These game improvement irons are designed for the middle-handicapper and perhaps the high-single-digit players secure enough to check their ego to play better.
GOLD
Callaway
rogue
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★★★★
VERDICT
The tendency for thin-face irons to sound clacky or tinny is a challenge for designers. Fillers behind the face or in the cavity damp sound but can come at the expense of ball speed. Callaway uses a urethane compound impregnated with millions of microscopic spheres of air. The material is positioned in the lower half of the iron where impacts occur, providing the necessary cushy feel but still allowing the face to flex.
COMMENTS
(L) Reminds me of the old Bertha irons. The tech makes it easy to get in the air. They launch really high.
(M) Very forgiving. Mis-hit shots still go the distance you expect.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
Callaway
rogue x
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★★★½
VERDICT
One might look at the stronger-than-usual lofts in this set and say, “Come on, man,” but Rogue X is not a case of obtaining distance solely by loft-jacking. In fact, without the stronger lofts, the ball might fly too high. A wide sole brings the centre of gravity low and back, allowing for a reduction in loft without a loss of launch angle. The club uses lighter shafts (about 90 grams in steel) to combine with the zippy face to produce Formula One horsepower.
COMMENTS
(L) Could be called Rogue XL for its size. The 4-iron is a beast. It’s like hitting a driving iron.
(M) Lots of forgiveness on the mis-hits. Pretty consistent with great launch.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
Cleveland
launcher cbx
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★★½
VERDICT
Cleveland’s focus here is marrying meaningful technology to the specific needs of the clubs being used. In layman’s terms, that means producing easier-to-hit long irons and easy-to-control short irons. The long irons have a low-profile shape to keep the centre of gravity low for higher launch. The narrow profile also gets extra power from a cupface design (in the 4 through 7-iron). The short irons are more compact, with less offset to maximise control.
COMMENTS
(L) It’s like a springboard off the face. Clean look, with a cool bevel on the sole.
(M) It just accelerated through the ball. More forgiving than average.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
Cobra
king f9 speedback • king f9 speedback one
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★★½
VERDICT
These irons look different, and that’s the idea. The distinctive shape stretches the low heel and toe areas to create a lower centre of gravity for extra forgiveness. The grooves transition from V-shape on the long irons (to reduce spin) to U-shape on the short irons (to increase spin). Then there’s what no other iron has: Cobra Connect GPS sensors in the grips, powered by the Arccos Caddie stat-tracking app. Different? You bet.
COMMENTS
(L) The weights on the toe and heel help keep the head square through impact.
(M) Stupid-easy to hit. Absolutely ruler-straight. Great turf interaction and a sweet spot as big as Texas.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
Mizuno
jpx 919 hot metal
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★
VERDICT
It’s easy to overlook clubs with technology that isn’t especially visible. This clubhead is a one-piece casting with extreme perimeter weighting that provides power and forgiveness. Supporting ribs within the topline control sound and feel. Chromoly 4140M, a high-strength steel alloy, creates a very thin, fast-flexing face for more distance. You might need a degree in metallurgy to understand all this, but the benefit is apparent after a few swings.
COMMENTS
(L) Pure class to look at. The sound remains the same throughout the set, which I love.
(M) It gets through the ground like a bulldozer – you can attack it without any fear of chunking.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
Ping
G410
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★★★★
VERDICT
There’s a sign at Ping that states: “Undocumented knowledge does not exist.” The company applied that mantra by taking what it learned from producing 10 previous G series irons and improving upon a time-tested winner. The top-rail-undercut design and “cascading sole” combine with the removal of the tuning port in the back cavity to create a more flexible face. The offset has been reduced 10 percent from the G400 for a more appealing look.
COMMENTS
(M) Fashion forward for Ping. Sporty. Muscular. This is what I picture when I think of a modern game-improvement iron.
(H) I liked the launch conditions. Had a nice, high trajectory.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
PXG
0311 xf gen2
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★★½
VERDICT
Same name, better club. The Gen2 version of the 0311 XF has slightly more offset, less sole camber and more forgiveness. It preserves the thin topline that gives the clubhead a tasteful appearance at address. Key to this iron is a new polymer material that fills the hollow clubhead to enhance sound and provide additional ball speed. Just the kind of club one would expect when catering to the luxury iron market.
