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!
