Price
$130 per iron
Cleveland ZipCore XL
Price
$130 per iron
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Why We Like It
- This game-improvement set uses two constructions: a hollow body for the 4- through 7-iron and a cavity-back design for the 8-iron through sand wedge.
- Golf Digest’s academic panel has seen a lot of interesting technology over the years and isn’t easily impressed. An exception is Cleveland’s ZipCore tech in which a lightweight aluminum silicate compound replaces steel in the hosel to better position the center of gravity.
- ZipCore saves nearly 15 grams of weight that is redistributed to reduce ball-speed loss on off-center strikes.
- A cool thing about having affiliated companies is that you can borrow their technology. For the face, the ZipCore XL uses Srixon’s face design in the 4- through 7-irons—a system of channels and cavities milled into the backside of the face to maximize flexibility.
- The face is not just about creating speed. A proprietary face blast and laser-milled lines create roughness to enhance friction for consistent spin.
- SPECS: 7-iron: 29 degrees; PW: 43 degrees
what our testers said
handicap
- all
- low
- mid
- high
COMMENT SUMMARY
Summaries generated from tester comments with the assistance of AI.
COMMENT SUMMARY
Summaries generated from tester comments with the assistance of AI.
COMMENT SUMMARY
Summaries generated from tester comments with the assistance of AI.
COMMENT SUMMARY
Summaries generated from tester comments with the assistance of AI.
Ricky
46, Handicap +3
10+ years testing
It was really forgiving. On the mis-hits, I lost some distance but they were still moving in the right direction. The ease of getting it airborne and the distance were stupid good. The clubhead has a longer look and I'm not seeing any of the bulk in the back. The non-glare aspect is great for Texas and Florida golf.
Robert
28, Handicap 2
1 year testing
A bit chunkier and bigger topline but easy to align to the direction you want. It gives a softer feel off the face and a nice sound. You know when you hit a good golf shot. It seemed extra spinny in the air but didn't seem to rob distance. I could hit any shot I wanted, but for a higher-spinning player, it could cause some issues.
Sándor J.
36, Handicap 9
2 years testing
This is the smoothest, but produces a high ball but controllable. If you hit it clean on a normal swing, it's going to go miles in the air.
Paul
63, Handicap 4
10+ years testing
These felt very light and balanced and easy to hit. The spin seemed fine, but it didn't have that initial launch I was looking for. The distance was good.
Alan
30, Handicap 1
1 year testing
It was my favorite club when it comes to interacting with the turf. It's a good divot machine. You can get down into it and it won't get caught down there. It sends the ball up in a hurry. Soft and surprising. The design is cool. It looks like a Transformer.
SEE ALL (26)
Ricky
46, Handicap +3
10+ years testing
It was really forgiving. On the mis-hits, I lost some distance but they were still moving in the right direction. The ease of getting it airborne and the distance were stupid good. The clubhead has a longer look and I'm not seeing any of the bulk in the back. The non-glare aspect is great for Texas and Florida golf.
Robert
28, Handicap 2
1 year testing
A bit chunkier and bigger topline but easy to align to the direction you want. It gives a softer feel off the face and a nice sound. You know when you hit a good golf shot. It seemed extra spinny in the air but didn't seem to rob distance. I could hit any shot I wanted, but for a higher-spinning player, it could cause some issues.
Sándor J.
36, Handicap 9
2 years testing
This is the smoothest, but produces a high ball but controllable. If you hit it clean on a normal swing, it's going to go miles in the air.
Paul
63, Handicap 4
10+ years testing
These felt very light and balanced and easy to hit. The spin seemed fine, but it didn't have that initial launch I was looking for. The distance was good.
Alan
30, Handicap 1
1 year testing
It was my favorite club when it comes to interacting with the turf. It's a good divot machine. You can get down into it and it won't get caught down there. It sends the ball up in a hurry. Soft and surprising. The design is cool. It looks like a Transformer.
Jason
48, Handicap 0
10+ years testing
They're clacky at impact. The face sounds like it's breaking when you hit it. That said, the performance is awesome. I was hitting moon balls. It was super easy to hit.
Ryan
49, Handicap 10
7 years testing
Watching the ball quickly grab its line and rise into the sky and land soft never got old. There was plenty of pop and distance with a really pleasing snappy sound at impact. It wouldn't let me get it stuck in the turf and powered its way through. The head design is attractive and feels very efficient, with nothing to waste or question.
Anand
43, Handicap 6
10+ years testing
The head is big, it's bigger than other clubs. It feels like it's only going to help you with its bigger head and bigger sweet spot. However, I feel too much of the head weight through the swing. I have no control over whether the face is opening or closing through impact.
