Last Updated on July 16, 2024 by Matt
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Srixon ZX5 MK2

The Srixon ZX5 MkII stood out after hitting them and playing them on the course. They are a decent upgrade from the ZX5 with much better looks but the same top of the line materials and feel.

Turf interaction: The sole of the club is shaped with a slight 'V' shape and that is what makes it a winner in my eyes. The interaction with the ground is the best I have found.

When you hit a shot, the leading edge of the ZX5 will first enter the grass and the bottom of the sole (the bottom of the V) will bounce off the turf beneath the ball. You can actually feel that small action as the club glides right through the turf instead of digging. 

Looks and feel: At address, my eyes saw minimal offset and I found the top line was in the middle of the blade and super game improvement thickness. When I look at them in the bag, I can't tell if they are game improvement or players cavity back.

The clubs felt soft to me and that is because Srixon use some of the softest materials and forge almost all of their irons. Something to note is that there is a tungsten insert in the toe of the the 3 iron down to 7 iron while in the 8 iron down to approach wedge, the grooves are deeper and narrower to increase spin. 

Accuracy and performance: When I mis-hit shots badly with the MK2 irons, I noticed the ball lost only a few yards. If the strikes was just off the sweet spot, toward the toe, I noticed almost not difference in distances. On both good and bad strikes, the ball travelled straighter than I expected especially compared to my blade irons. 

One small issue I found was that when I hit one very sweet, the ball went much further than my stock distance, sometimes putting me in a hazard or a bunker 10-20 yards past the target. 

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PING G430 Max irons

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Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke iron

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Cleveland Launcher XL irons

The Launcher XL irons are the upgrade to my prior favorites, the near perfect Cleveland Launcher UHX. I've recommended the UHX to 8 friends, who all game them and I will continue to recommend the Launcher iron range for casual golfers, not looking to become scratch golfers.

Look and feel: The Launcher XL are in fact very large club heads. When i place the club head behind the ball, it's obvious that the main purpose of the Launchers is Game Improvement. The club heads are also much longer than most other irons and it's noticeable at address which gives you a lot of surface area to hit the ball with. 

Cleveland include the loft on the bottom of the club to help us stop being attached to the number iron you are hitting, and more understanding of the loft that creates that distance. Cleveland is owned by the parent company which owns Srixon, so the Cleveland Launcher irons also feature a V-shaped sole. These clubs did not dig into the ground when I played them. 

Accuracy and performance: The extra surface area on the club face means that on off-center hits, you don't get punished as much as a smaller head.  There is a progressive design in the iron, which means the 4 iron to 7 iron have a hollow body and the short irons are cavity backs.

Hollow body clubs are designed to reduce the shock and poor performance of mis-hits. I actually kept the 4 iron in my bag with my usual set because it was so much easier to hit. The cavity back short irons are jus as easy to hit. 

Distance was much longer than most irons I tried. I was around 10 yards longer on average compared to other models on the list. It is partially because of lower lofts, but Cleveland are known for making irons that travel higher despite lower lofts and that is what I noticed. My friends who play the Launcher models all notice much softer landings on the greens. 

Conclusion: Any time a mid handicapper friend asks me for recommendations on new irons, I have to gauge how much golf they play and their expectations. The Cleveland Launcher series is perfect for a golfer who is between a 10 and 18 handicap who plays around 4 times a month without any ambitions of being a scratch golfer.  

These irons are fun to hit, and help you enjoy your weekly game of golf more than most sets on this list. 

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Taylormade Qi 10 iron

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Cobra Darkspeed iron

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Mizuno JPX 923 Forged

As always, Mizuno forged golf irons are buttery soft and while the new JPX 923 look like a forgiving muscle back , they are actually a cavity back. I was not a fan of the prior JPX 919 and I resold them after 5 rounds but the JPX 923 upgrade improved on them. The 923 version feels higher quality on off-center hits and center hits really feel soft compared to the 919.

Look and feel: The look of the Mizuno JPX923 is similar to the prior JPX919 model and with minimal colors, combined with matte finish, they are easily the best looking iron on the list. They have the look of PGA Tour professional clubs with more forgiving and bigger clubs heads in the long irons moving into more compact shorter irons for precision shots. 

There is a very small offset to the clubs for added forgiveness. 

Accuracy and performance: The sole of the Mizuno has a more U-shaped appearance for less digging in the turf interaction in a similar way to the Srixon ZX5. In my experience with the clubs, there is almost no difference between them and the Srixon ZX5. 

Conclusion: You'll be able to shape the ball both ways with these. There are a lot of mid handicappers who were once single figures who still like a fade or draw into a tight pin. It's fun to shape shots if you can.

For high-mid handicappers, I would suggest the Hot Metal version because the sweet spot has been moved lower in the face specifically to help inconsistent striking.

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Mizuno JPX 923 Forged

Performance data of mid handicap irons

We tested the irons in the review using a mid handicap golfer with a moderate swing speed (98 mph with the driver). We used a Trackman bay with a 7 iron from each set of irons. You will notice the lofts range from 26.5° to 32° which will make a drastic difference to carry distances. 

How to select alternative mid handicap irons

My method for selecting irons for mid handicappers

My foolproof method to select golf clubs goes like this:

1. Pick the irons that look best to you. How do you like the sole, the top line and the offset? You must love how the irons look immediately. It's very difficult to 'learn to love your irons and when you hit them badly, you'll start to hate them. Pick the irons you LOVE the look of.
2. Then how do they when you place the irons look behind the ball? 80% of your decision comes from the first two steps and that is just how powerful the looks are.
3. The next 10% of the decision comes down how does the club feel in your hands? Waggle the club, feel the weight and take a swing with no ball. Does it make you feel great? 
4. Hitting the ball with the irons completes the process. Why only 10%? If you don't like the look of the clubs, the feel of the clubs and the weight of the clubs, it doesn't matter how well you hit them. You'll give up on them in the future. If you love the look, feel and weight, your fitter can make the irons work with your swing to get a good strike.

