TaylorMade P790 irons generate explosive distance

By Drew Mahowald -- 2nd Swing Staff Writer

For a long time, golfers searching for a new set of irons typically had to choose between a set of players irons or a set of game-improvement irons. Golfers who needed a model in between the two categories struggled to find an iron set that was a fit.

The players distance iron category has revolutionized golf club fitting and provided a solution for thousands of golfers who had previously struggled to find a proper fit.

TaylorMade has been one of the pioneers of the players distance iron category, and its 2017 P790 iron has been one of the most popular for low- to mid-handicap golfers.

New for 2019, TaylorMade has enhanced the P790 model to produce improved launch, forgiveness, and ball speed. The result is incredible distance and added performance on mis-hits.

From afar, the new TaylorMade P790 looks like a players iron. It has the forged construction and shaping of a muscleback iron. However, the P790 offers a larger footprint and a thicker shape, driven by a hollow-body construction. Essentially, it offers the appearance and shaping of a players iron and the size of a game-improvement iron.

In terms of technology, TaylorMade made several notable updates to the new P790. The clubface has been made seven percent thinner to increase COR, while the P790s are also the first irons to include Progressive Inverted Cone Technology (PICT), which provides a large sweet spot and is designed to increase accuracy on both solid strikes and mis-hits.

The new P790 irons once again include SpeedFoam, a proprietary material that serves the dual purpose of generating ball speed and managing sound and feel. SpeedFoam is injected into the clubhead just behind the clubface to bolster transfer energy to the ball at impact while simultaneously dampening vibrations.

Additionally, TaylorMade implemented a larger mass of tungsten -- 15 percent more than the original P790 -- inside the clubhead that lowers the center of gravity. The extra weight was created by the thinner clubface and removing some mass from the high toe area of the frame. The result is higher launch from the new P790 model.

The shaping has been slightly altered as well. Specifically, the sole radius has been adjusted for less propensity to dig, while the longer irons have progressively less offset and the shorter irons have progressively smaller blade lengths. Overall, the shape of the P790 is inviting for a wide range of golfers. Those who prefer a players shape will appreciate the smaller blade lengths in the scoring irons and decreased offset, while those who prefer a game-improvement shape will like the medium-sized frame with a thicker topline.

Clearly, the technology in the new TaylorMade P790 irons is impressive, so it goes without saying that I was excited when I recently had the chance to hit a few shots with a new P790 7-iron.

For context, I currently play a set of shallow cavity players irons, but I also fall into the demographic of golfers who could be fit into a players-distance iron. For that reason, I was intrigued.

At address, the new P790 inspired confidence. It gave the impression that it packed a punch, but it didn’t appear clunky either. TaylorMade struck a near-perfect balance from an appearance standpoint, offering several characteristics from players irons and game-improvement irons. 

Before we dive too deep into the numbers, it’s worth noting that my stock 7-iron carries about 175 yards with ball speeds in the range of 123 miles per hour and spin rates near 7,000 RPM.

Given that the P790s are stronger in loft than most players irons, I expected modest distance gains. However, the added ball speed I saw exceeds what would be expected on that criteria alone, and there’s no sacrifice in terms of launch or landing angle.

After seven well-struck shots measured by a Trackman 4 launch monitors at the Minnetonka Tour Van location, my average carry distance was 185.2 yards with a ball speed of 129.6 miles per hour. Also of note, my average spin dropped significantly to 6,093 RPM.

TaylorMade has said that extra speed and forgiveness were the main driving force behind the updated P790s, and it appears as if its engineers have delivered. Even my mis-hits were carrying further than what a solid 7-iron from my current set would carry.

The trajectory was also astonishingly straight. On most solid strikes with my current 7-iron, I’ll produce a fade that moves five to seven yards from left to right. The P790 minimized almost all left-to-right movement, which would prove beneficial for golfers struggling with a common miss.

Golfers that prefer a firm feel and a louder sound will appreciate the new P790s even more. The feel was definitely firm but also solid. The SpeedFoam technology effectively muted any vibrations after the initial impact on both center and off-center strikes. Meanwhile, the sound was louder than that of a players iron, which is to be expected.

Overall, the main takeaway from testing a new TaylorMade P790 7-iron is that this model is an absolute rocket. Golfers searching for added distance out of their irons should look no further than the new P790s. From what I can tell, adding the P790 irons in the bag will result in at least a full club less into the green on approach shots.

Using less club on approach shots will result in more precise ball striking and better scoring opportunities, which is bound to produce lower scores. If that’s what you’re searching for, the new TaylorMade P790s are a good starting point.