azstu324

So this unfortunately has been the ongoing battle with Golfworks / Maltby. Other than fit2u and LetsPlayThru, there really are no other videos to speak of. The best way to find out about Maltby is by coming right here or one of the other forums out there. Like I mentioned in my previous post, these other DTC companies are flooding the market with their reviews by sending out loads of free clubs to these reviewers. If you haven't already, you'll notice a trend that pretty much all of these guys just happened to get their hands on "XYZ" set of golf clubs and their videos are pretty much all released back to back to back with other reviewers and the same clubs. That's not a mistake. The big companies do the same thing. It's marketing. Until my colab with Gabe there were really no produced YT videos to speak of and won't likely be any more from other guys unless they're willing to buy a set themselves. Short of completely trolling them, I've done my absolute best to get them to agree to purchase a set from Maltby and that's yet to happen. My hopes with all of this is that eventually Maltby/Golfworks will break down their walls and see the value in these videos. Time will tell

Ha ha all this birthday talk and my FOMO's kicking in. My 45 is this weekend (24th). Not as monumental as 50 though. Playing 18 with my dad on Saturday at a nice course. Was really hoping to have my new PTM5 putter components and 7 wood in by then that I had ordered last week.. but, since I opted to have them build the 7 wood, they are 7-10 days to ship built clubs . Had I known I would have just ordered unassembled and built it myself. Hopefully it will be here Monday or Tuesday for my "happy birthday to me" present

After watching the video again, he didn't really say they sound bad. He was comparing them to the original TS1 and said that they definitely sound and feel different. And they do. Not sure I agree that the TS1 sound and feel softer as he stated. Not even the new TS1-IM sound and feel as good as the TS3 and IMO they are as pure sounding and feeling as a forged club could be. It's right up there with some of the best forgings from Mizuno, Miura, Tour Stage, WS, Titleist, Callaway.. you name it. The TS4 also falls in the same category but with a smaller sweet spot so toe strikes lose that feeling some, where the TS3's whole face feels like a sweet spot.

2023/24 has been busy for for Maltby. Their most recent iron release is the TE+ V4 but the whole TS line is considered fairly new (2023) Additionally they're working on a new or possibly updated wedge line with hopefully more variations. I'm sure they've got more irons being designed but we may not see those for another year or so. Their KE4 TC Pro driver KE4 Pro Fairway woods 3, 5, 7 Ke4 Max putter

I think in theory you're right on track. The weights should impact face control similar to a driver. A heavier heel weight should help with face closure and add more mass so a heel strike should move through the ball better with less deflection. Also, the type of hosel can promote specific face rotations with balance positions. I'd imagine you'd want as close to face balanced as possible and and then work with those weights. Toe hang mimicks a heavier toe side and keeps the face open longer. My usual miss is a pull when I close the face up too quick. The PTM-4 is a medium toe hang and works awesome for my stroke which is straight back with a slight arc through the ball. Hopefully I'm not too far off here

I 100% agree on the wedge sentiment. They're doing so much with their other irons but their wedges could definitely show an improvement . I used the TSW for a couple years BUT have since gravitated to the Cleveland Zipcore, and now TM MG3 because of overall better tech offered. Britt has stated that they are working a new wedge lineup so hopefully it's something a little more robust.

It's all good man! Pretty sure I thought the same thing when I started down this rabbit hole. Definitely a unique name that's for sure!

I'm 99.10% sure he is a he/him

It's interesting how opinions can vary on this topic. I actually don't mind the top line on the TS3's because the blade length is just a little more squat looking so for me that negates some of the thickness. Don't get me wrong, slimmer is definitely sexier but I don't mind a little meat on the bones as long as it's proportioned well (talking about golf clubs here)

Yeah I definitely know companies like Hogan, Wishon, even PXG and a few others do have their own designs, but also have a similar industry pedigree and history as Maltby. It's just the big flashy ones that appear all over YouTube and other Social Media who have popped up over the past few years who are more/less hyper marketing their clubs and being credited with starting the DTC Movement. They've all made claims that simply aren't true.. i.e. marketing 101 . Again, not a total slant on those companies. They're putting functional, affordable golf clubs in the hands of more consumers who might not be able to afford a new set otherwise. Their approach is definitely more aggressive and it works for them. But definitely a higher praise to Maltby and maybe gives a better understanding as to why they can't send out free sets to multiple reviewers, forum tests, etc. They simply have much more invested in each set so their profit margins are slimmer.

Something to note about Maltby VS the other DTC's is that they truly have unique and proprietary designs because they are a true golf club company. I recently had a chat with someone DEEP in that world. They divulged that basically all of the other DTC companies, including the most well-known T#####, are simply marketing companies who put their names on golf clubs. Many of them even have inside guys spreading info on forums and YouTube videos about them being designed in-house and not being foundry copies. My source (who is 100% credible) told me that they've talked to the owners at a specific foundry where these clubs are made, and the models going out for these companies previously and currently belong to that foundry. Nothing proprietary at all. The ONLY thing unique to these companies is the lofts and lies that they choose to use, possibly finishes, and the brand name that gets stamped on the clubs. That's pretty much it. I've always had my suspicions, but this confirms everything. Not trying to slander these other companies, but to talk up Maltby even more. Maltby pays huge amounts for their own tooling and forge dyes AND conduct their own R&D on each model. If you follow the Maltby forum, when each model is coming forward, they do 2, 3, 4 + test runs and make tweaks until the product is what they feel is perfect to release. This is a lot of time and $ spent and their stuff is still world class at insane prices. Even lower than the other guys at times. The models that came out in 2023 took over 2 years to come to fruition.

