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Foreword: This article is written to help beginner golfers understand what game improvement irons are, who are they right fit for and how can they be able to match right set of irons that complement their game and of course you find a list review of super game improvement irons that I personally recommend.
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Thomas Spears
Golf Expert
Do you know as per the USGA statistics, roughly 40% of the golf community is considered mid-handicappers. The golfers those who tend to carry a single-digit handicap make-up 35% of the golfing arena.
Be it during a casual or tournament play, the handicaps are established for equitable matches and this implies to any pair of golfers.
Purchasing the best golf irons for mid handicappers will let you augment your strengths on the course and thereby minimize your weak areas too.
In simple terms the irons generally fall into two major categories:
1. GI Irons- Game Improvement Irons
2. Players Irons
As some of the golfers make a mistake to pick a players club, when the Golf improvement irons are a better offering.
The irons are designed by the manufacturers keeping in mind both the low and the high handicap where mid handicap are more forgiving. Along with the forgiveness aspect the irons need cover a decent difference with accuracy.
The levels and skills are different and so are the requirements, hence we have some of the best golf irons for mid handicappers.
For a long time, the golf equipment industry is has been working on improving its long-distance irons. Helping to bring the technologies from previous woods to irons which will help to increase both distance and forgiveness by having a flexed face with a deep center of gravity. Click here to know how many people recently bought this product.
Callaway has come up with their new face cup iron which has been a huge improvement over their previous generations. They have taken their face cup and internal standing wave from their woods and placed it into their XR irons, but making the design so that they look like regular irons.
5 Top Most Forgiving Irons of All Time - A Quick Look-up
The 5 Best Irons For a Mid-Handicapper Reviewed
1. Most Forgiving Callaway Irons Men’s XR –
For a long time, the golf equipment industry is has been working on improving its long-distance irons. Helping to bring the technologies from previous woods to irons which will help to increase both distance and forgiveness by having a flexed face with a deep center of gravity.
Callaway has come up with their new face cup iron which has been a huge improvement over their previous generations. They have taken their face cup and internal standing wave from their woods and placed it into their XR irons, but making the design so that they look like regular irons.
PROS:
- The overall look is inspiring and gives confidence to the user.
- The design gives the golfer a large distance to hit the ball.
CONS:
- Has a slightly firmer and clickier feel which may put some people off.
- The sound of the club hitting may also cause people to be put off.
Conclusion:
There is a lot of thought which has gone into the design of this best iron sets and it can be seen. Callaway has made a great effort into providing an iron set which will help to keep the ball airborne for longer and allow for it to be there longer than the average club would allow. The look at the foot of the club gives confidence and reassurance that this club offers plenty of help in assisting you to produce some truly great shots.
If you are looking for the ideal super game improvement irons then this club would be the perfect choice for you. The club has been set out to help you grow confidence in your game and help you on your way to becoming a professional ( If that’s your aim ).
2. Cleveland Golf Men’s Max Game Improvement Irons
2015 marked the change for Cleveland Golf, they brought back their sister company Srixon into the North American market, many theories surrounded this company as many believed that they had simply thrown this company to the side.
More recently, Cleveland Golf has added a new piece to the lineup, not only do they focus on speed but they also look great and produce some truly great shots. Find more great golf products like this by checking out our guide to the golf yardage finders.
PROS:
- Great Playability – This club is great for hitting draws, many professional or stronger players find that this iron helps them to shape shots either way. From any angle, these clubs will help to achieve a huge amount of air and if you enjoy hitting the ball high into the air with a great amount of accuracy then this club will help you achieve that.
- Accuracy/Forgiveness – When you hit the ball with the full face you can see the impact this club has on your game but even when you have a few misses off the face it isn’t very noticeable in terms of distance. The loss of distance isn’t really noticeable until you really miss one badly, with minimal sidespin which can help keep the slices lower on poor hits.
- Feel – The club feels natural when in use, with an extremely lively response on impact. Although the club is lightweight, it is still possible to judge where the club is through the swinging motion.
CONS:
- Forgiveness On Mishits – Many of the testers found that the club wasn’t as forgiving as they were hoping on bad shots. This meant that they found that shots were hard to judge whether they were bad or good.
Conclusion:
Looking at this club and the way it handles, you can tell that it is made for the older player who is looking to regain the distance they have lost over the years. Not only this, but the club will also suit anyone who is looking to hit further with their irons. With the club being able to produce a high amount of launch, it means that lofts can be made stronger and allows for the shafts to be made longer.
