Packed with forgiveness and power, these Super Game-Improvement Irons will have you playing better in no time.
We considered 19 models; 13 made the list.
GOLD
Listed Alphabetically
Callaway
big bertha
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★★★
VERDICT
A longtime darling of higher-handicappers, Bertha, with its oversize clubhead, thick topline and generous sole, continues to perform well in an increasingly competitive category. Despite the venerable name, this iron has the modern power of a wraparound cupface that provides a distance boost for players who often need one. Tungsten weighting positioned low in the cavity lowers the centre of gravity, making it easier to get shots airborne.
COMMENT
“Overall proportions of the head are nicely balanced.
Distance is impressive and consistent.”
Callaway
mavrik max
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★★
VERDICT
Technologies found in drivers eventually make their way into irons. In this case, that meant using artificial intelligence and the “flash face” cupface idea from the company’s Epic Flash and Mavrik drivers for this set of irons. That led to unique face designs for each iron that produce flex in just the right spot. The use of tungsten suspended within urethane infused with tiny air bubbles delivers the feel players of any ability can appreciate.
COMMENT
“Compared to other clubs, this hides the technology well.
The face feels soft on all kinds of hits.”
Cleveland
launcher hb turbo
Innovation ★★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★★★
VERDICT
When a study shows average golfers hit the green from 150 to 200 metres one-fifth of the time, it’s an indication those players need help. Cleveland’s solution is a full hybrid-like set designed for high launch and forgiveness. Though the irons don’t lack for speed- – thanks to a high-strength steel face – distance wasn’t the main goal. Instead, the focus was on ease of use through a centre of gravity that’s six millimetres lower than a typical cavity-back iron.
COMMENT
“Good ball flight and trajectory.
The sensation off the face was complete with a flush feel.”
Cobra
f-max airspeed
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★½
VERDICT
The players using irons in this category typically swing a little slower than average. That makes generating speed imperative. The F-Max irons address that through a lighter overall club weight (including a lighter midsize grip) that’s designed to make shots fly faster, farther and higher. An undercut cavity puts the iron’s weight low and wide across the sole, assisting launch in the long irons. Higher lofts throughout further help get the ball up.
COMMENT
“The clubhead appears in alignment when looking down on it.
Less weight lets you swing really fast.”
Cobra
t-rail
Innovation ★★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★★
VERDICT
Cobra has a tradition of producing helpful equipment for those who need it most. The company builds on that legacy in a meaningful fashion by using one of its most proven design features: The Baffler rails on the sole assist launch while ploughing through the turf. The 4-iron is a conventional hybrid design, and the 5-iron through pitching wedge use a hollow, hybrid-like body with a forged face insert made from a springy 455 steel.
COMMENT
“The rails and proportion of the club make it one that works in any lie.
The face felt taut like a trampoline.”
TaylorMade
sim max os
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★★
VERDICT
This iron is proof you can offer higher-handicappers plenty of help while avoiding a club that looks like it belongs in a carpenter’s toolbox. Though the head is oversize and the sole is wide, the overall shape is pleasing. TaylorMade continues its use of a sole slot to boost ball speed on shots hit low on the face, but the cool feature is the “speed bridge” structure supporting the topline of the iron, providing needed stability for the fast-flexing face.
COMMENT
“The sole slot is a stand-out feature.
It will entice players who don’t want a clunky club to try it.”
Tour Edge
hl4 triple combo
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★½v
VERDICT
Golfers using irons in this category often have a single requirement: get the ball in the air. Tour Edge’s Triple Combo set addresses that need. The set starts with the 4 and 5-iron slots filled with matching HL4 hybrids, the 6 and 7-iron are HL4 iron-woods and the 8-iron through pitching wedge are cavity-back HL4 irons. For those who have a second requirement, such as cost, the company’s focus on affordability is appealing.
COMMENT
“The distinct different designs through the set
get you the right amount of help for the job.”
Wilson
launch pad
Innovation ★★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel★★★★
Demand ★★½
VERDICT
User error is a common problem among high-handicappers, and Wilson makes a strong effort here to mitigate that and build some player confidence. To do that, the hollow, hybrid-like irons focus on the bottom of the club. Specifically, a progressively wide sole is designed to make turf interaction feel like hitting off a mat, thus reducing the number of chunked shots. A slightly raised leading edge also helps you from hitting shots fat.
COMMENT
“The clubhead wanted to get down and stay down through the shot.
As such, turf interaction was great.”
XXIO
eleven
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★½
VERDICT
Most sets in this category tout reduced weight, this one talks about adding it – or at least redistributing it. Though the overall club weight doesn’t increase, engineers reduced the weight of the shaft by four grams and moved it to the butt end. Doing so raises the balance point of the shaft, bringing it closer to the hands. This is to help the hands get in the proper position at the top of the backswing, promoting a more efficient swing.
COMMENT
“It’s explosive off the face. Not completely effortless, but noticeably lighter and easy to swing.”
SILVER
Tour Edge
exotics exs 220h
Innovation ★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★½
Demand ★★
VERDICT
Hybrid-like iron sets are Tour Edge’s specialty, and the company plays to its strengths here. The completely hollow-body-construction set is made from 17-4 steel. It’s built for max forgiveness with a high moment of inertia and low, deep centre of gravity thanks to significant perimeter weighting and a wide sole that also helps improve turf interaction. It’s a set that can turn a super chopper into a serviceable best-ball partner.
COMMENT
“Looks and performs like a beast. Long, straight
and easy to hit. The sound is like a low growl.”
Wilson
d7
Innovation ★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★
VERDICT
Eschewing hybrids for all irons, Wilson produced a set that can help the high-handicapper and the player trending towards a sub-20-handicapper. The company’s “power holes” – slots with polymer that promote face flex – remain, but some were removed from the topline to improve aesthetics and a third row was added on the 4 through 7-irons. The thinnest face ever on a Wilson super game-improvement iron provides extra pop.
COMMENT
“A good, firm feel to the face. The progressive offset provided confidence at address.”
XXIO
x (2020)
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★
VERDICT
Primarily known as a premium brand, XXIO also excels at producing clubs that help the less skilled. In this instance, it does so by using a springy, high-strength steel face insert. That insert goes all the way to the lower portion of the face to provide more punch where most iron impacts occur. A channel around the inner perimeter of the face fosters additional flex. A feathery 59-gram graphite shaft helps golfers who need more clubhead speed.
“Like the shape and finish– – classy. It has the muted sound of a more traditional blade.”