For anyone who cares, I've got another Maltby review that I'm currently lining up with Gabe from Letsplaythru.. stay tuned!

Otto Phlex thread comes out.. and then Borgmeier starts playing whippy shafts. Coincidence? I think not . Ha I wish that was the case. IMO Borg is as manly as a man can get. If he can shamelessly play a whippy noodle, then so can we!

Yeah sounds pretty close. You could even tip weight the shaft just to fine tune if needed.

384g (head + hosel) is pretty substantial for a putter head. Probably on the heavier side of what most big brands use. Did you try it with a standard shaft? Or the Pure Track stability shaft? I know their stability shaft is a hit/miss for many. That could definitely pull a lot of the head weight away and be off-putting for some. The way @Shrek74has it set looks to be a pretty solid build though with a good counter weight in the grip for overall distance control. I can't speak for sound and feel on these being aluminum.

Ha ha yeah I know. So being a Monday helped.. and I wouldn't necessarily call this course a "desirable" or popular track. It's an exec but kind of a hidden gem too. They maintain a $25 green fee through the winter for walking players. On the surface it looks kinda rough so I think a lot of folks steer clear.. but the fairways and greens are really well kept and it is actually a fun layout that allows you to move through your whole bag. It's only got 4 holes that a driver is practical on. But it's got other par 4's that require a 3 wood or iron off the tee due to having really tight, blind dog legs. For $25, it scratches the itch during "winter" here in AZ when all the other courses are $100++++

Yeah so I conducted a little experiment 2 separate times yesterday. I was by myself with a 2 some in front and nobody behind me so had some time to goof around. On one hole I hit a perfect drive down the middle. But then I purposely hit a shot off the heel and then the toe. All 3 balls were literally within 15 feet of each other. That's not much at all. The heel and toe shots did what they do.. heel went right and toe went left.. but they weren't anything resembling a duck hook or high slice. More like a playable draw or fade! The 2nd experiment actually started with a low heel that went right and just settled in the first cut. 2nd shot was a towering bomb down the middle and probably the longest drive I've ever had on this particular hole. Even the miss was longer than most of the previous drives I've had on this particular hole. You can't tell from the pic but the entire fairway is an uphill grade so rollout is very minimal. Most other drivers, that low heel would have been in another fairway.. in this case that would have been in a lake that you can't see on the right. If this is a "bad miss" for this club, I'll take that all day every day!

Took the STZ230 out for its first round today and man this thing is pretty awesome. I'm not going to say that it's much longer than the PXG but the misses are so much smaller! The feel and sound outdoors is intoxicating! I'm starting to think this thing could really work for me!

I may have placed an order for a TC Pro 7 wood AND a PTM-5 head to build with another MPF shafts and a WINN NTP 1.10 grip. Should hopefully all be here Wednesday

"THE FIRST RULE OF OTTO PHLEX.. IS YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT AUTOFLEX!!"

Got it in a on Wednesday. Took some swings with it in the garage with the Garmin R10 and everything from the store came right back to me. I'm hoping to get it to the range maybe tomorrow. My benchmark is that if it can keep up with the distance of the Maltby TC Pro, but yield better forgiveness, I'm completely sold! I also glued up my Otto Phlex stand-in last night so it will be a fun and interesting comparison tomorrow. V.S.

As for the ferrules, in my experience, and just like all golf equipment, NOTHING is created equally. You'll just have to have a Macgyver move ready in the event that the ferrules don't quite fit perfectly. As for the TSW's, I love those wedges! That said, I consider myself a fairly proficient wedgesmith. I've put a ton of time into my wedge game. The TSW's are nothing short of a "pro" style profile. Smaller, thinner, sharper edges. Many have complained that they're not the easiest to hit because of their profile and grind/bounce options. IMHO, if your buddy isn't the strongest wedge player, I might not recommend the TSW.. but, the Max milled might be a fantastic option. It's a no-nonsense approach to the wedge. Much more forgiving and friendly with the wide sole, slight offset, and more rounded leading edge. It doesn't lend itself particularly well to finesse shots or creativeness in opening or shutting the face but it doesn't sound like that's something that your friend needs to be concerned with at this point. Just my $.02

Thanks Vandy! That's the exact same shaft that I tested and ordered. Yeah I noticed those same qualities in my short session. All of the other heads were very good at one thing or another but none of them seemed to check every single box except for the ST-Z. Like you said, it didn't crush in anything specifically BUT was probably 75% strong in every single category. I'm fortunate to have decent distance on my side (still) so I'm not interested in chasing that dragon. At this point, I'm most interested in retaining what ball speed I do have, finding an extra level of forgiveness, and having a look, sound, and feel that inspire me to practice and instill confidence on the tee. That seemed to be what I found with the ST-Z. I'm just hoping it wasn't a magic spell that will eventually wear off as soon as I put it in the bag. I'll definitely report back once I've had some time with it.

So far they're awesome! They're fairly soft feeling for a cord grip which I like. The cord is more subtle than aggressive and doesn't tear up my right hand like others have. So far I highly recommend them! Just a heads up, they are kind of a medium taper reduction grip. Not quite an MCC +4 but not quite a standard taper. For the price you really won't find anything better and they do look pretty cool at the same time.

Oh I will for sure! It's coming tomorrow. I think I feel a cold coming on.. (cough cough) . I heard that the driving range is the perfect medicine