10 Best Forged Irons Tested & Reviewed (2022 Buyer’s Guide)

If you are a golfer, who has found that your game has plateaued, causing your dream of becoming a single-digit handicapper to stall, then upgrading your equipment to include forged irons is a choice that could set your game free.

Forged irons are the clubs you typically see on Sundays played by the top professionals on the PGA Tour.

Molded from a single piece of metal, forged irons are for golfers that want more from their game. Whether it be to assist in shaping shots from the fairway or improving contact, forged irons can significantly enhance the game of an experienced golfer.

Here’s our list of the ten best forged irons that could take your game to the next level.

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Last updated on 2022-11-17. The links are affiliate links. Product images are served from Amazon Product Advertising API.

10 Best Forged Irons of 2022

• Best Overall: Callaway Apex Iron Set
• Best For Low Handicappers: TaylorMade P790 Iron Set
• Alternative Option for More Distance and Accuracy: Callaway X Forged Iron
• Best Forged Iron for Overall Improvement: No products found.
• Best Forged Iron for More Distance: TaylorMade P760
• Most Forgiving Forged Irons: Cobra King Forged TEC Copper Iron
• Best Forged Irons for Mid Handicappers: Callaway Mavrik Pro Irons
• Best Looking Iron Set for Low Handicappers: TaylorMade P770
• Best One Length Forged Iron Set: Cobra King Forged One Length Iron Set
• Best Entry-Level Forged Set for Mid-Level Expert Golfer: No products found.

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If you are looking for a forged iron set that pulls out all the stops, then the Callaway Apex Iron Set are the showstopper you’ve been looking for on this list.

With these irons, Callaway wanted to break the mold of their previous models and create a new standard of forged iron and after hours of testing these clubs on the range and course, we can confidently say that they have succeeded.

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The first thing you’ll notice when handling any of the irons in TaylorMade P790 Iron Set is how solid they feel at address. This forged iron set means business and once you hit that first shot with these clubs, you’ll see what we mean as each shot is fired from the club face with incredible distance.

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One of the most accurate forged irons that we’ve ever tested, the Callaway X Forged Irons are innovative and high-performing.

Featuring a design that brings amazing control and an unbelievable feel to each shot, the Callaway X Forged irons are ready to elevate the game from the moment you get to the course.

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No products found.

The irons that are quite the hit on the PGA Tour, the No products found. are the ultimate iron for golfers who want premium control from their forged iron set.

With the classic silver finish that sparkles, the AP2 are the most expensive set on our list but they deliver the production that you fully expect from equipment with the Titleist label.

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The TaylorMade P760 is a pricey set of clubs, but for golfers entering the single-digit handicap club, this set is worth considering if in the market for an upgrade.

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A fun and exciting new forged iron set has recently dropped from Cobra as the King Forged TEC Copper Irons deliver terrific accuracy, promote high forgiveness, and generate staggering swing speed.

Slightly larger than your typical blade irons, the Copper Tec offers a hollow body construction with a fuller figure. This design makes these clubs more accessible to a larger group of golfers as mid handicappers can easily enjoy the benefits of playing with the TEC Copper.

Ideally, the Cobra King Copper is tailored to golfers that haven’t fully made it to the low handicap level, although advanced golfers will find great use from these clubs. While other forged irons offer more workability, these TEC Copper irons focus more attention on shot quality and distance, a rarity with blades.

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The Callaway Mavrik Pro Irons offer outstanding control with long distance and high playability. Although these are classified as players irons, the Mavrik Pro are accessible for mid handicappers looking to make the jump to a single-digit handicap.

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From TaylorMade comes one of the sleekest looking forged sets on the market in the P770. Preferred by professionals such as Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson, TaylorMade’s forged sets offer outstanding workability with extended distance.

Each iron in the P770 set, running from 4-iron to pitching wedge, offers a slim topline with minimal offset and a shorter blade length. While that might exclude mid handicappers from considering this set, advanced golfers who love total control, will find the P770 works from anywhere on the course.

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The Cobra King Forged One Length Iron Set offers outstanding feel and response for advanced golfers. Each iron in the set provides a muscle back shape that boosts launch for higher, softer shots that land with more spin on the green.

Each iron is the same length helping to provide a one-plane swing for each club like pros such as Bryson DeChambeau. Many golfers feel that a one-plane swing is easier to replicate over time with dramatic results such as additional length and more consistency with a tighter shot dispersion.

