An iron golf club head provided with a cavity that is open rearwardly and surrounded by a peripheral edge, the head including a body made of a low density metallic material and an attached insert made of material of higher density than the density of the body material. The peripheral edge has a lower portion extending vertically beneath the cavity and extending horizontally from the toe area to the heel area, whereby the insert occupies at least one part of the lower portion and has a generally crescent shape, with a concave upper central portion and raised lateral portions at the heel and at the tip, respectively. In a particular embodiment, the body of the club head is provided with a housing arranged in the sole and extending continuously from the toe area to the heel area, with the insert occupying the housing and being sandwiched between the striking surface and the peripheral edge. In a further embodiment, the housing of the insert is demarcated by a wall of the striking surface and by a rear central edge extending from the edge of the cavity up to the sole and on only a portion of the length of the club head, the housing being open rearwardly and in the direction of the sole in the toe area and heel area, and the housing having a general crescent shape which includes a central notch defining a reduction of the thickness of the flanks, in which the rear central edge of the body takes position. In yet another embodiment, the body includes a recessed area extending from the toe area to the heel area and beneath the open cavity in the direction of the sole, with the insert occupying the recessed area and being fixed by a dovetail- type linkage.