Show us your Maltby!!!

[GolfSpy SAM]

2 hours ago, KOG said:

The KE4 Max is about the same size of the pings , maybe a little smaller and rounder but they are more forgiving and feel better. They dont look like SGI clubs.

I have ke4 max 5-8 and TS3 9 and pw. Best clubs I ever played and paired with dg300 stiff shafts. Take a look see. Pretty sharp not SGI looking clubs and the TS3 are overall amazing clubs for any skill level. They feel like a world class forged club and the feel of puring a shot is comparable to a Mizuno forging or a maybe a Willson Staff blade feel. So soft. I am considering going all ts3, but like the above poster, I dont need to and I love the Ke4 Max 

 

 

This is a fascinating set to me - the combo of the ultra forgiving in the lower irons, combined with the TS3's in the scoring irons...very, very tempting idea. Did you have to bend the TS3's at all to get the lofts to fit in with the KE4's?  I know they're not the same, but not sure where the blend happens in your set, and how you dealt with that. 

18 minutes ago, azstu324 said:

The TS3 feel is undoubtedly making waves.. but how good do the KE4 Max feel for a cast club?! When I took my dad's set out for a spin after I built them I was floored by how good they felt. I'd argue that there are forged blades that don't feel as good. 

That's awesome - in looking at them, i would have thought there'd be a bigger "looks" difference in the bag, and they actually compliment each other incredibly well. 

Question for both of you, if applicable: where do you rank the Maltby wedges (TSW, in particular)?  Have you played major OEMs?  I currently have the original K-Sig wedge set, which I've grown very fond of and have helped my game tremendously from the garbage wedges I was using prior.  However, I'm very close to two years in with them, and now that the new K-Sig wedge set is out, I was toying with the idea of swapping them out (three clubs for $170 is hard to beat).  But I would be a liar if I didn't think it might be worth a few extra bucks to get a higher-performing wedge, so thought I'd ask - I know Stu's used both the milled max and the TSW, and KOG you have the Wilson wedges - just figured I'd pick your brains a bit on that front.  

Fire away

[NCDuffer]

I’ve had the M’s, TSW, and now Max Milled.  The TSW are less forgiving to hit to me due to the sole.  If you want to open it up, play from tight lies, hit flops it’s great. I tended to dig a little with it on 1/2-3/4 shots, but love it in firm bunkers for some reason.  The Max Milled don’t dig quite as much due to the sole.  I’ve been thinking about dropping the 58 Max Milled and carrying 54 Max Milled and 54 TSW as crazy as it sounds.  I do think the Max Milled are a little more stable.

[KOG]

9 hours ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

This is a fascinating set to me - the combo of the ultra forgiving in the lower irons, combined with the TS3's in the scoring irons...very, very tempting idea. Did you have to bend the TS3's at all to get the lofts to fit in with the KE4's?  I know they're not the same, but not sure where the blend happens in your set, and how you dealt with that. 

That's awesome - in looking at them, i would have thought there'd be a bigger "looks" difference in the bag, and they actually compliment each other incredibly well. 

Question for both of you, if applicable: where do you rank the Maltby wedges (TSW, in particular)?  Have you played major OEMs?  I currently have the original K-Sig wedge set, which I've grown very fond of and have helped my game tremendously from the garbage wedges I was using prior.  However, I'm very close to two years in with them, and now that the new K-Sig wedge set is out, I was toying with the idea of swapping them out (three clubs for $170 is hard to beat).  But I would be a liar if I didn't think it might be worth a few extra bucks to get a higher-performing wedge, so thought I'd ask - I know Stu's used both the milled max and the TSW, and KOG you have the Wilson wedges - just figured I'd pick your brains a bit on that front.  

Fire away

Thank you. Yes the 9 and pw was bent 1 degree stronger in order to maintain gapping as I originally had ke4 max 5-gw.  Since those are the irons I use most, and I just re-use my metal shafts, I gave the 9 and pw heads a try and I love them. Considering the 8, but Im so confident with the KE4 Max, its more out of boredom. So forgiving too and nice high launch with great spin numbers. But I also agree that the ke4 max are an amazing feeling cast iron and do feel better than the Adams CB3 and Proa12 which were respected forged clubs.

