Equipment
New photos bring clarity to TaylorMade Tour Preferred iron rumors
The forums are buzzing with a nearly 30-page thread ignited by spy photos of TaylorMade’s soon-to-be-released Tour Preferred iron series.
The thread exploded three weeks ago when a photo surfaced of a TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC iron (pictured below) with TaylorMade’s “TP” badging. Since that time, many sources have confirmed that the iron was a prototype and the new Tour Preferred irons will not feature the logo.
New photos from TaylorMade’s Japan site and insider info have brought clarity to some of the other questions about the irons that have been floating around the forums.
- The muscle backs (MB) irons will likely be a fully forged set, and will not have TaylorMade’s Speed Pocket technology, a.k.a a slot in the sole.
- The MC irons will be partially forged, with the 8 iron through PW featuring a one-piece forged construction and the 3 iron through 7 iron being cast to accommodate the Speed Pocket.
- The CB irons will be fully cast, and like the MC irons they will have a Speed Pocket in the 3 through 7 irons. The 8 through PW and AW are expected to be cast from a slightly softer stainless steel.
Lofts from TaylorMade’s Japan Site
Tour Preferred MB: 3-21, 4-24, 5-27, 6-31, 7-35, 8-39, 9-43 and PW-47
Tour Preferred MC: 3-20, 4-23, 5-26, 6-30, 7-34, 8-38, 9-42 and PW-47
Tour Preferred CB: 3-18, 4-21, 5-24.5, 6-28.5, 7-32.5, 8-36.5, 9-41, PW-46 and AW 51
The release date for the CB and MC irons is rumored to be Jan. 15, with the MB irons launching in February. Stay tuned to the TaylorMade Tour Preferred CB, MC and MB iron thread for the latest developments.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
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Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
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jake aston
Dec 26, 2013 at 10:19 am
hi everyone just to let you all now that the new TaylorMade Tour Preferred iron are now out in shops you can only but the cb but i pace an order, and i have now got the mc i have tryed all of the best irons out and these had the best fill and consistently a good strik.
bellsy13
Dec 11, 2013 at 3:10 pm
The looks of the club won’t improve your game. TP badge or not they’ll still perform exactly the same. All blades are very similar, there’s only so much you can do with the looks of a club head. Go hit ’em and hope they suit your game.
Mike
Dec 3, 2013 at 6:37 pm
Could as well say Mizuno on above irons. Pure copy IMO
jason
Dec 3, 2013 at 3:11 pm
I see lots of comments regarding this or that OEM copied Mizuno with respect to the std blade with the toe notch. If you dig through the Faldo equipment thread on here you will see that Mizuno actually modeled their late 80’s blade, the TN-87,and blades thereafter, after the 1958 Ben Hogan Precision and the 1983 Ben Hogan Personal. As far as I know it is those particular models that started it all and what so many others have duplicated because it works. The gold standard in muscleback design wasn’t started by Mizuno,
Ben Hogan happened to get it right, decades earlier.
DB
Dec 12, 2013 at 1:49 pm
Couldn’t have said it any better myself Jason.
FatRick
Dec 3, 2013 at 2:14 pm
They should have painted in the “preferred” in black for the mb, mc and white for the cb. The red for some reason just doesn’t look right. The cb looks like the a “tour version” of the speedblades.
Vinny
Dec 3, 2013 at 1:42 pm
Those MB’s look like dead ringers for Mizuno MP14/MP29. The development folks at Taylor Made must have spent all of 5 minutes designing these irons!
jason
Dec 3, 2013 at 3:07 pm
I see lots of comments regarding this or that OEM copied Mizuno with respect to the std blade with the toe notch. If you dig through the Faldo equipment thread on here you will see that Mizuno actually modeled their late 80’s blade, the TN-87,and blades thereafter, after the 1958 Ben Hogan Precision and the 1983 Ben Hogan Personal. As far as I know it is those particular models that started it all and what so many others have duplicated. Just get all your facts straight before assuming Mizuno invented the gold standard in musclebacks.
Ben Hogan did it, decades earlier.
