About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the irons, which I purchased with my own money in June 2022.

My take

The TaylorMade P790 Irons are, in my opinion, the best all-around irons released in the last decade. From scratch golfers seeking a bit more forgiveness to high handicappers who are serious about improving their game, it’s hard to go wrong with this set.

About the clubs I own

• Model: 2021 TaylorMade P790 Irons 5-PW
• Loft setting: Standard loft, 2-degree upright lie adjustment
• Shaft type: KBS Tour T
• Shaft flex: Stiff

About me

• Average score: 83
• Handicap: 9.5
• Experience: 3 years of golf
• Right/Left-Handed: Right-handed
• Typical ball flight: Straight or fade
• Golf ball used: Bridgestone Tour B RX
• Club swing speed: 85 mph with 7 iron

Test conditions

• When I bought the club: June 2022
• Days tested: 60 days
• Where I’ve used it: Daily rounds and practice at Brookledge Golf Club, my home course, and local tournament play through Northern Ohio Golf Association (Fox Den Championship) & Golf Week Amateur Tour
• Weather and wind conditions: Everything from idyllic Sundays to 40+ mph wind and rain

How it performs

What I was looking for

I wanted an iron that would fit me better than my previous set (Titleist AP2 712). I have a tendency to miss on the thin side, which was disastrous with my previous set. I have gained considerable clubhead speed in the past year, so my misses have yielded more serious consequences. I needed a set that would better forgive my thin miss and promote a neutral ball flight.

Why I chose this club

Review after review and test after test revealed that the most well-rounded, true, and consistent results came from P790s. I had only previously owned one TaylorMade club, a JetSpeed 5 wood, which will never leave my bag. So the door was open for my new set.

I seriously considered a Mizuno JPX921 forged set, which is an excellent club that was barely edged out in my personal testing. In all honesty, I prefer the feel and feedback of the Mizuno forged set, but it did not allow for the forgiveness of my common misses like P790s do. Good shots are good with almost any set out there, but P790s were the best at making my worst shots playable.

What I love about it

• Forgiveness: Thinned shots are almost a non-factor now. The tungsten weight in the clubs is pushed low and slightly toe-side, which just so happens to match my two common misses. I can catch the ball low on the face and the flight is still good, and even toe-side strikes fly straight and end up playable.
• Feel: Middled shots feel like butter.
• Sound: This may be my favorite feature of this set. Wish I could include a sound clip of the satisfying crack of pured shots from my 5 iron!
• Workability: It’s amazing how shapeable these irons are while still being forgiving. Pushing weight low and toward the toe in a club will always alter how well I can shape the ball.
• Shaft Feel: KBS Tour T shafts were the perfect call for my swing. Kicks at just the right timing in my swing to promote an optimal flight.
• Shaft Performance: KBS shafts completely transformed my ball flight! I used to hit a low ball with almost no spin. Now I’m sending penetrating, mid-to-high iron shots into greens.
• Aesthetic Appeal: P790s are some of the most classic-looking, clean, minimal irons available today.
• Grip Feel: GolfPride Midsize CP2 Wraps are my favorite grips. They’re soft, comfortable, and fit my hands in a way that gives me confidence to swing the club well.
• Launch Angle: I’m sending out iron shots in a much better launch window for each club. My ball flight is higher than before, and stops more quickly on greens.
• Spin: Spin is consistent and controllable. I had a lot of trouble holding greens when I would hit them with my previous set since my ball flight was so low. I can now keep my ball on the green and even stop the ball closer to the pin more predictably.
• Other: This set makes me want to play more golf. I feel confident on any tee box with an iron in my hand. I know I can play well on par-3 holes now, which used to be my biggest weakness!

Issues I’ve encountered

• Distance: This set didn’t necessarily add distance for me, but made my mis-hits fly nearly as far as my good shots. However, distances can be a little inconsistent front-to-back since they’re so forgiving.
• Aesthetic Appeal: They are a bit larger than P770s, but I’ll take the added forgiveness any day.
• Workability: It won’t quite offer the precision of a forged blade, but that’s not who this set is designed for!

Best shot with this club

I was playing a round at my home course: Brookledge Golf Club in Ohio. I had been playing steadily all round, making pars and some bogeys to leave me just shy of the pace to break 80 for the first time. I was doing the math while walking off the 16th green (we all do it); I would need to finish birdie-birdie to shoot 79—a tall ask for a 10 handicap. I told myself to just give myself a couple looks at birdie and see what happened.

I walked up to the 17th tee and did something I have only recently started doing: I hit my 5 wood from the tee on a par 4. I landed down the right center of the fairway, just past the 150 marker. Job #1 was finished.

I zapped the flag at 144 yards on the back of the green. The shot was into the wind, so I decided to club up and swing easy. The ball flew a bit lower than a full shot and hit the middle of the green, hopped forward and rolled, and rolled, and kept rolling, and disappeared right as it crossed the line of the flag. My hands were on my head. My thoughts were spinning and half of me thought it rolled off the back of the green. There was only one way to find out; I made it to the green and couldn’t see a ball anywhere.

All of the times I jokingly said “well, you haven’t checked the hole yet” to my past playing partners replayed in my head, but this time it was plausible. I checked the hole. For once, the ball was there. I had holed out for my first eagle, then made par on 18 to shoot my first 79. The ball is on my office shelf!

Value for the money vs. other options

In its class of premium-but-forgiving cap-back irons in the $1k+ range, P790s are easily one of, if not, the best values for the money. For similar performance with more game-improvement features, TaylorMade Stealth irons are a great option. For more consistent ball-strikers, Mizuno JPX921 Forged irons are a solid option.

Final verdict

These irons make me want to play more golf. My idea of heaven is walking around a par-3 course with a Sunday bag of every other iron and my putter. I highly encourage anyone to try them out in their next fitting.

These clubs are featured in the Best TaylorMade Golf Clubs and the Best TaylorMade Irons. Check them out for more recommendations and reviews.