For whatever your game needs, equipment designers have been busy tweaking existing lines for better performance and often introducing entirely new clubs.
Modern irons have gotten in on the chase for even more distance and forgiveness, frequently utilizing hollow designs that boost ball speeds. And for players who value control more than distance, there are better-player irons that offer fine-tuned precision, especially in the shorter clubs.
Check out some of the irons that have been introduced for this season.
Callaway Mavrik
Price: $799 for the standard and Max versions on steel shafts or $899 on graphite shafts; $899 for the Pro model on steel
Each Mavrik iron’s face was created using artificial intelligence in an attempt to maximize distance and forgiveness. The Mavrik irons also have an internal tungsten bar that lowers the center of gravity and encourages a higher ball flight.
Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo
Price: $799.99 on steel shafts, $899.99 on graphite
The Launcher HB Turbo irons were designed like miniature hybrids, with a wide sole, thick topline and a hollow-body construction that lets the thin HT1170M stainless steel face flex more efficiently at impact.
Cobra King Speedzone
Price: $799 on steel shafts, $899 on graphite
Nearly all this club is cast from stainless steel, but Cobra added two carbon-fiber strips to reinforce the topline in the 3-iron through 7-iron. That saved 3 grams of weight and allowed Cobra to reposition it low and back to pull down the center of gravity.
Ben Hogan Icon
Price: $770 (chrome) for seven clubs (4-PW), $800 (black)
The new Hogan Icon irons are for accomplished golfers who want to curve and turn the ball in different directions and control its flight. Golfers will see virtually no offset, a short blade length and a thin topline. The lofts are very traditional.
Ping G710
Price: $175 per club on steel, $190 on graphite
The new, hollow-bodied G710 offers the most flexible face of any iron Ping has ever built to generate more ball speed and boost distance. This club takes the crown as the largest, most forgiving and most powerful iron in Ping’s stable.
PXG 0311 Gen3
Price: $425 per iron
With the release of its 0311 GEN3 irons, PXG thinks it has cracked the code to deliver significantly more distance and better performance for players who can afford the hefty sticker price.
TaylorMade Sim Max
Price: $899.99 on steel shafts, $999.99 on graphite
The Speed Bridge bar connects the lower portion of the head to the topline, stiffening those areas and allowing TaylorMade to make the face thinner and faster.
Titleist T100•S
Price: $137 per club on steel shafts
The standard T100 iron replaced the Titleist AP2, one of the most popular irons among accomplished golfers and tour pros over the last several seasons. The T100•S has the same look at address and blade length, but its lofts are 2 degrees stronger, which should give lower-handicap players more distance.
Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220
Price: $109.99 each on steel, $129.99 each on graphite
Designed with a cup face, the 4- through 7-irons are hollow, which allows the hitting area to flex more efficiently at impact for more ball speed. The hollow design also allowed designers to shift the center of gravity down and farther back.
Wilson Staff D7 Forged
Price: $899 on steel, $999 on graphite
When golfers look down at this cavity-back design, they will see only a touch of offset, a modest topline and a very clean look. The distance-boosting technology is in the sole, where two rows of Power Holes were designed behind the leading edge.
