Choosing the right irons as a beginner can be very confusing as there are so many options out there. In this article I hope to shed some light on what irons you should be playing and review some of my favorites.
When buying irons, beginners should focus on forgiveness, distance, and ease of use. You should be buying irons that have a thicker top line and lots of off-set, this is what makes them forgiving. Try to buy a set that has a sand wedge included or at least one that can match the set. Another tip is there is no need to have anything more than a 5 iron in your set.
And remember to pick a shaft that matches your swing speed, such as regular or senior flex. Going with graphite shafts is also an option.
The below irons are our top picks from the ones that I tested. The one that stands out is the TaylorMade Stealth irons, the Callaway Big Bertha irons were also great.
Let’s dive in.
1. TaylorMade Stealth Irons
The TaylorMade Stealth Irons have a new and improved Cap Back™ design, this adds even more performance and forgiveness. With its innovative features and intelligent construction, these irons offer a unique blend of distance, launch, and feel for beginner golfers.
Key Features and Benefits:
New Cap Back™ Design: The Stealth irons use a new-look Cap Back™ design with toe wrap construction, this enhances the face flexibility, which gives you faster ball speeds. It also provides a great sound and feel off the face.
Fast and Forgiving: Powered by the Cap Back Design, the Stealth irons have a large sweet spot that covers the most common impact points. This results in greater forgiveness with explosive ball speeds, promoting better shots even on mishits.
High Launching: TaylorMade has moved the weight from the toe to the slower, lowering the center of gravity (CG), this will increase launch angles and peak height. The result is a towering ball flight, extended carry distances, and impressive stopping power, making hitting the green easier than ever.
Forged Iron Feel: The ECHO® Damping System, hidden within the Cap Back Design, spans the entire face from heel to toe. This innovative technology absorbs unwanted vibrations, providing a solid feel as you hit the ball.
Additional Options: The TaylorMade Stealths irons also have an HD version, the heads are even bigger providing more forgiveness for the golfer that needs it.
They come in steel and graphite options allowing you to get fitted into exactly what you need.
With the Stealth Irons, expect better shots more often, as they empower beginner golfers to elevate their game and enjoy improved performance on the course. Whether it’s hitting towering iron shots into greens or experiencing the joy of consistent ball striking, the TaylorMade Stealth Irons offer a compelling package for beginners seeking to advance their golfing journey.
Our Verdict
- Price: $999.99
- Distance: 95/100
- Feel & Control: 89/100
- Accuracy: 90/100
- Forgiveness: 95/100
Total: 92.25/100
Read our full review of the TaylorMade Stealth Irons.
Read More: If you like the TaylorMade Stealth range, read our review of the the Stealth Driver vs The Stealth Driver 2
2. Mizuno JPX923 Hot Metal Irons
The Mizuno JPX923 Hot Metal Irons introduce a new Nickel Chromoly, a new material that prioritizes both ball speed and exceptional feel. With its innovative features and cutting-edge design, these irons offer you a combination of distance, control, and playability.
Key Features and Benefits:
Faster Nickel Chromoly: The 4335 Nickel Chromoly used in the JPX923 Hot Metal Irons is 35% stronger than the original Chromoly, allowing for an 8% thinner clubface and higher ball speeds. This increases distance and forgiveness.
V-Chassis for More Solid Feel: Mizuno’s V-Chassis technology improves vibration, providing a solid feel despite the thinner clubface.
Increased Stopping Power: The seamless cup face construction creates a deep center of gravity, enabling a high launch and steeper landing angles. This will help you keep the ball on the greens much easier.
Consistent Ball Speeds Across the Face: The sole’s thinnest part is extended 18% wider, resulting in a broader high-energy area on the face. This design optimization ensures consistent ball speeds on off-center hits, reducing distance loss and maintaining performance across the face.
Difference Options: The JPX923 range has steel and graphite shafts as well as two other models – the JPX923 HL and Pro, catering for different golfers’ needs.
The JPX923 Hot Metal Irons are designed to elevate your iron play and transform your game, making them an enticing choice for beginners.
- Price: $963.99
- Distance: 93/100
- Feel & Control: 91/100
- Accuracy: 90/100
- Forgiveness: 93/100
Total: 91.75/100
Read our full review of the Mizuno Hot Metal Irons.
3. Callaway Big Bertha Irons
The Callaway Big Bertha Irons are extremely easy to hit. They are for beginners seeking easy-to-hit clubs with exceptional ball speed and forgiveness. These irons feature precision tungsten weighting for easy launch and control.
Key Features and Benefits:
Precision Tungsten Weighting: The Big Bertha Irons place tungsten in specific parts of the head for improved launch and control. Up to 11g of external tungsten is positioned to promote lots of forgiveness, while up to 43g of internal tungsten creates high-launching long irons and easy-to-control short irons.
A.I. Designed Face Cup: The irons feature a high-strength face cup engineered with artificial intelligence (A.I.) to optimize speed and spin across the face. Each head in the set has a unique A.I. pattern, this will give you fast ball speeds and consistency.
Confidence-Inspiring Bertha Shape: The classic Big Bertha shape gives you confidence at address. The irons have a thick topline, wide sole, large offset, and a longer blade length, providing forgiveness and a straight ball flight.