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No products found.

The No products found. is a dependable, sharp looking club set that is a great entry-level iron set for the golfer looking to dip their toe in the waters of forged irons.

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Testing Protocol & Criteria Used For Evaluation

Criteria 1 – Distance

When judging the quality of an iron it is crucial to understand how it affects the golfer’s baseline distance with each club. Now, this takes a little math and previous work, but every golfer should have an understanding of how far they hit their 7-iron, for example.

When testing, we want to judge the distance of the new club against the baseline average of the golfer’s usual 7-iron strikes. Questions to ask during testing include if the club goes further with less launch angle or does it lift the ball higher shortening the distance but perhaps improving accuracy

Knowing how the distance of your shots will be affected by the new clubs goes a long way in determining the set’s worth to the golfer.

Criteria 2 – Accuracy

For an iron set, in particular for a forged iron set, accuracy is everything. The point of using an iron is to shape a shot of a particular distance to either get the ball close to the hole on the green or place it perfectly in a spot for an upcoming shot.

How the club responds from an accuracy standpoint is vital in knowing if the club set will improve your overall game, because this is the point of buying new equipment.

By running the irons through testing, we are able to detect how accurate the iron is to players of all skill levels.

Criteria 3 – Feel

Although the term “feel” might be a little vague for some golfers, the way the club feels in the hands of the golfer at impact with the golf ball is a very important feature for a forged iron. Golfers love irons that respond well to their most accurate hits on the center of the clubface.

When the feel is right on an iron set, the golfer gains a better sense of confidence with their shotmaking.

On the range, we test for feel by hitting shots without using markers. By that we mean we simply hit the iron for the sake of understanding its response to being used. This is the best way to push away the noise of other testing elements and just see how the club feels when it comes into contact with the golf ball.

Criteria 4 – Durability

Durability is very important in an iron set because the clubs must be able to last throughout the years after the golfer makes the purchase. When judging durability of the club, it is wise to look at three different areas; the clubhead, the shaft and the grip.

For an iron set to get high marks from the durability category, the clubs must maintain their performance over the lifespan of the club. During testing, it is essential to notice if the repeated use of the iron shows deterioration in the physical makeup of the club or via the performance.

Criteria 5 – Value

Value can be found in multiple ways when purchasing a set of golf irons. Golfers can look for either a lower price providing savings for their wallet, or they can find clubs that will last longer providing more value via the lifespan of the set.

Another area that iron sets can provide value to the buyer is by providing more in the way of extra clubs in the set or through higher quality construction or materials in the creation of the clubs.

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Questions & Answers

An iron can be used on the tee box, in the fairway or adjoining rough, and just off the green when pitching or chipping onto the putting surface.

Golfers will use an iron on the tee box for more control. For example, say the hole ahead has fairway bunkers or an extreme dogleg. By using an iron, the golfer stays out of trouble but also provides an accurate position for their next shot.

In the fairway, irons perform the best as the low grass promotes clean contact between the clubface and the ball. The grooves on the iron then provide friction which turns into backspin, giving the golf ball a high arc that allows it to land softly on the green.

If the golfer finds themselves in the fairway rough, the shape of the iron helps push through the tall grass without twisting so the golfer can still direct the ball where they wish.

From off the green, golfers use their irons to shape shots with either a high and soft arc for pinpoint accuracy, or by using an iron with less loft to promote forward roll toward the hole.

A forged iron differs from your typical cavity-backed iron because it is made from one piece of steel. In comparison, cavity-backed irons are usually made from a mixture of composite materials with the steel that makes the clubhead lighter for improved clubhead speed.

Forged irons are thinner with smaller sweet spots on the face because they are used primarily by advanced golfers who don’t need the help of a game-improvement iron like most mid-level handicappers.

By playing with a forged iron, the golfer is given far greater control on their iron shots. This feature allows them to shape their shots with more input, rather than having irons that simply get the ball into the air and down the fairway.

Forged irons are played by some of the best golfers in the world, but they are not for everyone. Amateurs with single-digit handicaps and years of golfing experience find that forged irons give them a benefit that larger irons cannot replicate.

A great forged set gives the low handicap golfer better control and more accuracy for their shots from the fairway. The forged iron must be created with more weight in the center of the club to get this result.

Game-improvement irons place more weight around the perimeter of the club to reduce side spin and create a larger sweet spot. 

