Equipment
Best Irons 2013
Every year brings an opportunity for golf companies to release products that make us want to kick out our current gamers for something new. But golfers are a fickle bunch. Some of us play the same equipment until the grooves wear down, while others will swap out drivers and irons every year searching for a spark that will improve their games. If you are a hardcore GolfWRX member, you might switch more than that.
As we did with this year’s drivers, fairway woods, wedges and shafts, we have summarized the best irons on the shelves for 2013. Check out our list of the best irons of 2013 below.
Click here to read the specifics on the voting committee and how we picked the best.
Categories
Bladelike
Players Iron
Game Enhancement
1. Best Bladelike Irons
These are the most workable designs for the lower handicap golfers. Looking for a thinner sole for more shotmaking ability, or the feel that only a compact forging can provide? These are our favorites that we will be updating throughout the year.
Mizuno MP-64: These are best feeling “player’s cavity” design that Mizuno has engineered. The Diamond Muscle design of the forged irons delivers more forgiveness in the long irons and better control in the scoring irons.
Callaway X-Forged: A tour-inspired forged cavity back designed by Roger Cleveland that offers cleaner looks and better performance than its predecessor, the Callaway Razr X-Forged. The new X-Forged have a slightly wider, more cambered sole that mimics last year’s Razr X Muscleback irons and improves turf interaction.
Miura CB-501: Miura. Is there anything else that can be said? It’s a name that has taken an almost mythological form in the golf world because of the heritage and purity of its forgings. These are the ones that you’ll compare everything else to.
Cobra AMP Cell Pro: The AMP Cell Pro forged irons are actually smaller than their predecessor. Their shorter blade lengths that allowed engineers to place more mass behind the sweet spot of the irons, which contributes to an even softer feel from the 1020 forged carbon steel heads.
2. Best Players Irons
Looking for a little extra distance and forgiveness, but want more feel and workability than a distance iron can provide? This category provides the best of both worlds. Here you will see a blend of feel, forgiveness and distance with clean enough looks to be used by some of the best golfers in the world.
Titleist AP2: Tour players and top club fitters say the AP2 chassis is the perfect size and shape for a players iron, and they’re packed with technology, too. The multi-material construction allows Titleist engineers to move weight to the perimeter, which adds forgiveness.
Ping i20: At first glance, the i20 irons are an obvious departure from the i-lines of the past. The most obvious of these changes are the use of the vertical custom tuning port (CTP) and stabilization bars in the cavity; carryovers from PING’s S56s.
Mizuno JPX-825 Pro: The 4-7 irons offer a deep CNC-milled pocket cavity that is used for extreme toe-heel weighting providing forgiveness. The 8-GW features greater thickness behind the impact for a more penetrating and workable ball flight.
Cobra AMP Forged: Tungsten weights are placed in the soles of the long and mid irons, which when combined with the milled pockets and urethane insert in the cavities create a combination of distance, forgiveness and feel that has golfers raving.
3. Best Game Enhancement Irons
Looking to make a tough game easier? Wider soles and perimeter weighting a must for some golfers and a choice by even PGA Tour players. Distance gains with thinner faces and tweaked CG (center of gravity) to maximize the trajectory along with maximum MOI make this category the most popular of all three. Here are our favorites you can buy now.
TaylorMade RocketBladez: These irons incorporate a slot on the sole of the 3 through 7 irons, which gives the golfer greater distance, forgiveness and a higher launch. In summation, shots with RBZ irons are longer, straighter and stop faster on the greens.
Callaway X Hot: Callaway reinforced the undercut that sits behind the top line of most cavity back irons. This lowered the sweet spot, which improved the overall flex of the face and helps eliminate the “high hot spot” found on previous Callaway distance irons.
Ping G25: All the benefits of a game-improvement iron without the usual bulky soles that are inherent in the GI class. The redesigned soles have a trailing grind relief that will allow these to play more like a players club.
Nike VR_S Covert: Like the VR_S, they are a cast iron aimed at double-digit handicapers. But thanks to a design initiative called “Covert,” the company was able to add distance and playability to the irons without the bulkier chassis of last year’s model.
Cleveland 588 MT: They feature a constant blade length throughout the set with blade heights that progressively increase in the higher lofted clubs. Full hollow construction adds forgiveness and lower, deeper center of gravity for optimal launch and effortless distance.
