Best Forged Golf Irons 2024: Launch monitor tested by professionals.

Last updated: 01 October 2024

Best Forged Golf Irons

The best forged golf irons have historically been seen as the players’ choice among the best golf irons available. Decades ago forged irons were typically aimed at better players, as their smaller more compact heads and weaker lofts lacked the distance and forgiveness-boosting technologies packed into their cast, less expensive rivals.

Things have changed dramatically though, the best forged golf irons now target delivering additional feel and sound performance to mid and high-handicappers just as much as they do to those using the best players’ distance irons and the best players’ iron models.

If you want the ultimate feel and feedback from your irons, a forged set is likely to be the way to go. To help with your decision-making in this massive category I’ve pulled together a categorized shortlist below of award-winning irons, backed by our test pro’s comparative launch monitor data and accompanying expert verdicts. I suggest reading on so you have a firm understanding of what forged irons can do for you before heading down to my best forged iron picks lower on the page. To maximize your potential I’d seriously recommend committing to a full custom fit session with a suitably qualified professional before making a purchase.

Best Muscleback Blade for adjustability: PXG 0317 ST | VIEW OFFER

Best traditional Muscleback Blade: Wilson Staff Model | VIEW OFFER

Best modern Muscleback Blade: Ping Blueprint T | VIEW OFFER

Best Players’ Iron for adjustability: PXG 0317 CB | VIEW OFFER

Best Hollow Body Players’ Iron: TaylorMade P770 (2024) | VIEW OFFER

Best forged Players’ Iron: Ping Blueprint S | VIEW OFFER

Best Traditional Players’ Iron: Mizuno Pro 243 VIEW OFFER

Best Tour Level Players’ Iron: Srixon ZX7 MK II | VIEW OFFER

Best value for money Players’ Iron: Takomo 301 CB | VIEW OFFER

Best Players’ Distance Iron: TaylorMade P790 (2023) | VIEW OFFER

Best looking forged Players’ Distance Iron: Callaway Apex Ai200 | VIEW OFFER

Best Players’ Distance Iron for adjustability: PXG 0311 P GEN7 | VIEW OFFER

Best compact Players’ Distance Iron: Mizuno Pro 245 | VIEW OFFER

Best Cavity Back Players’ Distance Iron: Srixon ZX5 MK II | VIEW OFFER

Best Traditional Players’ Distance Iron: Wilson Dynapower Forged | VIEW OFFER

Best forged iron for mid/high handicappers: Titleist T350 | VIEW OFFER

Most forgiving 100% forged iron: Callaway Apex Ai300 | VIEW OFFER

Best Looking Mid-Handicap Iron: Srixon ZX4 | VIEW OFFER

We asked the leading brands to send us their 2024 forged irons in our test Pro Neil Wain’s specs.

We created an indoor test lab at Keele Golf Centre to ensure a controlled environment, which meant we could use premium Titleist Pro V1x golf balls and a Foresight GC Quad launch monitor to create the most reliable data possible. We rejected major misses but recorded how shots launched, span, peaked out, and how far they flew in which direction.

See more about how TG tests golf clubs and other equipment.

Ever since Ping introduced their cast cavity back Eye irons in the 60’s and 70’s there’s been a couple of ways to create golf irons. Until Ping arrived on the scene with their super popular ‘cast’ cavity back models, irons were predominantly muscleback blades and stamped into shape using a very heavy press – a forge.

Essentially forging involves a number of stages of stamping and squeezing a hot metal bar (a billet) into tooling to create the head shape a designer wants. Today forged irons (depending on their complexity) regularly go through three to five different size and tool shapes to create their final shape. Each stage involves heating the head and pressing it into shape under the pressure of the heavy forge (2,000 ton presses are not uncommon) which aligns the grain structure of the metal more closely than when molten metal is poured into a cast.

It’s this aligning of the metals structure that is said to produce a better feel, less vibration and an improved sound, all traits often preferred by better players. All forged irons have to have at least one component within the head that’s hit with the forge, but thanks to modern iron construction methods not all forged irons are 100% forged.

Many manufacturers often stamp irons up as forged, as they know tons of golfers perceive forged irons to be of better quality than their cast alternatives, even though studies have shown many of the world’s best golfers struggle to spot forged irons in blind cast vs forged iron tests. Decades ago forged muscleback blade irons lent themselves to being forged in one piece, as their designs were straightforward to create with a heavy forge dropping onto the product vertically from above.

Today’s lots of the best players’ irons are still created in one piece much like blades were decades ago, essentially though this method is pretty crude and inflexible if you’re an iron designer. With the best engineers and designers working out hollow body constructions and thin fast faces bring additional benefits to golfers lots of modern forged irons aren’t actually 100% forged.

Models like the TaylorMade P7CB, Callaway Apex CB, and PXG 0317 CB are whereas models like the Srixon ZX5 MK II, TaylorMade P790, and Titleist T200 have components that are forged but the whole product isn’t.

There’s some debate around which part of the irons should be forged too. Where the PXG 0311 GEN7 P and TaylorMade P790 have forged bodies models like the Mizuno Pro 245 and Ping i530 have forged faces, so just be aware when you’re buying forged irons it’s highly likely not everything about your new set will be forged.

A lot of the myth and legend surrounding the feel and sound of forged irons being better comes down to the tighter alignment of the metal’s grain structure inside, which comes about thanks to the forging process. However, some will argue that sort of thinking used to be more true when irons were forged in single pieces. Today’s multi-piece models often need polymer fillers to support the face (so it won’t cave in) and manage vibration so golfers get the feel and sound frequencies most commonly associated with forged irons.

