TaylorMade P790 Irons
The TaylorMade P790 irons are arguably the hottest irons in TaylorMade’s long-storied tenure in golf equipment history. While not quite a player’s club, they’re definitely not a game improvement iron either. These beauts are geared towards the golfer looking for a little extra forgiveness, massive distance, and playability.
First Impressions
At first glance, the TaylorMade P790 irons have a unique look. The sole is fairly thick for a player’s iron, which feature the Speed Pocket that has become synonymous with many of TaylorMade’s latest distance iron offerings. That brushed chrome finish on the irons is gorgeous, and the polished chrome on the P790 badge adds some a little pop. While the toe screw is sort of a weird element found in more and more modern golf clubs, it catches your eye with some interesting appeal and intrigue. Behind the ball, the P790 is a little on the longer side with a medium topline and a smoother offset that’s a bit more inline with a player’s iron. You won’t confuse the P790 for a blade, but its “looks” at address could still fit in the player’s category.
How Does it Feel?
The TaylorMade P790 irons feel extremely soft but hot. There’s no other way to describe it. This is due to the fact that they are constructed with a hollow cavity, which is injected with the new SpeedFoam technology. Well-struck shots feel airy at impact, and you barely feel like you’ve hit anything at all. This isn’t a negative, but rather speaks to how pure the P790 feels. The ball jumps off of the face, and I found myself being able to say “I really caught that one” upon impact of well-struck shots. Surprisingly, for a club that is labeled a “players’ club,” the feel is less punishing on both toe and heel misses as well.
How Does it Sound?
The TaylorMade P790 falls somewhere between a player’s club and a game improvement iron, so while it is “forged-constructed,” it doesn’t have quite the same sound as a solid forged player’s club. This really isn’t a surprise though. Due to the hollow cavity and SpeedFoam, it has more of a muted, yet solid, thwap at impact. I’ll tell you what, the P790 definitely lets you know when you stripe one. Shots hit thin or off of the toe, though, will give a little bit more of a louder click-type sound. For us hacks, it’s important to know what those shots sound like too.
On-Course Performance
The TaylorMade P790 irons are long. They’re designed to be a distance club, and that’s sure as hell what they give you. While the lofts may be stronger than other irons, even when they are adjusted to compare apples to apples, they still go a mile. The P790 is made with thin faces and Inverted Cone Technology, which allows the face thickness to vary across the face of the club for added distance and forgiveness.
Most imporantly, the P790s have a solid amount of forgiveness from the hollow cavity, tungsten weighting, and SpeedFoam. The P790 features a “metal-injection-molded” tungsten weight inserted into the center of the club through the toe screw. This allows TaylorMade to strategically place the weight to get a desired Center of Gravity (CG) placement and a higher Moment of Inertia (MOI). What the heck does CG and higher MOI mean for you? More forgiveness with longer and straighter shots on mishits. Compared to most player’s irons I have tested, the biggest impact was on thin shots. Rather than losing 20 to 40 yards on a worm burner, I found myself losing maybe 5 to 10 with a decent amount of carry.
The P790 still has plenty of ability to work the ball. While the P790 might have ever so little more offset than a typical player’s club, I haven’t seen a natural draw hitter having any issues nor any big hooks from a good swing.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a low to mid handicap, who is looking for either a little more distance or forgiveness in your iron game, the TaylorMade P790 irons are absolutely worth a look. They offer distance, forgiveness, and playability all in one. For that reason, and after a fitting with Club Champion, the TaylorMade P790 will be in my bag this season. Frankly, I haven’t hit an iron this well and this consistent in quite some time, and that’s what just what my game needed!
Stock TaylorMade P790 Specs
| Club # | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | PW | AW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loft º | 19º | 21º | 23.5º | 26.5º | 30.5º | 35º | 40º | 45º | 50º |
| Lie º | 60.5º | 61º | 61.5º | 62º | 62.5º | 63º | 63.5º | 64º | 64º |
| Steel Length | 38.75″ | 38.25″ | 37.75″ | 37.25″ | 36.75″ | 36.25″ | 35.75″ | 35.5″ | 35.5″ |
| Graphite Length | 39.0″ | 38.5″ | 38.0″ | 37.5″ | 37.0″ | 36.5″ | 36.0″ | 35.75″ | 35.75″ |
| Swing Weight | D2 | D2 | D2 | D2 | D2 | D2 | D2 | D3 | D3 |
What is the screw for ? Anything ? Probably best not mess with I played my first round with the p790 and I love them the weight feel in my hand the smooth travel thru my swing! Great!!
That’s the port they used to inject the speed foam material.
Hello. Are the 8-AW irons longer as well even though they don’t have the speed pocket? I have seen reviews where some claim the 8 iron is 20 yards shorter than their 7 iron. Thank you.
I did not find the gap between the 7 and 8 iron to have an abnormal distance gap. The non-speed pocket irons are still long.
Since the speed pocket typically helps more on off center hits, and ball striking from an 8 iron down is typically better, I don’t notice an abnormal distance gap. Others may experience different though.
Thanks for reading!
Tommy