Should You Play Game Improvement Irons? | Bag builders

Game-improvement (GI) irons, like the new 2026 Cobra King irons, seem to get a really bad rap, which is sad because I think they’re actually my favorite category of irons to test and talk about.

The problem with GI style irons is that they are big, and that hurts people’s egos. No one wants their buddy laughing at them on the first tee when they pull out a big and responsible 7-iron. The truth is, there are probably more golfers who could benefit from playing this style of iron than any other. Game improvement irons are designed to be the most helpful and make scoring easier. They aren’t just for slower players or beginners. They are for anyone who just needs a little help. The category has also grown over the past decade, and there are actually micro-categories within the GI bucket to really ensure players get the level of help they need.

But the biggest problem I see? We don’t talk well about GI irons.

Chance versus guaranteed outcome

What I mean when I say we don’t talk about it properly is that it is often misstated – even by me – what they actually do. Nothing in club fitting is black and white. There are no magical, guaranteed solutions for any club in the bag, or any club category they fall into.

While GI irons are typically larger designs with more forgiveness (MOI), wider, higher-bounce soles, and a lower center of gravity (CG), that doesn’t mean they’ll be super straight, high-launch options for every player. Instead, the correct way to think is that they can more easily launch higher or get away with mishits. The way they are designed gives them the opportunity to do those things better than other designs, but ultimately performance is determined by impact. Different players will get the club the ball in different ways, and not everyone will have the same experience.

I tested some of Cobra’s offerings with my Foresight QuadMax, and this data shows what I mean.

You can see in the data that the launch numbers don’t shift much between my Cobra 3DP MB irons and the new Cobra King GI style irons I tested. However, the big difference is in spin and speed. Even if the Cobra King GI iron is 6.5 degrees stronger than the 3DP MB, the launch remains about the same. The good news, however, is that this is the real point and I want to drive home. There is miscommunication about what “higher launch” actually means.

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Game-improving irons and stronger lofts

This is one of my least favorite topics to discuss. It’s throwing the Internet out of shape, and it’s the most mis-discussed topic in all of golf: loft jacking.

Loft jacking is the process of strengthening the lofts of a set of irons. Usually that has a negative connotation: OEMs like Cobra are just trying to fake extra distance by giving your 7-iron the loft of your 5-iron. But that’s not the only reason they do it, which brings us back to the launch. When designing a game improvement iron, it is important to give it as low a center of gravity as possible. This encourages launch no matter who is swinging the golf club. The problem is that modern design and center of gravity placement launches the ball too high, to the point where other launch properties are negatively affected.

So how do they combat this? Reinforce the cages. This brings the iron package back to a more useful performance window, giving the golfer who needs help the best chance of success with this offering. So to demonstrate, I also hit some 5-irons with my 3DP MB, which has a loft package more similar to the Cobra King GI 7-iron.

You will now notice that the King 7-iron launches higher than the 3DP MB 5-iron on the same loft. The King iron’s CG package is built to launch higher. You also need to keep in mind that speed creates launch. I’m not the player designed to hit the King iron, so my data between these two examples will be closer than that of the player who actually has to play an iron like this. At lower speeds the difference in launch between the two increases.

Cobra 3DP MB custom irons

The 3DP MB iron combines the look and feel of a traditional forged muscle back with the forgiveness of a hollow back iron. The most forgiving frame on the market, the MB has captivated Tour players by ticking all the boxes and exceeding expectations with its exceptional stability and feel. FORGIVE MUSCLE SHAPES The MB is a slightly revised shape of the KING MB, inspired by feedback from PGA Tour player Max Homa, and features a thinner topline and improved offset. The internal 3D printed grille and heel, toe and hosel tungsten increase the MOI for stability and position the center of gravity perfectly centered and lower than the KING MB to promote a higher launch. EXTREME FORGIVENESS MEETS SOFT FEEL The 3D printed internal lattice structure not only optimizes weight savings, but also provides the stiffness and strength to support the clubface and refine the acoustics of each iron to produce the most attractive impact sound and feel. TUNGRAM WEIGHT The discretionary weight savings of the 3D printed grille allowed up to 55g of tungsten to be placed low in the heel, toe and hosel, resulting in the perfect blend of a compact head shape with a low center of gravity and high MOI that reflects a game improvement iron.

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What about spinning?

Take a look at the spin differences between the King GI 7-iron, my 3DP MB 7-iron, and my 3DP MB 5-iron.

Overall, the King 7 iron certainly behaves more like the 3DP MB 5 iron, and in some ways, as we’ve discussed, it should be much the same. But you’ll notice that compared to the 3DP MB 7-iron, the King is in a much lower spin window, at just over 1,000 rpm on the best swings. Again, I think this is a great thing. The player who needs all this help will be ecstatic that his 7 iron is performing so well. My peak heights reached 150 feet. While that’s probably too high for me, the benefits for a player who struggles to get the ball in the air are invaluable.

For beginners who want encouragement to come back and play, or players who just want to be able to hit the ball as far as they used to, something like the Cobra King iron is perfect.

Rather than comparing club apples to apples with the same number on them, discuss who it is for and what it does. The best example I can give is the player slowing down. What is the benefit for a player who plays cavity-back irons in switching to a game improvement iron? It’s a simpler answer. Now they can play with the same club numbers they are used to. The same CB 7 iron they used to play with might go 15 to 20 yards shorter and probably not be hit high enough to produce any kind of spin or stopping power. Throw a game improvement club into that player’s hands, and suddenly he or she is back to the “normal” 7-iron distance, shooting the ball nice and high to land soft enough on the green and provide a more playable golf experience on the course.

It doesn’t matter if the irons have a faster face, less loft or a wider sole. All that matters is that the golfer can feel confident again and explore the golf course with ease while achieving the lowest possible score, regardless of skill, speed or age.

Check your ego at the door

Clubs like these Cobra King irons are very, very useful designs for the right player. The problem with the internet is that arguments are lost when comparing clubs who should never be compared to players who should not touch them in the first place.

For someone like me, the stronger lofts, warmer face, and wider sole will turn these irons into rocket launchers. But they weren’t built for me. They are made for players who want to regain distance. Players who feel like they’re losing fun every week at their friends’ match because they just don’t have the juice they used to. Beginners are still great options for an iron like this. It gives them the opportunity to learn the game in a more forgiving way and creates a less aggressive barrier to entry into the sport.

The golf world is full of complaints about stronger lofts and hotter faces on irons, especially from players who don’t need these types of irons. But my question to you is, have you ever heard of a player who actually needs these irons, but complains that they go too far, too high, and too straight? I didn’t think so.

If you want to get fit for the right irons to suit your game, check out your local True Spec and call in!