There Is A CLEAR WINNER! The BEST FORGIVING IRONS Of 2025

Top 5 Forgiving Irons Of 2025 For MidHigh Handicap Golfers!

Today we’re talking about my top five forgiving irons for mid- handicap golfers and more specifically top five hollowbodied irons. Hi everyone, my name is James Robinson and welcome back to this YouTube channel. Today we have a very special guest on the channel. We’ll get to that in just a second, but we’re going to talk about my top five. So my top five personally in at number five, I have the Ping i530 irons. Now these feel like they’ve been around forever, but they are still a current range in Ping ions. I can’t wait to see where they go from it. So, Ping in the hollow bodied market have worked tirelessly to make something that feels fantastic, sounds pretty good, performs very, very well. And as you can see here on the Par 3, one of the things about the Ping i530 that I really enjoy is that top line’s nice and thick. It’s not too thin. There’s a little bit of offset, but the blade length’s actually quite short. So, you can be forgiven for thinking that realistically here, looking down it, I’ve got myself a bit of a player’s iron. And with the first swing of the day, I think having that launch, having that forgiveness, and having that element of turf interaction with these ping clubs is a fantastic option for so many golfers. Now, if we’ve got a ping in at number five of the top five irons of 2025, what on earth could be in at number four, number three, number two, and of course, number one. But today, we’ve got a very special guest, as we said, and I want to get his opinions on these as well. Being a PJ professional myself, I’ve not paid my fees, actually. I need Have you paid your fees? I haven’t yet. No, I need to go on with that. Gaz, how are you, mate? I’m good, thanks. Yeah, good. So, Gaz, I know you’re a huge Ping fan. Anyway, I am. What are your thoughts on this i530 because I’ve done my top five irons for the last five or six years now and people really enjoy this type of video, but I thought I’d get a fresh opinion as well. Well, it doesn’t disappoint on quality, does it? And looks, you know, if they’ve gone for that sort of really nice bold look, um, engineering wise looks quality. Now, I’ve actually tested these, I’d admit, transition from the G series into these and it was easy transition for him and I weren’t sure if it were going to be. It’s a really interesting one because the i530 could be a high handicap golf club, could well be a mid- handicap golf club, and you might even see some lower handicaps use them in those kind of longer irons as well. Go and hit us one, guys, and let’s see cuz you’ve used Ping irons quite I’ve never had a set of Ping irons. Yeah, you’ve quite enjoyed them. I I have. Yeah. And I think what they’ve done quite well is they’ve not I mean, obviously they still feel like a ping iron. You know, you might think you’re going to go and get like a really soft forged iron, but you still get that like ping feel, you know, a bit more hollow. I’m not going to lie, I don’t like that. I like a soft feeling iron, but it’s very subjective. It’s very objective and it’s very I think another objective word, but generally people do like that if they are a Ping fan, don’t they? Yeah, I think it stayed consistent, you know, throughout their irons where they just feel that little bit more hollow when you hit them, but quick off face as well. Nice. I think he’s all over. You probably might not see from that ball flat, but that were really out the bottom and it’s still flown. Yeah, and that’s one of the things which for me with these clubs, that’s why they are in our top five. We’re not going to go in D to C’s today, guys. We’re going to stick with those kind of big OEM brands. So, what do you think is in number four, three, two, and one for me? The Ping 530 is number five. Okay, so in at number four of my top five forgiving hollow bodied irons, it’s actually a four iron as well. So, that’s really poignant, isn’t it, Bob? That one, but it’s the titleist T250 irons. Now, this is the T250 UI. It’s a utility iron. It’s the driving iron. I’ve tested the T250s, the T100s, the T-150s, and the T350s. And I’ve tested the T250 Stars. Do you remember them, Bob? So, they’re the T250s, but the weaker lofted, so they launch a bit higher. Fantastic set of options. I think Titalist have smashed it out of the park this year when it comes to the array of irons. I personally feel like the T350 is that little bit big, that tiny bit uncou you could say, and definitely more down that kind of higher handicap route. I think the 250 here is a fantastic option for any mid- handicap, even into the low handicappers because titles have made such a good job of them. They feel fantastic. They’re certainly going to rival the tailor made P790. Is that going to be in the top three? Comment below if you think the P790 is going to be in the top three. They are the OG. They are the godfather of hollowbodied irons, aren’t they? Also, there might be a couple of irons in here that you think’s in that’s not in. So, comment below what you think they are. But with this iron, Titalist have made a really good job in blending the top lines, in blending the offset and the blade length because from there