COMMENTS
(L) The ball is trying to melt into the club – the feel is that sweet.
(H) The perfect size for a game-improvement iron. Not so big that you feel like you can’t finesse some shots.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
TaylorMade
m5
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★★★
VERDICT
TaylorMade knows its wheelhouse is serious players, so the company designed the M5 to have a more no-nonsense look. That includes a compact shape and small details, like creating a fluted hosel that you don’t notice at address. Like many irons in this category, the lofts are strong (half-a-degree stronger than its M3 predecessor), but the centre of gravity is positioned low enough to provide a higher flight. Serious stuff, indeed.
COMMENTS
(L) These are cheating. The 4-iron flies like a 7-iron. It’s like breathing thunder.
(M) You can hit it right to left, or left to right. The engine is high-octane, too.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
TaylorMade
m6
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★★★★
VERDICT
You might wonder why TaylorMade produced two irons in this category. But the fact is, the clubs are decidedly different. The M6 is the company’s first game-improvement iron to have a through-slot “speed pocket”. That frees up the low portion of the face to be more flexible and hotter over a wider area and reduce spin. A structure connecting the topline to the back bar using a beam enhances the speed slot even more and improves sound.
COMMENTS
(L) The sound is a loud crack that anyone on the range can hear and think you know what you’re doing.
(H) The cavity-back tells you there’s help without looking bulky.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
Titleist
718 ap1
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★½
Demand ★★★★
VERDICT An excellent club for the middle and high-handicapper. A hollow construction is used in the long irons, and the remainder of the set features irons with a 360-degree undercut cavity, wide soles and thin faces. Throughout the long and middle irons (4 to 7), high-density tungsten (an average of 58 grams) is used in the toe sections to improve forgiveness. A nice choice for those who shoot in the 70s once a year instead of once a week.
COMMENTS
(L) A great blend of soft and powerful. It’s like you’re smashing the ball, but with feel.
(M) Clean and classic. I love the look of the profile. Good spring action off the face, too.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
SILVER
Bridgestone
Tour B JGR HF2
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★½
Demand ★★
VERDICT
Bridgestone has stepped up its game in irons, and this club is a nice advancement. The irons have a two-piece, forged construction with a polymer rubber filling in the back cavity to improve feel. The hero, however, is hidden from view. Bridgestone’s designers made the junction of the face and sole thinner than the surrounding areas. Called the “power slit”, it’s designed to act as a hinge at impact for high launch and more initial ball speed.
COMMENTS
(L) The sole design creates perfect divots.
(H) They’re really good-looking – clean with a thin topline. You definitely get some good pop on these clubs.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
Fourteen
tc560 forged
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★★
Demand ★
VERDICT
The simplicity of its compact look belies the quality of materials and technology within this iron. The clubhead is made from S45C steel, a strong metal that allows for a thin face to create maximum ball speed – something not always seen in a one-piece forging. The slight offset provides visual comfort at address, and the progressive centre of gravity locations (higher in the short irons) promote control and a more penetrating flight.
COMMENTS
(M) It’s cool to get help and feel the softness that good players want.
(H) You never get tired of hitting balls with these. You can feel the ball compress. A simple design that works.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
Tommy Armour
atomic
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★½
Look • Sound • Feel ★★★½
Demand ★★
VERDICT
The brand name conjures up memories of the classic 845 irons, but today’s Tommy Armour is decidedly high-tech. This might be the only iron on the market that is forged, uses titanium, has an L-face and is brazed. Manufacturing and material prowess aside, there’s a lot to like here from a playability standpoint. The wide sole creates an autopilot effect on shots hit fat, and the strong lofts boost distance to make memories of another kind.
COMMENTS
(L) They’re large, but man do they feel great. I could make the ball go high or low, which is rare in this category.
(M) So crisp. Not a hint of bad feel in them.
Handicapper (L) Low (M) Middle (H) High
