Hot List

The Hot List irons that got this 80-shooter hitting more greens

By E. Michael Johnson

April 18, 2025

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J.D. Cuban

At 62 years old, R.C. Hill, who plays to a 7-handicap, takes full advantage of his yearlong golf season in DeLand, Fla. The auto and powersports dealer gets out about once a week at his home course, LPGA International, and practices even a bit more than he plays. He carries his drives about 250 yards and calls himself "pretty consistent" with his wedges and putting. His biggest weakness is his iron play; he wants to hit more greens to set up birdies and easy pars. Here are the Hot List irons that had him finding the putting surface more often, along with the rest of his favorites.

PLAYERS IRONS

Srixon ZXi7

$186 per iron | Golf Galaxy

5.0

GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE

Hot List Gold

$186 per iron

“I didn't really care for the thickness of the topline, but I got over that when I saw the performance. It had great turf interaction and was very forgiving. Everything was relatively on line.”

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My other favorite Hot List players irons

PLAYERS-DISTANCE IRONS

Mizuno JPX925 Hot Metal Pro

$150 per iron | Golf Galaxy

5.0

GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE

Hot List Gold

$150 per iron

“Overall, I didn't care for the topline that was a little too thick at setup, but I like the gloss-matted look. I was able to get good distance numbers. I was definitely able to get performance out of this iron. No real mis-hits. Very forgiving throughout.”

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My other favorite Hot List players-distance irons

Srixon ZXi5

Mizuno Mizuno Pro 245

Cobra King Tec

Titleist T200

GAME-IMPROVEMENT IRONS

Mizuno JPX925 Hot Metal

$150 per iron | Golf Galaxy

5.0

GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE

Hot List Gold

$150 per iron

“Between the look, feel and performance, it all came together with this one. When I set up behind the ball, it looks very planted. And I got a lot out of it performance-wise. It was consistent and forgiving. You can always get good distance out of it with a good-sized sweet spot.”

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My other favorite Hot List game-improvement irons

Cobra DS-Adapt

Callaway Apex Ai300

Callaway Elyte HL

DRIVERS

TaylorMade Qi35

$600 | Golf Galaxy

5.0

GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE

Hot List Gold

$600

“Sets up beautifully. I like how the head design just kind of rolls over so there are no edges or borders or distractions. The carbon face was real responsive and gave great feedback. A top driver for distance.”

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My other favorite Hot List drivers

Cobra DS-Adapt LS

Callaway Elyte ♦︎♦︎♦︎

Titleist GT2

Srixon ZXi

FAIRWAY WOODS

TaylorMade Qi35 Tour

$450 | Golf Galaxy

5.0

GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE

Hot List Gold

$450

“Really liked the weight of it, was easy to swing and consistently connect. Overall felt pretty confident standing over it. Distance-wise was definitely there. Will be tough one to beat in head-to-head testing.”

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My other favorite Hot List fairway woods

HYBRIDS

TaylorMade Qi35

$300 | Golf Galaxy

5.0

GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE

Hot List Gold

$300

“I need to try the 4-hybrid. This is very strong, though. The head is a little smaller than most, yet it's still forgiving. Quite playable no matter where you hit it. Holds the line pretty good.”

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My other favorite Hot List hybrids

WEDGES

Titleist Vokey Design SM10

$190 | Golf Galaxy

5.0

GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE

Hot List Gold

$190

“Thinner topline and toeline were very appealing to me. Inspired confidence looking down on it. Club moves through the turf well and has nice distance on full shots. Did everything I wanted it to on sand and greenside shots.”

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My other favorite Hot List wedges

Ping s159

Cleveland RTZ

PXG Sugar Daddy III

BLADE PUTTERS

Ping PLD Milled

$450 | Golf Galaxy

5.0

GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE

Hot List Gold

$450

“Very conventional blade head. Felt smooth, very smooth. Really nice roll off the sweet spot. Distance was easy to control.”

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My other favorite Hot List blade putters

Cobra Vintage

Bettinardi Queen B

Meridian Milled Series

MALLET PUTTERS

TaylorMade Spider Tour

$350 | Golf Galaxy

5.0

GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE

Hot List Gold

$350

“White with a black line makes it very quick to line up. Rolled so pure, always got an extra two or three revolutions. Very well-balanced and easy to judge speed.”

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My other favorite Hot List mallet putters

Titleist Scotty Cameron Phantom

Odyssey Ai-One

Bettinardi Queen B