BK
42, Handicap 1
9 years testing
The look is definitely for someone who is not confident about getting the ball in the air. This club achieves that. It's very good at launching it. It's not bad in any strong way, but it also doesn't stand out. Loud, but not the loudest. It might distract you, but if the club performs like this, you learn to deal with it.
Gary
37, Handicap 13
10+ years testing
The heel-toe dimension looks encouraging. It was easy to frame the ball at address with the rounded dimension. I got medium trajectory and medium distance. There was firm-to-almost-abrasive feel at impact.
Peter
57, Handicap 7
10+ years testing
It's very functional. It sets up nice. Very straightforward. No gimmicks. It also was easy to maneuver the ball. Just a very serviceable club with the right amount of feedback. You can tell from all your senses if it's a good or bad shot.
Wayne
60, Handicap 6
2 years testing
It's got a larger clubface than I would normally play, but I would play this. Distance was strong even with a little dispersion. Off-center hits also went really straight. As far as looks, the face is classic with brushed nickel. Impact was surprisingly soft and quiet. It's nice how forgiving it is.
Wei
55, Handicap 13
9 years testing
I really like the darker hue in the middle, which makes the heel and toe frame the hitting space nicely. Not a fan that the blade length is a bit on the longer side, but once I started hitting them, I could forget about that. Terrific sensation at impact into my hands, It felt incredibly easy to get the ball in the air and do what I wanted to with it.
Matt
27, Handicap 5
1 year testing
I like that it's bulky but the power pack doesn't show. Everything's well designed. It definitely has a hollow, softer feel to the face, but it's very consistent in all aspects. It cuts through the ground very nicely. The one downside is that it launches the ball very high.
Sean
53, Handicap 6
8 years testing
It's a very good club but I didn't like the look. The ball jumps off the face and you get a nice trajectory. You can fade it or draw it with this workable club.
Megan
39, Handicap 0
1 year testing
The grooves cover a lot of the face. You look down and all you see are grooves. Because of that, the head looks almost shovel-like. It's pretty cool how the degrees are listed on every clubhead. I got great height, but the ball seemed to fall out of the air quickly.
Jack
35, Handicap 1
2 years testing
The face is so long, it dwarfs the golf ball. It makes it look like a marble. That said, you can hit it off the heel and you can still pure it. If you can shank this, you've got some serious problems.
Skylar
27, Handicap 7
2 years testing
I like the face with the grooves, but it's a super long clubhead and like an oval. It produces a very satisfying sound, a little hollow, and was consistent and easy to hit. It's not hard to find the sweet spot. You can also very easily work the ball with these.
Jin
30, Handicap 13
1 year testing
There's a lot of forgiveness in distance retention, but it doesn't stay on line, though. The sound is low in pitch. The face is a bit too big for my liking.
Thomas
60, Handicap 7
10+ years testing
It has a large and wide topline. I'd say the size of the head heel to toe was 25 percent longer than other clubs in this category. It's a little intimidating at first but it worked. There was good turf interaction and the forgiveness was good. It had a clicky sound that I didn't like.
David
67, Handicap 8
1 year testing
It's a nicely weighted club. It produced more distance than I expected.
Molly
38, Handicap 0
4 years testing
This was high-launching and hot off the face. My ball speed jumped up with these clubs. And they are directionally forgiving. Mis-hits were straighter and would find the green. If you're looking for distance and height, you should start here.
Matt
52, Handicap 11
3 years testing
Visually, the club is larger and clunkier than I'd like. XL indeed. Even so, it was easy to find the center of the face. It produces a high trajectory but without ballooning or floating. It definitely helped me get the ball in the air. If you're looking for predictable and repeatable, this is it. Feel is muted, like I'm wearing two or three gloves.
RC
63, Handicap 7
2 years testing
My distance was down but everything else about it was great. The larger head is tough to look at, but it's a really forgiving club, which never hurts.
Shane
36, Handicap 15
5 years testing
It felt like a catapult. It was so easy to get the ball to cruising altitude and it was long. It rewarded me every time for just hitting the face. It's a game-improvement iron that lives up to its name of improving my game. Off-center hits were unnoticeable.
Daniel
33, Handicap 12
5 years testing
I got a hIgh ball flight that could be tough to keep down in the wind. Still, it was super easy to get these up in the air. Even with the higher flight, I always felt in control of the ball. I also felt the spring at impact.
