ZMendle10

Wedges arrived yesterday right after I finished all of the house chores. I was not able to do any testing as I was going out to dinner in a few hours so I didn’t have any time to take the plastic off the wedges but I did open up the box and take a good amount of pictures from the unboxing process. Here’s a sneak peak though at some of the unboxing process while I work on going into more detail in my testing post. I’m unable to do any testing today since I’m down the shore for Father’s Day but I’m playing 18 tomorrow so they are going right from the plastic coming off the course.

Just got the confirmation for today so I’ll be joining you soon.

@DonnieGolfs did your wedges arrive yesterday or are they a running late?

How's everyone's irons holding up to the test of time? Are they still in the bag and are they looking to be cherished with the company no longer in buisness.

Have a bit more and I’ll be sure to get you in the loop. I am expecting them to arrive in sat and with any luck I can get some first impressions that same day but if not I’m gonna be playing 18 on Monday regardless. Sunday I’m gonna be down the shore for Father’s Day and the clubs will unfortunately be staying home.

Giving the SM8’s some last licks before the TAIII’s arrive

Introduction has posted and below is a quick link to the post. Looking forward to getting the testing started and if anyone wants to see anything other than what i will initially be testing fire away on the thread!

Huge shoutout to Sub70 and MGS for putting this together. I've got some really fun ideas for different ways to test these wedges and I can't wait to get started.

I'm a big fan of the Tour BX because for me the flight is just what I like to see and for me the Tour BX is just a great feeling ball. I will say though the biggest downside with these balls is that they are not very durable. However I just toss them in my shag bag if they are too beat up an still have the same chipping performance around the green. Not sure if you have noticed the same durability issues as me though.

