Rory McIlroy has made major changes to his bag, playing a new set of irons. He now reveals the reasons behind his switch.
Rory McIlroy surprised the golf world at the start of the year during the TGL as he debuted a completely new set of irons—the first time he has changed since 2017. After making some changes to his bag in late 2025, only his putter and 4-iron from his Augusta win remain. At the season opener in Dubai, he spoke about the reasons and thoughts behind his switch.
‘If There’s Help, I’ll Definitely Take It’
The Northern Irishman’s shots are usually nearly perfect, and even when Rory McIlroy mishits a ball, for most players those would still be the best shots of their lives. But at the professional level, centimeters decide between birdie or par, victory or defeat—and these small differences have led McIlroy to change clubs.
\”If there’s help to be had, I’ll definitely take it. I’ve been thinking about it for a while,\” McIlroy said after his opening 66 at the Dubai Invitational. \”Even in Dubai late last year, I hit a few 5-irons slightly off, and instead of coming up maybe five or seven yards short, they were rather 10 to 15 yards short.\”
TaylorMade’s Custom Irons 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 4-, 5-, and 6-irons from this set were used during 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 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-back irons. Thanks to new technologies, these irons do not sacrifice distance despite their forgiving design and maintain spin even on imperfect strikes. While the new clubs may not necessarily add extra yards, they produce better mistakes, which can ultimately be the deciding factor between winning and losing.