TaylorMade's popular P790 iron has received its first upgrade in 2019, with the manufacturers using the mantra 'you don't mess with what works, you make it better' to describe the process behind the development of the new model over the past 12 months.
With it also comes the official release of a new driving iron, the P790 UDI, after it was snapped being used by tour pros including Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods at The Open.
TaylorMade P790 Irons
In order to try and improve on the original P790 Iron, TaylorMade essentially wanted to try and refine and emphasise its design elements rather than any dramatic revamp.
As a result the new forged P790 is designed to deliver distance and playability whilst maintaining excellent feel. The medium sized head has a more refined topline, smaller blade length and less offset.
A 7% thinner face compared to the previous model aims to produce a faster COR, and now includes a new Progressive Inverted Cone Technology (PICT) which improves accuracy and particularly helps with long irons, especially for those who tend to miss the ball to the right.
Behind the face is TaylorMade's SpeedFoam technology, which is injected into the clubhead and provides face support as well as generating faster ball speeds, whilst also controlling the sound and feel at impact.
Inside the head there is 15% extra tungsten, which has been reshaped in order to create a deeper, lower centre of gravity and increase the launch angle of shots for a higher flight and better stopping power.
In terms of the shape, the long irons have been given less offset, whereas the shorter irons have a shorter blade lengths, to suit the proportions of a more compact blade iron.
The topline has also been refined by increasing the face height in the toe to provide a cleaner progression throughout the set.
Available from 6th September, the new P790 irons are stocked from 3 iron to Pitching Wedge, with an accompanying Gap Wedge also available. The set will cost £1299 with steel True Temper Dynamic Golf 105 VSS shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grips.
TaylorMade P790 UDI
Complenting the P790 irons is the newly updated UDI, a forged driving iron with a tour-inspired design and a number of TaylorMade's usual technologies, including SpeedFoam.
Like the irons, the UDI is constructed with a soft 8620 carbon steel body, combined with a high-strength forged 4140 carbon steel face in the hollow head design.
It also features Inverted Cone Technology which combines with an ultra-thin forged face to effectively make the sweet spot bigger within a smaller face area. This also allows for reduced thickness at the edge of the face for greater flexibility from heel to toe and at the bottom of the club face, keeping ball speeds up.
The Thru-Slot Speed Pocket has been engineered to increase ball speeds and forgiveness, providing more playability for those who are looking for a different option off the tee or on longer approaches into the green.
This forgiveness is also aided by a re-engineered MIM (metal-injection-molded) tungsten weighting which increases MOI and allows for more precise centre of gravity placement.
The P790 UDI will be available from 6th September in a right-handed, 17 degree 2-iron model with a Project-X HZRDUS Smoke Black shaft, designed for low launch and spin. It will be priced at an RRP of £229.