Best Driving Irons 2024
The best of the best! We roundup the best driving irons in 2024
Whether you’re a beginner, an amateur, or a seasoned pro, a reliable driving iron can be a game-changer in your golfing kit. Offering an impressive balance between distance and accuracy, the driving iron can be a formidable tool on par-4s and par-5s, and for those tricky shots where precision is the key.
In this guide, we will explore some of the best driving irons 2024 has to offer. We’ve meticulously analyzed the Ping iCrossover, Srixon ZX MKII, Wilson Staff Model Utility Iron, Callaway X-Forged UT, Mizuno Pro Fli Hi, TaylorMade Stealth UDI, Titleist T200 UT, Cobra King Tec utility iron and the Titleist U505.
Each of these models presents unique features and advantages that set them apart, and we’re here to help you navigate their specifics to make the best choice for your game.
Best Driving Irons 2024
TaylorMade Stealth UDI Driving Iron
For a driving iron, this club must be the best looking on the market. It doesn’t have loads of offset, the profile is short from heel to toe, and you can not see a huge chunk of the club behind the face. The TaylorMade Stealth UDI was certainly designed with a good player in mind.
With a head this small, you know that the centre of gravity is going to be fairly high and close to the clubface compared to bigger driving irons or hybrids, which means you can expect penetrating ball flights and plenty of run when the ball hits the ground.
What I first loved about the Stealth UDI is how compact it is. A lot of driving irons that I’ve tested this year are oversized irons with a lot of offset that doesn’t suit my eye. The UDI is a tour-inspired shape and traditional look behind the ball that doesn’t make me feel like I’m going to hook it left.
If you are looking for a new driving iron for the upcoming dry summer months, at this price, you should absolutely get one of these in your hands and give it a go.
PROS
- Looks great behind the ball
- Brilliant out of the middle
- Feels like a forged iron
CONS
- The head is quite small, so inconsistent ball strikers may struggle.
- RELATED: Read our full TaylorMade Stealth UDI Driving Iron Review
More information: TaylorMade website
Ping iCrossover driving iron
The Ping iCrossover is absolutely stunning. The black head and contrasting grey face sit beautifully behind the ball, and you would almost rather have it on display in your house than risk hitting one slightly out of the toe and marking the head. I am sure this is going straight into the bags of Ping’s tour players as it not only looks great but performs really well too.
The big feature of the iCrossover is it’s adjustability, as by taking off the head you are able to adjust both the loft and lie angle of the club. The adjustable loft makes sense to most people as it allows you to hone in the flight depending on your swing and the conditions of the day. The big win for golfers, which people wont realise, is the ability to adjust the lie angle.
By being able to adjust the lie angle of the club, golfers can set this club up to avoid their big miss. For me who hooks the ball, I can make the club flatter which in turn helps me stop the ball go left. If like one of the many golfers I teach, you slice the ball, you could make the iCrossover more upright to stop the ball from curving right so much. This feature allows golfers who previously wouldn’t consider a driving iron into the market and is a genius move from Ping.
The iCrossover has gone straight into my bag and will remain there for the foreseeable future. With winter approaching normally I would stop carrying a driving iron but as it is adjustable I will simply loft it up to negate the less roll I will get on the soft fairways. Be sure to give this a try at your earliest opportunity!
PROS
- A truly beautiful club
- Great ball speed
- Solid in the wind with low launch & low spin
CONS
- The relatively small head may be intimidating for some players
- Not the most forgiving driving iron
- RELATED: Read our full Ping iCrossover driving iron review
More info: Ping website
Srixon ZX MKII Utility iron
The ZX MKII Utility ticks all of the boxes aesthetically. Its simple head design, the minimal offset, the thin top line, and the sole not being too thick. It absolutely looks the part, and I just hope I can hit it…
The Srixon ZX MKII Utility iron is one of the best-feeling utility irons I’ve ever hit. The head is built from a forged 1020 carbon steel body with a steel forged SUP10 face. The multi-material construction causes ball rockets off the face, but the feedback into your hands is extremely soft.
Thanks to Srixon’s MainFrame design which is basically the same variable thickness technology that we see in drivers, ball speeds are great from any strike location, but they’re insane from the sweet spot. To get over 141 ball speed with an iron is incredible for me.
On the wet and windy January day I tested the ZX MKII Utility iron, I was able to hit shots carrying all the way up to 230, which in summer might run out to 260 yards+.
I think it’s a shame there is no adjustable model available in the ZX MKII as being able to change the loft and lie would make it a more attractive club to players as they could further dial in their flight. But it is a very reasonably priced utility iron which I suppose is the trade-off.
PROS
- Beautiful head
- Centred hits sound fantastic
- Really long
CONS
- Not adjustable
- RELATED: Read our full Srixon ZX MKII Utility Iron Review
More information: Srixon Website
Wilson Staff Model Driving Iron
Wilson’s stock shaft is the KBS Tour hybrid shaft and it comes with a Golf Pride Tour Velvet grip logo down, so there’s also something very stealthy about the build. Going off looks alone, I would definitely be happy carrying this around in my bag.
This will be primarily a tee shot club for me, as generally a low launch player my shots with this type of club go low and run forever which is not suitable for approach shots. I am very pleased however when my first centre strike with the staff model launches pretty high with an appropriate amount of spin.
The Wilson Staff Model driving iron has sole weighting which brings the CoG of this hollow head lower, which makes it more forgiving and delivers optimized launch angles. I’ve never hit one of these clubs up in the air very much so I am very impressed.
