I Tested The Top-4 Player’s Distance Irons — The Results Shocked Me

The 2025 golf season is finally here. 

This year, I’m looking to improve my distance and accuracy with my irons. Hitting a 7-iron into the woods while all my friends stick 9-irons on par 3s is demoralizing, to say the least…

My current irons are about 6 years old, so I’m long overdue for an upgrade. But with so many brands and new tech out there, I decided to get fitted for the top-4 player’s distance irons — Titleist T200 Series, Ping i530, TaylorMade P790, and PXG 0311 XP GEN7. 

Read my full breakdown and rating for every iron I tested below, or skip to my final verdict.

Key Similarities:

• All irons feature hollow-body construction and forged faces
• All irons are designed to maximize distance
• Similar prices — $1,300 to $1,400 — for 7 clubs (4-PW)

Key Differences:

• Titleist T200 irons offer a higher ball flight with traditional lofts
• PXG GEN7 irons feature a more satisfying sound & feel
• PXG GEN7 fitting is more in-depth and data-driven

Titleist T200 ($1,400 for 4-PW)

Titleist is a huge name in golf, so I was very excited to try out their T200 series. These irons look sleek with a tour-inspired compact head. But I gotta admit that they feel a bit intimidating for an 11 handicapper like myself. They feature Dual D18 Tungsten Weighting, which they tell me helps with accuracy. 

My first few swings were all over the place, but once I made solid contact the irons started to feel good. The ball flight was very high, and the distance was significantly further than my current set when I hit them right. My good shots were good, but the bad shots were BAD. Overall, they’re high-quality clubs but lack the forgiveness I need as a mid-handicapper.

Titleist T200 Rating: 3.7/5

PXG 0311 XP GEN7 ($1609.93 $1,368.43 for 4-W)

Unlike the other brands, I needed to go to one of PXG’s stores or fitting hubs to get fitted for these irons. Initially, this felt like a negative, but after going through their 1-1 master fitting — it was 100% worth it.

The PXG 0311 XP GEN7 irons feature new, proprietary QuantumCOR tech, and are the most adjustable irons in this class which means exceptional forgiveness, feel and accuracy. The hollow body construction and Variable Ultra-Thin Maraging Steel Face maximize distance, and the thin topline makes for an extremely powerful look at setup.

After warming up, PXG’s master fitter dialed in the GEN7s to fit my unique swing. These irons were the most consistent and produced the furthest distance. Although the ball flight wasn’t as high as Titleist, the tight dispersion easily made up for that. What seriously sets PXG’s GEN7 apart is the feel — the sound is explosive, and the ball flies off the face with serious speed and forgiveness. These are hands-down my favorite set, and I’m definitely picking PXG for my 2025 season.

PXG 0311 XP GEN7 Rating: 4.9/5

Ping i530 ($1,302.99 for 5-PW, UW)

Next up: the Ping i530s, which are designed to be forgiving. They look a bit thicker than the Titleist T200 at setup and feature Precision-milled MicroMax grooves to generate serious spin.

My numbers were more consistent with these irons, and the stronger lofts resulted in a mid-launch trajectory. In terms of distance, they just underperformed the Titleist T200s. My main critiques were the flat sound at impact, and how shaping shots felt more difficult.. 

Ping i530 Rating: 3.9/5

Taylormade P790 ($1,399.99 for 4-PW)

My old set was Taylormade, so I was ready to see how their newer irons performed. The P790s feature a way thinner forged face. These clubs also include precision tungsten weighting, SpeedFoam Air, and a more responsive face.

The distance I got was impressive — maybe too impressive. My shots came off the face very “hot,” and had less spin so they rolled out quite a bit. Although I liked the look and sound of these, the wide dispersion of my shots brought Taylormade down a few points. Though they’re a solid set, hitting felt unpredictable — not what I’m looking for.

Taylormade P790 Rating: 3.4/5

Final Thoughts:

My iron fitting felt like a Goldilocks experience. The Titleist T200s weren’t forgiving enough, the Ping i530s were too forgiving, the TaylorMade P790s were too hot, and the PXG GEN7s were just right. All of these sets performed way better than my old clubs, but PXG knocked it out of the park in terms of both distance and forgiveness.

Because the PXG in-store fitting was the most in-depth and fun session, I thought their irons would be the most expensive. But PXG is currently offering 15% off when you buy 7+ clubs —- so they’re actually the second-most affordable ($1609.93 $1,368.43 for 4-W).

I can’t wait to play my PXG 0311 XP GEN7s this season. I’d highly recommend them to any golfer looking to upgrade their iron distance and accuracy. And if you don’t believe me, head to one of PXG’s 26 retail stores or 200+ fitting hubs and try them for yourself!