Best Cavity Back Irons — (The Golf Instructor’s Buying Guide)

best cavity back irons for distance forgiveness feel and looks during your golf instructor lessons

Our team here at Tell Me More Golf is here to help you go through a more informed buying decision with our findings and data.

Our expert review guidelines for helping you buy the Best Cavity Back Irons are used by Tell Me More Golf’s review team:

  • Distance
  • Forgiveness
  • Feel
  • Looks

#1. TaylorMade Stealth Irons – Best Accuracy


Best Quality
TaylorMade Stealth Iron, RIGHT HAND - REGULAR FLEX, Red

Our testers ranked the TaylorMade #1 on our list because of its improvement on our accuracy test.

The Benefits:

TaylorMade’s Stealth irons are their only game-improvement irons and are targeted at a wide range of golfers seeking a sweet combination of accuracy, distance, and forgiveness. TaylorMade’s Cap Back design has matured, and the midsection of the toe has been completely removed to create higher launch and ball speeds by lowering the CG, which makes these irons very long and easy to hit. 

The Stealth irons have improved in every way over the Sim2s and have great distance with a lot of off-center-hit forgiveness. When reviewing these irons, our review team was struck by the exceptional accuracy with the tightest dispersion of all the irons they reviewed. To top it off, the Stealth irons come in a sleek and modern look with a great feel which most golfers will enjoy.

One thing we noticed with these irons was the slightly low spin, which might need to be fixed with a fitted shaft

Pros

  • Long distance because of lowered CG 
  • The most accurate irons we’ve tried
  • Stylish appearance with a great feel

Cons

  • The spin could be higher

#2. Cobra King LTDx Irons – Longest Hitting


Most Popular
Cobra Golf 2022 LTDX Iron Set Satin Chrome-Gold Fusion (Men's, Right Hand, KBS Tour 90, Stiff Flex, 5-GW)

Distance is critical in a good iron because it essentially makes the holes shorter. To find the irons with the longest distance, our review team hit multiple shots with many different irons and averaged out the results.

The Benefits:

There are many technological improvements with the new Cobra irons, including the steel bar separated from the suspended face, which pushes the center of gravity right behind the striking area and improves the feel and impact sound. These changes make the LTDx irons very consistent across the entire face and very forgiving as a result – making them fun and easy to use. 

The LTDx irons are relatively strongly lofted, which makes them very long-hitting with a penetrating ball flight. The design is very inviting, and a golfer that likes traditional-looking irons will undoubtedly enjoy these. 

Because of the strong lofts, these irons aren’t targeted at players who struggle to launch the ball. 

Pros

  • Forgiving across the majority of the face
  • Longest distance irons 
  • Traditional and sleek design

Cons

  • Slightly harder to launch well than competitors

#3. Callaway Rogue ST Max OS Irons – Most Forgiving


Best Foregiveness
Callaway Golf Rogue ST Max OS Iron Set (Right Hand, Steel Shaft, Regular Flex, 5 Iron - PW, Set of 6 Clubs)

For amateur golfers, forgiveness is one of the most crucial aspects of a good iron, which is why it’s one of our main criteria.

The Benefits:

The Rogue ST Max OS irons are larger and offer a higher launch than the regular ST Max irons. To make them even more forgiving, these irons also have a wider sole and increased offset. When we hit these irons, the first thing that we noticed was the extreme forgiveness, which is what these irons are all about. Because of their forgiveness, you’ll be more relaxed and have a more enjoyable time out on the golf course.

And while there are irons that hit the ball slightly longer, these irons are a very nice blend of performance and forgiveness targeted at mid to high handicap golfers. The design hasn’t changed much from its predecessor but remains modern, stylish, and confidence-inspiring. 

Because this is a very forgiving iron, there’s limited workability, but since it’s targeted at higher handicap golfers, this isn’t really an issue.

Pros

  • Very forgiving with a larger face and wide sole
  • Powerful distance for game-improvement irons
  • The design makes you comfortable over the ball

Cons

  • Could be more workable

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#4. TaylorMade P790 Irons


TaylorMade P790 4-P/Rh S (Set of 7 total clubs: 4-PW, Right Hand, Stiff Flex)

High-level golfers don’t only need distance and forgiveness but also plenty of workability in order to shape their shots on command. That’s why we heavily consider workability when reviewing these irons for low handicap golfers.

The Benefits

The TaylorMade P790s almost looks like blade irons because of their thin and sleek design, but they are in fact cavity backs. These irons are targeted at low to mid handicap golfers seeking a combination of distance, forgiveness, and workability. 

Because of their Hollow Body construction and SpeedFoam technology, the P790s create an explosive feeling at impact while also delivering powerful distances. This makes the P790 irons very satisfying to use and sets you up for shorter shots into the greens, which leads to more greens in regulation. 

This club looks great at address because of its thin and blade-like design, but if you’re not a confident ball striker, you might prefer the look of thicker irons.

