When you’re struggling with your irons or finding the right irons to improve your consistent ball striking and greenside control, there’s no better way to improve than going with a great set of forged irons.
However, there’s no end to the number of forged irons out there so making sure you find the best set is a bit of a challenge. You need to know how to separate the good from the good.
To help you out, I’ve created a list of what I consider to be the best forged irons for 2022.
| Name | Category | Product |
|---|---|---|
| Callaway Golf 2019 Apex Pro Irons Set | Best Overall |  |
| GrooveMaster Golf Club Groove Sharpener | Budget Pick |  |
| TaylorMade Golf P790 Iron Set | Upgrade Pick |  |
1. Callaway Golf 2019 Apex Pro Irons Set
Pros:
- Great for all skill levels
- Exceptional value
- Low-handicappers can enjoy the performance too
- Lightweight
- Forgives mis-hits
- A great option for a golf junky
- Easy to hit out of the rough
Cons:
- Takes time to get used to the "feel"
- Less forgiving for some than Callaway's legendary Big Bertha irons
- Not much different from the Apex in terms of characteristics
The fact that the Apex Pro irons are on our list of best golf clubs shows just how popular they are! These forged irons offer awesome distance, ball speed, and on-center feel. And, if you need instant feedback on your swing, you’re going to love the Apex Pro irons from Callaway.
The Callaway Apex Pro irons were designed to be a great option for golfers from scratch to low handicaps. If you’re looking for irons with a forged feel and classic looks, this might be the set for you. The feel is very comfortable, and they play with lots of forgiveness. With positive reviews of player success with swing speeds ranging from the high 80s to low 100s, you can hit these irons well.
The Apex Pro irons offer a progressive weight frame to promote faster ball speeds.
2. Cobra Golf 2020 King Forged Tec Iron Set
Pros:
- Very nice feel
- Great scoring clubs
- Heads are fully forged
- Designed for players with good game
Cons:
- Somewhat pricey
- Not ideal as a your first set.
- Could be too flexible for some, but also could be a nice thing for others for the right games
This Forged Tec Iron Set is great for the golf enthusiast who wants to score, and fast. Each and every piece in this set is designed to give professional-style feedback and help your shots stay consistent. And that’s something many recreational players can benefit from.
They’re made with sub-zero forged technology, which Cobra says creates a stronger and more flexible set of irons for a butter-smooth feel and Tour-sharp results.
Looks are important too, and we like that these irons have plenty of eye-catching details. The oversized, undercut sole design allows for ample distance off the tee.
3. GrooveMaster Golf Club Groove Sharpener
Pros:
- Self-sharpens
- Compact design
- Lightweight
- Affordable price
Cons:
- Needs regular sharpening
- The suction cup doesn’t always work
- Gear wheel may break during sharpening
The GrooveMaster Golf Club Groove Sharpener is easy to use, and a compact design that’s easy to take with you. You can quickly sharpen both sides of the groove with the special designed cutter which sharpens the groove quickly. The wheel is made of tungsten steel and carbide, and the flexible arm can easily adjust to sharpens irons of all decres.
GrooveMaster is made from aluminum and sturdy and will hold your golf clubs during sharpening. The suction will hold tight to the surface of a table or bench. There’s also a carrying bag that comes with this sharpener which is a nice bonus.
The GrooveMaster also has 4 levels of precision to help you to maintain your clubs at peak performance. Sharpening irons is now as simple as using a knife's sharpener.
4. Mizuno JPX919 Forged Golf Iron Set
Pros:
- High quality clubheads
- Expensive
- Outstanding performance
- Long lasting
Cons:
- Complicated clubheads, which may be difficult to hit for new users
- Expensive
The Mizuno JPX919 Forged Iron Set is premium golf clubs with top performance and greatest control. Each clubhead has Mizuno’s thin face technology and “Pro-Direct” alignment on the back of the clubhead to reduce face thickness and promote a high launch angle. The thin face technology distributes the weight in a very specific manner around the perimeter of the clubhead so the center of gravity is moved to the perimeter for improved forgiveness.
Additionally, the forged clubhead allows for an extremely smooth and fast face for maximum distance off the tee and less effort on the backswing. The Mizuno JPX919 also features high-tolerance forged irons, which provide consistently great feel and forgiveness.
Lastly, the Mizuno JPX919 features Mizuno’s new K-Grind face technology. This allows for precision groove precision that produces a more consistent distance and feel at impact.
