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Taylormade 2017 P790 Irons VS Taylormade 2023 HD Irons


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I'm a 72-year-old 12-handicap golfer who is like the old coot who buys a sports car after retirement to feel young again.  He has this nice big arse easy driving 2023 Cadillac in his garage however he still wonders if he can handle the sleek-looking fast handling 2017 chick magnet. This should be an interesting comparison of my new HD irons which are easy to launch vs the smaller thinner arse players' distance irons. 

Let's take a look at these dueling banjos. First of all, you have in my opinion a really nice-looking SGI set of HD Stealth irons. I've played several rounds with these puppies and they are truly a pleasure to game. Highly recommend them to anyone who needs help with their iron game whether it be you suck or you're just getting old with diminishing swing speed and enjoy an easy relaxing low cussing round of golf. 

Next, we have the P790s who came a day late and I unboxed them today (March 22, 2023). I have to say the seller on Marketplace said they were in good shape and boy was he not fibbing. I took three pics of the nine iron to show you their beauty.  I took the nine out to my practice net in the backyard and hit several balls and my heart started palpitating.  Dayuuuummm these suckers feel pretty hawt and sweet at the same time. Do I dare put these in my bag for tomorrow's scramble team match or do I play in the comfort of the HDs?  Seriously tempted!  Lots to come so stay tuned!



 

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9IBACK.jpeg

9IFACE.jpeg

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Callaway Big Bertha B23 Driver 9 Degree
Titleist TSR1 4, 5, & 6 Hybrids (Testing)
Titleist T350 Irons 7 - W48 (Testing)
Cleveland
CBX ZipCore  52 56 & 60 Degree Wedges
T
TaylorMade Spider X Hydro Blast Single Bend Putter

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

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Love this! Should be a really interesting test!

Driver - PXG 0811 XF - Gen 5, 9 degrees (+1 setting), Oban Devotion TR 65 04
3/5 Wood - Warrior Golf (don't ask)
Utility - :cobra-small: King Utility - 2 Iron/ Caley X01 Driving Iron (3 = 18*)
Irons (4-PW) - :taylormade-small:- SIM Max, Nippon Modus Tour 105 Stiff / TESTING Caley 01T (4-PW)
Wedges (52, 56, 60) - Kirkland Signature (changed to midsize grips) / TESTING Indi Wedges FLX 48 / ATK 52, 56, 60
Putter - L.A.B. Directed Force 2.1 - 65*
Ball - Maxfli Tour X

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5 hours ago, GolfSpy_SAM said:

Love this! Should be a really interesting test!

I'm in the handicap range (12) where I could game either set so yea this one will be fun

Callaway Big Bertha B23 Driver 9 Degree
Titleist TSR1 4, 5, & 6 Hybrids (Testing)
Titleist T350 Irons 7 - W48 (Testing)
Cleveland
CBX ZipCore  52 56 & 60 Degree Wedges
T
TaylorMade Spider X Hydro Blast Single Bend Putter

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

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I like thicker soled irons and I have to say, those Stealth HD look great in the bag.  I definitely need to see them in person.

Driver: :cobra-small: LTDx
Fairway: :taylormade-small: Sim2 Max 3HL & 7 Wood
Hybrid: :mizuno-small: 2020 CLK 4 & 5 Hybrid

Irons: :srixon-small: ZX4 6-AW
Wedges: :cleveland-small: CBX Zipcore 54° & 58°
Putter:   
bloodline(2).png.8f7245797de1f39b93a647d0292c1b2b.png Vale
Ball:  :callaway-logo-1: Chrome Soft Yellow Truvis

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4 minutes ago, Parshooter36 said:

I like thicker soled irons and I have to say, those Stealth HD look great in the bag.  I definitely need to see them in person.

They are truly awesome irons IMO with both performance and looks.

