The best player’s distance irons suit lower handicappers who still want some extra distance in their games. These irons have the best features of muscle back irons, like a sleek look, excellent feel, and enhanced workability.
But sometimes better players want the distance and forgiveness that muscle back irons lack. That’s where player’s distance irons come in to offer better golfers features from the muscle back irons and game improvement ones.
These are the best player’s distance irons in 2023.
Best Player’s Distance Irons: Our Top Picks
Best Overall: TaylorMade P790
Runner-Up: Callaway Rogue ST Pro
Best Feel: Mizuno Pro 225
Most Forgiving: Ping i525
Premium Option: Titleist T200
Best for Low Handicappers: Callaway Apex Pro
Great Ball Speeds: PXG 0311 P Gen4
TaylorMade P790 (Best Overall)
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.
- Fast ball speeds
- High launch
- Consistent with tight dispersion
- Nice forgiveness
- Powerful feel
- Excellent stability
- Lower handicappers may not like the thicker topline
TaylorMade P790 irons are the best player’s distance irons overall. These irons have a clean finish and look like a muscle back iron, except for the thicker topline.
These irons are fast off the clubface, giving players added distance compared to the previous model. They also promote a higher launch and help golfers carry the ball further.
You can expect less spin with the P790, resulting in longer shots. But the higher launch means stopping power isn’t affected.
These irons offer consistency and tight dispersion. And the forgiveness you get ensures distance remains similar even on off-center strikes.
We love the explosive feel from these irons, giving you powerful strikes. Also, the stability is impressive and means the club doesn’t twist on heel or toe impacts, keeping shots straighter.
Callaway Rogue ST Pro (Runner-Up)
These irons give you faster ball speeds due to the combination of high-strength 450 steel with an A.I. designed Flash Face Cup. New precision tungsten weighting improves launch and maximizes speed across the face.
- Fast ball speeds
- Workability
- Amazing looks
- Compact design suits lower handicappers
- Forgiving on off-center strikes
- Stable ball flight
- Slightly harsh feel
Callaway Rogue ST Pro irons are our runner-up for the best player’s irons. They offer better players more speed off the clubface without sacrificing their ability to shape the ball.
These irons look stunning behind the ball. Lower handicappers will love the compact design, the reduced offset, and the thin topline.
But they don’t lose any of the performance the technology offers. The Rogue ST Pro irons are forgiving on off-center strikes, so you won’t get a drop-off in distance.
These irons give you a stable ball flight, making them excellent for windy conditions. But they also offer lower handicappers plenty of workability and make it easy to hit draws and fades when needed.
Mizuno Pro 225 (Best Feel)
Mizuno Pro 225 irons give you a soft, solid, and consistent feel. A 28.5g Tungsten weight sits low and deep for improved launch with long and mid irons.
- Fast off the face
- Good distance
- High launching
- Forgiving
- Big improvement on the previous model
- Stylish look
- Might be too compact for some
Mizuno Pro 225 irons are the best-feeling player’s distance irons. They’re excellent for lower handicappers who want to add distance to their games without sacrificing feel.
They’re sleek and look like a player’s irons, but they give you plenty of distance. The ball feels hot off the face which creates fast ball speeds.
The long and mid irons offer a high launch, helping you to get the optimal ball flight. That benefits your carry and overall distances.
These irons are also forgiving on off-center strikes. So, lower handicappers can benefit even when they don’t strike the ball flush.
Ping i525 (Most Forgiving)
These irons have perimeter weighting to increase forgiveness. A new ballistic face design gives you faster ball speeds and more distance.
- Forgiving
- Fast off the clubface
- Improved distance
- Excellent feel
- Suit a range of abilities
- Premium pricing
- Harder to align than the i500
The Ping i525 irons are the most forgiving player’s distance irons. It offers a larger hitting area than the previous Ping model, the i500.
These irons feel lively off the clubface, helping you to increase ball speed. That makes the i525 irons longer than the previous model.
The gains in distance also carry over to off-center strikes. These forgiving irons give you more room for error, and mishits still travel well.
Forgiveness is the biggest improvement from the previous model. But these irons also feel better, which lower handicappers will appreciate in a player’s distance iron.
Titleist T200 (Premium Option)
These powerful irons have a surprisingly good feel. The D18 tungsten weights help with the launch, while the hollow construction adds forgiveness.
- Premium irons
- Great distance
- Sleek look
- Premium feel
- Excellent launch
- Good forgiveness
- Other options are more forgiving
Titleist T200 irons are an excellent premium option when getting a player’s distance iron. Not only do you get extra distance, but you also get a premium feel.
These irons offer impressive precision in sleek irons with a thin topline. Lower handicappers will appreciate that and the minimal offset.
The T200 irons have tungsten weighting precisely placed to promote better launch characteristics. You get that added distance with the optimal launch.
