This is our review of the best low handicap irons on the market in 2023.
I’m an avid golfer, with an 8ish handicap on my way to a 2 (been a 5.6), and a frequent tester of golf clubs and equipment since 2015.
I’ve had the pleasure (mostly) of playing and practicing with every iron on this page.
Our Top 3 Recommendations
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Editor's Pick - Best Feel
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Best Player Cavity Back
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Best Value
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5.0
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5.0
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5.0
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~$187/ club
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~$200/club
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~$171/club
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- Best Feel in Golf
- Superb Distance & Forgiveness
- Gorgeous
- Reasonable Price
- Still looking
- Soft & Solid Feel
- Accurate & Consistent
- Great Launch & Trajectory
- Player Looks & Profile
- Can play any shot your skill allows
- Pricey
- Long & Forgiving
- Improved Sound & Feel
- Stable, Accurate & Consistent
- Best Player Iron Value
- Nada
In an effort to make our rankings make some sense, we organize them thusly: Most Demanding to Least Demanding.
There are so many great low-handicap irons, and I think “Best” or “Better” is mostly a matter of tastes and personal preference when you have so many quality options.
It’s what makes the most sense to us…right now.
In this comparison of the best irons for low handicaps, I discuss my experience with the clubs, unique features and benefits, and our recommendations.
Complete List – Best Irons For Low Handicappers (Updated for 2024)
- Mizuno JPX 923 Forged Irons (Editor’s Pick)
- Taylormade P-7MC Irons (Best if You’re around a scratch golfer)
- Mizuno JPX 923 Tour Irons (Runner Up – Pure Player Cavity Backs)
- Titleist 620 CB Irons (Former Best Player Cavity Back)
- 2023 Titleist T100 Irons (Best Pure Player Cavity Backs)
- Titleist T150 Irons
- Srixon ZX7 MK 2 Irons (Our Favorite Blades)
- 2023 Titleist T200 Irons (Best Player Distance Irons)
- 2024 Callaway Apex Pro Irons
- Ping i230 Irons (Best Ping Irons on the Market)
- Callaway Rogue ST Pro Irons (Best Player Distance)
- Taylormade P-770 Irons
14 Best Low Handicap Irons Reviewed
Mizuno JPX 923 Forged Irons
- Best Feel in Golf
- Superb Distance & Forgiveness
- Play all the shots
- Gorgeous
- Reasonable Price
- Still looking
Mizuno JPX 923 Forged irons are our favorite low-handicap irons
What we like:
- You get every bit of the playability you expect from low-handicap irons.
- Best feel of any iron I’ve ever put my hands on
- Loads of forgiveness & distance
- Compact clubhead & clean lines
- Best price for new premium irons
What we don’t like:
- The lofts are a little stronger than I’d like.
Mizuno took everything that was great about the JPX 921 Forged irons and shoved it into a more compact and better-looking clubhead.
We had 20+ mph winds for one of the rounds I played with them. I was able to flight them down into the wind and elevate them with the wind with relative ease. They perform exceptionally well in all conditions.
Customer Reviews: Mizuno doesn’t collect reviews, but everything I’ve read on the clubs themselves is 100% positive.
Recommendation: Go to your local golf store and get your hands on them or demo a set from Global Golf. You’ll know
Taylormade P-7MC Irons
- Solid Feel
- Accurate & Consistent
- Great Launch & Trajectory
- Player Looks & Profile
- None
Taylormade P-7MC irons next up on our list of best low handicap irons. Only consistently pure ball-strikers should apply. Say, scratch to 3ish handicaps.
What we like:
- Superb accuracy and consistency.
- Launch well with good contact and fly on a mid-high piercing trajectory.
- Very workable if that’s part of your game.
- Great looking clubs.
- Solid and softish feel.
What we don’t like:
- Nothing – they deliver on their promise.
I’m able to play them…just barely. But, I have to be on my best behavior, but I can’t keep that up for long. At least not this early in the season. I could play up to a 7-iron pretty consistently. I’m asking for trouble if tried to play every day with 6-iron on down.
Make center contact and they sing. Long and high with a tight draw for me. Slight misses cost you distance right away.
They’re gorgeous and do exactly what they’re designed to do. They’re money in the right player’s hands. (0-3ish handicap)
Customer Reviews: Average rating of 4.9 with 83 reviews. 93.94% (31 of 33) would recommend the P-7MCs.
Recommendation: For consistently great ball strikers. The rest of us may want them…but we should pick more forgiving irons.
