The Best Player’s Distance Irons in 2023

#1 – Taylormade P790 – Best Taylormade – Best Overall

Selling Points:

• 8620 carbon steel
• Hollow body design
• Forged face insert

Taylormade apparently didn’t get the memo that player’s distance irons lack feel when they made the P790 irons. These are exquisite-feeling irons that are perfect for mid handicappers looking to make that next move into single-digit territory.

That’s because the 8620 soft carbon steel body gives these irons a smooth, and yes, soft feel. Even if you miss the sweet spot every now and again, these irons won’t punish you by stinging your hands. Even mis-hits feel smooth and travel further than normal.

That’s due in part to the L-shaped face insert that wraps the lower ace into the sole creating much more ball speed on low-face hits. The clean muscle back design and hollow body construction add both distance and workability to an amazing set of player’s distance irons.

Pros:

• Amazing feel
• Surprisingly forgiving
• Thin topline

Cons:

• Inaccurate loft and lies
• Durability issues

Overall Rating: 98/100

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#2 – Callaway Rogue ST Pro – Best New Callaway 2022 – Best Premium

Selling Points:

• Latest Rogue irons
• 450 steel design
• Urethane microspheres

The new line of Rogue ST clubs has been impressive up and down. They are mostly predicated on mid to high handicap performance though. But if you are looking for a premium set of player’s performance irons in the Rogue ST line, the Pro’s are where you need to look.

They are the only Rogue ST’s with a muscle back design and compact heads. The soles on these irons are nice and thin so better players will be able to work the ball to a high degree. The hollow body design provides the distance and the 450 steel construction makes for incredible consistency.

Spin is nice and low in the long irons and is easily controlled in the short irons. Our testers noted that despite the hollow body design, the Rogue ST Pro irons have a very solid and satisfying feel conducive to players with fast swing speeds.

Pros:

• Excellent distance
• Very low CG
• good short-game spin control

Cons:

• Pretty pricey
• A bit heavy

Overall Rating: 96/100

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#3 – Callaway Mavrik Pro – Best Budget Players Distance Irons

Selling Points:

• Flash Cup design
• Tungsten Energy core
• AI-designed face

If you are on a budget, it never hurts to look at older models. Older Callaway models tend to have very similar technologies and designs as newer models. Case in point: the Callaway Mavrik Pro’s. These irons are beasts in terms of distance.

The tungsten weights have been carefully placed in customized areas of each head in the set for optimal launch and distance control. Our testers were averaging shots that carried 8 yards longer with the 5 iron of the Mavrik Pro set than their own 5-irons.

The compact head shape also allows you to work the ball higher, lower, draw it or fade it as well. This is a great iron set for any player who still needs maximum distance but an increase in workability over their old irons.

Pros:

• Affordable price
• Incredibly long
• Tight shot dispersion

Cons:

• Lacking feel
• Unsatisfying sound

Overall Rating: 94/100

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#4 – Cobra King Forged Tec – Best Cobra Option

Selling Points:

• Hollow body design
• Forged face
• Available in one-length

Who says player’s distance irons can’t launch high? Certainly not Cobra. The first thing we noticed when testing these irons was the high launch you get throughout the set. While not for everyone, our testers appreciated the pronounced launch in the shorter irons especially.

The forged face also imparts incredible ball speed and a very satisfying feel overall. Ball speeds are pretty impressive with all of these irons. So much so that there is a bit of a control issue. For this reason, we would recommend these irons to players with moderate swing speeds.

Our faster swing testers had trouble reigning in the distance but the Forged Tec irons were spot on for our testers with swing speeds in the 85-95 MPH range.

Pros:

• Amazing feel
• Great ball speed
• Easy left-to-right workability

Cons:

• Poor low-to-high workability
• Distance control was an issue

Overall Rating: 93/100

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#5 – Ping i525 – Best Ping Irons

Selling Points:

• Maraging steel face
• Forged
• Perimeter weighted

We would recommend the Ping i525 irons to mid handicap players who still want to hold on to forgiveness. This is a surprisingly forgiving set of player’s distance irons from Ping. But the great thing about them is that they look and feel much more like a performance set of irons.

The variable face thickness in the sweet, forged maraging steel face will provide you with increased ball distance on mis-hits whether be high or low, left or right. Then there is tungsten weights in the toe and shaft tip to increase lateral forgiveness.

It’s not all about forgiveness though. The milled grooves in the short irons allow for amazing spin control and feel off the face. Overall, a very surprising set of irons that would work well for players who don’t yet make consistent contact.

