Rory McIlroy has made significant changes to his bag, now playing a new set of irons. He explains the reasons behind this change.
Rory McIlroy surprised the golf world at the start of the year during the TGL event by using a completely new set of irons, marking his first switch since 2017. After making some changes to his bag in autumn 2025, only his putter and 4-iron from his Augusta triumph remain. At his season opener in Dubai, he discussed the reasons and thoughts behind his switch.
\”If There’s Help, I’ll Definitely Take It\”
The shots of the Northern Irishman are almost always perfect, and even when Rory McIlroy hits a faulty shot, it would be considered one of the best shots by most golfers. However, at the professional level, centimeters decide between birdie or par, victory or defeat. These small differences have led McIlroy to change his clubs.
\”If there’s help to be had, I’ll definitely take it. I’ve been thinking about it for a while,\” McIlroy said Thursday after his opening 66 at the Dubai Invitational. \”Even in Dubai late last year, I hit some 5-irons slightly off, and instead of coming up maybe five or seven yards short, they were more like 10 to 15 yards short.\”
TaylorMade Custom-Made Clubs for Rory McIlroy
TaylorMade crafted him a custom set of P7CB irons with a similar leading edge to his P760 long irons. Beyond his regular 4-iron, he also uses P760 2- and 3-irons in utility versions. The 4-, 5-, and 6-irons of this set were used last month in the opening rounds of the Australian Open, 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 cut through the grass better than blades,\” he said. \”And I’ve been training with them at home since then.\”
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 Towards 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 opting for forgiving cavity-back irons instead of blades. Thanks to new technologies, these clubs don’t sacrifice distance despite their forgiving designs and retain spin even on