Hit 240 Yards with an Iron? 7 Best Driving Irons in 2024

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This is our review of the best driving irons in 2023.

Driving irons are the most popular clubs in golf today. They are used to produce the longest shots out of all your modern golf irons, and they come into play on nearly every hole at a course. That said, driving irons can be confusing to choose from because there are so many different options available.

best driving irons

But don’t worry—we’ve done all the hard work for you! We’ll walk you through how we chose our best driving irons based on performance, distance, forgiveness, and control. 

We decided on the TaylorMade P790 UDI Driving Iron as our best overall driving iron because it combines distance, forgiveness, and control. Read further to know how we chose the P790 UDI Driving Iron as our top pick, as well as give tips on selecting your own best driving iron based on your personal preferences.

Our Top 7 Picks

  1. TaylorMade P790 UDI Driving Iron (Winner: Best Driving Iron)
  2. Wilson Staff Model Driving Iron (Runner-up: Best for Design and Excellent Performance)
  3. Srixon ZX Driving Iron (Runner-up 2: Best for Distance)
  4. Cobra King Utility Iron (Best for Adjustability Feature)
  5. PING G425 Crossover (Best for Beginners)
  6. Titleist U510 (Best Hybrid Driving Iron)
  7. Callaway X Forged UT Driving Iron (Best for Long Iron Replacement)

Quick Spec Breakdown

Driving IronClubLoft
TaylorMade P790 UDI Driving Iron2H17°
Wilson Staff Model Driving Iron1H, 2H, 3H, 4H15°, 18°, 21°, 24°
Srixon ZX Driving Iron2H, 3H, 4H18°, 20°, 23°
Cobra Golf King Utility Iron2H, 3H, 4H16°, 18°, 22.5°
PING G425 Crossover2H, 3H, 4H18°, 20°, 22.5°
Titleist U5103H16°, 18°, 20°, 22°
Callaway X Forged UT Driving Iron2H, 3H, 4H18°, 21°, 24°

1. TaylorMade P790 UDI Driving Iron (Winner: Best Driving Iron)

Pros
  • Aesthetic Design
  • SpeedFoam Air Technology for improved launch conditions
  • Premium Forged Feel
  • Thru-Slot Speed Pocket feature increases ball speed
  • Tungsten weighting adds stability and forgiveness
Cons
  • Higher price compared to other competitors

The TaylorMade P790 UDI is the best driving iron period. It has a beautiful design that gives you a lot of confidence when you play it. TaylorMade claims that the thin face will help golfers feel like they’re hitting down on the ball. And there’s an intelligent sweet spot that helps ensure consistency no matter where you hit it on the clubface.

It incorporates the new SpeedFoam Air technology, which has been redistributed to optimize mass properties for improved launch conditions. The forged L-Face promotes extreme flexibility, quick ball speeds, and distance while maintaining a premium-generated feel. When hitting the ball accurately, the sound and feel of this club are soft but solid.

For players with speed and excellent ball-hitting ability, the P790 UDI is a great option. It will help you hit the ball farther than ever before. The Thru-Slot Speed Pocket feature increases ball speed on low-face strikes, giving you more distance when you hit your shots in the sweet spot. The tungsten weighting adds stability and forgiveness to the club head for better contact quality.

The TaylorMade P790 UDI is a wonderful driving iron. It’s designed with a great look, the sound of it hitting the ball is impressive, and the feel while you swing, is fantastic. The performance of this club ensures that every single shot you hit goes straight into the fairway or even further than what you were aiming for.


2. Wilson Staff Model Driving Iron (Runner-up: Best for Design and Excellent Performance) 

Pros
  • The steel face gives a lot of forgiveness
  • Assistance with distance and control
  • A lighter shaft helps to see a good shot 
  • Heavier clubhead promotes higher launch
  • Competitive in pricing
Cons
  • Moderate to low relative spin 
WILSON Staff Model Utility GRA X MRH 18

The Wilson Staff Model Driving Iron has a classic chrome finish, a thick topline, and a large muscle back. Its compact blade with the appropriate sole size makes it easy to hit those shots from the rough. You can expect the sound to be traditional and hollow. The feel is satisfying, with a lively PING when you hit the ball centered. It’s also highly gratifying to hold due to its steel face.