Gary
37, Handicap 13
10+ years testing
The heel-toe dimension looks encouraging. It was easy to frame the ball at address with the rounded dimension. I got medium trajectory and medium distance. There was firm-to-almost-abrasive feel at impact.
Wei
55, Handicap 13
9 years testing
I really like the darker hue in the middle, which makes the heel and toe frame the hitting space nicely. Not a fan that the blade length is a bit on the longer side, but once I started hitting them, I could forget about that. Terrific sensation at impact into my hands, It felt incredibly easy to get the ball in the air and do what I wanted to with it.
Jin
30, Handicap 13
1 year testing
There's a lot of forgiveness in distance retention, but it doesn't stay on line, though. The sound is low in pitch. The face is a bit too big for my liking.
Shane
36, Handicap 15
5 years testing
It felt like a catapult. It was so easy to get the ball to cruising altitude and it was long. It rewarded me every time for just hitting the face. It's a game-improvement iron that lives up to its name of improving my game. Off-center hits were unnoticeable.
Daniel
33, Handicap 12
5 years testing
I got a hIgh ball flight that could be tough to keep down in the wind. Still, it was super easy to get these up in the air. Even with the higher flight, I always felt in control of the ball. I also felt the spring at impact.
Sándor J.
36, Handicap 9
2 years testing
This is the smoothest, but produces a high ball but controllable. If you hit it clean on a normal swing, it's going to go miles in the air.
Ryan
49, Handicap 10
7 years testing
Watching the ball quickly grab its line and rise into the sky and land soft never got old. There was plenty of pop and distance with a really pleasing snappy sound at impact. It wouldn't let me get it stuck in the turf and powered its way through. The head design is attractive and feels very efficient, with nothing to waste or question.
Anand
43, Handicap 6
10+ years testing
The head is big, it's bigger than other clubs. It feels like it's only going to help you with its bigger head and bigger sweet spot. However, I feel too much of the head weight through the swing. I have no control over whether the face is opening or closing through impact.
Peter
57, Handicap 7
10+ years testing
It's very functional. It sets up nice. Very straightforward. No gimmicks. It also was easy to maneuver the ball. Just a very serviceable club with the right amount of feedback. You can tell from all your senses if it's a good or bad shot.
Wayne
60, Handicap 6
2 years testing
It's got a larger clubface than I would normally play, but I would play this. Distance was strong even with a little dispersion. Off-center hits also went really straight. As far as looks, the face is classic with brushed nickel. Impact was surprisingly soft and quiet. It's nice how forgiving it is.
Sean
53, Handicap 6
8 years testing
It's a very good club but I didn't like the look. The ball jumps off the face and you get a nice trajectory. You can fade it or draw it with this workable club.
Skylar
27, Handicap 7
2 years testing
I like the face with the grooves, but it's a super long clubhead and like an oval. It produces a very satisfying sound, a little hollow, and was consistent and easy to hit. It's not hard to find the sweet spot. You can also very easily work the ball with these.
Thomas
60, Handicap 7
10+ years testing
It has a large and wide topline. I'd say the size of the head heel to toe was 25 percent longer than other clubs in this category. It's a little intimidating at first but it worked. There was good turf interaction and the forgiveness was good. It had a clicky sound that I didn't like.
David
67, Handicap 8
1 year testing
It's a nicely weighted club. It produced more distance than I expected.
Matt
52, Handicap 11
3 years testing
Visually, the club is larger and clunkier than I'd like. XL indeed. Even so, it was easy to find the center of the face. It produces a high trajectory but without ballooning or floating. It definitely helped me get the ball in the air. If you're looking for predictable and repeatable, this is it. Feel is muted, like I'm wearing two or three gloves.
RC
63, Handicap 7
2 years testing
My distance was down but everything else about it was great. The larger head is tough to look at, but it's a really forgiving club, which never hurts.
Ricky
46, Handicap +3
10+ years testing
It was really forgiving. On the mis-hits, I lost some distance but they were still moving in the right direction. The ease of getting it airborne and the distance were stupid good. The clubhead has a longer look and I'm not seeing any of the bulk in the back. The non-glare aspect is great for Texas and Florida golf.
Robert
28, Handicap 2
1 year testing
A bit chunkier and bigger topline but easy to align to the direction you want. It gives a softer feel off the face and a nice sound. You know when you hit a good golf shot. It seemed extra spinny in the air but didn't seem to rob distance. I could hit any shot I wanted, but for a higher-spinning player, it could cause some issues.
Paul
63, Handicap 4
10+ years testing
These felt very light and balanced and easy to hit. The spin seemed fine, but it didn't have that initial launch I was looking for. The distance was good.
