One word defines the new 2020 Taylormade P7MB and P7MC forged irons: Pressure.

It’s a word we all know and feel. For the best golfers in the world, it’s what they chase day in and day out. In the case of TaylorMade, the pressure to deliver time in and time out increases with every launch of a new product. It’s also the application of pressure and what it represents that makes this story so interesting.

Introducing the new 2020 TaylorMade P7MB and P7MC forged irons. Using the popular P730 and P750 irons as the starting point, Senior Manager of Product Creation for Irons Matt Bovee and his team have left no stone unturned to deliver a one-two punch that will please both P730/750 die-hards (yes, they exist) and any players who were on the edge.

With the help of modern technology, periodic feedback from the tour staff, and the admiration of classic forgings from TaylorMade’s past, the 2020 TaylorMade P-7MB, and P-7MC  accomplished just what was required—they created irons with serious curb appeal that stood up to the most discerning pallets in the world: TM’s iconic tour staff.

More photos and discussion in the forums. 

TaylorMade P7MB irons

The new 2020 TaylorMade P7MB irons

It needs to be said at the start that these new TaylorMade irons live in a different bucket than Tiger’s P7TW. Although those irons are used by a few players on tour, they were essentially built for one man and one swing—that’s it. So as not to confuse the issue, the TaylorMade P7MB is a stand-alone project designed to go in the bags of the likes of Rory (where they already are), DJ, Collin Morikawa, and a number of others on the major tours.

P7MB: The beginning

Just over 14 months ago, the development of the P7MB began. The nice thing was, TaylorMade had a good jumping-off point—the P730 “DJ Proto.” Although that iron has the stock P730 optics from afar, the DJ Proto has a longer blade length and a more contemporary look at address then the retail version.

“The P7MB, as far as inspiration for it, is simply just the evolution from the last two to three models starting with the 2014 Tour Preferred MB”

-Matt Bovee, Taylor Made Lead Designer Irons

Looking down at the new 2020 TaylorMade P7MB, you will see the influence of the DJ Proto. A longer blade length (1.4 mm longer than P730) complemented by a thin top line, slightly less offset (6-iron: 1.5 mm vs 1.8 mm in P730), and a similar sole profile checks off every box that players at the highest level want to see.

Unfortunately, getting that part down is only half the riddle. In this day and age, muscle back irons live in a very small box as far as what you can do. Optics are one thing, and most get that right, it’s the sound and feel and turf interaction that separates the men from the boys.

So what’s new?

So, what exactly will players experience with the P7MB iron?

Although it’s every marketing rep’s dream to say “more everything in every category,” in this particular instance, it’s in the nuance and very fine details that TM has made upgrades. To be honest “more everything” isn’t the win here. The victory is delivering an iron that performs apples to apples with the P730 all while offering a traditional look, a dash of forgiveness with the longer blade length (1.4 mm longer), and even better sound and feel.

2020 TaylorMade P7MB top line

This is where the “pressure” story comes in. TaylorMade R&D wanted to ensure that every process that could get maxed out to make this iron flawless would. The industry standard for forging weight pressure is around 1,000 tons, TaylorMade utilizes a 2,000-ton forging press to push the quality tolerance of every 1025 carbon steel forging to its peak. In simple terms, it’s like putting so much pressure on something you squeeze the air and any opportunity for a blemish clean out.

Secondly, the back muscle has gone through a cosmetic change. This was made for two main reasons

1. to look amazing in the bag
2. to dial in CG as close to perfect as they could

As with previous TaylorMade offerings, the use of milling across the face ensures consistency and sharp lines—and offers scoring lines that have been a staple in most TaylorMade players clubs.

The new 2020 TaylorMade P7MB face on

The muscle on the P7MB features a three-dimensional section out near the toe to not only highlight the distribution of weight but to add a little cachet to an already stunning golf club.

“We wanted to add a third dimension to that back section in order to do something special and at the same time stick the CG exactly where our staff wants to see it.”

-Matt Bovee TM

Truth be told, the new 2020 TaylorMade P7MB is a contemporary throwback. More so than any other TM blade in recent history (with the exception of RAC MB), this blade has a look and feel that can stand the test of time.

More photos and discussion in the forums. 

Initial reactions on tour

I was told that during the marketing shoot at the Floridian last October a few of the TM staff got a first glance at the MB. This is always the first real test for someone in Matt Bovee’s position, that first eyeball reaction is huge. Get the wrong look and it could throw off the whole project, get a good look and momentum goes from cruising to a full sprint.

Down the line, it was admiration from the first three to see it—DJ, Collin, and Wolff—to Rory’s smile at first glance and ultimate quick integration going into Memorial.

“At the photoshoot last fall we showed the early prototype to Wolff and Morikawa and they were all over it immediately, their eyes lit up seeing only the head and at that point, I knew we were on to something special.”

