What Irons Does Tiger Woods Use?

Throughout his legendary career, Tiger Woods has worked closely with leading club designers to develop forged irons precisely tailored for his game.

While Woods has changed equipment brands over the years, he maintains strict specs and design profiles to shape precise long iron and scoring shots.

Now back competing again at the highest level after recovering from injuries, what irons makeup Tiger’s current set?

Let’s take an in-depth look at the custom-fit models, specifications, and design priorities Woods requires to hit world-class iron shots under pressure.

TaylorMade P7TW Irons – Tiger’s Current Model

Since signing an endorsement deal with TaylorMade in 2016, Tiger Woods has relied on evolutions of the TaylorMade P7TW iron line as his model of choice.

The current P7TW iron was co-designed by Woods and TaylorMade engineers specifically to meet his exact performance standards.

Here are some key specs and tech behind Tiger’s latest P7TW iron set:

• Clean, compact players’ cavity back shape with minimal offset
• Forged from 1025 carbon steel for a premium soft feel and feedback
• Relatively weak lofts compared to standard (e.g. 9 iron loft is 42°)
• Incorporates an updated “TaylorMade Stabilizing Bar” in the backside of each iron for enhanced face support and stability
• Tiger’s famous TW logo is engraved on every iron face as a personal custom touch
• Available in right and left-handed models to match Tiger’s game

The forged cavity back profile prioritizes shotmaking versatility and control. It exemplifies Tiger’s traditionalist approach to iron design.

Previous Iron Models Used by Tiger Woods

While Woods now trusts his signature TaylorMade irons in competition, he has worked with a handful of brands throughout his career while maintaining traditional forged cavity back characteristics:

• Titleist 681-T Irons – His go-to iron model through the bulk of his historic professional career spanning 1996-2010. The 681-T took design cues from Titleist’s popular 680 series irons.
• Nike VR Pro Blade Irons – Nike forged blade iron that Woods briefly used upon signing an endorsement deal with them in 2013-2014. One of the only times he has deviated into blades.
• TaylorMade Tour Preferred MB Irons – The first TaylorMade iron model Woods played in 2014-2015 as he switched brands. Another rare forged blade experiment for him.
• TaylorMade P7TW Irons – Debuted his initial P7TW irons designed with TaylorMade in 2018. Has iterated on the P7TW profile since then as TaylorMade’s flagship forged cavity offering.

Across brands and eras, Woods continually chooses traditional forged cavity back irons focused on shotmaking versatility, not super game improvement design.

Tiger Woods’ Iron Specifications and Setup

While the classic forged cavity profile has remained constant, Tiger Woods still tailors certain specifications in his iron build:

• One-degree flat lie angle across his entire iron set to perfectly fit his consistent swing path.
• Woods’ irons are built 0.5 inches shorter than the standard length to give him superior control.
• His iron shafts are relatively lightweight True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 steel to promote clubhead speed.
• On his grips, Tiger personally wears Golf Pride’s Z-Grip cord model in all his irons for cushion and feel.
• Woods’ iron grooves are precision CNC milled for micro-level consistency across each club.

These personalized customizations in lie, length, weight, and feel dial in peak performance for Tiger’s powerful and repeatable swing technique.

Benefits of Tiger’s Forged Cavity Back Iron Design

The traditional forged cavity back iron profile that Tiger Woods has stuck with throughout his career delivers several key benefits perfectly suited for his ball striking skills:

Optimal Weight Distribution

Perimeter weighting in cavity backs places most of the clubhead mass low and rearward for an ideal center of gravity location. This increases ball speed and forgiveness.

Maximum Shot-Shaping Workability

The compact shape, minimal offset, weaker lofts, and thinner top lines allow Tiger to freely manipulate trajectories and curve shots as desired.

Soft, Solid Feel

The forged carbon steel construction provides the instant feedback at impact Tiger wants, further enhanced by his precisely machined grooves.

Controlled Distance Gapping

Rather than overpowered distance, the forged consistency maintains proper yardage gaps between clubs. preventing flat spots.

Penetrating Ball Flight

Tiger’s high swing speed translates into a flatter trajectory that penetrates through the wind. His iron profile promotes this flight.

Pinpoint Precision Accuracy

Tiger’s incredibly repeatable swing path shines with the tighter shot dispersion his irons deliver. They minimize distance variance.

For elite golfers chasing major championships like Tiger Woods, these traditional forged cavity back design traits enable superior shotmaking and control when it matters most.

How Tiger’s Irons are Crafted and Tested

To achieve the utmost quality and optimization, Tiger Woods takes an artisan-like approach during his iron design process:

• Collaborates directly with TaylorMade engineers throughout the prototyping and testing phases, providing constant feedback.
• Personally works together with master grinding specialists to shape each iron’s sole precisely for ideal turf interaction.
• Meticulously evaluates hundreds of design variations through multiple iterations to incrementally refine performance.
• Utilizes robot testing machines extensively to dial in optimal groove cutting and face milling specifications.
• Scrutinizes and compares various hand-polishing and finishing techniques to refine surface feel and consistency.
• Confirms matching swing weights across the full manufactured set to tighten gapping.

Tiger scrutinizes minute design nuances most golfers never consider in order to realize his ideal forged iron performance vision.

Tiger Woods’ Full Golf Club Setup

Complementing his customized irons, here is a look at the other clubs in Tiger Woods’ bag:

• Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus 9 Degree Driver
• Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Stealth 15 Degree 3-Wood
• Utility Iron: TaylorMade Stealth 19-Degree Utility Iron
• Irons: TaylorMade P7TW Irons (4-PW)
• Wedges: TaylorMade MG3 Black Wedges (56, 60-degree lofts)
• Putter: Scotty Cameron GSS Newport 2
• Golf Ball: Bridgestone TOUR B XS Golf Ball

Tiger Woods strategically selects the best-performing clubs across the driver, woods, wedges, and putter that align with his forged iron lineup to produce a complementary set makeup optimized for major championships.

Can Regular Golfers Game Tiger’s Irons?

The P7TW irons modeled after Tiger Woods’ specifications provide an intriguing option geared toward highly skilled players seeking premium forged iron performance:

Pros

• Legendary Tiger Woods’ design pedigree
• A beautiful clean look inspires confidence over the ball
• Cutting-edge materials deliver the sensational forged feel
• A high degree of shot-shaping control and workability

Cons

• Not the most forgiving profile best suited for inconsistent ball strikers
• Relatively weaker lofts require strong swing speeds to optimize
• Lacks some game improvement tech like extreme perimeter weighting

The P7TW won’t be forgiving enough for most amateur golfers. But better players will find the buttery soft feel and precision of a Tiger-inspired forged iron tough to match when shots are struck purely.

Conclusion

Throughout his historic career, Tiger Woods has worked closely with leading club designers like TaylorMade to continually refine forged cavity back irons tailored specifically for his swing technique and shotmaking preferences.

Current iron models like his P7TW showcase a compact shape, soft forged feel, and minimal offset to provide Tiger maximum workability and control.

Tiger scrutinizes even microscopic design details to realize optimal performance.

While too demanding for the average golfer, Tiger’s iron approach exemplifies how customizing weight, balance, lofts, and shafts unlocks excellence for those willing to perfect their craft.