Rory McIlroy has made major changes to his bag, now playing a new set of irons. He explains the reasons behind his switch.
Rory McIlroy surprised the golf world at the beginning of the year during the TGL by playing a completely new set of irons, marking his first change since 2017. After making several changes to his bag in autumn 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 Irishman’s shots usually land almost perfectly, and even when Rory McIlroy misses a shot, for most players those would still be the best shots of their lives. But at the professional level, centimeters decide between birdie or par, win or loss, and these small differences have now 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 on Thursday. ‘And 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 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 style. The 4-, 5- and 6-irons of this set were used at the Australian Open’s opening rounds last month, and he liked them so much that over the weekend he also used the 7-, 8- and 9-irons. ‘On the firm turf down there, I felt these irons cut through the grass better than blades,’ he said. ‘And since then, I have 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 this week in Dubai.
The Trend Towards More Forgiving Irons
The switch to the more forgiving P7CB irons continues a trend increasingly seen at the highest level of golf. More professionals are choosing cavity-back irons over blades. New technologies provide the forgiveness without sacrificing distance or excessive spin loss on off-center hits. While these new irons may not necessarily add extra yards to McIlroy’s shots, they help make errors less punishing – which can ultimately be the difference between victory and defeat.
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