Callaway Big Bertha B23 Driver 9 Degree
Titleist TSR1 4, 5, & 6 Hybrids (Testing)
Titleist T350 Irons 7 - W48 (Testing)
Cleveland
CBX ZipCore  52 56 & 60 Degree Wedges
T
TaylorMade Spider X Hydro Blast Single Bend Putter

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

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Ok guys the P790s went in the bag this morning for some range time.  I hit a medium bucket of balls and these irons are legit! I was surprised at the height I was getting out of the 9 & PW and the ball felt really flushed off the club face. I could not tell how far they were flying but the trajectory was in my happy zone. I did not put them in play in the scramble as the grips are too small and I want to have the lofts checked. I can't wait to get them on the course for a spin!

 

P790InTheBag.jpeg

Callaway Big Bertha B23 Driver 9 Degree
Titleist TSR1 4, 5, & 6 Hybrids (Testing)
Titleist T350 Irons 7 - W48 (Testing)
Cleveland
CBX ZipCore  52 56 & 60 Degree Wedges
T
TaylorMade Spider X Hydro Blast Single Bend Putter

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

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I'm taking the P790s to a club builder today to have the lofts checked and lie adjusted then I'll add mid-size grips.  I'll hit the range for some practice time this weekend and then Monday I will put them in play on the course with money on the line. 

Edit -  Back home and the lofts & lies were definitely not up to specs however they are perfect now.  Taking a break and then I'll go out to my woodshed and blow on some new GP tour wrap mid-size grips.

Edit #2 -- After I finished installing the mid-size grips I hit several shots into my backyard net.  With the lofts fixed and the lie adjusted to my specs was thumping that ball really well! Now I'm pumped to get these out on the course for some quality time.

Note:  If you buy used clubs and even new clubs it might behoove you to have the specs verified.  The P790's were all over the place.

Callaway Big Bertha B23 Driver 9 Degree
Titleist TSR1 4, 5, & 6 Hybrids (Testing)
Titleist T350 Irons 7 - W48 (Testing)
Cleveland
CBX ZipCore  52 56 & 60 Degree Wedges
T
TaylorMade Spider X Hydro Blast Single Bend Putter

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

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1 hour ago, NC Golfer said:

I vote for the HD's!! Have you looked at the Ping G430 HL that is supposed to be for senior golfers?

 

https://www.carlsgolfland.com/ping-g430-hl-irons

No, I haven't but now that I own a set of HD's, I'm a happy camper 😍

Callaway Big Bertha B23 Driver 9 Degree
Titleist TSR1 4, 5, & 6 Hybrids (Testing)
Titleist T350 Irons 7 - W48 (Testing)
Cleveland
CBX ZipCore  52 56 & 60 Degree Wedges
T
TaylorMade Spider X Hydro Blast Single Bend Putter

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

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Today I went to Dicks and took an 8 iron from the P790 & Stealth HD for comparison.  I was going to use a 7 iron from both sets however I had left the HD 7 iron back at the house after hitting it into my backyard net last evening. I was checking out drivers all morning and added these two at the end and I was pretty much wiped out.  Energy depleted after about 60 full-bore driver swings. 😩

These eight irons are totally different in makeup and the results were quite surprising to me.  P790 (Red) --- Stealth HD (Blue)

 

 

HDvsP790.jpeg

Callaway Big Bertha B23 Driver 9 Degree
Titleist TSR1 4, 5, & 6 Hybrids (Testing)
Titleist T350 Irons 7 - W48 (Testing)
Cleveland
CBX ZipCore  52 56 & 60 Degree Wedges
T
TaylorMade Spider X Hydro Blast Single Bend Putter

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

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Wow - not at all what I was expecting - they’re nearly identical. Very curious to see if this trend continues throughout the bag!

