First look: Dustin Johnson’s TaylorMade P730 irons

We got a first look at the TaylorMade P730 irons down at the brand’s European HQ in Basingstoke.

These irons have effectively been in Rory McIlroy’s bag ever since he signed for the brand and made his debut at The Players Championship.

They are labelled the Rors Proto but are effectively a version of the P730 which are now being released to the general public.

We later saw Justin Rose putting his Rose Proto irons into play which are another version the P730 but this time we saw more of a chrome finish.

ROSE•PROTO @taylormadegolf ?? pic.twitter.com/YeAsF4SnC5

— Justin Rose (@JustinRose99) July 4, 2017

Then more recently we have seen TaylorMade tour technicians getting Dustin Johnson fitted into the P730.

DJ has been using the Tour Preferred MB for some time now but we’ll be keeping an eye out for them appearing as we head towards the end of the 2017 season.

#DJ is testing a new set of irons this week. Still a work in progress to dial it in perfectly but we're getting close. #P730 #TaylorMade #MB pic.twitter.com/8Eh5w0H8rM

— TOMO BYSTΞDT (@bystedt) August 3, 2017

The P730 that DJ will use will be the exact same ones available in the pro shops.

TaylorMade P730 irons – First impressions

These are irons that have been designed for three of the world’s best players.

So why are they being released to the general public?

Well, as soon as these irons were seen on tour, the enquiries started as to when they would be available to buy.

Some players just want that pure bladed look, forged feel and workability. And these irons do look incredibly slick.

And we know that club golfers want to use the same gear tour pros are using. Why do you think the TaylorMade Spider Tour Red putter has been such a success?

TaylorMade P730 irons – The technology

It’s all about the right look, feel and being able to work the ball.

The moment of inertia (MOI, resistance to twisting) will be very low on these clubs because players want to be able to work the ball both ways easily.

That’s not going to happen with a club face that just wants to move in one direction.

TaylorMade wanted to retain the features of the Tour Preferred MB – sole camber, offset flow, sole radius and hosel length.

The overall blade profile is slightly smaller with cleaner and crisper lines, particularly in the 7-8-9 irons.

The leading edge profile was also tweaked to improve turf interaction across the set.

TaylorMade P730 irons – NCG verdict

We don’t think there’s much point in a mid handicapper hitting these irons and then commenting about the lack of forgiveness.

These irons are aimed at a very small section of the market – absolute blade purists and proper ball strikers.

It will be interesting to see if TaylorMade can steal any ground in this marketplace as the new Mizuno MP-18 have been very well received so far.

[skylab_video id=”126334″]TaylorMade P730 irons – YouTube[/skylab_video]

TaylorMade don’t quite have the heritage in classic blades in the way Mizuno do but Mizuno don’t have as many high profile tour players gaming the MP-18.

We will be putting these two irons head to head in the near future to see how the sound, feel and workability levels compare.

Details

Available: November

Set: Available 3-PW

SRP: Seven irons £1,049

More information can be found on the TaylorMade website.