I also have the Max Milled wedges in 52/58 and theyre very good, but I wanted a 60 degree and got the wilson wedge head for $30 and I was so impressed with the feel of the wilson, I got a 54 off callaway preowed for like $60. On the trackman, the maltby max, honma tw-t4 and fourteen rm-12 spun slightly more all reaching 10,000 while the wilson were mid 9000s which was the same as the kirkland wedges when new and Not a major isse as the wilson have stopping power plenty. Just the sole grind and soft forging of the wilson staff wedges matches very well for me and theyre my favorite wedges, plus I love how they look. However, another great feeling cast wedge are the Honmas. Feel is similar to vokeys maybe a bit softer but the soles just work for me. To be honest I have so many different wedges and regular access to trackman that I think you will find minimal differences from all the wedges you chose. From Mac Daddy 2 era to now, wedges are very simiar. I sacrificed a bit a spin for feel but my short game has improved quite a bit since adding the wilson and honma wedge as well as the ts3 9 and pw. Really content with the set and even the logos of the modern maltbys are in the same place so you can do a mixed set with any of them and it will not look out of place.

Edit: I wanted to add a pic of the Kirklands with the paint removed. Look way sharper. But I still prefer the others I mentioned and you can get them for close the price of the kirklands. However, if you have these already, just sharpen the grooves and remove paint maybe?

Edited June 7, 2023 by KOG

[azstu324]

@GolfSpy SAManother option now that you've dipped your toe in the club building pond is to pick up a TSW head for $45 and a pack of ferrules and use a shaft from one of the K-sigs to build your own. 

IMO wedges are a little more like putters than golf clubs. They're made more for precision than they are for power, so it's really important to have a set that suits your eye and promotes whatever confidence and creativity you're looking for. 

For me, the TSW's are some of the best shaped wedges on the market. Just round and spoony and very inspiring (for me). Some wedges can be a little boxy or just don't have very good transition lines from hosel to toe. The sole grind and bounce of the 56° allowed me to do everything that I want to do with a wedge. So much that I only played a 56° and nothing else. I did play a 50° for a while but ended up liking the TS1 set 50° much better. I even prefer their shape over the Cleveland RTX that I'm using now but the RTX are really performing well for me at the moment so I'm sticking with them. That said, when I'm done with the RTX, I'll likely go back to the TSW 56°. 

For me, the Max Milled were just a little one-note. There's no problem with that kind of wedge if it suits the right person. It just ended up not being the right flavor for my game.

Now.. if Maltby released a TSW full groove, I'd probably ditch the RTX.  

[vandyland]

Golfworks briefly posted the new TE+ and TE+ Black specs and description on their site (no pictures that I could find so if anyone has pictures that would be GREAT):

So basically they solved a few "problems" people had:

- DBMs and TEs dug quite a bit for people so they have a more radiused sole now
- The AVCOG on the TE/DBM was approximately 0.675 which hit moonballs for a lot of people. Now that AVCOG is closer to 0.705 so still very playable and well below the mid point of the ball but not as extreme. 
- Modernized the lofts - not sure if this was a "problem" for anyone but these will go farther now since the lofts are stronger. 
- Maltby Playability factor increased in the new irons by about 50 pts from 787 to 838.

To me this is net positive news (except for the strengthening of the lofts but oh well). Assuming they do not look terrible (they won't) I will go ahead and start mentally building my DBM set. There is a substantial price increase as the heads are now $47-50 whereas they were $30-34 previously. 

Edited June 7, 2023 by vandyland

[azstu324]

12 minutes ago, vandyland said:

Golfworks briefly posted the new TE+ and TE+ Black specs and description on their site (no pictures that I could find so if anyone has pictures that would be GREAT):

So basically they solved a few "problems" people had:

- DBMs and TEs dug quite a bit for people so they have a more radiused sole now
- The AVCOG on the TE/DBM was approximately 0.675 which hit moonballs for a lot of people. Now that AVCOG is closer to 0.705 so still very playable and well below the mid point of the ball but not as extreme. 
- Modernized the lofts - not sure if this was a "problem" for anyone but these will go farther now since the lofts are stronger. 
- Maltby Playability factor increased in the new irons by about 50 pts from 787 to 838.

To me this is net positive news (except for the strengthening of the lofts but oh well). Assuming they do not look terrible (they won't) I will go ahead and start mentally building my DBM set. There is a substantial price increase as the heads are now $47-50 whereas they were $30-34 previously. 

