Best Driving Irons 2024: Essential Guide for Your Golf Game

The best driving irons in golf are going to give players easy distance and penetrating ball flight.

If you have ever wanted to hit a shot that is often referred to as a “stinger,” this is the club you need in your bag.

Take a look at our picks for the best driving irons in golf.

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What is a Driving Iron? 

A golf driving iron is a very low lofted golf iron that has enough forgiveness and launches to replace a fairway wood or hybrid in the bag. Some golfers do not like fairway wood or hybrid performance, and the driving iron is a great replacement to consider. 

How Important is a good Driving Iron to your Game?

A golf driving iron is a good choice for those that struggle with distance with the woods and driver. If you need a way to advance down the fairway without taking wood out of the bag, a driving iron or utility iron is a great choice to consider. These clubs are becoming more popular, and there are new options added to the market every year.

Best Driving Iron: Cobra King Utility Black Iron

PROS

• Adjustable loft settings
• Monitor your launch and distance with the app
• Very high ball speeds
• Affordable

CONS

• Some may think the driving iron is a bit thin, but that is part of what makes it appeal to a lower handicapper

As the top of our list is the Cobra Golf King Utility Black Iron. Not only will you love the look of these driving irons, but the performance will help you realize the importance of having one of these in your bag. 

The PowerShell Face Technology allows the golfer to get a great jump at impact with this driving iron. The face is so thin that you will get much higher ball speeds. 

The iron itself is hollow-bodied, and it has some of the best feel and sound that we could find in a driving iron.

The Cobra King Utility iron is easy to hit out of a variety of conditions.

If you happen to hit your drive in the rough on a par five and you still want to run one up to the green, this is one of the best driving irons to have.

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Most Forgiving Driving Iron: TaylorMade GAPR MID Utility Iron

PROS

• Comes in several different models
• Can adjust the loft
• Great replacement for long irons and hybrids

CONS

• Thicker clubhead that some will feel is too close to a hybrid

The TaylorMade GAPR Mid Golf Club is an excellent choice for golfers that do not enjoy hitting hybrids.

These driving irons are designed to fit in between the last iron in your bag and your fairway woods. If you have had a hard time adjusting to hybrids, they will be a much better fit for you. 

The GAPR is available in a few different options and plenty of lofts. These driving irons come with a best graphite shaft to help make things a bit easier on the golfers using them.

The loft sleeve on the GAPR makes them adjustable so that you can get the exact gaps you need between your clubs. 

We love the feel on GAPR driving irons as it utilizes the Speedform technology that TaylorMade has done so well with.

If you have been on the fence about whether or not a driving iron would make a difference in your game, the adjustability in this club makes it a great choice to consider.

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Best Looking Driving Iron: Srixon Z U85 Utility Iron

PROS

• Great for players of all handicaps
• One of the best looking driving irons
• Comes in three different lofts

CONS

• The top-down look is thick

Our favorite thing about the Srixon Z U85 is the look. This is one of the sleekest looking forged driving irons that you will find.

The hollow construction makes it both lightweight and high launching as well. 

If you have been wondering about adding a driving iron to your golf bag, the soft 1029 carbon steel on the Srixon Z has golfers saying that this is one of the best feeling irons they have hit in a long time. 

When you set up to hit this driving iron, it’s going to look just like another iron in your bag, but it will perform at a much higher level.

The typical long iron in your set will have low loft but not much extra forgiveness. The Srixon is built for the added length while realizing that this is a difficult part of the golfers’ game. 

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TaylorMade P 790 UDI 2 Driving Iron

Best Driving Iron for Mid Handicapper

PROS

• Great feel
• Still has lots of playability
• Forgiving

CONS

• Can be a bit expensive
• Larger club head than some prefer

If you have not heard of the TaylorMade P790 set of irons, you may want to look into it.

This golf club has changed the feel that mid to high handicappers thought they could get from a golf club. The P790 UDI 2 Driving Iron is very similar to the P790 irons, but it is an excellent option for extra distance. 

The cavity of this driving iron is filled with the revolutionary SpeedFoam, which helps to give some incredible feel at impact. Especially when using a driving iron, you are going to want to make sure that it feels stable and pure at impact. 

