TaylorMade P·770, P·790 Copper irons

The TaylorMade P·770 and P·790 Copper look old, but play modern.

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Gear: TaylorMade P·770, P·790 Copper
Price: $1,499.00 (4-PW) with KBS C-Taper Lite Black shafts and Golf Pride TaylorMade Victory Copper grips”
Specs: Hollow-bodied irons with 8620 carbon steel chassis, forged 4140 steel face, vibration-‘dampening foam.

Who It’s For: Golfers who love the look of vintage clubs but who also want to experience the benefits of modern, distance- and feel-enhancing technologies.

The Skinny: The TaylorMade P·770 and P·790 Copper are identical to the previously-released versions of the P·770 and P·790 but have been given retro styling and details that pay homage to TaylorMade’s 1980s offerings.

The Deep Dive: For the past few years, golf footwear makers have been revisiting popular shoes from “back in the day” and releasing updates and modern interpretations, adding better materials and technologies while trying to maintain what made the shoes appealing in the first place. 

With the release of the Copper Collection, TaylorMade is doing the same thing. Two weeks ago, the BRNR Mini Driver Copper was released, complete with a throwback logo on the sole and a shaft that was cosmetically designed to harken back to the old Burner Bubble shaft from the 1990s. Now, the brand is releasing the P·770 Copper and P·790 Copper, two better-player distance irons that are identical in design to the previously-released P·770 and P·790. However, both clubs look like they would have been at home in the bags of players at Baltusrol Golf Club back in 1983 when Lee Janzen was battling Payne Stewart at the U.S. Open.

TaylorMade Copper family
The TaylorMade Copper family, including the BRNR Mini Driver, P·790 and P·770 (TaylorMade)

Both irons feature a hollow-body design that allows the forged 4140 stainless steel faces to flex more efficiently at the moment of impact, resulting in more ball speed and distance. They also have a Speed Pocket slot in the sole that helps to enhance performance on thin shots and TaylorMade’s FLT CG system. It shifts mass inside the heads, so the center of gravity (CG) location in each iron is optimized. In the long irons, it’s lower to help get the ball up more easily, while in the scoring clubs, it is elevated to help keep the ball down for enhanced distance control.

The hollow chambers in both clubs are filled with SpeedFoam Air, a second-generation material that absorbs vibrations, enhances sound, and removes weight from the center of the club.

The smaller P·770 has a body made from 8620 carbon steel, while the P·790 has a thick-thin back wall construction to save weight. 

But let’s be honest, all those performance features are available in the standard P·770 and P·790. If these clubs spark your interest, it’s because of the copper-toned finish and the retro style. You like the way copper-toned irons create a throwback look to your bag and how the old-school grips feel in your hands. You probably also like the use of TaylorMade’s original logo on the toe instead of its current logo. 

TaylorMade says the copper finish will “mature over time,” but for golfers who love the throwback style of the P·770 and P·790 Copper, that will only enhance the vibe.

Below are some close-up looks at the P·770 Copper and P·790 Copper irons

Bettinardi MB24, CB24 irons

Bettinardi CB24 and MB24 irons are for elite golfers who want more control and feel.

Gear: Bettinardi MB24, CB24 irons
Price: $1,600
Specs: Forged 1025 carbon steel with infused tungsten and ceramic matrix composite material.
Available: April 5

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Who It’s For: Low-handicap golfers who want a compact, classic-looking blade or a better player’s cavity back iron that emphasizes feel and control.

The Skinny: The first irons from Bettinardi are crafted with the same level of precision and attention to detail that has made the brand’s putters desirable for deep-pocketed golfers for decades. For golfers who shoot in the 60s or 70s, they deliver a high level of feel and control.

The Deep Dive: Bettinardi has been known for decades as being one of the finest putter makers in golf, specializing in milled blades and mallets that look like something that might be displayed under glass at Tiffany’s next to engagement rings and diamond bracelets. Starting a few seasons ago, the Tinley Park, Illinois-based company started offering milled wedges and multi-material putters, but now the brand is offering its first pair of irons—the CB24 and MB24—and they are precisely what you might expect from Bettinardi.

The CB24 and MB24 are both forged from 1025 carbon steel for a soft feel, but Bettinardi has co-forged the inner portions of each head with high-density tungsten and ceramic matrix composite material.

