Whether you are in the market for game-improvement irons, muscleback blades or something in between, check out the newest irons for 2021.
The holidays are a distant memory but ’tis the season for new golf equipment to be arriving at your local pro shop and golf specialty store. We showed you the abundance of new drivers, and now it is time to focus on irons.
The trend in irons is to utilize unique materials and construction to not only allow golfers to hit the ball farther and higher but to get better performance on mis-hit shots. However, this season there are not just game-improvement and max game-improvement irons for mid- and higher-handicap golfers. We are also seeing a bumper crop of irons designed for experienced golfers who have repeatable, powerful swings and demand feel and control.
The best way to figure out which new iron is ideal for your game is to work with a good custom fitter, use a launch monitor and test several models and shafts.
The newest irons from Tour Edge feature a new vibration-dampening system and a unique face technology to maximize distance.
In October, Tour Edge released the latest budget-friendly, distance-oriented Hot Launch woods and irons, the E521 family. All those clubs were designed to hit the ball high, straight and far.
Tour Edge’s other family of clubs is the Exotics line, and with the two newest Exotics irons, the C721 and E721, the Batavia, Ill.-based company is setting its eyes on the player’s-distance market and the game-improvement category using several high-tech features and cutting-edge design elements.
The two irons share a pair of crucial features that are new for Tour Edge. First is Dual VibRCOR, a vibration-dampening material used to enhance feel. Second is Diamond Face 2.0, a face-design element engineered to help the hitting area flex more efficiently for increased distance.
Parsons Xtreme Golf updated its flagship iron family for more distance, better feel and enhanced customization, with three model options.
Gear: PXG 0311 GEN4 T, 0311 GEN4 P, 0311 GEN4 XP irons Price: $349 each Specs: Forged 8620 carbon-steel, hollow chassis with HT1770 stainless steel face and injected thermoplastic Available: March 9 (pre-order)
Parsons Xtreme Golf (PXG) debuted in 2014 with a set of irons, the original 0311 model, that featured unique weight screws surrounding the heads and a hollow-bodied design. They were intended to look like a muscleback blade in the address position but play like a distance-enhancing, game-improvement club. The secret sauce was the addition of a soft thermoplastic elastomer inside each head that supported an ultra-thin face without inhibiting it from flexing. The material also softened feel and enhanced sound.
Over the past seven years, those irons have been refined and now the company has released the fourth generation of the 0311 irons, with the T model designed for accomplished golfers, the P being ideally suited for mid-handicap players who want more distance and feel, and the XP meant for players who want the maximum in forgiveness and power.
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This exclusive video with Brad Schweigert, PXG’s chief product officer, explains all the details about the new GEN4 0311 iron family.
TaylorMade’s SIM2 Max and SIM2 Max OS irons feature a new Back Cap design to enhance sound and feel along with a distance-enhancing face.
Gear: TaylorMade SIM2 Max, SIM2 Max OS irons Price: $799 (4-PW) with KBS Max MT shafts and Lamkin Crossline 360 grips; $899 with Fujikura Ventus Blue graphite shafts Specs: Hollow-bodied design with 450 stainless steel face and polymer back piece Available: Feb. 19
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For golfers who struggle to get the ball high in the air and who want more distance with their irons, TaylorMade designed the M5 and M6 irons two years ago with a bar in the back of the head called a Speed Bridge. By connecting the topline to the back of the club behind a massive undercut cavity, designers made the head stiffer while also letting the face flex more for increased ball speed.
Last season’s SIM Max and SIM Max OS irons advanced the technologies for mid- and higher-handicap golfers, and now TaylorMade is releasing the SIM2 Max and SIM2 OS to deliver even better sound and feel without sacrificing ball speed.
Every SIM2 Max iron has a 450 stainless steel face that is thin and flexible and also has a unique inverted cone design. It has a slightly thicker area in the center and gets progressively thinner toward the outside. A slot cut into the sole, which TaylorMade refers to as a Speed Pocket, allows the lower portion of the face to flex more efficiently, especially on low-struck shots.
The Back Cap design stiffens the topline and saves weight. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Instead of merely having a Speed Bridge on the back of the head to support the topline, the new SIM2 Max irons have a Cap Back design. It’s a multi-material piece that stretches from the heel to the toe, made by layering lightweight polymer over an adhesive layer. It supports the entire topline, unlike the Speed Bridge, which supported it in the center, and helps absorb excessive vibrations to improve sound and feel.
