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Make no mistake! This is the year’s most extensive player’s iron review anywhere! These are the best player’s irons 2023.
The player’s iron category is not for the faint of heart or the weak of spirit. They are made with precision to showcase elegance and craftsmanship.
But be forewarned: From a performance standpoint, there is a fine line between precision and harsh truth. Player’s irons are the ultimate ball-striking reality check.
Accuracy and workability are two main attributes for a player’s irons. They are not known for being forgiving or producing extra distance.
Are player’s irons right for you? And, if so, which ones should you buy?
Read on to find out!
For the best player’s irons 2023, overall rankings are a compilation of accuracy, forgiveness, and distance. Each scoring category is weighted to achieve the overall score. Accuracy and forgiveness are weighted more heavily. Thus, playing a more significant role than distance for the player’s iron category.
| Product | Overall Score |
|
|---|---|---|
| Mizuno JPX 923 Tour Check Price | 97 |
| Srixon ZX7 Mk II Check Price | 94 |
| Takomo Golf 301 CB Check Price | 89 |
| PING i230 Check Price | 87 |
 | Proto Concept C03TC Check Price | 87 |
 | Fourteen TB-7 Check Price | 86 |
 | MacGregor MT-86 Pro Check Price | 85 |
 | TaylorMade P7MC Check Price | 84 |
 | New Level 623 CB Forged Check Price | 82 |
 | COBRA KING CB Check Price | 82 |
 | Sub 70 659 TC Check Price | 80 |
 | Sub 70 659 CB Check Price | 79 |
 | COBRA KING Tour Check Price | 78 |
 | Edel SMS Pro Check Price | 75 |
Accuracy
The Accuracy category accounts for a significant percentage of the overall score. Our Accuracy metric is:
Forgiveness is a measure of consistency. As such, our Forgiveness metrics seek to identify the clubs that provide the most consistent result. Please note: “Consistent” doesn’t always mean “consistently good.” Our Forgiveness metrics include:
Of the irons we test, we’d like to think that distance matters least in the player’s iron category. It accounts for the smallest percentage of our overall score. That said, we know nobody wants an iron that’s significantly shorter and, when performance is otherwise similar, distance can be the deciding factor. Our Distance metrics are simple:
Performance should be your primary concern when buying new irons but there are some additional things you may want to think about before you make your decision.
Steel or graphite. Which do you choose? Well, it is relative to what you have access to and what fits you as an individual. Most player’s irons come stock with steel shafts. True Temper Dynamic, Project X, KBS Tour and Nippon Shaft make up a majority of stock steel shaft offerings. Of course, there are after-market options. Selecting the appropriate shaft can help tighten dispersion and enhance launch conditions. This is a critical ingredient to bettering your golf game.
Player’s irons are not renowned for distance. However, there are some eye-catching irons in this test that have distance potential. But with distance comes the loss of consistency and the potential for increased dispersion. This is the case with the best performing player’s irons for distance.
For player’s irons, forgiveness and accuracy need to be your priority. Our perspective is that consistent distance falls in the forgiveness discussion. The more consistent a golf club is, the more forgiving and accurate it is.
No question: Golf equipment prices are on the rise and will most likely continue to rise. Many seven-piece sets of player’s irons will cost you $1,200 or more.
But there are a handful of direct-to-consumer brands offering competitive price points. Sub 70, Takomo Golf, New Level and MacGregor Golf all have iron sets for less than $1,000.
For the Best Player’s Irons 2023, we utilized 20 testers to collect nearly 13,440 total shots. Throughout the testing process, testers hit 5-iron, 7-iron, and pitching wedge from each participating model.
We limit variables by collecting data using Titleist ProV1 as our official testing golf ball and ForeSight GCQuad as our official ball launch monitor.
Q: How often should I buy new irons?
A: While on rare occasions there are quantifiable year-over-year breakthroughs, typically it takes three to five years for manufacturers to make 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 player’s (cavity backs), player’s 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. While there are always exceptions, if your handicap is above 10 and ball striking is not a legitimate strength, we’d recommend avoiding the player’s iron category. For more skilled players who hit the ball more consistently, a set of player’s or player’s distance irons may benefit your game the most. For those on the bubble, especially for those seeking a few more yards, the player’s distance category is typically the most versatile.
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. Finding the right shaft and dialing in your lie angles is reason enough to get fitted.
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 iron category we recommend 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 launch monitor 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 fitted 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 are the Best Player’s Irons 2023 determined?
