Price
$185 per iron
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Why We Like It
- An enhanced metalwood-style variable-thickness face uses a special heat treatment to allow thinning of the 17-4 stainless-steel.
- The large head and wide sole offer increased stability and instill confidence.
- The rear badge is a 10-piece construction that uses two plastics and has five bending regions to assist face flex for higher launch and a steeper landing angle.
- Shaft lengths are a focus here. The set starts at the 5-iron and uses .75-inch increments for the 5- and 6-iron instead of .625-inches to improve ball speed and height.
- Ping offers Power (stronger lofts) and Retro (weaker lofts) specs as fitting options to further match the set to the player’s launch conditions.
- Top 5 in Performance, high-handicaps.
- 7-iron: 28 degrees; PW: 40 degrees
what our testers said
handicap
- all
- low
- mid
- high

Gary
37, Handicap 13
10+ years testing
It goes out well with good launch and workability. But if you're looking for super help, this might not be the best option. Such a firm impact and loud sound with a ton of feedback even on a good swing. Hard to determine if you missed or not.

Matt
52, Handicap 11
3 years testing
Despite its considerable heft, it still looks at first glance like a traditional cavity-back club. It has a very wide sole and some distinct offset. Directional accuracy was spot-on. Strikes of varying qualities produced remarkably consistent direction.

Ryan
46, Handicap 14
2 years testing
They are nice behind the ball with a thin topline for this category. I had a lot of confidence with these. I got a good flight and good numbers. They are, however, really firm and really loud. They startled me.

Scott
37, Handicap 14
9 years testing
This has a perfect blend of complexity and simplicity and definitely a vibe of super-forgiving, but it doesn't scream "training wheels!" These plowed through the turf. Really smooth and consistent through the ball. I got decent spin to hold greens. They were high without ballooning or spinning excessively.

Shane
36, Handicap 15
5 years testing
A raucous-sounding impact with the ball climbing straight north. You'll get a crater when it lands on the green. I didn't notice excessive spin on that kind of height. There was power. I was undeterred going through the ball on off-center hits.
SEE ALL (11)

Gary
37, Handicap 13
10+ years testing
It goes out well with good launch and workability. But if you're looking for super help, this might not be the best option. Such a firm impact and loud sound with a ton of feedback even on a good swing. Hard to determine if you missed or not.

Matt
52, Handicap 11
3 years testing
Despite its considerable heft, it still looks at first glance like a traditional cavity-back club. It has a very wide sole and some distinct offset. Directional accuracy was spot-on. Strikes of varying qualities produced remarkably consistent direction.

Ryan
46, Handicap 14
2 years testing
They are nice behind the ball with a thin topline for this category. I had a lot of confidence with these. I got a good flight and good numbers. They are, however, really firm and really loud. They startled me.

Scott
37, Handicap 14
9 years testing
This has a perfect blend of complexity and simplicity and definitely a vibe of super-forgiving, but it doesn't scream "training wheels!" These plowed through the turf. Really smooth and consistent through the ball. I got decent spin to hold greens. They were high without ballooning or spinning excessively.

Shane
36, Handicap 15
5 years testing
A raucous-sounding impact with the ball climbing straight north. You'll get a crater when it lands on the green. I didn't notice excessive spin on that kind of height. There was power. I was undeterred going through the ball on off-center hits.

Alejandra
26, Handicap 5
4 years testing
I love how thin the topline is for a club in this category. You get a clapping, echo-y sound at impact. It gets your attention. These reward good shots, but mis-hits lose distance at a seemingly disproportionate rate. Some balls that barely missed the face lost lots of distance and height.

Daniel
33, Handicap 12
5 years testing
The sound was empty and loud, but I liked the workability. It has a large sweet spot to reward all my shots. It doesn't look too much like a super-game-improvement set. These don't have too many training wheels.

