P790 vs P770: which one are you actually good enough for?
TaylorMade's two most-asked-about irons, side by side, from people who've built both a hundred times.
Every week someone walks in wanting P770s because they look like a better player's iron. Sometimes they're right. Usually they should buy the P790 and pocket the difference.
The actual difference
Both are hollow-body, forged-face irons with the same foam filling and roughly the same tech. The P790 has a bigger head, a longer blade length, a thicker topline, more offset, and stronger lofts (7 iron at 30.5°). The P770 is a compact version: shorter blade, thinner topline, less offset, lofts about 2° weaker (7 iron at 33°).
Translated: the P790 goes farther and forgives more. The P770 looks better at address and lets you work it a bit — and punishes a thin strike a bit more.
Who should play which
If you're a 10-plus handicap, or you're under 10 but your miss is a thin one, play the P790. You'll hit it higher, farther and straighter, and you won't notice the topline after two rounds.
If you're a 5 or better and you hit the center more than you don't, P770s are a real players-distance iron and they'll fit you better. A lot of our customers split the difference: P770 in the short irons, P790 in the 4 and 5. We build combo sets all the time.
On the used rack
Both hold value well. A used 2023 P790 4-PW in 8/10 runs $650–$800 with us; P770s in the same shape run $600–$750. Because lofts differ, don't mix sets without checking gapping — we'll bend them for you.
Questions about anything in here? Ask us. Want it fitted instead of guessed? Book.