Rory McIlroy has made significant changes to his bag and is playing a new set of irons. He now explains the reasons behind his switch.
Rory McIlroy surprised the golf world at the start of the year during the TGL event by playing with a completely new set of irons, marking his first change since 2017. After making some bag adjustments in late 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\”
The Northern Irishman’s shots are usually near perfect, and even when Rory McIlroy mishits a ball, those shots would still be the best many players achieve. But at the professional level, centimeters decide 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 this for a while,\” McIlroy said Thursday after his 66 at the Dubai Invitational. \”Even late last year in Dubai, I hit some 5-irons that were slightly off, and instead of coming up maybe five or seven yards short, they were 10 to 15 yards short.\”
TaylorMade Provides Rory McIlroy with Custom Clubs
TaylorMade crafted a custom set of P7CB irons for him, featuring a similar leading edge to his P760 long irons – in addition to his regular 4-iron, he also uses P760 2- and 3-irons in utility form. The 4-, 5-, and 6-irons from this set were used in the opening rounds of last month’s Australian Open and pleased him so much that he also used the 7-, 8-, and 9-irons on the weekend. \”On the firm turf down there, I felt these irons ran better through the grass than the blades,\” he said. \”And since then, I have been practicing at home with them.\”
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 the more forgiving P7CB irons continues a trend increasingly observed at the highest levels of professional golf. More and more pros are moving away from blades in favor of more forgiving cavity-backs. Thanks to new technologies, these clubs don’t sacrifice distance despite their forgiving design, and they retain spin well even on shots struck imperfectly. While the new clubs may not add extra yards to McIlroy’s shots, they provide better misses, which can ultimately