Best Irons for Every Handicap and Play Style

How to Pick the best Irons for every handicap and play style

Technology in irons has evolved so fast over the last decade that the difference between game-improvement and players’ irons is blurrier than ever! Luckily, there are plenty of options for every level of golfer. Irons particularly can be very finicky for each person. Fortunately for you we lay out some great ground rules for you to keep handy when you are looking for your new set.

Club Type: Game Improvement/Max Improvement

Player Skill Level: 15+ Handicap

For any player starting out in the game of golf, these are the irons you want to look at first. If you normally shoot around 90 or above, you have many great options from every manufacturer for a new set that fits your play style and skill level. Many of the game-improvement clubs on the market are paired with a manufacturer’s new woods (ie. Ping G440, Callaway Quantum, etc.) and offer distance and forgiveness all across the face, with a low center of gravity to help you get the ball airborne.

To give you more confidence over the ball, these clubs are also much more evidently forgiving than clubs in the previous categories: they have a thicker sole to guard against fat shots, as well as stabilizing materials across the back of the face to help with thin, toe, and heel strikes. Many clubs now come in an extra-forgiving edition as well: try out the Callaway Quantum Max and Max OS, the Srixon ZXi4 and ZXiR, the Ping G440 and G740 the Taylormade Qi Max and Max HL.

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Club Type: Player Distance

Player Skill Level: 5-20 Handicap

For the player who understands the game, but isn’t quite ready for blades. The player distance iron is the perfect stepping stone after the game improvement iron. When Taylormade released the original P790 in 2017, it was a watershed moment for the golf industry. There wasn’t a club like it: a blade meant for more than just professionals and scratch-to-plus handicap amateurs. The forgiveness was moved mostly inside the club, by injecting a light and stable urethane called Speedfoam inside a hollow-body head. It led to more distance and playability for a wider group of golfers, many of whom previously needed a larger game-improvement club with a thicker sole and top line.

The hollow-body mid-range irons have since become one of the most popular types of clubs out there, and most companies have introduced their own version of a similar club. The Srixon ZXi5, Mizuno JPX Forged Series, Callaway X-Forged, and Titleist T250 all offer similar levels of forgiveness, making it easier for you to get the ball higher in the air and stop it quickly on more greens in regulation!

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Club Type: Blades/Players’ Clubs

Player Skill Level: Best for 5 handicaps and lower

Why are blades irons best for high skill players? The term “blade” originally referred to an iron that has zero perimeter weighting. No cavity back or anything. It’s the Titleist MB (MB is short for “muscle-back”), the Mizuno S-1, even the Taylormade P7TW irons that Tiger and Scottie game. Frankly, it’s a bit of an outdated term, since such a small percentage of amateur golfers still play true blade irons, but the term has evolved to include most forged clubs with thin soles and top lines, which are otherwise known as “players’ clubs.”

Put together, these two types of clubs are the least forgiving of all irons and are usually for a golfer who doesn’t need much help finding the center of the club face and hitting the ball high and straight a lot of the time. But even still, a little forgiveness helps! The Srixon ZXi7, Ping i240, Titleist T100/150, Mizuno M-15/M-13, and Mizuno S-1/S-3 irons all offer you the look of an old-fashioned blade with a little help should you ever miss the center of the face.

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When it comes to choosing the right irons for your game, don’t overcomplicate the process. Find something that fits your skill range and give it a shot. Plus with Golf Discount’s 100 day satisfaction guarantee you can never go wrong with your choice.

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