Experienced golfers don’t need this feature. Instead, they need more energy concentrated to the center of the clubface so that they can shape their shots and improve the feel of the response of the club at impact.

When shopping for a great forged iron set, it is wise to study the shape of the iron. You’ll undoubtedly find it thinner than cavity-backed irons, but the forged iron will still have a few slight features that promote a muscular look behind the face.

Ultimately, golfers looking to make the jump to forged irons must get them to the course and find if the set is right for their game. By doing your research and finding a set of forged irons from a reputable company, you’ll certainly put yourself ahead in the game of finding the perfect set of clubs for your swing. You can check out Ping’s irons. They have some of the best forged irons on the market.

There are a couple of types of irons that golfers can choose from to play the great game. First, is the forged iron made for expert-level golfers. This type of iron is thin and made to help experienced golfers create shots that they could not usually accomplish with other irons.

The next type is a cavity-backed iron that is typically referred to as game-improvement irons. The purpose of these irons is to help the amateur golfer get the ball into the air with a larger clubhead that has a broad sweet spot to reduce side spin and promote launch angle after impact.

Game-improvement irons are not built to help shape shots or allow the golfer to input spin upon the swing. They are blunter instruments that are made solely to promote better contact with the golf ball for better results than high-handicappers are used to seeing from their game.

There are two types of shafts that are used in forged irons. A golfer can choose from either a stainless steel option or a shaft made from composite materials such as graphite.

Both shafts have their own positive characteristics, but choosing the right one for a golfer, usually comes down to personal preference.

Steel shafts are typically slightly heavier than graphite. Professionals prefer steel shafts in their irons because they feel they are getting better control with the club and therefore, better accuracy from their iron shots.

Graphite shafts are lighter, so they promote better swing speed. This lighter weight option is popular among senior golfers who don’t have high-velocity swings like the pros on the PGA Tour.

Another factor that persuades amateur golfers is that graphite-shafted irons are typically more expensive than steel models.

Yes, you do hit an iron differently from other clubs. An iron is made specifically so that it can slide through taller grass and also easily enter the soil to impact the golf ball on the upper area of the clubface and into the sweet spot area.

Woods are meant to be used in a sweeping motion that promotes lift and accents the features of the clubhead for maximum ball speed. Irons are used with a swing path that is more upright in the hope of contacting the golf ball on a downward trajectory to promote compression and lift.

If you look at an iron, you’ll notice that the bottom of the club, otherwise referred to as the sole, is wide and smooth. The sole is created in such a fashion so that it can move through the grass without catching, so the iron does not twist or alter before impact. The same is true when the club moves through sand or any other impediment.

Cleaning your golf irons is very important to maintain clean contact with the golf ball at impact. Golfers want pure impact because the grooves of the irons impart backspin on the golf ball to promote stopping on the green for better accuracy.

The best rule to remember when cleaning your golf clubs is that you never want to rest or submerge the heads of your irons in standing water, whether that be in a bucket or sink.

Dipping your clubs to get them wet is completely acceptable, but leaving them in the water can cause the adhesives in the clubhead to weaken.

What you want to do when cleaning your irons is to make a lukewarm pool of water with a small amount of dishwashing liquid. After you dip the club into the mixture, take a non-abrasive brush, and clean the grooves of the clubs. Make sure to remove any impacted dirt from the grooves as this causes problems at impact if left untouched.

After you completely clean the iron, make sure to take a dry towel and wipe away any excess moisture from the clubhead.

During play on the course, always take a towel and wet the bottom half before you start. Then, after you use an iron, take the wet half and wipe away the dirt from the grooves, using a brush if necessary to lift the grime from the grooves. Then dry the clubhead and replace in your bag for its next use.

The heads of forged irons are not scratch resistant. As you play multiple rounds with the clubs, you may notice that they there are dings or slight scratches that have accumulated on the metal of the iron head.

This type of wear and tear is typical for a golfer who is playing a new set of clubs. These types of small scratches are usually insignificant to the overall playability of the forged iron.

If you somehow find that the iron has been significantly damaged, perhaps through dropping from the cart or through the club experiencing an impact to concrete or other solid material, then the iron may need to be replaced as it is no longer playable.

Stepping back and looking at the complete iron, there are shafts available made from materials that are scratch-resistant and will maintain their strength and flexibility over the life of the iron.