6 Best Golf Irons For Mid Handicappers in 2023

Updated
best irons for mid handicap

Mid handicappers looking for a new set of irons in 2023 are in luck. With a few new releases to the market and some upgrades to older ones, the best irons for mid-handicap golfers have only gotten better in 2023. 

With mid handicappers making up the majority of golfers globally, golf manufacturers focus on putting out their absolute best technology. 

Whether you are looking for distance, technology, forgiveness, or feel. We have chosen the seven best golf irons for mid handicappers in 2023. 

Best Irons for Mid Handicap Golfers in 2023: Our Top Picks

TaylorMade P790 (Best Premium)
Titleist T300 (Best for Workability)
TaylorMade SIM 2 Max (Best for Increased Ball Speed)
Callaway Apex DCB (Best for Consistency)
Cleveland UHX (Best Value)
Cobra Radspeed (Best for Forgiveness)

Best Premium

TaylorMade P790 Irons

These players’ irons offer you plenty of distance. The newly engineered SpeedFoam™ Air and thin-wall construction promote better launch conditions and faster ball speeds.

Pros:
  • Fast ball speeds
  • High launch
  • Consistent with tight dispersion
  • Nice forgiveness
  • Powerful feel
  • Excellent stability
Cons:
  • Lower handicappers may not like the thicker topline
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In years past, the best golf irons for mid handicappers were typically game-improvement style clubs with larger cavity back style heads. Well, things have changed. 

The newest TaylorMade P790 irons are some of the best-looking clubs that we have seen. This is a hollow back design that has gone through a tremendous amount of research and development. If you are serious about the performance of your irons on the course, the P790 has the technology and feel that you need. 

Speedfoam air is the newest technology that produces a much lighter feel without taking away any of this club’s power. Combining that with a 1.5mm forged 4140 steel face makes the club even more impressive. 

TaylorMade tries to keep some of the most effective technology consistent between the golf irons that they develop. This is why the new P790 has the Speed Pocket technology to help ensure the highest ball speeds possible. 

Best for Workability

Titleist T300 Irons

Titleist has been in the game improvement sector for a few years now. The T300 shows that this is a company capable of making clubs for all skill levels; impressive distance, forgiveness, and impeccable feel are key components in a game improvement iron. 

Pros:
  • Phenomenal feel
  • Plenty of forgiveness
  • Excellent feedback
  • Tight dispersion
  • Amazing control
  • Some workability
Cons:
  • Other brands have slightly higher ball speeds
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Titleist is often thought of as a manufacturer that makes equipment only for the low handicap player. However, this is simply not the case. Titleist makes equipment for any type of player and any handicap range. 

The T300 golf irons are a mid-sized cavity back design with plenty of ball speed and forgiveness. When you look at this club, it will have a thinner top line than some other game improvement clubs. 

In addition, the T300 has a progressive set design that allows players to get that extra performance that they need as they move towards the long irons. The four iron in the T300 set will have a much wider sole than the pitching wedge, which balances precision and distance. 

One of the downsides to golf irons for mid handicappers is that they are sometimes made a bit too forgiving. Essentially when a player tries to hit a draw or a fade, they will have the shot be almost autocorrected for them. For players that care about hitting draws or fades, Titltiest T300 irons can help. 

Best for Ball Speed

TaylorMade SIM 2 Max Irons

Pros:
  • Progressive ICT technology 
  • Improved feel from previous models 
  • Fast and forgiving face 
  • Cap back design for stability and forgiveness
Cons:
  • Looks a bit bulky 
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The TaylorMade SIM2 Max irons are known for impressive ball speeds and increased performance around the greens. With the TaylorMade SIM2, Max players will find that they can get more ball speed and distance without even trying to hit the ball further. 

The new cap back design on the TaylorMade SIM2 Max ensures that the feel and sound are ideal without impacting the overall weight of the golf club. In addition, the Echo Damping system helps to ensure that this cavity back golf iron feels like it is a forged design. 

The Thru Slot Speed Pocket technology was incorporated from the previous SIM Max model. That was done to ensure that the face is more flexible and allows for the occasional miss-hit. Golfers in the mid handicap range make mistakes, and that is entirely acceptable. 

The key is to find equipment that helps turn those mistakes from a double or triple bogey into a par or bogey. If your equipment has not been updated for several years, the difference you will see in the SIM 2 Max technology will be a bit remarkable. 

With TaylorMade likely going to release a new set of irons relatively soon, the SIM 2 Max is offered at a fair price. 

Best for Consistency

Callaway Apex DCB Irons

Pros:
  • Great feel and performance 
  • Improved turf interaction from the Mavrik line of clubs 
  • Extreme forgiveness in the Apex series
Cons:
  • Pricey
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The best mid handicapper irons for consistency are the Callaway Apex DCB irons. These golf irons are a unique cavity back design forged and made with a 1025 mild carbon steel body. I have been playing with these irons quite a bit this year, and I can attest that they are very consistent.

In addition to the consistency that you get with the Callaway Apex DCB, there is also extreme forgiveness. Even when you miss the center of the clubface, the overall results are impressive. Inside the club head, you will find unique urethane microspheres that help give players amazing sound and feel. 

Overall the top-down look of the club is a bit thick, but it sets up quite nicely to the ball. Even f you are working to become a low handicap player that likes precision, you will find that the Apex DCB allows you to work the ball. 

Best Value

Cleveland Launcher UHX Iron Set

Pros:
  • Affordable
  • Progressive design 
  • Hollow back construction for increased speed
  • Tour Zip grooves to help stop the ball 
Cons:
  • Not the newest golf iron on the market 
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The best value golf irons for mid handicappers are the Cleveland UHX Golf irons. Cleveland is a brand that has been associated with fair value for many years. With the UHX Irons, players are going to get consistent performance and plenty of forgiveness.

