Nelly Korda jumps on this interesting iron trend | Tour report

Wwelcome to GOLF’s fully equipped ‘S weekly Tour Gear Report. Every Friday of the PGA Tour weeks (plus other times, as the news warrants), GOLF Gear Editor Jack Hirsh will walk you through the biggest news surrounding golf clubs on Tour, including changes, adjustments and launches.

Nelly Korda may not be dominating the LPGA Tour with a seven-win season like she did a year ago, but she’s still statistically one of the tour’s best ball-strikers.

Although the world No. 2 is winless this season and has played a bit of putter roulette this year, she ranks fourth on the LPGA in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and 17th in Approach.

But it was clear Korda felt there was room to improve as she made a change at the Annika this week, ditching the TaylorMade P7MCs she dominated the first half of last season for a new 6-PW set of larger and more forgiving P7CBs.

Korda was apparently looking for higher launch and spin from her mid and short irons. She kept her 2022 P770 5-iron and her AeroTech SteelFiber i80 cw shafts.

“I played the MC TaylorMades and now I’m in the [P7]CBs,” Korda said before the tournament. “They might have a little more height, so the descent angle is a little steeper and should land a little softer.”

Korda was already playing a setup that many amateur players shy away from, with a player’s distance option for the 5-iron and a 5-hybrid instead of a 4-iron altogether, but it highlights an interesting trend present at all levels of the game.

Players are looking for more forgiveness and want to hit the ball straight into the air. Today’s game is played on firmer and faster greens than ever before and professionals seem to be buying into the idea that the only way to hold your ball on those greens is to hit it higher.

With a higher launch and spinnier irons also comes greater forgiveness and retention of ball speed, due to the larger chassis sizes used to drive that launch. You’re seeing more and more blade and shallow cavity players switching to full cavity backs because they tend to spin more than hollow irons.

TaylorMade P7CB custom irons

BEST-IN-CLASS FEEL Using Tour feedback and modal analysis, we strategically designed the mass placement for best-in-class feel. Made using Compact Grain Forging and 2000 tons of pressure to deliver the purest possible feel from 1025 mild carbon steel. PRECISE CONTROL Precision milled face and grooves, combined with a constant center of gravity, the P•7CB is designed to deliver an optimal launch and spin combination for ultimate control and precision. CONSISTENCY Created to maximize accuracy and consistency. The P•7CB optimized the perimeter weighting and forged tungsten, designed to deliver a beautiful blend of stability and workability. COMPACT TOUR SHAPE Every aspect of this iron’s design was designed to meet the needs of demanding ballplayers. A compact blade length and thin topline provide a confident, clean look in the playing position, while the sole’s camber and progressive bounce profile ensure consistent ground interaction.

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The change seems to be paying off for Korda so far this week. After a 71 on Thursday, she roared back with a bogey-free 63 in Round 2, missing just one green all day. She heads into the weekend just three shots off the lead as she looks for her first win of the year.

As companies focus on offering more and more forgiveness benefits in smaller packages, don’t be surprised if this trend continues and we see many players going for more forgiving irons with an emphasis on peak height and limiting mishits.

Keep it down

The 1-iron is back on the PGA Tour this week.

With high winds forecast for this week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship, a few additional players added utility and long irons to their bags as options off the tee at the 6,828-yard Port Royal Golf Course, the shortest on the PGA Tour schedule.

Titleist led again this week with 47 utility irons in play (53 percent), with several players opting for their new 2025 U505 and T250U options.

But two that jump off the page are Trey Mullinax and Rico Hoey.

Titleist 2025 U•505 Custom Driving Iron

The U505 plays like an iron, but performs like something more. From threading the needle off the tee to hitting home unfathomable distances, the U505 gives players the speed and control to hit clutch shots with confidence. Pure, muscular look A hollow, high-strength steel body concentrates enormous power in a pure package. Long-Range Speed ​​A new forged L-Face design increases ball speed and launch to tackle distant targets with confidence. Consistent Performance Enhanced Max Impact technology helps generate consistent launch, speed, spin and carry to expand your hitting skills. Controlled trajectory High-density split tungsten produces an optimal center of gravity with high stability for more forgiving hitting. Iron Set Blending The U505 and T250U feature a player-preferred profile with minimal offset, allowing you to blend seamlessly into the top end of a blended setup.

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Mullinax, a non-Titleist staffer, this week added the rare U505 1-iron with a Ventus Black HB shaft.

The U505 1-iron isn’t completely extinct on the PGA Tour, with Ben An regularly playing a game in place of a 3-wood, and Justin Thomas testing one at the Scottish Open, but it’s still a very niche club.

But with a short course in Port Royal this week and more high winds with forecasts calling for gusts above 30 mph this weekend, the 1-iron could see more action this weekend after Mullinax fired a 67 on Friday to make the cut. He will need a solid finish to the year to maintain his PGA Tour status, as he currently sits 158th in the FedEx Cup Fall standings.

The other unique utility comes from Rico Hoey – another non-staffer – playing Titleist’s T350 prototype 3-iron.

There was a T350 prototype 3-iron in the last generation of the T-Series, and the shape of that club ultimately inspired the design of the 3- and 4-iron lofts of the 2025 U505.

We don’t know much about the design intent of the current T350 series prototype, but we can assume it likely has less offset than the commercially available T350 game improvement irons to appeal to better players.

Check this out

This section is dedicated to a cool photo we recently took during the Tour but haven’t had a reason to share yet. For this week, check out Adam Hadwin’s 2021 Callaway Apex TCB irons. Hadwin sits alone in the lead heading into the weekend in Bermuda.

Odds and Ends

Some other gear changes and notes we’re tracking this week.

Harrison Endycott became the latest player to add Ping’s S259 wedges… Charley Hull (8.0), Esther Henseleit (10.5) and Julia Lopez Ramirez (9.0) are all using the new TaylorMade Qi4D LS head this week at Pelican. It’s the second week in a row of major conversions for TaylorMade, which last week saw six DP World Tour players (including Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood) switch to the 2026 driver… Titleist continued a huge decline in terms of counts with 77 percent of balls in Bermuda (more than 10x their nearest competitor), 46 percent driver usage and 58 percent of gap, sand and lob wedges in play.

Jack Hirsh welcomes your comments at Jack.Hirsh@golf.com.

Want to give your bag a makeover in 2025? Find a club fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

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