Irons

2018 MOST WANTED GAME IMPROVEMENT IRON

BY MyGolfSpy
Oct 8th 2018
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OUR JOB IS YOUR GAME

Are you playing the right irons for your game?

Unfortunately, for most of us, the answer is “no.” The right irons for every golfer combine precision, distance, and forgiveness – all while maintaining a pleasant appearance at address.

So, how do you choose? If you don’t hit the center of the clubface nearly every time, chances are you need some help from your clubs. That’s where game improvement irons come in. These are designed to offer more forgiveness across the clubface, and even give you a little bit of the extra distance you’ve always wanted (or used to have).

This year we levered our Testing Facility in Yorktown, VA and put 17 of the top game-improvement models to the test. With over 9,000 shots hit, this is the most comprehensive and independent iron test in the world.

If you’re in the market for irons in 2018, this test is for you.

DEFINING THE GAME IMPROVEMENT CATEGORY

What characteristics define a game-improvement iron?

These types of clubs typically have a larger profile, some depth inside the cavity, and stronger-than-traditional lofts throughout the set.

While these aren’t your most workable clubs, what they will offer is some forgiveness for those inevitable off-center strikes, and that little bit of extra distance you might need to get it to that back pin placement.

The handicap level for these types of irons varies from scratch golfers, all the way into the high-teens. Game-improvement irons know no limits when it comes to the skill level of golfers gaming them. Some tour pros will often replace long irons with these easier-to-hit clubs.

REFINED ANALYTICS

Each year we strive to bring you the most accurate data possible to help you make the right purchasing decisions. As with years in the past, we’ve worked to improve our analytics, tightening our outlier detection system and tweaking our calculations. We’re still utilizing strokes gained, but have added another piece to the puzzle – statistical significance.

All testing was conducted inside our fully independent test facility located in Virginia. All testers used Bridgestone Tour B-RX golf balls for consistency and to reduce test variables. All ball data was collected using the world’s most trusted launch monitor, Foresight Sports GCQuad. All head data was captured using the Foresight’s HMT.

SHOTS HIT: 9,199
DATA POINTS: 662,328
TIME: 120 hours
TESTERS: 20
HANDICAP RANGE: +2 – 15
AGE RANGE: 25 – 83
DRIVER SWING SPEED RANGE: 80 mph – 120 mph
IRONS TESTED: Three irons, a short, middle, and long iron from each set

Data. Aggregated. Normalized. Delivered.

RESULTS AND RANKINGS

For all MyGolfSpy Most Wanted Testing, we yield to only one boss – the launch monitor. There is no panel of judges, no round-table discussions and certainly no voting. As with all Most Wanted tests, we collected the standard set of launch monitor metrics (ball speed, launch angle, spin rates, distance, offline, etc.).

Our Most Wanted winner is the club that finished in the statistically significant top group (based on Strokes Gained) for the highest percentage of our testers. To simplify things a bit, we call the final order TRUERank; a metric that includes the order of finish (rank), along with the percentage of golfers for whom each club was shown to be in the top group.

For more information, view our How We Test page.

2018 Best Game Improvement Irons

2018 Most Wanted Game Improvement Iron Data

2018 Most Wanted Game Improvement Rankings

Club Name	Long Iron Rank	Mid Iron Rank	Short Iron Rank	TRUERank	% in Top Group
Srixon Z585	2nd	4th	1st	1st	67%
Callaway Rogue	6th	7th	2nd	2nd	58%
TaylorMade M4	7th	1st	4th	3rd	57%
Cleveland Launcher CBX	4th	2nd	11th	4th	53%
TaylorMade M3	4th	11th	4th	4th	53%
Fourteen TC 544	2nd	2nd	16th	6th	52%
Wilson Staff C300	15th	4th	4th	7th	50%
Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal	1st	16th	11th	7th	50%
PING G400	15th	11th	3rd	9th	48%
Callaway EPIC	7th	4th	11th	9th	48%
Cobra KING F8 ONE	7th	7th	7th	9th	48%
PING G700	7th	7th	7th	9th	48%
Cobra KING F8	13th	11th	7th	13th	45%
Titleist 718 AP1	13th	11th	11th	14th	43%
Ben Hogan EDGE	7th	16th	7th	14th	43%
Tommy Armour TA1	15th	15th	11th	16th	40%
VEGA Mizar	7th	7th	17th	17th	37%

Below you’ll find the data from our 2018 Most Wanted Game Improvement Iron Test. Note that you can use the Iron Model filter to limit the display to specific models. Also note that, by default, we show the comparative metrics for long irons. To see middle and short irons, use the Iron Type drop-down located on the top right of the charts.

