Best Golf Irons for Mid Handicapper: Top 8 of 2023 Tested & Reviewed

An ECHO Damping System reduces the vibration that plagues lesser iron sets. The SIM MAX OS offers a smooth feel and sound from heel to toe at impact. Golfers have compared the feel of these mid handicap irons to what forged irons deliver to professional golfers.

Also powering the face is the Progressive Inverted Cone Technology that optimizes accuracy on shots that strike the center of the face. The resulting shots produce a higher launch with longer carry and a tall arc that lands softly on the green.

An outstanding iron set, ideal for mid handicaps, the TaylorMade SIM MAX OS Irons are an absolute revelation.

TaylorMade has created a dynamic new set of mid-handicap irons that raise the stakes for mid-level golfers looking to improve their distance and launch angle.

The M4 Irons have been built to increase accuracy to help lower scores via closer entry shots into the green.

Dependable construction is at the heart of all TaylorMade products, and this attention to detail sets the M4 apart from other game-improvement irons.

With the company’s strong research and development department, TaylorMade has produced a set with the M4 irons that is a terrific experience on the golf course.

For the M4 irons, every feature utilizes TaylorMade’s patented RIBCOR technology.

Starting with the clubface, the company has introduced a variety of details that increase the areas of the game that most mid handicaps are looking to improve. The M4 brings the muscle to any golfer’s game from a longer distance, higher ball flight, and increased accuracy.

The first feature on the M4 irons is a Speed Pocket seen on the iron sole. Placed directly behind the clubface, the Speed Pocket primarily boosts ball speed. 

This feature helps shots struck on the lower half of the clubface propel forward without the punishment that lesser irons would place on the golf ball.

The second feature on the M4 that uses the RIBCOR technology is the face slots placed alongside the grooves on the clubface. 

The face slots are two vertical bars that run from the top of the clubhead to the club’s sole. The slots stiffen the clubhead but allow flexibility at the impact helping direct more energy to the golf ball.

And the final notable specification on the M4 irons is a lower center of gravity that improves launch angle. By increasing backspin, shots with these mid handicap irons fly high and land soft.

With outstanding features, the M4 irons are an excellent set for the golfer looking to leap to lower their handicap.

The shorter irons in this set also provide a high launch with a tall arc that helps golf balls land softly on the putting surface with high spin. In contrast, the long irons provide a piercing ball flight that does not sacrifice distance for accuracy.

Another interesting feature is the neutral ball flight that the SIM2 MAX Irons produce for mid handicappers. Rather than carry a draw bias, these irons offer a straight shot pattern, making them accessible for advanced golfers who prefer workability with their clubs rather than carry a draw bias.

Game-improvement irons can vary wildly in quality, but with the SIM2 MAX, mid handicappers will find reliability and consistency rarely matched by its competitors. These irons deliver first-rate performance with higher accuracy and soft shot-stopping power from within 150 yards of the pin.

Everything about the design of these irons has been crafted to increase launch and extend length, and in that regard, the SIM2 MAX irons are marvelously successful.

Great for mid handicappers, the TaylorMade SIM2 MAX irons provide the feel and workability of forged irons with far easier accessibility for an affordable price.

Although these would be considered game-improvement irons, they perform beyond that moniker. Bottom line is, these mid handicap irons will improve your length on entry shots into the green. And if you are in the market for clubs to help your swing speed, these are an excellent option.

Perhaps our biggest complaint about the X-Hot Iron Set is the lack of ability to grow with them as your skills improve. If you are a lower-end mid handicapper, the X-Hot set will help you find the consistency lacking in your iron play.

But once you feel comfortable and begin to see a difference, you’ll want to learn how to shape shots and that is something that the X-Hot cannot do with regularity.

These mid handicap irons are an upgrade if you are playing with older clubs that give you middling results. Great for distance, even better for accuracy, the Callaway X-Hot set is a winner.

The M2 iron set is one of the best mid handicap irons due to its innovative approach and enhanced technology.

What TaylorMade set out to do with the M2 irons is help mid-handicaps with the accuracy of their shots. They attacked this common problem with the invention of Face Slot technology. 

What Face Slots do on an M2 iron is very important because it assists in keeping the ball headed toward the target. More specifically, these redesigned Face Slots maintain ball speed on off-center shots so that your shot doesn’t fall victim to elements such as wind or that dreaded sidespin that causes slices or hooks.

