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The equipment adjustments that made Davis Thompson a PGA Tour winner

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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from an article our Andrew Tursky filed for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. You can read the full article here. 

Thompson entrusts Craig Allan, director of Sea Island’s Golf Performance Center, who works with various PGA TOUR players on their fitting needs. Last year, Thompson informed Allan that something wasn’t right with his irons. He’d been striping his driver with a Titleist ’21 Pro V1 and Titleist TSR3 driver, but he was struggling with distance control with his irons due to low spin, while catching too many fliers out of the rough.

Allan offered Thompson three solutions: weaken the lofts of his current irons, test out some higher-spinning golf balls, and test out different iron heads and shafts. Thompson didn’t want to hit the ball higher with his irons; he wanted to address the golf ball instead. Initially, Thompson decided to change into a Titleist Pro V1 Star prototype golf ball that offers higher spin rates.

Although the ball change provided a nice solution for his iron play, his driver play suffered.

“(At the) Memorial (Tournament presented by Workday) last year, I started playing a spinnier Titleist golf ball, and it was great for my iron setup at the time,” Thompson said. “But kind of over time I saw my driver’s stats kind of go down, which is kind of a strong suit of my game. So we were trying to figure out after Valspar (Championship) this year how we can get the driver back going.”

Following the Valspar, Thompson and Allan got back to work in the testing center. Thompson was ready for Allan’s third option, which meant he would switch back into his previous Titleist Pro V1 ’21 golf ball, restore his driver dominance, and begin looking at different iron heads with weaker lofts and different shafts to gain spin and distance control.

After two weeks of testing different iron head-and-shaft combinations with the lower spinning golf ball, Allan and Thompson decided on the Titleist 620 MB irons (5-9) equipped with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100 shafts, which offer slightly higher spin and launch compared to the True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts that Thompson was playing previously.

Head over to PGATour.com to read the full article.

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  1. Benny

    Jul 12, 2024 at 1:05 pm

    wow. Did he change his irons as well, or just the x100 shafts?

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Whats in the Bag

Dylan Meyer WITB 2024 (July)

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  • Dylan Meyer what’s in the bag accurate as of the Utah Championship.

Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X

3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana S+ Blue 70 X

Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 9 X

Irons: Ping Blueprint S (4-PW)
Shafts: Project X Flighted 6.0

Wedges: Ping s159 (50-12S, 54-12S, 60-08H)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride ZGrip Cord

See more photos of Meyer’s gear here.

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Whats in the Bag

WITB Time Machine: Justin Rose’s 2016 Olympic gold medal WITB

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At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a gold medal was awarded in golf for the first time since 1904. The recipient of that token of excellence in sport was England’s Justin Rose with a 268 total for the competition. Henrik Stenson of Sweden and the United States’ Matt Kuchar took home silver and bronze, respectively.

Here’s a look at Rose’s golden gear of eight years ago.

Driver: TaylorMade M2 (8.5 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK White 70 TX

3-wood: TaylorMade M2 (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Matrix Ozik 8M3 Black Tie X

Irons: TaylorMade PSi Tour (3) Buy here, Tour Preferred MB (4-PW) Buy here.
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper 130 X

Wedges: TaylorMade Tour Preferred EF (52, 56, 60) Buy here.
KBS Tour C-Taper 130X (52, 56), KBS Hi-Rev 135X (60)

Putter: TaylorMade Ghost Monaco Tour Black Prototype Buy here.

Ball: TaylorMade Tour Preferred X Buy here.

See more photos of Justin Rose’s 2016 WITB here.

WITB Time Machine is presented by 2nd Swing Golf. 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.

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Equipment

2024 TaylorMade P770, P7CB irons – GolfWRX Launch Report

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What you need to know: Drawing on tour feedback and continued refinement of previous designs, TaylorMade is upgrading its P770 irons, the previous generation having been launched in 2022. In contrast to 2022, when the P7MB and P7CB irons were released, the 2024 line includes new cavity back P7CB irons. Accordingly, the P-Series family now looks like this (from forged blade to players distance iron): P7TW, P7CB, P770, P790 irons.

TaylorMade P770, P7CB irons: What’s new, key technology

TaylorMade emphasizes the role of tour feedback and the primacy of feel, feedback, and shotmaking with its P770 and P7CB irons.

With respect to the former, we’ve seen the P7CB irons on the PGA Tour throughout much of the season in the form of TaylorMade’s “Proto” model, pictured below. Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, and Collin Morikawa have all played P7CB irons this season.

From a design standpoint, TaylorMade is hitting all the notes of a tour-preferred design: Clean, compact profiles. Thin toplines. Smaller blade length. Leading edge refinement (P770). Sole camber and progressive bounce (P7CB).

While the irons differ substantially from a technology perspective, both models feature forged players designs, milled faces, and a precise attention to CG placement to achieve consistency and desired launch characteristics.

2024 TaylorMade P770, P7CB irons: Additional model details

TaylorMade P7CB irons

Described by TaylorMade as a “players iron” delivering a traditional level of forgiveness with low launch and high spin.

TaylorMade leveraged Compact Grain Forging and 2,000 tons of pressure to craft its P7CB irons from 1025 carbon steel. Engineers strategically placed mass in the clubhead for optimum feel, drawing on modal analysis and feedback from tour pros.

Center of gravity is constant throughout the P7CB lineup for precise launch and spin, and the face and grooves of the irons are milled.

P770 irons feature a compact look at address and a thin topline in accordance with what better plays like to see from their irons. Bounce is progressive throughout the set for optimum turf interaction.