The addition of the tungsten and ceramic matrix composite material allowed Bettinardi designers to shift the center of gravity (CG) location in each club, lowering it in the long irons to make them easier to hit high and elevating it in the scoring clubs to make it easier to flight the ball down for better distance control.

Bettinardi CB24 irons
The perimeter weighting and extra mass low in the head add a touch of forgiveness. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

While both clubs have a compact blade length and just a touch of offset, the CB24 is a classic better-player’s cavity-back iron. Its perimeter weighting around the outside of the head should make it more stable and give it more forgiveness than the MB24, which is a true muscleback blade. Instead of perimeter weighting, the MB24 added mass directly behind the impact area to enhance ball speed and create a more solid feel at impact. The MB24 also has a slightly thinner topline, although you would have to look at the top clubs carefully, side-by-side, to notice.

In a nod to Bettinardi styling, both clubs feature the brand’s honeycomb in the back of the face.

Below are several close-up images of the new Bettinardi CB24 and MB24 irons

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=1364]

Ping i530 irons

Ping i530 irons are better-player distance clubs made to enhanced distance and forgiveness.

Gear: Ping i530 irons
Price: $205 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 steel shafts and Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet grips. $220 each with Ping Alta CB Black graphite shafts
Specs: Forged C300 maraging steel face with 17-4 stainless steel chassis

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Who It’s For: Golfers who want the look of a better-player’s iron combined with the distance of a game-improvement club.

The Skinny: These hollow-bodied, better-player distance irons look like blades but were made to generate more ball speed and distance while also offering enhanced forgiveness and feel.

The Deep Dive: Ping recently released the Blueprint T and Blueprint S, the new irons that comprise the “precision” offerings in Ping’s stable designed for pros and accomplished players. With its machined back and classic looks, the just-released i530 appears like it fits into that category too. However, several hidden design features and technologies set it apart and position it as a better-player’s distance iron.

The i530 replaces the i525 iron that was released in 2022, and it has a hollow-body design that is similar to the design of Ping’s metalwoods. The thin, forged C300 maraging steel face is welded to the 17-7 stainless steel body, which creates a hollow chamber inside the head. This hollow-body design allows the hitting area to flex more efficiently at the moment of impact, so golfers can generate more ball speed and distance.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Ping i530 irons” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/Or0vWZ”]

Ping i530 irons
A toe screw and heel weight create more stability without making the i530 bigger. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

To improve the sound and feel of impact, engineers added a polymer to the back of the face. It soaks up excessive vibrations without restricting the bending of the hitting area at impact, so it does not reduce ball speed.

When golfers see the back of the i530, they might think the milled area is there for show, but each machined line represents an area where steel was removed from a high location in the head. Machining the back and making it thinner created discretionary weight that designers were able to reposition in the form of an internal mass pad that is 10 grams heavier than the pad found in the i525. Consequently, the i530 has a lower the center of gravity (CG) location, which should help golfers create a higher launch angle and more stopping power on the greens. A bonus of positioning extra mass low in the head is it puts more steel directly behind the area where golfers tend to hit the ball, which results in extra ball speed.

To make the i530 more forgiving without making the clubs larger, Ping designed each head to house a high-density toe weight that compliments a weight added to the hosel area. The added mass increases the perimeter weighting of the heads, making them more stable on off-center hits.

In addition to a Hydropearl 2.0 finish that improves performance in wet conditions, Ping gave the i530 MicroMax grooves. Introduced on the i59 and the i230 irons, MicroMax grooves are packed more tightly together in the hitting area to enhance performance in all types of moisture conditions and reduce the effect of flier lies.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Ping i530 irons” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/Or0vWZ”]

Below are several close-up images of the i530 irons.

Wilson Staff Model Blade, Staff Model CB irons

Designed together, Wilson’s newest irons for elite golfers feature classic looks, soft materials and precise shaping to amplify feel and control for low-handicap and championship-level players.

Gear: Wilson Staff Model Blade, Staff Model CB irons
Price: $1,199.99 (4-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid 115 shafts and Golf Pride Z grips
Specs: Forged 8620 carbon steel with milled face and back areas. 2-iron, 3-iron and gap wedge available through custom order
Available: Jan. 24, but available for pre-order NOW

Who They’re For: Professional golfers, college players and elite amateur golfers who want to maximize feel and control.