This driving iron is designed for players looking for a little more help from the clubface regarding distance and control. The club head has a slightly heavier feel that helps promote a higher launch with moderate spin. 

The lighter shaft also adds some weight forward, which can help you get more aid from your body on shots around the green. It is especially true when you’re hitting off rough or other uneven lies where it’s difficult to square up your swing and hit through impact.

While this model isn’t the best choice if you play in highly windy conditions or on tight courses with lots of trees, it works well in dry conditions where you want more forgiveness than most game improvement irons will give you. But not too much extra forgiveness that compromises feel or control over distance and spin rate.


3. Srixon ZX Driving Iron (Runner-up 2: Best for Distance)  

Pros
  • Best for distance driving iron
  • Simple design and branding
  • sole with tungsten weight for launch assistance 
  • Excellent ball speed
  • Forged design for more forgiveness
Cons
  • Loud sounds on mis-hits
Srixon Golf ZX Utility Iron

Srixon ZX Driving Iron is an excellent option for golfers looking for a long iron replacement or an alternative to their current set. This is an excellent-looking club with simple branding and less coloring. It’s designed with both matte and chrome finish, giving your set a little variety in looks. It also has a carbon steel hollow head, which means it’s lighter than most other clubs but still maintains its strength over time.

The Srixon ZX is a forgiving driving iron with a forged feel. The club is loud off the face, but not overly so. It’s perfect for players who want to feel like they’re hitting an iron when they use this club. Due to its hollow head, mishits can sound particularly loud. However, perfectly center punched shots are extremely fast.

The Srixon ZX features a sole with tungsten weight for launch assistance. This can help you to increase ball speed, as well as get more distance from each shot. The forged insert includes a pattern of varied thickness across the face and in the center-back portion of the head, allowing for more forgiveness when it comes to mishits. This driving iron will offer excellent ball speed and distance with a good strike.


4. Cobra King Utility Iron (Best for Adjustability Feature) 

Pros
  • Good body design
  • Adjustable hosel
  • Modification of ball trajectory and launch
  • Tungsten sole weight which improves forgiveness
  • Stainless steel cup face for increased on-ball speed
Cons
  • Shots can tend to fly rather low
Cobra Golf 2020 King Utility 4 Iron (Men's, Right Hand, Steel, Reg Flex, 22.5 Degree)

The Cobra King Utility iron is an excellent option for both beginners and experienced golfers. It has a well-shaped minimal offset, rounded toe, and thick topline. The face of the Cobra King Utility Iron seems to be a little bit shorter. Its black and silver color with hollow body design makes it look pretty good on the golf course.

The Cobra King Utility Iron is a utility iron, but it’s also more. This club has a high launch angle and forgiveness, making it perfect for those who don’t hit the ball very far. The sound and feel are both excellent.

The Cobra King Utility Iron is designed to be a utility iron that helps golfers improve their game. It has an adjustable hosel which is considered to be its best feature. The adjustable hosel allows the clubface of these irons to be rotated in or out, allowing you to customize it according to your preferences. With this feature, you can modify your shot trajectory and launch angle as much as possible.

The Cobra King Utility Iron has been made with tungsten sole weight that improves forgiveness, higher launch, and consistency due to its high-density material (600 grains per cubic inch). This also significantly increases ball speed for better distance control during play. Another notable feature of this iron set is the L-shaped stainless steel cup face that increases ball speed by helping reduce friction when striking down onto the turf at impact zones.


5. PING G425 Crossover (Best for Beginners) 

Pros
  • Comfortable feel due to tiny enough sole
  • Improved design and shape
  • Generates high launch
  • Produces high spin level
  • Hybrid face design
Cons
  • High price compare to predecessors 

The PING G425 Crossover has a tiny enough sole, and it’s much more comfortable than the G410. The face is higher, and the look feels traditional at the address. It looks more like a conventional iron than a hybrid. The silver plating and matte black finish give it some nice contrast without being too flashy.

The PING G425 Crossover is designed to be easy to use. The sound that this club produces when hitting is like a fairway wood rather than an iron. This makes it easier for you to hear exactly how much force went into each shot, helping ensure that every shot is controlled correctly so that no shots go awry or miss their intended target by too much or too little distance or height in flight.