Introduction First things first is I want to thank both Sub 70 and My Golf Spy for another amazing testing opportunity. This is my fourth equipment testing for the forums and my first wedge test so I am really excited for this one. A little background info on me is that I’m 29 years old, Mechanical Engineer by trade, and I live in Raritan, NJ. I live with my fiancé and our two dogs Hudson (Lab and Dane mix) and Tucker (chihuahua mix). My fiancé supports my dedication to the game and has even started taking up the game little by little. When it comes to my game by the numbers I am an 11 handicap and my best round ever has been an 81 which I achieved this year. I’ve been close on multiple occasions but my putting has held me back in these rounds, think of an 82 with 3 3-putts. Off the tee I’m okay but when it comes to my strength it’s without a doubt iron play. I’m very comfortable with an iron in my hands and there is no big miss I fear. This confidence bleeds into pitching from 40yds and out. I’m not sticking it close every time but I am hitting the green more often than not but it’s not as close as I would like. Putting is by far the worst part of my game and for perspective 2 of my friends will never give me a gimme no matter how insultingly short the putt is. Some people can make from anywhere well I can miss from anywhere. Wege DTL.mov Wedge Face On.mov From putting comes my chipping and this is where I am hoping to see the biggest improvement with the TAIII wedges. My current gamers are both SM8’s from 2 years ago in slate blue (the best finish) and the specs are 56* S grind with 10* of bounce stamped with Hudson's name and a 60* M grind with 8* of bounce stamped with Tucker's name. I used the Vokey wedge selector (Unofficial SM8 Review) to make those decisions and I’ve really enjoyed them. The M grind for me is just amazing and I would reorder that wedge in a heartbeat while the S grind is okay around the green but shines in the sand so it’s good but not great. Specs The wedges I went with were the 56* with 12* of bounce and the 60* LB with 7* of bounce with both in the Raw finish. I wanted the raw finish because I feel that it lends itself to more things to test. The things I plan to test are as follows: How quickly do they rust Can the rust be removed easily Does rust add spin How soft do they feel How bendable are they How do they handle in wet conditions How is the sole design Is it versatile around the greens Is the lack of bounce and grind options an issue. Can I hit high and low shots I don’t really have an interest in doing a deep dive comparing spin between the TAIII’s and my SM8’s since my SM8’s have about 55 rounds to them and more than their fair share of practice time. Aside from standard on-course testing I will have plenty of testing opportunities on my lunch break at the tamarack golf course chipping green in East Brunswick, Rutgers golf course chipping green, Green knoll pitch and putt, and a little bit of trackman for some raw numbers as well. I won’t be using range balls around the green but a shag bag of premium balls I have used on the course but got a bit of road rash or just are not usable on the course but perfect for chipping. So that’s a bit about me, my game, my fiancé, and our dogs. I’m looking forward to getting the testing underway and taking all my fellow spies on this great journey of the TAIII Forged Wedges Unboxing 06/17/23: My wedges were scheduled for delivery on Sat 06/17 between 2:45 and 6:45 according to UPS and they arrived promptly at 3:00 after I had just finished all my work for the day. The box was placed neatly up against the side of my house and was promptly brought in for inspection. As with any house that has dogs when a new package is delivered it needs to pass the sniff test and this one passed with flying colors. It was then time to open the box and see what waits inside and boy was I excited. Upon opening I discovered a spec sheet, shaft stickers, a sub 70 sticker, Jason Hiland’s business card, a $200 offer for a short game academy, and a handwritten note. I’m not sure who the note was written buy but I would imagine it was either Jason Hiland or the builder themselves. It was a very nice touch and wasn’t unappreciated. With the wedges they were held in place with foam and the wedge heads were wrapped in bubble wrap which was secured by a rubber band. I will say when I brought the box in there was a bit of a rattle but at first glance there was no damage to anything. One of the important things for me was for the grips to be uninstalled as I am ride or die by the Pure DTX grip and had two ready for installation. I am happy to report that the grips were not installed and even the shaft labels were put on which was a surprise that I enjoyed. From under the bubble wrap the heads are beautiful. I have never had raw wedges and love the darker color and am looking forward to them rusting out. A couple things I am excited about the head design is the steps on the toe that remind me of the Ben Hogan Icon blades to help pull the Center Of Gravity away from the sole for a lower launching a wedge and the milled pockets that are typically reserved for the same purpose. I think these designs are really smart and give you a more forgiving iron