The high-quality finish of the club makes it look great overall and it is possible to produce a lot of spin on the shorter clubs due to the Zip Grooves that Cleveland Golf has added in. The face of the Ti club helps to produce a high power feeling without the ball shooting from the face with such high power.
3. Taylormade Regular Or Stiff Shaft Irons Men’s Rsi1
Right of the gate, you have to give it to the research and development team over at TaylorMade, they have done a fantastic job of improving their iron set significantly. Their latest has seen them produce their TaylorMade RSi Irons Launch feature which gives the face of the head slots which help to increase the ball speed when you hit it dead center.
This is similar to the Speed Pocket slots which are found on the sole of the club which help for low center strikes.
Many people have commented on the feel whilst putting them to the test and that they were consistently hitting balls with good flight and distance, regardless of where they hit the ball on the face.
Alternative:
PROS:
- Distance Control – The TaylorMade RSi1 Iron is one of the strongest in this category. With the shorter clubs being unbelievably accurate with their shots. Not to mention that even the inaccurate face hits still managing to go a considerable distance.
- Great Looks – There is plenty of support around the look of the clubs, with low weight and a thick topline. The club gives you a lot of confidence just from its look so you can be sure that this club will really deliver the goods.
CONS:
- Black Lines Are Off-Putting – Many people have mentioned that the black lines which frame the hitting area can be distracting, many people prefer that they have a more polished finish when impacting.
Conclusion:
The TaylorMade RSi Irons are definitely going in the right direction. With the overall distance being improved overall and the design is changed to help improve the consistency of hits much more than in previous models it is possible to see why many people love this set.
These irons will give you more consistency after each shot which will lead you to increase your overall scoring ability which is always a good thing.
4. Callaway Big Bertha Most Forgiving Irons Ever
The latest irons that have come from Callaway claim that there are longer than previous models. Comparing it to the 2012 RAZR X HL Iron, the Callaway Men’s Big Bertha is definitely longer, so good job there marketing team! You must be thinking to yourself, why have they decided to make them longer?
This is due to them adding in their 360 Face Cup, which usually has the weld line down the face, but with the extended club, they are able to have it behind the face.
This helps to increase the speed at which the club can send the ball, due to the face being able to thin across a larger surface area. Many people have commented on the impact feeling great and the sound is good even though this is a hollow iron. With Callaway mainly known for the woods, it is good to see that they have managed to carry this across to their irons also.
PROS:
- Effortless to swing fast due to the lightweight materials used in the construction of this club.
- Explosive ball speed when hit directly centers on the face.
- The variety of heights should help to increase your yardage.
CONS:
- Having a more varied choice of the length of stock shafts would be ideal.
- Lightweight feel may reduce the accuracy when trying to hit the center of the face for some people.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Callaway has certainly made some great improvements to the Big Bertha club. The first thing that is instantly noticeable is the strike and the feel of the club overall. The big Bertha overall is a fantastic game improvement iron and should definitely be on the buyer list of any high-handicapped player. Not only these players will benefit from using this iron set as some mid to low handicappers would still see huge benefits from using these clubs.
If you are someone who wants more forgiveness in your clubs as well as being able to be more consistent with your shots, then look no further! Not to mention, if you are wanting to increase your distance from your irons and are looking to reap the benefits of having irons that use the latest technologies then the Callaway Big Bertha Iron set is definitely for you.
5. TaylorMade Men’s M2 Golf Iron Set
TaylorMade is one of the best golf club irons brands for a long time. The TaylorMade M2 Iron set literally took the high ground as when they were first released they aim was to have the ball go as high and as fast as possible to help give the maximum distance tied with a steep landing angle.
The performance of these clubs went down a storm and now the 2017 M2 irons are now available to purchase. Using the same logic as their last set but combining them with the proven face slots which first appeared in their RSi irons a few years back. But the main reason that they have produced these 2017 editions is their quest to lower their center of gravity as the faces were already topped out at the legal limit, with speed not being an issue.
PROS:
- The overall design gives you confidence in placing your club right in the center of the ball.
- Provides an above-average distance even on less well-struck.
- Even slight mishits have a great feel.
CONS:
- Difficulty in knowing how much of the distance actually comes from the technology or if it is just from the stronger lofts.