They also have a hollow-body construction. When combined with the tungsten weighting, you get plenty of forgiveness in these irons.
Callaway Apex Pro (Best for Lower Handicappers)
The Callaway Apex Pro is a forged hollow-body golf iron built for low-handicap golfers. These irons combine an incredible feel with heaps of workability.
- Excellent for lower handicappers
- Impressive looks
- Amazing feel
- Great distance
- Incredible workability
- Good forgiveness
- Feedback feels harsh on poor strikes
Callaway Apex Pro irons are best for lower handicappers. These irons look impressive and deliver an excellent feel.
Consistent ball strikers will get the most from the Apex Pro. They’ll be able to work the ball left or right with ease and vary the trajectory when needed.
The forged 1025 Hollow Body construction gives players added distance. It also means these irons sound great and feel amazing on impact.
The Apex Pro irons are less forgiving than other Callaway models. But they offer plenty of forgiveness for lower handicappers.
PXG 0311 P Gen4 (Great Ball Speeds)
- High ball speeds
- Excellent all-around performance
- Impressive feel
- Forgiving
- Beautiful design
- Adjustable weighting
- Need a professional fitting to get the best setup
PXG 0311 P Gen4 irons offer great ball speeds. This player’s iron gives you excellent performance across the board.
The fast ball speeds mean increased distance when you use these irons. Sometimes that can affect the feel, but it doesn’t with these irons.
They feel phenomenal off the clubface, with pure strikes feeling soft and smooth. But that doesn’t impact the power, and the ball comes off hot.
You can expect plenty of forgiveness with these irons. Sometimes irons with such a good feel aren’t forgiving, but that’s not the case here.
These irons also look amazing and compete with some of the best-looking irons on the market. You can also get the head weighting adjusted to suit your game, but a professional fitter should do this.
What to Consider When Buying Player’s Distance Irons
When buying players’ distance irons, you should consider the feel, workability, consistency, forgiveness, and design.
Feel
You should consider the feel when buying the best player’s distance irons. Better golfers need irons with a good feel that gives them feedback.
Good players need to know what part of the clubface they struck. Irons with a good feel will give you that information.
Also, lower handicappers can appreciate the feel of a great shot better than a beginner would. Irons like the Mizuno Pro 225 offer that feel to better players.
Workability
Workability is another factor to consider when buying the best player’s distance irons. You want to be able to draw and fade the ball with ease. Also, you need the ability to change the trajectory on command.
The best player’s distance irons all offer excellent workability. Lower handicappers must hit different types of shots on the course.
They might need to draw an approach shot into a tight pin. Or they might have to hit a low punch shot into a strong wind.
The workability irons like the Callaway Apex Pro offer is perfect for lower handicappers.
Consistency
Consistency is key for better players, so you should consider it when buying player’s distance irons. You want to be accurate as a low handicapper, and consistency helps with that.
Good consistency ensures your shots will have a tight dispersion. One won’t fly too long while the other pulls up too short.
Premium irons like the Titleist T200 are always consistent. Lower handicappers can work out their dispersion, helping to improve their accuracy.
Forgiveness
You should consider forgiveness when buying the best player’s distance irons. Every golfer can use a little extra forgiveness, even the best players.
Having enough forgiveness ensures you won’t get punished too badly on off-center strikes. Not even the pros hit the sweet spot every time, so low handicappers can benefit from forgiveness.
Irons like the Ping i525 are a great option if you’re after more forgiveness. You won’t notice a big drop-off in distance when you mishit them.
Design
The design is another factor to consider when buying player’s distance irons. Some of these irons are more compact than others and have a thinner topline.
The best players generally want that sleek look. They also tend to prefer irons with less offset.
Also, many players put a lot of stock into how irons look. If that’s you, the PXG 0311 P Gen4 irons are worth a look.
FAQs
Player’s distance irons are irons that give players good distance but also have excellent feel and workability. These irons give better players the feel and workability they need and expect without sacrificing distance.
Muscle back irons offer the best workability and feel. But these irons are hard to hit and offer less distance and forgiveness.
Player’s distance irons meet in the middle and give you excellent performance as well as distance and forgiveness.
Tiger Woods hits a 7-iron around 180 yards on average. That’s much further than an average golfer.
Average golfers hit a 7-iron around 145 yards. But it depends on the golfer, and the range can be between about 125 yards and 160 yards.
Conclusion
Overall, TaylorMade P790 irons are the best player’s distance irons. These irons give you fast ball speeds, excellent consistency, and super-tight dispersion.
They feel powerful on impact while offering impressive stability for straighter shots. Also, the forgiveness is great on off-center strikes.
The Callaway Rogue ST Pro irons are a worthy runner-up for the best player’s distance irons. They give you fast ball speeds and outstanding workability.
They have a compact design that will suit the eye of many lower handicappers. These irons also give you a stable ball flight that helps in windy conditions.