There were pics up for about 5 minutes.. then they went away. They looked great. Thinking I like the overall shaping of the TS4's though. That said, it's really cool to see the sole radius improvement and playability increased. 

2 gripes I had with the OG DBM's were the flat, wide sole that did creat a lot of digging for me. And the transition from lower to higher lofts just wasn't appealing to my eye. The 9-GW just looked boxy and misshapen to my eye. 

Hopefully the pics come back soon 

[vandyland]

I have been contemplating building a DBM set for like 5 months now (quite indecisive here) so now I will just wait for the DBM+. Might even dip my toes into the custom ferrule game. WHO KNOWS?

[pozzit]

12 minutes ago, azstu324 said:

There were pics up for about 5 minutes.. then they went away. They looked great. Thinking I like the overall shaping of the TS4's though. That said, it's really cool to see the sole radius improvement and playability increased. 

2 gripes I had with the OG DBM's were the flat, wide sole that did creat a lot of digging for me. And the transition from lower to higher lofts just wasn't appealing to my eye. The 9-GW just looked boxy and misshapen to my eye. 

Hopefully the pics come back soon 

I caught it last night when it was up and it hadn't refreshed so this is what I have. 

[GolfSpy SAM]

32 minutes ago, pozzit said:

I caught it last night when it was up and it hadn't refreshed so this is what I have. 

Wow - Those are MARKEDLY better looking (to me) than the current TE's.  

So the question then, is, where does this land in the lineup?  If the TS4 is the blade (MB?), is this the Cavity Blade?  That MPF is insane (higher, I believe, than the TS4, but not quite as high as the TS3 (effectively the same at 849 for the TS3)?  I know the TS3 has a thicker topline than the 4 - would this be even thinner than the 4, or about the same? 

Kinda shocked at how much I like the looks of these.  Simple and pure. 

[vandyland]

19 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

Kinda shocked at how much I like the looks of these.  Simple and pure. 

Seriously. Here is my money just take it. A TS1 pack (same head cost as DBM+) in the score shafts is like $530 with shipping and tax. I'll just go ahead and allocate funds to that now and.....wait. 

[azstu324]

26 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

Wow - Those are MARKEDLY better looking (to me) than the current TE's.  

So the question then, is, where does this land in the lineup?  If the TS4 is the blade (MB?), is this the Cavity Blade?  That MPF is insane (higher, I believe, than the TS4, but not quite as high as the TS3 (effectively the same at 849 for the TS3)?  I know the TS3 has a thicker topline than the 4 - would this be even thinner than the 4, or about the same? 

Kinda shocked at how much I like the looks of these.  Simple and pure. 

My guess is that these would fit snugly between the TS4 and TS3. I'm not including the IM's just because they're their own animal simply by construction. 

I don't know if I've ever seen a brand lineup though were so many models are interchangeable and would work so well with one another aesthetically. Depending on your level of play there could be so many different combos to pair. 

[GCrush24]

On 6/6/2023 at 10:09 AM, KOG said:

The KE4 Max is about the same size of the pings , maybe a little smaller and rounder but they are more forgiving and feel better. They dont look like SGI clubs.

I have ke4 max 5-8 and TS3 9 and pw. Best clubs I ever played and paired with dg300 stiff shafts. Take a look see. Pretty sharp not SGI looking clubs and the TS3 are overall amazing clubs for any skill level. They feel like a world class forged club and the feel of puring a shot is comparable to a Mizuno forging or a maybe a Willson Staff blade feel. So soft. I am considering going all ts3, but like the above poster, I dont need to and I love the Ke4 Max 

 

 

Woah those do look nice . Also I have to agree alot of these clubs look better in everyone's pictures over their website lol... thanks! Yeah I guess I debating between the ke4 max and ts3 ...

[Deepred]

No change in the loft, can’t trust what Britt says!

[IndyBonzo]

I broke down and bought a combo set of TS3 (5-8) and TS1 (9-G) on eBay, at a great price.  They have KBS Tour 120S shafts and midsized grips already, so they may be plug and play for me.  If not a simple reshaft and off to the races.  All the great reviews and the sweetness of my tester TS3 7 iron were far too much to resist any longer.  Fingers crossed.  