5. TaylorMade Golf P790 Iron Set
Pros:
- Premium design
- Large, oversized head
- Larger sweet spot than other irons
- Improved technology
- Forgiveness
- A combination of sleek, graceful, and rugged
- Great for distance control
TaylorMade is a brand that never seems to disappoint, and the P790 irons aren’t any different. They have a sleek, traditional look, but they offer a powerful performance that you won’t regret.
The face’s radius is rounded for a smooth, consistent feel and a larger sweet spot than other irons. That means fewer mishits and higher long-distance accuracy. And, unlike most irons, the TaylorMade P790 irons are forged instead of cast for a more consistent feel and a more forgiving feel.
The P790 irons are compact and forgiving on mishits. Their design is designed to flex on impact for consistent feel and accuracy. They offer impressive performances on a variety of different shots. You can hit a low, soft shot; you can hit a high, strong shot. They do it all. Their appearance is pretty standard, which might throw some people off, but their performance is anything but standard.
6. Wilson Staff C300 Forged Golf Irons Set
Pros:
- Crisp, clean strikes
- Lightweight and forgiving to clubhead
- Very versatile
- Precise, solid feel on contact
- Great visibility of ball flight
- Stamped crown makes it easy to address
- Oversized heads provide great forgiveness on miss-hits
- Easy to manage trajectory with minimal loss of distance
- Very forgiving, even on off-center hits.
Cons:
- Not much offset
- Not a true distance game-improvement club
If you can deal with the driver being a little less forgiving and hitting more like a 9-iron. This is the next best thing in a forged iron. It has a forged head, and is very accurate. The C300s are forged from soft 1025 Carbon steel which gives it a spring like feel.
They are an excellent way to introduce a player to the forged iron game. They are a very forgiving club, so if you hit a bad shot and catch a thin spot, you’re not going to be big numbers on the scorecard.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What are the best forged irons?
Forged irons are the most popular irons for golfers because they provide the best combination of feel and forgiveness that a golfer could want. They also usually have a slightly larger sweet spot than cast irons. Their hollow design makes them a great option if you want to maximize distance.
In terms of overall quality, the forged irons offered by the top three manufacturers TaylorMade, PING, and Titleist are pretty similar. They are all 5-6 iron models and all have a lightweight cavity back design, which is the most popular type. You also the models from Mizuno and Cobra if you’re interested in a more reasonably priced set of irons. Either way, there is no shortage of options for the modern golfer.
What are the best golf irons for 2022?
When it comes to forged irons, there are only a handful that truly stand apart from the rest. Callaway, Cobra, Mizuno, and Titleist all make some of the best forged golf irons in 2022 that a golfer needs to have. So, which one should you choose?
What is the most forgiving forged iron?
Forgiveness in golf clubs can be defined in two ways. One, is the fact that the club head is able to flex easily which results in the face twisting back into place after contact with the ball. Two, is the capability of successfully striking the ball even when the clubface is not perfectly aligned with the shaft. With most golfers, the ultimate goal is to strike the ball on the center of the clubface, but this is easier said than done.
Truth be told, there are many golf clubs available today that will provide the golfer with the forgiveness he needs. But consistency is another story. Your objective should be to obtain a consistent flight with the golf ball. A good forged iron will provide the golfer with a clubhead that is able to flex while being lengthy enough to compensate for the extra length. A well-designed forged iron will provide the golfer with the game-improvement he desires.
What are the best irons for an average golfer?
If you are a fairly new golfer and have a decent amount of experience, you should get away from the super game-improvement irons. You definitely need a high-quality forged iron that will be able to accept more game-improvement features and characteristics. Here are a few irons to look at:
Conclusion
If finding the right iron is just as important as finding the right driver, then we hope that this guide made the whole process a little easier for you.
If you’re wondering what a player-super-game-improvement iron is supposed to do, please read our buying guide, where we discuss several golfing factors in depth. If you just want to look at the best irons themselves, we’ve included an in-depth look at the best options in 2022. We’ve also reviewed various key factors that can help you find the best forged irons for your swing.
Our Recommendation
| Name | Category | Product |
|---|---|---|
| Callaway Golf 2019 Apex Pro Irons Set | Best Overall | |
| GrooveMaster Golf Club Groove Sharpener | Budget Pick | |
| TaylorMade Golf P790 Iron Set | Upgrade Pick | |