Player’s irons are built for elite golfers. Have you ever wondered what separates the best player’s iron from the worst? Spoiler alert: it’s accuracy. To put player’s irons in the bag, you must trust that they will be accurate. The TaylorMade P-7MC is the best overall player’s iron of 2024 and the Ben Hogan PTx Tour is the worst of the irons we tested.
Distance
It’s not often that the “worst” beats the “first” in any one category of golf club testing. However, the Ben Hogan PTx Tour, the lowest-performing iron of the 2024 test, beat out the top-performing iron when it came to distance.
The total scores for player’s irons are weighted. That’s how the TaylorMade P-7MC can win the best overall player’s iron of 2024, even though it’s not a distance machine.
In reality, neither iron is known for pure distance.
The longest player’s iron in the test was the Callaway Apex Pro. The TaylorMade P-7MC finished next to last. The Hogan was somewhere in the middle.
Testers mentioned that although they found the TaylorMade P-7MC to be accurate, it was sometimes a half-club shorter than other irons in the test.
The average 7-iron total distance between the first and the worst irons (who struggled in the distance category) and the top performer in the test was about 3 yards.
Accuracy
It’s not uncommon to find a correlation between increased distance and decreased accuracy. The fact that the TaylorMade P-7MC struggles with distance could be the same reason it succeeds with accuracy.
The TaylorMade P-7MC was by far the most accurate golf iron in the entire test. It scored 9.5/10 in accuracy while the Ben Hogan PTx scored 6.8.
If your goal is to go after the pin and get the ball close with your irons, the TaylorMade is the better choice. In this test, accuracy is measured by Strokes Gained. The P-7MC put golfers closer to their target.
Forgiveness
“Forgiveness” is how consistent a player’s iron is in producing consistent shot outcomes. The data we used to determine the most forgiving player’s irons includes carry distance deltas, ball speed deltas and backspin deltas.
The forgiveness was almost identical with the TaylorMade P-7MC and the Ben Hogan PTx Tour. TaylorMade earned a score of 9.5, Ben Hogan had 9.1.
If your goal when purchasing player’s irons is to produce a consistent golf shot, it’s really a toss-up as to which of these golf irons is the best for your game.
Value
The Ben Hogan PTx Tour’s pricing is lower than that of the TaylorMade P-7MC. However, the price difference is probably not enough to sacrifice the accuracy you are looking for in a player’s iron.
Yes, the distance from the P-7MC iron is not the strongest. However, you are likely not shopping for player’s irons because you need more distance.
The better value is the TaylorMade P-7MC.
Bottom line
The major difference we saw between the TaylorMade P-7MC and the Ben Hogan PTx Tour was in accuracy performance.
Accuracy is the most important metric when buying a player’s irons. The whole point of putting a player’s iron in your golf bag is to be able to hit a ball close to your target.
With the Strokes Gained results from the P-7MC, you have a better chance of accurate shots. Go get fitted for your player’s irons and see if you have the same results in your testing.
TaylorMade versus Ben Hogan: Which is right for you?
Who’s it For?
✅ Someone looking for maximum accuracy. The accuracy of these irons was unmatched, especially in the pitching wedge and 7-iron.
✅ The golfer who wants consistency. The combination of accuracy and forgiveness makes the P-7MC one of the more consistent irons in the test.
Who’s it not for?
❌ Testers were not thrilled with the look of the iron.
❌ Anyone who needs extra yards may struggle. It’s the second shortest iron in the test.
Who’s it For?
✅ Anyone looking for more forgiveness. The forgiveness rating was near the top for the Ben Hogan PTx Tour.
✅ The golfer who wants a confidence-inspiring look. Several testers found the look of the iron to be clean despite the overall performance of the club.
Who’s it not for?
❌ Golfers who need accuracy will struggle with the Ben Hogan.
❌ Players who want consistency in their short-iron shots.
Want more data-backed info on the best Player’s Irons of 2024? Check out our complete buyer’s guide.
Mark Blake
2 years ago
MGS Accuracy rating doesnt seem objective to me, the way I read it, its the testers perception of where the ball finished compared to where the he thinks it should have gone, is that right?
Surely because an iron clubface is flat, the ball is going to go where the impact conditions dictate. It cant possibleydeviate in different directions if two strikes are the same.
perhaps in these tests the lie angles were wrong for majority of the testers.
happy to be corrected, because i put a bit of trust in MGS tests for my purchase decisions.