Rory McIlroy has made significant changes to his bag, playing a new set of irons. Now he explains the reasons behind his switch.
Rory McIlroy surprised the golf world at the start of the year at the TGL by debuting a completely new set of irons, marking his first change since 2017. After making several adjustments in autumn 2025, now only his putter and 4-iron from his Augusta triumph remain in his bag. At his season opener in Dubai, he spoke about the reasons and thoughts behind this switch.
\”If There’s Help to Be Had, I’ll Definitely Take It\”
The Northern Irishman’s shots are usually nearly perfect, and even when Rory McIlroy mishits a ball, it would still be the best shot for most players. However, at the professional level, centimeters can decide birdie or par, victory or defeat, and these small differences prompted McIlroy to change his clubs.
\”If there’s help to be had, I will 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 missing by five or seven yards, they came up about 10 to 15 yards short.\”
TaylorMade Custom Clubs for Rory McIlroy
TaylorMade crafted 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 carries P760 2- and 3-irons in utility versions. The 4-, 5-, and 6-irons from 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 better cut through the grass than the 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 the irons in Dubai this week.
The Trend Toward More Forgiving Clubs
The move to more forgiving P7CB irons continues a trend increasingly seen at the highest level of golf. More professionals are opting for cavity-back irons instead of blades. Thanks to new technology, these clubs maintain distance and control spin even on less-than-perfect hits despite their forgiving design. While the new clubs won’t necessarily add strokes to McIlroy’s game, they help produce better misses, which can be the crucial difference between winning and losing.