Show us your Maltby!!!

[ArizonaLogan]

UPDATE: The order is done and the shipping label was created today. FedEx website says they will give an estimated delivery date once they receive the package, the email says the current estimate is for the 26th.

[ArizonaLogan]

UPDATE: 3 delays later the irons are expected to get here Saturday.

[Steve S]

On 9/18/2023 at 10:04 PM, azstu324 said:

Ok here's a random question..

My dad's been playing the KE4 MAX set that I built him last year. They've been a great set paired with the Maltby pro shafts. He's 73 and roughly 20 hdcp so I feel like this set is very suiting for his abilities. He's actually a fairly consistent ball striker though and can hang with me from the longer tees. It's his mental game that really holds him back. He doesn't have much sense for course management and can get a little hot tempered under pressure and then unravel pretty quickly. Funny how the tables have turned from when I was a tempered teen and he used to tell me to cool it. 

Well yesterday we played and he had accidentally left his 8 iron home. I let him use my TS4 7i. He flushed a beautiful shot that ended up on the green and he was over the moon. It was a shot shape and ball flight that he hadn't been used to with his irons. Throughout the round he kept grabbing different clubs from my set and his intrigue continued to grow. Then he proceeded to say.. "so how soon can you build me a set of these?". 

Well as much as I wanted to tell him that these clubs might not be for him.. I continued to watch him have some fantastic success with my clubs and just enjoying them more than his MAX's. I'm also having a hard time getting over making him a set of TS4's when the MAX is still such a great set that is nearly new. 

After the round I then showed him the TS3's as an option and thought maybe those would be the better choice being more forgiving than my clubs, but while still being a step in that direction.

I guess what I'm asking is if anybody has tried all 3 to compare? Would I be better going TS3 instead? Or should I appease the old man and build him some TS4's? OR.. are the MAX still as good as he needs? I also thought about a combo set but he really hit the 5i well from my set and didn't have any intimidation. Another factor is that my shafts are KBS S taper lite 110's (S flex). So roughly 35g heavier per club. Maybe he just needs heavier shafts to help feel the club? I was thinking some S-Taper lite 105's since he liked mine so much. I just don't want him getting burnt out before the rounds over. 

Sorry if that was long winded. I'm just kind of at a loss with what to do. 

 

 

He might be hitting the 3's better than the 4's because the 4's are "de-lofted".  Ping has recognized that for seniors with slower swing speeds the "game improvement" de-loft irons aren't always the best choice for slower swingers.  My driver swing is 88-92 and my handicap went from a 12 to 8 when I went from GI irons to standard "pro loft" hybrid irons.  My 7 iron is 35 degrees.

[Peter Andrin]

Maltby introduced some beautiful 5x forged iron heads with tungsten weighting in the toe. The TS-3 is a player’s cavity back and the TS-4 is a muscle back design. The TS-3 and TS-4 have high Maltby Playability Factors (MPF) in the super game improvement category, yet look, feel and perform like classic blades and player’s cavity backs.

I tested these Maltby heads against PXG ST Gen 4 (3x forged blades) and Callaway Rogue ST Pro (player’s distance) using equivalent loft, lie, Project X 6.0 shafts and GolfPride Velvet mid-sized grips. I hit dozens of shots with each iron in a random fashion into a Foresight simulator. The results were quite surprising. The Maltby irons gave me statistically significant more ball speed and lower dispersion. They also felt the most soft and buttery. The higher ball speed surprised me because the Callaway is a polymer-filled player’s distance iron.

For people who like forged blades and/or forged cavity backs, I would strongly recommend looking in to the new Maltby TS-3’s and TS-4’s. These are great performing clubs at a much better price than the big manufacturers. My bag is a combo set consisting of the TS-3’s for the long and mid-irons and the TS-4’s from the 7-iron up. I put the new Accra TZi 95 g graphite shafts in these irons with Lamkin Sonar Plus mid-sized grips. The build feels great and inspires me with more confidence.

Pete James

[pozzit]

Maltby introduced some beautiful 5x forged iron heads with tungsten weighting in the toe. The TS-3 is a player’s cavity back and the TS-4 is a muscle back design. The TS-3 and TS-4 have high Maltby Playability Factors (MPF) in the super game improvement category, yet look, feel and perform like classic blades and player’s cavity backs.
I tested these Maltby heads against PXG ST Gen 4 (3x forged blades) and Callaway Rogue ST Pro (player’s distance) using equivalent loft, lie, Project X 6.0 shafts and GolfPride Velvet mid-sized grips. I hit dozens of shots with each iron in a random fashion into a Foresight simulator. The results were quite surprising. The Maltby irons gave me statistically significant more ball speed and lower dispersion. They also felt the most soft and buttery. The higher ball speed surprised me because the Callaway is a polymer-filled player’s distance iron.
For people who like forged blades and/or forged cavity backs, I would strongly recommend looking in to the new Maltby TS-3’s and TS-4’s. These are great performing clubs at a much better price than the big manufacturers. My bag is a combo set consisting of the TS-3’s for the long and mid-irons and the TS-4’s from the 7-iron up. I put the new Accra TZi 95 g graphite shafts in these irons with Lamkin Sonar Plus mid-sized grips. The build feels great and inspires me with more confidence.
Pete James

Good write up Pete. I'm sure you will get quite a few in this thread that agree with you.
I really enjoy Maltbys recent line-up but have only tested the TS3s. Have any numbers or details of what caused you to go to a TS3/TS4 combo set?

