Buyer’s Guide For Best Irons For High Handicappers

As you’re a high handicapper, chances are you are new to golf and could use some help. In that case, you’ve come to the right place. We understand how choosing the right golf club can be an ordeal for high handicappers, particularly golf irons. We have laid down a detailed buyer’s guide to smoothen your purchase process. 

FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness is a term that you’ll come across several times during your golfing career. In simple words, forgiveness is the ability of a club to “forgive” badly hit shots. The best irons for high handicappers are usually more forgiving and cause good quality strokes despite improper ball contact.

As a high handicapper, forgiveness should be your primary concern. You will need help to bring your handicap down, and a highly forgiving iron will help tremendously. 

In general, more expensive golf irons with advanced features are more forgiving. However, we have mentioned a few budget irons for high handicappers.

TECHNOLOGY And Features

Being a high handicapper, you’ll need all the help you can get from your golf irons. And what can help better besides technology? We live in a time when groundbreaking technologies are invented at an unforeseen pace, and the golf industry is no exception. 

Most leading companies are in cut-throat competition with one another, and technology plays a critical role in getting better of your competitors. They add technological features to improve ball speed, shot accuracy, and forgiveness. 

It would be best if you always looked for a golf iron with more technological features than others. A golf iron set that ranks high in technology is more likely to suit you on the golf course.

How Many Irons Should You Have

High handicappers are often confused about how many irons they should carry in their golf bag. Most of them have made up their minds about short irons, as you’ll find short irons in almost every golfer’s bag. 

However, confusion arises when long irons are concerned. Long irons are among the most challenging clubs to hit because of their complicated structure. This is the reason many beginners and high handicappers don’t prefer to play with long irons. Instead, they go for a hybrid or a fairway wood where they would generally use a long iron. 

If you struggle with slow swing speed and want to maximize your distance, long irons won’t help you much. We’d recommend mastering short irons first before moving on to long irons. There’s also a middle path which is experimental but you could give it a shot – single length irons. These are all irons that are one length, no one club is longer or shorter than the other.

Tip: Include Hybrid

As we mentioned before, long irons can be overwhelming for high handicappers who are just beginning to get the hang of golf. These golfers can replace their long irons with a hybrid golf club and get the best results. Hybrids are highly versatile and can be used in a variety of different situations on the golf course.

Here are a few ways how hybrid golf clubs can be a better choice than long irons. 

  • Hybrids are mainly known for their enormous head. This oversized clubhead has a much deeper center of gravity (CG) than irons. 
  • Hybrid golf clubs are more forgiving than irons due to their low center of gravity, leading to consistent shot quality throughout the entire clubface. 
  • On the other hand, long irons are possibly the toughest golf clubs to hit. Even the slight mistake in the swing technique or posture can lead to horribly struck shots.
  • It can take years for players to master the correct technique to hit long irons. In comparison, you can be an expert at hitting hybrids in only a few months.
  • The low center of gravity also deserves credit for the higher launch and ball flight that covers a longer distance than iron 
  • Hybrids are ideal when your goal is to land the ball gently on the green with more stopping power.

Wedges (Sand and Gap)

Most best irons for high handicappers include gap and sand wedge, so you don’t need to worry about buying these separately. Some high handicappers make the mistake of not buying either one or both of these wedges, hoping to manage with their hybrid or fairway woods. 

However, this can be a huge mistake. Gap and sand wedges are designed for specific purposes on the golf course that no other club can fulfill. For instance, the sand wedge is one of the highest lofted irons and can be very handy when you’re stuck in a bunker and want to reach the green in a single stroke. 

Shaft Material And Flex 

When looking for the best irons for high handicappers, shaft material and shaft flex should be one of your primary concerns. In material, graphite and steel are the most common choices. What you should choose depends entirely on your preferences and goals.

For instance, if you’re looking for accuracy and precision, steel shafts are the best option for you. Steel is a heavier and stiffer material than graphite; as a result, it flexes less and doesn’t help much with speed and distance, but does tremendously better in terms of accuracy.

On the other hand, if speed and distance are your priorities, graphite shafts are more suitable for you. Being lighter, graphite flexes more and is helpful for players who struggle with slow swing speed due to their high flexibility. Graphite shafts provide additional speed; however, the shot accuracy is not the best. 

Shaft material is another critical factor that you cannot ignore while purchasing the best irons for high handicappers. Regular flex will suit most of you, but in case you swing fast, then you can also go for stiff or extra stiff flex.