Alan
30, Handicap 1
1 year testing
It was my favorite club when it comes to interacting with the turf. It's a good divot machine. You can get down into it and it won't get caught down there. It sends the ball up in a hurry. Soft and surprising. The design is cool. It looks like a Transformer.
Jason
48, Handicap 0
10+ years testing
They're clacky at impact. The face sounds like it's breaking when you hit it. That said, the performance is awesome. I was hitting moon balls. It was super easy to hit.
BK
42, Handicap 1
9 years testing
The look is definitely for someone who is not confident about getting the ball in the air. This club achieves that. It's very good at launching it. It's not bad in any strong way, but it also doesn't stand out. Loud, but not the loudest. It might distract you, but if the club performs like this, you learn to deal with it.
Matt
27, Handicap 5
1 year testing
I like that it's bulky but the power pack doesn't show. Everything's well designed. It definitely has a hollow, softer feel to the face, but it's very consistent in all aspects. It cuts through the ground very nicely. The one downside is that it launches the ball very high.
Megan
39, Handicap 0
1 year testing
The grooves cover a lot of the face. You look down and all you see are grooves. Because of that, the head looks almost shovel-like. It's pretty cool how the degrees are listed on every clubhead. I got great height, but the ball seemed to fall out of the air quickly.
Jack
35, Handicap 1
2 years testing
The face is so long, it dwarfs the golf ball. It makes it look like a marble. That said, you can hit it off the heel and you can still pure it. If you can shank this, you've got some serious problems.
Molly
38, Handicap 0
4 years testing
This was high-launching and hot off the face. My ball speed jumped up with these clubs. And they are directionally forgiving. Mis-hits were straighter and would find the green. If you're looking for distance and height, you should start here.
NO REVIEWS
There are no tester reviews here.
Range Results
We tracked 27,000 shots through player testing and then had them analyzed by our team of scientists. These graphics reflect the relative performance our players saw for each club in the category.
Surviving The Hot List: Celebrity Intern
From the Manufacturer
Cleveland ZipCore XL
ZipCore XL Irons feature Cleveland Golf’s ZipCore technology for the first time ever in an Iron. Combined with MainFrame, ZipCore XL Irons are designed to give avid golfers more power in the long Irons and more control in the short Irons.
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The forged 455-steel face was designed with the help of AI analysis of everyday player impact data in which the topology behind the face is different for each iron—thinner and thicker in areas where it needs to be to create maximum consistency.
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The hollow-body construction features a variable-thickness cupface designed with the help of AI analysis of thousands of golfer swings.
The special high-strength stainless steel is thinner than traditional stainless steels, resulting in a fast-flexing face.
Select areas of the clubhead have been stiffened, primarily the topline, to allow the cupface to transfer energy to the ball more efficiently.
3 / 16
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$143 per iron
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Designed for players with moderate to average swing speeds seeking a higher launch with more carry.
As with the standard Elyte model, a high-strength stainless-steel cupface—in which the sole wraps around part of the sole and topline—provides Formula-1 speed off the face.
The irons feature the RCH S2H2 short hosel that Callaway’s late R&D chief Dick Helmstetter was famous for designing. The shorter hosel saves six grams that were used to lower the center of gravity to achieve higher launch.
4 / 16
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The L-face insert (in which part of the face wraps around the sole) is used on the 4- through 7-irons to boost ball speed. The face has a new leading-edge channel that extends around the face from the sole into the toe area to help with impacts there.
For the first time in a Cobra iron, the interior leading-edge channel has been added to the 8-iron through sand wedge.
Cobra engineers used simulated golf-ball impacts to adjust the face pattern and interior leading edge and toe area thicknesses to deliver faster ball speeds.
5 / 16
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King Tec-X
$186 per iron
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6 / 16
Mizuno
JPX925 Hot Metal
$150 per iron
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The new face on the 4- through 8-irons is 30 percent thinner at its thinnest point or a slim 1.2 millimeters on the low heel and high toe for faster ball speeds.
The cupface—in which part of the face wraps around the topline and sole—enhances ball speed throughout the hitting area.
Tungsten weighting is positioned low in the 4- through 7-irons to mitigate the loss of ball speed on off-center strikes and to help golfers launch the ball higher.
7 / 16
Ping
G440
$157 per iron
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The face is shallower and thinner compared to the G430 for increased ball speed and a more player-preferred look at address.
The size reduction saves four grams per iron that is placed lower and farther back in the head to drop the center of gravity and assist launch.
The shaft length of the 4-, 5-, and 6-irons were extended three-quarters of an inch to help golfers launch those irons higher.
