5 Best Golf Irons For Mid Handicappers To Improve Your Game

Do you know as per the USGA statistics, roughly 40% of the golf community is considered mid handicappers. The golfers those who tend to carry a single-digit handicap make-up 35% of the golfing arena.

Be it during a casual or tournament play, the handicaps are established for equitable matches and this implies to any pair of golfers.

Purchasing the best golf irons for mid handicappers will let you augment your strengths on the course and thereby minimize your weak areas too.

In simple terms the irons generally fall into two major categories:

1. Game Improvement Irons

2. Players Irons

As some of the golfers make a mistake to pick a players club, when the Golf improvement irons are a better offering.

The players irons are designed by the manufacturers keeping in mind both the low and the high handicap where mid handicap irons are more forgiving. Along with the forgiveness aspect the irons need cover a decent difference with accuracy.

The levels and skills are different and so are the requirements, hence we have some of the best golf irons for mid handicappers.

Callaway has come up with their new face cup iron which has been a huge improvement over their previous generations. They have taken their face cup and internal standing wave from their woods and placed it into their XR irons, but making the design so that they look like regular irons while actually being mid handicap irons.

5 Top Most Forgiving Irons of All Time – A Quick Look-up

The 5 Best Golf Irons For Mid Handicapper Reviewed

1. Most Forgiving Callaway Irons Men’s XR

Features Of Cleveland Golf Men’s Black 2015 Iron

Technology: Callaway has taken the technology that they have in the fairway woods and hybrids and have brought it into their mid handicap irons. This primarily involves adding their Cup 360 technology, which is almost like a spring, which helps to provide extra power with shots that have a small impact on the face. Comparing this with original irons, the model that Callaway has come up with help to boost ball speed to increase the distance the ball travels from balls hit anywhere on the face.

When the club comes into contact with the ball, it is easy to tell that Callaway has put a lot of time and effort into making sure that these club sets deliver. Hitting the ball directly in the center of the face on these you can certainly tell that they have taken a lot from their fairway woods and hybrids.

Design: Looking at the Callaway XR irons, they have always looked great throughout their lifetime and they will only continue to get better. They have always appealed to many people in terms of their style and looks. They help to provide confidence to golfers without looking overly large and stupid. There is a combination which Callaway have managed to master, that being a large face without looking overly large causing many golfers to be off-put. The top edge is the thickest side with a rounded shape and the overall look appeals to many.

The cavity backs on these clubs are fairly modest, even the badge on the back. Both sets of mid handicap irons have narrow sole widths, comparing this to the XR models, the pro models have a slightly thinner top line.

Weight: The center of gravity on these mid handicap irons has been lowered, the way they have achieved this is by having a weighted head. This helps make the set more forgiving than in previous models. The way they have set up the weight allows for the face to have the freedom to flex, this will, therefore, help to increase the distance in shots even when the ball is not hit directly on the face.

Conclusion:

There is a lot of thought which has gone into the design of this best iron sets for mid handicap golfers and it can be seen. Callaway has made a great effort into providing an iron set which will help to keep the ball airborne for longer and allow for it to be there longer than the average club would allow. The look at the foot of the club gives confidence and reassurance that this club offers plenty of help in assisting you to produce some truly great shots.

If you are looking for the ideal super game improvement irons then this club would be the perfect choice for you. The club has been set out to help you grow confidence in your game and help you on your way to becoming a professional ( If that’s your aim ).

2. Cleveland Golf Men’s Max Game Improvement Irons

Features Of Cleveland Golf Men’s Black 2015 Iron

Technology: The Cleveland Golf Men’s Black 2015 Iron has increased the COR area by 20%. This helps to give the club more consistency, especially when trying to hit the ball dead center on the face, unlike other clubs the Cleveland Black Mid Handicap Iron gives more forgiveness if you don’t hit dead center.

Increasing the length of the CG Black clubs wouldn’t do much if they weren’t more accurate and consistent also. The thin, high-strength steel face helps in creating a larger area to give the maximum ball speed achievable.