in players shape. The hosel has some nice detail as well saying both Tour Milled, Forged, and LB Forged for Low Bounce. Lastly the club face itself has the measured weight of the clubhead stickered on the plastic. Something that I have never seen before and the with the weights being within .5g the quality control of weight is there. I suspect due to high machining tolerances the milled aspect really allows them to get a consistent head weight. So far I am very impressed with the packaging of these wedges and the details of them as the milling is intricate and fun to look at but clearly serves a purpose for quality control. I’m really looking forward to testing these wedges and can’t wait to post my first impressions of playing them. First Impressions 18 out of 20: So far I have had these wedges for about a week and they have seen the likes of everything from trackman sessions with RCT balls, chipping greens, and 36 holes across 3 golf courses. 18 of those holes were in a tournament as well with full commitment. It’s safe to say that these wedges have been through the wringer in only a short amount of time and so far they perform. One thing I want to stress is these wedges take some time to get a bit used to. Whatever combination of head weight, bounce, and sole design is going on with them is a bit different than my Vokeys. That being said my initial impressions were that they seemed like a forgiving wedge from a head design and I’m pleased to not be disappointed in that front. While you are adjusting to them they offer plenty of assistance when needed and are very comforting. Feel wise they feel great. Middled shots feel amazing and miss hits while not punished on flight definitely let you know where you struck the ball much more than a cast wedge. They have plenty of spin to them and while practicing at Rutgers the person to my right was watching me hit some shots and was impressed with the spin I was getting on basic 30yd chip shots. I also took the time to mess around on Trackman and tried to see how much spin I can get on full shots. I used an RCT Pro V1 Left Dash for data and all shots had non italicized spin so all spin numbers were accurate. Always fun to see average spin at 11,000 with the 60* on average and the total less than the carry. These things can spin even with a draw/hook. Aesthetics 7 out of 10: Looks: In the bag, out the bag, at address, or at the back badging it doesn’t matter. These wedges look fantastic from every angle. The milling on the back screams craftsmanship and the mill patterns alone are fun to look at and admire. Sure a little more dirt gets in there but it’s well worth it. The darker saying of the raw wedges is fantastic for glare and the speckled rust on the back is a perfect accent as well. The face is for sure rusting slower than back but I’m more than happy with that. Sound: The sound of these wedges is beautifully muted. It’s dull yet crisp and just a pleasure to hear. I have no complaints in the sound department on either good or bad shots. Feel: The feel of these wedges out the middle can absolutely hang with the big boys. They have no problem going to toe to toe with Vokey, Taylormade, or Cleveland. I’m not sure if it’s the milling, forging , or the combo of both but they are amazing out the middle. However, when not out of the middle these wedges let you know to start shaping up. It’s not bad like a thinned iron early in the morning but it’s jarring for sure. You know where you missed it and you know to do better moving forward. But, that doesn’t mean the performance has been effected. The ball still flys beautifully at the target and you almost fell like you got away with one. The Numbers 8 out of 10: Testing Procedure Comparison: For comparison I put the TAIII’s up against my SM8’s and tried to hit the 3 different yardages as close as I could. I was not concerned with only the perfect shots but rather keeping dispersion the same and gathering 10 decent shots with each club at each yardage. I used a Pro V1X Left Dash RCT as the ball to pick up accurate numbers and it’s to closest ball in the Titleist lineup to my Bridgestone Tour BX. The Results 56* The Results 60* These wedges beat out my Vokeys in every category especially in the standard deviation. This is to be expected as my SM8’s are about 2 years old but they still held their ground against some brand new wedges. Testing Procedure Wet VS Dry: For wet wedge testing I wiped the face of the wedge with a damp paper towel after each shot and made sure the face was wet to the touch before hitting the shot at the specified yardage. The Pro V1X Left Dash RCTwas also used for this test as well. The Results 56* The Results 60* When it came to wet vs dry testing I was very surprised to see the numbers as close as they were. I felt like keeping the dispersion for wet was tough and that it was neat to see launch increase and spin decrease. That being said they didn’t drop too much in spin when wet. I think what helped this was for some reason I delivered more loft with the wet wedges and that altered my delivery. On Course Testing 15 out of 20: Around the Green: On the course these wedges have been nothing but good to me. I have not had anywhere near as much confidence in my short game since