Equipment
Best irons in golf of 2019: Top overall performers
What are the best irons in golf for 2019 and possibly 2020?
It’s an interesting question to ask anyone who works in the golf equipment industry since it opens up a Pandora’s box of debate and discussion, which inevitably results in the conclusion that every player has to go out, work with a fitter, and find the best set for him/her. There is no one single best iron for every golfer in 2019, but there is a best iron of 2019 for you—and that’s where we come in to help you find your ideal set.
2019 has been a big year for irons, with OEMs taking bigger steps to push the science of structure, materials, and processing to move mass and further optimize MOI and COG to provide improvements across the board. In certain iron categories, clubheads are generating maximum potential speed over larger areas of the face, just like a driver, while in other parts of the market, some iron models have been shrunk to improve workability for the players looking for shot-shaping control.
So what do you look for? What do you need? With so many great irons released in 2019, the decision-making process can be overwhelming, and that’s why at GolfWRX, we are here to help you go through that process and help you ask the right questions to find the iron set for you.
Best irons of 2019: How we did it
Even before starting the process of building the survey, we reached out to our trusted fitters to discuss how they sort through the endless number of iron options available to golfers. The consensus was simple—the best fitters in the world see all the options available in the marketplace, analyze their performance traits, and pull from that internal database of knowledge and experience like a supercomputer whenever they are working with a golfer.
It’s essentially a huge decision tree derived from experience and boiled down to a starting point of options—and it has nothing to do with handicap.
Since modern iron sets are designed into player categories that overlap the traditional “what’s your handicap” model, we at GolfWRX believe it was important to go beyond handicap and ask specific questions about the most crucial performance elements fitters are looking at to help golfers find the best set of irons for them. From overall performance, to shotmaking, to helping players achieve better trajectories and speed, we strived to ask the right questions.
We have developed separate categories that will help you the reader determine what rankings are most important for your swing and game.
- Most technology packed
- The shotmakers
- Pure enjoyment
- Easiest to launch
- Overall top performers
Just like with our Best Drivers of 2019 survey, we consulted leading fitters in the industry and compiled our results anonymously. The methodology is simple: We want to give you the tools to go out and find what works best for you, with recommendations for your individual needs, with feedback from the people that work every single day to help golfers get peak performance out of their equipment.
We at GolfWRX then worked internally to craft a survey that allowed the fitters to be honest…we want the truth just as much as you do, and to prevent anyone from feeling they couldn’t be, we allowed all of the results and quotes to remain anonymous unless otherwise stated. We can’t thank the fitters enough for their time!
Best irons of 2019: Meet the fitters
Ben Giunta: Owner, The Tour Van
Alex Panigas: Fitter, TXG
Chris Kendall: Fitter, TXG
Cam Kennedy: Fitter, TXG
John Sawatsky: Fitter, TXG
Ryan Johnson: Fitter, Carl’s Golfland
Brent Norton: VP Shop Operations, Miles of Golf
Craig Allan: Golf Performance Manager, Sea Island Performance Center
Timothy Briand: SVP Customer Experience, True Spec Golf
Shawn Zawodni: Fitter, Miles of Golf
Nick Sherburne: Founder, Club Champion
Dominic Choma: Fitter, Miles of Golf
Matthew Sim: Fitter/Director of Operations, Modern Golf
Best irons of 2019: Overall performance
This category is the perfect place to start if you’re not quite sure what you are looking for. Distance? Check. Forgiveness? Check. Sleek looking? Check. The top five in the All-Around Performance category are perfect for those golfers that appreciate technology and want something that is going to give them shot options.
These are the top 5
(Q: What are the best irons for golfers that provide the best overall performance?)
TaylorMade P790: It has been hard to talk about irons over the last couple of years without mentioning the TaylorMade P790, since it was total a game-changer for TaylorMade in the iron market. It has been TaylorMade’s most successful iron ever, and what also makes the P790 so popular is its mass appeal across player categories, either as a full set or combo’d into longer irons.
From the fitters: “Amazing combination of technology and looks/feel. Better players who are looking for a little more distance tend to flock to this iron, yet it will is playable for the 10-15 handicap range. In my opinion, this is the players distance iron that is the closest to a pure forging when it comes to looks and feel. This was a deciding factor in many of my fittings when the data between this and other models was close.”
Callaway Apex: It’s no surprise to see the Callaway Apex on this list. The entire Apex line redefined the “players distance” category many years ago, and with improvements year over year, the Apex Iron continues to be a top choice for a lot of golfers.
