Now that the majority of new releases are out for 2022, it’s time to break down, which golf irons are genuinely the best.
“Best” can mean different things to different people. We will break down the best golf irons in several different categories to try and help you find exactly what you are looking for.
Overall an iron that is going to qualify as a leader will be a forgiving iron, that is long and offer features to make the game more enjoyable.
Sometimes irons that I choose are not clubs that are new for 2022, instead some fantastic irons that deserve to make this list year in and year out.
Best Golf Irons In 2022
- TaylorMade P790 Iron Set (Best Golf Irons 2022)
- Cobra Golf 2020 Speedzone Iron Set (Runner Up 1)
- Callaway Apex Iron Set (Runner Up 2)
- Callaway Mavrik Irons (Best Golf Irons for Fixing a Slice)
- TaylorMade SIM 2 MAX Irons (Best Golf Irons for Distance)
- Cleveland UHX Irons (Best Golf Irons for Forgiveness and Feel)
- Mizuno JPX 921 Tour & Mizuno JPX 921 Forged (Best Golf Irons for Feel)
- TaylorMade P770 Iron Set (Best Mix of Forgiveness and Feel)
- TaylorMade M6 & Callaway Rogue (Best Deals of 2022)
Best Golf Irons: TaylorMade P790 Irons
The TaylorMade P790 Irons are some of the best-looking irons ever made. They have a clean forged design that will make any level handicap feel like a player.
This set of irons packs in a ton of technology and are aimed at the middle to low handicap player.
Initially released in 2017, TaylorMade has made a few subtle improvements to this iron in 2019. Mostly the shape of the club head has improved for a bit of a lower profile look.
The P790 irons are injected with Speedfoam. The Speedfoam is what helps dampen the blow at impact and make sure that these irons have the best feel on the market.
Distance irons are often kept hollow to increase speed. With the P790, Speedfoam offers a lightweight option that won’t slow the club head but helps to produce a much better feel.
Forged irons are usually geared towards the better player. Taylormade wanted to produce an option that works for both average handicap and lower handicap players.
They were able to maintain high ball speed and forgiveness while still giving tour like feel.
The P790 Irons retail for a very high price depending on the set makeup you choose. TaylorMade is still producing them so you can get these irons custom to your needs.
The stock steel shaft is the Dynamic Gold S300. The S300 is an excellent option, mid-spin, mid-launch, and slightly more substantial than the KBS Shaft that is offered in many other irons in this category.
Read our TaylorMade P790 Irons review.Click to Check Price
Runner Up 1: Cobra Golf Speedzone Iron Set
The Cobra Men’s Speedzone Iron Set takes the great distance from the Speedback F9 irons and adds quite a bit of feel.
This iron took quite a bit of engineering, and it has become of the best golf iron sets that Cobra has produced.
One of the most impressive benefits of the Cobra Speedzone is the carbon topline. This topline is 40% lighter than steel, and it saves a ton of weight on the overall clubhead.
When you save weight, players will be able to swing the club much faster. Increased ball speed and distance help make this one of the longer golf irons on the market.
Another essential feature is the Co-Mold Medallion. This is essentially used to help decrease vibration and improve both sound and feel at impact. Cobra has always had surprisingly great feeling, irons, considering their focus on forgiveness.
The Speedzone iron set will be geared mostly towards the player with mid to high handicaps that need that balance of distance and forgiveness.
Cobra puts out a fairly priced and high-quality iron that players should be considering closely when making an iron choice this year. Click to Check Price
Runner Up 2: Callaway Apex Iron Set
Although the Callaway Apex iron set is a 2019 release, it’s going to stay at the top of the list in 2022. The Apex is one of the softest feeling irons on the market while still offering consistent distance and ball speed.
Callaway was able to add their urethane microspheres to a forged clubhead for the first time. These microspheres help to absorb the impact and give these irons better feel than many of their competitors.
Callaway’s 360 Face Cup technology was also included in this incredible set of irons. The Face Cup makes these irons extra forgiving. The Face Cup Technology allows the face to flex and then spring back, giving it incredible accuracy and distance.
The tungsten center of gravity is carefully placed in each iron to optimize ball flight. Callaway is still producing Apex Irons so you can order them custom to your needs.
In the stock option steel shaft, they are built with a 90-gram True Temper Elevate. The stock flex options are stiff and regular.
If you have tried the new Mavrik iron and steel feel like you are missing the tour-level feel that you desire, these forged irons could be the perfect fit for you.
A set of 4-PW in the Apex Irons will run about the same as the P790. I think you will see that price drop throughout the year.
Read our Callaway Apex Irons review.Click to Check Price
Best Golf Irons In The Game Improvement Category
Now that I have given you my three choices for the best of what is out there for 2022, I will now break it down a little further to provide you with some options more specific to player type.
This next group of irons are going to be for the player that needs both distance and forgiveness.
A game improvement iron is not going to focus on feel and a compact or thin look. These irons will have the features they need to help your game improve.
Callaway Mavrik Irons
Best Golf Irons for Fixing A Slice
Click to Check Price
The new Mavrik irons are the latest game improvement set from Callaway. This iron was produced to replace the Rogue set, one of the best golf irons 2018.
The Mavrik comes in two models, the Mavrik and the Mavrik Max. Very similar to how the Rogue came in the Rogue and Rogue X.
These Mavrik irons have a large sweet spot and are built for distance. The Max irons are slightly oversized, and the lofts are a bit higher. Technically higher lofts will decrease length but increase launch.
If you are a player that wants more traditional lofts and a bit higher ball flight, the Max is going to be the choice for you.
Callaway used Artificial Intelligence for the first time in an iron. They were able to create a specific design for each iron and the proper positioning of the center of gravity. Your eight iron will actually be built differently than your seven iron, not just loft.
Similar to the Apex irons, I already mentioned the Mavrik clubhead is packed full with urethane microspheres. They are able to keep the weight low while still producing incredible feel on solid shots.
If you tend to hit the ball slightly off-center, these cavity-back irons will at least make impact more pleasant. Your shot will also very likely be under control.
The Mavrik come stock with the True Temper Elevate 95 shaft. The True Temper is a 95-gram mid launch, mid spin, mid-weight shaft. Most golfers are going to be looking for a medium weight option that is easy to control and rewarding on a great shot.
The average player does not need an iron shaft heavier than 95/100 grams. If, however, your swing speed is above average, there are custom options to help you control the ball in the way you want.
A new set of Mavrik irons starts at medium to high price point, depending on what kind of a set makeup you are looking for.Click to Check Price
TaylorMade SIM 2 MAX Irons
Best Golf Irons for Distance
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The brand new SIM MAX irons also came out in January 2022. The SIM 2 MAX is for golfers looking for the best distance and forgiveness they can get with some feel that very closely resembles forged irons.
If there were any complaints about the M6 or SIM golf iron set, it was that the sound was not perfect. TaylorMade worked with sound engineers to make sure that every hit with this iron sounds as close to a forged set of irons as possible.
