Most Forgiving Irons for Beginners & High Handicaps

Welcome to my review of the most forgiving irons for beginners and high handicappers.

I know the beginner and high handicap golfer will often have different requirements from their clubs.

I've combed through the best of the super game improvement iron category, brought you the best, and took a pass on the rest.

These are the clubs you need to be looking at...no question.

Here's what you'll learn:

• Does the manufacturer really matter
• How to pic the right shaft material
• How to pic the right shaft flex
• What you can expect to spend 
• Links to the best places to get your clubs & I always try to give you a couple choices
  • I link directly to the manufacturer or smaller reputable retailers when it makes sense, but also link to the big A as an option. 
• The best irons for each different needs

***All clubs included in our recommendations have all the Distance & Forgiveness you need. Your choices will come down to price, manufacturer preference, & personal taste.***

Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo Irons

Callaway Mavrik Max Irons

 Taylormade Sim Max OS Irons

Ping G710 Irons

Cobra T-Rail Irons

Cobra King Speed Zone Irons

Taylormade Sim Max Irons

You need two things and two things only from a set of irons as a beginner or high handicap golfer...

1. HELP getting the ball in the air...lots of it
2. TONS of forgiveness...yep TONS

Beginners and high handicap golfers have never had it better in the game of golf. Top manufacturers have their eyes on you.

Today's game improvement and super game improvement irons offer everything

• Superior forgiveness
• Great ball speed and distance
• Playability
• Looks
• The ability to test irons at local golf stores before you buy

So, take your time and choose wisely. Do it right and these new sticks will be with you for a while.

Pricing your iron set

Price per club is the metric we pay attention to, not price per set of irons. 

An important distinction. Why...

The makeup for a set of irons varies WIDELY in general and especially for the beginner or high handicap golfer. 

In fact, if you are a beginner, you don't need to have a 5-iron or a lob wedge in your bag. 

Heck, I'm a 10.5, was a 5.6 and I still had(have) issues with contact with my 5-iron sometimes. I suggest trading off your long irons ( 4 and 5) with hybrids to make your life much easier. 

A few options for set makeup offered by the top guys:

• 6 iron- PW | 6-iron - AW | 6-iron - SW | 6-iron - LW
• 5-iron- PW | 5-iron - AW | 5-iron - SW | 5-iron - LW
• 4 iron- PW | 4-iron - AW | 4-iron - SW | 4-iron - LW
• Etc.

Prices per club can vary a little or a lot. For example

• Callaway Mavrik irons go for about $114 / club
• Taylormade Sim irons go for about $112 / club
• Ping G710 go for about $162 / club
• etc.

More on my recommendations for your set makeup later...

Choosing the brand of irons you will play

Going to get this out of the way. All major manufacturers make great sets of irons these days...Period

• Callaway
• Taylormade
• Ping
• Cleveland
• Cobra
• etc.

I've contended for a few years now that a lot will come down to personal preference and idiosyncrasies in your own swing and game.

Brand loyalty is a part of this. Most of us like to "go with what we know" and I ain't here to knock that. 

My advice is to go someplace where you can get your hands on a set or irons you think you may like and start hitting them. You can also borrow a friends, test the floor models in the local pro shop, etc. 

Should I choose a cavity back iron or a muscle back iron?

You're going to need to choose cavity back irons.

Cavity back irons = more forgiveness
Muscle back irons = less forgiveness

There's so much more club manufacturers can do with perimeter weighting, cup face, lower center of gravity, higher MOI, etc. that there really is no debate on this topic. Don't think about forged irons or muscle back irons until your handicap is knocking on the door or in the single digits.

You have top pros in the world playing cavity backs

Let's face it...you won't be making a ton of contact with the sweet spot on your irons, especially longer irons.

So, we have to maximize your set makeup.

The beginner or high handicap golfer looking for the most forgiving irons will need what I call a modified or a blended set of clubs.

Your have a couple options for your set makup:

• 4H, 5H, 6-iron to SW or
• 4H, 5-iron to SW

This will be rounded out with your fairway woods, of course. The only constant will be the short irons. 

Why have I not included a lob wedge? My reasoning is:

1. Lob wedges aren't that easy to hit full shots with for even more accomplished ball strikers. So you won't be using it much.
2. Competence around the greens with multiple wedges takes a lot more practice. 
   1. Get really good with your sand wedge first (at this point your handicap will be dropping)
   2. Then consider adding a lob wedge

So, we have two choices in shaft material and a whole bunch of choices when it comes to shaft flex. There are also kick points, shaft length, weighting, puring, etc.

There's a lot, but those of us without unlimited budget need only pay attention to a few variables.

If you feel the need to get DEEP into the subject of golf shafts, there's plenty of material out there or you can get in touch with a reputable fitter.

This will not be a full treatment of the subject and I always suggest doing testing if you are up to it. 

Unfortunately for us, there is no industry standard for shaft flex. It's up to each manufacturer to categorize their shafts. This is where testing and fitting come in. 

Basically:

• Slower swing speeds = weaker flex
• Faster swing speeds = stiffer flex

I categorize the difference in shaft flexes below. Keep in mind, none of this is written in stone and opinions vary.

• Ladies Flex: you can guess who this flex caters to
• Senior Flex: see above
• Regular Flex: the bulk of beginners and high handicappers will do fine with this flex. Even lower handicap seniors will likely find these work fine.
• Stiff Flex: better players with driver swing speed approaching 100 mph are probably best served with this flex
• Extra Stiff: start getting past 105 mph driver swing and you can start considering these.

Swing your friends clubs. Test out different clubs from the pro shop. Test out stuff in golf stores. Etc. There's no substitute for putting in a little work to find the best shafts for you. 

Shaft materials come in two flavors...Steel or Graphite

What are the differences between steel and graphite shafts?

• In general, graphite shafts are a bit more flexible, lighter, less durable, and allow you to hit the ball farther.
• In general, steel shafts are a bit stiffer, heavier, more durable, and offer more stability and consistency. 

You can get stock graphite or steel shafts for the same price from most, if not all, golf club makers these days. You will run into premium pricing when you start picking premium shafts.