A: To determine our rankings, we collect key performance metrics with Foresight GCQuad Launch Monitors. After eliminating outliers, we utilize a proprietary methodology to calculate overall scores for three key metrics: Accuracy, Forgiveness and Distance. The Most Wanted winner is determined by the overall score after weighting these three metrics.
Q: How is the “Best for Distance” iron determined?
A: The process to determine the longest player’s iron is similar to how we arrive at our overall rankings. For distance, our critical metrics are carry and total yards. We identify distance scores for each iron: 5, 7 and PW. From there, an overall score is calculated.
Q: How is the “Best for Forgiveness” iron determined?
A: Forgiveness scores are calculated based on four key metrics: spin delta, ball speed delta, carry delta and dispersion. A forgiveness score is generated, like distance, for each iron: 5, 7 and PW. From there, an overall score is calculated.
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.
Mizuno JPX 923 Tour is the best player's iron 2023. Propelling it to 1st place are its accuracy and forgiveness scores. It ranks the best for both scoring metrics. Player's irons are one of Mizuno's trademarks and it shines through with JPX 923 Tour's performance. Now, if you are looking for distance, JPX 923 Tour will not impress you. It isn't designed to maximize distance. Accuracy and precision are its goals, and it achieves them. If looks, feel, and sound are important to you, JPX 923 Tour checks all of these boxes as well.
Mizuno JPX 923 Tour continues Mizuno's dominance in the golf iron space. For the players' iron category, JPX 923 Tour does not focus on distance. However, it specializes in accuracy and forgiveness, or from our perspective, consistency. JPX 923 Tour is the best player's iron 2023. It gains this title by being the best for accuracy and forgiveness. JPX 923 Tour is also one of the most appealing irons for feel, sound, and looks according to our testing pool.
If you're looking for pure distance, Mizuno JPX 923 Tour is not your golden ticket. Throughout testing, it was apparent JPX 923 Tour wasn't going to win a distance award. Overall, it places 12th for distance. Not the shortest overall, but close enough.
| OVERVIEW | PERFORMANCE | RANKING | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Accuracy evaluates if a player’s shots with each club are above or below what’s expected based on that player’s skill level. |
|
1st |
|
Our distance scoring is a metric ultimately telling you the total yards achieved by the club |
|
12th |
|
Forgiveness measures how well a club corrects for hits that are center or off center off the face of the club. |
|
1st |
|
Ball speed measures how fast the ball is traveling off the face of the club. |
|
13th |
Srixon ZX7 Mk II finishes 2nd in the best player's iron 2023. ZX7 Mk II offers an intriguing blend of accuracy, distance, and forgiveness. It checks the boxes for accuracy and distance. As a player's iron, it is rare for one to offer upside as both accurate and providing distance. Well, ZX7 Mk II squashes this notion. Its forgiveness score is its lone con, but even this score is relatively good compared to others in the category. If you're looking for a player's iron that offers the complete package, Srixon ZX7 Mk II is on the list.
Srixon continues to make a statement with their iron lineups. ZX7 Mk II is the latest model to do so. Srixon ZX7 Mk II is a strong performer for accuracy and distance. It places 2nd for accuracy and 4th for distance. When a golf club offers the combination of accuracy and distance, it makes for a tempting option to golfers. In addition to scoring well, ZX7 Mk II claims the title as best for sound, feel, and likelihood of purchase. Almost a clean sweep in terms of subjective feedback.
It is difficult to highlight a negative with Srixon ZX7 Mk II. The most noticeable chink in its armor is forgiveness. It ranks outside of the Top 5 for forgiveness, by placing 6th out of 14. This still makes it above average from a forgiveness standpoint.
| OVERVIEW | PERFORMANCE | RANKING | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Accuracy evaluates if a player’s shots with each club are above or below what’s expected based on that player’s skill level. |
|
2nd |
|
Our distance scoring is a metric ultimately telling you the total yards achieved by the club |
|
4th |
|
Forgiveness measures how well a club corrects for hits that are center or off center off the face of the club. |
|
6th |
|
Ball speed measures how fast the ball is traveling off the face of the club. |
|
3rd |
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Takomo Golf 301 CB makes a bold debut in our testing. It finishes 3rd overall by displaying excellent forgiveness and noteworthy accuracy. Traditionally, precision is a priority for most player's irons. Well, if you could take a player's iron that performs consistently off the face and combine that with accuracy, would you game that iron? This is what you are getting with the Takomo Golf 301 CB. And before we forget, it wins our best value award for 2023. If you're looking for a player's iron that offers performance and won't put a hole in your wallet, Takomo Golf 301 CB is it.
