Golf is not an easy game for anyone. For a beginning golfer it can be especially frustrating.
There’s so much to learn.
Hitting iron shots can be especially difficult for most beginning golfers. There are a few reasons for this. The ball is typically sitting on the ground, not on a tee. Also, the head of an iron is smaller and has less mass than that of a driver or a fairway metal.
One of the best ways to make the game easier and more enjoyable for any golfer, but especially for a beginner, is to purchase a forgiving set of irons, the best irons for beginners !
Let’s look at some of the most forgiving sets of irons currently on the market that will help a beginner play better golf!
Top 5 Best Irons for Beginners on the Market
1. Callaway Mavrik Max
Callaway Mavrik Max irons are designed to help the beginning and average golfer easily get the ball in the air. The focus is on ball speed and launch angle in the long irons, ball speed and spin in the mid irons, and spin and launch angle in the short irons.
Callaway uses Artificial Intelligence as part of its design process to design a head that produces fast ball speeds and is also very forgiving on mishits.
The Mavrik Max has what the company call a “flash cupface: that reduces loss of ball speed on off center hits. The irons also include a tungsten energy core and urethane microspheres to give the club a great feel.
The face of each club in the set has a unique design so that it flexes in the correct spot.
Callaway has gone against the trend of stronger lofts in irons designed for average golfers, instead realizing that most need help getting the ball airborne. This decision is one that beginning golfers are sure to appreciate as they play with the Callaway Mavrik Max irons.
2. Cobra F-Max Airspeed
Cobra F-Max Airspeed game improvement irons are a great fit for the beginning golfer. Most beginners haven’t developed the skills and experience to develop high swing speeds. The F-Max Airspeed irons are lighter than normal, making it easier to swing the club faster, creating higher ball speeds with increased trajectory.
Every aspect of the F-Max Airspeed irons is lighter. Cobra is even using unpainted shafts with a clearcoat finish and lightweight grips. The center of gravity is very low, as well, making getting the ball airborne a much easier task.
Cobra is offering multiple iron set options in the F-Max Airspeed line, as well as complete package sets which include a cart bag, driver, fairway woods, and hybrids. The package set is a great option for beginning golfers.
3. Wilson Launch Pad
Wilson Launch Pad is another great iron set option for beginning and high-handicap golfers. The design is a hollow, hybrid construction throughout the set with wide soles. The idea behind that design is to minimize the effect when the ground is scuffed, or the ball is hit fat.
Wilson is attempting to eliminate the “Big Miss”, and they’ve done a really good job of that.
“We’re trying to almost give people the sensation that they are hitting off a mat. Almost skipping the club into the ball a little bit,” says Bob Thurman, Wilson’s VP of Research and Development.
The extra wide sole has accomplished just that. Much of the weight has also been moved to the heel of the club, combatting the dreaded slice that challenges many beginning players.
The Wilson Launch Pad irons have a light D-0 swing weight for faster clubhead speed and a very thin face to help increase ball speed.
The hybrid look is not for everyone, but the Wilson Launch Pad iron set is a very good option for beginning golfers and anyone looking to reduce the effect of very poorly struck shots.
4. Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220h
The Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220h uses a hybrid, hollow body design to maximize forgiveness for beginning golfer. The iron set, made of 17-4 steel, uses perimeter weighting and a wide sole to maintain high ball speeds and get the ball in the air relatively easily.
The set is another example of a company using the technology they’ve been using in their metal woods and moving that over to the irons. Cupface technology is used to keep the face thin and forgiving from heel to toe as well as low on the face.
Once again, Tour Edge has delivered with a club that is both forgiving and built for distance – two things that most beginning golfers need.
5. TaylorMade SIM Max OS
TaylorMade SIM Max OS OS irons offer beginning and high-handicap golfers a club that looks somewhat traditional but is still packed with plenty of forgiving technology. The clubhead is oversized and the sole is relatively wide, both forgiving features, but the shape of the head is pleasant to look at when addressing the ball. TaylorMade is known for their speed slots, and they are present on the sole of the SIM Max OS iron set.
The clubface is very thin and flexible, maximizing ball speed. A bar that TaylorMade calls the “speed bridge” runs diagonally across the cavity of the club from the toe to the top of the club to reinforce the thin face. None of that technology can be seen at address, however. If you’re a beginning golfer who needs a forgiving club, but also like a traditional look, the TaylorMade SIM Max OS is a good solution.
What are Irons used for?
Let’s cover the basics.
Golf is a beautiful and sophisticated game, and before we define what irons are, we cannot go any further.