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comments

Join The Discussion

Mike Wood

5 years ago

In looking at the data table for your 2018 Most Wanted Game Improvement Irons, the last column is titled “Shot Area”. What do the data in that column represent? In other words, how is Shot Area defined? Does it represent the total area covered by all shots (Short/Long/Left/Right of target) for a given iron?

Mike

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?

Gary

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.

majorduffer

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.

Brad

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.

Dan

6 years ago

Is the Mid Iron a 7i?

Gerald Teigrob

Dan, I would consider a 6 iron a mid-iron as well as a 7 iron. The long irons would be the 3, 4, and 5 irons. and the short irons would be the 8 iron to gw.

James Strachan

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?

Dave S

Yep. Bought a new set of 545s right after the 565s came out and only paid about $400. They are amazing.

scott

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.

Sam Robinson

Depends on what you’ve got in your bag currently. New technology has its advantages when it comes to distance, forgiveness, etc. If you’re playing clubs that aren’t suited for your game, or your swing for that matter, you could be leaking performance.

We would suggest going to your local fitter to have your set checked out to see if it matches up with your game.

I have to agree with you, Sam. I work at Greebryre Golf and Country Club and demos come in all the time. I brought in my old Adams A7 GI irons and most of my Adams Redlines and was able to pick up newer sets for me – Two Nearly complete Bio Cell irons, along with Baffler irons. So if green fees are free then I must be a billionaire. And if you look around on certain demo sites,, I paid $100 for my more recent iron sets so you can take that to the bank!

Patch

For sure, I was using 1998 Taylor Made LCG, I loved those clubs, still do, bought them new. HC was hovering around 15-16 for few years. Bought the new Ben Hogan Edge mid 2018 and the Equalizer Wedges and I’m down to 13 in half a year.

Chris

I had a cheapie set I had purchased off the internet that did me when I was only playing 3-5 times per year, but a couple of years ago I decided to join a local golf club and now play 70-100 times per year. I went to a couple of the demo days at my club and was fitted for a set of Taylor Made M4 irons with stiff graphite shafts…and have been playing them for about 6 months. Have they made a difference…YES, my iron play has improved, my handicap is dropping and I’m enjoying my golf more. Would I go through this process again…definitely, but not for a few years at least. If you are considering new clubs get them fitted by a professional, don’t just go to a local store and try a few ‘off the rack’…fitting makes all the difference

Gerry T

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.

Or….. you could just buy the Srixon 545s (or even the 565s now) and pay pennies on the dollar for a brand new set of top-performing irons.

I could upgrade but I might need to give up our first born. I already upgraded to these irons from Adams Redlines and A7s so this is a significant upgrade for me…and I got them from the golf course I work at as demos. So not thinking I would want to upgrade anytime soon!

stevegp

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.

David Bassett

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

Kris

Unfortunately for you it’s just an economics issue. Most people who need a senior flex aren’t hitting GI irons, but are hitting super GI irons.

Kris, I have both Cobra GI and SGI irons. So far the GI irons are doing awesome, and getting my Bio Cell 4 iron in the 180-190 range is going to be a wise iron to play for some years to come! I am glad to have a Baffler XL option but I don’t have clubhead speed or distance issues like others who are moving into the young seniors’ group! So I share David’s frustration…and if I ever need to change over clubs to lite flex I do have that option available!

Reader

TaylorMade (M4) and I believe others certainly offer A/senior/lite flex shafts in almost all their clubs. Also your comment about ‘most people’ is a bit rude…but really no big surprise given the comments I’ve seen on this web site.

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.

wayne

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

We’ve got those in our Super Game Improvement Iron Category!

Scott

So that means G700 aren’t SGI irons? Really? When I saw them in this test I assumed thee wasn’t going to be a SGI most wanted test this year?

Rich San Fillipo

12 months ago

Have you played the D350s? Interested
Rich

808nation

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.

Steve S

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 agree, Steve! I still have the length and shot shape to play GI irons, as well as the swing speed. So I will be sticking with GI irons for some time to come!

mackdaddy

I really like the 545 it feels like butter

If they feel like butter they should cost the price of butter,,,lol!

Kevin Kelly

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

Duffy McHackster

Much of that information is there. If you hover the cursor over the category header, there is a clickable icon that will sort the category by numbers.

