Gear: TaylorMade P790 Ti irons
Price: $2,799.99 (4-AW) with Nippon 950GH NEO steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grips; $2,999.99 with Mitsubishi MMT graphite shafts
Specs: Cast 9-1-1- titanium body with machined 6-4 titanium face, urethane foam and internal tungsten weight.
Available: Nov. 8
TaylorMade’s P790 irons have been the company’s most popular irons for 18 months, and with the creation of the P790 Ti, the company sought to take that club’s design to the extreme.
The body of the P790 Ti uses 9-1-1 titanium, a material typically reserved for drivers because it is extremely strong and light, as well as expensive. The company also gave the irons a face of 6-4 titanium.
Opting for titanium instead of stainless steel saved a significant amount of weight, which TaylorMade put back into the clubs in the form of a massive tungsten weight. The mass is slightly different in each club, weighing up to 119 grams and comprising almost half of each head’s weight. The dark-finished weight on the back of each head significantly lowers the center of gravity.
TaylorMade also gave the P790 Ti a slot in the sole that goes completely through the heads. It is covered by a polymer material to keep debris and water from getting inside, and it helps expand the sweet spot downward, making thin shots more playable and protecting ball speed on mis-hits.
The combination of the flexible face and lower center of gravity should create more distance and a higher launch angle.
To soften the feel of impact, the inner chamber of the P790 Ti was filled with Speed Foam, a urethane material that absorbs excessive vibrations without impeding the face’s ability to flex at impact or reducing ball speed.
From a shape standpoint, the P790 Ti has a slightly longer blade length than the original P790, as well as a taller face and 0.5 millimeters more offset. The sole is slightly wider too, with more bounce to help the irons work through the turf more smoothly.