The Skinny: Designed together, Wilson’s newest irons for elite golfers feature classic looks, soft materials and precise shaping to amplify feel and control for low-handicap and championship-level players.

The Deep Dive: There is a cliché regarding fine timepieces, sports cars and houses that says that if you have to ask how much it costs, you probably can’t afford it. The Wilson Staff Model Blade and Staff Model CB fall into a similar category. These clubs have been made for elite ballstrikers, college golfers and players who can genuinely say they will be contending for their club championship. If you have to wonder if you are consistent enough and powerful enough to use them, you probably aren’t.

That said, the 2024 Wilson Staff Model Blade and Staff Model CB offer the highest level of craftsmanship and precision in the Wilson iron family.

The Staff Model Blade and Staff Model CB were designed together, so many features and aspects of the clubs are the same. For example, each club is forged from 8620 carbon steel to give it a soft feel at impact. Both clubs have the numbers in the identical portion of the toe and dots on the hosel.

Both clubs have also been designed with Wilson’s Fluid Feel hosel that removes mass from the lower portion of the hosel and allows designers to add it to the lower portion of the head, behind where impact is made. Extra mass has also been added to the toe area. Combined, the Fluid Feel hosel and added mass in the toe pull the center of gravity and ideal impact spot into the middle of the hitting area, amplifying the feel for accomplished golfers and reducing the likelihood of left misses.

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Wilson Staff Model Blade and CB 2024
The face and hitting area are also milled to ensure they are perfectly flat and the grooves are added precisely. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The faces of the Staff Model Blade and the Staff Model CB have also been milled to be perfectly flat to ensure low-handicap golfers get the spin and consistency they expect from shot-to-shot.

Many low-handicap players will also like the traditional lofts of the Staff Model Blade and CB irons, with the 5-iron at 26 degrees and the pitching wedge at 46 degrees. Compared to previous Wilson blade-style irons, the 2024 Staff Model Blade and CB will have a softer, lower-pitched, deeper sound, as well as a softer feel.

Wilson Staff Model CB (2024)
The Staff Model CB is the same size and shape as the Blade, but the perimeter weighting adds a touch of forgiveness. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

While the Staff Model Blade is a true muscleback, the Staff Model CB –which has the same thin topline, narrow sole and minimal offset – offers some perimeter weighting to boost stability and forgiveness. That’s a relative thing because with a blade length this short, misses on the toe will be penalized more than with other Wilson irons, such as the game-improvement DynaPower irons.

As you might suspect, having been designed together and sharing the same price, the Staff Model Blade and CB can easily be mixed and matched into blended sets, giving players and fitters the option of going with more-forgiving long irons and precise scoring clubs if the golfer desires.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Wilson Staff Model Blade irons” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/m5ybJq”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Wilson Staff Model CB irons” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/Kjd9vA”]

Below are several images of the Wilson Staff Model Blade and CB irons:

Ping Blueprint T irons

For elite ballstrikers, collegiate players and low-handicap golfers, Ping offers the new Blueprint T.

Gear: Ping Blueprint T irons
Price: $230 with True Temper Dynamic Gold S300 steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips, $245 with Ping Alta CB Black graphite shafts
Specs: Forged 8620 carbon steel with a high-density toe screw and Hyrdopearl 2.0 finish. Available 3-pitching wedge.
Available: Jan. 9

Who They’re For: Low-handicap golfers who want a traditional-looking iron that maximizes feel, control and precision.

The Skinny: The Blueprint T has the compact size, clean lines and control-oriented design that elite ballstrikers crave.

The Deep Dive: Golfers such as Tony Finau and Tyrrell Hatton have powerful, repeatable swings, so they don’t look for irons designed to create more ball speed. They aren’t looking for more forgiveness. What elite golfers want from their irons is an enhanced sense of feel. They want to know exactly where each shot was struck on the hitting area, along with the highest level of predictability, because when golfers like Finau and Hatton make a particular swing, they demand a specific result.

For elite ballstrikers, collegiate players and low-handicap golfers, Ping offers the new Blueprint T, and the Phoenix, Arizona-based company has tried to design it as everything low-handicappers want.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Ping Blueprint T irons” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/5g0ZAj”]

The Blueprint T replaces the original Blueprint, which was released in 2019. It is the most compact Ping iron, with an extremely short blade length, a narrow topline and only a touch of offset. The Blueprint T is also the only Ping iron with a single, non-variable blade length in the 3-iron through 8-iron. 

