BEST OF THE REST

TAKOMO 101

£420

TG VERDICT: We love highlighting solid value for money equipment here at TG, and Takomo’s simple, classy models are well worth a look in 2024. With weaker lofts than many in the category, this cast hollow body model is never going to compete on speed or distance alone (it was 14 yards back from our very longest). However, when it came to accuracy, our pro grouped shots with a 52.4yd² average. Given the test average was 273.5, that’s a seriously impressive winner.

SRIXON ZX4

£899 (s), £999 (g) TG VERDICT: Srixon have made great irons for some time, but last year was the first time everything came together as a convincing and cohesive story. Hence why the ZX4 ranked among our best midhandicap irons in 2023. Things haven’t really changed too much for 2024, even though we appreciate many golfers will be swayed by newer models. It looks great and posted an above average performance for ball speed and carry, even though most of its rivals are a year younger.

PXG 0211 XCOR2

£99 per club TG VERDICT: The XCOR2 isn’t forged and it doesn’t have PXG’S weight tech (so MOIS are typically 10% lower than in PXG’S premium irons), but it lets you buy into the brand’s know-how for £99 a club when you purchase five or more. So you could get your hands on a set of 0211s for £594 (6-GW) – that’s outstanding value. Even though this model is two years old and may soon be replaced, it was our second fastest and tied longest mid-handicap iron of 2024.

WILSON DYNAPOWER

£700 (s), £800 (g)

TG VERDICT: The Dynapower replaced Wilson’s award-winning D9 in 2023, a model that was one of our longest irons over the two previous years. Like its predecessor, this has the joint strongest 7-iron loft in the mid-handicap iron category, so it’s no surprise our test data highlights it as a fast (fourth fastest ball speed of the category) and long (fourth) option. If your 7-iron speed is anywhere close to 75mph, you’ll be better served by a more lofted HL alternative.

MIZUNO JPX923 HOT METAL

£135 per club

TG VERDICT: The Hot Metal stands out for golfers who favour great looking irons over flat-out power. With a 7-iron loft at least 1.5° weaker than the strongest, it was always going to struggle to keep up on raw ball speed and carry alone. But it was just eight yards back from our very longest. What caught our eye, however, was an above average performance for ball speed, launch angle, backspin, shot height and descent angle – all traits that will improve playability.

COBRA DARKSPEED

£849 (s), £949 (g)

TG VERDICT: The Darkspeed and its Forged Tec sibling highlight what strong lofts do for the game. Both produced above average ball speeds, yet shots also launched and flew lower, spun less and hit the green at shallower angles than most midhandicap models. They’re traits that, if you don’t have clubhead speed in abundance, will impact your scoring potential as shots won’t naturally want to stop quickly (which ups consistency).