Rory McIlroy has made major changes to his bag with 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 when he appeared with a completely new set of irons, marking his first change since 2017. After making some changes to his bag in fall 2025, only his putter and 4-iron from his Augusta victory remain. At his season start in Dubai, he spoke about the reasons and thoughts behind his switch.
‘If There’s Help, I’ll Definitely Take It’
The Northern Irish player’s shots are usually near perfect, and even when Rory McIlroy mishits a ball, those shots would still be considered some of the best for most players. However, at the professional level, centimeters decide between birdie or par, victory or defeat, and these small differences prompted McIlroy’s club change.
‘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 being 5 or 7 yards short, they were more like 10 to 15 yards short.’
TaylorMade Custom Clubs for Rory McIlroy
TaylorMade crafted a custom set of P7CB irons for him with a similar leading edge to his P760 long irons – in addition to his regular 4-iron, he also has P760 2- and 3-irons in utility form. The 4th, 5th, and 6th irons from this set were used in last month’s opening rounds of the Australian Open, and he liked them so much that he also played the 7th, 8th, and 9th irons over the weekend. ‘On the firm turf down there, I felt these irons went through the turf better than blades,’ he said. ‘And since then, I have 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 using his P760 4-iron, and officially played the irons this week in Dubai.
The Trend Towards More Forgiving Clubs
The switch to more forgiving P7CB irons continues a trend increasingly seen at the highest level of golf. More professionals are moving away from blades in favor of more forgiving cavity-backs. Thanks to new technologies, these clubs do not