Better players have talked about how great this club feels, and yet it seems easier to hit than some of the best driving irons in the years past.

The P790 UDI has a tungsten weighting placed low in the clubhead to help improve the center of gravity and the MOI. 

This is a highly engineered golf club capable of meeting the needs of any level golfer that prefers driving irons for their long game. 

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Best Driving Iron for Lower Handicapper: Callaway X Forged Utility Individual Iron

Best Driving Iron for Lower Handicapper

PROS

• Great for better players
• Similar to a long iron with a bit more forgiveness
• 360 Face Cup technology

CONS

• Thin profile that may not appeal to all golfers

The Callaway Golf X Forged Utility Irons are for the golfer who demand precision and feel.

The Callaway X Forged have the 360 Face Cup Technology that you will see in many of the Callaway golf irons. The 360 Face Cup helps give this club more distance and some forgiveness as well. 

We love that there are several lofts available on this utility iron and you can get it in 18, 21, 24 degrees.

Sometimes players will want utility irons instead of hybrids and these are a great option for that. You can get that penetrating ball flight will lots of precision. 

If you like long irons but know that a driving iron would be a better fit for your golf game, this club is a great choice.

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Best Value Driving Iron: MacGregor Golf MacTec X Driving Iron

Best Value Driving Iron

PROS

• Very low price
• Great for higher handicapper
• More like a hybrid
• Forgiving

CONS

• Feel will not be quite as good

Driving irons tend to cost more than a traditional iron. They usually end up being more like the price of a hybrid than an individual iron.

If the technology behind a driving iron is new for you and you want to try it without breaking the bank, the MacGregor Golf MacTec X is a great choice. 

This is a 21 degree driving iron with a very thin face. It has the forgiveness that a hybrid will have but you will be able to hit draws and fades and control the flight of the ball as well.

The MacGregor has a low center of gravity and more forgiveness than some of the other driving irons on our list. 

As you may have noticed many of the options are geared towards the low handicap golfers.

Higher handicappers tend to struggle with the ultra low lofts on utility irons, luckily this MacGregor makes a great choice for the mid to high handicap player as well.

If you struggle to get used to a hybrid this could be a great alternative.

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Best For Distance: TaylorMade SIM2 UDI

Best Driving Iron for Distance

PROS

• Tour validated shape
• Hollow body construction
• Speed pocket

CONS

• A bit bulkier looking than other options

Most people put a driving iron in their bag to help ensure that they get distance and performance without having to put the driver into play. The TaylorMade SIM2 UDI is known for its incredible distance and impressive turf interaction. 

TaylorMade almost always focuses on speed. With its hollow body Speed Pocket construction, the impressive distance will come without much effort on the part of the golfer. 

In addition, the SpeedFoam in the clubhead adds to the power but also improves the overall feel that you will get with the TaylorMade Sim2 UDI. Overall you can have a variety of handicaps and still benefit from the way that the TaylorMade SIM 2UDI feels and performs. If you are tired of hybrids, purchase these in a few degrees and find one that works best for your game.

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Best For Golfers That Prefer Irons: Cleveland Launcher UHX

PROS

• Clean looking design
• Affordable utility iron
• Looks more like a golf irons

CONS

• Ball speed won’t be as high as some other utility iron options

The Cleveland Launch UHX Utility iron is a great choice to consider if you like a more iron-like profile on your utility irons. This club has improved turf interaction from previous models and impressive forgiveness. Those that want to take advantage of the hollow construction technology will love what the Launcher UHX has to offer. 

One of the great things about this club is the way that it transitions into the iron set. When you look down at the Launcher UHX, it won’t feel all that much different than iron in your bag, yet it will have the long-distance and higher ball flight performance that you need. 

The Cleveland Launcher UHX Utility Iron is the way to go for those who want an affordable yet fantastic-looking golf driving iron.

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Driving Irons Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages	Disadvantages
Long-distance	Not great from the rough
Piercing ball flight	Low lofted club means less forgiveness
Good for windy conditions
A great option for players that don’t like hybrids
Can be a good alternative to a driver
More options coming to the market each year

Driving Irons Buying Guide

Now that we have shared with you the best driving irons available it’s time for you to narrow down which one is the right fit for your game.