TaylorMade said the critical advantage of its Cap Back design is that unlike vibration-dampening badges that are bonded to the back of the face, where they can reduce face flex, it fits on the seam created by the back cavity and topline. The face is freer to flex in a hollow chamber inside the head.
The SIM2 Max irons have a moderately-thick topline and offset. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
An additional benefit of the Cap Back piece is the polymer used to make it is seven times lighter than steel, which made it easier for designers to keep the center of gravity down for players who want a higher ball flight.
One technology that carries over from last year’s SIM Max irons is the Echo Dampening system. It is an extremely soft polymer that stretches from the heel to the toe inside the head, touching the lower portion of the face inside the head to enhance sound and feel.
Looking down at the SIM2 Max irons, golfers will see a reassuringly thick topline and plenty of offset to help players square the face more easily through impact.
The TaylorMade SIM2 Max OS irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
For golfers who want even more forgiveness, TaylorMade is offering the SIM2 Max OS. It has been made using the same technologies, including the progressive Inverted Cone face, Cap Back and Echo Dampening systems and Speed Pocket, but the SIM2 Max OS is larger.
Callaway’s Apex, Apex Pro ad Apex DCB irons are all forged for enhanced feel, while a cup face design and tungsten weights boost distance.
Gear: Callaway Apex, Apex Pro, Apex DCB irons Price: $185 each with True Temper Elevate ETS 95 steel shafts and Golf Pride Z Grip Soft grips; $200 each with UST Mamiya Recoil Dart 75 graphite shafts Specs: Forged 1025 carbon-steel body with tungsten inserts and urethane microspheres Available: Feb. 11
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Callaway’s Apex irons have bridged two worlds since they debuted in 2014, providing the feel of a forged club with the distance enhancement of an undercut-cavity, game-improvement iron. They provide power with feel, a combination any low or mid-handicap golfer should love.
The original Apex irons have been updated three times over the past seven years, and with the 2021 version of the Apex, Apex Pro and now the Apex DCB, Callaway believes it has the most advanced, broadest line of Apex irons yet.
Callaway Apex irons for 2021. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The standard Apex features a body forged from 1025 carbon steel for soft feel and a thin, forged stainless steel cup face designed using artificial intelligence. Callaway started developing driver faces using artificial intelligence three years ago, and it was used to create the faces in last season’s Mavrik irons, but this is the first time Callaway is bringing artificial intelligence to a forged iron. Supercomputers ran thousands of simulations to determine how each face should be made, with different parameters for each club. The long irons are made to enhance distance and forgiveness, while short irons concentrate on spin consistency and control.
Internal tungsten weights low the center of gravity and encourage a higher ball flight in the Apex long irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The help golfers hit higher-flying, softer-landing approach shots, Callaway added tungsten weights wrapped in urethane microspheres to the 3- through 9-irons. Referred to as a Tungsten Energy Core, the three-weight system varies the amount of tungsten in each club. The weights are metal-injection-molded to ensure precise placement, with lower-lofted clubs having tungsten designed near the bottom of the head to lower the center of gravity and encourage a higher launch. Higher-lofted clubs have tungsten placed higher in the chassis to enhance feel and promote a more piercing, controlled ball flight. On average, there is six times more tungsten in each iron compared to the Apex ’19 irons.
The urethane microspheres that encase the weights are tiny glass bubbles that absorb vibrations at impact. They enhance sound and feel but do not impede the face from flexing or reduce ball speed. Callaway said the new Apex irons are 3 yards longer than the 2019 model and 5 yards longer on shots hit low in the face.
Callaway Apex Pro irons for 2021. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The Apex Pro irons, like their predecessors, have a shorter blade length, thinner topline and less offset than the standard Apex irons. But the 2021 version is very different than last season’s Apex Pro.
Cosmetically, they have a more sophisticated look designed to appeal to better players, and the most significant difference is Callaway made the new Apex Pro hollow. This should help the forged, artificial intelligence-designed cup faces flex more efficiently to create more ball speed.
At address, the Apex Pro has the thin topline and minimal offset that low-handicap golfers like. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The Apex Pro 3-iron through 7-iron also have a Tungsten Energy Core system, like the standard Apex, but in the Pro model the mid- and short irons have the tungsten higher in the heads. The more elevated center of gravity in the mid- and short irons should allow accomplished golfers to shape shots more effectively.
