You want to find ways to get the ball in the air, make better contact more often and have more fun. These super game-improvement irons offer that help in a meaningful way.
GOLD
Bridgestone
tour b jgr hf1
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★
VERDICT
Some irons in this category attempt to hide their size or characteristics. There’s no such caginess here. These clubs have longer shafts, strong lofts (the 7-iron is 26 degrees, or about what some 5-irons check in at) and soles wide enough to serve cocktails. The company also makes no apologies for the fact this player likely needs fewer than eight irons: the standard set makeup here is six clubs, including two pitching wedges of 38 and 44 degrees.
COMMENTS
(M) The ball takes off on a beautiful trajectory with a pillow-soft landing.
(H) Incredibly easy to hit. You have to swing really bad to not hit it straight.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
Callaway
Big Bertha (2019)
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★★
VERDICT
When it comes to assisting golfers, Callaway has always made an effort. This iron features the thinnest cupface in company history to maximise ball speed off the face. One of the cooler design elements is a “floating” tungsten weight low in the cavity to lower the centre of gravity. The tungsten is wrapped in a thermoplastic-urethane jacket and suspended in urethane, which is infused with air-filled microspheres that enhance the way the face flexes and feels.
COMMENTS
(M) I really like the sound, especially for this category. You can’t see the technology at work.
(H) This would be the set I buy off looks. Who doesn’t like a matte black?
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
Cleveland
Launcher HB
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★★★
VERDICT
OK, it might not be the easiest club to look at in the address position. Get over it. There are no complaints about the feel of this club or its ability to produce good golf shots. The hollow design incorporates a wide sole; a sloping recessed crown and back; and a high-strength-steel face insert. All that encourages higher flight and faster ball speeds in a full-hybrid set that can make a performance difference for someone needing help getting the ball in the air.
COMMENTS
(M) Not everyone will like the larger hybrid styling, but it’s functional.
(H) These will save your butt. I hit several I thought were chunky, and they flew well.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
Cobra
F-Max Superlite
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★
VERDICT
When designing clubs for those who need help, making them light and easy to hit are key design elements. Both are addressed here. By creating a lighter clubhead, shaft and grip, designers saved 16 grams, which offers slower swingers more clubhead speed. The company also used some of its knowledge gathered from working on its One Length irons, notably that having a more upright lie angle in the longer irons can help players keep those clubs square at impact.
COMMENTS
(M) Soft off the face. The ball gets up in a hurry on a perfect trajectory with little effort.
(H) I have a wicked slice, and I didn’t hit any. That’s all I need to know.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
PXG
0311 SGI GEN2
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★★½
VERDICT
There’s no denying the clubheads are borderline behemoth, but that creates the “can’t miss” confidence less-skilled golfers need. A wide sole makes it difficult to dig into the turf, and the low-profile shape and low-back centre of gravity help get the ball up quickly. A polymer in the clubhead’s hollow body allows for more flex in a face that’s about the thickness of a dime. This gives distance-challenged golfers the opportunity to strut on occasion.
COMMENTS
(M) These feel like real golf clubs, more so than others in this category. The look has a hip factor.
(H) A rich sound and feel. The extra-wide sole helps get shots in the air.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
TaylorMade
M CGB
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★★★
VERDICT
TaylorMade believes the golfers who play this iron don’t care about topline thickness or the amount of offset. They want to get the ball in the air, hit less club into greens and have irons that look sweet in the bag. To that end, sole and face slots and a thin face boost ball speed. Lofts that are generous in the long and middle irons and four tungsten weights positioned low and in the rear heel and toe help produce height on shots without adding spin.
COMMENTS
(M) This is a two-for-one: they’re going to make you play better, and you’re going to like the look.
(H) Jumped off the face with a high trajectory. You could feel the energy in your hands.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
Wilson
D7
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★½
VERDICT
The D7 attempts to move away from the norm by providing help in a sleeker, more visually palatable package. Key to achieving this was a shift in the use of “power holes” – slots filled with polymer to promote face flex. Those were removed from the topline, and a third row added on the sole of the 4 through 7-irons. Two rows are used on the 8 and 9-irons, and one on the pitching wedge. The result is an iron with plenty of distance in a package that’s easy on the eyes.
COMMENTS
(M) The offset does a good job of keeping the face square at impact and supporting off-centre strikes.
(H) A high, easy flight that makes you feel you have control over the ball.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
XXIO
X
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★½
VERDICT
Highly regarded in Japan, this high-end brand is attempting to make inroads in other markets by developing clubs distance-hungry golfers can swing faster more efficiently. It starts with a titanium face insert made from the same alloy as the company’s driver faces. That insert extends closer to the leading edge to provide better rebound on shots hit low on the face, where most iron impacts occur. A lightweight 50-gram graphite shaft brings speed to the swing.
COMMENTS
(M) I found each club to be quite forgiving and playable. Even the 4-iron got good height.
(H) Man, there’s nothing not to like. Setting the bar in terms of sound and feel.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
SILVER
Tommy Armour
Atomic MAX
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★½
Demand ★★
VERDICT
This iron is big and bulky, but when you have the name Atomic Max, subtlety probably isn’t your goal. The hollow clubhead has a forged titanium L-face that wraps around the sole to produce more pop. There’s also a hefty 60 grams of tungsten positioned low and in the toe to improve forgiveness on off-centre hits. The wide selection of shaft upgrades at no charge is a pleasant surprise in an attractively priced set.
COMMENTS
(M) Aggressive acceleration with a guttural, deep rip at impact.
(H) It’s the kind of performance you look for in this category. Easy to make the club work with little effort.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
Tour Edge
CBX Iron-Wood
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★½
Demand ★★½
VERDICT
When you’ve produced hollow-body clubs for two decades, you learn some things. In Tour Edge’s case, it’s that making these iron-woods solely for long irons wasn’t enough. Having previously produced its CBX Iron-Wood in 2 through 5-irons, the design now extends through the entire set. A thin, L-shape face made from a springy Japanese steel provides power, and a rounded sole and progressive offset offer an easy transition to the middle and short irons.
COMMENTS
(M) At contact, the sound has an energetic hybrid feel.
(H) Interesting how they all look like driving irons. With so much help built in, I feel like it’s impossible to not hit it solidly.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
Wilson
D350
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★
VERDICT
Perhaps the most underappreciated aspect of clubfitting is set makeup. Wilson addressed this by producing a set featuring a mixture of hybrids and irons, and how that mixture is put together is entirely up to you. Sure, you can have all irons if you wish (a seven-piece set comes at a wallet-friendly price), but there’s also the option to choose from four hybrid lofts to make an eight-piece combo set for a reasonable additional cost.
COMMENTS
(M) The hybrids made it easier for the longer clubs to get elevated.
(H) The irons look sharp, especially the scoring lines and head shape. I feel like I’ve graduated to the next level.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
Yonex
Ezone CB 701
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★½
Demand ★
VERDICT The strong lofts push the boundaries of decency (a 38-degree pitching wedge?), but the CB 701 iron really is geared for the player looking for something more appealing in terms of sound and feel. By filling the cavity with a graphite damping material and adding an 11-gram tungsten weight under it, there’s a reduction in unwanted vibrations. The lower and deeper centre of gravity provides good height.
COMMENTS
(M) The turf interaction with the sole was more forgiving than I would have thought.
(H) Very long. I feel like I should choke down to have normal distances.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
