Which 2020 TaylorMade Iron Suits Me?

Published: 10 April 2024

Best TaylorMade Iron from 2020

Which TaylorMade irons should I buy? Your guide to each iron in TaylorMade’s line-up, and who they are aimed at.

Most major brands have five, six or even seven irons in their 2020 line-ups, which shows the importance of having solutions for all golfers, irrespective of ability or personal preference.

Choices range from slimline musclebacks to hollow heads and cavity backs, and while some are forged, others have springy faces just like a driver.

So with such a huge amount of choice out there, we felt it was far too easy for golfers to get confused about which model best suits them. Even golfers who have a good idea of which iron suits them probably don’t realise what they put on the line in terms of ball speed, carry and forgiveness by choosing a set above their station.

So as 2020’s irons hit pro shop shelves, we felt the time was right to show how a brand’s whole iron range compares against each other.

As well as launch monitor data from our pro, we’ve given every iron a forgiveness rating and a handicap guide to spell out simply what sort of players should be considering what sort of models, and why.

TaylorMade P-7TW iron

RRP: £1,899

Construction: Forged from a single piece of 1025 carbon steel

Who are they for?

The clue is in the name – Tiger Woods (though Tommy Fleetwood also uses a set). It should be no surprise that with the joint weakest 7-iron loft (35°, the same as the P7MB iron) in our whole five-brand test (32 sets of irons), the P-7TW produced our shortest carry distance.

It was also one of only six models to produce a double digit carry distance drop-off – that illustrates perfectly just how workable they are and ultimately how hard they are to live with on the golf course. With all that said, if you’re buying them as a collector, the beautifully boxed, CNC milled soles and concealed tungsten weighting – requested by Tiger himself – create an absolutely stunning set to be put in a display case and treasured.

Just don’t try to use them…

BUY IT NOW: Get the TaylorMade P7TW Tiger Woods irons from Scottsdale Golf

Related: Best Irons 2020

TaylorMade P7MB iron

RRP: £1,299

Construction: Forged from a single piece of 1025 carbon steel

Who are they for?

The P7MBs have had decent golfers excited since Charley Hull won a Rose Ladies Series event with a set back in July before they’d appeared on the mens’ Tour. The set has a constant blade length so the 3 iron and PW are very similar in length, which is very different to the P7TWs (Tiger’s irons) which have inverted blade lengths so the short irons are longer than the mid and long irons. TaylorMade say extra blade length over the previous P730 up’s forgiveness a little.

The real win with the MBs over previous TaylorMade players’ irons is that they are actively encouraging golfers to mix and match P irons to find their ideal set-up. It means you can switch from muscleback (P7MB) to cavity back (P7MC) at the 7, 6, 5 or 4 iron and buy just what suits your game.

If the MBs are tugging at your heart strings let our test data spell out what’s on the line by choosing a set. TaylorMade’s hollow body P770 iron launches higher (3.2%) and faster (2.5%), whilst peaking shots out higher (6.25%) and dropping them on to a green at a steeper angle (2.2%), plus they give an extra six yards (3.5%) carry with a 7-iron.

Giving up all that just for 400rpm more backspin (5.6%) with the P7MB would be ludicrous for most club golfers.

BUY IT NOW: Get the TaylorMade P7MB irons from Scottsdale Golf

Related: Irons Ranked by Forgiveness

TaylorMade P7MC iron

RRP: £1299

Construction: Forged from a single piece of 1025 carbon steel

Who are they for?

Don’t let the MC’s cavity fool you into thinking this is an iron for club golfers; as gorgeous as it looks, it really isn’t. TaylorMade say the head was designed to answer the needs of top tour players like Jon Rahm, which means the MC has a very slender top line and sole.

Realistically, it shouldn’t really be an option for the vast majority of club golfers, unless of course they’re the choice for the shortest irons in your set. Our test data shows the 1° stronger loft (7-Iron v P7MB) can bag you 2mph more ball speed and about three yards over the P7MB, without giving up anything in terms of spin.

Don’t buy a set blind, and make sure you give serious consideration to how the longer irons perform, our 5-iron test v the P770 gave some very interesting results.

BUY IT NOW: Get the TaylorMade P7MC irons from Scottsdale Golf

TESTED: Best Forged Irons 2020

How TaylorMade irons compare in data

TaylorMade P770 iron

RRP: £1,299

Construction: Hollow body, with 4140 forged face and 8620 cast body

Who are they for?

The P770’s sleek lines and looks have turned a huge number of heads. It’s not surprising, as they take everything that was great about TaylorMade’s best-selling forged iron ever (P790) and cram it into a smaller head. It’s a genius move.

Make no mistake, P770 is very much a decent players’ iron, and to demonstrate that it gave up a sizeable 12 yards of 7-iron carry to the P790 (in our initial test session), but was also six yards longer than a P7MB.