Mizuno JPX 923 Tour Irons
- Exceptional Feel
- Accurate & Consistent
- Great Launch & Trajectory
- Player Looks & Profile
- Bring your distance
The JPX 923 Tour irons are our favorite pure “player” iron from Mizuno and a solid step up from the JPX 921 Tour irons for me.
- Improved feel
- I found the long irons easier to hit – and hit well
- Better looks and profile
- Just forgiving enough on slight mishits
My strength is iron play, but not long iron play. I was able to hit solid long irons with good trajectory at my target time and again during my round with the 923 Tours.
I’ve improved my ball striking since testing the 921 Tours, but Mizuno has incorporated more performance in the 923s.
Customer Reviews: Early days.
Verdict: I think you should consider upgrading or at least testing the JPX 923 Tour irons if you own the 921 Tours. You may find the difference in performance worth the switch.
Titleist 620 CB Irons
- Exceptional Feel & Performance
- Classic Elegant Titleist Design
- Surprisingly long
- Scoring MO-chines
- Nada
Titleist 620 CB irons are next up on our list.
What we like:
- They perform precisely how you would expect premium low-handicap irons to perform.
- They feel and play as good as they look…and they look GOOD.
- At least half a club longer than my every day set with the same loft.
- Decent forgiveness, too.
What we don’t like:
- Nothing – awesome clubs.
This is the second set of Titleist irons I’ve ever tested. The first was the T200s from a couple of years ago, which I loved.
So, I had high expectations for the 620 CBs. They were exceeded.
Online images don’t do justice to how beautiful these irons are. From their minimal, elegant design to their perfectly sized compact head. Titleist knows how to do player irons.
I loved them on the range, and I loved them on the course. The long irons are a bit much for me, but you can order any iron combo you want. So, no worries. I play hybrids starting with 4-hybrid anyway.
Customer Reviews: There’s not a whole lot out there on the interwebs, but the few I found had nothing but good to say about them.
Recommendation: Try them. I bet you’ll want to keep them. I did.
2023 Titleist T100 Irons
- Soft & Solid Feel
- Accurate & Consistent
- Great Launch & Trajectory
- Player Looks & Profile
- Can play any shot your skill allows
- Pricey
The 2023 T100s are next on our list of best low handicap irons. They are pure player cavity back irons and we think they best serve scratch up to about 8ish handicaps.
What we like:
- Premium looks and design.
- Soft, solid, and stable feel at impact.
- Launch them high and straight or flight and work them any way your skill permits.
- Excellent feel and stability through impact.
- Accurate and consistent.
What we don’t like:
- Pricey
- Excellent clubs, but not a big difference from the 2021 T100s
No surprises here with the new 2023 T100 irons…or with any Titleist irons. They look premium in your hands and set up beautifully behind the ball. The compact heads are the perfect size for players. They do everything Titleist says they’ll do.
The feel remains among the best in the game. The ball gets up quickly with good carry and there’s a touch of forgiveness. More than the 620 CBs below. You aren’t overly punished by minor mishits, but you will pay the price with a loss of distance.
These are precision-scoring clubs. You’ve got to bring your game, and when you do…it’s glorious.
Bottom Line – Continued excellence from Titleist. Superb clubs if you’re willing to spend the money.
Srixon ZX7 MK 2 Irons
Player irons
- Long & Forgiving
- Improved Sound & Feel
- Stable, Accurate & Consistent
- Best Player Iron Value
- Nada
Srixon ZX7 MK 2 irons are our new Runner Up for best low handicap irons for 2023 for a few reasons:
- Improved feel over last year’s ZX7s.
- Plenty of distance & more forgiving than most player irons.
- Consistent and accurate and can deliver all the player shots.
- Among the best-looking irons on the market
- Best price for premium irons in 2023.
I knew the ZX7 MK 2s would be good irons, but I wondered if they could improve over the ZX7s. They managed to in a couple of areas. Better feel and a more compact clubhead.
Check out our full review here.
Customer Reviews: 96% of buyers would recommend the ZX7 MK IIs to a friend. 29 reviews total on the Srixon website and with a 4.8 average rating.
Recommendation: These are the best value in the player / low handicap iron category. While sacrificing zero performance. Test them, you’ll see.
Ping i230 Irons
- Long & Forgiving
- Superb Feel & Sound
- Easy Launch with Great Trajectory
- Price
Ping i230s are my favorite low-handicap irons from Ping.
- They’re solid at impact for good control
- Have nice sound and feel with excellent feedback
- Get the ball up easily & send it on a high-penetrating ball flight
- Have just the right amount of forgiveness
Ping optimized launch, spin, forgiveness, and MOI for the i230s. And did it in a smaller clubhead than the i210s (which I also like).
