So nice they did it…thrice?
OK, maybe that was a bit of a stretch, but when it comes to TaylorMade’s flagship iron series, the P•790 the company is indeed unveiling their third iteration of the namesake. In a world where naming conventions are all over the place, with TaylorMade historically at the forefront of that, it’s clear that they are content to continue with a name that is one of the most recognizable in golf clubs.
So yes, it’s time for the newest versions of the P•790 irons and UDI, and unlike last time, though the name has stayed the same and the looks feel familiar, there is a pretty legitimate tech advancement in play. Read on to find out more.
TaylorMade P•790 Irons
Despite the confusion that it could cause some when differentiating the various versions, I totally understand running with the name that is known as one of the founders of the player’s distance iron designs. Plus, the last two versions have been some of the best-selling irons on the planet. This year, there appears to be some pretty hefty (well, the opposite of hefty, actually) design changes in play from materials to form itself.
From a framework perspective, the new P•790’s consists of an 8620 Carbon Steel body with a 4140 L-Steel face attached. The face itself comes in at 1.5mm to increase its energy creation potential but the body of the irons themselves are a whopping 37.5% thinner in some locations which has saved weight and allowed them to shift the CG of the iron for better and more consistent ball flights.
The marquee technology for TaylorMade to tout the loudest in these is the evolution of SpeedFoam. Named “SpeedFoam Air”, the name tells you the lion’s share of the story, a new formulation claims to be even more efficient in its energy transfer and sound while being 69% lighter than the SpeedFoam used in the previous versions. That weight has allowed TaylorMade’s engineers to shift up to 3.5g (which doesn’t seem like a lot, but in club design, it is) elsewhere in the head to manipulate the CG even further.
When you take the two previously mentioned weight savings and combine them, you also unlock the ability for TaylorMade to implement more tungsten in the toe than they previously have, up to 31g in some irons as a matter of fact. That means more stability to go with the more efficient CG location and that has increased the overall sweetspot of the irons. Interestingly, they also recognized that shifting the sweetspot lower on the irons meant a more efficient and playable experience with their Thru-Slot SpeedPocket for golfers to get more out of their most common misses.
Tying it all together is a far less industrial aesthetic which should make them appeal to even more golfers if the performance and playability is truly enough to encourage a switch from the previous versions. The irons will come with True Temper DG 105 VSS (X100, S300) for mid-flight setups and DG 95 VSS (R300) for high-flight preferences. Additionally, Mitsubishi Chemical MMT (75S, 65R, 55A) is the stock graphite option.
The P•790 irons will hit stores on 9/3/21 for $1,399 in steel and $1,599 in graphite.
TaylorMade P•790 UDI
It wouldn’t be a P•790 release however, without the addition of the next UDI (Ultimate Driving Iron) for those long iron lovers who just have to have a 2-iron in the bag. With updates to the aesthetic obviously in line with the irons, this is similarly the cleanest looking version we have seen from TaylorMade, much less industrial and much more sleek.
In terms of design, the UDI is still the same super low spinning design that faster swingers adore. Internally, the story from the P•790’s above is very much in play here as well with the new SpeedFoam Air and 8620 Carbon body saving the same amount of weight which allows for the CG movement that could be critical in such a low lofted iron (17°). With 22g of tungsten in the toe, it really looks like TaylorMade is pushing to increase playability in what has been one of the most popular driving iron series, release after release.
The P•790 UDI will come paired stock with a ProjectX HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX (100X, 90S) and offer steel options through custom orders only. The UDI will also drop on 9/3/2021 and come tagged with a price of $249.
Do either of the new P•790 iterations do it for you? Do you plan on giving them a go? If so, what is it you are hoping to see? Jump into the conversation on the THP Community or below and let your voice be heard alongside thousands of golfers just like you!
One thing is for sure though, the looks have come a LONG way, softening the lines has done wonders.
I like the look of this version and it is head and shoulders above the previous two. My struggles with those lines have been the feel/sound and while the last one wasn’t terrible, it hasn’t stacked up to others on the market in the same class. Mainly the Forged Tec from Cobra and the Mizuno HMB both were significantly better in the feel department.
Agreed, and now the move to an even lighter speed foam has me perplexed how they will truly handle the sound/feel this time as in my head a less dense material means more vibrations. But, maybe I’m wrong.
I once gamed their original No. 1 metal wood as well as a set of their beautiful, original blade irons. But, somewhere along the way, they totally lost me.
My guess is that it’s somewhat related to the current tech/marketing discussion in another thread. Something about the TM marketing of yesteryear became a complete turnoff.
Maybe I will listen more closely this go round.
I will say, their marketing has toned down a lot. In that other thread I made people are still hung up on the 17 yards campaign, but that’s not what TM is doing now. That said, I think they’ve gone t the opposite end of the spectrum now, which is almost an over correction, ya know?
I do believe you’re not at all alone in how you feel though about TM.