With a traditional setup, you will notice an increase in distance and an advantage in height for your shots. The PING G425 Crossover features tungsten and screw weighting and a low center of gravity to enhance the club’s ability to get up in the air quickly and launch high. The G425 Crossover utilizes a hybrid face design with a large, sweet spot for forgiveness on off-center hits, allowing for solid contact even when hitting off-center shots.


6. Titleist U510 (Best Hybrid Driving Iron) 

Pros
  • Simple design with premium performance
  • A longer blade allows more contact
  • Solid feel when swinging
  • Deliver faster ball speed
  • Provides extra distance
Cons
  • High price range

If you’re looking for a club that’s not too flashy but still gives you that premium performance, the Titleist U510 may be perfect. It has Titleist’s iconic “T” logo on the sole, along with shiny chrome strips. 

The design is L-shaped, with an extended topline and slight offset. In this model, Titleist has also added a longer blade length than other standard putters in its lineup—allowing more room for contact with golf balls at impact so that you can make some excellent contact every time on the course.

It has a thick face that gives it a nice solid feel when you swing it, which helps deliver faster ball speed and more distance. The forged steel construction also creates an incredible sound when the ball is hit perfectly—it’s like nothing else I’ve ever heard on the course.

The Titleist U510 is a driving iron, which gives it a larger hitting area than its competitors. This, combined with its high-density tungsten sole weight, makes it extraordinarily forgiving and makes you more likely to hit your shot straight. It also means that the head is heavier than other utility irons, so if you’re looking for extra distance on your drives, this driving iron would be a good choice!


7. Callaway X Forged UT Driving Iron (Best for Long Iron Replacement) 

Pros
  • Forge mild carbon steel head for maximum speed and distance
  • Extra weight on the hollow body for greater forgiveness
  • The large sole offers stability on hits
  • Tungsten sole provides optimal trajectory
  • Callaway’s s propriety urethane microspheres technology dampens vibration
Cons
  • Low launch of the ball

Callaway X Forged UT Driving Iron has a simple cavity with clean silver finish. In addition to the design, it also comes with many other features, such as its average topline, little sole, and slight offset.

The X Forged UT Driving Iron has a solid, forged mild carbon steel head for maximum ball speed and distance. The hollow body design provides extra weight to help optimize the center of gravity placement for greater forgiveness on mishits. 

It also features Callaway’s proprietary urethane microspheres technology, which dampens vibration and makes it easier to maintain an even tempo throughout your swing. The club is designed with a slightly larger head, so it’s great if you want more distance but don’t want to sacrifice feel or accuracy.

It’s designed for players who want the control and forgiveness of a cavity back without sacrificing workability. It features a slightly larger head with more perimeter weighting than its predecessor, giving you the maximum distance from all types of lies. The large sole gives it stability on off-center hits, while the tungsten sole weight provides optimal trajectory through high launch and maximum distance.


Buying Guide For The Driving Irons

Let’s take a look at some common things you should know to find the best driving iron: 

Features 

The best driving irons are unique in their design, with a mixture of metal and plastics that make them lighter and stronger than most other clubs. When finding the right golf club, you want one that fits your swing style and budget. You can find a wide variety of options for new golfers who need to start with starter kits or more experienced players looking for professional-level equipment.

Distance 

Distance is the most critical aspect of a driving iron, and distance coverage is the key to a good driving iron. You want to be hitting it as far as possible—as far as your body mechanics allow. 

An optimal launch angle (which can vary by several degrees depending on the type of player you are) should serve as a good starting point for your club selection. If you’re hitting it higher, move up in the loft; if you’re hitting it lower than that, move down.

Forgiveness 

To evaluate forgiveness, you’ll want to look at swing weight and launch angle. Swing weight is the balance of a clubhead and its shaft. Put simply, if a club feels heavy at address with your hands behind the ball, it has a high swing weight. Suppose it feels light, low swing weight. The idea is that a more forgiving club will have lower swing weights.

Loft/ Gap

Loft/Gap is the angle at which the club face is set about the shaft. The Loft/Gap can be adjusted by changing the hosel of the club face. The higher your loft/gap setting, meaning that more of your iron’s face is open to creating a higher trajectory, will result in greater distance with each swing because you’re hitting down on more of your shot than usual, which means it’ll go farther. 

