TOP 10 BLADES & HIGH-HANDICAP IRONS

PXG 0317 ST | £209 per club BLADE

TG VERDICT If you look at the benefits each blade can bring to the table on paper, rather than going all gooey over heritage and feel, and being led by ego, PXG’S 0317 ST are stand-out performers. Being able to go lighter or heavier, longer or shorter, without moving the centre of gravity location and thus altering feel is genius thinking.

Vega VMB | £1,350 BLADE

TG VERDICT If you feel there’s value to buying into premium Japanese forged irons and wedges (fans say they’re better quality and increase feel), rather than settling for less expensive Chinese forgings (which detractors claim lack the same levels of feel), Vega are sneaky good. Muscleback irons are intimidating and unforgiving, but if you’re into them, the VMB profile is about as classic as they come.

Takomo 301 MB | £525 BLADE

TG VERDICT Sat in a golf bag, the 301 look like a set of premium Japanese irons, yet they cost half of what you’d pay for the pleasure of playing the real deal. From a 34° 7-iron loft, the model was a few yards down on our very best. Impressively, though, all three-accuracy metrics (carry distance drop off, left-to-right dispersion and shot area) were all inside our averages. Consider us highly impressed.

Taylormade P7MB | £1,149 BLADE

TG VERDICT Designed by some of the world’s best ball strikers, you need to be quite some player to warrant playing a set of MBS. If you’ve got the game and the consistency to warrant them, the MBS are absolutely gorgeous. Expect a slightly shorter blade length and more compact appearance than some, and a super classy satin finish.

Cobra King MB | £999 BLADE

TG VERDICT After investing serious resources into creating a brilliant family of forged irons, Cobra have come up smelling of roses for the better player this year. The MBS are sleek, classic blades with a look and feel (thanks to them being forged five times) to rival the very best. In terms of their numbers in testing, the model was spot on our averages for 2023.

Mizuno JPX923 Hot Metal HL | £135 per club HIGH-HANDICAP

TG VERDICT Until now, moderate speed irons have had big, chunky and very hard to love wide bodies, but Mizuno’s introduction of the JPX923 Hot Metal HL has changed everything for moderate speed club golfers. The HL opens up a whole new avenue towards higher lofts and more attractive designs for those swinging 7-iron at less than 75mph, and we applaud them for it.

Cleveland Launcher XL Halo | £499 (s), £599 (g) HIGH-HANDICAP

TG VERDICT Every time our pro tests hybrid irons, he ends the session smiling broadly and asking why golfers insist on making the game harder than it needs to be by using smaller, more compact irons. At average club golfer speeds, not only is the Halo easy to launch high enough to maximise distance, its wide, hybrid-style body is also forgiving when shots are sprayed across its face.

Wilson Launch Pad | £600 (s), £699 (g) HIGH-HANDICAP

TG VERDICT Our test pro reckons the Launch Pad produces the easiest 180-yard shot he’s ever hit, which is a ringing endorsement of how its cleverly disguised wider body doesn’t distract his eye unnecessarily. If you struggle with ball-striking consistency or in flighting shots high enough to allow approaches to land and stop on the dancefloor, this is a brilliant option for 2023.

Taylormade Stealth HD | £129 (s), £143 (g) per club HIGH-HANDICAP

TG VERDICT We love that Taylormade have kept the Stealth name for the HD model; it means that you don’t feel left out of the cool gang or get unfairly labelled as a sub-standard golfer, playing a different marque. Yes, the look is much more hybrid iron than Mizuno’s sleek HL, but everything about the head and shaft selection scream easy launch and forgiveness at sub 75 mph speeds.

Eleven Hybrid | From £350 (set) HIGH-HANDICAP

TG VERDICT We’ve said for a good few years now that if you can stomach them, use hybrid irons, as they’re more forgiving and easier to launch. Eleven take the idea a step further, this is a set of hybrids, not hybrid irons. This model is not for everyone, but if your game needs maximum help, or your swing speed is slipping, our data highlights how Eleven could be a brilliant choice.