Mizuno JPX-825: Extreme heel-toe weighting and extremely high-COR faces in the long and mid irons, making them the longest and most forgiving irons in Mizuno history. But the 8, 9 and PW have less hot faces to give golfers more control and workability.
Click here to see the “Best of” winners for other club categories.
This week, we have our Tour Photographer, Greg Moore, on the ground at the OccuNet Classic at Tascosa Golf Club in Amarillo, Texas, for the 14th event of the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season. With that, we see some great things in the Lead Tape Report as we roll into Amarillo.
Joel Thelen
Monday Qualifier, Joel Thelen is in the field this week. He has played on the Korn Ferry Tour for a full season in 2023, and he is back in action this week. A couple of clubs caught my eye this week in his bag.
First off: His trusted Titleist 816 H2 hybrid. This club came out in October of 2015, and it still remains strong in the bag. Also, take a look at this Odyssey White Hot OG 7, putting a capital S in the 7S model. This custom neck has some impressive lean for an arm-lock-style putter. The bottom of the putter is covered in tape for optimal weighting.
Mitchell Meissner
Taking a look at Mitchell Meissner’s bag this week, we have some great lead tape coverage. Top to bottom working from fairway metals, irons, and wedges. We can see on the short irons and wedges that there is tape at the base of the grip, adding a little counterbalance. Along with that, some tape on the short irons and wedges as well. Moving to his putter, he rolls the Odyssey 7 Bird putter. Meissner putts left-handed and strikes the ball right-handed.
Bud Cauley had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.
Driver: Titleist GTS2 (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: Titleist GTS3 (15 degrees, B1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 70 TX
7-wood: Titleist GTS3 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 80 TX
Irons: Titleist U505 (3), Titleist 620 MB (4-9)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 8 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putters: Scotty Cameron Tour Prototype, Scotty Cameron GOLO 6.3 Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
In our forums, one user has offered up a prompt for the true sickos, inviting fellow forum members to share every set of irons they’ve ever owned. As to be expected, this is a lengthy forum topic.
@Lamosteve began:
Can you name every set of irons you’ve owned? Here’s mine
Spalding Dots
Spalding Eclipse
Ram Lazer FX
Lynx Parallax
Mizuno EZ Comp
Ben Hogans
Cleveland CG Red
Taylor Made R9s
PING i20
PING iE1
Taylor Made M6
Our members in the forum have been offering up their own collections. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- macedan: “Started with a hand-me-down Golden Bear set from my brother when I was in high school, never really played more than once a year or got into the game until about summer of 2017. First purchased a set of Cleveland CG4’s (I actually really miss this set sometimes, soft & not terribly large for a GI iron), moved into Nike Vapor Fly’s by the end of the year. Those lasted until spring of 18 when I decided I wanted new, so I traded them in for TM Rbladez. Honestly, although I liked the Rbladez, poor decision on my part, I think this was really about the only time so far that after a week or two I was kicking myself for not staying with what I had. Rbladez stayed with me until late last summer when I switched to P790’s and (knock on wood) I am hoping this will be my longest lasting set.”
- JimmyC59: “MacGregor Jack Nicklaus Triple Crown. Palmer The Standard. Still play these.”
- jgrzask: “Tommy Armour 845u
Mizuno MP-32
Mizuno MP-33 (2 sets)
Bridgestone J33cb – still own
Srixon i-302 (2 sets) – still own
Tourstage X-Blades – still own
Mizuno Hot Metal – still own
Nike Forged Blades – still own
Titleist 714 AP1 – still own
Cobra Forged SS – still own”
Justin Rose WITB 2026 (April): Full WITB breakdown with new McLaren irons
What’s the story behind Webb Simpson’s custom-stamped irons?
Memorial Tournament Tour Report: Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young switch up drivers, and more
Cadillac Championship Tour Report: Spieth’s sizable changes, McLaren Golf launches, and more
Russell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
Kristoffer Reitan’s winning WITB: 2026 Truist Championship
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2026 Cadillac Championship
J.T. Poston’s winning WITB: 2026 Memorial Tournament
Best irons 2026: Best irons overall, most forgiving irons, and more
Bud Cauley WITB 2026 (June)
Bud Cauley had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament. Driver: Titleist GTS2 (8 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura...
Hannah Green WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Titleist GTS3 (10 degrees, D4 SureFit setting) Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana RB 53 S 3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees,...
