Black clubs aren’t new. But drivers, fairways, irons and apparel all at once? This isn’t your average blackout collection.
Nearly every major OEM does a blacked-out release at some point in the season. TaylorMade does it pretty much every year. It’s like Monster Cereal at Halloween. You know it’s coming, you know exactly what it is, and yet every year some man-child (totally not me) still gets a little excited when it shows up on the shelf. I will say that the manufacturers are getting increasingly creative about how to say “black” without actually saying “black.”
Shadowfall. That’s something.
So the Shadowfall Collection isn’t noteworthy because TaylorMade painted something black. What’s noteworthy is the scope. This isn’t a single, limited-edition driver or a one-off iron finish. It’s three Qi4D driver models, a fairway wood option, a full set of P·790 irons, apparel. That’s a full bag plus a hoodie and, for TaylorMade, that’s an unusually broad commitment to a single aesthetic.
As for the finish itself, TaylorMade describes it as “high-gloss black” on the metalwoods and a “luxurious dark finish” on the P·790 irons. Beyond that, details are thin. There’s no mention of the specific process (PVD, DLC or otherwise) so we can’t tell you much about durability or how it’ll hold up after a season in your bag. If TaylorMade shares more, we’ll update.
The clubs
Three Qi4D driver models (Core, Max, LS) are available in the Shadowfall finish at nine and 10.5 degrees. The Core is available in right- and left-hand. The Max and LS are right-hand only. Stock shaft is the REAX MR 50 Blue in stiff and regular (the LS gets the REAX MR 60 Blue in stiff). Drivers are $699.99, the same price as the standard limited-edition colorways, although it’s worth noting you’re not getting the LME (launch monitor enabled) version here. You’re paying for the finish.
Fairway woods come in 3-wood (15°), 5-wood (18°) and 7-wood (21°), right-hand standard with left-hand available through custom order. The stock shaft is the REAX FW 65S (55R/A for lighter flex options). Fairways are $399.99.
P·790 Shadowfall irons are available in a 4-PW set (with an AW in right-hand only). Right-hand is standard, left-hand is custom order. The set will run you $1,499.99, roughly a $100 premium over the standard P·790. Whether a dark finish is worth a hundred bucks is a question only you can answer but nobody ever accused golfers of being fiscally responsible.
The shaft worth mentioning
One detail that shouldn’t get lost in the aesthetics: the P·790 Shadowfall ships with the Nippon Modus Tour 105 Luxury Black. That’s a new cosmetic offering from Nippon specifically designed to pair with dark and black clubhead finishes. If you’ve ever put a set of blacked-out irons together only to have chrome shafts break up the look, Nippon is solving that problem. It’s a smart move and expect to see the Luxury Black show up in more limited-edition and special offerings going forward. A UST Recoil DART HDC Blackout is available as a graphite custom option.
The apparel
Because TaylorMade loves a hoodie, the Shadowfall lineup includes a hoodie ($120), a T-shirt ($55) and an A-Frame hat ($39.99). All black. TaylorMade branding is subtle. The hoodie and tee are a French terry-polyester blend (55/45). The hat comes in XS, regular and XXL.
The bottom line
Look, nobody is going to tell you that a black golf club performs differently than a non-black golf club. This is a cosmetic play and TaylorMade isn’t pretending otherwise. But the breadth of the Shadowfall Collection is legitimately different. Matching your driver, fairways and irons in the same finish (with a coordinated shaft option in the irons, no less) is something most OEMs don’t bother to offer as a complete package.
If you’re the type of golfer who cares about a cohesive look in the bag, this is one of the more complete options we’ve seen. If you’re not, well, TaylorMade still makes these clubs in the regular colors.
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