Engineers co-forged tungsten in the sole of the P7CB irons and utilities perimeter weighting in the cavity to deliver irons that are both stable and workable.

TaylorMade P770 irons

Described by TaylorMade as a “modern players iron” delivering a mid-high level of forgiveness with mid-high launch and spin, plus a speed boost in the long irons.

In comparison to the 2022 model, TaylorMade says 2024 P770 irons deliver a more solid feel, thanks to the use of modal analysis to tune the clubs’ vibrations.

Engineers also refined the shaping of the irons from the 2022 incarnation, thinning the topline and making the overall appearance more compact. Further, the leading edge has been modified for better turf interaction.

Mass placement and internal tungsten weighting, too, have been reconfigured from the 2022 version to deliver greater consistency and forgiveness.

Once again, the company employs its FLTD CG to deliver higher launch in the long irons and a more penetrating flight in the shorter clubs.

What TaylorMade says

“We’ve done a lot of work to fine-tune the feel of the new P·770. This is the ideal iron for the player that needs some forgiveness and performance benefits but doesn’t want to sacrifice any feel or control. In my opinion, this is our most forgiving, best feeling P·770 to date.” – Matt Bovee, Global Category Director – Irons and Wedges

“We designed the P·7CB with the better player in mind. In working with these players directly they told us, ‘give me precision, give me forgiveness, give me consistency, but do it in a compact head shape.’ The new P·7CB delivers a combination of feel and forgiveness in compact shape beyond anything TaylorMade has created in the past.” – Matt Bovee, Global Category Director – Irons and Wedges

Club Junkie’s take

TaylorMade P770

A slightly updated shape is welcomed as TaylorMade gave us a little less offset and a straighter leading edge with the new P770 irons. The blade length also looks to be a touch shorter while the classic thin topline we like remains. The back is very clean and minimal, most players will love having these in the bag.

Out on the course, you get the P770 signature combination of distance, forgiveness, and soft feel that you have come to love from this iron. The performance of the new P770 is very good as they were about five yards longer than my current gamer set. But they weren’t wildly long, you could count on that distance consistently shot after shot. I have yet to see a big flyer or hot spot on these after about 45 holes. Launch for me was mid-high and the long irons were much easier to elevate than my previous P770 irons. The short irons seem to offer additional spin and a slightly flatter flight for more control. The forgiveness level is high as the thin face keeps the ball speed and launch consistent on mishits, allowing you to get away with a poor swing.

TaylorMade P7CB

When I saw the “Proto” on tour, I fell in love with the look instantly and am so glad they didn’t change anything in the retail model. This forged CB looks great with its very minimal offset, thin topline, and milled cavity that looks like it pays tribute to the RAC TP Forged. The feel is soft and solid, giving you the feeling of really compressing the ball off the face. Well-struck shots are met with a heavy thud as the ball leaves the face.

Distances are precise on the P7CB and as you hit shots you can really count on that number being exactly the same. Mishits will give your hands a little more vibration in the feedback but the distance drop off was much better than I expected. These irons won’t be as forgiving as super game improvement types, but for a CB I found them easy to hit. Ball flight is more penetration, from 4-iron down to the pitching wedge, and better players will be able to really create shots and shape it around the course.

From the tour with Andrew Tursky

TaylorMade has built tremendous intrigue surrounding the P7CB irons throughout 2024 on the PGA Tour.

The hype started at the 2024 Valero Texas Open when Rory McIlroy started using a “Proto” 4-iron, which he said helped provide a slightly higher launch and a responsive feel.

We didn’t know it at the time, but that “Proto” iron design would go on to become what we now know as the P7CB.

After McIlroy put the iron design on the map in San Antonio, Collin Morikawa also switched into the Proto version of the 4-iron at the Masters.

Things didn’t let up from there, though. At the 2024 PGA Championship, Michael Block shocked the world by switching out of his longtime Tour Preferred MC irons, and into a full set of the P7CB Proto irons.

Then, Nelly Korda was spotted testing the official “P7CB irons,” showing off the first look at the official badging and nomenclature of the irons.

Still yet, the hype train didn’t stop rolling. Morikawa switched into a full set of the P7CB irons ahead of the 2024 Open Championship, and Tommy Fleetwood played a P7CB 3-iron in Scotland, too.

Now, as it stands on the day of the official retail launch, other notable players with P7CB irons in the bag include Jacob Bridgeman (6-PW), Miles Russel (4-5 iron at the Rocket Mortgage and U.S. Junior Am), and Chris Gotterup (4-PW), who switched into the irons on Monday at the 2024 3M Open.

Based on Tour feedback, the P7CB irons are a well-rounded iron that feels good, looks good, has little offset from address, provides a high launch, and generally reminds many of some beloved TaylorMade irons from the past, such as the RAC and Tour Preferred MC models. High praise, really.

So far, TaylorMade has done a great job of building interest in the P7CB irons from a retail perspective, and providing PGA Tour players with the look/feel/performance they’re looking for. All things considered, it’s been a flawless rollout for the P7CB’s from TaylorMade; the “Proto” mystery early on really helped drive interest, and from everything we’ve been hearing on Tour, the product performs.

The TaylorMade P770 irons have also garnered some interest on Tour, with players such as Nick Dunlap and Morikawa testing out the long irons. It’s still a bit early in the release of those irons to have much feedback on the P770 irons, but more players will surely give the iron serious consideration as a long-iron option within mixed sets going forward.

Pricing, specs, and availability

  • Price: $1,399.99 for a 7-piece set
  • At retail: Now

Full specs below

P7CB

P770

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