About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the iron which I purchased with my own money in 2021.

My take

The TaylorMade P790 UDI 2 Iron is an ideal fairway finder; I find myself using it a lot off the tee especially if I’ve lost some confidence in my driver or if the fairway is really tight.

About the club I own/tested

• Model: 2020 TaylorMade P790 UDI 2 Iron
• Loft setting: 17 degrees
• Shaft type: Hzrdus Smoke RDX
• Shaft flex: Stiff

About me

• Average score: 82
• Handicap: 10.1
• Experience: 9 years of golf
• Right/Left-Handed: Right handed
• Typical ball flight: High with a baby fade
• Golf ball used: Bridgestone Tour B X
• Club swing speed: 106mph

Test conditions

• When I bought the club: 2021
• Days tested: I own this club!
• Where I’ve used it: Range, Course, and Simulator
• Weather and wind conditions: Rain, wind, and cold days

How it performs

What I was looking for

I was in the market for a driving iron because my driver can be off and I would let it ruin my round. With the P790 UDI 2 iron, I have confidence that even if my driver is off, I’m still able to put myself far enough out in the fairway to attack pins.

Why I chose this club

I decided to buy the P790 UDI 2 iron because it had the forgiveness and distance I was looking for in a driving iron. When making my decision, I looked at many 2 irons, including the TaylorMade SIM Max, Srixon ZX Utility, and the Cobra King Utility Iron. I ultimately ended up with the P790 2 iron, because it checked off the most boxes of what I was looking for in a driving iron: launch control, distance, feel, low spin, forgiveness, and turf interaction (for when I want to hit it out of the fairway).

What I love about it

• Distance: With this club's ability to control launch angle and spin, I am able to control the distance with ease depending on course conditions. If the course is dry I can hit a low stinger and allow the ball to run a country mile down the fairway. If the fairways are damp I can hit a high fade that will still carry 250 yards without a problem. It fills a gap in my bag, between my four iron and my hybrid.
• Forgiveness: I notice the forgiveness most on mishits low on the face. The hollow head injected with speed foam gives the P790 2 iron a larger “sweet spot” allowing for off center hits to feel more like a center hit. This, in turn, allows balls hit on the bottom of the face to come off relatively similarly to balls struck in the center of the face. Basically, at most, I am losing/gaining 10 yards on mishits low on the face. For a club that isn’t made for precision, ten yards for or against isn’t a big drop off.
• Sound: It has a dead sound or muted sound, which I really like. I am not a fan of loud ding or ping sounding clubs. The sound was one of my top deciding factors when purchasing the P790 2 iron.
• Adjustability: This 2 iron is not adjustable; however, you can customize it to be bent up or down to increase or decrease loft depending on your game.
• Shaft Feel: I love my Hzrdus Smoke RDX Shaft, it is the same shaft that I have in my driver and it is the best feeling shaft for my game. I like a slightly heavier shaft and a ½ inch shortened shaft. I am only 5’8” and with the shorter shaft I feel like I have more control of the clubface at impact. Similarly, with a slightly heavier shaft I feel myself maintaining a smoother tempo, which allows me to square up the clubface more consistently compared to a light shaft where I have the tendency to swing harder and faster, causing me to have more mishits.
• Shaft Performance: My shaft performs well, it checks off all the boxes I look for in a shaft. When looking at which shaft will fit your game, there are a few key factors to consider. The first is what you are looking for the club to do. In this instance, I am looking to have as minimal spin as possible because I am not attacking greens with this club. If I were picking a shaft for my 9 iron I would look at a shaft that spins more because I want to be able to stay on the green when I hit it. Another thing I am looking for in my shaft is stiffness. This all depends on your swing speed; if this is off it will cause mishits to be more drastic and result in more lost balls. Lastly, I look at weight. I prefer a heavier shaft because it allows me to slow down my swing and creates consistent contact.
• Grip Feel: I have my grip with one extra wrap on my shaft. So, it is slightly bigger than a stock grip. I like this because I feel like it takes my hands out of my swing, making it smoother. An easy way I think about this is if you were to swing a baseball bat and then if you were to swing a golf club like a baseball bat. When you swing the golf club you will feel your bottom hand turn over your top hand much earlier in the swing because of how skinny it is. Turning your hands over causes more mishits and inconsistencies with your swing. So if you are able to allow that to happen after contact you will create more consistent shots.
• Launch Angle: Launch angle with the 2 iron is high to optimize distance. This is because of the injected speed foam.
• Spin: The spin with this 2 iron is low, which is the main attraction for me because I spin my other irons a lot.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Feel: The hollow club head combined with the speed foam make for a hard almost clunky feel off the face. Hitting the sweet spot is supposed to almost feel like you are hitting nothing. With the P790 you can feel every shot even on the sweet spot.
• Workability: Due to the forgiveness of this iron it makes it hard to shape the ball. I still could play my natural baby fade. However, If I try to draw or even hook the golf ball I really struggle to do so. So it’s a tradeoff, this 2 iron is not very workable, but it makes up for it in forgiveness.
• Adjustability: This club is not adjustable, so if I wanted it adjusted for lie angle I would have to have the manufacturer bend it up or down. To adjust the degree of loft, this is usually a preference. If you naturally hit the ball very high you might want a stronger loft to help keep the ball flight lower.
• Aesthetic Appeal: I do not care for the large top line when looking at the club from address. It is thick and I prefer a small skinny top line.

Best shot with this club

My best ever shot with the TaylorMade P790 UDI 2 iron was at Loudon Country Club in Loudon, NH, hole 6. It was a short (290yd), downhill par 4 with water guarding the right side of the green. The slope on the left feeds down to the water on the right. I hit my 2 iron off the tee expecting to leave myself with a 30-40 yard chip to a back right pin location. Instead I landed my tee shot 10-15 yards short on the left side of the fairway. It ended up bouncing off the slope on the left side of the fairway and kicking onto the green. Then it released all the way back to the back right pin location. I had a ten foot eagle putt. One of the better shots I have ever hit and definitely the best shot I’ve ever hit with my 2 iron.

Value for the money vs. other options

Most 2 irons run around the same price. For me, it came down to performance and what I was looking for in a 2 iron, including launch control, distance, and forgiveness. I couldn’t be more happy with what I ended up with. It is perfect for my game!

Final verdict

The TaylorMade P790 2 Iron is my go-to club off the tee at the moment. I have the confidence that I will be in the fairway and that I won’t lose that much distance. Which allows me to still get close enough off the tee to attack with my second shot. It really is a security blanket to me and I believe all golfers should have a club like this in their bag, because when things go bad and you need to hit a fairway to gain confidence, you’ll need to pull out the club you know will get the job done, and for me, the TaylorMade P790 2 Iron is that club.