Best Budget Irons 2024
The best of the best! We round up the best budget golf irons for the 2024 season.
Golf can be an expensive sport, but it doesn’t have to be.
For those looking to get started in golf or those on a budget, there are plenty of options for affordable golf irons that still offer quality performance. In this article, we’ll be taking a closer look at some of the best budget golf irons for 2024.
Not all irons have to be from this year with many wonderful irons from previous years still performing perfectly good, delve into our guide to see what could improve your game this season.
Best Budget Golf Irons 2024
Callaway Rogue ST Max irons
Reviewed by Jack Backhouse
There’s no getting away from how big these irons are. At address the Rogue ST Max irons almost make the ball look small, which is good as these clubs are designed for a player who wants maximum forgiveness and distance. They sit with the classic Callaway iron style and have the strongest lofts in the Rogue ST family.
The results do not disappoint, these irons are crazy long. From what I would consider being fairly average club head speed averages, I was able to hit a 9 iron that carried 149, a 7 iron that carried 180 and my longest 5 iron went 204 CARRY. This was easily the longest Rogue ST iron model.
The Rogue ST Max are not only long but also incredibly forgiving. Strikes from places other than the centre also flew extremely far and felt really solid. I even had mishits with the Rogue ST Max irons that fly further than a good strike on my current irons. Not a good look for the old blades.
The only downside I see with the Rogue ST Max irons would be that the spin on the shots is very low. This is great if you want more distance but not good if you’re trying to control it, and would give me problems when hitting into greens. I would also probably have to add at least two more wedges into my bag to fill some gaps created by the irons going so far.
Pros:
- Long
- Consistent ball speeds across the face
- Strikes feel powerful
Cons:
- Chunky heads won’t suit the eye of all players
- RELATED: Read our full Callaway Rogue ST Max irons review
Ram Golf FX77 Irons
Ram Golf have created something really good here. The FX77s have strong lofts and a lot of offset so you really feel like the club is going to work for and help you, but they have a thin enough top line to make you feel like you are still using players’ clubs.
I was blown away after just one shot as the ball seemed to rocket off the face. I knew that the FX77 irons had strong lofts, but they’re no stronger than similar clubs on the market, so I was pretty surprised to see the 9-iron shots carrying near to 150 yards, with one landing at 156.
I was really pleased with how solid the FX77 irons felt on off-centre hits though. This is an important factor for the player’s distance irons as the golfer they’re aimed at probably doesn’t find the centre every time. It was noticeable however that the clubs seemed to mark or scuff up quite quickly with my strike pattern starting to show up after just 10 or so shots.
These are a brilliant set of irons that I recommend to anyone who needs more distance but is shopping on a budget. These may be the best value irons out in the market right now, and probably the longest I’ve hit all year so be sure to check them out!
PROS
- Long
- Very forgiving irons on off-centre hits
- Strikes feel powerful
- Arguably the best golf irons on a budget
CONS
- A lot of offset won’t suit the eye of all players
- Crazy ball speeds make distance control hard with short irons
- RELATED: Read our full Ram FX77 Irons Review
Lofts: 4i: 20.5 – 5i: 23 – 6i: 26 – 7i: 30 – 8i: 34 – 9i: 39 – PW: 44
Shafts:
KBS Tour 90 steel – regular, stiff
UST Recoil graphite – lite, regular, stiff
More information: Ram Golf website
Wilson Dynapower Forged Irons
Reviewed by Matt Coles
Wilson has always been underappreciated, in my opinion, when it comes to golf clubs, as they continue to try and stand up to the might of some bigger brands. The Dynapower Forged should keep that fight going, with power and forgiveness both in abundance.
Distance is always a part of iron play, though, and Wilson has certainly thought about that in their Dynapower Forged irons. 8620 carbon steel has been used to construct each club carefully, while the variable face thickness – which changes up and down the set – has been added to ensure faster ball speeds.
This can be felt from the off when hitting the longer irons. You can tell there is a bit of extra weight at the bottom of each club, and once you get used to it, that can be used to great effect, helping launch the ball higher and further.
The only reason that the Wilson DynaPower Forged irons do not receive a 5 out of 5 from me is the wide sole. It just doesn’t suit my eye visually, but that is just a personal preference. There will be plenty of people out there who do like the look of it, and when you look at the data, there’s not much else you can argue against, really!
As I said in the summary, if you are a mid to high-handicapper who is looking to bring those scores down in 2024, don’t look any further. The Wilson DynaPower Forged irons are certainly the right ones for you!
PROS
- Sharp and clean
- Forgiving
- Low dispersion rates
- Ideal for high-handicappers
CONS
- Slightly head heavy due to wider base
- Read the full Wilson Dynapower Forged Irons Review
Buy Now
-
Golf Gear Direct£771.00£759.00View Deal -
American Golf£769.00View Deal -
PGA TOUR Superstore$999.99View Deal -
GlobalGolf$1,299.99View Deal
RRP: £900 for a set of 7 clubs (steel shafts 4-PW)
£834 for a set of 6 clubs (graphite shafts 5-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour Lite steel shafts / Mamiya UST Recoil DART 75 graphite shafts
More information: Wilson website
Takomo 301 MB Irons
I love the clean, simple design of these irons; they have a thin sole and minimal offset, which gives you a real player’s feel. The top line, however, isn’t super thin, so at address, you do feel like you’ve got a chance of hitting some good shots.
These irons are forged from 620C steel, which provides a really soft contact feel. When you use a blade, your primary concern is control, so you don’t want a strike that feels at all fiery from the face.
