Our 2024 golf iron testing is complete. We’ve looked at the best super game-improvement, game-improvement, player’s distance irons and player’s irons. If you are looking for a new set, here are the best golf irons of 2024.
Best Super Game-Improvement: Tommy Armour 845+
Who Is It For?
✅ Golfers who want forgiveness: One of the most consistent super game-improvement irons in producing similar shot outcomes.
✅ Players who value accuracy. The most critical aspect of choosing a golf iron is accuracy; the Tommy Armour 845+ is the second most accurate super game-improvement iron.
Who Is It Not For?
❌ Anyone who needs maximum distance: In the bottom half of the field for distance, not as long as PING G730 or Callaway Big Bertha 23.
❌ Golfers looking for premium pricing: If you think the price of a golf iron determines the performance, the $399 Tommy Armour 845+ is not for you.
Why Buy
The Tommy Armour 845+ are the best overall super game-improvement irons. With all irons in our 2024 iron testing, we gave accuracy the highest priority. The Tommy Armour 845+ finished second overall in accuracy but first overall in forgiveness.
One of the things that may surprise you about these 845+ irons is the price. For $399, their performance earned them the title of best-value super game-improvement irons of 2024.
The one thing to look out for here is the distance. The Tommy Armour 845+ is ranked eighth overall for distance. If you struggle to get distance with your irons, you can lose five or six yards compared to the PING G730.
Remember, with more distance comes less accuracy and forgiveness. The lack of distance in the Tommy Armour 845+ irons is partly what makes them so good for inaccurate and inconsistent players.
Score: 9
Alternatives to Consider
If the Tommy Armour 845+ is not for you, the Mizuno JPX 923 Hot Metal HL would be another good option to consider. We’ve seen the JPX 923 Hot Metal HL at the top before; this year, it just missed first place.
It doesn’t have the best distance rankings, which pushed it back just a little and helped the Tommy Armour 845+ win. One great thing about the Mizuno JPX 923 Hot Metal HL is the sound, feel and looks, it ranks higher than the Tommy Armour 845+.
Here are some other top choices:
- 3rd Place Overall: Cleveland Halo XL Full-Face
- Best for Distance: PING G730
- Best for Accuracy: Mizuno JPX 923 Hot Metal HL
- Best for Forgiveness: Tommy Armour 845+
- Best Value: Tommy Armour 845+
Best Game-Improvement Iron: Tour Edge Exotics E723
Who Is It For?
✅ Players who need forgiveness. The most forgiving game-improvement irons of 2024.
✅ Anyone looking for more accuracy. The Tour Edge Exotics E723 7-iron was one of the most accurate in the test.
Who Is It Not For?
❌ Golfers who need maximum distance: Not as long as it is accurate and forgiving but still offers solid distance potential.
❌ Players who are particular about the look: Some testers said the look was the biggest knock against the Tour E723.
Why Buy
If you choose a set of golf irons based on subjective things like looks and feel, the Tour Edge Exotics E723 isn’t for you. These irons were ranked pretty low in subjective appeal but finished the highest in overall performance.
At some point, you must ask yourself: What’s more important for my game?
The $799 Tour Edge Exotics E723 earned a perfect 10 in the forgiveness category. We don’t give out this ranking often but the testing data was indisputable
The Tour Edge also did quite well when it came to accuracy. Distance scores were lower but you’ll get used to seeing that when forgiveness and accuracy are high. One tester said, “Favorite of the grouping – easy to swing with great results and the most consistent of the group.”
If you can accept the concept of performance over subjective appeal, the Tour Edge E723 will perform for you.
Score: 9.5
Alternatives to consider
The runner up for game improvement irons was the Titleist T-350. This is a more expensive iron than the E723, but it is both accurate and forgiving. The distance score hurt the T-350 a bit it won’t be the longest option of the group. Testers did love the feel of the T-350.
Here are some other top choices:
- 3rd Place Overall: Srixon ZX4 Mk II
- Best for Distance: Wilson Dynapower
- Best for Accuracy: MacGregor MACSPD
- Best for Forgiveness: Tour Edge Exotics E723
- Best Value: MacGregor MACSPD
Best Player’s Distance Irons: Srixon ZX5 Mk II
Who Is It For?
✅ Golfers who care about Strokes Gained. The Srixon ZX5 Mk II are the best player’s distance irons for accuracy in 2024.
✅ Players who value performance across the board. The Srixon ZX5 Mk II is the most accurate iron and finished near the top for distance and forgiveness.
Who Is It Not For?
❌ Anyone who won’t try something new: Srixon is an iron many golfer haven’t tried. If you are fixated on Mizuno or Titleist and afraid to branch out, this club isn’t for you.
