Taylormade P790 Vs. Mizuno Pro 225 Irons Comparison Overview

When you start to break into the low handicap range, you start to realize how the construction and design of your clubs play into your performance. As such, many golfers completely switch up their irons as they start to improve.

Luckily, there is no shortage of premium player’s performance irons from pretty much every manufacturer. And today we will be pitting Taylormade against Mizuno in the premium player’s performance irons arena.

Taylormade P790 Irons Overview

At a glance, the Taylormade P790 irons are made for workability and short-game performance.

And that is certainly true – to an extent. What you don’t realize just by looking at these irons is that they are distance machines. Despite their forged, muscle back design and shorter than average blade lengths, the P790’s yield easy distance first and foremost.

These irons have hollow bodies which allows for a layer of foam and an incredibly thin, forged 4140 steel face. This combo (along with 31 grams of tungsten in the long irons) yields nearly effortless distance. Thankfully, the P790 irons feature carbon steel bodies which helps with short-game feel.

While the short-game control and feel is impressive, the real star is the distance you get from such a compact blade iron.

Mizuno Pro 225 Irons Overview

The Mizuno Pro 225 irons also feature a forged hollow head design.

The Mizuno Pro 225’s also sport a thin layer of copper inside the head which imparts a softer feel on full swings. The smooth muscle back design along with the painstaking grain flow forging process make these irons incredibly consistent.

Testers noted that shot dispersion was tight and that they knew exactly which iron to pull out on every single lie. In short, the Mizuno Pro 225’s will take the guess work out of club selection for low handicap players.

Distance was not as easy with the Mizuno Pro 225’s as they were with the P790’s. However, short-game performance was superior with the Mizuno Pro 225’s. The scoring irons are forged from 1025 mild carbon steel, allowing for more acute feel and distance control.

If you are looking for a premium set of irons that will still help you get down the fairway in a hurry, the Taylormade P790’s are your best bet. If you are more focused on superior feel and control around the green, we would recommend the Mizuno Pro 225’s.

Mizuno Pro 225 Irons – First Impressions

With all the hype about these irons, let’s chat about the technology Mizuno have pumped into them.

Like the rest of the Pro range, the Mizuno Pro 225 irons are Grain Flow forged, the face and neck are forged, what is unique about Mizuno is all of their clubs are made in the factory in Hiroshima – Japan, since 1968.

Since 2018 Mizuno have introduced a microlayer of copper underneath Nickel Chrome, this gives you the purest, softest feel we have all come to know and love from Mizuno.

This iron actually has a combination of two forging techniques, the 2-8 iron uses the Grain Flow Forged 4135 Chromoly Face & Neck technique, it also has a COR Forged Hollow Body 28.5g Tungsten weight this gives the iron its unique look as well as producing a higher launch, more consistent flight and incredible ball speed.

The 9-PW has a 1025E pure select mild carbon steel structure, this enhances precision and a more penetrating flight, this helps with the scoring irons, allowing you to attack even the tightest of flags.

Now after all this we were extremely excited to get these onto the range, and let’s be honest there it was love at first sight.

When we put the club down behind the ball we expected a tiny looking head, but we were wrong. Not overly big, but perfect. It was the right amount of thickness to give you confidence.

When we started hitting balls we could instantly see some increase in ball speed, as well as forgiveness. These were for sure not a blade.

We were surprised how workable these are, usually when a club is as forgiving as this, you lose workability, but we were able to hit fades and draws, as well as high and low on demand.

Another issue with the hollow body construction club is you get what they call a ‘hot shot’, this is when the ball flies 10/15 yards further when struck well, now this may sound great, but if you fly the ball into a bunker unexpectedly, then it is not at all. We did not get any of these so called ‘hot shots’, a few flew around 5 yards further, but that can be expected with any iron.

This Mizuno Pro 225 is high launching and forgiving while looking exactly like a blade at address and in your bag.

Taylormade P790 – First Impressions

The first thing to notice about the P790 irons is the compact, forged heads that come in a shape and style that will suit the better players.

Despite the players feel of the irons, they also come packed with technology that will add distance and forgiveness like the Thru Slot speed pocket, speed foam and inverted cone technology which allows more flex on impact.

The forged irons are actually a hollow construction, filled with speed foam which allows much greater distances to be achieved than the original P790’s and the tungsten weighting keeps the CG low for an easy launch for an iron of this type.

The original P790 irons, released in 2017, were definitely for the players but with the remodelling in 2019 and 2021, these can also be used for mid handicappers looking to test the waters of players irons.

All in all, definitely not for the high handicappers.

Mizuno Pro 225 Irons Selling Points

Multi forged construction, giving you precise performance in every iron
Microlayer of copper enhances feel and sound
Blade like look, but with game improvement performance
9-PW are more compact allowing you to be more precise
Looks and feels like your traditional Mizuno iron

P790 Irons – Selling Points

2 Tungsten Weights For Low COG
Co Molded Cavity Badge For No Vibrations
Lots Of Loft In The Clubs
Flexible Hinge And Variable Face Thickness
Forgiving And Consistent

Who Are the Mizuno 225 Irons For?

They are aimed at your mid to low handicap player, however it is such a versatile iron, as it has premium looks, workability and forgiveness. We can see a beginner with some talent or a low handicap player looking for some distance play this iron too.

For those low handicap players that want a little more workability in their lower irons, and forgiveness in their longer irons, going with a combo set could really be a great option. We suggest getting fitted by your local pro or nearest Mizuno qualified fitter, to see what works best for you.

The Mizuno Pro Family of Irons

Mizuno has two other models in the Pro range, the 221 and 223. The 221 is your complete blade irons, while the 223 falls somewhere in between them.

The Mizuno Pro 223 is an unbelievable iron, it is a compact players’ iron, while still boasting some speed enhancing technologies. They have introduced a brand new technology system from 4-7 iron, it uses Mizuno’s tested Chromoly Forging and Flow Micro-Slot Grain Flow Forged with a soft copper underlay, the Pro 223 iron has an unbelievable feel and sound, and is very forgiving.

The Mizuno Pro 221 is designed on years and years of incredible Mizuno blade irons, through the years they have made the irons more playable by small improvements in shape and weight placement. It has a shorter blade profile and smaller top line. This year the Pro 221 has tighter scoring lies than the previous years, giving it more control. Like the other models in the range it is Grain Flow Forged, with a soft copper underlay, giving the Pro 221 your traditional Mizuno sound and feel.