If you are a golfer who looks down on a traditional blade iron and it sends shock waves through your body then please, look away now. The following content may not be for you. If however you're a golfer that loves the look of blades, this review is worth having a flick through just for the images...
This iron is for the player's player, the golfer who comments on my YouTube video reviews saying “yeah but the loft of a 7 iron is actually a 6 hence why it goes so far...” The purist.
The P7MB come off the back of the very successful P730 irons. They are in the bag of Charley Hull and Rory McIlroy also played them at Memorial this year. TaylorMade will be hoping this ‘pure, buttery, organic steel iron' will find their way into tour bags and then proceed into your golf bags also.
What's It All About?
Let’s get this straight, these clubs are meant to slim, compact and a traditional bladed iron. They are aimed at golfers who want feel, precision and as soon as the ball leaves the face you can call the shot without looking up.
Low handicap golfers and professionals (consistently strong ball strikers), will be eyeing up these forged blade muscle back irons. The iron fits into the TaylorMade family in between the P7MC and P7TW irons, there is no SpeedFoam in the head, quite un-TaylorMade-like for recent years. What you see is what you get.
If there is some 'technology' in these irons, it comes in the form of the following...
They are forged from 1025 carbon steel with a machine-milled face comprised of the most aggressive score lines in TaylorMade's growing arsenal.
The most eyebrow raising feature of these clubs is no doubt the mirrored surface across the backbar. Faceted muscle back geometry gives a seamless blend of traditional performance with a contemporary look and design here. This geometrical positioning of the backbar also delivers precise CG placement and mass properties for optimal performance.
These are pure blades and reflect the quality of the strike, shape and speed that you put on the ball. This is like driving a super car with paddles and not in automatic.
The Test
I wanted to find out if these irons are only aimed at a tour player or can a decent amateur use them as well. I also wanted to see the difference in performance between them and the P7MBs - is there any point in TaylorMade bring out both irons?
I tested the irons inside on Trackman 4 at LSH Auto, Stockport using Titleist ProV1x balls and then head out to Stockport Golf Club to play a few holes. The shafts I am using in these irons are KBS 120 stiff which is not ideal for me but hey, that’s not going to stop me giving these a good run.
TaylorMade P7MB Irons Review
Looks
WOW. I first saw these clubs in Charley Hull's bag at the Rose Ladies Series in June and hated the fact due to COVID-19 restrictions I couldn’t pick them up to take a closer look and try them out. They looked so shiny and pretty when the sun reflected off their heads. In the bag, these irons looks stunning.
Fast forward a month, I had a set for myself and had them in my hands... Looks-wise they are sexy and make my eyes light up. Why? The P7MB irons are elegant, due to them being small with smooth brushed carbon steel and very little offset.
It appears to be more curvier than the TaylorMade P7MC, but only slightly and I'm not sure how much the 'Faceted Muscle Back Geometry' does forgiveness-wise but it makes the iron look like its been cut from a diamond. They really are so eye-catching. For such a simple aesthetic idea, TaylorMade has smashed it out of the park with the P7MB irons.
Feel
There is no better feeling than hitting a blade well, the TaylorMade P7MB irons are no different. You can feel the ball on the face and the spin that you are putting on it at impact.
During my indoor testing I could close my eyes and then call every shot, they give you so much feedback on strike and I find that so refreshing.
Compared the P7MC's they did feel slightly lighter which was needed due to the 120g shaft I was hitting in. Also, shout out to the new Z Golf Pride grips as they add a premium to the club and enhance the feel that little bit more. Ok, I couldn’t get them to sound quite as good as Charley Hull does, but they were still quiet and 'cushiony'.
Add all of this up and stood over the ball you really feel like you have a 'proper', premium golf club in your hands which is exactly what TaylorMade have created with the P7MBs.
Consistency
Unsurprisingly, I found these irons very easy to work both ways and height wise indoors. The first two shots during my test were short and right which shows that you need to warm up before heading to the 1st tee also though. Even if you feel confident with your ball striking, the P7MBs can serves as a very good wake up call if you're not quite on it.
Yardage wasn’t great but 139 average was only 1 yard down on the MC’s and that can be explained quickly - the loft throughout the bag 1 degree weaker. One thing I didn’t notice however is a lower launch than the MC’s which TaylorMade state.
Dispersion was an area that was excellent when testing the P7MBs. The width between the shots I hit made me very happy. Distance however will be slightly varied due to strike and curve put on the ball.
The draws that I hit went 146 yards which is about 10 yards down on my normal 6 iron but I have to say I enjoyed hitting this 6 iron more. The feedback is amazing and that is one of the beauties of playing golf in it's purest form.
On The Course
I threw myself in the deep-end when I arrived at the golf course. The first shot in my on-course testing was with a 4 iron, this is where things got interesting...
The step up from 6 to 4 irons may only be 7 degrees but it felt a lot more. I had to work really hard and be so precise to get the correct strike with the 4 iron, but you do get the rewards when you catch it out of the screws. I then played the Par 5 13th at Stockport Golf Club with two balls, one I used P7MCs and the other P7MBs for the perfect direct comparison between the two irons.
Off the tee, I slapped the 4 iron with the P7MB to the right side of the fairway (another reminder that this iron isn’t for me). However, I then hit 6 iron 2nd shot and a wedge into the green which felt great.
I hit a beautiful shot with a wedge from 105 yards which spun back and left me 12 feet for birdie (which I missed...) The MBs and MCs went exactly the same yardage and I didn’t really notice the difference in forgiveness which for me I will take as a good thing. Looks-wise, at address they are noticeably less offset in the shorter irons than the MCs.
Now for hitting the ball out of wet rough, guess what - I didn’t have the power or speed to hold the face open and get a decent strike, my iron landed 30 yards short of the hole and in a bunker.
I dropped another ball on the fairway to try feather an iron left to right into the 14th green to the back right flag. Ok, it may not have made the distance, as it landed 4 yards short of the pin but then it spun back 5 yards... with a 8 iron, I can see why male golfers work on spin control now.
My on-course conclusion... The 4 iron was not for me, fairway lies I am loving them, but the rough. Well I just don’t need to hit in there.
TaylorMade P7MB Irons Verdict
These irons are as good as anything Mizuno have produced which is the bench mark for me with blades. I can honestly say this was the most enjoyable time I have had testing with Golfalot due to the real feedback you get from striking these clubs.
I actually didn’t notice much difference between these and the P7MCs in terms of distance and forgiveness. TaylorMade have produced a stunning iron for elite players, if you are in the market for new blades then you must give these a go or at least add them to your testing shortlist.
Would I Use It?
They were actually easier to strike than I thought they would be, blades really focus my mind and I think I have neglected the importance of strike by just settling for more game-improvement or performance irons in my own bag recently.
No doubt I think my scoring clubs from 8-PW could be improved by using these due to the control you get with them.
However as I don’t have the distance and power of other players I can only see these irons getting into the bag as a combo set.
Which with some custom fitting work alongside TaylorMade I can really see these working. I'm thinking PW-8 iron and then P770s in the 7 iron- 4 iron.
Picks up the phone and rings the local TaylorMade fitter...
Pros
Cons
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