John
55, Handicap 11
1 year testing
The design has some creativity to it. They sounded like a gunshot at impact, especially the 5-iron, and not in a good way. That said, it provided a nice, high ball flight with good forgiveness on mis-hits. Distance was consistent and I definitely gained a few yards with the 5-iron.

Ryan
49, Handicap 10
7 years testing
A sleek, professional look and there is some extra distance pop. The ball really flies out and on a nice line. There is an off-putting, loud thwack at impact that really overshadows the positive features. Every time I hit it, that sound made me feel like I did something wrong.

Wei
55, Handicap 13
9 years testing
The sound and feel were very velvety. The performance felt like I had total control. There was just enough forgiveness that my loose swings were readily apparent. I really like the leading edge, there's just a little bit of curve and that gives me confidence that's not going to dig at all.

Alex
40, Handicap 11
6 years testing
Its heftiness helps get through the turf and the weight makes it easy to take a long, smooth swing. The ball flight was low but actually carries a bit longer than expected. Its sound was loud and quite jarring.

Gary
37, Handicap 13
10+ years testing
It goes out well with good launch and workability. But if you're looking for super help, this might not be the best option. Such a firm impact and loud sound with a ton of feedback even on a good swing. Hard to determine if you missed or not.

Ryan
46, Handicap 14
2 years testing
They are nice behind the ball with a thin topline for this category. I had a lot of confidence with these. I got a good flight and good numbers. They are, however, really firm and really loud. They startled me.

Scott
37, Handicap 14
9 years testing
This has a perfect blend of complexity and simplicity and definitely a vibe of super-forgiving, but it doesn't scream "training wheels!" These plowed through the turf. Really smooth and consistent through the ball. I got decent spin to hold greens. They were high without ballooning or spinning excessively.

Shane
36, Handicap 15
5 years testing
A raucous-sounding impact with the ball climbing straight north. You'll get a crater when it lands on the green. I didn't notice excessive spin on that kind of height. There was power. I was undeterred going through the ball on off-center hits.

Daniel
33, Handicap 12
5 years testing
The sound was empty and loud, but I liked the workability. It has a large sweet spot to reward all my shots. It doesn't look too much like a super-game-improvement set. These don't have too many training wheels.

Wei
55, Handicap 13
9 years testing
The sound and feel were very velvety. The performance felt like I had total control. There was just enough forgiveness that my loose swings were readily apparent. I really like the leading edge, there's just a little bit of curve and that gives me confidence that's not going to dig at all.

Matt
52, Handicap 11
3 years testing
Despite its considerable heft, it still looks at first glance like a traditional cavity-back club. It has a very wide sole and some distinct offset. Directional accuracy was spot-on. Strikes of varying qualities produced remarkably consistent direction.

John
55, Handicap 11
1 year testing
The design has some creativity to it. They sounded like a gunshot at impact, especially the 5-iron, and not in a good way. That said, it provided a nice, high ball flight with good forgiveness on mis-hits. Distance was consistent and I definitely gained a few yards with the 5-iron.

Ryan
49, Handicap 10
7 years testing
A sleek, professional look and there is some extra distance pop. The ball really flies out and on a nice line. There is an off-putting, loud thwack at impact that really overshadows the positive features. Every time I hit it, that sound made me feel like I did something wrong.

Alex
40, Handicap 11
6 years testing
Its heftiness helps get through the turf and the weight makes it easy to take a long, smooth swing. The ball flight was low but actually carries a bit longer than expected. Its sound was loud and quite jarring.

Alejandra
26, Handicap 5
4 years testing
I love how thin the topline is for a club in this category. You get a clapping, echo-y sound at impact. It gets your attention. These reward good shots, but mis-hits lose distance at a seemingly disproportionate rate. Some balls that barely missed the face lost lots of distance and height.
NO REVIEWS
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Range Results
We tracked 27,000 shots through player testing and then had them analyzed by our team of scientists. These graphics reflect the relative performance our players saw for each club in the category.