Driver - PXG 0811 XF - Gen 5, 9 degrees (+1 setting), Oban Devotion TR 65 04
3/5 Wood - Warrior Golf (don't ask)
Utility - :cobra-small: King Utility - 2 Iron/ Caley X01 Driving Iron (3 = 18*)
Irons (4-PW) - :taylormade-small:- SIM Max, Nippon Modus Tour 105 Stiff / TESTING Caley 01T (4-PW)
Wedges (52, 56, 60) - Kirkland Signature (changed to midsize grips) / TESTING Indi Wedges FLX 48 / ATK 52, 56, 60
Putter - L.A.B. Directed Force 2.1 - 65*
Ball - Maxfli Tour X

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19 minutes ago, GolfSpy_SAM said:

Wow - not at all what I was expecting - they’re nearly identical. Very curious to see if this trend continues throughout the bag!

I know right!  Monday morning the P790s are on deck so I'll know a little more post-18 however, for now, this is pretty darn interesting. 

Callaway Big Bertha B23 Driver 9 Degree
Titleist TSR1 4, 5, & 6 Hybrids (Testing)
Titleist T350 Irons 7 - W48 (Testing)
Cleveland
CBX ZipCore  52 56 & 60 Degree Wedges
T
TaylorMade Spider X Hydro Blast Single Bend Putter

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

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I recently had a quick TM fitting and first hit the original Stealth 7i and eventually settled on the MMT 75G shaft.  Ball speed 105, Carry was 141 and spin 5400 and total distance 155.  Then hit the P790 with the same shaft.  Ball speed 99, carry 130, spin 5600 and total 145.  Just didn’t feel right and perhaps needed a different shaft but couldn’t argue with the stealth numbers and feel so we stopped.  This was on a day hitting into a head wind. 

:callaway-small: Driver: Fusion, 9 deg, UST Recoil 450 ES F3/2

:ping-small: 430 MAX 4w (5w head delofted 1* with 3w shaft), 7w, 5h w/ Alta CB Soft Regular shaft

:mizuno-small: JPX923 HM 6i - GW w/ UST Recoil 460 ESX F3

:cleveland-small: RTX6 52* and 56* with Recoil 760 ESX F2 

Iron A Nelson: 58 deg, LB 

:odyssey-small: Versa DB DoubleWide 

:srixon-small:: Q-Star Tour, Z-Star Tour

Retiring:

:taylormade-small:: Rescue 3 & 4, Aldila Reax 65 S

:ping-small:: G15 5i -SW, AMT S

:ping-small:: Putter, 2i B60

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6 hours ago, GaryF said:

I recently had a quick TM fitting and first hit the original Stealth 7i and eventually settled on the MMT 75G shaft.  Ball speed 105, Carry was 141 and spin 5400 and total distance 155.  Then hit the P790 with the same shaft.  Ball speed 99, carry 130, spin 5600 and total 145.  Just didn’t feel right and perhaps needed a different shaft but couldn’t argue with the stealth numbers and feel so we stopped.  This was on a day hitting into a head wind. 

The Stealth irons are beast-mode irons for sure. There is a difference in the 7 iron lofts between Stealth (28 degrees) / club length 37.25 and the P790s (30.5) / club length 37 which will explain some of that distance gain.

With the HD 7 iron vs the P790s 7 iron there was very little difference in the loft. HD - 30 degrees with P790 at 30.5

Callaway Big Bertha B23 Driver 9 Degree
Titleist TSR1 4, 5, & 6 Hybrids (Testing)
Titleist T350 Irons 7 - W48 (Testing)
Cleveland
CBX ZipCore  52 56 & 60 Degree Wedges
T
TaylorMade Spider X Hydro Blast Single Bend Putter

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

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2 hours ago, ole gray said:

The Stealth irons are beast-mode irons for sure. There is a difference in the 7 iron lofts between Stealth (28 degrees) / club length 37.25 and the P790s (30.5) / club length 37 which will explain some of that distance gain.

