Best Golf Irons for Beginnners
Our Top Picks
Irons can be the most difficult part of the game of golf, especially for beginners. Some golfers even drop irons altogether and use an all hybrid golf set. But some irons are much better suited for beginners than others – they provide better forgiveness, they’re easier to swing, etc. So, we set out to test the best golf irons for high handicapper. Below you will find the results of our testing, our top picks, as well as answers to the most asked questions about irons for beginners.
Best Irons for High Handicap Reviews
Our Pick for Best Irons for High Handicap
TaylorMade Sim 2 Max Iron Set
Review
The Sim 2 Max irons are our top choice, partly because they are a rare breed of clubs in that they would be a great choice for both beginners and more advanced golfers. The combination of the distance and forgiveness these irons provide is second to none. Often times golf clubs designed for beginners are missing a lot of the latest technology because the goal of the beginner golfer is to learn how to hit the ball cleanly.
Taylormade has produced a club in the Sim 2 that not only is very forgiving, making it easier for beginners to hit the ball cleanly, but also has a lot of great technology. This latest technology offers a larger sweet spot, great height and accuracy, and really good distance. Of all the beginner sets we tested, the Sim 2 Max is a very deserving winner of our top choice. Taylormade is one of the biggest and best brands in golf. It is a great looking club, and the cherry on the cake is as you progress, these clubs won’t hold you back; a rare quality in beginner clubs.
Category | Score |
|---|---|
Distance | 4.8 |
Accuracy | 4.9 |
Feel | 4.6 |
Value | 4.7 |
Durability | 4.8 |
Overall Score | 4.7 |
Pros
Cons
Runner Up Best Irons for High Handicapper
Cleveland Golf Mens Launcher XL Halo Iron Set
Review
The Cleveland Launcher XL Halo irons mark Cleveland’s return to the world of irons. Cleveland is very well known for their excellent wedges that provide some of the best feel in the market. They use a specialized laser milling process on the face of the club as well as proprietary “tour zip” grooves. This technology is a large part of what makes their wedges so great, and they’ve incorporated this technology into the Halo iron set.
We had no problem getting the ball in the air with these clubs, and we were pleasantly surprised by the distance we achieved. While not important to most beginners, we found it remarkably easy to spin the ball. However, feel and control we felt were a little lacking. The bottom line is you get some really good technology in a pretty affordable club that was plenty easy to hit. This is why it is our runner-up pick for best beginner irons.
Category | Score |
|---|---|
Distance | 4.7 |
Accuracy | 4.5 |
Feel | 4.3 |
Value | 4.6 |
Durability | 4.6 |
Overall Score | 4.5 |
Pros
Cons
Best Iron Sets for Beginners On a Budget
WaZaki WL-IIs Mx Hybrid Set
Review
The WaZaki Hybrid Iron Set is a Japanese manufactured set that has 2 primary features: they are easy to hit and they’re inexpensive. If you have tried hitting irons and just cannot hit the ball cleanly to save your life, these are the clubs we recommend.
While we found the distance to not be great, we did notice that new players with slow swings actually saw improved distances with these clubs. These clubs are probably the easiest clubs to hit out there. If you have a slow swing, find it near impossible to hit the ball cleanly, and just want the easiest way to remedy it, these clubs are for you.
Category | Score |
|---|---|
Distance | 4.4 |
Accuracy | 4.5 |
Feel | 4.3 |
Value | 4.5 |
Durability | 4.3 |
Overall Score | 4.4 |
Pros
Cons
Best High Handicap Irons (and most expensive)
TaylorMade P790 Iron Set
Review
The Taylormade P790 Iron Set is much more likely to appeal to intermediate to advanced golfers. However, there are two types of beginners that these clubs would definitely appeal to: those who buy top of the line gear regardless of the fact that they don’t know what they’re doing on the golf course (yet); those who are confident they will pick up golf quickly and who are committed to playing often and improving.
There wasn’t anything we didn’t like about this club. We were pleased with the consistent distances and accuracy we achieved with each iron. The feel was also very good. Thin club heads are harder to hit than fatter, cavity-backed club heads. This iron was no exception, although it was probably the most forgiving thin club we’ve ever tested. You can’t beat the forgiveness of cavity-backed club heads, but again if you are typically a fast learner, these clubs could be a great choice, even if you are a beginner.
Category | Score |
|---|---|
Distance | 4.9 |
Accuracy | 4.9 |
Feel | 4.9 |
Value | 4.8 |
Durability | 4.8 |
Overall Score | 4.9 |
Pros
Cons
FAQ
This question is a bit ambiguous and requires a follow up question. Are you asking what set of irons is easiest to hit? If so, our top pick would be the Taylormade M4 iron set. Are you asking what single iron in a set of irons is easiest to hit? If this is the question you are asking, the 9 iron is the easiest iron to hit. The higher number irons are easier to hit than the lower number irons. The pitching wedge is easier still, but technically speaking is a wedge, even though it is included in most iron sets.
This is always a tough question, because graphite shafts look great on paper. Graphite shafts are lighter than steel. This often results in faster club head speed. Because of the flex, graphite shafts can improve the distance on your shots. Graphite shafts absorb vibrations better than steel, which is particularly useful when playing in cold temperatures. If you have a slower golf swing, you can get extra flex with graphite to help add some distance to your shots. These are all good things!
That all said, we always recommend steel shafts for your irons. This goes for beginners or experienced golfers. For most players, and all beginners, accuracy trumps distance in golf. Very advanced players and professionals are the exception to this rule. Even still, I would rather be 10 yards further away from the green and in the fairway than 10 yards closer to the pin and in the rough or a bunker. Steel shafts produce more consistent results with distance, and you get much better feel, which contributes to accuracy. And if you need more distance for a shot, just club up!
Yes. Blade irons are harder to hit because of the shape and size of the club head. Cavity-back irons offer larger club heads, providing bigger sweet spots and more forgiveness when not hit perfectly. Blade irons are better for putting sidespin on the ball. Sidespin is for intentionally adding left or right movement to the ball while in flight.
A hybrid, as the name denotes, is a cross between a fairway wood and an iron. The club heads aren’t typically as large as a fairway wood and their distance more closely matches an iron. Hybrids are usually considered easier to hit, which is why they are also called rescue clubs. Many players simply replace their 3 and 4 irons with 3 and 4 hybrids.