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Callaway used AI analysis of average-golfer impact points to selectively thin areas on the face to maximize ball speed. The face also wraps around the topline, sole and toe to further widen the springlike effect.
A metal-injection-molding process fashions the internal tungsten weighting to better position the center of gravity.
That weight is encased in urethane microspheres that helps deliver a soft feel.
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The hollow-body, hybrid-style iron is designed to help golfers get the ball in the air. The irons feature a variable-thickness face and oversize heads.
Grooves that stretch across the face improve launch conditions for shots hit outside the typical groove area by providing more spin consistency.
Also on the face is a blast called “HydraZip” along with a laser-milled-line system designed to create additional roughness to enhance friction. Combined they increase the launch-angle benefit, which this player type needs.
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Most of the same technical features of the DS-Adapt irons are used here but with a longer blade length, thicker topline, more offset and a wider sole—all things that are highly useful to players in this category.
Feedback from clubfitters that weaker-lofted irons benefit less skilled golfers resulted in lofts here that are about 2 degrees higher than other irons in this category.
Concentrating weight low and back is key to achieving easier launch and more speed. That’s accomplished via a steel weighting system inside the head that gets weight in the proper position while allowing maximum flexing of the face.
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High-strength chromoly 4140M steel is used for the face. The hitting area is thinned around the perimeter, increasing rebound for maximum ball speed.
The wide sole teams with tungsten weighting low in the head of the 4- through 7-iron to help golfers get the ball up in the air.
Internal ribs are used to provide a softer feel yet explosive sound at impact.
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The multi-material cap back is lighter than the steel it replaces and wraps around the high-toe area. The reduced weight in that area makes it easier to square the club at impact, reducing the chance of hitting a slice.
The center of gravity is lower in the long irons to boost trajectory and progressively rises, allowing for controllable short-iron shots that don’t balloon.
The irons feature extreme heel-toe weighting to provide stability across a wide swath of the clubface.
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Yonex
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An L-shaped maraging-steel face wraps around part of the sole. The steel is durable, allowing it to be made thin to easily flex. This creates more speed and helps launch shots higher in lofts that are extremely strong.
The hollow-body construction uses forged S45C steel for a soft feel. The face actually uses two steels (one for the main irons and another for the gap and sand wedges).
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Cobra
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Through weighting, center-of-gravity placement and relatively weaker lofts, the irons provide the kind of launch-angle boost slower swingers need.
The variable-thickness face was inspired by Cobra’s driver. By tweaking the thickness and size of each “zone,” ball speed can be optimized across the face.
The lightweight Air-X starts with a cast head that is two grams lighter and a 41-gram grip that is six grams lighter. Saving eight grams makes the club easier to swing faster.
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An excellent choice for players more concerned with how many good shots they hit during a round than their score.
Designed using AI, the forged face insert uses stainless steel in a variable-thickness pattern that increases the area of the sweet spot.
Fifteen zones range in thickness from 2 to 2.2 millimeters. The result is a face that is slightly larger but doesn’t weigh more.
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PXG
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The set uses a 6-hybrid then 7-iron through sand wedge. All are designed with a large amount of offset and a bigger overall profile—perfect for the beginner or occasional player looking for a club that’s easy to hit.
The irons have a hollow body filled with a polymer for feel and rebound. The outer cavity badge has a weight-saving insert. The mass saved is relocated to the perimeter for improved forgiveness.
As with all PXG irons, the face insert is made from HT1770 maraging steel and is razor thin at just .05 of an inch. That and the channels around the perimeter provide a chest-puffing trampoline effect.
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Tour Edge
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This is an all-iron set (as opposed to the hybrid-like Launch Pad model).
Wilson used analytical tools to develop its first ever cupface construction in which the face wraps around the topline and sole to get more distance in a pleasing look.
Mass was added to the topline to improve stability. This delivered better results on strikes caught high on the face while helping to mute the sound.
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XXIO
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In clubs up to the 7-iron, 31 grams of tungsten are used to drive the center of gravity low and back, fostering a high ball flight to optimize carry distance.