7 Best Irons for Beginners in 2022: Getting Started

The best irons for beginners will benefit you when you’re starting golf. They can help you to enjoy a very hard game.

Beginner golf irons will offer you forgiveness, so mishit shots won’t go too astray. You’ll learn to love forgiveness because you’ll rely on it a lot as a beginner.

Irons for beginners also help you to launch the ball into the air. It’s annoying hitting shots along the ground all the time, so this feature adds enjoyment to the game.

I also encourage you to read some of our other buyer guides for best beginner drivers, best complete golf sets for beginners, best game improvement irons, and best super game improvement irons.

These are the best irons for beginners in 2022.

Callaway Rogue ST Max OS Lite (Our Pick)

Overall, Callaway Rogue ST Max OS Lite irons are the best irons for beginners. It’s easy for beginners to increase their clubhead speed with these irons.

Beginners get that increased speed because these irons are lighter than the standard ST Max model. Lighter shafts and lighter swing weights make the OS Lite irons super easy to swing.

Callaway injected this model with plenty of forgiveness. That’s the main thing benefitting beginners, but not the only thing.

These irons also have higher lofts to help beginners. With higher lofts, beginners will find it easier to launch the ball into the air, so they’re easier to hit.

Also, the soles are wider than the other models, which helps turf interaction. It’s easier for beginners to glide through the turf with these irons rather than digging into it and hitting chunked shots.

These irons have enhanced offset, which makes it easier for beginners to square the clubface. Beginners can hit straighter shots that otherwise would’ve leaked left or right.

A thicker topline on the clubhead gives these irons a bulkier, more powerful look. That gives beginners confidence at address.

Ping G425 Irons (Runner-Up)

The Ping G425 irons take the runner-up spot for the best irons for beginners. You know you’re getting quality clubs with Ping, and these irons don’t disappoint.

Beginners are sure to benefit from the forgiveness packed into these irons. You get this forgiveness in a sleek, compact clubhead, while the previous G410 looked bulkier in comparison.

The G425 model also has a higher MOI than the previous model. That means more forgiveness for beginners, a welcome development.

It’s also noticeably faster off the clubface and gives you increased ball speeds. Yes, you get a distance boost and forgiveness with these irons.

You get all this without any sacrifice to the feel. The ball feels excellent off the face and stable on impact.

As a nice bonus, Ping embedded Arccos sensors into the grips throughout the G425 range. It’s now much easier to track your performance and improve your game.

Titleist T400 Irons (Premium Option)

The Titleist T400 irons are a solid premium option for beginners. You get amazing forgiveness with these irons, whether it’s an off-center strike or a slight chunk.

They’re extremely easy to hit and offer you amazing distance. That makes these irons one of the longest on the market, giving beginners precious distance. Much of this extra distance is down to the strong lofts, which makes these irons perfect for beginners.

However, the stronger lofts don’t make these irons harder to launch. Beginners can get explosive launch due to 100g of tungsten in each head and super-thin forged faces.

Fast ball speeds and a high launch increase your chances of hitting the ball far enough to make the green and getting it to stop there. So, these irons address one of the biggest problems beginners have when they start playing golf.

A progressive set design for the T400s means the blade lengths, sole widths, and hosel lengths change throughout the set. Therefore, beginners get the optimal center of gravity positioning and preferred shaping for each club.

Cleveland Launcher XL Halo Irons (Value Pick)

The Cleveland Launcher XL Halo irons are our value pick for the best irons for beginners. They’re such great value because the hybrid-like design offer beginners excellent forgiveness from the fairway and rough.

These irons give you amazing turf interaction and help you make the best contact with the ball. The Glide Rail technology on the long irons helps the clubhead glide through the grass, while a V-shaped feature on the mid-to-short irons cuts through the turf.

You also get exceptional balance with these irons because they have an 8g weight placed inside the end of every grip. It gives you better control and helps you square the clubface, allowing you to take a smoother swing.

Beginners can customize these irons for even better accuracy. Cleveland offers a new Accuracy Build feature which means you can shorten these irons by half an inch for more control and accuracy.

Callaway Big Bertha B21 Irons (Slice Fighter)

The Callaway Big Bertha B21 irons are a great slice fighter option. If you struggle with a slice, these irons could be just what you need.

The draw bias straightens your trajectory and helps you hit more accurate irons shots. A slice is a common problem for beginners, so these irons are extremely popular among players just starting out.

These irons also have a generous offset that assists players in squaring the clubface. So, they also fight the slice on this front for straighter shots.

With Tungsten toe weighting, you can count on the forgiveness on offer here. It moves the center of gravity to the middle for added forgiveness.

Wide soles help with turf interaction and make these irons easy to launch. And a thick topline gives beginners plenty of confidence when they address the ball.

Wilson Launch Pad 2 Irons (Maximum Forgiveness)

The Wilson Launch Pad 2 are the most forgiving irons on our list of the best irons for beginners. These irons will benefit you if you’re a beginner who can’t hit the ball consistently.

The wide soles on these irons are optimized to prevent them from digging. That stops beginners from chunking the ball and leads to better consistency.

Also, the wide soles and low center of gravity help beginners launch the ball into the air. Watching your ball sail through the air will increase your enjoyment on the course.