Takomo Golf 301 CB takes 3rd place overall for the best player's iron 2023. This is an impressive debut by a direct to consumer manufacturer. Takomo Golf 301 CB's best attribute is its forgiveness. To us, forgiveness is a measurement of how consistent a golf club is with shot outcomes. Specifically, tight deviations with carry distance, ball speed, backspin, and dispersion. Takomo Golf 301 CB does just this. Additionally, it performs well for accuracy. Excelling with forgiveness and accuracy propels it to its 3rd place finish.
Distance is where Takomo Golf 301 CB underwhelms. It finishes 13th overall for distance. Granted, player's irons and distance aren't usually synonymous with each other. Takomo Golf 301 CB did not speak subjectively to our testing pool as it ranks poorly for feel, looks, and sound.
| OVERVIEW | PERFORMANCE | RANKING | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Accuracy evaluates if a player’s shots with each club are above or below what’s expected based on that player’s skill level. |
|
3rd |
|
Our distance scoring is a metric ultimately telling you the total yards achieved by the club |
|
13th |
|
Forgiveness measures how well a club corrects for hits that are center or off center off the face of the club. |
|
2nd |
|
Ball speed measures how fast the ball is traveling off the face of the club. |
|
9th |
With its 4th place finish, the PING i230 irons cements itself as a stellar option for golfers. Its greatest attribute is forgiveness, which helps propel it to the top 4 ranking. Traditionally, PING prides itself on consistency and well, golfers should expect nothing less from the i230 as a players iron. PING i230 produces average accuracy and distance scores. These make it a solid option for all around performance.
PING i230's greatest performance characteristic is its forgiveness ranking. It places 4th overall for forgiveness. For us, forgiveness is a measurement of how consistent a golf club is at producing similar outcomes. Specifically, producing consistent ball speed, carry distances, backspin numbers, and tighter dispersion. PING i230 does exactly this and should be a priority for you when looking at a new players iron set.
Subjectively, PING i230 does not rank highly for sound and feel. And frankly, that is a pretty consistent outcome for PING irons. Additionally, it is merely average for distance and accuracy. Are these necessarily cons? Possibly not, but they are weaknesses that standout.
| OVERVIEW | PERFORMANCE | RANKING | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Accuracy evaluates if a player’s shots with each club are above or below what’s expected based on that player’s skill level. |
|
8th |
|
Our distance scoring is a metric ultimately telling you the total yards achieved by the club |
|
8th |
|
Forgiveness measures how well a club corrects for hits that are center or off center off the face of the club. |
|
4th |
|
Ball speed measures how fast the ball is traveling off the face of the club. |
|
2nd |
Proto Concept C03TC places 5th overall. Much like other Proto Concept irons, C03TC continues a trend of these irons offering tremendous accuracy potential. With a 4th place ranking for accuracy, it speaks to the consistency of the golf iron. Accuracy is arguably one of the most important performance characteristics of a players' iron. Being able to hit greens with precision is a game changer and Proto Concept C03TC offers this. For distance and forgiveness, it is slightly above average relative to the field, which boost its overall appeal.
Proto Concept's newest additon - C03TC makes a debut and impresses yet again. Its best performance attribute is accuracy. C03TC places 4th overall for accuracy. In addition to being an accurate iron, it rates highly for sound and feel.
Proto Concept C03TC offers slightly below average performance for distance and forgiveness relative to the entire field. These standout as two subtle weaknesses. Our testing pool ranks it towards the bottom for looks.
| OVERVIEW | PERFORMANCE | RANKING | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Accuracy evaluates if a player’s shots with each club are above or below what’s expected based on that player’s skill level. |
|
4th |
|
Our distance scoring is a metric ultimately telling you the total yards achieved by the club |
|
9th |
|
Forgiveness measures how well a club corrects for hits that are center or off center off the face of the club. |
|
8th |
|
Ball speed measures how fast the ball is traveling off the face of the club. |
|
5th |
Choose a club category and pick two options to compare head-to-head. We'll show the stats from our testing side-by-side to see which ranks highest on the aspects that matter to you most. May the best club win!
See Head-to-HeadAccuracy is a testament to precision. The Mizuno JPX 923 and the Srixon ZX& Mk II stood out this year.
