Best Driving Irons (2 iron) 2024
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Are you tired of not having an answer for that awkward, tricky tee shot that doesn’t suit your eye?
Ever needed a go-to long approach shot that’s guaranteed to go straighter than a fairway wood and roll forever toward the green?
The answer to your prayers is the “driving iron.” These driving irons, or “utility irons,” used to be clubs that only extremely precise ball-strikers and elite golfers felt confident carrying in their bags and playing regularly.
Golf equipment engineers realized more players needed to experience the penetrating, long-distance-achieving, fairway-finding power of the best driving and utility irons and started creating easier-to-hit, more forgiving options.
Our Top Tested Picks
In More Depth: The Best Driving / Utility Irons of 2024
The Best Driving Irons in 2024:
1. Titleist T200 Utility Iron (Best Overall)
2. Mizuno Pro 24 Fli-Hi (Most Forgiving)
3. Ping iCrossover (Most Adjustable Driving Iron)
4. Srixon ZX Mk II Utility (Most Accurate)
5. TaylorMade P-DHY Driving Iron (Best for Higher Launch)
6. Cobra King Tec Utility Iron (Best for Distance)
7. Takomo 101U Driving Iron (Best Direct-to-Consumer Option)
8. Wilson Staff Model RB Utility Iron (Easiest to hit)
Our list below covers our favorite driving and utility irons for every style and category of golfer, so every player reading this list can find their perfect match.
Best Game Improvement Irons of 2024
Best Overall – Tour Edge Exotics E723
Read Review
Runner-Up Overall – Titleist T-350
Read Review
3rd Place Overall – Srixon ZX4 Mk II
Read ReviewConsistently save yourself strokes, increase your confidence to crush those “bugg-a-boo” holes, and have a go-to weapon off the tee with a driving iron from our list. Stick around after our picks, where we discuss the top features we look for in a utility iron when upgrading our bags!
Best Overall (Low-Mid Handicaps)
Titleist T200 Utility Iron
Pros
- Incredible looks backed up by great performance
- Premium Shafts are available at no upcharge
- Will increase the confidence and performance of good ball-strikers
Cons
- Not forgiving enough for poor ball strikers
Bottom Line
Better golfers have their driving iron match made in heaven with the all-new Titleist T200 Utility build iron. It exceeds competitors in looks, feel, and ability to cut through various types of turf, just *maybe* not forgiveness.
The better golfer’s pick for a new driving iron is the Titleist T200 Utility Iron. We were lucky enough to get our hands on it to test recently, and we can confirm the hype is absolutely real – The T200 is a monster of a performer both from the fairway and off the tee.
What the golf world has come to expect from all Titleist irons remains true with the T200 Utility –
- The best looks on the market
- Premium materials, research and development, and elite-level construction processes used in production
Loveliest of all, many of the game’s best minds, from shaft manufacturers (Graphite Design) to Wedge-reinventors (Bob Vokey), partnered with Titleist to create these exceptionally high-performing utility iron builds.
Titleist exceeds competitors through the T200 Utilities player’s preferred looks, lack of “game improvement” shaping, and stunning sound and feel through impact. The head shaping and sole design that leads to this excellent feeling performance comes from the hands of Mr. Vokey himself, who played an integral part in crafting the T200 Utility iron’s turf interaction.
This driving iron feels like any other Titleist T Series iron and provides seamless transitioning through this often tricky yardage gap section in our bags, along with more confidence from long range.
Check out our recent review of the Titleist T200 Utility Build iron here!
Most Forgiving (Mid-High Handicaps)
Mizuno Pro 24 Fli-Hi Driving Iron
Pros
- Easier to hit than most
- Very versatile and affordable
- Arguably the best looks of any driving iron
Cons
- No adjustability
Bottom Line
If you’re less confident in your ball-striking but need a club that’ll help you tackle any situation, the Mizuno Pro 24 Fli-Hi is a perfect fit.
Some clubs hide their perks – the Mizuno Pro 24 FliHi puts it right front and center in its name, giving away the fact it “Flies High” with ease in a ridiculously stunning-looking package.
The 24 Fli-Hi is arguably the most “versatile” driving/utility iron on our list (meaning you can use it for a wide variety of lies and situations) because it just *barely* fits the description of these clubs and more so performs like a hybrid.
The Fli-Hi features a sharper angle between the club’s trailing edge and face to help players dig through the turf (like a hybrid) without impacting off-the-tee performance. The Fli-Hi’s upgraded 2024 design also includes deeper, heavier tungsten weights at the rear of its oversized head, creating incredibly penetrating, controllable ball flights when needed.
While the Fli-Hi has a larger head than many driving irons on our list, Mizuno cleverly masks this head size by blacking out the club’s exterior for a clean, more compact look while making a larger, more confident-inspiring iron pick.
