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Mar 14, 2024

Best Better

A decade ago, better-player distance irons didn’t exist, but today it is one of the hottest and most innovation-filled categories in golf. So we are clear, better-player distance irons are designed to

A decade ago, better-player distance irons didn’t exist, but today it is one of the hottest and most innovation-filled categories in golf.

So we are clear, better-player distance irons are designed to look like the clubs single-digit handicap golfers want to play. They have compact blade lengths, narrow toplines and soles and typically come with only a touch of offset. However, manufacturers pack them with distance-enhancing features and technologies so they appeal to players who might lose a few yards, and they tend to be more forgiving than cavity-back and muscleback irons made for aspiring club champions.

While some of the clubs on this list were released earlier in 2023, several have been dropped within the past few weeks, giving golfers who shoot in the 70s and low 80s more choices to consider.

As always, the best way to find the ideal set of irons to match your game is to work with a good custom fitter who has a launch monitor and try several options. Below are several models you might want to consider.

The Callaway Apex Pro for 2023 looks very similar to the Apex TCB being used by several tour players. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Gear: Callaway Apex Pro Irons (2023)Price: $215 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid steel shafts and Golf Pride Z grips.Specs: Hollow-body construction with a forged 1025 carbon steel body, forged 455 cup face (3-5) and internal urethane microspheres.Available: August 25 (pre-sale) / Sept. 8 (in stores)

The Skinny: Using a softer metal and urethane microspheres enhances the feel of this iron, while the hollow-body construction helps increase ball speed. The updated sole improves turf interaction. Full Review.

Cobra King Forged TEC irons. (Cobra)

Gear: Cobra King Forged TEC, Forged TEC X ironsPrice: $1,199 (Steel), $1,299 (graphite)Specs: Forged 1025 carbon steel body and MS-300 stainless steel face with tungsten insert

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. The 1020 carbon steel body has an inner chamber filled with soft, vibration-absorbing foam. The 3-iron through 7-iron have a 20-gram tungsten weight positioned low, behind the center of the face. Full Review.

Mizuno JPX 923 Forged irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Gear: Mizuno JPX 923 Forged ironsPrice: $137.50 eachSpecs: Grain-flow-forged 4120 Chromoly (4-7 irons) and 1025E mild carbon steel (8-GW) with milled micro-slot.

The Skinny: Made for players who may have played muscleback blades in the recent past and golfers who demand control and feel, the JPX 923 Forged irons bring some distance, forgiveness and playability to a better-player’s club. The face is thinner to allow the hitting area to flex more efficiently and there is also a milled micro-slot in the sole that is covered by a very thin plating. Full Review.

Ping i230 irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Gear: Ping i230 ironsPrice: $205 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 shafts and Lamkin Crossline Black grips, $230 each with Ping Alta CB Black graphite shaftsSpecs: Cast 431 stainless steel body with tungsten tip and toe weights, internal elastomer insert and multimaterial back badge.

The Skinny: Made for tour pros and good club players, the i230 takes the place of the i210 and features an internal elastomer piece to reduce vibrations created at impact, while tungsten weights increase stability and unique grooves help normalize performance in both wet and dry conditions. Full Review

The small tungsten screws add perimeter weighting, while the large center screw allows fitters to change the swing weight. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Gear: PXG 0311 P GEN6 ironsPrice: $219 eachSpecs: Hollow-body construction with a forged 8620 carbon steel body and a milled back area, forged HT1770 stainless steel face, tungsten weights and internal polymer.

The Skinny: PXG made the faces of the GEN6 irons thinner to increase ball speed and provide more distance. Inside each head, PXG adds a proprietary polymer it calls XCOR2. It fills the entire inner chamber of each head, absorbing excessive vibrations to enhance sound and feel. Full Review.

TaylorMade P·790 irons (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Gear: TaylorMade P·790 irons (2023)Price: $1,399 (seven clubs) with True Temper Dynamic Gold steel shafts and Golf Pride Z grips. $1,499 with Mitsubishi MMT graphite shaftsSpecs: Hollow-body construction with a forged 4140 stainless steel face, internal tungsten weights (3-7 irons), vibration-dampening foam and polymer-covered sole slot.Available: NOW (pre-orders), September 1 (in stores)

The Skinny: TaylorMade redesigned the inner chamber and the weight system in the P·790 to make the long irons easier to hit and provide more feel and consistency in the short irons without sacrificing the ball speed and distance. Full Review.

The Titleist T150 irons (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Gear: Titleist T150 ironsPrice: $200 per club with True Temper AMT Tour White steel shafts and Titleist Universal 360 grips; $216 per club with Mitsubishi Tensei White AM2 graphite shaftsSpecs: Dual-cavity design with SUP-10 stainless steel body, 17-4 stainless steel cradle and internal tungsten weights.Available: NOW

The Skinny: Designed like the T100 irons, the T150 delivers extra distance thanks to a polymer-filled muscle channel bar and lofts that are 2 degrees stronger than on the T100, but Titleist focused on making them sound and feel better than the T100•S irons they replace. Full Review

Tour Edge C723 irons. (Tour Edge)

Gear: Tour Edge Exotics C723 ironsPrice: $949.99 steel/$999.99 graphite (C723)Specs: Stainless steel body with variable-thickness stainless steel face and injected thermoplastic polyurethane foam.

The Skinny: The Exotics C723 is smaller than the E723 iron and designed to appeal to better players, but it shares many of the same features and benefits, like the L-shaped Diamond Face VFT hitting area that broadens the swe hitting area to flex more efficiently on thin shots.

See more equipment: Best irons and best drivers