Historically would you associate TaylorMade with irons? Probably not.
In 2020, the landscape has most certainly changed. Through years of product development, high-profile ambassador signings, some serious hard work, and not to mention a few major victories along the way too, the TaylorMade brand has become more synonymous with irons than ever before. Oh, I think a little success story in the form of the P790 had a little something to do with it also...
Riding high on the P790 wave, TaylorMade has announced all new additions to the series of P700 irons with a number of new models for Autumn 2020: P7MB, P7MC, and the model in question here, the P770.
TaylorMade boast that with these latest additions to the acclaimed P Series, they now offer a full lineup of meticulously crafted players irons that align craftsmanship, performance and unmatched aesthetics.
So, what's the difference between the P770 and the P790 iron models I hear you ask.
Well, compared to the old P770 iron model from 2017, in truth, not too much as the TaylorMade P770 irons are constructed from a forged hollow body with SpeedFoam injection and advanced tungsten weighting, meaning the latest model is more akin to the P790 than ever before.
So where does P770 sit in the P Series family? TaylorMade says that P790 is played by golfers within a very broad handicap range stretching from +4 all the way to 25. While many better players may enjoy the distance and forgiveness of P790, TaylorMade's market research has revealed a desire for an iron with a more compact head shape while also achieving higher launch with the longer irons and additional spin.
Step forward the new P770, forged from the same DNA as P790, relying on advanced materials and innovative technologies which TaylorMade claim push the boundaries of distance, feel and performance in a compact players iron shape.
“Designed to deliver P790-like performance in a smaller package, the all-new P770 leverages forged hollow body construction to pack as much distance and forgiveness as possible into a compact player’s shape.”
- Matt Bovee, Product Creation | Irons Category
Player-Inspired Shaping & Premium Aesthetics
In comparison to its 'sibling', the P770 features a thinner top line, narrower sole and shorter blade length. The smaller construction helps inspire confidence at address, while also promoting enhanced workability and control.
True to form of late with its irons, the TaylorMade P770 also looks to have some serious shelf appeal with a high-buff polish and Tour satin finish that deliver a unified look across this segment of the P Series. TaylorMade have done this intentionally as it allows them to better address the growing demand for combo sets among the P Series range.
Golfalot has no doubt noticed a trend in 'combining' sets in recent years, and it's not just TaylorMade. Golfers both on Tour and at the amateur level are choosing combo sets to optimise performance from top to bottom. With the cleaner aesthetics of P770, TaylorMade claims golfers can easily match them with P7MC or P790 to create a combo set that looks cohesive in the bag.
P770 'Packs a Punch'
Given the compact size of the head, TaylorMade claim that the P770 "punches above its weight class". No surprise there then... Their testing has shown that it’s within a few yards of the larger P790 and that pound for pound, the performance is equally as impressive.
How have they made this happen? Where's the tech? This is TaylorMade after all...
P770 relies on a series of proven technologies to generate this power and distance. Firstly, the forged hollow body is constructed of 8620 soft carbon steel with a thin 4140 steel face to promote fast ball speeds. Also, within the face is Progressive Inverted Cone Technology which we've seen before in the huge SIM Max and SIM Max OS irons earlier this year.
Like the SIM irons this is uniquely positioned in each P770 iron to both increase the sweet spot and minimise the effects of common mis-hits. ICT is positioned in the centre of the face on mid irons and more towards the toe on long irons.
SpeedFoam, which debuted in the original P790 irons, continues to play a pretty important role in the performance of P770. The ultra-light urethane foam injected inside the head is engineered to push the design limits of face speed while keeping that premium feel at impact.
Again like the P790, with the new P770 forgiveness comes in the form of the Thru-Slot Speed Pocket in the 3-7 irons which is engineered for increased ball speed and distance, while protecting your hands from that thin one you catch low on the face. However, because P770 is a smaller head shape it naturally offers less forgiveness than P790.
To combat this, TaylorMade has boosted MOI by strategically positioning tungsten weights within each head. Present in the 3-7 irons and weighing up to 46 grams, the tungsten inserts are positioned towards the toe for precise CG placement and increased forgiveness.
In conclusion, what does all of the above get you? Great looks, distance, enhanced flexibility, more ball speed, greater forgiveness on off-centre shots and more flexibility to combo with the rest of the P Series range than ever before.
All we'll say is, if the shelf appeal of these new bats and performance of the latest P790 is anything to by, we're in for a fun day of testing...