Wilson

What it does: When Wilson introduced its hollow-body Launch Pad irons in 2019, it eschewed the typical selling point of distance, distance, distance in favour of a more utilitarian goal: mitigate shots in which the divot flies farther than the ball and the kind of slices that bring housing estates into play. The second version of Launch Pad addresses these headaches. First, the sole was revamped to be slightly thicker with weight shifted towards the heel to help offset slices, and more bounce was added to help the club glance off the grass instead of digging into it.

Why we like it: It’s just a fact that iron shots need to be more exact than a tee shot. After all, you don’t have a large face with which to make impact, and a driver doesn’t interact with the ground like an iron does. Wilson’s R&D team ran thousands of simulations replicating turf interaction. The result is a leading edge that stays well above the surface to help combat the dreaded chunk. Those using these irons might notice a comfortable feeling in their hands, too. That’s not a placebo effect. The company conducted research that revealed slightly larger grips are preferred by many golfers.

7-iron loft 30 degrees; pw loft 44 degrees