Design: When it comes to the design of the CG black iron, Cleveland Golf has really considered how the club should feel and function. With a larger COR area and Zip Grooves, these all help the club not only look great but help improve the game of any golfer. The Zip Grooves work great on the shorter clubs as they make it possible to get a large amount of spin with minimal effort.

Weight: The overall weight of these mid handicap irons has been reduced to give the club a lightweight feel. This helps when it comes to your swing and gaining the most power out of it. Although the club is lightweight, it doesn’t affect the power that it can place into the ball from a strong swing, unlike other lightweight clubs the head has been weight to produce a lower center of gravity. This means that you can feel exactly where you are placing the head on the ball helping to give you a more consistent shot each time.

Conclusion:

Looking at this club and the way it handles, you can tell that it is made for the mid handicap golfers who are looking to regain the distance they have lost over the years. Not only this, but the club will also suit anyone who is looking to hit further with their irons. With the club being able to produce a high amount of launch, it means that lofts can be made stronger and allows for the shafts to be made longer.

The high-quality finish of the club makes it look great overall and it is possible to produce a lot of spin on the shorter clubs due to the Zip Grooves that Cleveland Golf has added in. The face of the Ti club helps to produce a high power feeling without the ball shooting from the face with such high power.

3. Taylormade Regular Or Stiff Shaft Irons Men’s Rsi1

This is similar to the Speed Pocket slots which are found on the sole of the club which help for low center strikes.

Many people have commented on the feel whilst putting them to the test and that they were consistently hitting balls with good flight and distance, regardless of where they hit the ball on the face.

Conclusion:

The TaylorMade RSi mid handicap golf Iron is definitely going in the right direction. With the overall distance being improved overall and the design is changed to help improve the consistency of hits much more than in previous models it is possible to see why many people love this set.

These mid handicap irons will give you more consistency after each shot which will lead you to increase your overall scoring ability which is always a good thing.

4. Callaway Big Bertha Most Forgiving Irons Ever

This is due to them adding in their 360 Face Cup, which usually has the weld line down the face, but with the extended club, they are able to have it behind the face.

This helps to increase the speed at which the club can send the ball, due to the face being able to thin across a larger surface area. Many people have commented on the impact feeling great and the sound is good even though this is a hollow iron. With Callaway mainly known for the woods, it is good to see that they have managed to carry this across to their irons also.

Features Of Callaway Men’s Big Bertha Iron Set

Technology: In order to make the club more forgiving, Callaway has bought over the technology they use in their woods. This being the ridge of metal found inside the sole which helps to raise the center of gravity, in a way which helps to bring the club low and forward. The overall head size of the club is very generous and can help to be more forgiving when you don’t hit dead center. If you are familiar with the big bertha irons in previous generations then you will be able to see visual similarities.

Design: Looking at the different generations of the Big Bertha, it is clear to see some visual similarities between them. With the increased head width you can see that Callaway has tried to make the clubs as forgiving as possible. There is a fairly large offset and the top line is on the wider side, but this still manages to make it look playable. As you go down the set you will see that the heads get progressively shorter.

Callaway says that they are designing their mid handicap irons to allow for more distance and better forgiveness. The big Bertha they have produced does allow for a flight that is medium to high without ballooning.

Weight: The weight of the Big Bertha Iron is lightweight with a weighted head. This allows for a better impact and control over your swing. Which means that this club not only improves your game but it also helps to provide you with a great swing to help send the ball a long distance.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Callaway has certainly made some great improvements to the Big Bertha club. The first thing that is instantly noticeable is the strike and the feel of the club overall. The big Bertha overall is a fantastic game improvement iron and should definitely be on the buyer list of any high-handicapped player. Not only these players will benefit from using this iron set as some mid to low handicappers would still see huge benefits from using these clubs.

