Best Irons For Low Handicappers & Players
Welcome to my best irons for low handicappers and players review.
I love hitting and testing low handicap or a player set of irons every chance I get...even though I don't quite have the game for the least forgiving clubs.
Here's what you'll learn:
- The manufacturers delivering the best irons for your game
- What I see as the good and bad of each club
- Where to find them and where to get the best deal
- I link directly to manufacturer when it makes sense... to help the little guy, and they are all little guys compared to the big "A"
- Our #1 Recommendation...it may not be the newest model.
Best Golf Irons for Low Handicappers & Players 2020
- Callaway Apex Pro 19 Irons (Best Pure Player Iron)
- Taylormade P770 Irons (Best Looking Player Iron)
- Taylormade P790 Irons (Most Forgiving Player Iron)
- Mizuno JPX 921 Tour (Purest Feel Player Iron)
- Callaway Apex 19 Irons (Best Callaway Distance Player Iron)
- Ping i210 Irons (Best Bargain Player Iron)
- Callaway Mavrik Pro Irons (Most Forgiving Callaway Player)
I know low handicappers have differing and more specific tastes regarding what they like to see in an iron. For example...
- Compact clubhead
- Less offset
- Thinner topline
- Thinner sole
- Muscle back vs. Cavity back
- Forged irons vs cast irons
I take all this into account in this review...
Callaway Apex Pro 19 Irons
The Apex Pro 19 irons best serve...
- Strong ball strikers
- Better players preferring a compact clubhead
- You generate your own distance but don't mind a little help
- You appreciate forgiveness on off-center hits
- You want a club that lets you flight and curve the ball
- Like tour players, you like clean lines and minimal offset
I've always liked and have owned Callaway irons, but I wasn't sure what to expect out of a pure player cavity back club like the Apex Pro 19. Let's say I was very pleasantly surprised.
They were only slightly intimidating at address and responded well to my not-so-good swings and Very well to my good swings.
I generally play a high draw, but I occasionally like to flight my short irons for more consistency. The Pro 19s let me do both without much fuss.
Some of the tech under the hood:
- 1025 mild carbon steel body and urethane microshperes for superior sound and feel and vibration dampening.
- 360 Face Cup that flexes and releases at the moment of impact for faster ball speed on center and off-center hits. VFT Face for extra spin control in short irons for better shot-making. All in a forged iron
- Optimal positioning of Center of Gravity (CG) using tungsten for precision ball flight and control for better scoring
If you're interested, I suggest you pick it up direct from Callaway or Callaway Golf Preowned for Like new to Used models
Callaway offers FREE fitting from a Certified Master Fitter...as well as online options to custom fit your clubs. |
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Taylormade P770 Irons
The P770 irons best serve...
- P790 iron players looking to graduate to a compact clubhead
- You like a little help with distance but can generate your own
- You want a serious player look without sacrificing tech advances
- You like a little forgiveness on off-center hits
I thought the P790s were the best looking irons ever produced by Taylormade...and they were. Not any longer. Especially with my eyes getting ever more used to compact clubheads. The P770s are stunners.
After reading about the P770s at Taylormade Golf, it's clear to me that they are meant to be the next step for current P790 players...that would be me.
They are just out, so I haven't been able to get my hands on them, but the performance reviews are good so far. I've seen a complaint or two about customization issues, swing weight, and long wait times.
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Taylormade P790 Irons
The P790s best serve...
- Players wanting state-of-the-art tech & superior performance hidden in a classic design
- You want to max out distance with your irons
- You may need a little help with achieving higher launch and trajectory
- You don't mind looking at beautiful clubs
Taylormade flat-out makes great irons. I didn't know this until I tested the M5s (which are superb).
I expected to P790 irons to perform well due to my experience with the M5s...and I was not disappointed. After testing the 790s, I ended up buying them.
They look great behind the ball, get the ball up easily (short irons and long irons) without ballooning, and carry for days while holding greens easily. They are borderline game improvement irons.
The only drawback I can see from a low handicap perspective is they may not be compact enough.
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Mizuno JPX 921 Tour Irons
The JPX 921s best serve...
- The legit single digit player that brings All his own power and distance.
They are made for and marketed to very good ball strikers. I found they delivered exactly what they promised.
I'm only a very good ball striker in spurts. I was not on one of my spurts when I had the 921s.
And I did not find them penalizing either. Slight mishits still felt fine and didn't wonder far off track. You just have to hit them on the button to get full distance.
They look and feel great and I really enjoyed playing them and practicing with them...They are just not ideal for my game at this point.
They are perfect for you if you are the aforementioned legit single digit player with very good ball striking.
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Callaway Apex Irons
The Apex 19 irons best serve...
- Low handicappers that love a compact clubhead profile but want help with distance
- You want all the advantages of a player club: workability, flighting, turf interaction, control
Recommended by 98% of Reviewers...The Apex 19s are loooooved by their owners.
These are definitely "player" looking clubs, just like the Apex 19 Pros, but I didn't find them all that intimidating at address...which I regard as Extremely important from a confidence standpoint.
Some of the tech under the hood:
- 1025 mild carbon steel body and urethane microshperes for superior sound and feel and vibration dampening.
- 360 Face Cup that flexes and releases at the moment of impact for faster ball speed on center and off-center hits. VFT Face for extra spin control in short golf irons for better shot-making. All in forged irons
- Optimal positioning of Center of Gravity (CG) using tungsten for perimeter weighting for precision ball flight and control for better scoring
If you're interested, I suggest you pick it up direct from Callaway or Callaway Golf Preowned for Like new to Used models
- The price for brand new clubs is the same everywhere
- At Callaway you have WAY MORE customization options
Callaway offers FREE fitting from a Certified Master Fitter...as well as online options to custom fit your clubs.
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Ping i210 Irons
The i210s best serve...
- Low handicap golfers valuing consistency and feel above pure distance
There are two main attributes i210 owners rave about consistently
- The best feel in an iron they've ever experienced
- Superior shot dispersion and distance control
Low handicappers and players generally produce their own distance and are looking for a bit of refinement. This isn't something you generally expect in a cast club, but Ping seems to have done it better than anyone else with the release of the i210s...the only cast club on our list. Ping originated and has perfected perimeter weighting and casting of golf irons.
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Callaway Mavrik Pro Irons
The Mavrik Pro irons best serve
- Players wanting all the performance tech of A.I, Flash Face Cup , Urethane michrospheres, and Tungsten energy core wrapped up in a player clubhead profile.
The Mavrik Pro's are long, forgiving, playable, and easy to launch. All of this in a player-pleasing compact clubhead you'll be proud to show off in your bag.
If you're interested, I suggest you pick it up direct from Callaway or Callaway Golf Preowned for Like new to Used models
- The price for brand new clubs is the same everywhere
- At Callaway you have WAY MORE customization options
Callaway offers FREE fitting from a Certified Master Fitter...as well as online options to custom fit your clubs.
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Thanks for checking out my best golf irons for low handicap players review...