Bwpage3

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

I prefer my Cobras over Srixon any day. I did get the Z Star golf balls, but I might need to remortgage our place for me to afford these irons. For those who like the Srixons keep playing them. I am with you on the F8 irons…poor position and disappointing rank…once again the flawed testers have spoken!

Thomas A

*results may vary per individual.

I recently played my Cobra Bio Cell Silver stiff graphite irons and my drive with my 4 iron came the closest ever to the 183-yard par three, leaving me an easy chip and a tap-in putt! Goodbye Srixon, hello Cobra! I haven’t hit a 4 iron so pure as I did then! How many amateurs in the higher handicapper level like me can say they pured a 183 yard 4 iron??

Stephen

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.

Tom

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.

nick

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

Grant

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.

sidvicius

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

Alex

My guess is no, the head weight is different, shaft is different(but that’s something you can match, with extra work/money) You can have everything bended , loft and lie matched, shaft matched, SW and weight matched then maybe your statement would be true. But then you have changed the property of those clubs that were tested in(stock) so they may perform differently already.

Eric Herring

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

Spitfisher

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

Rob

I don’t know where you saw Srixon call them players, but this is taken directly from the Srixon Website

With distance, control, feel and forgiveness technologies packaged with a player’s look and feel, Z 585 Irons offer game-improvement features in a compact, workable shape that’s ideal for mid to low-handicappers.”

They are definitely Game Improvment, but probably among the best looking GI on the market. I have had the previous version and the 765, more players version.

Brandon

Plenty of mid handicap golfers strike their irons well enough to play players cavity backs or even blades. Their handicap is high as a result of penalty strokes off the tee and a poor shirt game. Basing your iron selection on handicap alone is a terrible idea.

I wear mostly Puma so I definitely don’t have a poor shirt game.

Paintman

I’m the same way and all I could say is Amen brother. The last round I shot was a 90 with 45 putts.

I play right now in the 20=25 handicap with GI irons and my length and game fit my eye. So to me, SGI for higher handicap is an arbitrary thing and is based on other factors. I hit too fast and get under the ball too much for SGI irons, so GI irons is the way for me to go. I have plenty of clubhead speed and distance and am enjoying learning how to properly play a 4 iron again!

Gabrielle Cautilli

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.

Mark

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 ?

The Rogue! Apologies for the mistake. Rogue X will be part of our Super Game Improvement Iron Test

Kent

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.

joro

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.

Johnny Penso

The Wilsons never seem to garner a top rating overall but they always show up really well in at least 2/3 shot area measurements.

Tom Higgins

Amen!

Tim

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

mike

Not surprised one bit by this annalist, i still play Z565’s and Mizuno JPX 825’s as in my opinion they are the best mid to low handicap irons, for a very reasonable price

Jim

Tim- Curious about your 718 AP1 comment. They usually bring very good reviews. I hit them recently and felt they were very forgiving! What don’t you like about them?

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Driver Ping G30	Hybrids PXG 0317
3/4 IRON PXG 0311XF	5-GW Srixon Z 565
SW PXG 0317	LW PXG 0311
Putter EVNROLL

Irons

2018 MOST WANTED GAME IMPROVEMENT IRON

INDEPENDENT & UNBIASED

120

HoursResearched

9,199

ShotsHit

17

ProductsConsidered

36.1m

Readers

OUR JOB IS YOUR GAME

DEFINING THE GAME IMPROVEMENT CATEGORY

REFINED ANALYTICS

GET FIT FOR YOUR GAME WITH TRUEGOLFFIT™

RESULTS AND RANKINGS

2018 Best Game Improvement Irons

2018 Most Wanted Game Improvement Iron Data

2018 Most Wanted Game Improvement Rankings

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comments

Mike Wood

Mike

Gary

majorduffer

Brad

Dan

Gerald Teigrob

James Strachan

Dave S

scott

Sam Robinson

Gerald Teigrob

Patch

Chris

Gerry T

Dave S

Gerald Teigrob

stevegp

David Bassett

Kris

Gerald Teigrob

Reader

Brad

wayne

Sam Robinson

Scott

Rich San Fillipo

808nation

Steve S

Gerald Teigrob

mackdaddy

Gerald Teigrob

Kevin Kelly

Duffy McHackster

Bwpage3

Gerry T

Thomas A

Gerald Teigrob

Stephen

Hours
Researched

Shots
Hit

Products
Considered