I love the consistent loft gapping between clubs too. 4 degrees in the pitching wedge through 7-irons. Then, 3.5 degrees in the 7-iron through 3-iron. (I’m not sure why the change from 4-degree gapping to 3.5 degrees, though)
I prefer the i230s over the i59s and i525s because of their superior sound and feel. Not to mention I hit them better. The heads are larger than the other two, but not large. Hitting them reminded me of the G425s, which I also loved.
I was on or around the green all day during my rounds with the i230s.
Customer Reviews: 11 reviews with 100% 5-stars
Recommendation: Give them a try. If you like their looks, you’ll love the way they play and feel.
Callaway Rogue ST Pro Irons
- Easy launch & Explosive distance
- Tons of forgiveness
- Flight & Work the ball easily
- Incredible price
- Nada
The Callaway Rogue ST Pros are our former #1 low handicap irons and remain high on our list for a few reasons:
- They look the part – Compact, with a thin topline and sole and minimal offset.
- EXceptionally easy to hit well.
- Can play any shot
- Great pricing for player irons
I’ve owned, played, and tested Callaway irons for years. So, it’s kinda hard to surprise me. The Rogue ST Pros did just that.
Make no mistake, the Rogue ST Pros are compact player-looking heads. Yet, they are incredibly easy to hit and play. Any shot you got, they can deliver.
Customer Reviews: 23 reviews with all 23 giving 5-stars. 100% of buyers would recommend the Rogue ST Pro irons to a friend.
Recommendation: Do yourself a large favor and test these irons if you are in the market. Either at your local golf store or go through Global Golf (like I did)
Titleist T150 Irons
- Soft & Solid at Impact
- Good Launch, Carry,Distance & Forgiveness
- Great looking clubs
- Pricey
The 2023 T150 irons are next on our list of best low-handicap irons. They’ve replaced the T100S irons from 2021. They are also pure player cavity back irons and best for scratch to 8ish handicaps.
What we like:
- Beautiful design.
- Superb sound and feel.
- A little extra distance and more forgiveness than the T100 irons.
- Can still play all the shots.
- Accurate and consistent for better scoring.
What we don’t like:
- A little pricey at ~$200/club.
I played the T150s back-to-back with the 2023 T100 irons. The only difference between the clubs I noticed was about half a club more distance on center strikes and a touch more help with mishits.
They flight the same. Sound and feel the same. They look the same. And, you can play all the shots the same.
I enjoyed playing them and would happily put them in play – along with many, many irons I’ve tested this year.
Bottom Line – Superb player irons with a splash more distance and forgiveness. Need about 6 more yards out of your irons? Give these a try.
2023 Titleist T200 Irons
- Gorgeous Refined Look
- Long & Forgiving
- Fly High & Straight but Workable
- Good Sound & Feel
- Pricey
The 2023 T200 irons are next on our list of best low handicap irons. They are “player distance irons” and we think they’re playable by 3ish handicaps up to about 10ish handicaps.
What we like:
- Oustanding upgraded premium design.
- Great feel and sound through impact.
- Quick launch & high trajectory with good contact, but can be flighted and worked either way if that’s part of your game.
- Good distance and a splash of forgiveness.
- Accurate and consistent.
What we don’t like:
- The price…kind of.
I just finished my review of the 2021 T200s (a little late, I know). So, I was fortunate to be able to get my hands on the 2023 T200s so quickly.
The playability of the new 2023 T200s is outstanding, much like the 2021s. But, the new design is to die for. They must have decided it was time for a serious upgrade and they done it good. They look premium and remind me of the T100s. In fact, all T-Series irons got an upgraded design.
You can check out our full review for more details, but you have to give these a try to at least see what I’m talking about.
Bottom Line – Superb player distance irons serious eye candy. Must be on your list to try if you’re in the market.
2024 Callaway Apex Pro Irons
- Soft & Solid Feel
- Splash of Forgiveness
- Good Distance
- Nice Design
- Pricey
We recommend the Callaway Apex Pro ’24 Irons as the best Callaway irons for 0 – 9ish handicaps.
What we like:
- They’re sleek, elegant, and compact. I’m a fan of the brushed metal finish and the overall design.
- Impact feels soft, solid, and muted.
- Ample distance and a sprinkling of forgiveness.
- Great pricing for player irons
What we don’t like:
- Price – they ain’t giving these away.
These delivered exactly like I thought they would. They look the part and aren’t intimidating at address for us higher single-digit handicaps. They launch quickly and high with good contact but aren’t overly punishing on minor mishits.