Distance is calculated using carry distance and total yards. The overall distance rankings are an aggregation of 5-iron, 7-iron, and pitching wedge distances. The number displayed in the graphic represents long iron total distance (5-iron) of each product and is not a representation of overall ranking. The aggregated results as well as middle and short iron data is coming soon.
Forgiveness is a measurement of a product’s consistency with ball speed, carry distance, backspin, and dispersion.
Everything we do and say is based on cold, hard data. We challenge any and every claim with scientific measurement and analysis. If a product performs well, you'll hear about it. We'll tell you the truth and list the shortcomings if it doesn't.
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Everything we do and say is based on cold, hard data. We challenge any and every claim with scientific measurement and analysis. If a product performs well, you'll hear about it. We'll tell you the truth and list the shortcomings if it doesn't.
Looking for more detailed information on Player’s Irons?
Looking for more detailed information on Player’s Irons?
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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 |
8 months ago
I played Titleist 690 CBs in the first half of the new millenium. Still outstanding irons. Then I went to Mizuno JPX 825s for a little more help as I got into my mid-60’s. I still play them today, 10 years later because they still sound, feel and hit amazingly. They are still beautiful to my eyes, after hundreds of rounds.
However, if I had the game for it, I would be playing the Wilson Staff Blade Model irons. To my eyes, they are the most beautiful, most accurate, buttery-feeling, precise tools to play the game of golf. That they are not among the top 3 in this category is odd. Now I’m 71, and I only hit my 5 iron 150 yards, but if I still had the distance, I’d be playing Wilson Staff Blades (current model) and never look back. I can not put into words, just how good they feel, when struck well. I’ll always love my Mizunos (driver, woods, hybrids and irons), but if I could game them, it would be the Wilson Staff Blade Model irons, all day long!
8 months ago
It would be interesting to see a review of top players iron of the previous 5-10 years.
Top players iron of all time.
10 months ago
I’m a low ball hitter and looking for something that has a little lower cg and launches a but higher. Did you find that any of these irons launched higher than others?
11 months ago
This new format is a great improvement. Agree with others that the review should include the most recent models from all manufacturers, regardless of year of release, or at least the winner or top 5 from last year + the current model from Titleist, Mizuno, Ping, TM, Callaway and Srixon.
11 months ago
Will the Takomo 101 and 101Ts be tested in best game improvement, player’s distance, etc.?
11 months ago
I just wanted to say that this report – the way you have structured the content, written up the results, summarized the pros and cons each, etc. – is different and SO much better than your previous structure. This is easier to understand and evaluate the results against my own preferences and needs. I hope you keep this structure for future tests.
11 months ago
Mizuno and Srixon are the best. The mass market brands can’t compete with these two companies.
11 months ago
Thanks for the Players Iron evaluation. I am curious why the PXG 0317 CB was not included. They were announced in the Spring of 2023 which is since last year’s evaluation and are getting high marks in other reviews. From a pricing standpoint, they fit squarely in the sweet spot of the clubs you did evaluate. Thanks…
11 months ago
I agree, I’d love to know where the 0317s stack up on this list.
11 months ago
No doubt it is a difficult task to accurately evaluate and then design a rating system to compare golf clubs against each other. It’s not difficult for a golfer to find a fault or two with the study methodology.
But there is an obvious and absolutely glaring fault in the data gathering. An important source of error must be the variation in loft angles among the various tested clubs. This really needs to change. A better approach would be to ignore the numbers on the clubheads and instead compare the clubs by grouping their lofts together as closely as possible, with the loft angles verified by measurements obtained in your testing lab.
11 months ago
Chas – Several talking points that I think are worth consideration:
1) Stamped lofts are static and everyone brand has variance in spec tolerance. What’s most important are the launch conditions which are a function of dynamic loft and mass properties. It’s not as simple as lower loft = more distance. Beyond that, distance isn’t nearly as important as accuracy in this category of irons.
2) Looking only at a spec like static loft, ignores the importance of the interplay between loft, bounce and sole design. It’s not as simple as bending every 7-iron to 34°.
11 months ago
Impressive that Takomo shows up so well and they will get you a set of irons for under $700. Good for them and good for all of us.