Here are a few questions that golfers ask when it comes to driving irons. 

Distance 

An excellent driving iron will provide easy distance. The problem with many driving irons is that they require quite a bit of club head speed to get the proper distance. Luckily with the driving irons on the market today, there are some lightweight and higher flying options that will give players the easy distance they need. 

Price 

The price of driving irons is going to be similar to that of a hybrid. With the distance and forgiveness incorporated into this club head, it typically costs more than a golf iron. Expect the higher priced golf utility or driving irons to have more forgiveness and premium materials. 

Playability and Workability 

A driving iron is more workable than a hybrid. If you are a player that wants to ensure you can get the ball close, even from a long way away, the golf driving iron is a good choice. The more premium player type models look like a blade iron. 

Stinger Potential 

The stinger is a low shot that will cut through the wind and roll forever. The driving irons like the Srizon are a great club to use when playing for the stinger. A club like this allows players to manipulate the ball flight and the overall direction of the golf shot. 

Looks / Design 

You will have to choose a driving iron that looks to you like it can perform. Most find that the clubs that are less hybrid looking are a better fit for those that like their iron performance. Some golfers just have increased confidence when standing over an iron shot. 

Forgiveness 

Overall, driving irons will not be as forgiving as fairway woods or hybrids. Keep this in mind if you are a higher handicapper looking for pure forgiveness. The close a club gets to a hybrid like the SIM UDI clubs, the better the chance you have for some forgiveness. With the low loft, a driving iron is not always a smart choice out of the rough.

Driving Irons Frequently Asked Questions

Do Pros use driving irons?

Professional golfers that enjoy the look and feel of irons are going to put a utility club or driving iron in the bag. Professionals have very high swing speed, and because of that, they are able to hit a driving iron crisply and repeat their success hole after hole. Professionals that use driving irons typically don’t carry a hybrid in their bag. 

Is a 3 Iron a driving iron?

A three iron is not a driving iron; most driving irons have a lower loft than a three-iron. The idea behind the driving iron is to get as much distance and roll as possible, and a three iron is not specifically designed for that. 

Hybrids vs. Driving Irons?

A hybrid and a driving iron are similar in what they are able to do from a distance standpoint. However, the driving iron is built more for precision and accuracy than a hybrid. Hybrids are also better from the rough than utility irons.

Are Driving Irons Better Than Hybrids? 

Driving irons are different from hybrids; they are not better or worse.

The one positive that hybrids have over the driving and long irons is that they are much better out of the rough. The rough can be quite difficult to deal with at some courses and it tends to catch the club. 

Now that driving irons have become so popular you can get them in a variety of degrees and people are replacing fairway woods, long irons and hybrids with these utility type clubs, mostly because of the distance they can achieve. 

How Far Should You Hit A Driving Iron? 

Years ago driving irons were made with very low lofts and intended to replace a driver.

Through the years technology has improved and now these clubs are good from both the tee and the fairway to give players extra yardage. 

A driving iron will generally go a long way off the tee and players can see distance well over two hundred yards.

It’s important to remember that the distance you hit a driving iron will be related to your overall club head speed and the loft of the club that you are swinging. 

Are Driving Irons Good In Windy Conditions? 

Driving irons are great in windy conditions. They generally keep the golf ball quite low and will roll for a while as well. When playing in the wind it helps to keep the ball under the wind and “cheat” it a bit. 

Driving irons will be good in the rain and wet conditions as well as they are going to have a more penetrating ball flight. Keeping the ball out of the wind and rain will give you much better results. 

Conclusion

As helpful and high performing as a hybrid iron can be, it is not the perfect match for all golfers.

If you have felt as though a new club added to your long game is what you need, then the driving iron is a great choice.

There are so many great options on the market but the Cobra King Utility really stands out as the best.

With its sleek look, high performing shaft, impeccable feel and still some added forgiveness this is a club that you will want to consider.

The Cleveland Launcher UHX Utility Iron is the way to go for those who want an affordable yet fantastic-looking golf driving iron.