Fun fact on the first iteration, they were so low spin one of their R&D guys played his 4 weak just to try and add spin.
wow thats just crazy but I believe it
I remember going to my first ever iron fitting. With the p790 6i and Project x 6.5 shafts I was carrying 210 with 3700 spin lol. I remember hitting one that carried 220+ and I look at him and said "wow ive never hit one so far before." He said yea thats a big problem theres not enough spin. This was about 5 – 6 years ago before I took golf serious and had no idea what any of the numbers meant other than distance. Learned very quick they were a bad fit for me
Having tried these I still feel they are pretty firm and clicky. Not P770 clicky but still up the charts a bit.
No rest for the weary
That’s what I was afraid of. At some point they HAVE to fix the sound/feel
It’s really sound right? Feel is sound. It also fairly personal. What I feel is clicky someone else maybe coming from a different head or set up may perceive as pretty soft.
I still love @JB question to Vosh about sound and why some can’t seem to get it right..
There is no perceiving the historical sound/feel of TM 790’s as soft, by anyone, ever
Just trying to be nice.
Haha, well, truth hurts sometimes
As long as there is improvement. The performance has been there. The P790 has always performed well for the category.
There are some clearly improved lines on the irons – deal breaker for me was always sound so it should be fun to hit them and experience. I’m continuously baffled at the carryover naming convention. Wonder why they don’t change it at all.
I love how every new club is ‘more refined/sleek’ too. Lol Satin doesn’t automatically make something more refined. In fact on this top line, it took it the other direction. The rest of it looks really good. Tuned into the TXG vid while driving just now and it took Ian less than a minute to say the top line is boxy, which was my first reaction to seeing them. It’s more boxy. Looks more squared off and bigger partly because it’s full satin. At least on the UDI.
The UDI did feel a little different when I hit it than the previous version. Assuming it’s mostly the slightly different stuff behind the face. I’m not entirely sure how much most people would even notice though. I don’t think the sound/feel people are their market.
Some interesting differences in the 7i. Hard to get good angles on the fitting heads. Wanted to show the bevel on the old top compared to the new though. One on the right is 1* flatter, but the new one does seem to have a slightly higher toe/face when looking at them over the ball too. Topline might be thinner on new one, but again more square. Looks maybe slightly wider to the eye looking down on it.
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This is what I was talking about with the top line being boxier on the UDI. It’s definitely more square.
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Changed the camber on the UDI a little to my eye too. Less bounce, more camber. Looks cleaner. Like the trail edge. Not swinging today or I’d put some thumps on it.
Although I hate the reused name – I almost skipped this thread thinking it was about the previous version…
Hopefully we get a set in hand!
Right? They’ve hit the confusing point in the naming conventions to be sure.
Does anybody know if there are any actual differences on the UDI though? Is it basically just a continuation of the regular irons into a 2-iron loft?
It’s different. It blends, but it’s not just a part of the set. Has less tungsten in it than the 790 long irons as well, the profile is one aimed right at their Tour staff where the 790’s will not get any Tour play really.
The thicker looking top line stands out to me more in the UDI. In the irons, it might actually be thinner, and then balanced towards equal visual with the squarer edges. Those new squarer edges do look really nice from the back too. They look nicer in hand (bag, ultimately) to me, just don’t love it over the ball. They’re not really meant for me though, so others could love it.
The UDI I do play though, and it seems a little more separate in design from the irons in little ways
Yup, hence the fun I had in the article.
Yea exactly. P 890, P990, I don’t care how or what it’s named, but man what a beast. It creates an issue jsut across the board, for anyone that wants to resale them, I just don’t understand the strategic decision to ever do this type of thing.
Thank you both! Was never sure if the UDI was basically the same as the regular long irons.
Does anybody play the UDI on tour? I think I’d prefer the regular 3 or 4 iron in the utility spot.
Itll make several bags, likely replacing the SIM UDI in some.
I’m trying to think who of the recognizable guys is still playing one? Lot of higher lofted woods out there right now. Morikawa plays a 770 3i (which I love), Rors a 760 3i, .. Can you think of one of the bigger names playing a UDI right now?
They rotate in. It’s always a design that gets play for them on Tour. As has always been the case, it’s on a course by course and situational basis.
Peak heights were VERY consistent from 4 iron through to PW. Low CG works its magic in the long irons in particular, the ball just LAUNCHES so easily.
WIth the right shaft and ball combination I anticipate most golfers will find a combiation that allows them to consistently hold greens.
Those lining up for a fitting with their low spin tour balls and DGX100 shafts and expecting to see 7000rpm spin 7 irons are missing the point. Look at your peak heights and descent angle, and if absolutely necessary play a different ball. They will stop.
I haven’t watched in full or skipped to the data, but he and I tend to have same visual impressions of things (especially with driver/fw faces closed/open/etc), and I heard that at the beginning.
That’s cool to hear about the launch – something at least from the first iteration of the clubs was a bit of a challenge for people.
How was the sound?