8 / 16
PXG
0311 XP GEN7
$230 per iron
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Hot List Gold
$230 per iron
Compared to the P model, the XP targets middle- to high-handicaps who don’t mind looking at a little heftier clubhead with more aggressive offset and stronger lofts in exchange for extra distance and forgiveness.
At its thinnest, the maraging-steel face is just .05 of an inch thick, helping the face to flex. An internal channel in the back delivers even more spring and potential distance.
An internal polymer supports the face and delivers a pleasing sound and feel.
9 / 16
Srixon
ZXi4
$186 per iron
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Hot List Gold
$186 per iron
The hollow body was designed with the help of AI, a process that produces way more potential clubhead iterations than humans are capable of in a given timeframe.
Unlike the company’s ZXi5 and ZXi7 irons, the body of the ZXi4 is not forged. Instead the cast multi-piece iron uses a forged high-strength steel face insert (HT1770) supported by a cast 17-4 stainless-steel body and hosel that is heat treated to allow for bending.
The backside of each iron face is milled in a variable-thickness pattern comprising indentations to provide ball speed while saving mass.
10 / 16
TaylorMade
Qi
$143 per iron
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Hot List Gold
$143 per iron
TaylorMade prioritized reducing the chances of a slice with the Qi. A multi-material cap-back that is lighter than the steel it replaces reduces weight in the high toe, making the club easier to square at impact.
The center of gravity is lower in the long irons for easier launch and higher in the short irons for optimal control, launch and spin.
It has been a staple of TaylorMade irons for over a decade, but to ignore the heat brought by the “Speed Pocket” slot up to the 7-iron would be journalistic malpractice.
11 / 16
Titleist
T350
$200 per iron
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Hot List Gold
$200 per iron
The T350 is the company’s most aggressive approach to forgiveness and ball speed with its larger size and wider sole.
The high-strength, variable-thickness steel face features the same alloy as the T200 as well as the L-shape that overlaps into the sole for extra rebound at impact.
Healthy chunks of super-dense tungsten in the heel and toe foster sumo-wrestler stability on off-center hits.
12 / 16
Honma
TW767 HX
$210 per iron
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$210 per iron
This hollow iron disguises itself as a large muscle-back with plenty of speed thanks to a thin maraging-steel face.
Honma positioned the 5.5-gram weight screw on the back of the clubhead to improve sound and feel.
Weight screws and 16 grams of internal tungsten mass help minimize spin and the loss of carry distance on common misses golfers make with their 5- through 9-irons.
13 / 16
PXG
Black Ops
$150 per iron
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$150 per iron
Black Ops is a hollow-body, dual-cavity design with a larger profile intended to instill confidence for the game-improvement audience.
The irons have the same thin face and power channel as the 0311 GEN7 line, but the larger face and thicker topline on the Black Ops are designed for the player seeking help getting the ball airborne as opposed to getting it close to the pin.
The hollow body features the company’s XCOR2 polymer filling and a lightweight insert on the outer cavity to save weight that is repositioned to improve forgiveness.
14 / 16
Tour Edge
Exotics E725
$115 per iron
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Hot List Silver
$115 per iron
The extreme low-rearward center of gravity provides an extremely high moment of inertia, which helps maximize speed on off-center strikes.
A one-piece, high-strength steel body with a 360-degree undercut helps lower the center of gravity for a higher launch.
Tour Edge’s diamond-face variable-thickness design features 103 “diamonds” in the face that serve as mini-trampolines to maximize ball speed.
15 / 16
Vice
VGI02
$100 per iron
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Hot List Silver
$100 per iron
The VGI02 features lighter head weights than most irons. Vice believes lighter heads are easier for everyday players to control and swing faster for more ball speed.
Vice also says that data from years of fitting reveals that a lighter club is easier to square at impact, reducing the likelihood of a slice.
The irons are two-piece with a springlike steel for the face to increase ball speed.
16 / 16
Wilson
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$128 per iron
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Hot List Silver
$128 per iron
The most common miss by amateur players is on the toe. To combat that in the Dynapower 4- through 8-irons, Wilson uses a two-piece construction in which the face is welded on around the topline and the upper part of the toe area. This provides a larger area of the face that is unsupported, which leads to more ball speed.
The face is made from 17-4 stainless steel, like the body of the iron, but is created from a forged/stamped process. This manufacturing approach allows for a stronger and thinner face and maintains high strength and durability.
The iron also has changing thicknesses on 27 points on the face, ranging from 2 millimeters to 2.5 millimeters for zippy ball speeds.