Pros

  • Long-hitting
  • Very workable for a cavity back
  • Stunning design

Cons

  • Less forgiving than other models on this list

#5. Mizuno JPX921 Hot Metal Irons


JPX921 Forged Iron Set 4-GW, Right Hand, Steel Shaft, Regular Flex

The feel is also important in good irons because it lets you know where you hit the ball on the face. When looking at feel, we’re searching for a responsive feeling where the golf ball comes firing powerfully.

The Benefits:

Mizuno is known for its fantastic feel, and these irons perhaps have the best feel available today. With these Mizuno cavity back irons, Mizuno thinned the face across the center, which makes them longer hitting than ever and sets you up in great positions out on the golf course. They also feature a variable thickness sole that generates more face flex and performance as a result.

The JPX921s have a toe bias in Mizuno’s stability frame, which helps deliver excellent results even on off-center hits. They also provide competitive distances and a classic and elegant look that most golfers will enjoy.

There are slightly longer-hitting irons, but the Mizuno JPXs are a great blend of performance, feel, and looks. 

Pros

  • Exceptional feel
  • Forgiving on off-center hits 
  • Competitive distances

Cons

  • There are other longer hitting options

How to Choose The Best Cavity Back Irons – Our Buyer’s Guide


how to choose the best cavity back irons our buyers guide and the key traits of good cavity back irons at tell me more golf

The Key Traits of Good Cavity Back Irons

The key traits in a good set of irons that you should look for to play your best golf possible are the same as our main criteria: distance, forgiveness, feel, and looks. 

  • Distance

As previously mentioned, good distance essentially makes the hole shorter. A cavity back irons set with great distance will make your tee shorts longer, leading to shorter shots into greens and more greens in regulation. Most people find hitting a 9 iron easier than an 8 iron, so imagine if your old 8 iron becomes your new 9 iron. This will increase your confidence and improve your score as a result.

  • Forgiveness

Golf clubs need to perform well on mishits as well since most amateurs will hit many of their shots on places other than the sweet spot. That’s why you need irons that hit relatively straight and long shots across the entire clubface, as you’ll otherwise have a difficult time out on the golf course.

  • Feel

The feel of the golf club is often neglected, but crucial to improve your scores. Your clubs need to tell you where on the face you’ve hit the shot to change your swing if needed. A nice feeling at impact will also make golf enjoyable as a well-struck shot will be very satisfying.

  • Looks

Looks are another thing that may not be directly correlated with performance but are still very important. Cavity back irons are generally beautiful, as they are between thin players’ irons and chunky muscle back irons.

Figuring Out Which Cavity Back Irons Suit You 

To decide which irons suit you the best, you mainly need to factor in your swing speed and ball striking. 

  • Swing Speed 

The swing speed will primarily affect the shaft you should choose. Irons with graphite shafts are better suited for slower swingers, as they are lighter and generally have more flex. Steel shafts are the most popular for male golfers and are suited for faster swingers seeking maximum performance. Your swing speed will also affect your launching capabilities, and a slow swing should pick irons with a low center of gravity.

  • Ball Striking

Your ball striking will impact what type of irons you should use. If you have excellent ball striking with a high swing speed, you can use players’ irons to get tons of workability, but game improvement irons can still be a great choice,

If you struggle with inconsistent ball striking and chunky shots in particular, you’ll want irons with a more oversized clubhead and a thicker sole for it to slide over the turf. 

Why Cavity Back Irons Are Great

Cavity back irons are in the middle of blade irons and muscle back irons, and they suit a wide range of golfers. Because of this in-between design, cavity back irons offer the best of two worlds: forgiveness and performance. In this article, we’ve shown some of the best cavity backed irons available.

Tell Me More Golf – Frequently Asked Questions


Which are the best cavity back irons for high handicappers? 

The best cavity back irons for beginners and high handicappers are according to us the Callaway Golf Rogue ST Max OS Irons

Which are the best cavity back irons for mid handicappers? 

For mid handicappers, we strongly recommend the TaylorMade Stealth Irons because of their all-around fantastic performance and forgiving tendencies.  

Which are the best cavity back irons for low handicappers? 

For low handicappers, we recommend another set of TaylorMade cavity back irons: the TaylorMade p790s

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In this article, we’ve shown our top 5 best cavity back irons currently available, and hopefully you now have a clearer idea of which irons would suit you the best. Thank you for reading this article from TellMeMoreGolf.com – your golf comparison site.

Patrick Corley Tell Me More Golf Instructor and Coach
Patrick Corley
From a golf scholarship to a Southern California University, to a private golf coaching career and an instructor position at a nonprofit organization, I’m here to help you get better at golf! With my 50+ years of golf experience; I bring you Tell Me More Golf. A golf coaching website that helps your game with instructional golfing content that’s ultimately geared toward making you a better golfer and having more fun!
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