Asterisk Talley WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 S 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (16.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue...
Brianna Do WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond (9 degrees) Shaft: KBS PGW 3-wood: Callaway Elyte Titanium (15 degrees) Shaft: KBS PGW 5-wood:...
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learn a good golf swing
Feb 25, 2015 at 5:33 pm
It is not my first time to visit this website,
i am browsing this site dailly and get good facts from here every
day.
DavidO
Nov 20, 2013 at 12:15 pm
How did the Cobra Amp Cell GIs stand up?
Dolph Lundgrenade
Nov 4, 2013 at 4:32 pm
A blade doesn’t denote that it is not a cavity or that it IS a muscleback.
There are two kinds of blades (thin top-line, very little offset):
Cavity back blades
Muscleback blades
What?
Sep 29, 2013 at 2:02 am
Titleist 712mb’s win for blades.
daniel
May 24, 2013 at 7:25 pm
I but a new set amp cell pro but they ave error on it the 4 colors on it are wrong is that a good thing or choud I change them pls com back to me
Jeff
May 22, 2013 at 8:04 pm
this is missing the rocketbladez tour. easily the best set i’ve ever had (which includes at least four mizuno forged sets).
TD
Jul 4, 2013 at 4:32 pm
+1… I am very very surprised to see Cobra AMP Forged on here over Rocketbladez Tours
Chuck3000
May 15, 2013 at 7:56 am
No TMs in the first two categories?
Dan
May 9, 2013 at 9:28 am
How did the Titleist AP1s stack up?
GolfWRX
May 9, 2013 at 2:32 pm
They didn’t do that well. I cant remember seeing them as a possibility during the tally.
FYI… There is a real world objective process. The 6 clubfitters that fit over 500 players a month each have weighed in and formed an opinion that lead to the “Best of”. You can see how and who voted… http://www.golfwrx.com/reviews/best-of-awards-and-the-inside-scoop/
matrick
May 8, 2013 at 2:03 pm
did you include the MIURA PP-9003? wondering how they stacked up
GolfWRX
May 9, 2013 at 2:33 pm
They didn’t do that well.
FYI… There is a real world objective process. The 6 clubfitters that fit over 500 players a month each have weighed in and formed an opinion that lead to the “Best of”. You can see how and who voted… http://www.golfwrx.com/reviews/best-of-awards-and-the-inside-scoop/
Dien Nguyen
May 8, 2013 at 11:50 am
So there is no best Game Enhancement. Is it ever possible to maybe pick two?
ashley
Aug 25, 2013 at 2:11 pm
I played with the ping g20 irons from the time they came out until the Rocketbladz release since I switched 8 have gained 4-6 strokes per round off of my iron play and gained another 2 strokes off my R1 with a custom shaft thus taking me from an average of +17 to +11 and shot my fist 2 on a par 5 and my first score of even par in my life, the 4, 5, 6 and 7 are so much easier to control a touch more distance if needed. I could keep going on, but won’t. So if you ask me there are no more comparisons needed.
Fred
Oct 4, 2013 at 4:19 pm
You shot a two on a par five? Are you sure you didn’t mean a par four? Even the pros have a hard time doing that. Did you hole the second shot?
Martin
May 7, 2013 at 7:24 pm
Mizuno JPX 825 pro is a much better club than Cobra Amp forged. Cant believe you forgot about the Mizuno. It has everything a players club should have: feel, forgiveness and good distance.
GolfWRX
May 9, 2013 at 2:30 pm
Mizuno is the only one that won in all 3 categories.
Also… There is a real world objective process. The 6 clubfitters that fit over 500 players a month each have weighed in and formed an opinion that lead to the “Best of”. You can see how and who voted… http://www.golfwrx.com/reviews/best-of-awards-and-the-inside-scoop/
Also as new models come into the picture or a revelation/shift in votes occurs we always acknowledge. We ask the fitters to cast their votes for all categories once a quarter.
TWShoot67
Jul 5, 2013 at 1:31 am
did this guy read this list? Also whats better then another is all subjective to each different player.
TWShoot67
Jul 5, 2013 at 1:34 am
What I still don’t get is putting CB’s in Blade division. Everyone should know what a blade is….. now we have bladelike??? What’s bladelike? it’s either got a cavity or it doesn’t. Simple.