Jon
Dec 3, 2013 at 11:34 pm
all blades look the same…
Troy
Dec 3, 2013 at 1:28 pm
forge the MC and CB, mill out a speed pocket and pour in some polymer. I know, mind blowing 🙂
Lazza
Dec 3, 2013 at 1:01 pm
Been playing the 2011 TP MB irons for a long time now and even with the peculiar tungsten weights, I personally prefer their look. Always funny though when I play my 39° 8-iron following which someone hits their 40° 9-iron about as far, asks me what I played and then quietly sniggers at my lack of distance.
Regis
Dec 3, 2013 at 12:31 pm
I played forged irons (Mizuno,Miura,Wilson Staff) for close to 40 years. Age and arthritis in my wrists have put those days past me. In the last year I purchased and gamed a bunch of Game Improvement irons with little satisfaction. Finally got the rocketbladz on closeout.I can’t speak to those of you with 105 mph swing speeds but for me the TM speed pocket and “jacked up lofts” are the best inovation since the graphite shaft.Great top line, ball flight and as close to a “forged” feel as you’re going to get in a GI iron. You call it a “gimmick”. For me it’s satisfaction in a well designed product
David Smith
Dec 3, 2013 at 11:58 am
@Jon, it is a gimmick, it’s been proven already. I’m not going to argue about it because raw data overrides your false claims which you’re basing purely on what TMaG has told you and the public. Infact, JPX bent to the same jacked lofts of the RBZ out performed the RBZ WITH the speedpocket. I have tried them and they are definitely not doing anything more to the iron based on my own experience and testing as well.
See, you’re exactly the type of people TMaG market too, they just love your type 🙂
Jon
Dec 3, 2013 at 11:37 pm
when you tried them were you comparing them by eye or were you on a trackman or flightscope?
if you were doing them by eye i would suggest going to a golf galaxy or golfshop where you could compare spin rates, ball speeds, and distances, to your current set
Jefe Colderon
Dec 8, 2013 at 9:07 pm
Good advice, Jon. We wouldn’t want people going to a real golf course and hitting real shots under real conditions and seeing real results. What backyard do you teach out of?
Tyler
Dec 3, 2013 at 11:27 am
They look OK. TP badge would have looked better.
Ian Bainbridge
Dec 3, 2013 at 10:56 am
TP badge is a must, they look like cheap knock offs without it. If it comes with lettering on I’ll pass.
Mizuno Zeke
Dec 3, 2013 at 10:56 am
Not a big TM fan, but the blade looks pretty good
Tom
Dec 3, 2013 at 10:50 am
I like these and I am not an TaylorMade fan. Question; These photos are from TayloMade Japan site, were are these heads forged in japan?
homats
Dec 3, 2013 at 10:42 am
Reason Taylormade continues to release product at such a dizzying pace, in case anyone does not understand product marketing, is products die on their own. A lot of companies (Titleist is prime example) will allow a product to die over two to three years (910 vs 913), but Taylormade would prefer to make their own product obsolete by introducing a new line bolstered by their staff pros playing in tournaments.
most people are upset by this, but it actually creates better product. prime example – R1 vs SLDR. Or R7 vs SLDR for that matter. I upgrade nearly every release after the prices drop and I like what I get.
Scott
Dec 3, 2013 at 12:26 pm
Was the R11s that much better than the R11 or the R1 that much better than the R11s ? Same for the RBZ and the Stage 2 ? Doubt it……..actually scratch that. I know they werent. Titleist outsold every other driver on the market in our shop this season. Just two models with a variety of good quality stock shafts.
joro
Dec 3, 2013 at 10:31 am
like that new stuff, not better but new and expensive. Keeps em in business.
joro
Dec 3, 2013 at 10:30 am
Again, something new, not necessarily better, but new. What a great company.
Mike M
Dec 2, 2013 at 8:07 pm
This actually isn’t a bad looking iron. better than the other crap they have (speed blade, RBZ)
David Smith
Dec 2, 2013 at 7:47 pm
What a load of garbage this is.
CW
Dec 2, 2013 at 7:25 pm
They ruined the mb with the tour preferred stamp, imo.
gocanucksfan123
Dec 2, 2013 at 7:19 pm
MCs look exciting! Can’t wait to give em a hit and compare them to the Bridgestone Combos and the Nike Combos
gticlay
Dec 2, 2013 at 5:08 pm
46* PW in a TP set, LOL Please just shoot me now.
brian
Dec 2, 2013 at 6:25 pm
its not that big of a deal. I dont think it will prevent you from playing on tour. Bend it weak if it bothers you so much. Relax bro
gticlay
Dec 3, 2013 at 12:01 pm
You mean 2* weak bro. I don’t need to hit a 160 yard PW and it messes with my gaps and bounce.
