Are Taylormade 200 Irons Still Good? Are They Forgiving For High Handicappers?

Are Taylormade 200 Irons Still Good? Are They Forgiving For High Handicappers?

“The Taylormade 200 irons came out in 2002 and were something of an anomaly among the Taylormade clubs that were coming out of that era.”

In the 80’s Taylormade clubs were very downplayed. They didn’t have a lot of bells and whistles and there was a prevailing feeling that the company was trying to make clubs for the “everyman.”

Then, in the 90’s, they started getting fancier. Their irons in particular started drawing a lot more attention and were being packed to the gills with features. And then out of nowhere came the Taylormade 200 irons in 2002. The Taylormade 200 represented a drastic break from the “fancy” designs that Taylormade was coming out with around that time.

For some, it was a breath of fresh air. Personally, I don’t like a lot of bells and whistles. I think they distract the player from the things that actually improve your game. So right away, I liked the Taylormade 200 irons. They are no-nonsense, honest to goodness irons. But are they still good in 2023? Let’s find out.

Are the Taylormade 200 Irons Still Good?

“The Taylormade 200 irons have a very simple design. Even the material they were made from is pretty basic.”

These are cast, stainless steel irons. They have a straightforward cavity back design bereft of any fancy inserts or foam. The cavity yields to a very moderate sole while the top line is actually pretty thin.

In fact, the fanciest feature that the Taylormade 200’s have is perimeter weighting. I can’t stress it enough: the Taylormade 200’s are very straightforward irons. The CG created by the cavity is low and placed right behind the sweet spot.

So in the end, it came down to performance with me. I got almost exactly what I expected from these irons. I was able to hit my normal, boring mid launch draw pretty much every time – which was a good thing because it was particularly windy the day I tested these irons.

The Taylormade 200’s stayed out of the wind and landed left of the target, no more than 12 yards. With the 7-iron, I was getting my average distance of 156 yards swing after swing.

To me, the Taylormade 200 irons are still good irons because they are consistent. At the point I’m at in my golf game, I will trade consistency for distance in my irons any day of the week. It’s more important to me that I get my average distance from my 7-iron than bombing it 180 yards. I don’t need that. That’s what my 6-iron is for.

Will the Taylormade 200 irons drastically increase your distance or magically fix your slice? No. These are boring irons but they are consistent.

Are the Taylormade 200’s Forgiving for High Handicappers?

“The long irons have pronounced offset which will help high handicappers square up at impact.”

The perimeter weighting will also provide modest forgiveness on mis-hits. The Taylormade 200 irons will help you stay out of the trees and will probably help most high handicappers achieve more desirable lies. But I wouldn’t call them straight up game improvement irons.

You still have to have a modicum of accuracy and experience to get the best use out of these irons. The handicap range I would recommend these irons for is about 14-22. If you are moderately accurate with your swing, the Taylormade 200 irons will give you tight dispersion and consistent flight.

On my mis-hits, the ball spun a lot less than I was expecting. The face is very consistent and seems to resist twisting very well and that’s always good for high handicappers. But if you’re brand new to golf, I would recommend bigger, beefier irons with wider soles.

Taylormade 200 Vs Taylormade 300 Irons

“The Taylormade 300 irons have the same simple look as the 200’s but there is more going on under the hood.”

First of all, the Taylormade 300 irons are forged from carbon steel so they feel a lot softer than the Taylormade 200’s. Secondly, they have an “impact pad” placed behind the sweet spot to increase face flexion and ball speed.

The 300’s also have progressive CG which starts low in the long irons and moves up in the short irons. The Taylormade 300 irons are definitely better for mid and low handicappers. They offer better feel and workability than the Taylormade 200 irons.