If you’re chasing the clean feel and precision of a player’s iron, one thing has to be accepted upfront: distance takes a back seat. Player’s irons are built for control, consistency and workability. Raw yardage should not matter. It’s a performance trade-off that makes perfect sense.
If you look at the Vice VGI01, the longest iron in the 2025 test by a wide margin, you’ll see it struggled in accuracy and forgiveness. It finished with one of the lowest overall scores.
In our 2025 Player’s Irons Test, the data made one thing perfectly clear: chasing distance in this category is not only misguided, it often leads to worse overall performance. Here are three clubs to use as an example.
Distance Score: 7.3Accuracy Score: 9.4Forgiveness Score: 9.5MGS Overall Score: 8.9
Toura SCB-1 was one of the most accurate and forgiving irons tested this year. It outperformed nearly every club in consistency and dispersion. It finished dead last in distance.
This isn’t a knock on the performance of the Toura. It’s more of a reminder of what a player’s iron. If your goal is to shape shots and stick greens with precision, the SCB-1 delivers. If you’re after more yards, this isn’t the iron for you.