[azstu324]

3 hours ago, IndyBonzo said:

I broke down and bought a combo set of TS3 (5-8) and TS1 (9-G) on eBay, at a great price.  They have KBS Tour 120S shafts and midsized grips already, so they may be plug and play for me.  If not a simple reshaft and off to the races.  All the great reviews and the sweetness of my tester TS3 7 iron were far too much to resist any longer.  Fingers crossed.  

Welcome to the Maltby brotherhood.

[KOG]

6 hours ago, IndyBonzo said:

I broke down and bought a combo set of TS3 (5-8) and TS1 (9-G) on eBay, at a great price.  They have KBS Tour 120S shafts and midsized grips already, so they may be plug and play for me.  If not a simple reshaft and off to the races.  All the great reviews and the sweetness of my tester TS3 7 iron were far too much to resist any longer.  Fingers crossed.  

I actually messaged that guy to ask if hed sell the 3 ts3 heads but Im glad you got them.. Congrats

[IndyBonzo]

5 hours ago, KOG said:

I actually messaged that guy to ask if hed sell the 3 ts3 heads but Im glad you got them.. Congrats

There was a group of TS3 heads for sale on eBay yesterday.  Go get ‘em!  (Not mine obviously.). 

[IndyBonzo]

I gamed the Miura CB-57s today, which I am growing to love.  But when it came time to hit the 7 iron, I played the TS3. It was nothing short of amazing.  It found every green but one, when it was online but short due to hitting out of very wet, long rough.  I’m not saying it’s point-and-shoot, but …. It’s point-and-shoot.  
 

The Miuras are extremely workable.  I am eager to find out if the Maltbys can do the same. 

[azstu324]

Anyone interested in the TS4's and you're trying to decide between all of the REALLY GOOD 2023 options.. just get them. They're sooooo good. 

I'm at the point now where I look at a green and say.. oh yeah I'm landing on that.. but where should I land? And how? Even down to the 5 iron these are very forgiving and just a pleasure to play. Having played true blades a few times in the past, these really are the best of both worlds in looks and forgiveness. 

Distance control and consistency is just world class. I'm actually seeing a tighter gapping deviation than the OG TS1's AND general distance per club is exactly the same even with slightly higher lofts. 

Spin seems to be really good but without any ballooning at all. This allows for superb green hold and control. 

 

[pozzit]

Anyone interested in the TS4's and you're trying to decide between all of the REALLY GOOD 2023 options.. just get them. They're sooooo good. 
I'm at the point now where I look at a green and say.. oh yeah I'm landing on that.. but where should I land? And how? Even down to the 5 iron these are very forgiving and just a pleasure to play. Having played true blades a few times in the past, these really are the best of both worlds in looks and forgiveness. 
Distance control and consistency is just world class. I'm actually seeing a tighter gapping deviation than the OG TS1's AND general distance per club is exactly the same even with slightly higher lofts. 
Spin seems to be really good but without any ballooning at all. This allows for superb green hold and control. 
 

So your seeing only improvement from the OG TS1s?
They eyes and heart want them but the wallet not so much. They fit nicely in between the "can only afford every 5 years" and "more golf ball" budget ugh dang.

[azstu324]

I'm afraid to say.. they are better. I know that doesn't help your situation. 

[GolfSpy SAM]

1 hour ago, azstu324 said:

Anyone interested in the TS4's and you're trying to decide between all of the REALLY GOOD 2023 options.. just get them. They're sooooo good. 

I'm at the point now where I look at a green and say.. oh yeah I'm landing on that.. but where should I land? And how? Even down to the 5 iron these are very forgiving and just a pleasure to play. Having played true blades a few times in the past, these really are the best of both worlds in looks and forgiveness. 

Distance control and consistency is just world class. I'm actually seeing a tighter gapping deviation than the OG TS1's AND general distance per club is exactly the same even with slightly higher lofts. 

Spin seems to be really good but without any ballooning at all. This allows for superb green hold and control. 

 

It's so tempting to just order a 7-iron built to spec just to see how it feels/performs. Knowing the TS3's performance, I'd be curious about these, just considering how stunning they are. 

I'm not REALLY sure I could justify the potential penalty of a mishit... But good god they're so beautiful. 

[pozzit]

...so $360+tax&ship for 5-PW heads all in stock. Golfworks why do you make it so easy to throw money at? 

Or pick up a 7i with FST 125 and a golf pride grip and shipping for just under $100.

Which to choose why doesn't Maltby do a rental program lol.