[azstu324]

1 hour ago, Peter Andrin said:

Maltby introduced some beautiful 5x forged iron heads with tungsten weighting in the toe. The TS-3 is a player’s cavity back and the TS-4 is a muscle back design. The TS-3 and TS-4 have high Maltby Playability Factors (MPF) in the super game improvement category, yet look, feel and perform like classic blades and player’s cavity backs.

I tested these Maltby heads against PXG ST Gen 4 (3x forged blades) and Callaway Rogue ST Pro (player’s distance) using equivalent loft, lie, Project X 6.0 shafts and GolfPride Velvet mid-sized grips. I hit dozens of shots with each iron in a random fashion into a Foresight simulator. The results were quite surprising. The Maltby irons gave me statistically significant more ball speed and lower dispersion. They also felt the most soft and buttery. The higher ball speed surprised me because the Callaway is a polymer-filled player’s distance iron.

For people who like forged blades and/or forged cavity backs, I would strongly recommend looking in to the new Maltby TS-3’s and TS-4’s. These are great performing clubs at a much better price than the big manufacturers. My bag is a combo set consisting of the TS-3’s for the long and mid-irons and the TS-4’s from the 7-iron up. I put the new Accra TZi 95 g graphite shafts in these irons with Lamkin Sonar Plus mid-sized grips. The build feels great and inspires me with more confidence.

Pete James

Awesome share Pete! If I could do it any other way I'd definitely pick your set-up. When I built the TS3's for my dad I was just blown away at how nice they feel, look, and play. Even after playing my TS4's for a couple of months leading up, the TS3 profile isn't much larger and I could easily game the whole set.. but I'm head over heels for the TS4's and don't regret not doing the split set. 

You're not wrong about ball speed. I'm actually carrying further with the TS4 than my previous TS1's and stopping on a dime due to such great spin #'s. And lofts are slightly weaker too. There's definitely some magic sauce in this 2023 lineup. 

[oldmainbeergolfer]

Finally finished my new TS set. 4-6 is TS1-IM w/Paterson Kinetixx Ballistic 95g xstiff. 7-P is TS4 w/Nippon modus 105x. Used green aluminum ferrule and green midsize pure DTX grips. Paint filled with green as well.  Both are the best clubs I have ever hit. 

 

[ArizonaLogan]

The TS4 irons arrived... And they look fantastic! They are shaped beautifully like a blade, but they are not smaller than any other irons I can get a hold of. The top lines are a sharper angle from the toe to hosel but not by much. Same story with the soles, they're trimmed and not as round but certainly not smaller. These clubs show that an iron doesn't have be exclusively hefty (forgiving) or skinny to be attractive to the eye of the player.

I'll start testing them for feel and performance on Monday (maybe Sunday if I free up time), and I should be able to get some Launch monitor numbers after Wednesday.

I included my current C722s and my brothers old MX-23 irons in some of the pictures.

[Peter Andrin]

Here's how I decided to make my TS3-TS4 combo set...

I first purchased the TS3 6 and 7-iron heads before the TS4's were available. I hit them and liked them a lot. When I found out that Maltby would be launching a muscle back version TS4 with a similar construction to the TS3, I decided to wait until the TS4's became available before I committed to buying an entire set. I have always loved the look of muscle back blades. If I could find a muscle back blade that had the dispersion/distance control capability of a blade with with super game improvement forgiveness, it would be like a club from heaven.

I ordered a TS4 7-iron head. I hit the TS3's and TS4's and compared them head-to-head. I really liked the feel, forgiveness, and low dispersion numbers that I got with my TS3 6-iron. I noticed no turf interaction problems with the 6-iron. The look was pretty good, but just a wee bit chunkier than my former gamer PXG blades. The performance of the TS3 6-iron was just too good for me to give up.

For the 7-irons, I liked the look and the turf interaction of the TS4 better than the TS3. The TS4 has less offset and a narrower sole as compared to the TS3. My dispersion and ball speeds for the TS3 and TS4 heads were about the same. I decided on the TS4's for the short irons and adjusted their lofts to blend properly with my TS3 mid and long irons.

[GolfSpy SAM]

1 hour ago, Peter Andrin said:

Here's how I decided to make my TS3-TS4 combo set...