The hollow design of the clubhead makes these irons forgiving. Even on off-center strikes, you’ll get good performance from them.

The hollow construction combined with an incredibly thin face helps you maximize your ball speeds. And these irons are lightweight, so you can generate more clubhead speed with minimum effort.

That combination means more distance for you. If you need consistency, forgiveness, and extra distance, these irons have got you covered.

TaylorMade Stealth Irons (Also Great)

The TaylorMade Stealth irons are also great and deserve a mention on any list of the best irons for beginners. They’re game-improvement irons with a premium, forged-like feel.

Beginners get a lot of forgiveness with these irons, more so than with the SIM 2 irons. But TaylorMade has packed that forgiveness into a sleeker design and a more stylish club, in our opinion.

The accuracy on offer with these irons is another noticeable difference. They deliver long and accurate shots that should help beginners find more greens.

With a low center of gravity, these irons help beginners launch the ball. That’s also extremely helpful when trying to find and hold greens, although the low spin makes it harder to stop the ball.

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What to Consider When Choosing Beginner Golf Irons

When choosing beginner golf irons, you should consider forgiveness, ease of use, clubhead shape, shafts, distance, launch, custom fit, and price.

Forgiveness

Considering forgiveness is crucial when choosing beginner golf irons. As a beginner, you likely struggle to consistently strike the ball from the sweet spot.

So, you need irons that offer high levels of forgiveness. With forgiving irons, you won’t get a big drop-off in distance, and shots won’t go too wayward.

The more forgiveness your beginner golf irons have, the less you’ll be punished for bad shots. If you use forgiving irons, you shouldn’t get into too much trouble on the course.

Beginners who want maximum forgiveness should consider the Wilson Launch Pad 2 irons.

Ease of Use

When choosing beginner golf irons, you should consider ease of use. Golf is a hard game to start for beginners, so you want irons that are easy to use.

Hitting a small ball with a stick takes a lot of hand-eye coordination. It takes time to build that up and strike the ball well.

So, as a beginner, you should choose irons that are easy to hit. It’ll help you to improve and make your golfing journey more enjoyable.

The technology is there to help beginners, so it’s a good idea to take advantage of it. Irons like the Titleist T400 make it much easier to hit the ball for beginners.

Clubhead Shape

The shape of the clubhead is something to consider when choosing beginner golf irons. Of course, different players will find different clubhead shapes more appealing than others.

Irons like the Callaway Big Bertha B21 have more traditional clubhead shapes. Others, like the Cleveland Launcher XL Halo have a more unconventional shape.

Beginners with less ability are better served going for the unconventional clubhead shape. These irons are shaped like that because they have more technology to help beginners.

If you played a similar “stick sport” to golf, like baseball or hockey, you likely have good hand-eye coordination. You can go for the more conventional beginner irons, as almost all beginners will end up playing conventional irons as they improve anyway.

Shafts

Shafts are another factor to consider when choosing the best irons for beginners. It’s crucial to get the right shaft for your swing speed.

The first thing to do is choose between steel shafts and graphite shafts. Steel shafts are heavier and suit players with faster swings, while graphite shafts are lighter and suit slower swings.

Once you choose a shaft type, you should consider the shaft flex. The most common flexes are senior, regular, and stiff.

Senior – this flex is for players with a slow swing.

Regular – players with average swing speeds should choose this flex.

Stiff – a stiff shaft suits players with fast swings.

Distance

Extra distance is something every golfer wants. However, beginners need the most help with distance.

Golf becomes easier when you hit the ball further. If you get more distance off the tee, you’ve got a shorter approach shot to the green.

Hitting a shorter iron into the green can significantly impact your scoring. With more distance, beginners can get closer to the hole and increase their chances of lowering their scores.

Launch

The launch is critical to consider when choosing beginner golf irons. If you’re a beginner, it’s highly likely that you struggle to get the optimal launch with your irons.

But irons that promote a high launch can help you get the ball airborne. They’re specifically designed to create a higher ball flight.

The optimal launch can help you get more distance with your irons. Also, high-launching irons allow you to hit the ball high and stop it quickly on the green.

Customer Fit

When choosing beginner golf irons, you might want to consider a custom fit. It can benefit you if you’re short (under 5’6”) or tall (over 6’2”).

A standard set of clubs likely won’t fit you if you’re not within that height range. So, a static fitting would benefit you as a beginner.

The fitter will take static measurements, like your wrist-to-floor measurement, and figure out the best club length for you. That should set you up to learn the fundamentals correctly.

Price

The price of beginner golf irons is another factor to consider when buying them. Premium brands like TaylorMade and Titleist will cost more than other brands.

However, premium golf irons give you the best overall performance. That’s not to say you can’t get excellent value with other brands.

The decision on how much you want to spend on beginner golf irons is ultimately up to you.

Getting a complete golf set is another budget-friendly option.

FAQs

Conclusion

Overall, the Callaway Rogue ST Max OS Lite irons are the best irons for beginners. They give you an amazing combination of forgiveness, distance, and launch to make your golfing life easier.

The Ping G425 irons are a worthy runner-up when it comes to the best irons for beginners. These sleek irons give you excellent forgiveness, distance, and feel.