If adjustability is what you’re looking for in your driving iron, the Cobra King Utility Iron is your best bet. 

Playability & Workability

Playability and workability are two crucial factors that you must consider when buying your next set of golf clubs. Playability refers to how well a club performs on the course and is affected by several factors such as lie angle, loft, head weight, and shaft flex. 

Workability refers to how easy it is for you to hit the ball well and is mainly affected by your grip size and swing speed. The best way to determine whether a club is playable or workable is by trying one out before buying it since there are no clear rules for choosing this for every individual golfer out there.


FAQ

Let’s look at some common questions regarding driving irons: 

When to use Your Driving Iron? 

The driving iron can be used when playing courses with shorter roughs, and you want to add extra distance or when you’re not confident with your driver but want good distance and more forgiveness off the tees.

Besides that, you can use your driving iron for shots around the green. When you want to hit a low shot and take an extra spin, the face angle of your hybrids and fairway woods can be too upright to allow for the amount of spin you need. The lofted clubface on a driving iron will let you get more bounce or backspin on this type of shot to keep it from running through soft turf or wet fairways.

Driving iron is also an excellent club to use when you’re facing stronger winds, especially a headwind.

A driving iron is a great tool for keeping your ball on target when you’re facing a strong headwind or even a crosswind and tailwind. You may not be able to hit it as far as you’d like in these conditions (especially if your ball is flying through the air at an angle), but the added height from hitting this club will help keep your shot on the line. This can give you more control over how far your shot goes, especially when making solid contact with the ball.

Use it when you need to hit the ball low but don’t want to risk hitting your driver out of bounds. The driver is best suited for long-distance shots and has more power than a driving iron, so if you’re trying to avoid hitting the ball out of bounds, it’s best to use a driving iron instead.

The driving iron can also be used on the fairway, particularly for longer par 5s. For most beginners, the fairway wood or hybrid might be challenging and a club that resembles an iron might be more familiar. In that case, the driving iron will be your best club for the most distance.

What are the Other Names for the Driving Iron?

The driving iron can also be called the utility iron, and a 2-iron (sometimes the 3-iron). These names are used interchangeably so don’t get confused!

How To Hit a Driving Iron?

There are not many online resources that teach you how to hit a driving iron. Let this intuitive video from the Golf Show bring you up to speed.

What’s the Difference? Driving Irons vs. Long Iron vs. Hybrid 

There are quite a few differences between these three options:

Driving Irons

Besides being the clubs we’re reviewing in this article, the driving iron is often referred to as the longest irons in your bag. There are 1-irons that are longer than you’re driving irons which are usually the 2-iron (sometimes 3-iron), but the 1-iron is almost never used today.

That said, the driving iron is mostly used off the tees on long par 4s or even par 5s. Their purpose is to act as a more forgiving and controllable, long-distance golf club that you can use reliably on the tees. Once in awhile, you’ll find them to be useful on fairways too if you’re looking to hit the ball roughly 215 to 240 yards.

The primary difference with the driving iron compared to other irons is that it’s almost never included in a golf set and is often sold on its own.

Long iron 

Long irons are typically your 3- to 5-irons. They’re also great off the tees but don’t hit as far as the driving iron. That said, they’re just like the driving iron, just shorter.

Hybrid 

The hybrid club is a combination of long irons and fairway woods. It’s easy to hit, making it an excellent option for golfers who don’t hit the ball very far.

The hybrid is suitable for golfers who want more forgiveness but less workability than the driving iron. That said, the hybrid is often just a substitute for the longer irons as they’re harder to hit and rarely sold as a 2-hybrid.

Hybrids are also easier to use than fairway woods because they are smaller in size and are great clubs to get your ball out of the rough.


The Verdict

There you have it, then. The best driving irons right now, according to our picks with the TaylorMade 790 UDI Utility Iron being our winner. 

To be honest, not having a utility iron in your arsenal puts you at a big disadvantage. Truth is, almost every golfer, even those on Tour, uses the 2-iron and any beginner to even mid-handicappers can really drop their handicaps if they use the utility iron more frequently.

May the course be with you!

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Author
Mark has been an avid golfer for more than 15 years and has reviewed golf clubs since 2015. He is also the founder of the Golf Leap Blog site.

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