Another alteration the company made with the M2 is relocating the center of gravity by moving weight lower behind the clubface. Simply put, a lower center of gravity forces the ball higher into the air. For mid-handicaps, by moving the weight lower, the M2 guarantees that golfers will get the maximum distance, height, and backspin when using the golf irons.

TaylorMade has also given more attention to how the M2 irons react when interacting with the turf behind the golf ball. Irons react differently when then cut into the grass on the downswing, but what the M2 irons do is smoothly glide through the divot to enable clean contact with the golf ball. 

This clean contact is created through a unique design along the sole of all M2 irons. As a result, the M2 irons smoothly move through the turf and focus maximum clubhead speed onto the golf ball, where it belongs.

By utilizing cutting-edge technology, the M2 irons are a terrific option for mid-handicaps. With increased clubhead speed and maximum forgiveness, the M2 irons will help bridge the gap until your handicap reaches single digits.

The center of gravity (CG) placement is moved further backward than your usual golf irons, achieved with a rounder rear edge on the sole. 

This CG placement allows an easier time lifting the ball and offers more forgiveness. This rounded edge is a little noticeable from 4-iron and above, but shouldn’t be a major compromise to the design.

While the Cup Face is missing in the 8-iron all the way to the included wedges, it is replaced by an especially engineered faceplate that feels just as good, giving you a consistent feel throughout the set.

All clubs in the set have beautiful chrome and matte satin finish that is very beautiful and expensive-looking, as you can expect from a Callaway club set. 

Regarding looks, the Callaway Apex CF16 Iron Set is simply one of the most beautiful club sets available.

The Apex clubs are always famous for their sound and feel, and they are retained in the Apex CF16. 

All the clubs in the set are very responsive with sharp, pleasing sounds. Even among forged irons, the Apex CF16 clubs are some of the best in this category.

Regarding forgiveness, the Apex CF16 is more forgiving than out-and-out blade irons. The club faces are relatively small, especially with the shorter golf irons. 

Therefore, the Apex CF16 set is more suited for better mid-handicaps that are more consistent with their shots. The set will reward consistent players in feel, distance, and shot-shaping ability.

The standard shaft for the set is the lightweight True Temper XP95 steel shaft. It feels very solid with excellent feedback and is well-suited with the forged club heads.

The Callaway Apex CF16 Iron Set is a very high quality iron set, as expected from both the Callaway and Apex brands.

It is excellent in feel, sound, looks, and performance both in distance and shot-shaping ability. The multi-material forged heads are rewarding, especially for mid-handicap players that can produce consistent well-struck shots.

It is not the most affordable set available, but the excellent quality justifies the price. The relative lack of forgiveness can be a downside, making the Apex CF16 Set more suited for better mid-handicaps with a handicap of 15 and below.

Unlike super game-improvement irons, these Mavrik sets allow for workability, meaning you can move the ball easily from side to side. While mid handicappers are still focused on creating consistency in their games, you’ll find that each iron in this set provides an excellent base for learning how to craft draws and fades into the green.

The Mavrik irons shine from the fairway and the rough when it comes to forgiveness. The irons maintain shape and speed along your intended target line on off-center strikes. During our time with the irons, we were amazed by the lack of sidespin on shots that impacted the toe of the club.

Judging distance with the Mavrik was also simple, with our shots averaging over 5-7 yards longer than our average with our current set. If you are making the switch, you need to adjust your yardage book to take into account the new distance readings, which in all honesty, is a great problem to have if you are a mid handicap golfer.

In our estimation, we adored the Mavrik irons from Callaway as they offered more length, better accuracy, and the reliability that mid handicappers need from their irons.

The space behind the forged part is hollow, filled with 4 grams of foam, dubbed the SpeedFoam, and is screwed in the toe. 

The SpeedFoam expands to four times its standard size inside the space, supporting the very thin forged face only 1.75 mm thick. 

The key highlights of the TaylorMade P790 Iron Set are speed and distance, which is typical of TaylorMade. They offer more forgiveness and distance over the P770 collection.

It does offer proper forgiveness level for players around 12 to 20 handicaps, and they are really good looking clubs. In short, the P790 set is one of the best choices available on the market for mid-handicappers.

With the hollow design, there is a compromise on sound and feel. With the ‘muted’ feel, the P790 set sometimes lacks consistency due to a lack of response. Still, an excellent iron set especially if distance is your priority.