OUR JOB IS YOUR GAME

No matter your discipline, having the right tools for your craft is essential; and when it comes to golf, every club in your bag must have a purpose. The irons you play will make up roughly half of the clubs in your bag – which makes it that much more important to ensure you’ve got the right ones. With the golf equipment space continually growing and changing, choosing clubs can become as difficult as trying to decide where to go to dinner with your partner.

The clubs tested, while not quite the butter-knife blades your grandfather played, maintain the workability better players demand and offer that bit of forgiveness we all need. The target handicap for this iron category ranges from scratch(or better) to the high single-digits. The designs of these irons feature more compact head profiles, small cavities, and minimal offset.

DISCLAIMER: While we all want to game the same irons as the pros, the clubs in this category aren’t for everyone. These players irons are designed for golfers who hit the center of the clubface more often than not. Miss and the punishment will be more severe than with game-improvement or super game-improvement irons.

If you’re a seasoned golfer in the market for irons in 2019 – this test is for you. 

Most Wanted:

Performance Grades

Below is a breakdown of performance grades by iron length. The percentages displayed for each iron represent the frequency at which each was among the best performing irons for each tester across the test pool. For more information about how we arrive at these results, see our How We Test page.

*Performances differences between clubs in the Players CB category are minimal compared to the other categories we’ve tested this season.

Iron Buying Considerations

Performance should be your primary concern when buying new irons, but there are some additional considerations you may want to think about before you make your purchasing decision.

SET MAKE-UP

You’ll likely hit iron shots on the majority of holes you play, so it’s essential to pay attention to set make-up. As with most things in the golf equipment industry, there is no universal standard for set composition. That’s not a bad thing as it allows for almost endless combinations and the ability to mix and match between models when appropriate. While all of the irons tested in our 2019 Players Test include a 4-iron, in many cases a gap wedge isn’t offered. The category is intended for better players and the feeling among many manufacturers is that better players aren’t likely to carry a set wedge. It’s also worth mentioning that not every manufacturer offers a 3-iron. In addition to being difficult for even better players to hit, the reality is that as lofts have gotten stronger, the need for a 3-iron has been diminished. As with every category, it’s important is that you make sure your iron set can fill every spot in the bag you need it to fill and that you don’t pay for additional clubs you don’t want or need.

SHAFT SELECTION

The number of shaft options offered for irons is growing. It can be challenging to navigate the different models, weights, and flexes to find the shaft that’s right for you. The answer to the best performing shaft question stretches well beyond graphite vs. steel.

Stock shaft offerings within the Players CB category are generally heavier than in other categories. 120g to 130g is typical though some brands do skew a bit lighter. The additional weight means that stock graphite options (which tend to be significantly lighter) are also limited compared to the other categories we test.

We always recommend taking the time to go through a professional fitting, but if you don’t have the resources, ask your local golf shop if they have a Mizuno Shaft Optimizer. This advanced technology utilizes gyroscopes and strain gauges to measure things like club speed, tempo, and how much the shaft is flexing at impact. It will then recommend a list of shafts at the right flex, length, for your swing. It even makes a lie angle recommendation.

DISTANCE VS. FORGIVENESS VS. WORKABILITY

While Player’s Irons overall don’t offer the same level of forgiveness you’ll see in game improvement or super game improvement, some do offer more forgiveness than others. In a perfect world, we would get all three in one iron that everyone could play. Unfortunately, distance, forgiveness, and workability are like gauges – when you add to one, you take from another. Players irons characteristically feature smaller blade lengths and more compact head profiles. This design doesn’t generally lend itself to forgiveness; that said, the most forgiving iron will always be the one you hit closest to the sweet spot most often. Evaluate your game and decide what you need to maximize performance.

COST

A set of irons is likely going to be the most expensive investment for your golf bag. Players irons are typically on the upper echelon of the price range, often exceeding $1000. Given the cost, it makes sense to take the time to work with a club fitting professional to determine which irons are best for your game.

FIELD NOTES

During each test, we look for trends that provide us insight into where the market as a whole is moving, as well as what noteworthy changes manufacturers have made to improve year-over-year performance. We also solicit feedback from our testers. We want to understand what they liked, what they didn’t like, and why. We want to reemphasize that while we do collect and share noteworthy portions of this subjective feedback, it does not factor in our rankings.

Trends and Tweaks

• Inconsistent ball-strikers need not apply – Player’s Irons are those that are designed for maximum workability and control. That invariably comes at a price, and that price is forgiveness. Workability and forgiveness are like a teeter-totter; when you raise one side, the other dips. The typical Players Iron sacrifices some of the forgiveness that less skilled ball-strikers need, replacing it the workability that skilled ball strikers want.
• Most all of the irons tested in our 2019 Most Wanted Players Irons Test feature a fully forged head. The forging process itself doesn’t create an inherently less forgiving club, however, players CBs typically have a greater percentage of mass concentrated towards the center of the clubhead. While that often leads to a softer feel, it doesn’t lend itself well to significant perimeter weighting (which is part of where forgiveness comes from).
• With improvements in technology come improvements in head construction. Mizuno irons have been grain flow forged for years, which Mizuno says gives you the most responsive feel at impact. Manufacturers like PXG and TaylorMade have taken the plunge into multi-material construction, inserting polymers and proprietary materials directly behind the face of the clubs. These design implementations help engineers reduce the thickness of the face, with the goal of improving feel and ball speed consistency across the face without sacrificing too much in the way of soft feel.