If you are someone who wants more forgiveness in your clubs as well as being able to be more consistent with your shots, then look no further! Not to mention, if you are wanting to increase your distance from your irons and are looking to reap the benefits of having irons that use the latest technologies then the Callaway Big Bertha Iron set is definitely for you.

5. TaylorMade Men’s M2 Golf Iron Set

The performance of these clubs went down a storm and now the 2017 M2 irons are now available to purchase. Using the same logic as their last set but combining them with the proven face slots which first appeared in their RSi irons a few years back. But the main reason that they have produced these 2017 editions is their quest to lower their center of gravity as the faces were already topped out at the legal limit, with speed not being an issue.

Features Of TaylorMade Men’s M2 Golf Iron Set

Technology: The face slots on these irons help with forgiveness on the face, which means that they reduce the loss of ball speed when you don’t hit it in the center of the face. The face profile of the clubs has also been made smaller in order to reduce the amount of material which is impacting the ball. All of these changes have meant that the center of gravity of the clubs has been reduced by 1.2mm which isn’t a lot but it is around a 7% decrease which is much more significant. The Speed Pocket that features on the 4 to 7 irons have been made thinner as well as being 20% taller to help get the most out of the ball speeds across the face and not just on center hits.

Design: The overall design of the set is rather appealing on the eye. You can see just from looking at the club that it is forgiving which helps to give you some confidence when hitting the ball. It has been designed to give more forgiveness and a more accurate hit, using lightweight materials to give you a better swing motion, unlike the other weighted clubs available.

To improve the sound, there has been some face slots added which can be seen more clearly on the 4 to 8 irons, these gave more of a hollow sound in previous generations but in the 2017 M2 irons this sound has been reduced to a minimum, but it can still faintly be heard. The improvement of the sound is due to the ribs which go across the back of the cavity, from the synthetic badge right up to the underside of the top edge.

Weight: Due to the weighted head, the club has a more accurate feel. The shaft is made from lightweight materials that don’t impact your swing and also helps you to have more of an accurate swing. This matched with the more forgiving head design makes for an overall improvement in your game.

Conclusion:

Our overall view of these irons is that they go down extremely well with improving golfers, who are looking for more distance and that will give more forgiveness in their iron shots. You are likely to have some considerable distance gains when you come to use this set, after using your old iron set for a considerable number of years. This will mean that they will take a bit of getting used to but shouldn’t take you too long to do so.

What Are The Features That Make GI (Game Improvement) Irons More Forgiving?

The GI irons are more forgiving due to their different and unique features than the other types of irons or drivers. And these clubs incorporate all those and become an ideal choice for high handicappers.

Oversize Heads

GI irons possess heads that from toe to heel are longer in length. And from sole to the top-line they are higher in depth. Do you know these large heads serve a lot of purposes?

Firstly, the user is instilled with a sense of immense confidence as he carries a perception that it will be extremely easier to hit.

“Moment of Inertia”, that is again very important as this term relates to the ability to restrict the amount of twisting. This may happen, when the clubs twist while a ball is stuck somewhere other than the sweet spot.

The extra surface works to increase distance. In simple terms:

Greater MOI = less twisting = increased distance.

Cavity Back And Perimeter Weighting

If we talk about the clubface, the sweet spot is fairly small. Hitting that spot every time is only a best player’s job. Others may tend to hit the sweet spot occasionally but may often miss it slightly.

The newly designed clubs have been made with innovation by the club designers with a sweet spot that’s a little bigger. This benefits the hitters to hit more frequently and with some ease.

This is done by removing the metal from the clubhead and then repositioning it around the perimeter for a weight balance.

A ‘cavity back’ is the result of weight removed from the back of the club. ‘Perimeter Weighting’ is provided by the material distribution around the club head border. This is a great forgiveness feature that benefits the golfers.

Lower Center of Gravity (CG)

The secret to optimizing distance is the production of a high launch angle on your shots. There are very robust players that may not need a feature like this to increase their shot trajectory as their fast swing-speeds deliver natural force for ball lifts.

