Being a 16 index, I can’t imagine ANY iron out there will noticeable lower my scores vs my current Ping G-Max irons. The reason I can hit my 6 iron today the same distance as my 5 iron 10 years ago is that my 6 iron today IS my 5 iron from back then. Whenever I look at or hit irons at the stores or at demo days (I like to tinker), I don’t care about the # on the club…what’s the loft on the iron? So in many new sets, the 6 iron is 24 deg (that’s stronger than my current 5H!) & the PW is 43 deg. So now I’ll need 2 GW to get me from my 43 deg PW to my 56 deg SW, right?

I was really happy with my Callaway Apex CF-16’s but decided to pick up a set of Srixon Z565’s from eBay for $350. I’m a high single digit, 68 years old and play 100+ rounds a year in western Colorado. The Srixon’s were like new and wow, I love them. They are now my gamers and the difference is the softer feel and much better in the long and mid irons than the Apex’s. I find the distance and control to be similar to the Apex’s but I am a convert to Srixon irons and I’ve had them all: Titleist AP1, AP2, Mizuno MP-25, Mizuno JPX850 and a few Ping sets over the years.

I have a question regarding your testing methodology. You tested long, mid, and short irons from these manufactures but you did not provide info on shaft length and loft for these irons which I assume were the same number for all manufacturers.. For example, if one manufacture’s mid iron was 2 deg less than another or had a longer shaft then in theory the same swing speed would normally make that particular manufacture’s iron longer. I know you can’t get all the shafts and lofts the same, but it would be great to know what the data on these irons so us consumers could take that into account when determining which iron really performs the best.

What I find most hilarious about these results – the Epic irons cost over twice as much as the Rogue irons, but the Epic finished 9th while the Rogue finished 2nd. LOL.

Is the Mid Iron a 7i?

I play off high single figures and have ditched my Ping i200’s for a combo set of Srixon 545’s, 745’s and 945’s. Simply brilliant irons. So forgiving in the longer irons and the short irons are as smooth as butter. The 65’s and now the 85’s are barely any different from the original winning formula so if you don’t wish to lay out too much why not look for a well kept set of the 45’s – they should be a s cheap as chips and play just as well as the latest incarnation?

I’d like a new set of clubs but what it would cost me to buy a set I could play 40 rounds of golf so I’ll regrip my old one and play them for another year.
Is a newer set really going to lower my scores or just look better in my bag.

I have been playing the Cobra Bio Cell irons, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything! I have both the stiff graphite and steel irons and look forward to playing them for a long time! I picked them up at our golf course as demos and am going with tried and true. If you like Srixon and are willing to hand out the denaro for them, have at it! I made my game improvement upgrade…Adams Golf to Cobra Bio Cell. I am good right now.

I enjoyed reading about this test, especially since it is the category in which I am most interested. I’m a big Srixon fan, playing both a Srixon driver and their Z-Star ball. When a was fitted at Club Champion a few years ago, the Z-565 was the iron that performed best for me. Srixon makes some superb gear.

Disappointed and surprised to see that of the several dozen shaft options Srixon offers, not one is available in A/senior/lite flex. I think an iron in the game improvement space is really missing the boat by not having something for us slower swingers

If you factor value for money into the equation, the Cleveland CBX irons are the winners in this contest. I was somewhat surprised that the CBX irons scored so poorly in the short irons. To me, the short irons are one of the strong points of these irons, while the long irons aren’t quite as good as some other GI irons. Strange that these results were flipped in this test. All depends on the population sample taken I suppose.

In any case, if golfers want the best GI irons for the money, get the Cleveland CBX. Cleveland/Srixon also offer a few shaft upgrades for these irons free of charge (if you ask for them), making them an even better deal.

You should have tested the Wilson Staff D350 irons in this category. They would have been one of the top two tested irons.

Currently playing the 565 irons and love the feel, looks, and performance of my irons. Not surprised the new 585’s made #1 on this list, Srixon continues it’s domination.

I think choosing iron types by handicap is probably ok as a starting point but I think swing speed, attack angle and consistency are better criteria. I play with a guy who is a very good iron player but plays to a 15 handicap. He just doesn’t putt well. I play to a 12-13 and have 4-5 par saves a round due to my chipping and putting. But, i need all the help I can get with my irons

I really like the 545 it feels like butter

Can you print results from testing based on:

Rankings for 0-6 handicap 7-12- Etc
Rankings by clubhead speed
Rankings by ball speed
Ranking by distance – air and roll

Would be interesting to view others more closely aligned to my numbers?

Thanks for great work

Cobra King F8 Long iron is the undisputed leader in total distance and ranks 13th in the long irons? Huh?

One of the most interesting things about these tests for me is that every one of these clubs was a top performer for some golfers. Take the Vega Mizer. Bottom ranked overall, but for 37% of testers this club was in the top group. If I understand this correctly, this means that for over 1/3rd of the testers this club performed pretty much as well as any other club that was tested.

For me a key take away is trying different clubs and see what works for you. Don’t be afraid to try different brands, you may find a better game.

Although this test is great, if you really want the best irons for your game go get fitted and do not go into it with any preconceived notion of what you think you will like. Keep an open mind.

As an example, my set is super mixed between Cobra woods, Ping irons, Vokey wedges and an Odyssey putter.

Just got fit for a combo set of the srixon z785 in PW-7 and Z585 in 6-4. Great clubs and the feel is top notch. Right up there with mizuno

Is each club tested bent to the the same loft? I read the “how we test” page and didn’t see any mention of that.

question;
would it be safe to say then.
I would have the best set, if i took all the number 1 ranking irons in the short, mid and long irons and combine them into one complete set?
so I would have ,
Srixon- for short Irons
TM4 – mid-irons
JPX 919- long irons

The 565/765 combo set is fantastic, if these are even a tiny bit better they must be tried.

I was surprised by your result. Srixon themselves describe this iron as a “players” iron. Looking at the iron myself the head is small, the sole is narrow and it has limited off set. I would say more suits for a 5-10 handicapper
I would class this as a players iron. Higher handicapper can be fooled hitting players irons of of mats which can and may have skewed your results. How a club interacts with turf is the key to game improvement.

Tour iron ( blade) up to a 6 handicap.
Players Iron 2-10 handicap
Game improvement to me would be a handicap of 10-20,
Super game improvement 15- 25.

The latest iron catagory ( distance irons P790, G500, PXG etc) 5-15 HCP

Please make a comparison between the past 3 or 5 winners. Newer doesn’t always mean better. It would be great to know how for example. The 2016 winner stacks against the new ones taking in consideration that the price is a huge difference. A valid point for people like me who are in developing countries and could benefit greatly from a smart budget purchase.

So the 2nd Most Wanted is Callaway Rogue Iron however a Rogue X Iron is pictured. So which one did you test – Rogue or Rogue X ?

Another great read and surprising outcome. I’ve always wanted the Callaway Epic irons (Just because they are pretty and they would match my Driver) but time and time again, they are proven not worth the price tag. I wonder if it would be beneficial to add a price column to your work.

Same old same-o. I have Hot Metals, CF 16s. and have hit all of them but the Wilson C300s are in me bag. They were longer, higher, and better feeling that the others. Truly underrated.

Wow! Srixon 2 years in a row. Might have to take a hard look at these. My AP1 718’s….mmmm not so good.