Of course, with well over 95% of tour events being won by players who earn their crust using forged irons (most are one-piece forged models) there will always be an air of superiority attached to the category too.

Often the price of forged irons will be higher than their cast equivalent. Where the TaylorMade part forged P790 is £1204 for a 7-piece set the brands cast Qi are over £200 cheaper at £1,001. Just because forged irons typically cost more do not think cast irons are in any way inferior, in fact, their designs can often be much more versatile thanks to their production method.

A lot of the extra costs of forged irons go into the tooling, with complex irons like the PXG 0311 GEN7 XP needing five sets of expensive and carefully machined tools for producing each iron (that’s 40 tools for an eight-piece set), where cast models need just one for each head in the set.

Forged irons don’t always have to be expensive options. Direct to Consumer brands like Takomo and Ben Hogan produce much more reasonably priced forged sets too. Thanks to being predominantly sold online though you will need to know what you want as fitting often isn’t readily available.

Absolutely not, forged irons are for anybody who feels there’s a benefit to paying for their supposed extra feel and sound performance. Whereas years ago players’ irons were predominantly forged, today it’s just as possible to find great forged models in the best players’ distance iron category as it is within the best mid-handicappers iron arena. My most forgiving forged iron page will help you identify which models are most playable on the golf course.

Let me introduce the best forged golf irons money can buy…

The fastest and longest blade we’ve tested this year.

Expert rating:

Clubhouse Golf

Clubhouse Golf

Perhaps the best muscleback iron on the market.

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Clubhouse Golf

Clubhouse Golf

One of the best-performing blade irons in 2024.

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Amazon

Amazon

A stunning iron with all the hallmarks of being a timeless classic

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Clubhouse Golf

Clubhouse Golf

An absolute beast of a tour-level forged iron.

Expert rating:

Amazon

Amazon

One of the best-performing players' irons of 2024.

Expert rating:

Clubhouse Golf

Clubhouse Golf

Quick and powerful with excellent control and workability.

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Clubhouse Golf

Clubhouse Golf

A modern beauty that stands up to the best on offer in 2024.

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American Golf

American Golf

A punchy players' distance irons that will fight it out with the best.

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Clubhouse Golf

Clubhouse Golf

Players’ Distance Irons just don’t come any better.

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Amazon

Amazon

An elegant, forged hollow-body iron that mixes performance and precision

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Amazon

Amazon

A super-playable iron within the players' distance category.

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Clubhouse Golf

Clubhouse Golf

A timeless classic that will still appeal to high-level players in its second year.

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Scottsdale Golf

Scottsdale Golf

A traditional player's distance iron in every sense.

Expert rating:

Amazon

Amazon

Plenty of distance and forgiveness but with a topline that looks anything but chunky

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Clubhouse Golf

Clubhouse Golf

The most forgiving and playable iron set offered by Titleist.

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Clubhouse Golf

Clubhouse Golf

Designed for incredible feel, increased power, and shot consistency.

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Amazon

Amazon

Traditional forged irons tended to be classic blades with little to no help in terms of launch, distance, or forgiveness. Many modern forged irons, however, manage to pack in design features that make them a little easier to hit. It’s still the case, though, that the most forgiving and easiest-to-hit irons will be bigger cast models, rather than forged.

If a cast and forged iron of exactly the same design and loft were compared side by side, there would be no power loss thanks to using to using the forged model. However, as forged irons often target better players, who generally are less concerned about adding extra speed and distance to their iron game forged players’ irons typically have weaker lofts.

Weaker lofts equate to less ball speed and carry distance, so forged players’ irons will usually fly less far than players’ distance and mid-handicap irons, this is purely down to their loft difference not the material.

As forged irons are often created from steel with a higher carbon content they are more prone to rust than many cast models. If your set get wet I’d advise taking the time to dry them properly after the round and don’t ever leave them to fester beneath plastic iron protectors or sat in the back of your car.

Taking the time to clean your set (with hot soapy water and a dry cloth) after each round will prolong the life expectancy of your forged irons and help them retain value should you ever want to trade them in against another purchase.

Most forged irons have a plating coat over their base material to stop them from rusting within a few months of being exposed to the air. If like a tour pro you hit thousands of shots a week it is possible over time to wear spots through the plating in the position you most frequently impact shots.

This isn’t something you really need to worry about if you’re a club golfer, just be aware if you are a serial range goer. Wear spots don’t greatly impact performance, in fact they’re usually seen as badge of honour for somebody who practices more than they really should.

Feel, feedback and sound all play a role in why so many top professionals swear they have to use forged irons, so too does the shape and smaller size of many forged models. Tour pros are great ball strikers, so it makes perfect sense they’re the people who need the smallest most unforgiving models to hit the same consistent shot shape over and over again.

The bigger heads and wider soles of more cast game improver models would also be more difficult to use at higher skill levels especially when we factor in using them from the tightest of lies and thickest rough.

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Having tested and played more than 10,000 clubs in his life, what Simon doesn’t know about golf clubs isn’t worth knowing.

He spent a large part of his career as a golf club maker and product development manager, and has worked in the golf industry for more than 30 years. He joined EMAP Active (now Bauer Media) as Equipment Editor in 2006 and has worked for both Today’s Golfer and Golf World.

You can contact Simon via email and follow him on Twitter for loads more golf equipment insight.

Today's Golfer Equipment Editor