The Callaway Apex DCB irons is the largest and most forgiving Apex iron. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Finally, for golfers who have admired the feel of the Apex irons but need more forgiveness, Callaway is offering the Apex DCB, which stands for deep cavity back. Like the Apex and Apex Pro, it is forged from 1025 carbon steel for soft feel, has artificial intelligence-designed faces and the Tungsten Energy Core system. However, for higher-handicap golfers the Apex DCB has a wider sole and thicker topline with more offset. The lofts are stronger, but Callaway said golfers can still hit their iron shots higher into the air because the center of gravity location is so low and back, away from the cup face.
Callaway’s new max game-improvement Big Bertha B-21 irons are designed to help players find more distance and get more consistency.
Gear: Callaway Big Bertha B-21 irons Price: $899.99 with KBS CT80 steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet Soft grips; $999.99 with Callaway RCH graphite shafts Specs: A super-game-improvement iron with tungsten weights and a urethane insert Available: Sept. 10
Golfers who generate lots of power and who have repeatable swings want irons that let them carve up a golf course. They want to hit the high draw, the power fade or the low runner. They demand good looks, feel and control.
But the vast majority of golfers are not tour pros, college golfers or elite amateurs. They’re weekend players who don’t take lessons and struggle to hit the center of the face, and all they want is to hit the ball farther and straighter.
Callaway’s newest super-game-improvement clubs, the Big Bertha B-21 irons, are designed for those high-handicap players. And these clubs are designed much differently than better-player irons.
The Big Bertha B-21 irons have a thick topline and lots of offset. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Staring down at the Big Bertha B-21 in the address position, golfers will see a thick topline, a long blade length and significant offset. Flipping the clubs over reveals a wide sole. All these features can be be visually reassuring to higher-handicap golfers.
From the outside, the hitting area looks like a typical iron. Inside, the face is covered by ripples and bulges. It was designed using artificial intelligence to maximize distance and create varying amounts of spin for each club, so the specific thicknesses and patterns for each iron in the set is different.
Callaway also designed the Big Bertha B-21 irons with a cup face, so the hitting area is attached to the body behind the leading edge, topline and toe. This helps broaden the sweet spot.
Callaway added a large piece of tungsten to the Big Bertha B-21 to lower the center of gravity. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
To drive down the center of gravity, Callaway designed a Visible Tungsten Energy Core (VTEC) into each head, positioning it behind the face. A second piece of tungsten in the toe shifts the ideal hitting area directly into the middle of the scoring lines. There are more than 40 grams of tungsten in each iron.
To soften the feel of impact and enhance sound, urethane microspheres – tiny glass bubbles in urethane foam – were added around the tungsten. The urethane-microsphere piece is compressible, so while it touches the face, it will not inhibit it from flexing or decrease ball speed.
The Big Bertha B-21 has a cup-face design. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
While the lofts of the Big Bertha B-21 irons are strong, with the 5-iron being 22 degrees and the 9-iron at 38 degrees, Callaway is making every iron between a 4-iron and lob wedge available in the set. It’s also worth noting that with such a low and back center of gravity, stronger-lofted irons can still fly higher into the air for slower-swinging, higher-handicap golfers.
The new Ping G710 irons provide slower-swinging players with more distance and forgiveness with enhanced sound.
Gear: Ping G710 irons Price: $175 per club with Ping AWT 2.0 steel shafts and Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet Arccos Caddie grips; $190 with Ping Alta CB Red graphite shafts Specs: Hollow-body 17-4 stainless steel head, plasma-welded maraging steel C300 face, tungsten toe and hosel weights Available: Jan. 20
Two years ago Ping released its first hollow-bodied iron set, the G700, for mid- and higher-handicap golfers who want to hit the ball higher and farther. The company has now released the update to that club, the G710, promising it will help golfers get more distance and be more forgiving.
While the body of each G710 iron is cast from 17-4 stainless steel, the hitting areas are made from hardened maraging steel. Its strength allowed engineers to make it thin, and because the clubs are hollow, the hitting area can flex more efficiently at impact. Ping said the G710 creates the most face deflection of any Ping iron to help golfers generate more ball speed and more distance.
Tungsten added under the hosel and in a screw piece in the toe area boost the moment of inertia. (Ping)
Ping also added pieces of tungsten in the heel and toe areas to increase the perimeter weighting and boost the moment of inertia. Ping said the G710 has a moment of inertia that is 5 percent higher than the G700, which means it should perform better on off-center hits.
What might surprise golfers the most is how the G710 sounds at impact. Typically, hollow-bodied irons have a higher-pitched sound, not the deep, resounding tone that comes from many solid, better-player’s clubs. After studying the sound waves clubs produce at impact, Ping’s designers added an Ethylene-vinyl acetate polymer piece to an area inside the head to absorb excessive vibrations and enhance the sound. As a result, the G710 has a similar sound profile to Ping’s Blueprint irons, the clubs used by some tour players such as Louis Oosthuizen.
