Rory McIlroy has made major changes to his bag, playing a new set of irons. He now explains the reasons behind his switch.
Rory McIlroy surprised the golf world at the start of the year during the TGL by using a completely new set of irons, switching for the first time since 2017. After making some changes in his bag in autumn 2025, only his putter and 4-iron from his Augusta victory remain. At the season opener in Dubai, he spoke about the reasons and thoughts behind his change.
\”If There’s Help, I’ll Definitely Take It\”
The Northern Irishman’s shots usually land nearly perfectly, and even when Rory McIlroy mishits a ball, these shots would still be the best many players ever make. But at the professional level, centimeters decide between birdie or par, victory or defeat — and these tiny differences prompted McIlroy’s club switch.
\”If there’s help to be had, I’ll definitely take it. I’ve been thinking about it for a while,\” McIlroy said on Thursday after his opening 66 at the Dubai Invitational. \”Even late last year in Dubai, I hit some 5-irons slightly off, and instead of coming up maybe five or seven yards short, they came up about 10 to 15 yards short.\”
TaylorMade Custom Clubs for Rory McIlroy
TaylorMade crafted him a custom set of P7CB irons with a similar leading edge to his P760 long irons – in addition to his regular 4-iron, he also uses P760 2- and 3-irons in utility form. The 4-, 5-, and 6-irons of this set were used in the opening rounds of the Australian Open last month, and he liked them so much that he also used the 7-, 8-, and 9-irons over the weekend. \”On the firm turf down there, I felt these irons went through the turf better than the blades,\” he said. \”And since then I’ve been practicing with them at home.\”
McIlroy also played with a new, unreleased 2026 TaylorMade TP Proto golf ball. He debuted the new setup last week, kept his P760 4-iron, and officially played the irons this week in Dubai.
The Trend Toward More Forgiving Clubs
The switch to the more forgiving P7CB irons continues a trend increasingly seen at the highest level of golf. More and more pros are abandoning blades in favor of more forgiving cavity backs. Thanks to new technologies that maintain distance and reduce spin loss even on imperfect strikes, these clubs don’t sacrifice length despite their forgiving design. While the new clubs may not necessarily help McIlroy gain more yards, they do lead to better misses, which can ultimately be the decisive difference between victory and defeat.