Irons
Players' irons, game-improvement sets and the direct-to-consumer disruptors — what actually fits your game.
Tour Edge Hot Launch Max D vs TaylorMade Qi Max HL: the test winner against the set in every fitting bay
One of these sets won MyGolfSpy's 2026 Most Wanted title in super game-improvement irons. The other one is on the rack forty minutes from you, in a bay you can book for Saturday morning. Both of those are real reasons to buy, and only one of them is about the iron.
By Jordan Hale
TaylorMade P770 vs PING i240: one of these is a set, the other is two clubs
Both are compact, both are aimed at good ball strikers, and both turn up in Solheim Cup bags this week. But the tour usage says they are not competing for the same slot in your bag at all.
By Jordan Hale
The word forged now covers five ways of building an iron, including one printed from metal powder
Forged, cast, multi-material, hollow-bodied with a forged face, and now printed from powder with a lattice inside. The word on the box has quietly stopped predicting anything about how the club plays.
By Jordan Hale
Cobra 3DP MB vs Srixon Z-Forged II: one of these blades starts as metal powder
Two musclebacks aimed at the same golfer, made in ways that have nothing in common. One is hammered out of soft carbon steel. The other is printed, lattice and all, and costs roughly twice as much for fewer clubs.
By Jordan Hale
Titleist T100 irons review: the most-played iron in the bags we track
Eight of the 53 tour setups we maintain carry them — double the next model. At around {{price}}, here's the honest read on who that actually makes them right for.
By Jordan Hale
Graphite iron shafts aren't a concession. 6 of the 8 LPGA bags we track run them, against 2 of 45 men's
Graphite in irons is still sold to club golfers as a concession — the thing you move to when you slow down. Our own bag data says that framing is simply wrong. Eight bags is a small sample and we say so, but the split is not close.
By Jordan Hale
Mizuno Pro M-15 vs Titleist T100: one of these is a tour iron and the other is forgiveness you'd rather not admit you need
Two irons good players cross-shop hardest this year, and they are not two grades of the same club. One asks you to strike it. The other quietly covers for you.
By Jordan Hale
Mizuno Pro M-15 review: the distance iron for people who don't want a distance iron
Mizuno's Modern Series finally makes a players' distance iron a good ball-striker will look at twice. The catch is where the extra yardage actually turns up.
By Ben Marsden
Half the price, or the ball flight you have been missing
One of these iron sets costs roughly half what the other does. That is not the reason to choose between them, and treating it as the reason is how golfers end up with the wrong set.
By Jordan Hale
TaylorMade Qi Max HL: the irons for golfers who've been told to swing faster for twenty years
High-launch irons get written about as a compromise for people who've lost something. That framing is wrong, and it's kept a lot of golfers playing clubs that don't work for them.
By Jordan Hale
Titleist T100 vs Ping i240: two players' irons, and one of them is lying to you about your handicap
Both are beautiful, both are fitted, both are aimed at the same golfer on paper. The difference shows up on the strikes you'd rather not talk about.
By Jordan Hale
Three of golf's biggest YouTubers own the iron brand they play. None of the 49 tour bags we track has it
Takomo made Grant Horvat and both Bryan brothers shareholders, not just ambassadors. That's a smarter deal than sponsorship and a harder one to read as a viewer — so here is what the number actually supports, and what it doesn't.
By Ben Marsden
Titleist T100 vs Srixon ZXi7: one costs 27% more and the difference is not what you think
Neither of these goes further than the other. The honest split is turf interaction, shaping and whose fitting cart you can actually get into — and a lot of buyers at this tier are paying for a head when they never made a shaft decision.
By Jordan Hale
Should You Play Blades? The Honest Answer, and Why the Usual One Is Wrong
Almost certainly not — but not because you are not a good enough ball striker. The real cost of a blade is where your misses finish, and it is not sideways.
By Ross Hamilton
The 200-yard 7-iron just landed, and it's the most overrated number in golf
Across 81 irons tested this year, one 7-iron carried 202.2 yards and finished about 10 yards clear of the field. That is a marketing triumph and a scoring problem, and the reason is stamped on the sole.
By Jordan Hale
The mid-handicapper's gear guide: what actually helps, and what's a waste
For the 10-to-20 handicap improver, here is where new equipment genuinely lowers scores and where the money quietly disappears.
By Jordan Hale
How long do golf clubs actually last? Longer than the marketing wants you to think
Drivers and irons stay competitive for years. Wedge grooves are the real wear item, and grips are the cheap refresh almost everyone neglects. Here's the honest timeline.
By Jordan Hale
Steel vs graphite iron shafts: which one is actually for you
The old 'steel for good players, graphite for everyone else' rule is dead. Here's the honest way to choose.
By Jordan Hale
PING i240 review: forgiveness you can feel, feedback you can trust
A compact cavity-back that flatters mishits without numbing the good ones — the set most mid-handicaps should actually be playing.
By Jordan Hale
Takomo 101 MKII review: the irons quietly embarrassing the big brands
Half the price of a name-brand set, and good enough that you'll feel a bit silly for not trying them sooner. The direct-to-consumer irons reviewed.
By Jordan Hale
Blades vs cavity-back irons: which should you actually play?
One looks the part; the other saves your scores. The honest guide to picking the right iron for your game, not your ego.
By Jordan Hale
Direct-to-consumer irons are the smartest buy in golf right now
You're paying a brand tax on irons and the independent data has finally called the bluff. Here's the case for buying DTC — and the one catch to manage.
By Dan Mercer
You're not good enough for blades — and that's completely fine
Blades look incredible in the bag and cost you shots on the course. A loving intervention for the ego-buyer.
By Dan Mercer
Takomo vs PING: are direct-to-consumer irons really as good?
A value upstart against an iron-making institution. The honest verdict on whether skipping the big brand costs you anything.
By Jordan Hale