I was able to stand over the ball with confidence that the ball was going to come out low and fast, and generally on my desired start line. The ball flight is amazing and I was looking to hit it off as many tees as possible as the fairways are a nice place to be at the moment.
If you are looking for a new driving iron for the upcoming dry summer months, at this price, you should absolutely get one of these in your hands and give it a go.
PROS
- Very forgiving
- Long on bouncy fairways
- Great ball flight
CONS
- Might not be suitable for slow speed players
- RELATED: Read our full Wilson Staff Model Driving Iron review
More info: Wilson Website
Cobra King Tec utility iron
It hasn’t rained for a while. The fairways are browning up, and the ball is starting to bounce and run a lot. It’s this time of year when golfers start having to make a choice whether they should hit the driver and try to carry the bunkers or take the utility iron out and run it up short. I love this type of golf.
The Cobra King Tec utility iron is the perfect addition to their King iron lineup, it’s a players shaped utility iron built for the better player looking for a higher launch in the top end of their bag. It sits beautifully behind the ball.
Cobra have out a heavy tungsten weight at the toe of the club to centre the centre of gravity so middle hits feel and sound fantastic. Strikes feel fast from the H.O.T face without feeling dead, thanks to the foam-filled hollow constructed head, which I like a lot.
This absolutely might end up in my golf bag for 2023, it needs further testing on a blowy day to see how the spin fairs in the wind, but it stands a good chance of becoming a permanent fixture. I love the head shape with it not actually as oversized as other driving irons on the market, so it suits my eye nicely.
PROS
- Very forgiving
- Long on bouncy fairways
- Great ball flight
CONS
- Might not be suitable for slow speed players
- RELATED: Read our full Cobra King Tec Utility Iron review
More info: Cobra website
Callaway X Forged Utility Iron
I love how this club sits behind the ball; I can’t see the back of it at address which is a big green tick for me, and I am encouraged by the tungsten weight that’s screwed onto the back of head as I know that’s designed to give me more distance and forgiveness.
I ordered the 21-degree head with a graphite shaft, this being a 3-iron replacement club and gaps well with the 4-iron I currently play. I normally tend to lean towards more loft as my tendency is to hit the ball too low and fast, but I couldn’t believe how easy this club was to launch after just one shot.
Callaway have built the X forged UT utility iron with a forged 1025 mild carbon steel and hollow body construction combined with urethane microspheres on the face to create a pure feel. Although the ball speeds from the face are fast, it still delivers a soft feeling strike which I like.
To add to the club’s performance, Callaway have designed external MIM’d tungsten weighting which allows them to precisely locate the CG position for optimal trajectory and launch. My shots on the range and on the golf course were high and powerful so it feels like Callaway have got this right.
I do really think that this club could be a great choice for players of all abilities. The loft options are good, it is available in steel shafts or graphite, and the Callaway X Forged UT is just really easy to use. If you are looking for a long iron replacement club definitely give this a try.
PROS
- Looks great behind the ball
- Really easy to get up on the air
- Feels like a forged iron
CONS
- None!
- RELATED: Read our full Callaway X Forged Utility Iron Review
More info: Callaway website
Titleist U-505 Utility Iron
The new Titleist 2023 U505 utility iron has been redesigned and now ticks all the right boxes for me. The back of the club is now much cleaner and the head has been made shorter from heel to toe after some tour player feedback. This is a club you want in your bag and would be proud to show it off.
The U505 has a much wider sole than the T200 utility iron, but this year Titleist have refined the ‘Variable Bounce Sole’ by softening the trailing edge to allow the club to flow faster through the turf, even after contact. This just gives you more of a chance out of the semi and rough, which is a great benefit.
This golf club comes with 3 shaft options, 2 of Titleist’s premium graphite shafts are Graphite Design and will cost you a bit more, and the standard shaft is a Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX is a great option at a lower price.
There are also a number of lofts available, coming in 1,2,3,4 long iron replacement heads. These clubs are not just for fast swingers looking for a driving iron to use from the tee either, they are really easy to hit and launch golfers who want rid of their standard long irons should give these a go as well.
This is the easiest-to-hit, high-launching driving iron out on the market right now, and you should go buy one.
PROS
- Incredibly powerful
- Really easy to get up on the air
- Better looking than the previous U505 utility iron
CONS
- There are zero cons to this club
- RELATED: Read our full Titleist 2023 U505 Utility Iron Review
More info: Titleist website
Best Driving Irons 2024
Picking the perfect driving iron is no small feat, as it can significantly enhance your game, providing superior control and distance on the fairway. Through this comprehensive review, we’ve explored the standout features of some top contenders, including the Ping iCrossover, Srixon ZX MKII, Wilson Staff Model Utility Iron, Callaway X-Forged UT, Mizuno Pro Fli Hi, TaylorMade Stealth UDI, Titleist T200 UT, Cobra King Tec and the Titleist U505.
Each of these models brings something unique to the table, making them worthy of your consideration. But remember, the best driving iron for you is one that suits your skill level, swing style, and course conditions.
So, whether you’re looking for maximum distance, unerring accuracy, or the perfect balance of both, one of these driving irons could be your next secret weapon on the golf course. The fairway awaits, and with the right driving iron, you are set to conquer it!
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 and she currently plays off +3. Having played for Yorkshire Ladies and has represented England at junior and senior level, she will soon be beginning her professional career on LETAS.
