traditional, variable-length set or a One Length set. In the One Length version, each club is the same length as a typical 7-iron (37.25 inches).
For players with a consistent swing, there are lots of classic-looking irons available that can enhance their performance.
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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Sure, everyone wants to hole more putts and get more distance off the tee, but pros have accepted the notion, based on analytics, that the more birdie chances you have, the lower your scores will go, even if you are not a great putter. Distance off the tee can help, but accuracy and consistency from the fairway with your irons will translate into birdie chances and keep big numbers off your scorecard.
Below is a list of the players who lead the PGA Tour in strokes gained approach the green, along with the irons they currently play.
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Tour Edge has made a clear distinction when it comes to their new Exotics irons.
Gear: Tour Edge Exotics C722, Exotics E722 irons Price: $699.99 with steel shafts/$799.99 graphite Specs: Cast stainless steel heads
Last year, Tour Edge was surprised by the success of the Exotics C721 and E721 irons. The company believed in the designs and the technologies in the clubs, but it was not anticipating that sets of the better player’s C721 would wind up in bags of golfers on the PGA Tour Champions, but they did.
For 2022, Tour Edge is not rocking the boat with the release of the Exotics C722 and Exotics E722 irons. Instead, the Batavia, Illinois-based company is increasing the gap between them, creating a more-clear distinction about who each club is made for.
Tour Edge Exotics C722 irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Exotics C722
The C stands for competition, and these are hollow-bodied clubs designed to be a better-player’s distance iron.
The Exotics C722 has a cast 17-4 stainless steel body and a forged, maraging steel face. On the inner-facing side, the face has 103 diamond-shaped areas with different thicknesses. Tour Edge refers to this as Diamond Face VFT technology, and it is designed to broaden the sweet spot and allow the hitting area to flex more efficiently to create more ball speed.
Thermoplastic polyurethane is injected inside the heads to absorb excessive vibrations to enhance sound and feel.
The most significant difference in the Exotics C722 over last season’s version is the heads are 15 percent smaller, with a thinner topline, so in the address position, they should be even more appealing to golfers who like a traditional blade.
Tour Edge Exotics E722 irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Exotics E722
The E stands for extreme, and this is the larger, more forgiving of the new 722 irons.
Like the Exotics C722, the E722 is a hollow-bodied club that has been made with Diamond Face VFT for increased ball speed and the vibration-dampening VIBRCOR polymer injection to soften the feel.
However, the Exotics E722 is larger and has a 360-degree undercut design that allowed designers to lower the center of gravity and pull it back, away from the face. This should encourage higher initial launch angles and help mid- and higher-handicap players get the ball in the air more easily.
Adding extra weight to the toe area also helps broaden the sweet spot and protect ball speed on mis-hits.
A hollow-bodied, better-player’s distance iron, Ping’s new i525 has a classic look at address with feel-enhancing technologies as well.
Gear: Ping i525 irons Price: $205 each with Project X IO shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grips; $220 each with UST Mamiya Recoil graphite shafts Specs: Forged 17-4 stainless steel body with maraging stainless steel face and internal polymer. Available: Feb. 8
The new Ping i525 irons, which replace the i500 irons released in 2018, were designed for accomplished golfers who prefer the look of a better-player iron but are seeking the distance enhancement of game-improvement clubs. To make that happen, Ping’s designers had to be clever and add some new technologies without creating visual distractions.
Mission accomplished. The i525 is one of the cleanest-looking clubs in the Ping stable. In the address position, golfers will see a thin topline, minimal offset and a short blade length. It is a compact-looking club, like the recently released i59 iron.
The body of the i525 is forged 17-4 stainless steel, with a maraging stainless steel faceplate that is robotically welded into position. The variable-thickness face is thinner around the edges and slightly thicker in the center, which broadens the sweet spot. The i525 is also hollow, which allows the hitting area to flex more efficiently at impact to increase ball speed and distance.
The maraging steel face is welded to the forged, hollow body. (Ping)
Ping designed the i525 with an internal undercut to improve performance on low-struck shots. On thin shots, the face bends farther back for more efficient energy transfer.
While the i525 is designed for better players, no one hits every shot perfectly, so Ping added high-density, 6-gram weights made of steel and tungsten to the toe and inside the heel. That extra perimeter weighting increases stability and makes the heads less susceptible to twisting on off-center hits.
In the address position, the i525 irons display a narrow topline and minimal offset. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
To improve the sound and feel of the i525, Ping added 4 grams of hot melt (a soft EVA polymer) to the back of each club’s face. It does not inhibit the face from flexing but soaks up excessive vibrations to make the i525 feel more like a blade at impact.
Ping gave the i525 its new MicroMax grooves for added consistency from the fairway and the rough. They are packed more tightly in the hitting area to help maintain spin on long-iron shots and reduce the severity of flier lies on short-iron approach shots. Ping also designed the i525 with a HyrdoPearl Chrome 2.0 finish that repels water for better performance in wet conditions and from the rough.
In the market for some new irons? We’ve got you covered.