The heads are forged from a single piece of 8620 carbon steel before the hitting area is machined flat, and the grooves are added. 

Ping designers added tip and toe weights to the Blueprint T to subtly increase its perimeter weighting. This should make the clubs resist twisting on off-center hits. Slightly. 

The Blueprint T creates a lower launch angle than the new Blueprint S and generates slightly less spin. The clubs come standard with the same traditional lofts, with the 5-iron being 26 degrees and the 9-iron being 41 degrees. This should make it easier for players and fitters to create blended sets while maintaining consistent distance gaps between different types of irons.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Ping Blueprint T irons” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/5g0ZAj”]

Below are several close-up images of the Ping Blueprint T irons:

PXG 0317 T: Everything you need to know about PXG’s newest better-player distance irons

PXG 0317 T irons deliver better feel, more control and improved forgiveness.

Gear: PXG 0317 T irons
Price: $169.99 each
Specs: Hollow-bodied construction with forged, 8620 carbon steel body and HT1770 stainless steel face, internal tungsten weight and vibration-absorbing polymer. Available in Chrome and Xtreme Dark finish.

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Who It’s For: Accomplished players who love the look and feel of muscleback blades but now want more forgiveness.

The Skinny: This is the first hollow-body PXG iron designed for elite ball strikers, with an internal polymer that helps to improve the spin consistency.

The Deep Dive: PXG has used United States Marine Corp Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) numbers to name its clubs in the past, and that tradition continues with its newest offering for high-level ball strikers, the 0317 T. That number, 0317, designates scout snipers, which should tell you precisely what PXG is trying to do with this iron.

The 0317 T irons are triple forged using 8620 carbon steel, for a softer feel at impact, but after the forging process is complete, the hitting area of each head is then milled to ensure it is perfectly flat before the grooves are milled into the face. The back of each head is also milled, leaving behind a series of small, thin lines created as the high-speed, computer-controlled bit passes back and forth and shaves off tiny pieces of metal until the desired shape is achieved.

PXG 0317 T irons
The PXG 0317 T has a thin topline, minimal offset and a thin sole. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The 0317 T has a thin topline, narrow sole and only a touch of offset, like the previously-released 0317 ST blades and the 0317 CB irons. However, the 0317 T irons are different from those solid-metal clubs because the 0317 T is hollow.

Historically, PXG has designed its game-improvement and max game-improvement 0311 irons with hollow heads filled with a vibration-dampening polymer supporting an extremely thin face. In the most recent offering, the 0311 GEN6 irons, the X COR polymer also helps to protect ball speed on mishits and expand the sweet spot. The 0317 T irons are filled with a different material, S COR, a polymer that is less elastic, so not as fast as X COR, but helps produce a lower launch angle and higher spin rates, which should give accomplished golfers more control and enhanced shot-making abilities.

In many better-player irons, the ideal hitting area is slightly to the toe-side of the middle of the face, so to pull the sweet spot into the center and offset the weight of the hosel, PXG designers added an internal 15-gram tungsten weight in the toe area.

PXG 0317 T irons
An internal piece of tungsten in the toe pulls the ideal hitting area into the middle of the face. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

PXG designers also gave the 0317 T a large back weight in the center of the head that can be swapped during the fitting process so players and fitters can quickly test different swing weights while golfers are testing clubs.

The PXG 0317 T irons are fairly traditional lofts, with the 5 iron at 25 degrees, 9 iron at 41 degrees and pitching wedge at 46 degrees, but they are being touted as PXG’s most-forgiving, better-player irons. The company claims they have a moment of inertia (MOI) that is 14 percent higher than the 0317 ST and 11 percent higher than the 0317 CB. They also have a slightly longer blade length and thicker topline, but the offset is about the same. However, these clubs are noticeably slimmer than 0311 P GEN6 irons, which had been PXG’s previous better-player’s distance iron.

Below are several close-up looks at the new PXG 0317 T irons:

Titleist’s new U•505 utility iron delivers distance and versatility

The Titleist U•505 utility iron provides distance and height off the tee and the turf.

Gear: Titleist U•505 utility iron
Price: $269 each with Project X HZRDUS Black 4G shaft and Titleist Universal 360 grip
Specs: Forged SUP-10 stainless steel body and face with internal tungsten weights. Available as a 1- (16 degrees), 2-, (18 degrees), 3- (20 degrees) or 4-iron (22 degrees)

Who It’s For: Golfers who want more distance and height from an iron that can replace a hybrid and link a player’s longest iron to their shortest-hitting fairway wood.