you could actually have like a T100 pitching wedge 9 iron, T150, 8 and 7, maybe even six and then a 250 U or 255 and 4 iron. So realistically I think Titus have done an awesome job with this and the fact that it feels that good is quite frankly ridiculous. I know Gaz is looking a bit a bit dumbruck there because you’ve never seen me strike a long iron that good, have you? A fantastic stride. I’m not sure how I’m going to match that, but I think it’s a long drive now. This one, by the way, long drive. You definitely took the words out of my mouth. I think what they’ve done a great job is making range riders that blend well together. Yeah. Um, you know, this is one I tried again. You know, I think they’ve done fantastic. It’s They’ve not had many power distance in the range, have they? And one of the things I wanted to get in as well, I don’t know if you think this, but if you think about the old Titus 200 and Titus 250, they looked god awful. We’ll put them on screen now. They look like you before your haircut. They look horrendous. But now you look at them and they look beautiful. They look stunning. I mean, if you were judging it on looks only, I for me it’s Well, that’s why it’s in top five, isn’t it? It just looks stunning. It’s one of those with hollow bodied irons. I feel like less is more. Yeah. So, like people are starting to think more about what the guys at Tailor Made did with the P790. What the guys at Cobra did with the Forge Tech and Ping of course with even the i200 and I2 I2 Go on Bob 30. Yeah, I’m not sure. Anyway, but come on guys. Let’s see if you can knock it past that. I think so. This could have quite easily been higher up. It could easily been higher up. But there’s some fantastic, to be honest, ridiculously good clubs in that bag to come. I think like as well five years ago we wouldn’t have thought about playing power distance irons but even now the better players Oh 100% they’re interested because and the fact they blend so well means that even in the longer end of the set 100% you would I mean this looks fantastic. It’s nice compact head not much offset. Oh guys, how good is that? And again I’ve not really struck it pure but you can’t tell with the way it’s flying can you? You really get the forgiveness out of these. Just 40 yards round. I’m joking. I’m joking. Right, guys. What do we think is in the top three of my forgiving irons? Comment below and let us know what you think to Gaz’s edition here as well because I love having other people’s opinions on these videos as well, not just my own because sometimes opinional videos can go wrong cuz people disagree with you. But that’s the beauty about opinions. Everyone’s got one. Okay, so we’ve already had the five and four and we’ve had Ping and Titalist, two of the big heavyweight brands of to be honest the golfing universe. We now have in at number three the Callaway Apex AI200. Now yes, this is the limited edition copper version and I think if it was just the copper version to be honest, I’d probably put it number one because they are absolutely stunning and gorgeous and do everything that you want. Now there’s loads of technology in this head. There’s the AI smart face. There’s lots and lots of stuff going on here and obviously that hollow bodied design. Now Callaway have made these feel quite good. They don’t feel fant. They don’t feel amazingly soft like what’s maybe at number one but if I was in the market I think these are certainly ones that I would try and go and look at. I’d go and get fitted personally what I’d go and do is I’ go and get fitted for a standard set. I’d go to somewhere like SGT make sure I knew what I was doing. Then I’d head online and try and match that to these heads because these are stunning looking. I mean Bob look at them. I know. They look absolutely gorgeous, don’t they? So, loads of tech in that. I even like how the wearing as well. I like an industrial looking iron head. Very similar to kind of like my Taccomos. But realistically here, I think that’s going to stand the test of time. Got the old school Callaway logo on there. We’ve got that forged element as well. And like offset wise, there’s an AI 300 available, which is a little bit bigger. Now, again, the 300’s very similar to the Titalist T350, I’d think then, but realistically, I think they’re more a higher handicap club. If you’d like to see a high handicap top five, go in the comments below and let me know and we’ll get someone other than Gaz to kind of talk about them. We maybe get Brett in cuz he could be a high handicap at the end of the year, couldn’t he? The way he’s going. So, let’s see how close we can get because I think here I already feel bad that these are number three, Bob. We can’t change it now. We’ve gone for it. But that just shows how tough the top spot’s going to be with these clubs. And if this feels as good as I remember it feeling, which it does. Could this be number two? Maybe I’ve made a mistake. That’s flag high. I’ve pulled it a little bit. Guys, get in the comments below. What do you think? Gaz, take it away cuz I know you’ve tried the Apex range. I can’t wait to see what’s number one and two because this these particular irons made me change everything about what I’m doing my own game. I’ve gone from