2017 is a key date in the history of golf equipment.
2017 didn’t see the dawn of the first carbon composite drivers hitting the shelves. That was 2015 when TaylorMade’s M1 and M2 drivers were launched (we’ll also accept 2002 for the Callaway C4 fans out there).
However, if you’re thinking along the lines of a new product being launched by TaylorMade, you’re on the right track.
2017 heralded the introduction of TaylorMade’s new P790 iron. The TaylorMade P790 Iron launch created a new segment in the iron market, the player’s distance iron.
Like the Titleist Pro V1’s launch, the P790 helped create a niche, which only 8 years later, is one of the most competitive segments in the iron market, with all the major manufacturers following suit and creating their offerings to take on the might of the P790.
It’s hard to believe that TaylorMade has recently launched the fifth generation of the P790.
So, has the best got better? Is it revolution or evolution with the latest version?
It’s time we took a closer look on your behalf. We’ll pay attention to the following areas to help you decide whether you should consider a set of P790s for your bag:
- Under The Skin of the Updated P790: Key Updates and Technology
- Could The P790S Be Good For Your Game?
- How To Maximise The P790 Potential
Under The Skin of the Updated P790: Key Updates and Technology
The fifth-generation P790s utilise multi-material construction to give golfers the best of both worlds when it comes to performance and feel.
We can pinpoint four key technologies in the latest edition of the P790s that golfers will want to know about:
- New Forged Face
- Optimal Launch Through FLTD GC
- Stabilisation Bars To Improve Sound and Feel
- Improved Head Profiling
New Forged Face
The best players in the game covet the feedback from forged iron. The problem for many of us is that forged irons are difficult-to-hit blades, or players’ cavity backs, which can still seem pretty intimidating for mid to higher handicap golfers.
The P790 features a forged face to provide the feel any level of golfer can appreciate; however, TaylorMade has engineered some additional features into the face to add performance to the feel.
The 4340M forged face is thinner and stronger than the previous generation P790 irons. TaylorMade boasts that the new face is 20% stronger, which, combined with how thin the face is, creates a bigger trampoline effect from the face, resulting in higher ball speeds.
TaylorMade quotes that the new 4340M forged face helps to create a sweetspot that is 24% bigger than the 2023 P790s, helping improve ball speeds from centre strikes, but also maintaining consistent ball speeds from off-centre hits.
Optimal Launch Through FLTD GC
Improved distance through faster ball speeds is nothing if you can’t launch and flight your irons shots consistently. Hitting a 7-iron 175 yards when you are an 18-handicapper might sound great, but if the ball is coming in too low and won’t hold the green, it’s a waste of time.
Traditional distance irons have, for many years, tweaked lofts to become stronger. This ploy allows for clever marketing, giving you the impression that you could be hitting less iron into greens if you make the switch.
However, iron play is still based on hitting your intended target and getting the ball to stop.
The P790s feature TaylorMade’s Flighted Centre of Gravity (FLTD GC) technology, which is optimised in each iron to produce consistent launch and spin.
FLTD GC utilises 40 grams of tungsten, which is placed lower in the longer irons to help launch the ball more effectively. In comparison, the weight is moved higher into the shorter irons, creating a consistent trajectory across all irons.
Stabilisation Bars To Improve Sound and Feel
Initial entries into the players' distance category took full advantage of the hollow cavity concept.
The one sticking point with those early models was the sound at impact. Golfers of all levels struggled to get comfortable with the acoustics and could be put off by purchasing a set on that basis.
Another reason why the P790s are so highly coveted in the players’ distance category is the fact that they injected a substance into the cavity, which TaylorMade christened SpeedFoam.
SpeedFoam has been a constant through each generation of the TaylorMade P790s. The concept works, reviews always highlight how good the P790s feel against their competition, and coupled with the new 4340M forged face, the fifth-generation P790 is geared up to be the best feeling yet.
Within the structure of the P790, TaylorMade has updated the stabilisation bars, a web-like structure strategically located within each iron, to help dampen vibrations to a minimum, further helping enhance the feel and the acoustics.