putting these in the bag. Around the green I feel I can control these wedges to roll out and land exactly where I need them to. I’m not sure if this is because of the fresh grooves or if it’s the sole design but they are working for me so far. Around the green has been my biggest weakness and I have been consistently getting up and down more often to where it’s noticeable for me. From the Bunkers: From the sand I’m not completely sold on them just yet. I just don’t have a ton of confidence to get the ball close to the hole with them. I’m able to get out just fine but it’s nowhere near as close as I would like and I find it tough to predict my results out of the sand with them. Pitching: From tight lies these wedges shine with pitching. I can play shots with a very shallow angle of attack and still generate plenty of spin to stop the ball. For example I was pitching to a pin that was just on top of a plateau and only a few feet passed was a downslope. The rest of my group was off the green waiting and I played a low spinner just right off the flag. I see it bite as the rest of my group oohs and ahhhs at the stopping power of the shot. They fully expected it to run off the back but a one hop and stop down hill left them slightly disappointed. The 56* despite having high bounce at 12* of bounce is still it great in wet conditions and when it a soppy lie I tend to get a bit unsure in how to play the shot. There is unfortunately no magic bullet for a fat shot from a wet lie and these wedges don’t offer enough help there. The Good Bad or In-Between 18 out of 20: The Good: Beautiful Looks. Great for straight forward short game shots. Strong performance with wet wedge testing. Weight of club head out right on the wrapper. Handwritten note inside the packaging with a beautiful black box. Really easy to control around the greens on straightforward shots. Produces a very straight and penetrating ball flight on pitches and full shots. Amazing feel on centered strikes. The Bad: Not enough grind or bounce options. Not a strong performer in wet conditions. Feel on off centered strikes leaves much to be desired. The In-between: Some room for creativity around the greens but not a ton. Turf interaction is good but not great. More grind options could help here. Play it or Trade it 16 out of 20: For now I’m gonna play these wedges for the rest of the season. I’m really playing well around the greens with them and I’m gonna ride that wave for as long as I can. However I do miss the versatility of the M grind on my 60* and the turf interaction of my SM8’s was also much better than that of the TAIII’s I’m going to ride out the rest of the season with these wedges since I’m comfortable with them and have consistency and predictability with them. However I still think next season they will be replaced by something else in the main bag and be slotted into my travel bag for trips. I do very much enjoy these wedges but there are these little things here and there that just seem missing at times and I can’t quite put my finger on them until it happens. Conclusion: Overall these wedges very good but not perfect. They have their strongest showing in the looks department by far. Again the milling detail is beautiful and almost puts you in a trance the more you look at them. The unboxing process was fantastic as they were delivered with a handwritten note, no grips, and a sticker with the club head weight right on the face. To me this is such a small detail but the attention to it is fantastic. These are all details that a smaller DTC company can provide that you won’t find anything close with bigger companies. Being a smaller DTC brand Sub 70 doesn’t seem to offer multiple grind and bounce options. This could be to keep quantities high with less skus which keeps costs down and overall a cheaper product but I really think the lack of options is what might be hurting them. For me the turf interaction was just not great with softer conditions. By making a one size fits all high and low bounce grind it gets tough to be dialed in. I might be on the fringes of this grind or in the middle but I can’t say for sure. Dry and slightly firmer conditions these wedges shine though and are a pleasure to play with. They have plenty of spin and forgiveness on all types of shots but they tend to favor the straightforward shots more than the creative shots. They also feel amazing out the middle but if you play a former golf ball be warned it might be a bit jarring of a miss hit. Your shot will still perform but you won’t feel the best about the contact. The person I would most recommend these wedges for is someone looking for a beautiful wedge who plays firmer conditions but doesn’t like to get fancy with their short game. They perform well enough to compete with the larger brands and save you some money but in a head to head they might have their work cut out for them. I really enjoyed testing these wedges and above else they have improved my short game all else aside so for that they are comfortably in the bag. Don’t let the final score scare you off. These are great wedges for somebody but I’m not in that category of player. I am a unique case and find myself to be the exception not the rule of perfect fit. Final Score 82 out of 100

