Not every golfer needs a utility iron in their bag. However, if you are a higher swing speed player or great ball striker and need a club for approach shots and the occasional tee shot, these are the three best utility irons you will find. We tested 16 utility irons in 2024 and the PING iCrossover easily took first place. Keep in mind that while the distance performance in a utility iron is important, the accuracy of the club is where you will save strokes.
PING iCrossover
Who Is It For?
✅ Someone looking for off-the-rack performance. The best overall driving iron of 2024 is the PING iCrossover.
✅ The golfer who cares about subjective appeal. Although we don’t use it to calculate the overall score, our testing pool rates the PING iCrossover as the best for feel.
Who Is It Not For?
❌ Players who don’t need a driving iron: The PING crossover is all-around great. The only reason not to put this one in the bag is if you don’t need a driving iron.
Why Buy
The PING iCrossover is the best overall utility iron of 2024. It ranked first for accuracy, second for distance and third for forgiveness. Golfers who want a consistent, long and accurate utility iron will find it with the iCrossover.
In the 2023 test, we saw the iCrossover dominate the testing as well. Even with new competition in the 2024 test, the iCrossover still managed to come out on top.
One tester said, “It is relatively straight, fits my swing well, and I feel comfortable with it. It checks a bunch of boxes and is in a league of its own.”
Another great feature of the PING iCrossover is its adjustability. The adjustability allows for a dialed-in performance and the potential for increased accuracy.
Score: 9
Titleist T-200
Who Is It For?
✅ Someone looking for accuracy off the tee: Second overall for accuracy.
✅ The golfer who values distance. Accuracy may be more important than distance but no golfer will complain about extra yards.
Who Is It Not For?
❌ Players worried about consistency: The T-200 is not as consistent as other driving irons.
❌ Golfers who don’t want to get fitted: With the lack of forgiveness in the T-200, make sure to go for a fitting before purchasing.
Why Buy
The Titleist T-200 is the second-best driving iron of 2024. It’s also second-best for accuracy and third-best for distance. Anytime you see accuracy and distance aligning that closely, it’s a sign of a great golf club.
If you are a golfer who already plays the Titleist T-200 irons, the T-200 driving iron shares many of the same characteristics. It’s a natural addition to your bag and the added benefit is that the T-200 is built specifically as a driving iron.
The one area where the T-200 fell off just a little was forgiveness. It scored 8.2/10, 11th overall. We measure forgiveness by looking at ball speed deltas, carry distance deltas, backspin deltas and dispersion. The lower forgiveness score on the T-200 shows that it struggles a bit with consistent shot outcomes.
Score: 8.8
Callaway Apex UT
Who Is It For?
✅ Players who need more forgiveness. The best overall utility iron for forgiveness in 2024.
✅ Golfers who want accuracy: The Callaway Apex UT ranks fifth overall for accuracy, giving it a balanced performance.
Who Is It Not For?
❌ Anyone who needs distance: The Callaway Apex UT ranks below average for distance. It’s shorter than others on the test.
Why Buy
The Callaway Apex UT is the best overall utility iron for forgiveness. If you have ever been afraid to pull the utility iron out of the bag due to its lack of consistency, the Apex UT is a club to try. In addition to offering consistent shot outcomes, the Apex UT ranks fifth overall for accuracy.
Testers loved the look, feel and overall performance. One tester said, “Love it. I’d play it in a heartbeat.”
The only knock against the Callaway Apex UT is distance. It ranked 12th and falls a few yards behind the leading utility irons for distance. However, any great player will tell you that accuracy and forgiveness should be more important when purchasing a utility iron.
Score: 8.7
More top utility irons to consider
- Titleist U505 – Best for Distance
- Sub 70 699 Pro V2 – Best Value
Don’t see the product you are looking for? Want to see how it stacked up against the competition? Find the full results of the Best Driving Irons of 2024 here: MyGolfSpy Best Driving Irons.
Wilson Player
2 years ago
Why wouldn’t some of the players distance irons fit this catalog better for most players.
A club like the PXG black ops is a canon off the tee. The 4 iron has a 19 degree loft and so much better feel over the traditional driving iron.