With the HD 7 iron vs the P790s 7 iron there was very little difference in the loft. HD - 30 degrees with P790 at 30.5

Yes I’m sure that was part of the difference but with the 790s I just wasn’t getting any center hits.  With my current set 7i, I carry 137ish and it’s 33*.  I was surprised I still had good spin.  I think it just felt uncomfortable because the swing weight probably had a different swing weight feeling and would have required trial and error with different shafts and we were running out of our 30 min allotment. 

Edited by GaryF

:callaway-small: Driver: Fusion, 9 deg, UST Recoil 450 ES F3/2

:ping-small: 430 MAX 4w (5w head delofted 1* with 3w shaft), 7w, 5h w/ Alta CB Soft Regular shaft

:mizuno-small: JPX923 HM 6i - GW w/ UST Recoil 460 ESX F3

:cleveland-small: RTX6 52* and 56* with Recoil 760 ESX F2 

Iron A Nelson: 58 deg, LB 

:odyssey-small: Versa DB DoubleWide 

:srixon-small:: Q-Star Tour, Z-Star Tour

Retiring:

:taylormade-small:: Rescue 3 & 4, Aldila Reax 65 S

:ping-small:: G15 5i -SW, AMT S

:ping-small:: Putter, 2i B60

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TaylorMade bought Adams in 2012. Looks like they dusted off the old Adams clubs. 

Played golf for over 50 years until my health and business calendar reduced my time to less then 5 rounds a year. Then 4 years ago I retired, changed my diet and lifestyle, lost 100 pounds and got back on the course. Its been a struggle but things are getting better.

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This seems to be a great test.  Do not want to give up the blade look, but distance is becoming an issue. 
Have been gaming the P790s for about 3 years. They are very solid from the middle of the club.
Off-center hits do not fare as well. 

Very satisfied about the feel and consistency of the P790s.

That said, it sounds like you like the added distance of the stealth irons.
You will be a winner with either choice.  Taylormade irons are solid.

default_taylormade-small.jpg.30d3eb3f9b481199aee6d83da348774b.jpg    M4 Driver 8.5 D Fujikura Red 6S
                       M4 3 Wood 15 D Fujikura Red 6S
                       Stealth 3 Hybrid 19 D Fujikura Red 7S
                       P790 Irons 4 - A  Dynamic Gold 95 R
                       Sand Wedge 56 D Dynamic Gold WedgeFlex
                       Lob Wedge   60 D  Dynamic Gold WedgeFlex

:odyssey-small:  Putter White Hot #7 OG Stroke Lab

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I had played P790 irons for 4 years and got fitted for Calloway Apex irons with 90gm steel fiber shafts in September.  After 5 months of average iron play with two-way misses I put my P790s back in the bag and the first round back with them I hit 16 of 18 greens…best iron play in 5 months. Anyone want a set of 5-month used Apex irons?

❤️2🏌🏽‍♂️

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41 minutes ago, 2AcesGolfer said:

I had played P790 irons for 4 years and got fitted for Calloway Apex irons with 90gm steel fiber shafts in September.  After 5 months of average iron play with two-way misses I put my P790s back in the bag and the first round back with them I hit 16 of 18 greens…best iron play in 5 months. Anyone want a set of 5-month used Apex irons?

Check out the Buy, Sell, Trade thread - very possible someone might want to take those off you at a decent return on your investment.  https://forum.mygolfspy.com/forum/28-buyselltrade/

Driver - PXG 0811 XF - Gen 5, 9 degrees (+1 setting), Oban Devotion TR 65 04
3/5 Wood - Warrior Golf (don't ask)
Utility - :cobra-small: King Utility - 2 Iron/ Caley X01 Driving Iron (3 = 18*)
Irons (4-PW) - :taylormade-small:- SIM Max, Nippon Modus Tour 105 Stiff / TESTING Caley 01T (4-PW)
Wedges (52, 56, 60) - Kirkland Signature (changed to midsize grips) / TESTING Indi Wedges FLX 48 / ATK 52, 56, 60
Putter - L.A.B. Directed Force 2.1 - 65*
Ball - Maxfli Tour X

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