Most Accurate/Consistent
Srixon ZX Mk II Utility Iron
Pros
- Upgraded version of an already high-performing utility iron
- Tech upgrades improve distance consistency and accuracy
- Trusted by Shane Lowry and Hideki Matsuyama
Cons
- It is still designed with the better golfer in mind.
Bottom Line
Srixon continued their impressive streak at making highly playable and consistently performing utility irons.
Gamed by two of the best long-approach players in the world (Hideki Matsuyama and Shane Lowry), the revamped Srixon ZK Mk II utility iron is our pick for the most accurate and consistent driving iron available.
Why did we choose this category for the beautiful Mk II? Because it features new technology that enhanced its consistency so much that we DID NOT hit a poor shot with it during testing over the course of 6 rounds and multiple practice sessions.
Besides the slightly slimmed-down and cleaned-up exterior, the new Mk II now includes variable thickness patterns behind the club face that increase ball speed consistency and dependability across all strikes.
We loved the fact that even when we didn’t make our best contact, our distance wasn’t severely hindered (just our intended line, obviously). This leads to more scoring opportunities and less punishment for poor swings.
The ZX Mk II looks fantastic behind the ball, launches really easily, and was one of the most accurate-from-distance utility irons we’ve tested in recent memory.
Check out our recent Srixon ZX Mk II Utility Iron review here.
Best for High Launch
TaylorMade P-DHY Driving Iron
Pros
- Large, confidence-inspiring head
- Naturally high launching for easier use
- Biggest driving iron head TaylorMade has ever produced
Cons
- No adjustability
Bottom Line
Driving irons previously had the reputation of being difficult to launch high easily. The TaylorMade P DHY flips that narrative on its head. It is high-launching and straightforward to play for tons of golfers.
What are the primary complaints of golfers who don’t enjoy driving/utility irons? “I can’t hit them high enough.” or “I just can’t hit them.” The TaylorMade P-DHY is here to make those issues a problem of the past.
TaylorMade set out with a simple 3-part goal when creating the new P-DHY utility club – 1. Create a confidence-inspiring utility iron shape. 2. Lower CG to raise ball flight height. 3. Make it perform in a wide variety of on-course situations.
The DHY excels at all three of these goals, by being larger in both width and length compared to previous TaylorMade driving iron generations for more confidence, including a unique “Back-to-Front” construction style that dramatically increases launch conditions for all shots, and having enough heft and size to cut through rough grasses just as well as no hindrances at all.
While it is significantly larger than the sister utility (P-UDI), the DHY doesn’t give off any serious “game improvement” appearance features and strongly resembles the more player-iron shape of a P770 iron.
If you’re the type of golfer who wants or even needs a driving iron but has prior hang-ups about them needing to be higher launching or more straightforward to hit, the TaylorMade P-DHY is a great choice.
Best to Maximize Distance
Cobra King Tec Utility Iron
Pros
- Preposterously long
- Serious increases in ball speed and accuracy on good strikes
- Noticeable increase in the length of poor strikes
Cons
- Still designed with the better golfer in mind
Bottom Line
Cobra clubs are known for being long, but the Cobra KING TEC Utility takes that message to a whole new level by coupling length with great accuracy.
If you already have experience with driving irons but would like to maximize the length you achieve with one, the Cobra King Tec Utility iron should be your #1 pick.
Created to enhance both length and precision for the better ball striker, the Cobra King Tec Utility launches like a rocket (much like all Cobra clubs) without sacrificing an ounce of accuracy.
Cobra achieves these simultaneous improvements with the combination of a couple of factors, starting with an enormous amount of Tungsten used in construction. Sixty-one total grams of it (nearly 3x of most competing brands) create a powerful, HOT feeling at impact that forces ball flights to stay on their intended path.
This weighting, combined with Cobra’s proven A.I. designed clubface, effectively increases the ball speed rebound area of the face by 10X. We specifically noticed slight heel strikes (our most common miss while testing), achieving longer distances than our current driving iron. This sight made us realize we were leaving serious length on the table.
Best Direct-to-Consumer Option
Takomo 101U Driving Iron
Pros
- It is the most affordable driving iron on our list by a long margin
- Arguably the best-looking iron on our list
- Forged technology without the traditional forged price point
Cons
- Only available for right-handed golfers
Bottom Line
If you’re hoping to save a buck without sacrificing quality or performance, the Takomo 101U is your low-launching, low-spinning, controllable pick.
Takomo continues to make major waves in the equipment industry, and this time, they’re not endorsing new PGA TOUR pros or sponsoring golfers with irons for life, but rather creating the best Direct-to-Consumer driving iron that’s available today.
DTC clubs aren’t sold at typical big-box golf stores, meaning they save immense money in advertising and marketing, leading to dramatically more affordable prices.