But the ones that have a slower swing-speed will need some help to launch the ball higher. This help can be termed as a lower center of gravity that your club head should have.

The club designers add more mass on the club head bottom which serves the motive of making the ball fly on a higher trajectory.

Increased Offset

The offset further explains placement of the leading edge of the club face that’s back from the club’s neck or hosel. In front of the clubface the shaft appears and this another way to think of an offset.

This assures benefit as the club face is behind the shaft and this gives the time to the golfers for down swinging to rotate the clubface back. This lets you reach back at the ball in a square-position.

The golfer may slice the ball, but this is reduced by a square clubface.

Knowing The GI Category First Is Extremely Important?

Those of you who want to have some help with your shots, then these irons are certainly designed to one-up your game. These have special features to make it possible.

But this doesn’t mean that the professional or the expert players on the golf course don’t make use of these clubs.

Needless to mention, even the seasoned players need a set of game improvement irons. The professional golfers can use these to master their stances and learn new techniques.

These types of irons are extraordinarily forgiving and help you deliver successful hits, even when you are not hitting the sweet-spots.

You get extra launch angle, a more flexible shaft for maximised swing-speed with the large sweet spot and ideal center of gravity.

Why And Who Should Get One?

Don’t confuse it with one thing, that getting GI irons means you don’t know or can’t play the game of golf, but it just makes your game better.

In nutshell it makes you learn something new. These can also be considered as the best super game improvement irons.

These irons make you discover where you are wrong with your shots and need corrections.

After knowing about your errors, you can switch to the standard irons for fixing them.

Is It Easier To Hit The Game Improvement Irons?

Be it 19th hole, equipment shop, or a golf forum, you will usually find the golfers having the discussion about what kind of irons should be used? So, this is further added with comments such as, everyone needs a forgiving iron or a driver.

There are certain myths related to this we have tried to resolve:

Myth 1 – Golfers who can play blades can play anything.

Myth 2 – More consistent distance is provided by GI irons.

Myth 3 – GI irons are straighter.

Myth 4 – On pure strikes blades produce better results.

Myth 1 is Inconclusive

It is a conventional wisdom that you can play any iron, if you can hit a blade. But our testing didn’t show this in the short term.

According to our test, we found out that SGI irons were hit poorly as compared to the blade hit (this was done well) , and this pattern was found for all the players.

Myth 2 is Plausible

Feasibly though, we can say that a player who is skilled for a blade hit may get well-adjusted with SGI irons over time.

Though it is not a confirmation but game improvement irons deliver more consistent distance as compared to blades. The smash factor is concerned with this and out of our seven testers, only one had the tightest distance dispersion. The yardage between the shortest and the longest shots with the blade iron is the dispersion.

Myth 3 Is A Confirmed One

Short for Pounds per square inch, the PSI determines how strong the water jet will be when it gets out of the cleaner. The stronger the waterjet, the more it will handle the difficult stains.

Myth 4 Is Busted

Our data nowhere supports that as compared to the SGI irons or cavity back irons, blade irons perform better on pure strikes. Longest shot was not delivered by any of the players in our group using a blade. Hence, the blade irons aren’t better on centred-strikes.

What Are The Most Forgiving Irons In Golf To Buy & How Many?

There are a huge number of people who ask this question and there are several different ways of answering it. Due to the fact that there are many options when it comes to deciding exactly which clubs to buy.

The most common in a set of irons is usually from a 4 iron right up to a pitching wedge. More experienced players usually buy 3 to 9 irons which will leave enough room to add in their specialist best game improvement golf wedges. Players who are just starting out or those of older age will often decide to choose a 5 iron to sand wedge, will leave plenty of room for utility clubs and fairway woods.

