NCG Equipment Awards 2019: Irons

After 12 months of testing it’s finally time to reveal the winners of the NCG Equipment Awards for the year. We’ll be revealing our winners across nine categories between now and the new year – so let’s get on with it. Here are the best irons 2019 had to offer.

We have split our best irons awards across four categories: blades, player irons, player distance irons, and game improvement irons.

NCG Equipment Awards: Best Irons 2019 (Blades)

Most aesthetically pleasing: Titleist 620 MB

Historically Titleist have always produced great looking blades and these are no different. The classic design is something I think all golfers appreciate even if they are intimidated by the slim topline.

Best feel: TaylorMade P7TW

Tungsten weighting behind the club face gives you premium feel just like Tiger Woods prefers.

Best for control: Ping Blueprint

Not as well known for their blades, Ping have produced a seriously good set here with their Blueprint irons. It was difficult to decide which award to give them in the end as they could’ve won in other areas but I’ve gone for control as it’s something I place a real premium on and an area in which they really excelled.

NCG Equipment Awards: Best Irons 2019 (Player)

Best for control: Callaway Apex Pro

Callaway’s product line continues to excel across the board and for me, the Apex Pro is their stand-out iron set. Not only do they look and feel great, but the control they give you is second to none. If there’s too much shape on your iron shots, these clubs seem to straighten the flight without changing your swing.

Most powerful: Srixon Z785

Not only do these have a fantastic feel off the face they provide greater distance consistency for all golfers.

Most forgiving: TaylorMade P760

Another great performing iron from TaylorMade which ticks a lot of boxes for me. Most importantly for most golfers you are going to get more ball speed and smash factor but still retain control and forgiveness. I definitely saw my dispersion decrease significantly using these irons. 

NCG Equipment Awards: Best Irons 2019 (Players Distance)

Most powerful: TaylorMade P790

Even more ball speed and distance than the 2017 model, these irons continue to impress in this category.  

Best for control: Mizuno MP-20 HMB 

Despite the increased ball speed and slightly larger profile I still felt I had really good control and shot making ability. Mizuno have done a great job of creating a club that provides more distance but doesn’t compromise on feel.

Most forgiving: Ping i500

The i500s are incredibly fast off the face even when you miss the middle – and yet they look sleek both in the bag and behind the ball. There’s a lot of tech hidden under the bonnet. They are a particularly appealing option in the longer irons, especially if you like hitting irons off the tee on short par 4s. 

NCG Equipment Awards: Best Irons 2019 (Game Improvement)

Most forgiving: Titleist T300

The fast cavity-back design gave me maximum forgiveness throughout testing with extra ball speed.

Most powerful: TaylorMade M6

New Speedbridge technology helps this iron deliver exceptional ball speeds through the bag.

And the winners are…

Find out on the next page…

NCG Equipment Awards: Best Irons 2019

Best blade irons: Mizuno MP-20

The feel off these clubs is exceptional. My back to front dispersion with these irons was great and I only saw a 5 yard difference from shot to shot. This is definitely important in the shorter scoring clubs where you know you can go at tight pins because your distance control is so tight. 

Best player irons: Titleist T100

The stability and control of my ball flight has been exceptional in the T100 irons. It is also hard to ignore the consistency of smash factor these clubs provide even on your bad shots. I have never hit my irons so solid since switching into these irons. 

Best player distance irons: Callaway Apex

They look fantastic in the bag and in the address position and you can tell they are loaded with technology. While these irons are powerful, they are more about the feel and precision which better players crave.

Best game improvement irons: Callaway Epic Forged

The ball speed with these clubs is seriously impressive I actually couldn’t believe how much distance these were producing when I first hit them while still having exceptional feel and control. All this technology packed inside a great looking iron, a winner all around. 

Do you agree with our choice of the best irons 2019 had to offer? Let us know in the comments below, or you can tweet us.