Irons are a type of golf clubs used to drive the ball towards the hole when you are under 200 yards from the green. In comparison to woods, they have smaller clubheads and shorter shafts. Their heads are large, flat, made of steel or iron with angled face and grooves.
When you purchase a standard club set, you will typically get seven irons and one pitching
wedge. The irons are marked by numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 which corresponds with the angle of the club face.
The higher irons are simpler to use, which is why beginners love them. In general, the closer you move to the green, the higher numbered club you should use.
What to Look for When Picking the Best Irons for Beginners?
As a beginner, you probably have no clue how to select any club for yourself, and the things get even more complicated when someone tells you, you should look for irons.
Okay, now you know what irons are, what they look like and what is their central role, but how to tell if they are going to be forgiving enough?
To achieve better height, speed, and distance as a beginner, these are the few key features you should look for:
Shaft Material
The most important factor you should take into account, yet often overlooked by beginners is the shaft material.
There are a few things you should ask yourself before buying your brand-new set irons:
- What length are the shafts?
- What are the shafts made of?
- Is the shaft regular or stiff?
All of these aspects will affect the forgiveness of your iron set and therefore your game.
Forgiving iron should help you send your ball in the right direction, even if you don’t hit it very well or precise.
You should be aiming for maximum possible distance and trajectory. To achieve this, you should look for lightweight shafts.
Lightweight shaft gives you the opportunity to send the ball further, even though you might lack the power in your swing speed, which is a common case among beginners.
So, you can choose between graphite and steel shafts.
If you don’t think your swing is powerful enough, graphite shafts are a better choice for you. On the other hand, if you do have substantial power behind your swing, look for steel.
If you have a chance, test out the irons that have each material. This will give you the opportunity to determine which one suits your needs and preferences better.
The best move you can make in this situation is going to the golf shop or pro shop and getting your swing speed measured. This way, you’ll know which one to pick, stiff or more flexible shaft.
Stiff shafts will match the needs of golfers who have fast swings (100 mph and higher), regular flex shafts will be ideal for moderate swing speed (85-100 mph) while the flexible shafts will suit slower players (85 mph and lower).
At last, the length of the shaft (and the club in general) also plays a significant role in your decision. Longer shafts will get you in a position where your hands are far away from the ball. To fix this, you must find the clubs that are suited to your height. This will improve your game drastically.
Club Head
When you are a beginner in the world of golf, bigger means better, especially when it comes to the size of a club head. If the face of the club is bigger, you will have less trouble striking the ball.
In the process of your training, while you learn how to use the right angle and connect the ball with the club correctly, head that has a wide surface area will be helpful.
As you develop your skills and your shots become more consistent, you will change irons. For
now, stick with the wide-headed ones. This will help you transfer maximum power from swing to ball.
Centre of Gravity
As you start your search for the best irons for beginners, you should know that high-quality, forgiving clubs need to have the center of gravity (COG) in the right place. Adequately weighted iron has the potential to increase the power and the accuracy of your shots.
Irons that are specifically designed to help beginners and high-handicappers improve their game usually have a larger “sweet spot.” These clubs (also known as cavity-back irons) don’t have weight concentrated in the center of the head but evenly distributed all around the clubface.
Such design gives players a chance to hit the ball with more force, even if their shot is off-center, preventing the ball to just roll in the wrong direction.
Another advantage of these irons are their large and rounded soles, which can save you from digging into the turf and chunking the ball.
If you find clubs that have a lower center of gravity, that would be ideal, because it will help you launch shots into the air with ease.
Now that you know what to look for in irons for beginners and how to find the one that will suit all of your needs, we can proceed and get familiar with the best forgiving iron sets for beginners on the market.
Conclusion
Now that you know what irons are, how to determine if iron is forgiving and which are the best irons for beginners on the market, your job is quite easy.
You just have to pick one, get out on the course and train.
All beginning golfers will need some level of help from a technologically sophisticated set of irons. Getting off the tee successfully is always important, but so are iron shots into the green. On those shots, all golfers will have to navigate varying stances and lies. These factors make hitting iron shots especially difficult for most beginning golfers.
You’re sure to enjoy the game of golf more with a set of forgiving irons. Make sure also to go through a fitting process. A qualified club fitter will be able to assist you with choosing not just the right club, but also the correct shaft.
Golf is hard. It’s especially hard for a beginner. Make it easier and more enjoyable by starting with a forgiving set of irons, your best irons for beginners !
May your handicap be low and your hits precise!
Relate articles:
Longestshotclub
Marie J. Lundberg says
These clubs are just awesome. I love Men’s Rogue X Combo Set. Tks for straigh review
Dustin V. Osborne says
Helpful info.