3balls Golf
To be fair, that’s not really a fair question. That’s because every golfer and every swing is different. I may love a certain set of irons, but you may not agree because you strike the ball differently.
Each model in a series of clubs is made to the same specifications, using the same materials and technology for that particular manufacturer. But my swing has nuances and idiosyncrasies that yours doesn’t, and vice versa. So Brand A might be great for me, but Brand B is the better choice for you.
So it’s not so much a question of who makes the best irons, but rather who makes the best irons for you. And to help you answer that question, you should first focus on what type of iron is right for your particular skill level.
High Handicap
If you’re just starting to play the game, your scores are probably very high because you’re a new to it and learning. So you need clubs that are very forgiving on mis-hits and will help you lift the ball off the ground by having a sole that won’t dig into the turf. Oversized game improvement irons are the best choice for you.
Oversized irons are also a good choice for senior players who have lost some of their strength and stamina over the years.
Mid Handicap
Your handicap falls in the range from about 9 to 17. You have the ability to work your shots, but you still need some game-improvement technology help from your clubs. Midsize heads are right for you. These types of irons usually have a cavity-back design (where weight is redistributed to outer areas of the clubhead, around the perimeter, as opposed to being more concentrated behind the clubface’s sweet spot) and are not as wide as oversize irons.
Low Handicap
You are a better golfer, with a handicap that goes from single digits up to 11. You can shape your shots at will, have a solid understanding of swing mechanics, and consistently hit the ball in the sweet spot in the center of the clubface. Those in the higher end of this range may have an occasional mishit, but blades (a.k.a. muscleback irons) are the irons for players in this group because the weighting of blades is concentrated behind the center of the clubface where better golfers consistently hit the ball. Also, more skilled golfers sometimes prefer them because they believe blades allow them to more easily work the ball and have a softer feel at impact.
All the major (and many smaller) brands make good irons—Titleist, Callaway, Ping, Cobra, Mizuno, Adams, Nike—the list is seemingly endless. Some cater toward certain handicap levels, and/or offer proprietary technology designed to help various skill levels.
But you have to test the different brands to see which is the best option for you. That being said, there is one series of irons that has tested and rated well for each category of handicapper: TaylorMade’s Rocketbladez.
TaylorMade Rocketbladez Max Irons are good for the high handicapper. Golf Magazine named them one of their top irons in 2013 and said:
“These lively sticks get high marks for forgiveness and received strong scores for distance control and look, too.”
GM also said that accuracy and forgiveness were Rockebladez’s real strengths, along with a high launch, and a high ball flight that promotes a consistently straight shot.
TaylorMade RocketBladez Irons are made for the mid-handicapper. They won the Golf Digest 2013 Hot List Gold award and were also named an Innovation Category Leader and Demand Category Leader. Another interesting tidbit from Golf Digest is about the design for the RocketBladez, which grew from research that showed 72 percent of impacts with irons come below the center of the face. Creating “consistent distance” all over the area where average golfers make contact the most is what you probably need.
And for the low-handicapper, there’s the Rocketbladez Tour Irons. RocketBladez Tour is the first distance-enhancing iron to be played on Tour, and has already been used to win three times, including by Dustin Johnson at the 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Golf Magazine had this to say:
“Crisp, springy feel—the ball really jumps off the face; head tears through the turf; tons of shock dampening on thin hits.”
But this is just one of the many iron choices out there. Do a little bit of homework, and you can find the one that’s right for you enjoy your rounds that much more.
Photo credit: trustypics / Foter / CC BY-NC
