If you’ve done the research and are confident your game could benefit from a new set of player’s irons but you don’t want to sacrifice distance, we have you covered. We looked at carry distance and total yards for our distance scoring to determine the top three longest players’ irons: Callaway Apex Pro, Ram Axial Forged and Mizuno Pro 243.
Callaway Apex Pro
Who Is It For?
✅ Golfers who want distance in a player’s iron: The longest of all player’s irons, especially in the long irons.
✅ Players looking for more of a player’s distance iron: Some say the Apex Pro is very close to being considered in the player’s distance category.
Who Is It Not For?
❌ Anyone looking for accuracy: Golf irons that are great for distance often struggle with accuracy and the Apex Pro is no exception.
❌ The lowest handicap players: Misses the mark in the accuracy category needed for the lowest handicap players.
Why Buy
The Callaway Apex Pro earned a total score of 7.2/10 for the 2024 testing, well out of the top five. However, when it comes to distance, this iron led the field. The distance score of 9.3 was the stand-out stat of the Apex Pro irons.
Where we saw the Apex Pro fly was with the long iron distance. The 5-iron was the longest iron for 60 percent of our testing pool. It blew the competitors out of the water.
The accuracy with the Apex Pro is where the numbers don’t look quite as pretty. In the player’s iron category, accuracy must be really good if you plan on hitting greens and firing at pins.
If you were afraid to switch to a player’s iron for fear of losing distance, the Apex Pro could help you gain some confidence. Anyone in the 3-8 handicap range who still struggles with lost distance should consider getting fitted for the Callaway Apex Pro.
Score: 9.3
Ram Axial Forged
Who Is It For?
✅ Golfers who want distance in a player’s iron: One of the longest of all player’s irons, especially the mid and short irons.
✅ Anyone on a budget: The iron set is priced at $499, lower than any other set in the 2024 test.
Who Is It Not For?
❌ Players looking for the best feel: Golfers in the test were not thrilled with how the Ram Axial Forged felt at impact.
❌ Golfers who are particular about the looks of a club: You’ll see some differences between the Ram and the premium player’s irons when it comes to looks.
Why Buy
The Ram Axial Forged surprised us and our testers in the 2024 Best Players Iron test. It is very impressive from a distance standpoint and even though it’s not the most accurate or forgiving, it held its own in the test.
One of our testers said, “I like it a lot, and I wasn’t expecting to.”
The best stat for the Ram Axial Forged was total distance. Most players consistently said that the biggest surprise is how fast the ball comes off the clubface. It has surprising distance for a $499 set of player’s irons. Although it may not be the best-looking, best-feeling or best-sounding club, it’s an option to consider when considering the price and the distance potential.
The Ram Axial Forged earned third place overall based on its performance, with a total score of 8/10.
Score: 8.9
Mizuno Pro 243
Who Is It For?
✅ Golfers seeking distance with forgiveness: Ideal for those who want extra distance without sacrificing forgiveness.
✅ Low-handicap players looking for workability: Perfect for players needing shot-shaping control with some forgiveness.
Who Is It Not For?
❌ High-handicap golfers: Not suited for those requiring maximum forgiveness.
❌ Golfers who want a blade-style iron: Better options exist if you are particular about the look of a blade iron.
Why Buy
The Mizuno Pro 243 earned a third-place finish for distance with a score of 8.8. The Mizuno Pro 243 is a player’s cavity-back iron. Distance from the Pro 243 was impressive, especially in the longer irons.
Mizuno included the Flow Microslot in the design of this club which helped produce a higher energy area in the clubface. This resulted in better ball speeds and more distance from an iron designed for lower-handicap players.
The Mizuno JPX 923 Tour irons were also in this player’s iron test but had a distance rating of just 6.2 compared to the 8.8 here. If you are in the market for the Mizuno feel and accuracy but are concerned about distance, get fitted for the Mizuno Pro 243.
Score: 8.8
More long player’s irons
Don’t see the product you are looking for and want to see where it stacked up? Find the full results of the Best Player’s Irons of 2024 test here: MyGolfSpy Best Players Irons of 2024
mackdaddy9
2 years ago
For my money playing a players iron that isn’t forged is missing the thread.