I'm Still Thinking About: TaylorMade P790 Irons

We very much live in a world of "what have you done for me lately?" which unfortunately, means that many of the most reliable and trustworthy things we have get downplayed or ignored because they aren't bright, flashy, and new.

From cars to clothing, there are many examples of "things" that don't get the credit they deserve, and in the world of irons, I think the TaylorMade P790s warrant a little more praise, which is exactly why I can't stop thinking about them.

TaylorMade P790 Refresher

The 2025 P790 irons are built around offering three distinct advantages over the previous models - refined looks to offer more broad appeal for golfers, along with better alignment, improved feel, and more distance in the longer irons for better distance gapping and shot control.

P790 continues to be a special iron that offers something for a wide array of player demographics. Now in their fifth generation, P790 irons continue to be a global leader in the Players Distance category.

-Matt Bovee, Global Category Director–Irons & Wedges

Core design features

4340M Face

Let's get real nerdy for a moment. 4340M is a low-alloy steel with a high strength-to-weight ratio, high durability, and ductility. And, because of these properties, It’s a common material used in the aerospace and aviation industry.

So why use it in the face of an iron? Well, by using 4340M the engineers at TaylorMade have been able to reduce the thickness of the face to save weight to increase MOI and increase the size of the effective sweet area of the face by 24 percent.

New Sole Design

With more leading edge camber and curvature from heel to toe, the iron offers better playability for golfers across the board and also encourages more centered face contact in the longer irons.

New Acoustics

With the help of modal analysis, the new P790 has been tuned to provide better feedback and performance on shots hit off the middle and around the rest of the face. “Our goal with P790 irons was to take sound and feel to the next level," Bovee said. "We were able to accomplish that through individual head optimization and the stiffening of key internal structures while maintaining the world-class performance P790 irons are known for.”

Improved shaping

To go along with the new acoustics, the topline and transition from the topline to the hosel has been thinned down to offer a more player preferred look without sacrificing any of the playability or confidence inspiring looks.

Other longstanding technologies include the through-slot speed pocket on the sole and speedfoam air that fills the inside of the iron for further acoustic tuning.

My Two Cents

With the P790s now in their fifth generation, the design team has basically nailed the formula for producing one of the best players' distance irons on the market.

They've been engineered with enough forgiveness to work for golfers across a wide spectrum of handicaps, and have also been refined to look sharper and feel softer to appeal to better players who just want a little added help without resorting to an oversized cavity back.

The only problem TaylorMade has created with the P790 is that they have been so good for so long, it feels like they get a little lost in the wash of the latest and greatest, even though they're still one of the greats.

And, that's the biggest issue with sustained greatness: it can eventually become taken for granted, and whether it be the newest P790s or their little brother, the more player-focused P770s - sometimes we just need a reminder that they deserve your attention.

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