The Skinny: Designed with a wide sole and low center of gravity, this utility iron provides more control and shot-shaping than a hybrid but is easier to hit and provides more distance than typical long irons.

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The Deep Dive: There has always been a macho factor associated with driving irons and a mystique about being good enough to use one off the tee to keep the ball down in windy conditions or split the fairway on a tree-lined hole. Most recreational golfers understand that driving irons are not for them, but a utility iron, that could be another story.

The updated Titleist U•505 is too thick and chunky in the address position to be mistaken for a driving iron, even though it is only offered as a 1-, 2-, 3- or 4-iron. But that doesn’t mean it will not provide ample distance off the tee and extra versatility.

Like the other T Series irons Titleist has released, the U•505 has a forged SUP-10 stainless steel body and a forged stainless steel face designed in an L shape. The face plate wraps under the leading edge and into the sole, which helps to pull the sweetspot down and allows players to get better results on thinly-struck shots.

As you might suspect from an iron this size, the U•505 is hollow, which allows the face to flex more efficiently at the moment of impact to create more ball speed. The thin face is complimented by a system that Titleist refers to as a Max Impact Generator. It includes an internal steel post that extends down from the topline and connects to the bottom of the head in the back of the sole. In the center, Titleist has placed a thin polymer, which acts like a spring and compresses when the ball hits the face and flexes it back. The polymer snaps back and trampolines the face back into position faster than it otherwise would, which enhances ball speed and distance. The Max Impact Generator’s posts also stiffen the body at impact, which, along with a redesigned back panel that has a sound-absorbing waffle pattern on the inner-facing side, helps improve the sound shots create. 

While the updated U•505 has a shorter blade length than previous versions, it still has two large internal tungsten pieces, one in the heel and the other in the toe, that boost the moment of inertia and increase stability, so shots hit outside the middle of the face fly straighter and the head twists less. The tungsten also helps to lower the center of gravity location, which results in shots that fly with a higher initial launch angle.

Titleist designers softened the leading edge to help the U•505 work through the turf more easily and gave the wide sole more curvature and bounce.

That improved turf interaction, moderate offset and a wider sole, should translate to a utility iron that accomplished golfers can use as a hybrid replacement and intermediate players who want a long-iron replacement that is easier to hit high and provides extra distance.

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Best better-player distance irons for 2023

The best irons for low-handicap golfers who want extra distance.

A decade ago, better-player distance irons didn’t exist, but today it is one of the hottest and most innovation-filled categories in golf.

So we are clear, better-player distance irons are designed to look like the clubs single-digit handicap golfers want to play. They have compact blade lengths, narrow toplines and soles and typically come with only a touch of offset. However, manufacturers pack them with distance-enhancing features and technologies so they appeal to players who might lose a few yards, and they tend to be more forgiving than cavity-back and muscleback irons made for aspiring club champions.

While some of the clubs on this list were released earlier in 2023, several have been dropped within the past few weeks, giving golfers who shoot in the 70s and low 80s more choices to consider.

As always, the best way to find the ideal set of irons to match your game is to work with a good custom fitter who has a launch monitor and try several options. Below are several models you might want to consider.

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Irons used by PGA Tour leaders in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green

Irons used by stars like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and more.

ATLANTA — Only the top 30 golfers on the FedEx Cup points list have earned spots in the field at this week’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, and one of the surest ways to have the consistency needed to finish that high in the standings is hit high-quality iron shots. A lot of them.

Distance off the tee can be a huge advantage, but when golfers’ approach shots stay out of trouble and finish near the hole, they avoid making big numbers and set up birdie chances. That translates to low scores and fat bank accounts.

The stat on the PGA Tour that reveals the best iron players is Strokes Gained: Approach the Green. It shows how much of an advantage a player has, measured in strokes, over other golfers based exclusively on the quality of his approach shots and tee shots on par 3s.

The PGA Tour’s regular season has now concluded, and the list below reveals the players who finished in the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green, along with the irons they use.

MORE IRONS: Best irons of 2023 for every handicap and playing style

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See what’s new in the TaylorMade P·790 irons for 2023

TaylorMade P·790 have a new internal weighting system that boosts performance.