11 months ago
Unsurprisingly the “distance” category correlates very strongly with the lofts. I’d suggest MGS to regress average distance on lofts (per “number of iron” used, to acknowledge the differences in shaft length and so on) and use the residuals as the “distance metrics”. You would probably get a tighter dispersion and the 34° 7 irons (Mizuno, Cobra CB, Takomo… ) would not be so heavily disadvantaged against the 30° 7 irons (Fourteen) or 32° (Srixon, Sub70 etc.)
That being said, I’m surprise to read the Takomo 301CB was not well liked in terms of looks sound or feel. I do play a set of 301 MB/CB and sure enough the CB doesn’t feel /sound as good as the CB but they still feel absolutely fantastic when hit in the middle (which you should do, most of the time, if you play irons of this sort). I actually like them more than either of my previous gamers (Bridgestone J38 CB and Mizuno MP5)… I guess the look is somewhat “industrial” with all the straight lines from the back, giving them a “love or hate” sort of style… Nordic, but I do love it myself.
11 months ago
I had the exact same thought. It’s not an ‘apples to apples’ comparison. The #1 ‘rated’ forgiveness iron, Mizuno JPX923 Tour’s 7-iron is 34*, while the #10 iron is Cobra King Tour Irons is 32*. I think everyone recognizes more loft is more forgiving. That’s why a lot of players don’t carry 3 and 4-irons these days.
I really wish MGS could figure out a way to calculate distance, forgiveness, accuracy per degree of loft for a more accurate and true comparison.
11 months ago
Hilarious how Nickel was praising Proto-C in the other article yet it doesn’t even win any category here.
And how do you do a batch test like this by keeping other “current” models that have not been replaced with anything new?
11 months ago
Not sure how the New Level 623 CB achieved a 97 score on accuracy last year but only an 80 score this year. There have been no changes made to the clubhead and I find this to be a bit perplexing.
11 months ago
It would be a great service to your readers to include last years winner in testing against the current years releases, with all club testing. Would put some optics behind whether or not the technology made a substantial vs minimal vs no difference.
11 months ago
They did include last year’s winner the New Level CB 623
11 months ago
Really surprised at how poorly the Edel SMS Pro scored. It represents such an interesting leap in design that it is a bit disappointing to see how they finished. I would assume the testers had the ability to move the weights around? Or was it just in the stock setup for everyone?
8 months ago
They state that all clubs tested had no adjustability so I’m guessing they didn’t move the weights around. As moving the weights around would not fit into the “fit from stock” and moving the weights around would have required more testing than time allowed for data collection.
11 months ago
With your 20 testers, are these all low HDCP golfers will similar skill level in ball striking? So the deltas between all 13,440 should prove comparable? And/Or if it’s a diverse range of HDCP + Skill level, is there a point in time the Deltas should be separated and represented in these articles between the groups of HDCP levels?
11 months ago
Wow! MacGregor MT-86 Pro great showing. This will be a great value set when they start going on sale soon.
11 months ago
I get it has to do with release years and such, but it’s hard to really get “best” when Titleist & Callaway had 2022 releases and thus weren’t included in this report, even though they are still their current clubs. Would be nice to see current available from all manufacturers so you have a true head-to-head versus just focusing on release year.
11 months ago
This with bells on. With most manufacturers not releasing these clubs every year, a comparison of each’s current offering would surely be the best option.
11 months ago
Was thinking the same thing, Jeff. Would love to see how T100 and T100s stack up to these.
11 months ago
The Titleist and Callaway offerings aren’t as good as these irons. They do a lot of marketing which pushes sales and brand loyalty. All things being equal I doubt these two would be top of mind for most golfers. When there’s non-stop marketing pushing a product it raises a red flag. I’d rather have high quality and high performing products like Srixon and Mizuno getting more unbiased exposure.
Once a Callaway or Titleist player tries a Srixon or Mizuno they instantly realized and feel the difference.
11 months ago
I don’t like the look of the Srixons from the top line, they also sit funny.
The Callaway looks goods and feels good to hit, I would prefer the look and playability of the Callaway than the Srixon, regardless of the extra bit more that it may perform. Srixon’s top line is too thick, built and designed to hold that “frame” thing they’re going with for these current models.
This analysis is purely performance, but the look and how it feels in the hand are always going to end up being huge factors that cannot be ignored in the overall purchase decision
Titleist ProV1 Golf Balls
HikingMike
5 months ago
I’d never heard of Takomo before. This makes me wonder how their 201 would fare in here. I’m surprised the 301 CB is so forgiving based on how it looks with just a solid hunk of metal on the bottom part of the club and only the top half has an actual slight perimeter weight design.