Hit the golf clubs, preferably outdoors but indoors works too.

• Is the trajectory of the shots low, medium or high? Pick the flight that works for you.
• Does the club make your bad shot worse? If you fade, does the iron make you fade MORE? 
• Does the club help to straighten your ball flight?
• Do you need more height, spin or distance? It can be difficult to get all 3 in one set but with a fitting, you can get at least 2 out of your 3 priorities. 
• Hit the irons and gauge how many shots you hit from the center of the face. Do you feel a sweet strike more often than any other set?
• If you mis-hit the ball, did you notice big performance changes or minor? Pick what you need from your set.

Other considerations for your iron set

Price

Every large brand name club companies make golf irons for mid handicappers and they price their irons between $750 and $1500. 

Boutique brands like Takomo provide high quality clubs at less than $650 per set. Pick the budget you need and understand that boutique brands create clubs in the same factories as the big name manufacturers, but do not spend many on sponsorships and wasteful adverts.

The big name manufacturers price their clubs so high because they sponsor pros and produce tens of thousands of sets at one time, so they need to make sure even if many go unsold, they make a profit.

Type of club head design and material

Forged vs Cast irons

1. Forged - the factory stamps the club head out of a single piece of soft steel.

2. Cast - the factory pours liquid metal alloy into a mold and the alloy sets hard.

Muscle back vs cavity back

1. Muscle back blade - Traditional iron heads with most of the steel mass behind the sweet spot, without any cavity back. You may struggle to hit muscle back or blade irons initially but with a lot of practice, you can find the sweet spot. You will receive a lot more feedback on your shots with a blade iron because when you hit it bad, you can feel it.

2. Cavity back - cavity backs are blades without the mass behind the sweet spot. The manufacturers grind out a cavity in the back of the club, to redistribute the excess steel to the perimeter of the iron. The cavity backs are much easier to hit than blades and a recreational mid handicap will enjoy the forgiveness that they offer. 

I recommend mid handicap golfers play with cavity back irons, preferably forged because a fitter can bend forged irons to fit your lie angle without breaking the club. The cast iron can be bent only one time. The second attempt cracks the club.

How to pick the shafts for your iron set

Shaft flex dominates as the key factor to consider when you purchase a new set of irons. Which flex you use can change your ball flight drastically.

The actual flex of each shaft will vary between shaft manufacturers because no standard flex ranking scale exists. I consulted Tour fitter and expert club builder, Eric Chong of Impact Golf Malaysia about iron shafts to get his insights.

In his 20 years of fitting clubs Eric finds that:

• Slow swing speeds should use softer flex shafts
• High swing speeds should use a firmer flex shaft

Which flex shaft is right for you?

These flexes are ranked from stiffest (firmest) to softest (most flexible)

• Extra Stiff (X): When you swing your driver faster than 105 mph
• Stiff (S): When your driver swing speed reaches between 90 and 100 mph
• Regular (R): The average golfer will use a regular shaft and is the most popular
• Senior (SR): When your swing speed with the driver dips below 80 mph
• Ladies Flex (L): Ladies generally swing slower than men so there is a specific shaft for them

Eric points out that the shaft you select needs to match your tempo and transition more than your swing speed. He recommends to always get a fitting with a qualified club fitter to ensure you play the perfect equipment for YOU.

You can even change your trajectory, distance and even your ball flight shape with the correct shaft.

How to select the shaft material steel or graphite

Steel or graphite shafts dominate the market. You will see mostly steel shafts in the bags of golfers at the local course.

Graphite shafts are less popular but there is no recommendation from me or Eric on this because it would be irresponsible to recommend without seeing your swing.

Graphite can be a little more expensive but because they are often lighter, they can increase your club head speed. 

The best option is to try some clubs with graphite and steel shafts in them. More than likely, you will prefer a steel shaft.

Best irons for a 20 handicap

A 20 handicap should play forgiving irons like deep cavity back irons with lightweight shafts like the XXIO 12 irons.

Best irons for a 10 handicap

The best irons for a 10 handicap are cavity back irons like the Ping G430 irons because a 10 handicaps average score is around 87 so his ball striking needs improvement. A 10 handicap would benefit from the Ping G430 because they provide ample forgiveness which will leave him on the green or around the green with ease.

Best irons for a 15 handicap

The best irons for a 15-handicap are the TaylorMade Stealth irons because they launch high, travel far and are the easiest to hit to break 90. A 15 handicapper averages a score over 90 and he needs most help to hit fewer terrible shots. Stealth irons can help him avoid catastrophic holes on the golf course because they are so forgiving. 

When should I switch to blades?

When a golfer can hit the center of the blade club face at least 7 out of 10 times, they can change their irons to blade irons. If you can hit the center of the club face on a blade iron 7 out of 10 times, don't forget about players cavity back irons. Players cavity back irons are slightly more forgiving than blades and perform identically out the sweet spot. 

What are best irons for average or intermediate golfers?

In my expert opinion, the best irons for the average or intermediate golfer are the Takomo 201 irons because they are forged, high quality heads with top of the line KBS Tour shafts at a price below $700.

Conclusion

The Srixon ZX5 Mk II iron is my number one pick for mid handicappers because of the high quality shafts and steel used in the heads. The Takomo 201 is a close second because both of these iron sets are made of forged steel, with extremely high quality KBS and Nippon shafts.

The materials used by both companies are top of the line. 

Thanks for reading my review and comparison of the best irons for mid handicappers and average golfers in 2024.