Notes from the Testing Pool

The following section details subjective feedback from our pool of 20 testers. While it is meant to highlight some of the feedback obtained during the test, it’s important to note that none of it is directly related to the actual performance of the club, and as such, does not factor in the overall rankings.

• The Srixon Z785 was the highest-rated club in all three subjective categories; looks, feel, and alignment. Faster swinging and lower handicap golfers in the test group cited this iron’s players preferred compact profile and thin top line.
• Among the top-rated irons for feel in this year’s Players CB test were the Mizuno JPX 919 Tour; and a surprising newcomer, the Sub70 639 CB. The 919s feature a 1025E Grain Flow Forged HD carbon steel head and a CNC milled face to offer the feel you’d expect from a Mizuno iron. The Sub70 639 CB is a direct-to-consumer iron that provides excellent feel in a traditional Player’s CB head shape at an extremely reasonable price.
• While the Most Wanted Players Irons Test was comprised mostly of lower handicap, high swing speed players – the lower handicapped golfers with handicaps on the upper echelon of our limit favored irons like the Callaway X-Forged and Cobra KING Forged CB which they felt helped launch the ball a bit higher.
• We also received unanimously positive feedback on how well the Titleist AP2 paired with the Dynamic Gold AMT Red shaft (high launch), most notably in the long irons. For those with lower launch angles, we saw a noticeable difference in trajectory when utilizing the full AMT shaft line to optimize launch windows.

2019 Most Wanted Players Irons Data

To filter and compare by club, use the drop-down list and checkboxes to select only the irons you wish to compare.

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

* denotes measured value vs. manufacturer’s stated spec.

FAQ

BUYING NEW IRONS

Q: How often should I buy new irons?

A: While on rare occasions there are quantifiable year-over-year breakthroughs, typically it takes 3-5 years for manufacturers to make any significant performance gains. With the USGA further tightening restrictions on manufacturers, it’s possible, even likely, that it will take longer still moving forward. Our recommendation is to buy new irons only when they appreciably outperform what is already in your bag. Of course, if you want new irons because you want new irons, that’s fine too.

Q: How do I determine the right category of irons for me?

A: The four categories of irons we test are: players (cavitybacks), players distance, game improvement, and super game improvement. While there is some overlap between categories, your search should begin with an honest assessment of your skill level (handicap), as well as what you need in your game. If your handicap is above 10 and ball-striking is not a legitimate strength, consider game improvement or super game improvement. For more skilled players who hit the ball more consistently, a set of players irons or players distance irons may benefit your game the most. For those on the bubble, especially for those seeking a few more yards, the Players Distance category could be ideal.

Q: Does the shaft matter?

A: Absolutely. While changes to spin and launch differences are rarely massive, shaft changes frequently lead to improved accuracy, tighter dispersion, and greater overall consistency.

Q: What should I look for when testing irons?

A: While golfers have been conditioned to consider distance to the exclusion of nearly everything else, even within the Player’s Irons category, we recommended looking at the little numbers and looking for small circles. When comparing metrics like distance and ball speed, be sure to look at your standard deviations (the small numbers usually found under the big ones on the data screen). Smaller numbers mean better consistency, which will usually mean more than an extra yard or two on the golf course. Similarly, look for tighter dispersion ellipses (small circles). We can’t overstate the importance of consistency with irons.

MOST WANTED

Q: How are the irons in the test fit to each golfer?

A: We use a fitting process that we call fit from stock. Irons are fitted to each tester using the stock, no up-charge options from each manufacturer. We test one short iron, one mid-iron, and one long iron from each set. While there are no irons in our testing that feature adjustability, we fit to flex for each tester in the pool. Occasionally manufacturers will send multiple sets with different stock shafts that we can utilize to improve launch conditions.

Q: How do you determine in which category to test a given set of irons?

A: To ensure that we’re testing irons as alike as designers allow for, in addition to the design of the head itself (profile, sole width, etc.), we sort by length and loft. Our goal is to keep differences as minimal as possible within any test cohort. When an iron reasonably fits in more than one category, we defer to the manufacturer’s category choice.

Q: How is the Most Wanted Players Iron Determined

A: To determine our rankings, we collect key performance metrics with Foresight GCQuad Launch Monitors. After eliminating outliers, we use a utilize a proprietary methodology to calculate Strokes Gained values for each combination of tester and golf club. Next, we calculate confidence intervals and determine the statistical reliability of our Strokes Gained values. The iron that is reliably better for the highest percentage of testers is the Most Wanted. For more detailed information on our test process, visit our How We Test Page.

Q: How is the “Most Forgiving” Iron determined?

A: To determine the Most Forgiving Players Iron, we focus on a narrower set of metrics that includes: Shot Area (dispersion, measured in yards²), and the standard deviations of several key parameters: ball speed, carry yards, pin proximity, and strokes gained.

Q: You discuss subjective feedback for things like looks, sound, and feel. How much do those ratings factor into your rankings?

A: ZERO. Our rankings are based purely on launch monitor data and quantifiable performance metrics.

 

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