HOW MUCH CAN I SPEND?

It’s the million dollar question when you’re ready to buy, and you don’t need to be Einstein to realise costs have risen over the last few years. Only you can answer the question, but with a good majority of forged irons now likely to set you back $1,800 or more, set yourself a budget and explore the options for the money you want to spend. Lovely forged irons are available from $1,000 to well over $5,000, so there’s plenty of choice no matter your budget.

Don’t overlook Ben Hogan

Ben Hogan are now an online-only business. It means you buy direct from them on the internet, which cuts out a retailer’s margin and means both parties get a great deal. For some, buying on the internet is a leap of faith, but we’ve been really impressed with Hogan and when a set of Edge irons costs about $1,000 plus shipping, it proves premium forged irons don’t have to cost the earth. Use their online fitting tool (www.benhogangolf.com) to get the right set-up.

Mizuno haven’t

ramped up prices Most major brands have jumped on the back of PXG’S success of selling premium irons for more, introducing their own “designed without cost constraint” models. Titleist, Callaway, Taylormade and Ping have all gone down the same road to some extent, but Mizuno have resisted. Mizuno sell irons individually, or in a 5-PW set. The JPX919 Forged is a brilliant set of irons for its price.

Honma vs value for money?

Honma create some seriously expensive equipment (think gold plated cavity backs), but in fact (and we never thought we’d say this!) Honma’s forged irons, look like decent value for money when you consider what they bring to the party. Honma have a big forging heritage in Japan, Justin Rose plays them on tour and our test results show they’re a very strong option at a similar price to big-brand rivals.