TaylorMade P770 vs P790 Irons: Which One Fits Your Game? (2026)

These two irons confuse more golfers than almost any other comparison in golf. They look similar in the bag. They share the same technology DNA. TaylorMade even markets them side by side. So what’s actually different — and which one should you play?

We handle a massive volume of both the P770 and P790 at Golf Club Brokers. They’re consistently among the most traded and most purchased irons in our inventory. And the question we get more than any other is some version of: “What’s the difference?”

The short answer is that these irons are built for two different types of golfers who both want a premium, forged look. The details matter. Let’s get into them.

P770 vs. P790: Specs Comparison at a Glance

Spec	P770 (2024)	P790 (2025)
Construction	Forged hollow-body, 4140 steel face	Forged hollow-body, 4340M high-speed face
Face Material	Forged 4140 carbon steel	Forged 4340M steel (20% stronger)
Fill Technology	SpeedFoam Air	SpeedFoam Air (individually optimized)
7-Iron Loft	33°	30° (3° stronger)
PW Loft	46°	43°
Tungsten Weighting	Up to 46g per head	Up to 31g per head
Head Size / Profile	Compact — thinner topline, less offset, shorter blade	Slightly larger — thicker topline, more offset
Sole Design	Narrower sole, less bounce	Progressive sole with increased radius
Stock Shaft (Steel)	KBS Tour 130 / Dynamic Gold 105	KBS Tour Lite / Dynamic Gold 95
Forgiveness	Moderate — rewards centered strikes	High — maintains speed on mishits
Workability	High — shapes shots both ways	Moderate — prefers a neutral flight
Target Handicap	0–9 (low to mid)	8–20 (mid to high-mid)
Finishes Available	Chrome, Aged Copper	Chrome, Black

What the P770 and P790 Have in Common

Before we dig into the differences, let’s be clear about what these irons share — because it’s a lot.

Both are forged, hollow-body irons. Both use SpeedFoam Air to enhance feel and dampen vibration. Both use tungsten weighting for CG optimization. Both have a Thru-Slot Speed Pocket in the sole that protects ball speed on low-face strikes. And both look, from a distance, like a traditional player’s iron.

That shared DNA is why they confuse people. From five feet away, they could be the same club. It’s only when you look at the topline, the offset, the sole width, and the loft specs that the differences become clear.

Where They’re Actually Different

Head Size and Profile

The P770 is smaller. Noticeably so. Thinner topline, less offset, shorter blade length. It looks like a blade from address — the kind of iron that makes better players feel confident. The P790 is bigger, but not dramatically. With the 2025 update, TaylorMade actually thinned the P790’s topline to bring it closer to the P770’s look. They’re converging, but there’s still a visible gap.

If you’re the type of golfer who looks down at a thick topline and immediately feels uncomfortable, the P770 is your iron. If a slightly larger profile inspires confidence, the P790 gets the nod.

Loft — This Is the Big One

The P790’s 7-iron is 30°. The P770’s 7-iron is 33°. That’s three degrees — roughly one club difference in distance.

This is the single biggest practical difference between these two irons and the one that gets overlooked the most. The P790’s stronger lofts are why it flies farther. It’s not magic — it’s geometry. A 30° 7-iron is going to go farther than a 33° 7-iron because it has less loft. TaylorMade compensates for the lower trajectory by using a lower CG and more tungsten to help launch the ball.

The P770’s weaker lofts mean more spin, higher landing angles, and easier distance control into greens. That’s why better players prefer it — they don’t need help with distance, they need precision on approach shots.

Forgiveness vs. Workability

The P790 is more forgiving. Wider sole, larger face, more offset — all of which help maintain ball speed on off-center hits. The 2025 version’s sweet spot is up to 24% larger than the 2023 model, which was already forgiving for its category.

The P770 trades some of that forgiveness for control. You can shape the ball more easily — draw it, fade it, flight it up or down. But it asks more of your strike. Toe hits and thin shots are going to cost you more yards with the P770 than the P790.

Here’s the honest truth from what we see in our shop: most golfers overestimate their need for workability and underestimate their need for forgiveness. Unless you’re regularly shaping shots on purpose during a round, the P790’s extra forgiveness is probably the smarter play.

Feel and Sound

This one’s subjective, but there’s a real difference. The P770 feels firmer, more responsive — you get clear feedback on every strike. Center hits feel buttery. Mishits let you know about it. The P790 is slightly softer and more muted. The 2025 version improved here with individually optimized head construction, but it’s still a step softer than the P770.

Better ball strikers tend to prefer the P770’s feedback. Mid-handicappers tend to prefer the P790’s consistency — it doesn’t punish you as harshly when you miss the center.

Who Should Play Which Iron?

Choose the P770 if you:

• Your handicap is roughly 0–9
• You hit the center of the face most of the time
• You shape shots intentionally during rounds
• You want traditional lofts and distance control
• A compact, blade-like profile inspires your confidence at address
• You prioritize feel and feedback over maximum forgiveness

Choose the P790 if you:

• Your handicap is roughly 8–20
• You want distance and forgiveness without sacrificing aesthetics
• You prefer a slightly more confidence-inspiring look at address
• Consistent carry distances matter more to you than shot-shaping
• You don’t always find the center but want decent results when you miss
• You’re coming from game-improvement irons and want to step into a players’ look

The combo set option: Some golfers — and a good number of touring pros — use P770s in the short irons (where control matters most) and P790s in the long irons (where forgiveness and launch help matter most). If your fitter suggests this, listen to them. The loft gap between the two sets can be blended by adjusting each iron a degree.

On the Used Market: What We See at Golf Club Brokers

Both the P770 and P790 hold their value well on the used market. The P790 moves faster because there’s a bigger audience for it — more golfers in the 10–18 handicap range than the 0–5 range.

The 2023 P790 is the current sweet spot on the used market. It’s the same hollow-body SpeedFoam Air construction as the 2025, just without the newer 4340M face material and the subtle cosmetic updates. Performance difference between them? Marginal. Value difference? Significant. Same story with the P770 — the 2024 model plays virtually identically to newer builds.

One thing we check on every set that comes through: grip condition and shaft integrity. P790s especially tend to come in with worn grips because people play them a lot. Budget for regripping if you’re buying a used set with a lot of rounds on it.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

If you can hit the center of the face more often than you miss it, and you want the look and feel of a true player’s iron with a little bit of modern technology helping you out, the P770 is a beautiful club that rewards good swings.

If you want that same premium aesthetics but need more help maintaining distance and consistency when your strike wanders — which is most golfers, including a lot of single-digit players — the P790 is the smarter choice. There’s no shame in playing the more forgiving iron. The ball doesn’t know how thick your topline is.

Shop Used TaylorMade P770 and P790 Irons

Golf Club Brokers carries both models across multiple generations, shafts, and configurations. Every set is inspected, authenticated, and graded before listing.

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