Improved Head Profiling
The first thing you notice if you look down at the new P790 iron at address compared to its predecessors is a slightly more compact look, accentuated by a thinner topline.
TaylorMade has worked on improving the sole radius and progressive leading edge contouring to help ball turf interaction.
The sole of the 3-iron to 7-iron still features Speed Pocket technology, which helps the face flex a little more to help improve ball speeds.
Could The P790s Be Good For Your Game?
Where TaylorMade has struck gold with the P790s has been the fact that it has managed to engineer so much technology into a head that looks pretty traditional when you place it behind the ball at address.
Deep down, we would all like to rock up the golf club, wielding a set of precision forged bladed irons featuring small heads and even smaller sweetspots.
There is also the cool factor to consider. Sporting a set of blades in your bag gives the impression to every other golfer that you have the ball striking and shaping prowess of Scottie Scheffler.
The reality is, for most of us, blades will never find a space in our golf bags.
The new P790s give us an ultra-slick look with minimal markings on the iron head to provide an almost blade-like look.
The smaller head profile and thinner topline might sound like the latest generation is verging towards a better player; however, TaylorMade offers the P770 to cover that area.
The P790’s technology helps mid to higher handicap golfers gain more consistency out of their iron play.
There is plenty of distance on offer via the 4340M forged face and the Speed Pocket technology; however, the 4340M forged face isn’t just about delivering faster ball speeds, the face is designed to provide a bigger sweetspot to improve performance on off-centre hits. Adding FLTD GC helps create more consistent launch and spin through each iron to create solid distance gapping and consistent trajectories from long to short irons.
All these elements come to the rescue of golfers who struggle to find the sweetspot regularly and can’t stop a mid to long iron on any green because the ball comes in too low, and see short irons come up short because there’s too much spin, leading to a ballooned trajectory.
All tour players are good with their irons because they have a specific window they want to see each iron launch and spin at. This effectively creates a near-consistent trajectory from the longest iron to the shortest iron.
In effect, what TaylorMade is offering with its fifth generation of P790s is precisely the same, but for every level of player.
How To Maximise The P790 Potential
At Nine By Nine Golf, we’ve always been big fans of the P790 series; however, we know we can help golfers get even more out of everything that the new model will offer.
You might be desperate to get your hands on a set by heading down to your favourite retailer or online store and buying a set, but that doesn’t guarantee you’ll be flagging every iron shot the next time you go out and play.
The technologies we’ve highlighted in the P790s act as an excellent foundation for any level of golfer. Being custom-fitted for your set will give you long-term improved performance that will ultimately make you a better player.
Sounds like a bold claim, but in reality, it’s common sense.
As golfers, we all come in different shapes and sizes and playing abilities, which means that a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work.
Custom-fitting ensures that the P790s are cut precisely to the correct length and lie angle you need, which will help improve your ball striking and accuracy.
We also carry a wide range of steel and graphite shaft options, which can help add more performance to your game.
Custom-fitting also helps personalise your irons further by allowing you to select the grips you want; we can thicken or thin the grips based on your hand size in our tour-level workshop.
We also like the P790s because they can be combined with other irons to create your ultimate combo set.
An obvious pairing for the P790s is the smaller-headed P770s, which could form the shorter iron segment of your bag.
The forged face of the P790s could also open up other blending options, such as the fully forged P.7CB or even P.7MB models, creating a consistent feel throughout the iron set.
Creating the perfect combo set comes down to understanding precisely where the switch from one set to another can be made.
Our fitters can determine the crossover point by analysing the data produced from our launch monitor.
We are looking for that sweet spot where the spin, launch, and distance can be consistent from one model to another, creating a uniform set.
TaylorMade created an instant classic when it first introduced the original P790S in 2017.
With each new update, the challenge for TaylorMade has been to strike a balance between improvement and preserving what made the irons so good in the first place.
We can confidently say that the latest version of the P790 moves the needle further. More performance, more feel, more consistency, which level of golfer doesn’t want that from their iron play?
If you feel it’s time to invigorate your iron game, book a fitting session at Nine By Nine Golf and work with our experienced club fitters to unlock the potential of TaylorMade’s P790 irons for your game.