❌ Golfers who don’t have access to try these irons at a fitting: Not every fitting center offers Srixon irons. We always recommend going through a fitting.
Why Buy
The Srixon ZX5 Mk II are the best overall player’s distance irons of 2024. When testing all of our irons in 2024, we noticed that the top contenders were those with the best accuracy and forgiveness scores. However, some struggled with distance.
With the Srixon ZX5 Mk II, we saw solid results across the board. They are the most accurate of all player’s distance irons and finished fourth for forgiveness and sixth for distance. Given the strength of the irons in this test, that was a solid all-around performance.
One tester said, “No matter what I did, I knew I was going to hit a good shot.” Wouldn’t that be a nice feature to have in a golf club?
The biggest problem some golfers face with the Srixon irons is familiarity with the brand. If you haven’t tried Srixon, it may be time.
Score: 9.6
Alternatives to consider
The COBRA KING Forged Tec X is the runner up in the best player’s distance iron test. It has great distance and accuracy scores but it’s not the most forgiving (or consistent) and that’s what kept it from taking first place.
Testers did find the COBRA KING Forged Tec X to be subjectively appealing and very hot off the face.
Here are some other top choices:
- 3rd Place Overall: PING I530
- Best for Distance: COBRA KING Forged Tec X
- Best for Accuracy: Srixon ZX5 Mk II
- Best for forgiveness: TaylorMade P-770 23′
Best Player’s Irons: TaylorMade P-7MC
Who Is It For?
✅ Players who want to maximize accuracy with scoring irons. The pitching wedge and 7-iron are the highest scorers for accuracy in the entire test.
✅ Golfers looking for consistency. The TaylorMade P-7MC is consistent for ball speed, carry distance, backspin and dispersion.
Who Is It Not For?
❌ Golfers looking for distance: The TaylorMade P-7MC ranks towards the bottom for carry and total distance.
❌ Golfers on a budget: Not the cheapest player’s iron of 2024.
Why Buy
The TaylorMade P-7MC is the best player’s iron of 2024. With player’s irons, the concern won’t be distance or forgiveness. Golfers who play with this type of iron seek accuracy.
With the TaylorMade P-7MC, accuracy was the strongest overall performance. The pitching wedge and 7-iron were two of the most accurate clubs in the test. This is good news for golfers looking to score.
One tester said, ” Solid iron. It checks off all of the subjective boxes. I felt like it produced one of the tightest dispersions.”
It’s not just a feeling. The data proves it.
Don’t expect the longest distance with the P-7MC but that’s probably not why you are shopping for irons in this category. Going for a fitting and pairing the club head with the correct shaft for your swing can remove some of those distance concerns.
Score: 9.2
Alternatives to consider:
The PING I230 is the runner up for the Best Player’s Iron of 2024. One of the areas where the PING really stood out was in the 5-iron testing. Short iron performance was not quite as strong. If you want accuracy and distance potential the PING I230 makes a good choice.
Here are some other top choices:
- 3rd Place Overall: Ram Axial Forged
- Best for Distance: Callaway Apex Pro
- Best for Accuracy: TaylorMade P-7MC
- Best for Forgiveness: Titleist T-100
- Best Value: Ram Axial Forged
How we tested irons in 2024
Our 2024 iron test included 64 irons divided into four categories (super-game improvement, game improvement, player’s distance, and player’s irons). We tested each iron for its forgiveness, distance, and accuracy.
Accuracy
To measure accuracy, we looked at one specific metric: strokes gained. Accuracy was the most important part of iron testing in 2024. If you want to shoot lower score,s you need to hit the ball closer to the hole.
Distance
Distance capability was measured by looking at carry distance and total yards. Some irons that were capable of longer distances struggled with accuracy or forgiveness.
Forgiveness
We consider forgiveness to be the consistency with which a super game-improvement iron produces consistent shot outcomes. To measure forgiveness, we looked at carry distance deltas, ball speed deltas, backspin deltas, and dispersion.
Final Thoughts
Don’t see the product you are looking for and want to see where it stacked up? Find the full results of the Best Golf Super Game-Improvement Irons here: MyGolfSpy Best Super-Game Improvement Irons, Best Game-Improvement Irons here: MyGolfSpy Best Game-Improvement Irons, Player’s Distance Irons here: MyGolfSpy Best Player’s Distance Irons, Player’s Irons here: MyGolfSpy Best Player’s Irons.
Jim N
7 months ago
Just switched to Wilson DynaForged irons , they are awesome. I have played Ping , Mizuno, and Srixon so I had to do a lot of homework to make this change. The forgiveness is off the charts. The feel is firm which I like.