Conclusion:
Our overall view of these irons is that they go down extremely well with improving golfers, who are looking for more distance and that will give more forgiveness in their iron shots. You are likely to have some considerable distance gains when you come to use this set, after using your old iron set for a considerable number of years. This will mean that they will take a bit of getting used to but shouldn’t take you too long to do so.
What Are The Features That Make GI (Game Improvement) Irons More Forgiving?
The GI irons are more forgiving due to their different and unique features than the other types of irons or drivers. And these clubs incorporate all those and become an ideal choice for high handicappers.
Oversize Heads
GI irons possess heads that from toe to heel are longer in length. And from sole to the top-line they are higher in depth. Do you know these large heads serve a lot of purposes?
Firstly, the user is instilled with a sense of immense confidence as he carries a perception that it will be extremely easier to hit.
“Moment of Inertia”, that is again very important as this term relates to the ability to restrict the amount of twisting. This may happen, when the clubs twist while a ball is stuck somewhere other than the sweet spot.
The extra surface works to increase distance. In simple terms:
Greater MOI = less twisting = increased distance.
Cavity Back And Perimeter Weighting
If we talk about the clubface, the sweet spot is fairly small. Hitting that spot every time is only a best player’s job. Others may tend to hit the sweet spot occasionally but may often miss it slightly.
The newly designed clubs have been made with innovation by the club designers with a sweet spot that’s a little bigger. This benefits the hitters to hit more frequently and with some ease.
This is done by removing the metal from the clubhead and then repositioning it around the perimeter for a weight balance.
A ‘cavity back’ is the result of weight removed from the back of the club. ‘Perimeter Weighting’ is provided by the material distribution around the club head border. This is a great forgiveness feature that benefits the golfers.
Lower Center of Gravity (CG)
The secret to optimizing distance is the production of a high launch angle on your shots. There are very robust players that may not need a feature like this to increase their shot trajectory as their fast swing-speeds deliver natural force for ball lifts.
But the ones that have a slower swing-speed will need some help to launch the ball higher. This help can be termed as a lower center of gravity that your club head should have.
The club designers add more mass on the club head bottom which serves the motive of making the ball fly on a higher trajectory.
Increased Offset
The offset further explains placement of the leading edge of the club face that’s back from the club’s neck or hosel. In front of the clubface the shaft appears and this another way to think of an offset.
This assures benefit as the club face is behind the shaft and this gives the time to the golfers for down swinging to rotate the clubface back. This lets you reach back at the ball in a square-position.
The golfer may slice the ball, but this is reduced by a square clubface.
Knowing The GI Category First Is Extremely Important?
Those of you who want to have some help with your shots, then these irons are certainly designed to one-up your game. These have special features to make it possible.
But this doesn’t mean that the professional or the expert players on the golf course don’t make use of these clubs.
Needless to mention, even the seasoned players need a set of game improvement irons. The professional golfers can use these to master their stances and learn new techniques.
These types of irons are extraordinarily forgiving and help you deliver successful hits, even when you are not hitting the sweet-spots.
You get extra launch angle, a more flexible shaft for maximised swing-speed with the large sweet spot and ideal center of gravity.
Why And Who Should Get One?
Don’t confuse it with one thing, that getting GI irons means you don’t know or can’t play the game of golf, but it just makes your game better.
In nutshell it makes you learn something new. These can also be considered as the best super game improvement irons.
These irons make you discover where you are wrong with your shots and need corrections.
After knowing about your errors, you can switch to the standard irons for fixing them.
Is It Easier To Hit The Game Improvement Irons?
Be it 19th hole, equipment shop, or a golf forum, you will usually find the golfers having the discussion about what kind of irons should be used? So, this is further added with comments such as, everyone needs a forgiving iron or a driver.
There are certain myths related to this we have tried to resolve:
Myth 1 – Golfers who can play blades can play anything.
Myth 2 – More consistent distance is provided by GI irons.
Myth 3 – GI irons are straighter.
Myth 4 – On pure strikes blades produce better results.
How Was Testing Done?
We had seven golfers to execute this and each player was supposed to hit thirty shots:
- Ten with blade iron.
- Ten with cavity black iron.
- Ten with the best super game improvement irons of all times.
Each player used the same shaft and the iron was bent at the same loft with a lie angle.
All the testing was done with the help of Club Champion and an impact tape was used to chart every shot’s location.
Myth 1 is Inconclusive
It is a conventional wisdom that you can play any iron, if you can hit a blade. But our testing didn’t show this in the short term.