Easy to Swing with Outstanding Feel: Big Bertha irons feature lightweight components, making them easy to hit. The patented Urethane Microspheres embedded in the clubhead deliver outstanding feel without compromising exceptional ball speeds. Golfers can enjoy a smooth, responsive impact with each shot.
More Options: Callaway has two very similar products in the Paradym and Paradym X products. Both of these are very similar to the Big Bertha irons. You should also consider them if you are going for a fittings.
All in all these are great irons.The stunning Black Smoke finish adds a premium look to the bag, making the Big Bertha Irons a compelling choice for golfers seeking easy-to-hit clubs with outstanding performance and looks.
- Price: $999.99
- Distance: 94/100
- Feel & Control: 89/100
- Accuracy: 91/100
- Forgiveness: 93/100
Total: 91.75/100
Read our full review of the Callaway Big Bertha Irons
4. PING G430 Irons
The PING G430 irons are built to boost your game without any hassle. These irons combine a lower CG, stronger lofts, and a thinner face for faster ball speed and impressive distance gains, all while maintaining PING’s renowned forgiveness. You’ll love the PurFlex cavity badge that contributes to PING’s longest iron ever.
Available from 4-PW and in four other versatile loft options (45.5°, 50°, 54°, 58°), these irons are your secret weapon to better shots and more confidence.
Key Features and Benefits:
Faster Ball Speed: The Hyper 17-4 stainless steel face has loads of flexion resulting in faster ball speed and a higher peak height for shots that stick to the green.
PurFlex Technology: The innovative badge with seven flex zones allows more bending, this will give you increased ball speed across the face. Combined with the lower CG, this badge delivers a solid feel and awesome sound at impact.
Shaped For Success: The sleeker and more compact shape provides a clean look. It also features a shorter hosel, allowing them to reposition that weight into better areas. The hydropearl 2.0 chrome finish adds consistency from any grass conditions, and prevents glare.
Solid, Forgiving: Tungsten toe and shaft tip weights boost the MOI (moment of inertia), enhancing forgiveness. The club slides through the turf really easily as it has slightly more bounce than normal.
Gapping Solution: With stronger lofts, a 41° PW was added to maintain proper gapping options and enable standard lofts in traditional scoring wedges (45.5°, 50°, 54°, 58°).
G430 High Launch (HL): The HL build features a lighter PING Alta Quick (35/45) shaft, a 41-gram Lamkin UTx Lite grip, and lighter toe and tip weights. All these elements are designed to help slower-swing-speed players.
Whether you’re a slower-swing-speed player or an aspiring golfer seeking better shots, these irons provide a gapping solution and incredible playability from any lie.
- Price: $1199.99
- Distance: 92/100
- Feel & Control: 87/100
- Accuracy: 90/100
- Forgiveness: 94/100
Total: 90.75/100
Read our full review of the PING G430 Irons
5. Cleveland Launcher XL Irons
The Launcher XL Steel Irons are really good, especially because of their price, they are about $300 less than their competitors. They bring forgiveness and control together. The irons are hollow and strong in the long irons, and precise cavity backs in the shorts.
Although they perform great they are not as good as the models mentioned above, however their price point is great for someone that is unsure of if they would like the game.
Key Features and Benefits:
XL Head Design: The bigger head design has an impressive MOI of 3,081 g-cm2 in the 7-Iron, the most ever in a Cleveland Golf game-improvement iron. With maximum forgiveness, you’ll enjoy maximum distance and loads of fun on the course.
MainFrame Variable Face Technology: Designed using artificial intelligence, this technology enhances ball speed across the face, ensuring you hit it far. The unique weight pad designs guarantee forgiveness throughout your shots, making mis-hits go much further.
Action Mass CB: A clever 8g weight inside the grip’s end delivers better balance, giving you more control without any extra effort.
V-Shaped Sole: The elevated leading edge lets you glide through the turf with less drag than typical flat soles, maintaining speed and power even on heavy strikes.
Loft Specific Grooves: The 4i-7i lofts have wider, flatter grooves, while the 8i-DW lofts feature closely-spaced, deeper, and higher spinning wedge grooves. Higher lofts even come with laser-milled grooves for enhanced friction and spin control.
If you are a beginner on a budget then these irons are for you. Whether you need maximum forgiveness or pinpoint accuracy, the Cleveland Launcher XL irons adapt to your game, making them an ideal choice for beginner golfers.
- Price: $699.99
- Distance: 89/100
- Feel & Control: 87/100
- Accuracy: 90/100
- Forgiveness: 90/100
Total: 89/100
Final thoughts in choosing the right irons for beginners
After hours of testing the above irons came out on top. The main stand out was the TaylorMade Stealth irons, the distance, accuracy and forgiveness was incredible, plus the HD set of irons is great if you have a slow swing speed.
The Cleveland Launcher XL irons really stood out to us, for what you get and what you pay for they are well worth it.
At the end of the day all of these irons are great, but having the right loft, flex and lengths clubs for your swing are arguably even more important.
Don’t forget you can use hybrids in your set too, only going up to a 6 iron is fine, having a 5 and 4 hybrid in your bag that replaces your longer irons is a great option, especially if you struggle to get the ball into the air.
Check this article out where we dive into more details around what you should be looking for in golf clubs.