Jefe Colderon
Dec 8, 2013 at 9:08 pm
HAHAHAHA. well put.
Alex
Dec 2, 2013 at 8:00 pm
Maybe you should write Mizuno. They’re MP-69 and MP-4 both have a 46* PW.
As someone who hits the ball outrageously high, I welcome the stronger lofts.
Alex
Dec 2, 2013 at 8:02 pm
That should be their*
jgpl001
Dec 2, 2013 at 4:45 pm
Nothing special here, though the MB looks like a solid blade with a nice head shape and muscle at the back. I am sure the MC and MB will gets lots of tour use
Hopefully all the Rocketbladz and Speedblade nonsense is thing of the past
Mat
Dec 2, 2013 at 4:44 pm
Got that?
Martin says so!
Glad that’s all cleared up.
Martin V.
Dec 2, 2013 at 4:38 pm
2014 MCs are not forged therefore they’re no good as the original 2011 TP MC.
The Speed Pocket is useless, it’s just marketing strategy.
Patrick
Dec 2, 2013 at 6:57 pm
I can’t believe that the MC is not forged… Need a forged version
Jack
Dec 2, 2013 at 7:05 pm
Half the set is forged. I’m not sure why they went with that, but if you want to hit cbs mighty as well go with titleist.
My question is do the cbs replace the speed bladez? They look very similar.
Alex
Dec 2, 2013 at 8:02 pm
I thought I saw a TM rep or someone say the CB will effectively be the “SpeedBladez Tour”
Jon
Dec 2, 2013 at 9:47 pm
The reason the 3-7 are forged is because you cannot put a speed pocket into a forged iron, you have to cast the slot. That is why the rocketbladez tour is cast. The CB’s do not replace the speed blade, the speed blades are more forgiving and easier to hit.
Mc
Dec 2, 2013 at 11:01 pm
It’s possible to possible to have a slot in a forged iron… Adams xtd forged iron, they are unreal!
Jon
Dec 3, 2013 at 1:36 am
no but the adams XTD forged irons are not a one piece forge, they are actually 2 forged pieces put together.
David Smith
Dec 3, 2013 at 11:16 am
The speed pocket is a gimmick anyway, they should do away with it and stick to the traditional sole and use a forged head instead of this nonsense speed slot/pocket gimmick-#ier thing.
It’s already been tested against and proven the speed pocket does NOTHING except dampens the sound a bit giving the “softer” feel as it was well known the RBladez are very loud, if the irons were forged the softness would be natural so the speedpocket/slot-#ier thing is not required.
I can’t stand the route TMaG has taken, I have loved their stuff for so many years but they’ve lost me as a loyal custom since after their 2011 TP line-up. They just produce plain old garbage now and unfortunately this TP line up isn’t any better; sad day 🙁
D
Jon
Dec 3, 2013 at 11:29 am
Its actually not a gimmick. The speed pocket allows the face to flex, which kinda turns it into a trampoline. You will actually see a 5-10 yard difference with the speed pocket. Maybe if you actually try their products you will see how they perform.
markb
Dec 4, 2013 at 9:15 pm
Ever since the days of Old Tom Morris, golf has been rife with both gimmicks and innovations. TMag is certainly responsible for some of each.
IMO, I the face angle “dial” on the bottoms of the R11-R1 drivers was pure gimmick. Unless you sat the club on a flat hard surface (unlike a grass tee box) it told you NOTHING! This fact was immediately evident to me after 15 minutes with the club.
What was also immediately evident to me is the fact that the Speed Pocket is real. I’ve seen it with my own eyes and felt its effects with my own hands. The results were so dramatic that it caused me to question whether the slot was actually legal and could remain that way in the future. Its affect on the golfball is certainly more dramatic and quantifiable than anything I’ve ever experienced with a belly putter or square-grooved Pings.
It’s also in its 4th generation and spreading to nearly every product in the TMag-Adams lines. If it’s a gimmick, gimme more!