From the fitters: “Performs for a wider variety of golfers. Great performance all around with impressive Ball Speed, Launch, Height, and Turf Interaction” … “Callaway did a great job of not messing with what works, as there is a reason it took them 3 years to improve on the previous version. Goes a long way without sacrificing the size and shape of a smaller iron. Launches high which will help players who struggle with height and getting the ball to stop when it lands.”
Srixon Z785: Is it possible to call Srixon an underdog anymore? They notched another major win this year thanks to Shane Lowry at The Open Championship, and the Z785 has helped Srixon pick up significant iron market share over the last year.
From the fitters: “Very forgiving with a soft forged feel. Great ball speed and works for a wide range of players. Price on the quality of forging is fantastic” … “It consistently yields high balls speeds across the face while maintaining some spin. Love the clean polished look, thin lines and buttery feel. The Srixon Z785 caters to high and low handicaps at a very reasonable price point. We sell a ton of these. Very easy to fit with.”
Ping G410: Not surprised to see a Ping iron here in the top 5. The Ping G Series irons have been synonymous with mass appeal dating all the way back to the original G2s. Where the G410 differs from the previous G400 is Ping shrunk the footprint to improve turf interactions but also increased the level of forgiveness—an impressive engineering feat.
From the fitters: “Ping is one of those companies that has always been in the mix. The Ping G410 iron has made great improvements in the sound category. The co-molded badge along with a clean look from previous models gives this a top rank. Along with looks and sound the performance in this iron gives a player great ball speeds along with optimal launch and spin profile to hit it long and hold a green.”
Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal: The entire Mizuno JPX line completely changed the way golfers outside of the traditional “Mizuno Player” looked at the company. The 919 Hot Metal is the perfect example of taking a club that worked ( the 900 HotMetal), and making small tweaks to get even better performance.
From the fitters: “The game improvement club to beat this year! It’s super playable across a wide range of handicaps with the introduction of the HM Pro head or you can blend it with the JPX Fli Hi hybrids at no extra cost for your higher handicaps to have a really versatile set of clubs for literally anyone.”
Read all the comments or make your own in the discussion thread in the forums here.
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Whats in the Bag
Xander Schauffele WITB 2024 (May)
- Xander Schauffele what’s in the bag accurate as of the PGA Championship.
Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees @10.1)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana PD 70 TX (45.5 inches)
3-wood: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana PD 80 TX
Hybrid: Callaway Apex UW (21 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Mizuno MP-20 (3), Callaway Apex TCB ’24 (4-10)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Mid X100 (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-10)
Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (52-10S), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (56-10S @57), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60-K @61)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Putter: Odyssey Toulon Design Las Vegas Prototype 7CH
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Align
Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour
Check out more in-hand photos of Xander Schauffele’s clubs in the forums.
More Xander Schauffele WITBs
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2023 (August)
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2022 (July)
- Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB: 2022 Scottish Open
- Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB: 2022 Travelers Championship
- Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele’s winning WITBs: 2022 Zurich Classic
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2022 (January)
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2021 (October)
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2021 (September)
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2021 (May)
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2021 Masters
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2020 (October)
- Xander Schauffele WITB: 2020 Tour Championship
- Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB: 2020 Olympics
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2020
- Xander Schauffele WITB: 2020 Sentry Tournament of Champions
- Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB: Sentry Tournament of Champions
- Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB: 2018 WGC-HSBC Champions
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2018
- Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB: 2017 Tour Championship
- Xander Schauffele WITB 2017
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Whats in the Bag
Cam Smith WITB 2024 (May)
- Cam Smith what’s in the bag accurate as of the PGA Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D4 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X
3-wood: Ping Max G430 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Red 7 X
7-wood: Titleist TS2 (21 degrees, D4 SureFit setting)
Shaft: UST Mamiya Elements Proto 8F5
Irons: Mizuno Pro Fli-Hi (2, 3), Titleist T100 (5-9)
Shafts: KBS Tour 130 X Custom Series
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (46-10F, 52-08F, 56-08M, 60-04T)
Shafts: KBS Tour 130X (46, 52, 56, 60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron 009M
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Tack
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Check out more in-hand photos of Cam Smith’s gear here.
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Whats in the Bag
Patrick Reed WITB 2024 (May)
- Patrick Reed what’s in the bag accurate as of the PGA Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G400 (8.5 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 125 MSI 70 Tour X
3-wood: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (15 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 125MSI 80 Tour X
Hybrid: Callaway Apex Pro (18 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila RIP Phenom Hybrid 100 TX
Irons: Titleist 716 TMB (2), Grindworks PR-202 (4), Grindworks PR-101A (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore (50-10 Mid), Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (56-08M @55), SM10 (60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Odyssey White Hot RX Pt Customs No. 2
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
More photos of Patrick Reed’s WITB in the forums.
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