Really interesting going from a 55g stiff to 75g extra stiff in the same shaft. Really curious as to how that transition is going to be.

It's called bag chatter for a reason. Th clubs talk to each other when they know they are on their way out. Don't ask me the science behind it but just trust me.

If there was ever a sendoff to give an old driver this might be one of the top ways to do it.

Loved the initial first impressions! Looking forward to hearing more about the on course performance!

Looking forward to hearing the reviews from all of these well deserved testers!

Intro As it stands I am currently a 12 handicap and the best way to describe my game is the ball striking of a 5 handicap, the short game of 20 handicap, and the decision making of 10. With my short game being the biggest killer I have yet to break 80 with my best being an 82. I have had opportunities but missed it solely through 3 putts (ex 83 with 4 3-putts). By now you're probably saying to yourselves if you have the ball striking of a 5 HC and putting 20HC why wouldn’t you do a putter review? The reason being I like my putter but never practiced so you get out what you put in and I wanted to just try what’s out there. I live in somerset county NJ and as such I play a good amount of my golf at the somerset county courses with Green Knoll being my closest and home course. I played a lot of casual golf with the occasional tournament round to test my mental focus and give my competitive side a chance to come out.T My previous driver was a 2021 Mizuno STZ with a Tensie 1K white 6TX and while I really liked it I felt like It was a bit too high and spiny which for my game I don't need much help with but, it was a fairway finder and what my game needed at the time. I was looking for something that doesn’t overspin on the misses as much and is very good in the wind with a bit more rollout. I was really intrigued by this year’s driver release schedule and was planning on getting a new one in February after everything has hit the shelves. However I was super intrigued by the TSR lineup and since there was a free demo day at Heron Glenn in September I figured why not get a head start. STZ DTL.mov The Fitting I told my fitter Kevin if all I see is a low fade with the driver I will be more than happy. I wish I could say everything that I tried but I did my best to stay in the dark. After going through a ton of combinations we had it dialed down to either a Ventus Black 6X or Graphite Design UB7X but I still didn’t know the clubhead yet. At the end of it all I was fit into the UB 7X in a Titleist TSR3 8* head, C2 hosel setting, and STD weight in T2. Since we were hitting range balls I was only concerned with contact and how the flight looked. We did drop a few Pro V1x’s at the end just to make sure and then we were on our way. I didn’t pull the trigger right away though. I hemmed and hawed a bit, got engaged a month later, and then early November realized why look for something that’s not gonna get much better if at all. So i pulled the trigger and on November 4th I received my new driver. First Impressions Opening the box this club was packaged just fine. Nothing fancy but when shaking the box there was no reason for concern. I thought that it was assembled incorrectly for a second but upon further reviewing my order form that’s on me since i ordered it wrong. This is more for the hosel settings though and something I should have paid more attention to. Once out of the box with my grip of choice installed I set this thing down on the ground and it lives up to the hype. It is as classic looking as you can get and just beautiful to look down at with that gloss crown and TSR alignment aide. For a 460cc head it looks smaller than most driver heads the same size but that suits my eye very much. I put it down next to my STZ and my STZ looks like an absolute spaceship compared to it. First Swings: I took it to the indoor simulators and was immediately seeing the same numbers I was fit into. Just a super low peely cut that was averaging about 85ft in the air which is what I was hoping for. The STZ i had to fight to keep it at 100ft in the air and the TSR3 was the opposite and a much desirable change. Speed was up and so was ballspeed but this could have been due to the 1/2in longer shaft than my STZ. Overall I was immensely impressed and I couldn't wait to get on the course with it. First On Course Round: The first time the driver was on the course was at Farmstead Golf and Country Club in Newton, NJ. I immediately was seeing the distance gains that come with the quicker club head speed even with the misses. Overcutting the ball previously was averaging about 265 yds at best and that day my misses were about 285yds with the same miss and strike. I had several drives over 300 yds and even a 320 yds poke to which I promptly went long on the wedge shot (classic). Overall I am incredibly impressed with the driver at first glance. It performed exactly as what I was fit into and it looks, feels, and sounds perfect in every way. Looks: 13 out of 15 Plain and simple this driver looks perfect from the top. There is not a single knock on it for me and I love how compact it looks for a 460cc head, is taller, sits insanely neutral, and is so clean from the top view. Because of the weight track on the bottom it could be argued as a bit busy but that is solely because of the weight track. I have no issues with this at all and this is unavoidable with the weight track and I’m sure the people at Titleist who are much smarter than I will figure out a way to make it sleeker next iteration but I really have no complaints about it . Sound and Feel: 15 out of 15 The driver just feels powerful and firm. It matches up fantastic with a firmer golf ball well and when you hit one out the middle you know and you could predict the flight and shape with your eyes closed. Mizuno may pride themselves on the best feeling irons and hope it bleeds into the driver but the TSR3 does it with no issues and blows mizuno out of the water. Nothing to complain about or have any notes of improvement on this front. On Course Performance: 30 out of 40 The TSR3 straight up performs on the course but it comes with the caveat of you get out what you put in. The best comparison that I could liken it too would be like your favorite set of players' distance irons. You get ball speed with a fantastic flight and a good amount of forgiveness but you still have to put in the work to get the most out of it. I have had the driver in the bag for the past 7 months and it is the first driver that I feel like I have a good amount of control over. The flight never gets too high or overspins and it is a pleasure to watch well struck shots. I enjoy the additional length of going from 45in to 45.5in as it gives more clubhead speed and thus more ball speed while the 7X rather than 6X allows me to still feel in control due to being able to feel the clubhead. I have seen some of my longest drives with this club as well as reach some of my highest ball and clubhead speeds on Trackman. The reason for the detraction of points is that it could be a bit more forgiving of a driver at times. I don’t need to have my best stuff to have a good driving day but on my off days and especially my bad days the driver can be tough to get under control at times. Miscellaneous: 10 out of 10 The things that I looked at here are the Titleist customer support and the build itself of the driver. Before pulling the trigger I spoke with the Titleist chat on their website about whether I should go 7X or 6TX with the shaft. They were very patient and helped explain the differences and guided me towards the right decision of 7X. The driver was also built correctly to spec after looking over the sheet that was included in the order and I do love the fact that the grip can be included without being installed. I like to use Pure grips but I hate the idea of having to cut off a brand new grip to put mine on. Play it or Trade it?: 18 out of 20 Play it 100%. The looks, sound, and feel are all perfect. The ball flight is low and penetrating, but can still get high with low spin and is just all around a great driver. The extra length makes it a bit more unforgiving than the STZ but it still is well worth the change over. The okay days are as good as the great days with the STZ and the great days just blow the STZ out of the water. Overall the TSR3 has the ability to do things with ease that the STZ has an uphill battle to accomplish. UB 7X Face On.mov