Lots of good club golfers are likely to team the P770 short and mid irons with P790 long irons, but we actually rate the P770 long irons very highly – 3mph more ball speed, 11.8% more backspin and a steeper landing angle over the P7MC is perfect for getting long approaches to fly high and stop quickly.

BUY IT NOW: Get the TaylorMade P770 iron from Scottsdale Golf

WATCH: Should you play TaylorMade P7MB, P7MC or P770 irons?

TaylorMade P790 iron

RRP: £1,299

Construction: Hollow body, with 4140 forged face and 8620 cast body

Who are they for?

TaylorMade would hope a slightly narrower audience than the original P790, which ended up in the hands of +4 and 24 handicappers – and everyone in between!

By reducing offset a fraction in the longer irons, and making the short irons a little more compact, this new design is tailored more to the eye of the above-average golfer. But they’re still brilliant.

They boast great looks, reasonably strong lofts, fast, flexible faces and, thanks to some internal tungsten weighting, there’s also a decent-sized dollop of forgiveness mixed in, too.

With the exception of the SIM Max OS, which has a 3.5° stronger 7-iron loft, the P790s are TaylorMade’s fastest and longest irons. And our data shows similar drop-offs in carry to the super game improving SIM Max OS which, considering the player’s iron size and shaping, is a hell of a trick to pull off.

BUY IT NOW: Get the TaylorMade P790 irons from Scottsdale Golf

TaylorMade SIM Max iron

RRP: £899 (s) £1,049 (g)

Construction: One-piece cast 450 stainless steel

Who are they for?

Criticism has been levelled at cavity back irons for years, and what irks most is how their design means sound is very different to traditional forged models.

Well, TaylorMade set out on a mission to solve the issue with the SIM Max irons. And, thanks to a new concertina-shaped dampener behind the face, the impact sound and vibration pattern created is virtually identical to the brands previous forged P760.

The SIM Max 7-iron is 1.5° weaker than the SIM Max OS, so if it’s ultimate distance you’re after at a reasonable swing speed then the OS might be a better fit. But, given the choice, we think a lot of club golfers will warm to the look of the Max’s slightly lower offset, and more compact size.

BUY IT NOW: Get the TaylorMade SIM Max irons from Scottsdale Golf

Related: Best Mid-Handicap Irons

How do they compare for distance and forgiveness?

Brands hate giving an indication of which handicap of golfer each iron typically suits, as it pigeon-holes their models. We’ve given each a handicap guide throughout this feature to help ensure you buy the set most suited to your ability.

TaylorMade P790 Ti iron

RRP: £2,699 (s) £2,899 (g)

Construction: Hollow body, 9-1-1 titanium body with machined 6-4 titanium face

Who are they for?

Judging by some of the comments on our YouTube channel, the P790 Ti are a good fit for “well-heeled hackers”. But we’d argue that thanks to a titanium chassis the Ti brings a lot to the table for club golfers who can spend £2,700 on a set of irons.

A massive tungsten weight, of up to 117g (it’s the black bit low down on the back of the iron) makes the P790 Ti so, so easy to launch from the turf to maximise carry at average swing speeds. In the right hands, it also takes forgiveness to levels you can’t get to with a traditional steel chassis.

So, if you’re a golfer who’s tried buying some extra distance with strong-lofted irons before, but struggled launching shots high enough, or with good levels of backspin to stop shots on a green, then this beautiful set of could well have the answer for you.

BUY IT NOW: Get the TaylorMade P790 Ti irons from Scottsdale Golf

TaylorMade SIM Max OS iron

RRP: £899 (s) £1,049 (g)

Construction: One-piece cast 450 stainless steel

Who are they for?

Realistically, a lot of club golfers, and especially those hunting distance and forgiveness. The OS are TaylorMade’s strongest-lofted irons ever, but whereas strong lofts used to raise doubts over playability, TaylorMade insist they’re now a necessity.

Weight tech has reached such a point that shots fly too high with too much spin (which robs distance) if you don’t make use of them. The OS produced our test pros longest carry distance with a TaylorMade 7-iron. But we wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t point out how shots launched lower, span less and landed at the shallowest angle of all the TaylorMade iron models.

BUY IT NOW: Get the TaylorMade SIM Max OS irons from Scottsdale Golf

How TaylorMade say the P-Series irons compare

About the author

Simon Daddow – Today’s Golfer Equipment Editor

Having tested and played more than 10,000 clubs in his life, what Simon doesn’t know about golf clubs isn’t worth knowing.

He spent a large part of his career as a golf club maker and product development manager, and has worked in the golf industry for more than 30 years. He joined EMAP Active (now Bauer Media) as Equipment Editor in 2006 and has worked for both Today’s Golfer and Golf World.

You can contact Simon via email and follow him on Twitter for loads more golf equipment insight.

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Best TaylorMade Iron from 2020