TaylorMade P·790: The Player’s Distance Icon’s Next Chapter

It’s hard to talk about TaylorMade’s P·790 without acknowledging the seismic shift it caused in the iron market. Before the original P·790 debuted in 2017, “player’s distance” wasn’t really a thing.

I’m not suggesting P·790 was the first but it was inarguably the greatest contributor to the emergence and subsequent growth of the category.

Today?

Player’s distance is the second-largest iron category in golf, trailing only game-improvement. TaylorMade’s flagship model is the talismanic chunk of steel and foam by which other player’s distance irons are compared.

So when TaylorMade releases a new P·790, it’s a big deal.

Entering its fifth generation, TaylorMade says the 2025 P·790 is faster, more forgiving and better-feeling than ever.

Bold claim?

Sure, but entirely par for the course. Let’s dig a little deeper and have a look at the specific reasons why TaylorMade says this P·790 is its finest yet.

If it ain’t broke, make it better

By no small measure, P·790 has always thrived in the market because it checks multiple boxes for multiple types of golfers. It’s unapologetically a distance iron but with each release, it looks less like one. It’s forgiving but, again, it doesn’t necessarily scream “mis-hit me, whatever, it’s fine.” And while few (at least those who don’t work for TaylorMade) would suggest it offers the pure buttery feel of a muscle-back, the SpeedFoam-infused P·790 can hold its own with most anything else in the category.

Because TaylorMade has continuously blended those performance elements inside an aesthetically refined package, the P·790 has one of the broadest reaches of any piece of golf equipment in the market today. While TaylorMade lists the target audience as 5-15 handicaps, you’ll find it in the bags of everyone from near-scratch golfers to aspirational 20-somethings.

It’s not a true “Tour” iron insomuch as you won’t find full sets of P·790 on the PGA Tour but it’s not unheard of for the occasional P·790 long iron to find its way into a bag every now and again.

For 2025, P·790 keeps much, if not all, of what golfers love about with some key upgrades that should keep it top of mind (and demo lists) for golfers shopping the category.

New or improved

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s new and possibly improved in the 2025 P·790.

New 4340M forged face

For 2025, P·790 gets a new face material. The new face is 20-percent stronger than the previous model’s which allowed TaylorMade to make it thinner. A thinner face is a faster face. In addition to more speed, 4340M creates a sweet spot that’s 24-percent larger which ultimately makes the new model more consistent, too.

FLTD CG (Flighted Center of Gravity)

TaylorMade introduced Flight CGs in the previous P·790. With the new model, they’ve continued to refine the internal geometries and use strategically placed tungsten (up to 40 grams) to produce easy-to-hit, high-flying long irons, more forgiving mid-irons and flatter, spinner trajectories for more control in the scoring clubs.

Updated Stabilization Bars

Internal structures unique to each loft work to control vibrations, tune frequencies and improve sound and feel.

Thinner topline, improved sole geometry

A sleeker, slightly more compact profile with an optimized sole radius produces better turf interaction. Big picture: Despite being a bit more consistent than the previous model, the new P·790 looks even more like a player’s iron.

Updated loft package

TaylorMade says the new P·790 is engineered to create more consistent gapping between clubs. To that end, lofts on the new model are slightly stronger than the previous version. The notables are that the 7-iron is half a degree stronger (now 30 degrees) and the 4-iron (now 20) and PW (44) are a degree stronger.

It’s the kind of static change that will no doubt elicit rage but golf is a dynamic game and it’s hard to know much of anything until you hit them. Also, irons are meant to be bent so what’s on the spec sheet should always be treated as the starting point.

P·790 is still a distance machine, but …

This is a story about golf clubs so as you’d expect, TaylorMade says the new P·790 is faster (and longer).

The increased speed comes by way of a new 4340M forged face. The added strength of the material allowed TaylorMade engineers to make it thinner (and, by extension, faster) than the previous model. More speed equals more distance with the added benefit of the speed being more consistent across the face.

Keep in mind that 24-percent larger sweet spot is relative to the fourth-generation P·790. If you’re upgrading from a Gen 2 or Gen 3, the difference will be even bigger.

The challenge, arguably the problem, with the player’s distance category is that the hollow-body designs (including the ones filled with foam and other assorted goos) are prone to hot spots. I’d wager anyone who has played a playe’rs distance design has experienced a random nuclear flier that flew 20 yards longer than it should have. In my experience, a 190-yard 7-iron isn’t good for much other than bragging rights (and that’s only if you leave out the part about the white stakes behind the green).

While I can’t promise that will never happen, TaylorMade says P·790’s new face delivers more consistent speed and launch conditions.

Translation: Plenty of distance, more predictability, fewer unpleasant surprises.

The Feel Factor: What good is speed if it feels like crap?

Speed is great but if an iron feels clunky, sounds thin or clangs like a steel garbage pan lid, golfers won’t bite. Well, some of you will, but we all have our limits.

With every iteration of P·790, TaylorMade has worked to improve sound and feel. OG SpeedFoam evolved to SpeedFoam Air. The previous generation brought us individually optimized sound stabilization bars.

The latest iteration builds on those technologies with some updated internal geometries designed to work specifically with the new face material and provide even better feel.

Forgiveness without looking chunky

For all the technology found inside P·790, a good bit of its success in the market can be attributed to the stuff you can see. Clean (and often generationally improved) looks have always been part of the P·790 story.

That hasn’t changed.

We’ve talked about the tweaks to the topline and sole but as was the case with the Qi35 drivers, there are a lot of subtle aesthetic changes to P·790 that might go unnoticed.

The P·790 logo has been shifted to the center which TaylorMade says gives the design a new attitude. The updated design features a Tour satin scratch finish with a mirror polish on backbar. The contrast is meant to subtly suggest perimeter weighting. There’s also a bit of machined texture under the logo which I suppose might suggest precision.

As a package, the updated design language is meant to suggest a design that is inviting and aspirational. To no small extent, that’s always been P·790’s secret sauce.

Final thoughts: Who is it for?

As has always been the case, the new P·790 should work for a wide range of players from near-scratch golfers to 15-plus handicaps who want distance, forgiveness and something kinda like forged feel in a sleek package.

But if we’re being specific:

If you play a game-improvement iron but want something more compact and more refined, P·790 fits the bill.

If you’re a single digit looking for extra pop with some forgiveness without giving up much feel, P·790 is a textbook choice.

If you’re already a P·790 player but you want the newest, better-looking and more consistent version, TaylorMade says this is it.

Bottom line: While I’d never suggest it’s the best option for every golfer, the P·790 remains the benchmark player’s distance iron. The 2025 version is faster, more forgiving and better-feeling than evee wll while keeping the look and DNA that made it an icon.