The G710 iron’s face deflects – or bends – more than any other Ping iron. (Ping)
While the G700 irons had a chrome finish, the G710 irons are darker. The hydropearl stealth chrome finish reduces glare and repels water to help players get more consistent results and avoid fliers created by water on the face. The darker finish also makes the G710 appear smaller than the G700, even though the two irons are identical in size.
Each G710 iron comes standard with Golf Pride grips that have an embedded Arccos sensor. (Ping)
Ping is making Arccos Caddie Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet Smart grips standard on the G710 irons. Each grip’s embedded sensor can link with a free Arccos smartphone app and provide valuable data such as how far players typically hit each club and where they tend to miss. Golfers receive a 90-day free trial of the Arccos Caddie app and eight additional screw-in sensors at no charge after the purchase of six or more G710 irons. If players like the added Caddie feature, which uses analytics to make club suggestions and provide strategic feedback, they will need to buy a $99.99 annual subscription after the 90-day trial is complete.
Titleist is known for blades, but it made the new T400 irons to deliver loads of distance and forgiveness for slower-swinging players.
Gear: Titleist T400 irons Price: $185 per iron with True Temper AMT Red steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 Lite+ grips; $199.99 per club with Mitsubishi Fubuki MV IR graphite shafts Specs: Hollow-bodied irons with forged SUP-10 stainless steel face and internal tungsten weights Available: March 27
Titleist is known for making muscleback blades and cavity backs such as the 620 MB and 620 CB irons for elite ballstrikers like Justin Thomas, Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth, but the company also has offered game-improvement clubs.
Last August, Titleist debuted the T300 for mid- and higher-handicap golfers who want more distance and forgiveness. Now the company is releasing the new T400, a super-game-improvement club that is bigger, more powerful and more forgiving than any other club in Titleist’s stable.
The thick topline and offset should boost confidence for slower-swinging golfers. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
At address, golfers looking down at the T400 irons will see thick toplines and plenty of offset because these clubs were not made for pros. They were designed to help moderate and slower swings produce more distance.
Each T400 iron is hollow, and the 5-iron through 7-iron feature a thin, forged SUP-10 stainless steel face that is shaped like an L, wrapping under the leading edge and extending into the sole. It flexes easily at impact to create more ball speed, especially on shots struck low in the hitting area.
An added benefit of making the T400 irons hollow is Titleist designers were able to add large, internal pieces of heavy tungsten to the heel and toe areas. The precise amount varies by the club but goes up to 100 grams, which creates extreme perimeter weighting to boost the stability on off-center hits.
Tungsten in the heel and toe boost stability. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The internal tungsten weights are in the back of the split sole on the bottom of the club, and by adding that weight so far back from the hitting area, Titleist was able to lower the center of gravity. That in turn helps the clubs produce higher-flying shots. At the same time, the split-sole design reduces turf interaction.
The split-sole design reduces turf interaction and allows the center of gravity to shift farther back. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
To help golfers generate more clubhead speed, Titleist also reduced weight in other areas of the club. The stock Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 Lite+ grips are 9 grams lighter than the stock Tour Velvet 360, while the True Temper AMT Red steel shafts feature lighter long-iron shafts for extra speed and heavier short-iron shafts for more control.
Using a supercomputer to design each face, along with tungsten weights and urethane inserts, Callaway is delivering more distance and feel.
Gear: Callaway Mavrik, Mavrik Max, Mavrik Pro irons Price: $799 (Standard, Max)/$899 (Pro) with True Temper Elevate or KBS Max steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet Soft grips; $899 (Standard, Max) with Project X Catalyst graphite shafts. Specs: Cast stainless steel with cup face design, internal tungsten bar and urethane microspheres Available: Feb. 6
A year ago Callaway released the Epic Flash driver family and touted that the faces in those clubs were designed by supercomputers that utilized artificial intelligence. Simulating how more than 15,000 prototypes would perform, the system revealed things to Callaway’s design team that would have taken years to develop.
For 2020, Callaway has used the same method to create a new iron family: the Mavrik, Mavrik Max and the Mavrik Pro.
Callaway instructed the computer to consider ball speed, launch angle and spin as it simulated prototype faces for the new irons. Not only did it come up with different face patterns for each of the three club types, it suggested unique faces for each club in all three sets too. Callaway said the suggested designs for the long irons produce more speed and distance while the short iron designs help golfers control spin and trajectory more effectively.