having CB irons now to shopping in this market. We’ve done two videos with these with yourself, haven’t we? Because you struggled a little bit towards the start of the year. and you played some fantastic golf. I mean, actually, there actually is. My next gaming set is definitely going to be in this category of power distance highs. I honestly can’t wait to see what’s wanted and two. And they’re the clubs that made you think about that. Absolutely. So, for reference, I mean, people must know, guys, you’ve seen his channel. He does fantastic stuff, guys. As a PJ pro just like myself. I think if if we played social handicap golf, I think I’d be about a four and I think you’d probably be similar. Yeah. Eight, nine, maybe. No, but realistically, you don’t have to. We don’t practice, do we, anymore as much. You don’t have to be that 15 handicap to warrant a set like this. You can be a lower handicap golfer. You still get the um Go on Bob. Landing angle. You get the You don’t get the spin rate, but you get landing angle. So, you still get the stopping power and stuff like that. Can you knock it closer than me? I bet you can. And I thought back to front front distance with stick. Um it’s a lovely colored top, though. Is it like a teal? Yeah. Violet. Violet. Lilac. Oh, look at that. That’ll come in. It’s a joy to behold, Gary Martin. Fantastic. Guys, that is number three. Make sure you stay tuned for number two and number one because honestly, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it gets better. I can’t wait to test them. My next irons then. Okay, so this could shock the world of golf because in at number two of my forgiving irons for mid- handicap golfers in the hollowbodied category. Drum roll. Drum roll, guys. Wow. And I’ve always said these guys are the OG of hollowbodied irons. They do it better than almost anybody else. Especially the new generation. The new generation of P790. They’ve managed to make them feel that little bit softer. They’ve managed to make them perform that tiny bit better, if that was even possible. And by that, I mean you don’t see that flyer as much anymore. When we first tested the first gen of P790s, even into the second and third generation, you’d be hitting away and maybe having a practice session 160, 160, 160, 170, and that can just play around in your head when you’re out on the golf course. If you’re going to get a flyer off the tea, it could be detrimental to your game. So, I think T doing a fantastic job here. I’m not going to speak bad about them. I’m not going to say that the next one is a million miles better because it’s not. We’re talking tiny increments here, but we have speed foam on the long grinds. We do have that through slot speed pocket. You can see on the 8 iron, we don’t have it cuz it’s not needed cuz there’s enough loft there to help on the low phase hits. But that forged element is I’d say second to none, but it’s second, isn’t it? Do you know what’s coming? You don’t know what’s coming first, do you? You’ve not got a clue. No, I have no idea. And I’m looking forward to So guys, remember at the end of this video, we’re going to ask Gary if he would rearrange my top five. And that’s going to be a real interesting one. But par three, if this goes in, we’ll put it at number one. Bob, how’s that? Left hand flag. Nice bit of offset. I’ve hit that so good. Just take the kick. It’s fading. Take the kick. Oh, it’s just stayed left of it again. That felt fantastic. It sounded good. Guys, I know you’ve got a lot of time for the P79, a lot of experience with them. What are your thoughts on this one? It’s a lovely looking club, is it? Very clean looking. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but all the ones in the top five have gone for this similar cleaner look style. Well, and that’s the whole premise behind this video, I think, because for me, having a hollow bodied set of irons that can be really, really forgiving, but look this good. You almost feel like you’re a better golfer than what you are. And golf’s all about confidence. If you can be more confident playing golf, you’re going to hit better golf shots. You’re going to lower your scores. You’re gonna beat your friends. You’re sort of playing clubs that look as good as like a blade or a a CV, aren’t you? Yeah. Why are you laughing? You dropping when you put a tea in the ground. Cardi B on screen now. This is a bit more confidence inspiring. A little bit more thicker top line. Oh, just pulled that a little bit. Now, a bit bit more offset on these. And realistically, when we do look at the P790, again, we could have gone P770 in this category. Some of the clubs that we’ve used, we have gone for the kind of bigger chunkier version. Other clubs, we’ve gone for the slimmed out version like the 250 instead of the 350. But realistically, again, it’s a nice set you could potentially blend in there. Would you go 770 shorter irions and then maybe 790 long? Absolutely. I think for the better players out there, yeah, you could sort of blend and maybe have them in your long irions. Um, and that’s a beauty, isn’t it? Right. What do we think’s at number one? Are you thinking of in your head where would you change anything? I’m not going to ask you yet. Right. What would you We’ve got them