Members Choice: The Best Game-Improvement Irons of 2017

[TonsOfSteel]

try the srixon 565 if you have hit the others on the list to compare, they are that good

I did. At a demo days. I hit everything. 3 times. I kept going back to the i200's. Nothing like them.

My own personal opine, of course.

[hawkeye3743]

I have the Mizuno Hot Metals, the Callaway CFs and Wilson C200s and I play the Mizuno Hot Metals. The difference is balance, feel and Grip, which does make a difference.

[Hotdocta]

I game pxg 0311. They are super soft and super forgiving. I love them.... but why do I keep dreaming about srixon 565's. They are stupid long!!! I wish we could vote for two

[jtothep21]

I am gaming the i200's and love em, nothing bad to say except they are hard to keep clean.

[golfer55082]

i200's are better player irons that feel great, look great and deliver consistent yardages/trajectories. Tour pros are using these so game improvement? Maybe not

 

Mizuno JPX 900 forged are great irons although the lofts are super strong but they feel great. Look a lot like the tour model but are longer and stronger- no tour players are using these-

 

Apex CF16 are nice feeling but are so long it's hard to know just what is going to happen when you hit one good- will my 7 iron go 165 or 195? Tour players using the Apex Forged but never the CF16- definitely game improvement..

 

I like these 3 the most- should have included the Srixon 765 irons- they are the most under rated iron out there and are fabulous. I am currently gaming the i200's.

 

Agreed with CF16. Can be very frustrating actually.

[TonyJ10]

My top 3 were the Apex CF 16, JPX 900 forged and the Steelhead XR 16s. I settled on the Apex CF 16s over the JPX 900 because there is not much loss of distance on mishits. I'm a 18 Handicap and was intimidated at first because I didn't think my swing was "good enough" to play them until I actually hit them. They felt great from the beginning and I love the look of them. To me thats the first step of playing good it to like what you are looking at. They perform very well on center hits and almost as good on mishits. If you are in the market def consider the Apex CF 16.

[lionsgate]

Callaway Apex CF-16

Taylormade M2

Callaway Steelhead

[Ugo DeRosa]

There are some seriously mis-categorized clubs in this list that absolutely do not belong in the GI category. So far off base it is shocking.

 

The unintentionally funny part is that most of the clubs that are currently "winning" in votes don't belong here.

 

Who created this list, an unpaid non-golfer intern?

[Swick73]

Where are the mizuno 900 hotmetals?? Not voting because you have overlooked some great irons.

[oldtimie]

Picked up my I200's yesterday, replacing my I20's Took them out to the course that afternoon. One thing about new clubs is that you can see right away where on the face you are contacting the ball. Hit a six iron and thought, wow, that didn't feel good! Then noticed that it was a toe hit. Well, the ball ended up just right where it normally would for a good hit. Had a couple more off center hits with other clubs, also toe hits, and results were still acceptable. Decided that I wasn't setting up close enough to the ball. Point is, these clubs are very forgiving for those of us that don't always contact the sweet spot. :golfer:

[Albatross71]

Tried the mizuno' s and loved them, went with the tour version instead though.

[CHE KJARRVERA]

Z565, I haven't played them but do have the z545 and they're fantastic irons. Forgiving, accurate and the V-sole design is a winner.

[Ugo DeRosa]

Where are the mizuno 900 hotmetals??

 

Exactly!

[hurricanes7]

I game pxg 0311. They are super soft and super forgiving. I love them.... but why do I keep dreaming about srixon 565's. They are stupid long!!! I wish we could vote for two

 

i dream about them every nite, and i own them. and yes they are long.

[MAndrews]

Since I was fitted for my CF16's I haven't even bothered to try anything else so no 2nd or 3rd choice for me. If I was looking the Pings and the Mizunos would be on the short list.

[golfer55082]

There are some seriously mis-categorized clubs in this list that absolutely do not belong in the GI category. So far off base it is shocking.

 

The unintentionally funny part is that most of the clubs that are currently "winning" in votes don't belong here.

 

Who created this list, an unpaid non-golfer intern?

.

 

Why do you say so? At least for Apex cf16, I think it's GI irons with Apex Pro as the player iron version.

[Mtngolfer1]

I voted for the Ping i200. This is as versatile of an iron as I believe you will find. It offers a ton of technology providing a high level of playability and ample forgiveness all packed in a attractive iron design. Ping definitely has a winner with the i200.

[MPG]

My Selection would be:

 

Mizuno JPX900F

Srixon z565

PING i200

 

-- JPX 900 Forged: I went through a extensive fitting and this was the iron with Project X LZ shafts for me. I will say it wasn't immediately but it took me a few practice sessions and rounds to get comfortable with these and I will say that once i got use to these they are not going anywhere. They are amazing and my overall numbers are terrific - distance, trajectory, spin, forgiveness and consistency are perfect for me. These are real close to the z565 and I could go either way once you find the right shaft head combo.

 

-- Srixon z565: I really like the look and playability of this head with the Project X LZ shaft. I think they are slightly more forgiving then the JPX900's but i get better distance control with the Mizunos - i can definitely control trajectory with any of the heads that I tested. I could definitely use these day in and out with no problem. I dont really care for the approach wedge in this set for some reason. To me that is not a showstopper because of the other wedges that could replace that spot in the bag.

 

I dont think you could go wrong with either one of these and enjoy your round of golf.