Each iron also has a unique tungsten weight that helps Callaway tune the center of gravity to benefit players most. Extra tungsten in the long irons helps produce higher shots, while smaller pieces of tungsten in the heads of the short irons help golfers keep approach shots down.
Tungsten is not easily welded to stainless steel, so Callaway encases each of the tungsten pieces in a urethane liquid infused with millions of tiny glass bubbles. After being injected into place, the urethane solidifies. The company refers to the material as Urethane Microspheres, and it not only holds the tungsten weight in place, it dampens vibrations and enhances feel at impact without decreasing ball speed.
All these technologies – the computer-designed cup face, tungsten weight and urethane material – work together to broaden the ideal hitting area and protect ball speed on mis-hits.
The standard Mavrik is the longest-hitting of the three new irons. It’s a game-improvement club that has a moderately thick topline and sole width with some offset. The lofts are stronger than those designed into many game-improvement irons (the 5-iron is 21 degrees and the pitching wedge is 41 degrees) because the tungsten weight helps get the ball up in the air. As a result, shots go farther and hit their apex farther downrange.
Callaway Mavrik Max iron (Callaway Golf)
The Mavrik Max is a super-game-improvement iron for higher-handicap golfers who struggle with consistency. The lofts are not as strong as the standard Mavrik’s (the 5-iron is 23 degrees and the pitching wedge is 43 degrees), but the heads are larger to make them more forgiving.
Callaway Mavrik Pro (Callaway Golf)
The Mavrik Pro irons are the most compact of the three. They have the thinnest toplines and soles, and only moderate offset. The iron lofts are 0.5 degrees weaker than the Mavrik Max, but the pitching wedge and gap wedge lofts are the same as on the Max.
TaylorMade’s newest game-improvement irons feature a Speed Bridge, a new vibration-dampening system and a slot cut into the sole.
Gear: TaylorMade SIM Max, SIM Max OS irons Price: $999.99 SIM Max (4-AW), with KBS Max 85 shafts and Lamkin Crossline 360 grips; $1,099.99 with Fujikura Ventus Blue graphite shafts; $899.99 SIM Max OS (4-AW) on steel, $999.99 on graphite Specs: Cast 450 stainless steel and 431 stainless steel heads with polymer vibration dampener Available: Feb. 7
The goal for every game-improvement and maximum game-improvement iron is to deliver more distance and forgiveness to players who tend to struggle with consistency. Golfers who rarely break 90 don’t think about controlling little draws and fades too much, but they do think about hitting the ball farther and getting it higher into the air.
Last season, TaylorMade’s M5 and M6 irons featured Speed Bridge technology, a bar designed into the back of the club to provide more distance and better feel. For 2020, TaylorMade is using that technology again as the foundation of the new SIM Max and SIM Max OS irons.
The Speed Bridge bar connects the bottom of the SIM Max iron to the topline. (TaylorMade)
The Speed Bridge bar connects the lower portion of the head to the topline, stiffening both of those areas, and that allowed TaylorMade’s engineers to make the face thinner (1.5 millimeters) and faster. It also allowed them to add a slot in the sole, which TaylorMade calls a Speed Pocket, and it goes all the way into the club in long and mid-irons (4-8). The company said the combination of a thinner face and the Speed Pocket allows the hitting area to flex more efficiently at impact, especially on low-struck shots, to give players more distance.
From a looks perspective, the SIM Max has the same blade length and offset as the M6, which it replaces, but a slightly thinner topline. However, to enhance the feel at impact, TaylorMade replaced the polymer block that was inside the M6 iron with a piece that runs the length of the blade. The company calls it an Echo Damping System, and it rests directly behind the face, visible from the outside.
The Echo Damping System absorbs vibrations to enhance sound and feel. (TaylorMade)
The Echo Damping System’s ribbed design makes contact in more places to soak up more vibrations, but it does not inhibit the face from flexing at impact, so it will not cause a reduction in distance.
An added benefit of connecting the sole to the topline and then positioning a polymer piece in the cavity is it pulls more mass down and away from the face. This lowers the center of gravity and encourages higher shots.
TaylorMade SIM Max OS irons (TaylorMade)
For golfers looking for even more stability and ball speed, TaylorMade is offering the SIM Max OS. It has the Speed Bridge and Echo Damping System found in the SIM Max, but the blade length is slightly longer and the heads are larger. The oversized clubs also have a wider sole to make them more forgiving on fat shots.