The variable high-strength steel face on the Cleveland UHX is made with an HT1770M steel face. The steel face helps to improve ball speed and increase the overall distance that players get. If you miss the center of the club face, the UHX will make all the difference. 

One of our favorite components of this impressive golf iron is the Tour Zip Grooves. Cleveland Golf has some of the best short game wedge technology on the market. PGA Tour pros have been taking advantage of these Tour ZIP Grooves for years. 

The impressive grooves in the irons help golfers stop the ball exactly where they need to on the greens. 

Best for Forgiveness

Cobra Radspeed Iron Set

The Cobra Radspeed Golf Irons offer plenty of distance and forgiveness for a fair price; Cobra is always a brand to consider when looking for a great value. 

Pros:
  • Impressive forgiveness
  • Forged face for better feel
  • 3D printing to improve overall weighting and feel
  • Fair pricing
  • Very stable at impact
Cons:
  • New shaping is a bit bulky, can be difficult to adjust to
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The mid handicap player needs forgiveness in their golf irons. With a mid handicapper, the chance of missing the center of the club face from time to time is relatively high. This is where the Cobra Radspeed golf irons can help. 

The new Radial Weighting technology helps to optimize the center of gravity. Essentially if you are hitting these clubs from the tee or the green, they are always packed with maximum forgiveness. In addition, the sweet spot on the clubhead is quite large. 

The back of the Cobra Radspeed iron has a 3D printed medallion that ensures golfers are getting the best feel and sound without impacting the speed or forgiveness. The unique shape of the Radspeed takes a bit of time to get used to, but in the end, it will offer some impressive results. 


How To Choose The Best Golf Irons For Mid Handicappers

Now that you have insider information on the best golf irons for mid handicappers, it’s time to look into the best way to narrow this list down. How will you know which set is going to be the right for your golf game?

Luckily there are a couple of simple methods you can use to determine which golf irons are best for you. Let’s look at some of the key features that you could use to determine which golf irons are best for your game. 

Forgiveness 

Mid-handicappers tend to need quite a bit of forgiveness in their golf irons. Since irons make up most of the set and determine how close you can get the ball to the pin, forgiveness is essential. 

The things to look for are a large sweet spot and a low center of gravity. Not all mid handicappers will need offset technology, as this is mostly for players that slice the golf ball. 

Pricing

The pricing of golf irons for mid handicappers is typically quite fair. Most of the time, golf clubs for low handicappers are blade-style designs using premium materials, increasing the price. For a forged mid handicapper iron, expect to pay quite a bit bit more. 

Pricing is also going to change based on the shaft that you choose. The graphite shafts come at a higher price. This is simply because of the cost of material associated with the graphite shafts in the irons. 

Expect to pay around $700-$900 for a great set of mid handicapper golf irons. 

Golf Shaft 

The golf shaft you put in your new golf iron set is extremely important. Players can adjust to a golf club head that is not ideal for them, but adjusting to a golf shaft is much more difficult. 

Choose a golf shaft based on your swing speed and the desired launch you are looking for in your golf club set. For example, players with fast swing speeds need a stiffer golf shaft. 

Set Makeup

The set makeup is very important for a mid handicapper. In years past, the clubs were sold in the 4-PW with not much input from the player. Today, golf club sets are custom, and players pick and choose exactly what they need. 

Most imid handicappers will play with a 5-PW, AW set makeup. The four-iron is a bit too difficult for most average swing speed players to hit consistently. Therefore, most mid handicappers should put a hybrid in as a replacement for the four iron. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Now that you are an expert in golf irons for mid handicappers, it’s good to consider a few last questions before making your golf irons purchase. Here are a few things to consider. 

What Is the Difference Between Irons for Mid Handicappers and Low Handicappers?

The difference between the mid handicapper iron and the low handicapper iron is typically the amount of forgiveness in the clubhead. A mid handicapper needs more forgiveness, and a low handicapper needs more precision and workability. 

One thing to keep in mind is that the difference between different iron types is that they are all starting to maximize performance. For instance, low handicap irons are starting to become more forgiving, without losing feel. 

Mid handicapper irons are starting to become better feeling without losing distance or forgiveness. This is all coming with the advancement in technologies. 

What is considered a mid handicap?

A mid-handicap is a golfer with a handicap between 10 and 20. The range is not really strict; instead, it is something that varies a bit. If you are a golfer that shoots in the mid-’80s to the low 90s, you are considered a mid handicapper. 

What clubs should a mid handicap golfer carry?

Mid handicap players should use a 5-PW, AW. Some mid handicappers with fast swing speeds can also put a four-iron into play. Having a good mix of hybrids, irons, fairway woods, and wedges is essential to learning to score low. Mid handicappers should carry four wedges when possible, a PW, AW, SW, LW. 

Conclusion

At this point, you should feel more confident in your ability to choose a golf iron for a mid handicapper. These golf clubs can make or break your performance on the golf course.

The TaylorMade P790 and the Callaway Apex DCB stand out as my top two favorite options. Although there are so many great performers on this list, the combination of feel and precision from the Callaway and TaylorMade is like nothing we have seen before in golf irons for mid handicappers. 

If you ever feel unsure which clubs could be the best for your game, it could be a good idea to demo or try them out somewhere before making your purchase. In the end, only you know what will work best for your golf game. 

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Joe Morelli

Joe Morelli is the founder of TopRankGolf, a passionate golfer with decades of experience playing this amazing sport. He's dedicated to helping golfers learn, improve and enjoy the game of golf.