[IndyBonzo]

The new (to me) TS3/TS1 combo set arrived this morning, and I took them to the range for a brief session over lunch.  Again, the TS3 5-8 were total point-and-shoot.  Even a thin shot with the 8 iron went low, but the right distance and settled on the faux green target.

The TS1's seemed similarly easy to hit, albeit not quite as forgiving (but objectively forgiving no doubt).  They arrived with some lead tape on them to lower the COG and probably balance out the weights with the TS3s (which are relatively heavier).  The tape seems to render them not workable; I failed to hit a fade with the PW in several attempts which I can manage to do with other clubs no problem.  Will have to try them without the tape and see what I see.

These clubs inspire confidence with distance and accuracy.  I think they're keepers in a rotation with my other gamers, likely for longer courses and windier days where distance and penetrating ball flight trump workability and finesse.  Lots more testing and comparisons to do, however.

 

[IndyBonzo]

This is what I meant when I said point and shoot.  This was only my second time hitting the entire set of TS3 (5-8) and TS1 (9-G).  I am very happy with this distance and dispersion, which is far better than what I am used to.  And the irons - especially the TS3s - feel so soft!  I am not as good as this chart.  (I did get a little loose with the 5 iron, I suppose.)

 

 

 

[azstu324]

2 hours ago, IndyBonzo said:

This is what I meant when I said point and shoot.  This was only my second time hitting the entire set of TS3 (5-8) and TS1 (9-G).  I am very happy with this distance and dispersion, which is far better than what I am used to.  And the irons - especially the TS3s - feel so soft!  I am not as good as this chart.  (I did get a little loose with the 5 iron, I suppose.)

 

 

 

Nice! What's the plan for that 20 yd gap between the sets? Stronger TS1's or weaker TS3's? 

I still need to get my TS4 to a LM for #'s. Once PGATSS is done with their remodel I'm all over it. 

[IndyBonzo]

52 minutes ago, azstu324 said:

Nice! What's the plan for that 20 yd gap between the sets? Stronger TS1's or weaker TS3's? 

I still need to get my TS4 to a LM for #'s. Once PGATSS is done with their remodel I'm all over it. 

I really don't know.  I hate to mess with the TS3s.  I thought about swapping the 9 iron for a TS3, which will probably go a bit farther, or bending the TS1 9i a degree or two.  I also think there was a warmup factor at work here, which may mean I can hit the 9i farther than shown.  I really love the TS1 PW and GW (not shown).  Look at that dispersion for the PW!  You can barely see it the circle is so small.  So I hesitate to mess with that.

When will the remodel be done?  I'm eager to see your numbers with the TS4s.

[azstu324]

35 minutes ago, IndyBonzo said:

When will the remodel be done?  I'm eager to see your numbers with the TS4s.

Not for at least a month. I'm hoping to get my hands on a Garmin R10 though maybe. I'm pretty confident that the distances are nearly identical to my original TS1's but more consistent. I'm curious about the spin and launch/descent angles. So far everything seems to be more consistent across the board and my approach shots seem to hold greens a little better.

 

[IndyBonzo]

3 hours ago, azstu324 said:

Not for at least a month. I'm hoping to get my hands on a Garmin R10 though maybe. I'm pretty confident that the distances are nearly identical to my original TS1's but more consistent. I'm curious about the spin and launch/descent angles. So far everything seems to be more consistent across the board and my approach shots seem to hold greens a little better.

 

That’s fantastic.  I’m sure the data will support that. I feel like my MGS friends have sent me the secrets to better golf - including the Maltby irons. 

[IndyBonzo]

To address @azstu324’s question about the yardage gap I bent the TS1 9 iron a few degrees, and it helped, but I am not as enamored with the 9 as I am with the PW and GW which have been money.  
 

So I ordered a TS4 9 iron head yesterday.  This will be my first iron build.  I am eager to see if it will bridge the yardage gap and feel as good or better than the TS1 wedges. Assuming all goes well, then I will probably try the TS4 P and G wedges too, and reshaft the TS3s 5-8 into the Project X LZ shafts I prefer.  
 

@GolfSpy SAM I have a TS3 7 iron in a KBS Tour 120S shaft if you would like to try it.  I bought a tester in the PX LZ shaft I am going to keep in the bag, so I have the extra 7I after committing to the set of TS3s from eBay.  Just let me know by DM and I can ship it to you.