While drivers get most of the spotlight, irons, in my opinion, are the backbone of any golf set. An iron set, when taken proper care of, should last a golfer at least 10 years. But what should one look for when purchasing their first set of irons or when upgrading to nicer sticks? Here are my tips and picks for irons:

Forged v Cast"

There are two main categories when choosing irons. Do you go forged or cast?

Forged

As the name suggests, forged irons are usually stamped from a single piece of soft carbon steel. Once the basic shape of the club head is formed, the details are either stamped again or carved out using a number of hand tools and machines. The main advantage of forged clubs is feel and feedback. They will always feel the softest because of the material used. When you hear of buttery strikes, that's what hitting the sweet spot of forged irons feels like. Aside from feel, forged irons can also be bent to a certain degree. This enables club fitters to adjust lies and lofts to suit any swing. The main drawback when using forged irons is the fact that they're soft. Clubs banging against each other result in dings and scratches. Hitting small pebbles or stones when striking turf can also result in dents on the sole of the club. Softer club faces also mean there can be a need to sharpen grooves every so often.

Cast

Cast clubs, on the other hand, are made using a mix of molten metals poured into a mold. Cast clubs are typically harder and therefore more durable. When it comes to feel, cast clubs can be a little "clicky" as opposed to soft. But due to advances in technology, inserts, weights and dampeners have made cast clubs feel almost as soft as forged clubs do. Cast clubs don't scratch or dent easily so there's no need for covers. Cast clubs can look the same after decades of use. Some cast clubs, like some Ping models, can be adjusted for lie and loft, but most cast clubs risky to adjust. So if you're after durability, cast is definitely the way to go.

Blades v Cavity

Blades are that, irons that look like blades. They have no indentations, no cavities in the back of the clubface. Cavity-back irons have indentations, ridges, spaces and gaps at the back of the clubface, providing space for perimeter weighting, adding inserts, etc. These are all to make the sweet spot larger, make the ball go higher.

This is really a no-brainer in my opinion. While blades look and feel great, they are just too unforgiving. Even top professionals use cavity-back irons, especially in the mid to long irons, so we have no business playing blades. Of course there will be purists who don't mind the disadvantages in exchange for the few pure strikes they get while playing blades. That's their choice. In my opinion, cavity-back irons should be in everyone's bag.