I found controlling the flight in terms of trajectory and shot shape really easy with the Takomo 301 MB irons. I love hitting it higher and lower and attempting to work shots into different flag positions on the green. This isn’t always the most sensible approach to golf, but it makes it loads of fun, and the Takomo’s amplify this.
These irons are excellent for any golfer in any condition, and they have travelled to some exciting venues with me. I took them to Sawgrass to play both the Stadium and Dye’s Valley course. I drove them over to Hillside for a game on the links and even had the game of my life at my home club Sand Moor and shot 62!
PROS
- Out the centre, the contact feels amazingly soft
- Really easy to manipulate flight
- Stunning behind the ball
CONS
- Not forgiving for inconsistent ball strikers
- RELATED: Read our full Takomo 301MB Iron review
Lofts: 4i-23°, 5i-26°, 6i-30°, 7i-34°, 8i- 38°, 9i-42°, P-47°
Shafts: KBS Tour – R,S,X
Grip: Lamkin Crossline
More information: Takomo Website
Cobra Aerojet irons
These are some of the longest irons on the market, perfect for players who are looking to pick up extra yardage.
What was pleasing was I didn’t give up any dispersion in return for that distance. In fact, my 5-iron had the tightest dispersion of the test, with under 10 yards front-to-back dispersion and just over 5 yards left-to-right dispersion. All the data with this 5-iron is absolutely ridiculous.
Overall, I really enjoyed testing these irons. The stand-out factor is definitely the distance, but I think these are a real all-rounders and are contenders to be the best game-improvement irons this season.
PROS
- Exceptionally long
- Relatively compact shaping
- Forgiving on off centre strikes
CONS
- Not as workable as other models
- RELATED: Read our full Cobra Aerojet irons review
Lofts: 18.5° 4, 20.5° 5, 23.5 ° 6, 26.5° 7, 31° 8, 36° 9, 41.5° PW, 47.5° GW, 54° SW
Stock shafts: KBS PGI 85, KBS PGI 75, KBS PGI 65, KBS Tour Lite
Grip: Lamkin Crossline
More information: Cobra website
Best Budget Golf Irons 2024
Affordable golf irons don’t have to sacrifice quality and performance. With top brands like Callaway, Ram Golf, Wilson, Takomo, and Cobra offering budget-friendly options in 2024, there are plenty of options for golfers looking to save money while still improving their game.
Whether you’re just starting out in golf or looking to upgrade your equipment without breaking the bank, these budget golf irons offer the forgiveness, distance, and playability you need to take your game to the next level.
Check out our other budget friendly buyers guides below….
Or for more deals on irons check out our…
- Best Irons for Low Handicappers
- Best Irons for Mid Handicappers
- Best Irons for High Handicappers
- Most Forgiving Irons
How do we test irons?
At National Club Golfer we are passionate about producing accurate and thorough reviews and make sure our testing process is rigorous so we get a good understanding of how each club performs.
Each iron is hit with Pro V1 golf balls to allow us to collect launch monitor data with our in-house TrackMan and Flightscope. After this it is time to head out onto the golf course and test the clubs in practice and competition play. We do this across a variety of golf clubs in our base of Yorkshire.
What is important when buying a new iron?
When buying a new set of irons it is important to know what you want from that club to help you improve.
Most people are looking for more distance, each iron model is optimised for different things. Depending on your swing and your impact conditions, you may not actually hit the model that is advertised as the longest, the furthest. So if you want more distance it is always worth giving different models a hit before you make a decision.
For most golfers, especially high handicappers, something that is more forgiving is going to yield the best performance. Most forgiving golf irons have a slightly bigger club head with perimeter weighting for high MOI. They also have a center of gravity that is further back to help players get more height on their shots.
Do you want something that is draw bias? There are so many models out there to help with slice correction, it would be silly not to take a look if you see your ball disappearing into the right trees too often. A closed face and draw bias weighting can get you hitting straighter shots in no time at all.
Don’t forget about the shaft either. Getting the correct shaft can help dial in your spin, launch angle and can also give you some extra distance. Having a custom fitting or trying different options with your local pro can really improve the performance of your new driver.
Best Budget Golf Irons 2024: FAQ’s
What irons are best suited for high handicappers?
High handicappers will often be best suited to game improvement irons as they are designed to help players hit the ball straighter, higher and further.
They’re also the most forgiving of any type of irons available, whilst even including some of the longest irons you can get your hands on. This is generally achieved with a lower centre of gravity and stronger lofts. Distance AND forgiveness? Yes, please.
What handicap are game improvement irons best suited for?
These type of irons are ideal if you’re a high handicap golfer. Typically, if you’re shooting above 85 or only occasionally hitting a shot in the sweet spot then they’re also the go-to. Handicap-wise, mid-to low handicappers will also benefit from these clubs. And as we know, the average handicap is between 14 and 20, hence why they’re so popular on the shelves!
They are also great for players with slower swing speeds as they can help with higher launch, which these golfers can struggle with, especially in longer irons.
Do any pros use game improvement irons on tour?
Unsurprisingly, most PGA Tour pros don’t opt for game-improvement irons. As we covered earlier, the sort of irons are best suited for mid-handicap golfers looking to – quite literally – improve their game.
The most elite golfers in the world tend to game players’ irons or blades. These forged irons are thinner, have a smaller sweet spot and therefore are much harder to hit consistently than game improvement irons. From time to time some pros do add game improvement clubs in for long irons or as driving irons for a more forgiving option off the tee.
Nicola Slater
Nicola recently graduated from Stirling University where she studied Sports Studies, she wrote her dissertation on barriers to participation for women in golf.
Nicola plays her golf at Hickleton Golf Club and has recently started her professional career on the LET Access Tour. Having played for Yorkshire Ladies and has represented England at junior and senior level.