-Matt Bovee TM

Speaking to the forgiveness part for a second. Rory has been a combo set player for a long time. The top of his iron set is typically a P760/750 3 and 4-iron and 5-PW the 730’s. After spending some time at home with the P7MB he felt the new MB’s were plenty forgiving top to bottom and showed up to Memorial with a full set of 3-PW.

Here is a quick peek at Rory’s first reaction from earlier this year…

Rory McIlroy’s bag, featuring 3-PW in TaylorMade P7MB.

The experience

I am by no means a player who is drawn to a forged muscle back. Maybe in the rare case, I’ll have it in 9/PW. The point is, they don’t provide enough help for a player like me. However, these are easy to hit, believe it or not. The longer blade length gives the appearance of a club that wants to square up, and I also appreciated the lines on the P7MB.

For the TaylorMade blade aficionados, the P7MB (to my eye) lives somewhere between the RAC MB and the 2014 Tour Preferred. The top-line is slightly straight, but not as much as the P7TW, and the toe shape could be called softly squared off. It’s an elegant design and doesn’t scare you sitting it down.

The acoustics are where you will experience that 2,000 tons of pressure—especially on a center-thin strike. The P730, when caught thin, sounded really thin, the P7MB does dull that out a bit and makes those shots a bit less painful than they could be.

I was able to go club-for-club with the P7TW, P730, and P7MB, and without getting into a data rabbit hole, I carried the P7MB about four yards further on average. Not a ton, but certainly enough to acknowledge.

P7MB: Overall

Winner, winner. Let’s be really honest here, what were the odds of this club not checking off every box? The muscle back war is won in the whole experience—from how it looks in the bag, to that first center strike, all the way to how it makes you feel as a player.

Is this club for 10 handicappers? No. 8’s? No. It was designed for the Rorys, DJs, and Collin Morikawas of the world. TaylorMade wanted to make a superb “staff blade” and Bovee and his crew did it. No small feat. The P730 was involved in a ton of great golf over the past three years—hard to improve on that. But they did—just in a very nuanced way. Well done.

Specs

Available for preorder on August 14, 2020, and in stores beginning September 4, 2020, P7MB irons ($1,399) will be offered in (3-PW) and come equipped with KBS Tour steel shafts (X 130g, S 120g) as well as the Golf Pride Z-Grip in grey/black. Available in RH and yes LH)

More photos and discussion in the forums. 

TaylorMade P7MC irons

Its predecessor, the P750, is arguably the best players cavity back TaylorMade has ever designed. With multiple wins across the world and a strong presence among top amateurs and college players, the P750 won players over for one main reason: simplicity.

So, when Matt Bovee and the team decided to go back in and build something new, there weren’t a lot of places to go beyond one or two ticks better. In this iron class, that’s all that is required.

Introducing the new 2020 TaylorMade P7MC players cavity back iron.

2020 TaylorMade P7MC

“We had a great foundation to work off of with the P750 so the main things we wanted to focus on was keeping the DNA of a great iron and simply making it sound and feel a little better and be a bit more appealing sitting in the bag.”

-Matt Bovee TM

Visuals

At address, the 2020 TaylorMade P7MC will look very similar to the P750—why mess with a good thing? The part of this iron that players will appreciate is the nod to TaylorMade heritage—i.e. the 2005 TP Forged and the Japan-only version.

More photos and discussion in the forums. 

So, what’s new?

Like its muscle back sibling, the 2020 TaylorMade P7MC incorporates the same 2,000-ton pressure forging to ensure the feel and sound are dialed in. This iron is also truly a one-piece forging, no titanium plugs, no extra badging no real bells, and whistles. The player will notice a slightly longer blade length (the P750), thin top line and a touch more offset then the P7MB.

It’s a simple clean players cavity back that looks amazing in the bag, behind the ball, and most likely on TV. Trust me, even that matters.

In addition, the milling process gives P7MC the sharp lines and grooves we can expect from TaylorMade forgings.

The New TaylorMade P7MC Face On

The experience

Like the P7MB, I had the chance to test the MC, and what I liked most about it was the lack of surprises. Yes, it’s stunning to look at, probably more so than any club TaylorMade had made in recent memory, including the P7TW. It’s gorgeous, but past that, the iron is just a workhorse. It has a crisp feel, plays very similar to the MB with the exception of mishits for obvious reasons. Simple, simple, simple. For the best players in the world, that’s all they want. Does it look good? Yes. Feel good? Yes. Most importantly will it take a long time to transition from my P750’s? No.

In this category, I like that. In the MB, MC category, a 1-2 percent improvement is all you really want to see.

Overall

It will come as a shock to no one, the 2020 TaylorMade P7MC is everything die-hard P750 players would want. The DNA of a great iron is there, they feel a bit better with the new pressure process, they look ridiculously cool, offer a pinch more forgiveness, and most importantly, they do the job.

Specs