2024 has been a breakout year with many options of irons for the modern day golfer to choose from.

Today I will be reviewing and ranking the top irons in the industry. For fair and equal measure, I will be ranking the players irons from each of the top companies, players irons are for the more experienced golfer, that provide versatility and ability for a golfer to shape their shot easier to play a draw or a fade.

I have recently tested, reviewed, and ran diagnostics on what iron is the best including many specifications: How the club looks, feels off the face, spin rate, price, and dispersion. The five irons I will be ranking in descending order today are Ping, Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade, and Mizuno.

The first iron on the list and in the 5th spot I have is the Callaway apex pro. The Callaway apex offers a hollow body construction and pairs its forged face with a forged 1025 carbon steel body. This iron seemed to have a high amount of spin which can be good in some measures but with the cost of losing some distance. So for those who like a high spin iron, I would recommend giving this a shot.

Current golfer on the Sartell golf team senior Joey Sonaglia shares his thoughts on the apex, “I like the feel and weight of the head along with the soft feel they have when striking the ball.”

Slightly smaller than all the other irons on the list, the apex pro has a unique rounded look on the toe and delivers a crisp hollow feel when struck off the face. The apex also is on the high side for price costing $1500 for the set, which is why its at the bottom of the list for me

Coming in 4th on the list is the TaylorMade P-7MC. The P-7MC is a players iron and is the middle ground iron between a full blade such as the Taylormade Tiger Woods iron and a natural cavity back iron. The P-7MC offers little offset and perimeter weighting, delivering precision and control through each stroke.

Sartell alumni and former captain of the Sartell golf team Lucas Greenlun has tried these irons and his thoughts on what he thinks about them, “I like the way its feels when I strike the ball, and how forgiving they are when  I don’t find the middle of the face.”

My personal reflection on the iron was mixed. This iron offered a middle ground spin rate around 6300 and a consistent distance that I was looking for. My flaw that I have with the Taylormade iron is the consistency in my shot dispersion. Being one of the smaller iron heads than the rest, my dispersion was far bigger with the P-7MC than any other iron on this list. I also thought that the P-7MC also had a “dead” feel off the face with not much feeling in the sweet spot. The reason as to why this isn’t last on the list for me is because the price offers a better deal than the Callaway standing at $1,299 for the whole set.

In the middle of the pack in 3rd place I have the Ping blueprint S irons. The blueprint S is a new innovation for ping just recently hitting the market in 2023. There are two styles of the blueprint: the S which is the cavity back offering a forged and more forgiving iron, and the T which offers a more muscle back shape with more shape ability. In this review I tested the S as it relates more with the other irons in the review. The blueprint made its comeback from years of the Pings s55, that came out in 2013 and was still seen used on tour up until last year including US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick. The Blueprint S adds forgiveness to this traditional blade iron and is fully forged with a 8620 carbon head.

In my test with the blueprint S, I mostly enjoyed the look and feel. The blueprint S delivers a crisp and solid feel of the face along with good dispersion thanks to the larger forgiving face. The only reason as to why this iron wasn’t higher on my list is because it had the least amount of spin on the list averaging around 6000 and is a slightly hotter iron than the rest with high carry distances. So if you are wanting a sleek iron that provides values of a blade with chasing distance this iron is for you. The price is in the mid to high range for around $1,480 at local dealers. 

Second on the list, and most surprising of the whole review for me, was the Mizuno pro 245. A dark horse pick, Mizuno is a relatively unique iron brand and less popular from the rest, the pro 245 offered amazing numbers. The pro 245 0ffers a quick gain off the face with an easy launch with good medium high spin rate while also offering good distance thanks to its complex hollow body construction and internally suspended tungsten weight.

Sartell alumni and current player for St. John’s golf team Thomas Ellis shares his thoughts on Mizuno irons: “They look clean and they’re a high quality product.”

The pro 245 offers a muscle back blade with a sleek look throughout. The face has a clean look on the address and offers a crisp and smooth feel off the face. The big reason as to why this iron is 2nd place is the consistency. Offering a high spin rate around 6500 with consistent dispersion that was off the charts. 

Finally our number one spot this year for the best iron of 2024 is the Titleist t-100. The t-100 is a mix between a muscle back providing versatility as well as a little cavity back for forgiveness and distance. The t-100 is one of the most popular irons on tour and is essential for the best players of the game. The t-100 has a fully forged dual cavity to produce a solid, buttery feel at impact. Thanks to the CNC milling on the face, the t-100 provides you with consistent contact and great face control.

Junior captain of the Sartell golf team Carson Andel shares his thoughts on what he thinks about the t-100 irons, “I like the increased spin I get along with the accuracy of carry distance is superior than any other iron.”

In my testing with the t-100, the numbers spoke for themselves offering good high spin rates, manageable distances, and great dispersion patterns. The t-100 also has the best look at address, with a clean look with a thin top line. 

In conclusion, there are many good options in 2024 for a player’s iron that has versatility and forgiveness. In the end, it really depends on the players themselves as to what their personal preference is and what is most important to them as different irons provide their strong suits in certain numbers.