On top of saving you a few greens-fees in cost, the 101U features the same hollow-body construction styles, increased perimeter weighting, premium materials, and forging processes used in production as well-known brands so you can be assured of quality.
We were blown away by the Takomo 101U’s consistently low launch, low spin, straight ball flights, and amazing looks, and we’re sure you will be too.
Check out our review of the Takomo 101U driving iron here.
Best Confidence Booster / Easy To Hit
Wilson Staff Model RB Utility Iron
Pros
- Arguably the easiest-to-hit driving iron we’ve tested
- Confidence-inspiring profile and easy launch
- Fantastic feel and looks
Cons
- Still designed with better ball strikers in mind
Bottom Line
The Wilson Staff Model RB utility iron is a treat to use for nearly all that test or play it. It offers an insane amount of forgiveness and easy launch, making it one of the easiest-to-hit utility irons we’ve ever tried.
Rounding out our list of the best driving and utility irons of the 2024 season is the Wilson Staff Model RB utility. The antithesis to the “driving irons are hard to hit” stereotypes.
The Wilson Staff RB offers everything you want in a driving iron option. Stunning looks, a beefed-up sole for more confidence behind the ball, and a natural ability to launch (even if your strike isn’t perfectly square) easily.
No, the Wilson Staff RB isn’t the largest club head on our list, and no, it might not be the traditional “easiest to hit looking” club available, but through our testing, time after time, the RB utility was consistently our easiest to hit driving iron, making it a seamless fit into my bag.
The RB is one of the few utility irons remaining that employs a true “cavity” style head shape (making it look much more like a traditional iron than a specialty utility iron), but Wilson masks this extra forgiving shape with a slimmed-down top-line that made us know we were going to hit it well.
Please read our review of the Wilson Staff Model RB Utility iron here.
Buying Guide: How to Choose a Utility/Driving Iron
Here are the factors we here at Independent Golf Reviews consider the most crucial when buying a new driving iron.
We’ve been testing equipment and golf gear for decades, and feel confident in our quick advice!
Utility Iron vs. Long Irons vs. Hybrids – How to Choose
After examining our list, we hope you’re now aware that not only extremely precise, elite-level ball strikers can utilize and enjoy utility and driving irons.
Each of the 3 categories we listed has its advantages and disadvantages, but here’s how we quickly break them down for players trying to decide which category they should play in and buy for.
Utility Irons / Driving Irons – These clubs are often specifically designed with penetrating tee shots and approach shots in mind, but they can also launch high depending on club build and swing. They feature head shapes between the size of long irons and hybrids and are the focus of our list.
Long Irons – Most all sets of golf clubs include some long irons (5-4-3, etc.), but traditional long irons offer significantly less forgiveness than most utility and driving irons available. Sure, their thinner head shapes are often great for digging out of rough and trickier lies, but in reality, very few players are skilled enough to play traditional long irons as they lower in loft (2 iron and 1 iron in particular).
Hybrids – As given away in their name, Hybrid clubs are a “hybrid” between woods and long irons, and feature the largest head shapes on our list. They also feature longer shafts than irons (for more speed potential). What they gain in distance, they lose in accuracy.
Distance Needed / Yardage Gapping
Utility irons are often used to fill the “yardage gap” that’s created between your shortest fairway wood and your longest iron.
Say you hit your 4 iron 205 yards and your 5 wood 235. This “gap” will lead to lost shots if not filled, creating the need in your game for a driving or utility iron.
Style of Golf Courses You Frequent
Utility irons improve accuracy, roll-out length achievable, and confidence in players when they’d otherwise be anxious on a tee/approach shot.
If your local golf courses are more wide-open, you can get away with a slight loss in accuracy, and a hybrid could be a better fit for your game.
If you’re like many of us at IGR and play tighter, tree-lined, or desert-lined fairways and need an equally dependable and controllable shot off the tee, a driving iron can be a perfect choice.
Driving irons help players maximize roll-out, creating a weapon in both accuracy and length when used appropriately.
Frequently Asked Questions: Best Driving & Utility Irons 2024
What are utility irons for?
Utility irons are the perfect club to add more accuracy, roll-out length, dependability, and confidence to most golfers’ bags. Tight, tricky tee shots or approach shots requiring a lot of length and roll are immediately aided by a high-performing utility iron.
Can you hit driving irons off the fairway?
1 million times YES! The sentiment that “driving irons” are only meant for driving is ridiculous and part of the reason why we were sure to include their other name (utility irons) as often as we could – because they provide “utility” to everybody!
Can high handicappers use utility irons?
While most high handicappers will struggle regardless, they can find a utility iron that will improve their performance.
Take my 15-handicap friend, for example, who routinely lost 2 balls on his home course every round. He found a driving iron that gave him a shot to hit off the tee on these two holes, saving himself 3-5 shots PER ROUND on his home track.