Always love participating in these. Lets go Team Bill Beau Baggins!! Cut Line -1 Spieth will be -4 after 2 rounds.

Congratulations to all the testers! Enjoy the speed gains but be sure to also enjoy the process!

I haven't gotten there quite yet as I don't have the equipment for club repair but I am working on getting things. I have tuned in to a few lives and love the ease you have explaining everything so I thank you alot for doing them as they are a great resource.

On Monday I played at the course I used to caddy at and the rough was on the thicker side there. This really brought the deficiencies of the wedges to light as I was really having a tough time getting some spin on the ball around the greens. Nothing that I couldn't play with but compared to a county course the ball was for sure rolling out a bit more than what I was expecting it to. I would say that Titleist is accurate on saying they should be replaced about every 75 rounds depending on practice because that's where I'm at roughly and I put a ton of practice in with them on partial shots. I'm torn if I should just order new ones of the same specs or take the trip out to MA for a fitting as I have never been truly fit for wedges before and think it would be an amazing experience.

Always happy to help. Good luck during the tournaments and keep us all posted!

@MaxEntropy brings up a good point about you being a better player and being able to adjust quickly. There will for sure be some bumps in the road along the way but as a better ball striker its easier to get through it and those periods don't last as long. I consider myself a very good ball striker and those rough patches were never more than like a week or so. What I would recommend is that since speed training is never two days in a row on the off days of speed training work on a fairway finder controlled swing with the driver. You might be a bit slower at first but as you gain speed with your stock swing the fairway finder swing will gain speed as well. I also wouldn't worry about dispersion with any clubs too much other than the driver since those for me at least didn't see any crazy shot pattern changes they just got quicker naturally with the training. For perspective the most recent ball striking slump I had with my irons lasted about a week (3 practice sessions). If your attitude during those times where you can't find the middle of the face is along the lines of "This is just a temporary issue and I'll just keep hitting balls till I get through it I'll be all good. Hope this helps.

Great review. I've been playing this ball off and on for the past few months and you've pretty much summarized my entire experience playing it.

I really like it on full shots and feel that's where it shines the brightest for me. I also don't have a hard time hitting any yardages outside of 40yds either. I just find it tough to maneuver the face around grass so i just use my 60° M grind for those shots. I will say the S grind does very well out of greenside bunkers though and its easy to use the sole in those situations.

this is typically what I use my S grind for. I find it tough to use the bounce with this grind but I do enjoy it with straight forward greenside chips that need to run out a bit more than the 60°