Best Forged Game Improvement Irons That Went Popular This Year 2022

• Muscle Back Golf Iron

Muscle back golf irons are usually found to be for the higher end player who has the most game time and the lowest handicap. Due to the thin face and thin top, these blade irons have a “sweet spot” which is usually located right at the center of the face and helps to give an increased ball speed and distance. Having this smaller hitting area means that for mishits the club isn’t ideal and wouldn’t be recommended for anyone who is looking to improve their game or is just starting out, these clubs are ideal for anyone who has a great swing and a high accuracy.

• Cavity Back Golf Irons

Cavity back irons are designed with mid to high handicap players in mind. The reason for this is that they have a weight which is spread more evenly across the clubhead which means that the club has more forgiveness on mishits. This weight distribution helps to give the inexperienced player a more consistent distance and hit rate than if they were to use a muscle back iron. Most of the cavity back irons will have a thin clubface which helps to keep off-center shots flying straight and with a greater distance than if you were to off-center hit with a blade iron.

Feature To Look For Best Golf Irons For Mid Handicappers & Beginners

• Various Shafts & Their Uses

It is important to do your research about the materials used in shafts, as they will have different feels and it is important that you get the right material for your game.

• Fit To Size

Having a club that is fit to your size, makes for better overall gaming experience and is definitely something that you should consider when you come to purchase. Although, having your clubs fit size is usually more expensive and only suits to Professionals Golfers with advanced Competitive Level. Amateurs Golfers, as well as mid-handicappers, can do well with any of the products reviewed above.

• Headsize

This is usually down to experience and personal preference, beginners, and mid-handicap players may want to go for bigger head size, this will give more forgiveness and allow for off-center shops to have more distance and a straighter flight. More experienced players will usually go for smaller head size with a “sweet spot” in the center of the face.

• Game Level

Knowing the level of your game is extremely important when it comes to selecting your iron set, as this will greatly decide which irons you choose to have in your bag.

• Understanding About Needs

Making sure that you know exactly what you need before making your purchase is important, as getting irons based on the reviews alone will not be good for your game. People have different opinions, levels of game and heights, so make sure you choose those irons which meet your personal needs.

• Cast Iron Or Forged Iron

Again this comes down to personal preference and budget. Cast iron clubs are usually used by around 90% of golfers due to them being mass-produced and the cheaper option. But, if you have a higher budget then you may want to consider forged iron.

Conclusion

The evolution of golf equipment technology has affected the irons more than any other club used in the game. The arrival of hybrids has been a game-changer for most golfers and there is usually a bigger range of clubs in their bag now than there would have been a few years back. Professional still pronominally use muscle back ( blade ) irons but those who have a high handicap use cavity back irons mainly. All of the products reviewed above well qualify to be among the best golf irons to choose from.

 Q1. Who are mid-handicapper players?

Ans: Though, there isn’t any particular definition for mid-handicappers or even low or high handicappers. But usually, golfers believe that a mid-handicapper is the one having an index of 11 to 20. Over 40% of golfers, according to USGA stats are mid-handicappers. They are aided with more forgiveness from clubs. 

Q2. When should mid-handicappers buy an iron set?

Ans: Mid-handicappers required to look for an iron set with a balance between low handicappers and high-handicappers. Low handicappers want more playability whereas high handicappers desire irons with more forgiveness. As mid-handicappers index between 11 to 20, they should look for an iron set when they cross 20 index barrier.

Q3. What should be the width of the sole on my irons?

Ans: The sole on irons must be wider than their largest finger. This is because a wider soles boost forgiveness. This also helps to keep the ball on focus and support the ball for getting into the air. Wider sole clubs are better irons and help in the game improvement. Moreover, it gives a bounce off to the club for the smooth landing of the ball without letting it slice through dirt or grass.

Q4. What should I choose for irons – steel or graphite shafts?

Ans: Most of the mid-handicappers prefer to have graphite shafts due to their lighter weight as compared to steel shafts. And the clubs having lightweight tends to increase the speed of swing. Steel shafts are preferred by professional golfers as they are experienced and do not need to worry about the weight and swing speed. Steel has a good impact and less twisting as compared to graphite shafts. Also, steel shafts are inexpensive.