According to our test, we found out that SGI irons were hit poorly as compared to the blade hit (this was done well) , and this pattern was found for all the players.
Myth 2 is Plausible
Feasibly though, we can say that a player who is skilled for a blade hit may get well-adjusted with SGI irons over time.
Though it is not a confirmation but game improvement irons deliver more consistent distance as compared to blades. The smash factor is concerned with this and out of our seven testers, only one had the tightest distance dispersion. The yardage between the shortest and the longest shots with the blade iron is the dispersion.
Myth 3 Is A Confirmed One
Short for Pounds per square inch, the PSI determines how strong the water jet will be when it gets out of the cleaner. The stronger the waterjet, the more it will handle the difficult stains.
Myth 4 Is Busted
Our data nowhere supports that as compared to the SGI irons or cavity back irons, blade irons perform better on pure strikes. Longest shot was not delivered by any of the players in our group using a blade. Hence, the blade irons aren’t better on centred-strikes.
What Are The Most Forgiving Irons In Golf To Buy & How Many?
Also Read: Best Irons For Beginners – 2020 Top Models Reviewed!
There are a huge number of people who ask this question and there are several different ways of answering it. Due to the fact that there are many options when it comes to deciding exactly which clubs to buy.
The most common in a set of irons is usually from a 4 iron right up to a pitching wedge. More experienced players usually buy 3 to 9 irons which will leave enough room to add in their specialist best game improvement golf wedges. Players who are just starting out or those of older age will often decide to choose a 5 iron to sand wedge, will leave plenty of room for utility clubs and fairway woods.
Best Forged Game Improvement Irons That Went Popular This Year 2021
- Muscle Back Golf Iron
Muscle back golf irons are usually found to be for the higher end player who has the most game time and the lowest handicap. Due to the thin face and thin top, these blade irons have a “sweet spot” which is usually located right at the center of the face and helps to give an increased ball speed and distance. Having this smaller hitting area means that for mishits the club isn’t ideal and wouldn’t be recommended for anyone who is looking to improve their game or is just starting out, these clubs are ideal for anyone who has a great swing and a high accuracy.
- Cavity Back Golf Irons
Cavity back irons are designed with mid to high handicap players in mind. The reason for this is that they have a weight which is spread more evenly across the clubhead which means that the club has more forgiveness on mishits. This weight distribution helps to give the inexperienced player a more consistent distance and hit rate than if they were to use a muscle back iron. Most of the cavity back irons will have a thin clubface which helps to keep off-center shots flying straight and with a greater distance than if you were to off-center hit with a blade iron.
Also, Check:
Feature To Look For Best Golf Irons For Mid Handicappers & Beginners
- Various Shafts & Their Uses
It is important to do your research about the materials used in shafts, as they will have different feels and it is important that you get the right material for your game.
- Fit To Size
Having a club that is fit to your size, makes for better overall gaming experience and is definitely something that you should consider when you come to purchase. Although, having your clubs fit size is usually more expensive and only suits to Professionals Golfers with advanced Competitive Level. Amateurs Golfers, as well as mid-handicappers, can do well with any of the products reviewed above.
- Headsize
This is usually down to experience and personal preference, beginners, and mid-handicap players may want to go for bigger head size, this will give more forgiveness and allow for off-center shops to have more distance and a straighter flight. More experienced players will usually go for smaller head size with a “sweet spot” in the center of the face.
- Game Level
Knowing the level of your game is extremely important when it comes to selecting your iron set, as this will greatly decide which irons you choose to have in your bag.
- Understanding About Needs
Making sure that you know exactly what you need before making your purchase is important, as getting irons based on the reviews alone will not be good for your game. People have different opinions, levels of game and heights, so make sure you choose those irons which meet your personal needs.
- Cast Iron Or Forged Iron
Again this comes down to personal preference and budget. Cast iron clubs are usually used by around 90% of golfers due to them being mass-produced and the cheaper option. But, if you have a higher budget then you may want to consider forged iron.
Conclusion
The evolution of golf equipment technology has affected the irons more than any other club used in the game. The arrival of hybrids has been a game-changer for most golfers and there is usually a bigger range of clubs in their bag now than there would have been a few years back. Professional still pronominally use muscle back ( blade ) irons but those who have a high handicap use cavity back irons mainly. All of the products reviewed above well qualify to be among the best golf irons to choose from.
FAQ's
