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

My take

The 2021 TaylorMade P790 irons are ideal for players who want small, workable blade-like irons in size and shape with increased distance and forgiveness compared to other comparably small and workable irons. These irons are long and forgiving and have a pleasantly soft yet explosive feel at impact. In addition, the TaylorMade P790s look great in the bag.

About the club I own

• Model: 2021 TaylorMade P790 irons
• Loft setting: Standard
• Shaft type: KBS Tour 130
• Shaft flex: X (extra-stiff) 1x soft-step

About me

• Average score: 74
• Handicap: 2
• Experience: 25 years playing and 5 years as a golf instructor
• Right/Left-Handed: Right-handed
• Typical ball flight: Mid trajectory and right-to-left (draw)
• Golf ball used: TaylorMade TP5x
• Club swing speed: 109mph w/driver | 91mph w/5-iron

Test conditions

• When I bought the club: June 2022
• Days tested: 20
• Where I’ve used it: Angel Fire CC, Brook Hollow CC, and several other courses
• Weather and wind conditions: Everything including wet/dry/soft/firm conditions and temperatures ranging from 50-108°F.

How it performs

What I was looking for

I was looking for a small, workable set of irons with heads that gave me significant forgiveness and increased distance compared to other comparably small-sized iron heads.

Why I chose this club

I chose the P790s because I had been using P770s for a while, and I wanted a bit more distance control on slight mishits in the longer irons. The P770s are also known for having some hot spots on the faces that occasionally lead to shots going 8-12 yards longer than expected. From what I gathered, the P790s would help significantly in both regards.

What I love about it

• Distance: They are longer than any comparably-sized irons I have ever come across, and by quite some margin. They have extremely thin clubfaces with a speed foam injected into hollow-bodied clubheads behind them. The combination of these two things produces a hot trampoline-like effect off the clubface and impressive ball speeds.
• Forgiveness: I would say, above all else, forgiveness is the department where these irons shine the most. They are just stunningly forgiving for being as small in size as they are. Shots struck a bit towards the toe or heel and/or low on the face still find greens repeatedly with very little loss of ball speed.
• Feel: Soft but explosive feel at impact. I prefer it to the much softer feeling that most forged blades have. It feels soft, like the ball jumps off the face instead of the club absorbing the ball.
• Sound: It is very much like feel—pure but explosive. They have extremely thin forged clubfaces and hollow bodies filled with a speed foam designed to make them feel very soft at impact.
• Workability: The P790s are more workable than other irons with comparable levels of forgiveness and distance due to how small their club faces, toplines, and soles are in size. Most, if not all, irons that are as long and forgiving as the P790s have more offset and are much larger and chunkier in size and, therefore, less workable.
• Shaft Feel: The KBS Tour feels better than other iron shafts currently on the market, and it’s not even close. Very pleasant with no harshness or excessive vibration.
• Shaft Performance: The KBS Tour shafts are counterbalanced, so they do not feel quite as heavy as most 130g steel shafts. They launch with mid trajectory and mid/low spin, which is perfect for my game.
• Aesthetic Appeal: The satin finish with just a touch of chrome on the back of the clubheads looks as good at address and in the bag as any iron I’ve seen in a long time.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Launch Angle: The main issue I have found with this set of irons is how strong the lofts are, especially in the shorter club. This results in the shorter clubs going further than I want because it results in big distance gaps between the shorter irons and small distance gaps between the longer irons. One can solve this by ordering them with the lofts adjusted to be weaker in the short irons or bent accordingly by someone who does club repair after they already have them.
• Other: In a perfect world, I prefer top lines that look a bit thinner, but that’s being very nit-picky, quite honestly.

Best shot with this club

A cut 5-iron from 205 to a back right hole location cut just over a bunker. With a significant right-to-left crosswind, I stuffed it in there to about 5 feet. I wouldn’t have been capable of this shot (or even tried it) with most irons I’ve had in the past.

Value for the money vs. other options

At $1,299.99 for a set of 7 irons in total, the price is very much in line with most other comparable small/hollow-body blade-like high-performing irons currently out there on the market, such as the Mizuno Pro 225, Titleist T200, Callaway Rogue ST Pro, and PING i525 irons respectively. Compared to cheaper options, golfers will get significantly higher performance from the P790s, specifically for those looking for a small/blade-like iron that is also long and forgiving along with a nice feel at impact. Modern technology really comes into play in such cases, and less expensive options will leave something to be desired from what I’ve seen up to this point.

Final verdict

The P790s perform as well or better than any other small/workable iron I have come across regarding distance, forgiveness, looks, and feel. They will stay in my bag for the foreseeable future.