 

-- PING i200: I will say i have had limited time with these and i did enjoy them but I definitely liked the S55 irons much better than any of the new i Series clubs. Yes, the S55 are not game improvement but they played like game improvement with enough forgiveness across the entire set. I am not saying these are not good; they are really good irons but just do not match up for MY game like the Mizuno or Srixon irons.

[SlowRain]

Mizuno Hot Metals not on this list, but you have multiple sets of Muira's? Are you kidding me? And HM's sure aren't SGI's. Sure it doesn't make any difference but I can't vote when this list is really missing some key choices.

[Patrick_O]

Mizuno Hot Metals not on this list, but you have multiple sets of Muira's? Are you kidding me? And they sure aren't SGI's. Sure it doesn't make any difference but I can't vote when this list is really missing some key choices.

I voted but I agree here. For example the Cobra F7 Tecflo is more forgiving than the Hot Metal based on MPF numbers, but HM will be in SGI and the F7 is GI? That does not make sense. F7, HM, Steelhead, and G all belong together. Put Cobra Oversize, Big Bertha, and G Max in SGI, or add a category like Ultra Game Improvement so groupings work better.

[Jordan Speeth]

Z565, PXG0311, then the Mizuno 900 Tour. I actually traded my 745s and 945s for a set of Z545s and have never looked back. I hit the i200s at a demo day recently and, feel-wise, they felt horrible next to the Srixons. I even asked to hit it with a few different shafts, including a graphite, and it was nowhere close. I hit a lot of shots with them because I thought I must be imagining things. I also owned a set of PXG 0311s and though I like them, the did not stay in the bag long. I'm just in love with these Srixons. I originally had Recoils in them that were standard length (I need +1") and they had an amazingly smooth feel. I switched them out for my usual KBS Tours and they lost a bit of that smooth, buttery feel but they're still heads above the other top performers on the list that I have tried. I have no intention of changing these irons until I wear them out. I also intentionally chose the 545s over the 565s. I like the look of them better. It seems as though the Srixon staffers feel the same. Very few of them have switched to the 765/965 and the ones that did have gone back to the 4's. As for the Mizunos, I've owned a few MP's and loved the renowned Mizuno feel....they say the 900's have it, so they get my third vote.

[gmiller598]

I went for the z565 as that is what I play. I'm on the high end of the handicap spectrum and I feel like I can hit these and grow into them as I improve my ball striking. The ApexCF16 is also a good choice. I owned a set of those before the z565 they just had ill fitting shafts for me.

[flynny19]

Where is Titleist AP1???? The C16's are $2,000 special order only...

[Tim Schoch]

These polls are lots of fun, but hardly scientific or expert. It's a popularity and subjective opinion poll. I've hit the Mizzys and the Srixons and, frankly, they don't feel much different to me than the AP1s, except they are "supposed to". And where are the AP1s? Surely not SGI, but neither are they quality forged like the Mizzy so-called GI clubs....which makes the AP2s GI clubs, doesn't it?

 

In fact, my own personal confusion muddies the waters of this poll. So GolfWRX members vote the Mizzys as best GI, while the THP crowd think the Mizzys are today's modern players irons for non-tour low handicappers and vote Warrior irons or something as best GI. Are their opinions wrong? How does any of this help our audience?

 

I haven't hit but a small percentage of the clubs in that list...who has? So maybe my voice doesn't count. But I've hit some. I'm a 14-handicapper and the AP1s are best GI to me. And believe me, I need GI. :)

[Shawn Paul]

I went into my fitting with Ping i200 or Mp25 in mind. I ended up with Mizuno JPX 900F. The Mizzy's had the best accuracy, flight, feel, and distance. I did not consider them a true GI. A bit spendy but top quality. Great looking irons.

 

I really wanted the i200's to win. I think the PINGs feel amazing and they look great behind the ball, very smart. The price is unbeatable. I was able to work these well and I do not consider them a GI per se. Anyone who ends up with the I200's will be very happy.

 

The Callaway clubs did not agree with me. I think they look a little too busy for my eye. They were least consistent for me but still a good product. I feel both PING and Mizuno make a better product.

[Scott66]

The Ping i200 are without a doubt the best iron that I have ever hit. I have the Modus105 shafts in my Pings and it is a great combo for me.

[GolfiNut]

I have a golfing buddy to purchased the Ping i200's about 3 months ago...Being a Ping guy in general he pretty much only looked at Pings when he decided to switch for 2017 but it didnt work out

 

Fast forward to this past week...He had struggled so much with the i200 lrons with his HC ballooning 5-6 strokes higher that He decided enough was enough and went with the Callaway Steelhead Pros w/ Graphite...

He absolutely loves them and says they are so much easier to hit straight. I have not hit them but I think they look really sweet in the dark grey finish. I still Game XR's but will look hard at the Steelhead & Apex line when Im ready to change again.

[mp.14]

Iblades are absolutely incredible, have played Mizuno blades for the last 6-7 years and the pings are simply outstanding. Play like a blade and unbelievable feel and jump off the face

[mp.14]

Didn't let me finish my comment. Played my first round with the iblades at whistling straits. Went 81 then 77 with a lot of missed putts. Was 1 under on par 3s through both rounds with 8/8 GIR. These things are the real deal

[rleon]

What about the Ping G's? Aren't the I200's more of a player's iron?