Golf’s surge in popularity over the last two years has brought an influx of new players to the game, many of whom either borrowed clubs from friends or rented sets from the course. Maybe they just reached into the demo bucket at the local range and discovered that while golf is challenging, it is also rewarding, especially when you hit a great shot.
When it comes to irons, there are more options than ever before, ranging from muscleback blades for elite players who want to maximize their ability to curve the ball and shape shots to distance-enhancing irons to clubs that look and perform like miniature hybrids.
The best way to discover which set of irons is best for you is to work with a good custom fitter and try as many different combinations of heads and shafts as possible. The irons listed below can act as a great starting point on your journey to finding your next perfect set.
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Like many other previously released Cobra irons, the LTDx is available in variable lengths and a One-Length version.
Gear: Cobra LTDx irons Price: $899 with KBS Tour 90 steel shafts or PGI graphite shafts and Lamkin Crossline grips Specs: 421 stainless steel body with internal steel weight and vibration-dampening polymer. Available: February 11
Game-improvement irons are the category where many golf equipment manufacturers show off their latest technologies. In recent years Cobra has been as innovative as any brand. Carbon fiber in the topline of an iron, check. Back pieces that are 3D printed, check. For 2022, Cobra has a new weighting system at the heart of the LTDx irons, which along with other features is meant to bring more distance and forgiveness to a large segment of the market.
PWR-COR is a feature that has been added to Cobra’s woods for 2022, but it means something different in the LTDx irons. Here, it’s a multi-material weighting system. Inside each head, Cobra added a steel bar that extends through the hosel, down into the bottom of the club and to the toe area. It is suspended in a polymer injected into the head.
The PWR COR bar extends from the hosel into the heel and then to the tow area. (Cobra)
The PWR-COR does two things that can improve performance, Cobra said. First, it lowers the center of gravity to encourage higher-flying shots. Second, it positions more mass behind the area where golfers strike the ball, which in muscleback blades for accomplished players enhances feel and helps generate power. It does these things, however, without the bar touching the face.
That last part is important because Cobra designers gave the 4-iron through 7-iron a PWRSHELL face design that is extremely thin and L-shaped. It wraps under the leading edge and into the sole. The PWRSHELL face is designed to flex more efficiently to boost ball speed and distance.
The PWRSHELL face extends below the leading edge and into the sole. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
With the updated face working in tandem with the new internal weight system, the LTDx irons should help golfers achieve more distance and hit shots high more easily, which is precisely what most mid- and higher-handicap golfers want to see.
An added benefit of the polymer that encases the steel bar is it absorbs excessive vibrations, which improves sound and feel.
Like many other previously released Cobra irons, the LTDx is available in variable lengths (like most irons) and a One-Length version, with each club being 37.25 inches in length.
TaylorMade’s Stealth irons create more ball speed thanks to a hollow-body design, and they feature improved sound and feel.
Gear: TaylorMade Stealth irons Price: $999 with KBS Max MT steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline 360 grips. $1,099 with Fujikura Ventus Red or Aldila Ascent Ultralight graphite shafts Specs: 450 stainless steel face with hollow-body design and polymer vibration-dampening peice. Available: April 4
TaylorMade has a full selection of irons for accomplished golfers who have repeatable swings in its P Series, including the P•7MB (from $1,399 at PGA Superstore). P•7MC (from $1,224.99 at PGA Superstore), P•770 (from $1,244.99 at PGA Superstore) and the P•7790. For golfers such as Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa and Dustin Johnson, they are designed to deliver feel, precision and workability.
For mid- and higher-handicap players, TaylorMade has game-improvement clubs such as last season’s SIM2 Max (from $799.99 at PGA Superstore), which feature wider soles, distance-enhancing construction and feel-improving technologies. While better-player irons often see performance enhancements made slowly, club players tend to be more open to trying new things if they can deliver improved performance, distance and consistency.
With the release of the new Stealth irons, TaylorMade believes it has a game-improvement club that can do all that, even while wrapped in a cleaner, more-sophisticated package.
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Callaway Rogue ST irons have compter-designed faces, hollow-body construction for more ball speed and extra stability.
Gear: Callaway Rogue ST Max, Rogue ST Max OS, Rogue ST Pro irons Price: Rogue ST Max – $999.99 (at Carl’s Golfland and Dick’s) with True Temper Elevate MPH or Project X steel shafts and Callaway Universal grips; $1,099.99 with Project X Cypher Black, Mitsubishi AV Series Blue or AV Series White graphite shafts. Rogue ST Max OS – $999.99 steel; $1,099.99 graphite (at Carl’s Golfland and Dick’s). Rogue ST Pro – $1,199.99 steel (at Carl’s Golfland and Dick’s); $1,299.99 graphite (at Carl’s Golfland and Dick’s). Specs: Cast 450 stainless steel with internal tungsten weight and urethane microspheres Available: Feb. 18
For 2022, Callaway’s new Rogue ST iron family uses new materials and improvements to established technologies to boost distance and forgiveness for a wide variety of golfers.
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