I think their distance matches their lofts nicely. They’re consistent and accurate. So, no surprises 10 yards over the green. But, you can step on them if you need another 5 yards or so. You can flight them down and take off distance too. Basically, you can play all the shots low handicap irons are supposed to play.
Customer Reviews:
- There are four reviews as I write this. 3 people give them 5 stars and one very unhappy customer gives them 1-star. (I don’t agree with the 1-star)
Bottom Line: Premium performance at bargain basement pricing. Give them a test drive at your local golf store or go through Global Golf (like I did)
Taylormade P-770 Irons
- Good Distance, Forgiveness & Feel
- Flies High & Straight, but Workable
- Gorgeous
- None
The 2023
- Stellar performance in a compact “player” package.
- Superb feel and solid at impact.
- They’re gorgeous. Look great behind the ball at address and in the bag.
I spent a couple of weeks with the P-770s. On the range, on my mat, and on the course. My only regret was returning them.
They can deliver any shot your skill level allows. High and straight is their default, but you can:
- Flight them down into the wind.
- Step on them for more distance.
- Take something off if you’re between clubs.
- Turn it left or right if that’s part of your game.
I’ve said it before on this site, but
Customer Reviews: Average rating of 4.9 with 182 200 reviews. 100% (81 of 81) would recommend the P-770s.
Recommendation: Excellent choice for ~11 handicaps on down that prefer compact clubheads and player performance with a touch of game improvement forgiveness & help with distance.
Titleist 620 MB Irons
- Great Sound & Feel
- Surprisingly forgiving
- Excellent playability
- Great looking
- Price
WYSIWYG – What you see is what you get. These are premium blades and play like them. They are made for shot-making.
- Not forgiveness.
- Not distance.
- Not easy to launch.
- If you don’t bring it, you’re not going to find it.
Having said all that – I was able to get around the course with them fine. My distance and ball flight were good when I made good contact. Slight mishits (where I live) weren’t punished too harshly and left me on or around the green – just a little short.
There are better options out there for those of us that aren’t low single-digit handicaps. I require more forgiveness – like with the CBs or Callaway Rouge ST Pros above.
Customer Reviews: Again, not a whole lot out there. But, what there is is positive. Complaints center around shipping and delays and such.
Recommendation: You’d be hard-pressed to find better blades. Worth a test at your local golf store or through Global Golf.
Ping i59 Irons
New & Used clubs available
Get 8%off from Global Golf with Code: GolferGeek
- Long, Accurate & Consistent
- Gorgeous
- Price
- Harsh Sound & Feel
The i59s best serve…
- Shot makers and those familiar with center contact.
A few things I love about the i59s
- They are gorgeous and look great behind the ball
- They feel well balanced
- They are great for distance control and shot dispersion
I spent multiple days on the range and a round of golf hitting the i59s. They’re plenty long, not overly punishing for minor mishits, and have a medium-high to high flight and with consistent distance.
I was pin-high all day.
Recommendation: Give them a try if you are a fan of Pings and/or blades.
Get 8%off from Global Golf with Code: GolferGeek
FAQs
Can low handicappers use game improvement irons?
Low handicappers can absotively use game improvement irons. I did – 2007 Callaway Big Bertha Fusion irons, to be exact.
What percent of golfers are single-digit handicaps?
Around 1% of golfers are single-digit handicappers.
Do I want more or less spin with my irons?
Whether you want more or less spin on your irons depends on your current trajectory, your distance, and how well you hold greens.
What irons should a low handicap use?
Low handicap golfers should use whatever irons give them the most consistency – both distance and shot dispersion.
What is considered a low-handicap golfer?
I consider a golfer with a handicap below 8 to be a low-handicap golfer. Maybe even 7 and lower. There’s nothing official on this.
Is 4.5 A good golf handicap?
Yes, a 4.5 handicap is a good golf handicap. You have to do a lot of things right and consistently to maintain a 4.5
What are the best low handicap irons?
Out pick are the Mizuno JPX 923 Forged Irons
Our Verdict on the Best Irons for Low Handicappers
For the second year in a row, we chose JPX Forged Irons – the Mizuno JPX 923 Forged Irons.
My #1 suggestion is to test before you buy. Either at your local golf store or take advantage of Global Golf’s Utry trial program. I use it and recommend it.
Thanks for checking out my review of the best irons for low handicappers.
- Best Feel in Golf
- Superb Distance & Forgiveness
- Play all the shots
- Gorgeous
- Reasonable Price
- Still looking
