2020 Best Players Distance Irons

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It’s that question we get every year: Is the new stuff really better than last year’s stuff? The answer is a without hesitation “yes.” That said, if you bought a new driver or set of irons or wedges or putter last year, it might not be instantly recognizable. Fact is, seismic shifts in golf equipment are few, the result of the fact that pretty much everything the past few years has been pretty dang excellent. However if you haven’t upgraded your clubs in four or five years or—heaven help you, longer—the chances of you seeing significant improvement is strong.

Golfers are getting better and equipment technology is the reason. That might manifest itself in better scores or a lower handicap. It might be in the form of more quality shots more often. Or it might come from a less-skilled player getting more enjoyment from the game because they are finally getting the ball in the air and moving it down the fairway. If you haven’t changed your clubs in several years we know the reasons. “I’m not good enough” or “None of that equipment helps average golfers all that much.” Then there’s the one we dislike the most, “I’m doing just fine with what I’ve got.” Unfortunately, not really. We’ve learned over the years that equipment is designed to help average players more than tour players, and the designs today are aimed at helping the mis-hit more than the Sunday punch. In other words, the game can be made easier. Not easy, but easier. And who doesn’t want that, especially when a case can be made that it’s happening across every section of your bag.

The fastest growing segment of the iron business—it’s expanded ten-fold in the last decade—has broad appeal because it accomplishes what every golfer wants most: extra distance and higher flight in a shape that’s as sexy sleek as any player’s blade. These latest models offer us shining examples of that delicate but successful dance between the flame-throwing horsepower of high-strength steel faces that flex more as they wrap around the sole and or topline, and the mysterious cushioning compounds and structural supports that trick these fast-faced designs into providing the buttery feedback of old-school, one-piece forgings.