all here. So, in at number one, I’ve always went all high then because I’m so excited. It’s a forgotten iron. It’s the iron that everyone forgot about. And you know what? I’d like to give a special mention to those DC brands. To Tacomao, to H, to Cali, to even I mean, can you say Kirkland after just saying the seven? You probably can’t, but to these brands, to Ram, to who else have we got? Haywood. Haywood Lynx. all these brands that are making fantastic clubs. But in at number one, it’s the PXG0317T irons. Now, I absolutely loved these irons last year. I absolutely loved these irons this year and we have seen something new coming from PXG this year and I was almost like disappointed cuz I was expecting maybe a revamp of this, maybe a 3170.2 or something like that. But then obviously we can’t really talk about what’s coming. It’s under embargo, isn’t it? I like your hat though. Thank you. you allowed to wear that yet? I don’t know. I don’t know, Jeff. But re But realistically, um I think these are the best looking clubs and I think there’s a little bit more going on. So, I’m almost going back on what I said there. But the reason why these are in at number one is the customization ability of them, the fitting element of them. PXG are some of the best club fitters in the world. That’s what they’re all about. That’s exactly why we kind of go on these trips and see just how they get fitted and how much difference the fittings can make, isn’t it? Absolutely. Yeah, I can see why you picked this one as number one. Now, going down that fitting element, a lot of other brands don’t have the fitters and the equipment to fit as well as PXG do. They also feel softer, I think. So, like I’m lucky to have spent time with a lot of these brands and a lot of the people behind these brands, but Mike Nichollet, what he doesn’t know about golf club manufacturer and golf club design, you it’s not even worth knowing. He knows everything about it. and the way he can tweak a golf club to make it look a little bit better, feel a little bit better, perform a little bit different. Like PHG are in fantastic hands, and these feel fantastic. Right. Can we get this one? It like it looks more like a blade. So, they’ve got the 0317 ST, the 0317T, the 0317 CB. I think it is a CB, isn’t it? Yeah. And again, it’s another set that you could blend really, really nicely and just have some a really nice set of clubs. That is all over it, by the way. That felt phenomenal. Oh, have you not got another ball? I just go get a ball. What do we say, Bob? Fail to prepare. Yeah, you’ve done that quite a few times, haven’t you? But what are your thoughts on these guys? Well, it’s biggest mistake of my life is I actually tested your demo set of irons of these and I went to go and get a fitting on them. Yeah. And end up getting fitted into the CB, which is fantastic. It’s easily done, isn’t it? But they’re so good. You still you still generate good spin rates. You still generate good forgiveness. You get pretty much everything that you want out of them. And you can see there that’s at like six feet. I got drawn into CB because it felt like a bit softer, but then I lost distance. I lost the powerful like ball flight that you get with these. I think these are the best of of all worlds. And I think last year I said these were literally the hands down best irons of 2025. I dare say the the same this year he is. Look. How’s a one? I mean it wouldn’t be a one, but how’s a one? Oh, right. Gaz, we have my top five. And these are my top five. These may not be your top five. If they’re not, get in the comments below. Please let us know. How would you reassess my top five? What what I would say is it’s going to split opinion obviously, but I think you’ve gone with a right top five irons in the top five. Yeah, the order will split. It was hard to leave the DTC’s out of it, I must say, but I think there’s a market for that and a market for this, so I didn’t want to mix them up. I think um I think I agree with the order, but what I would say with that one is it’s maybe for the better ball striker. Okay, it because there’s such a wide range of handicaps, aren’t there? Striking abilities, but I would say that one would suit all. that one maybe for like someone a bit more confident. I think Mandandy I I see Brett using them. Yeah. And I think I mean he doesn’t use them but I could see him using them. Should I say like I think you’ve got the Black Ops, you’ve got the Gen 7s, haven’t you? But I I I think they’re so good. I mean we’re here to be totally honest. I wouldn’t use the P790. Okay. It’s got too much offset. I think you saw that would be sharp. I think I’d go into 770. Um but yeah, the other ones I think they could fit all. I think the 790 is more higher in the category and that’s more lower. But I agree with the order. Yeah, if you fit into the obviously, but you but if you went for number three, four or five, you’re going to be happy, aren’t you? You’re going to be happy. Guys, if you enjoyed that, please do smash that subscribe button below. Feel free to go and check out Gaza’s channel. We’re doing hand warmers next. I can’t wait for that. Well, we’re getting into that time of season. If my hands go, I can’t play golf. Hands must have gone. See you tomorrow.