Pros:

• Extremely forgiving
• Great short-game spin control
• Good feedback

Cons:

• Topline is a bit thick
• More offset than other I series irons

Overall Rating: 92/100

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#6 – Titleist T200 – Best Titleist

Selling Points:

• Engineered muscle plate
• tungsten weighting
• Polymer core

The T200 irons have a hollow body design that makes room for the polymer core that helps push ball speed behind the sweet spot of the face. This is more or less what covers the distance. The L-shaped forged face insert covers feel and forgiveness.

But it’s the compact shape of these irons that made them a hit with our low handicap testers. The T200’s sport a thin topline, narrow sole and almost non-existent offset that is much more reminiscent of a player’s performance iron. While not for the inexperienced, the T200’s are great for low handicappers.

Pros:

• Great stopping power around the green
• Good distance
• Optimal launch conditions throughout the set

Cons:

• Not forgiving
• Side spin was an issue

Overall Rating: 96/100

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#7 – Mizuno Pro 225 – Best from Mizuno

Selling Points:

• Multi-thickness face
• Copper underlay
• Grain Flow forged design

If you are really looking to treat yourself, then the Mizuno Pro 225’s deserve your attention. Make no mistake about it, these are irons for low handicap players who want nothing but the best in terms of feel and workability. The Grain Flow forging process makes these irons feel amazing.

Feedback is just right, the feel at impact is crisp and substantial, and the chromoly face allows for incredibly spin and distance control. The copper underlay also works to provide incredible consistency throughout the set.

These were a joy to test – so much so that we didn’t want to put them down. Even distance on mis-hits is impressive thanks to the variable face thickness design. Amazing left-to-right control and tight shot dispersion are also hallmarks of these irons.

Pros:

• Amazing control
• Outstanding feel
• Surprising forgiveness

Cons:

• Expensive
• A bit heavy

Overall Rating: 98/100

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#8 – Taylormade P770 – Best Player’s Feel

Selling Points:

• Inverted Cone technology
• Hollow body design
• Speed Pocket

The Taylormade P770 irons are like little clones of the Taylormade P790 irons. They have many of the same features but the P770’s have a shorter blade and more compact head – a design that our lower handicap players preferred.

The P770’s also have the inverted cone technology which spreads the sweet spot out towards the toe for more forgiveness. They still have a soft carbon steel body; but with an upgraded forged 4140 steel face wrap.

Overall this is a soft and gentle feeling set of irons that would be great for players making the transition to player’s distance irons for the first time.

Pros:

• Forgiving
• Good ball speed
• Very workable

Cons:

• Pricey
• Not the best for mid handicappers

Overall Rating: 97/100

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#9 – Callaway Apex Pro – Best Forged Callaway Irons

Selling Points:

• Forged 1025 steel
• Urethane microspheres
• Tungsten energy core

We are huge Callaway Apex fans because of the fully-forged body design. Nothing beats forged metal when it comes to irons so if you are looking for explosive distance without sacrificing feel, the Apex Pro’s will deliver.

These irons also provide towering launch throughout the set. The Tungsten energy core weights are placed specifically to improve launch angles – a great asset to have around the green. Don’t get the wrong idea though: these irons are for low handicappers.

There is almost no offset to speak of and the head shape is nice and compact.

Pros:

• They look fantastic
• Fully-forged body
• Great for low handicappers

Cons:

• Very expensive
• Lateral workability is lacking

Overall Rating: 97/100

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#10 – PXG 0311 P Gen4

Selling Points:

• XCOR polymer
• 8620 carbon steel
• Forged 5 times

The PXG 0311 P Gen4 irons are a hefty investment but an investment nonetheless. The 5x forging process ensures exquisite feel and also durability. You can bet that the grooves in these irons won’t fade out on you before their time.

The maraging steel face is incredibly thin and when coupled with the polymer core material, produces explosive ball speeds. In fact, these were some of the longest irons we tested for our list with the 5-iron producing 173 yards for some of our testers!

The carbon steel forged body also imparts a satisfying, smooth feel while the milled back surface makes these irons very reactive and accurate all-around.

Pros:

• Great all-around performance
• Incredible ball speed
• Premium feel

Cons:

• A little too much offset
• Not the smallest head

Overall Rating: 97/100

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Final Thoughts

We really enjoyed this one because we got to play some of the highest-performance irons currently on  the market. And you can too! We recommend getting a fitting for any of these irons if you are a mid to low handicapper but overall, we would recommend the Taylormade P790 irons.

We think they would fit the needs of the widest variety of players compared to other irons on our list so check them out today!