What are the best irons in golf for 2019 and possibly 2020?

It’s an interesting question to ask anyone who works in golf equipment 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 there 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: Pure enjoyment

It’s no mistake that we are seeing overlap in the way the top irons are defined by fitters in this category. The most playable irons are most likely to be higher launching, and shots that fly higher make the game more enjoyable for everyone. This reiterates the point previously made that your iron selection should not be defined by your handicap but instead what gives you the best opportunity to play your best golf.

Here are the top 5

(Q: What iron do you believe offers the absolute most amount of enjoyment and playability for the average player?)       

TaylorMade P790: It’s no surprise to see the best-selling iron of 2019 find its way atop this category. The TaylorMade P790 offers so much versatility to so many types of golfers; it’s easy to see why fitters enjoy working with these clubs to help golfers play better.

From the fitters: “If you like to hit the ball high and far you’re going to have fun hitting these irons” … “The forgiveness and speed along with the great looks makes the P790 the best iron of the year and should be in everybody’s top 3. Easy, long, enjoyable.”

Srixon Z 585: Hitting if far is fun, plain and simple. Whether you’re a traditionalist or not, the majority of golfers truly struggle to hit the ball high enough and with enough spin to hold greens. This is where a fast forgiving iron like the Srixon Z585 can make the game more fun.

From the fitters: “Another amazing feeling iron that appeals to a lot of players because of its look from address. The forgiveness and speed offered by this head make this club endlessly versatile in fittings and the game more enjoyable for a lot of golfers ranging from low handicap players with speed to slower players needing launch.”

Callaway Epic Forged: If it’s been said once, it’s been said a hundred times: get over strong lofts and realize that the number on the sole is just a reference point for distance not loft. The Epic Forged irons have an extremely low center of gravity and high MOI keeping mis-hit shots online. With these irons, missing the middle of the face by a fraction doesn’t correlate to hitting your next shot from the greenside rough or bunker—you’ll probably still be putting!

From the fitters: “Easy to enjoy the game when you are crushing it (for the average golfer) and these irons certainly do that.”

Cobra King F9 SpeedBack: Multi-material construction with boundary-pushing geometry that goes beyond conventional iron shaping. The F9 SpeedBack offers a forged face, CNC milled grooves, and Cobra Connect powered by Arccos. First, the irons help your ball striking, then Arccos helps you tighten up your weaknesses—what’s more fun than playing better golf?

From the fitters: “Cobra F9 SpeedBack is top choice for golfers looking to get enjoyment out of their game. It feel fantastic and produces great ball speed but not with the sacrifice of extreme strong lofts”

Ping G410: “Play Your Best” is Ping’s motto, and the G410s help any golfer do just that. With endless fitting options, an attractive visual from address, and enough technology to help even struggling golfers get the ball in the air, the G410 easily makes golf more enjoyable.

From the fitters: “Ping’s softest CTP ever once again improves on feel, and they offer a look that most will find appealing. The forgiveness and ball speed makes the G410s a fun to use, easy to hit set.” … ” One of the easiest heads to achieve higher launch conditions – something that can be harder to find in the stronger lofted game improvement category.”

Read all the comments or make your own in the discussion thread in the forums here.