Gear: TaylorMade P·790 irons (2023)
Price: $1,399 (seven clubs) with True Temper Dynamic Gold steel shafts and Golf Pride Z grips. $1,499 with Mitsubishi MMT graphite shafts
Specs: Hollow-body construction with a forged 4140 stainless steel face, internal tungsten weights (3-7 irons), vibration-dampening foam and polymer-covered sole slot.
Available: NOW (pre-orders), September 1 (in stores)

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Who It’s For: Golfers who want an iron that looks like a better-player’s club, but packs the distance and forgiveness of a game-improvement iron.

The Skinny: TaylorMade redesigned the inner chamber and the weight system in the P·790 to make the long irons easier to hit and provide more feel and consistency in the short irons without sacrificing the ball speed and distance.

The Deep Dive: In 2017, the original TaylorMade P·790 was among the first golf clubs that could rightfully be called a better-player’s distance iron. It looked like a muscleback blade, although slightly larger, but it delivered more ball speed, forgiveness and stability than irons made for golfers who might contend for a club championship.

Those clubs were updated in 2019 and again in 2021, and now TaylorMade is releasing the fourth generation of the P·790 irons. Once again, on the outside the club blends easily with the rest of TaylorMade’s P Series irons, but the 2023 P·790 has been radically changed on the inside to give golfers more consistency and a better feel without sacrificing ball speed or distance.

From a design standpoint, the P·790 is still a hollow-bodied iron that has a relatively thin topline, moderately narrow sole and some offset. The hollow-body design allows the forged 4140 stainless steel face to flex more at the moment of impact for increased ball speed. The 2023 version also has the same Speed Foam Air found in the 2021 P·790. It is 69 percent lighter than the original vibration-dampening foam TaylorMade used in the first P·790 irons, so it not only makes the irons feel and sound better at impact, it pushes more weight out of the center and toward the perimeter of the head for added stability. The Thru-Slot Speed Pocket has been designed into the long and mid-irons again to help improve performance on low-struck shots.

Among the features found in the new P·790 is the addition of a Thick-Thin back wall. Instead of being smooth, the inner-facing side of the back of the club is covered with thin areas that give it a snakeskin-style appearance. Before the adoption of carbon fiber crowns, TaylorMade used this technology to take the weight out of titanium crowns in drivers. It does the same job in the P·790, reducing weight in an area that does not enhance performance and allowing designers to repurpose it somewhere else.

TaylorMade P·790 (2023)
TaylorMade P·790 4-iron (top left) has a low CG thanks to a flat tungsten weight in the toe, while the 6-iron (lower left) has a weight that is higher and the 8-iron (right) has no tungsten. The sound stabilization bars in the 4-iron and 6-iron are different too. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

After running thousands of simulations using artificial intelligence (A.I.), TaylorMade designers used some of the weight saved in the back of the heads and designed unique bars and weight areas in the bottom of each head. Some have curves and others are straight, but each is designed to help a specific club perform better. So, for example, there is a curved area in the 6-iron that has extra mass in the heel and toe, along with a tungsten bar that rises vertically in the toe area for extra stability. The 4-iron, however, has a bar that is significantly lower in the head and its tungsten piece lies flat in the toe area, to drive the center of gravity (CG) down even further and encourage a higher launch angle.

The precise location of the CG was a point of emphasis for TaylorMade in this version of the P·790, and by manipulating the weight of each head, the company is touting a “flighted CG” progression through the set. With a better weighting system, the 3-iron and 4-iron in 2023 P·790 now have the lowest CGs, and the CG height gradually elevates as you progress through the mid-irons and into the scoring clubs, which should result in more consistent ball flights. Long irons should be easier to hit high and golfers should be able to flight short irons lower for better distance control.

Finally, TaylorMade has added a Sound Stabilizing bar inside each P·790 iron, to stiffen the topline and help tune the frequencies created when the club hits the ball. Each club’s bar is uniquely designed and in a different location because the mass is distributed in different parts of each club.

Many golfers will opt for a traditional set of the new P·790 irons, but cosmetically they blend very well with the P·770 irons that were released last year. The P·770 is smaller but shares the same hollow-body design, so working with a good fitter should make designing a personalized combo set of P·790 long irons and P·770 short irons easy.

Below are several close-up images of the new TaylorMade P·790.

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