Rory McIlroy has made major changes to his bag, switching to a new set of irons. Now he reveals the reasons behind this switch.
Rory McIlroy surprised the golf world early this year at the TGL by playing with a completely new set of irons, marking his first change since 2017. After some changes in his bag in autumn 2025, only his putter and 4-iron from his Augusta triumph 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’
Almost perfect shots come from the Northern Irish star, and even when Rory McIlroy misses a shot, for most players, these would be the best of their lives. But at the professional level, centimeters decide birdie or par, victory or defeat, and these small differences led McIlroy to change clubs.
‘If there is help to be had, I will definitely take it. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now,’ McIlroy said after his 66-opening round at the Dubai Invitational. ‘Even late last year in Dubai, I hit some 5-irons slightly off, and instead of being maybe five or seven yards short, they were 10 to 15 yards short.’
TaylorMade Custom-Made Clubs for Rory McIlroy
TaylorMade crafted a custom set of P7CB irons with a similar leading edge as his P760 long irons – in addition to his regular 4-iron, he also has P760 2- and 3-irons in utility form. The 4-, 5-, and 6-irons from 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 blades,’ he said. ‘And since then, I’ve been practicing with them at home.’
McIlroy also played with a new, yet unreleased 2026 TaylorMade TP Proto golf ball. He debuted the new setup last week, kept his P760 4-iron, and officially played with the irons this week in Dubai.
The Trend Towards More Forgiving Irons
The switch to more forgiving P7CB irons continues a trend increasingly seen at the highest levels of golf. More pros are opting for cavity-back irons instead of blades. Thanks to new technologies, these clubs maintain distance and spin control even when shots are not perfect. While these new clubs may not necessarily give McIlroy more yards, they will produce better results on imperfect shots, which can ultimately be the deciding factor between victory or defeat.