I first purchased the TS3 6 and 7-iron heads before the TS4's were available. I hit them and liked them a lot. When I found out that Maltby would be launching a muscle back version TS4 with a similar construction to the TS3, I decided to wait until the TS4's became available before I committed to buying an entire set. I have always loved the look of muscle back blades. If I could find a muscle back blade that had the dispersion/distance control capability of a blade with with super game improvement forgiveness, it would be like a club from heaven.

I ordered a TS4 7-iron head. I hit the TS3's and TS4's and compared them head-to-head. I really liked the feel, forgiveness, and low dispersion numbers that I got with my TS3 6-iron. I noticed no turf interaction problems with the 6-iron. The look was pretty good, but just a wee bit chunkier than my former gamer PXG blades. The performance of the TS3 6-iron was just too good for me to give up.

For the 7-irons, I liked the look and the turf interaction of the TS4 better than the TS3. The TS4 has less offset and a narrower sole as compared to the TS3. My dispersion and ball speeds for the TS3 and TS4 heads were about the same. I decided on the TS4's for the short irons and adjusted their lofts to blend properly with my TS3 mid and long irons.

Awesome! And now for the Q&A part of my post

How much did you adjust the lofts of the 4's to blend? 

Did you just stick with the TS3 6-iron, or did you go 4/5/6 in the 3's? 

Do you have the set already, or are you waiting on delivery? 

I tested the 6/9 iron in the TS3's earlier this year, and they're genuinely fantastic, and was considering a similar setup to what you have were I to build a set, any additional info you have I'd love to hear.  

Thanks!

[Peter Andrin]

My 6-iron is the TS3. My lofts are 6i - 28 degrees, 7i -32 degrees, 8i - 36 degrees, and 9i -40 degrees. I have no problem hitting these irons high or flighting them low when I want.

[ArizonaLogan]

First range session went pretty good, I wasn't quite striking the ball perfectly with the TS4s like I was with my current irons, but the last two shots with the TS4 7 iron were VERY promising. I'd say they felt was just as effortless as my brothers old forged MX-23s.

I'm going to add the odd numbers to my bag and play them like the evens since the lofts will be about the same. I'll probably play a test round or two like that before fully commiting.

[Popeye64]

First range session went pretty good, I wasn't quite striking the ball perfectly with the TS4s like I was with my current irons, but the last two shots with the TS4 7 iron were VERY promising. I'd say they felt was just as effortless as my brothers old forged MX-23s.
I'm going to add the odd numbers to my bag and play them like the evens since the lofts will be about the same. I'll probably play a test round or two like that before fully commiting.

I have not found the TS4 to be an intuitive iron. That you can just grab and go. There was a learning curve for me. It does perform about as good as any iron I've hit, but I've got to be committed to my swing. It's not blade like, nor is it KE4 Max like.
Dedicate some time to it.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[azstu324]

On 10/30/2023 at 3:34 PM, Popeye64 said:

I have not found the TS4 to be an intuitive iron. That you can just grab and go. There was a learning curve for me. It does perform about as good as any iron I've hit, but I've got to be committed to my swing. It's not blade like, nor is it KE4 Max like.
Dedicate some time to it.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
 

But.. when you get them dialed in man, they're SO GOOD! 

[KOG]

On 10/28/2023 at 4:17 PM, oldmainbeergolfer said:

Finally finished my new TS set. 4-6 is TS1-IM w/Paterson Kinetixx Ballistic 95g xstiff. 7-P is TS4 w/Nippon modus 105x. Used green aluminum ferrule and green midsize pure DTX grips. Paint filled with green as well.  Both are the best clubs I have ever hit. 

 

I am curious why you decided on using two different shafts? Look great though

[Popeye64]

Finally finished my new TS set. 4-6 is TS1-IM w/Paterson Kinetixx Ballistic 95g xstiff. 7-P is TS4 w/Nippon modus 105x. Used green aluminum ferrule and green midsize pure DTX grips. Paint filled with green as well.  Both are the best clubs I have ever hit. 
 

Love it. Can you get a closeup of the ferrules. And source.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[ArizonaLogan]

1 hour ago, azstu324 said:

But.. when you get them dialed in man, they're SO GOOD! 

Well, I'm dialed in. And the irons are officially "in the bag".

If you're thinking about buying these irons but you're wondering if they are "just as good" as other more expensive forged irons, FORGET IT.

The TS4 irons are BETTER THAN any comparable iron I've tested in most, if not all, categories, which for me are: spin, forgiveness, feel, looks, and distance. Obviously, some irons will have more distance/forgiveness/spin/etc, but none that I've tested are quite the full enchilada like the TS4 irons are.

Also... I did some, but not extensive (no comparisons or screenshots) launch monitor testing (Garmin R10, outdoor range).

TS4 33° 7 iron.

• Average Spin: 6099 rpm
• Average Carry: 149 Yards
• Average Total: 153 Yards

[azstu324]

42 minutes ago, ArizonaLogan said:

Well, I'm dialed in. And the irons are officially "in the bag".

[oldmainbeergolfer]

3 hours ago, Popeye64 said:

Love it. Can you get a closeup of the ferrules. And source.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
 

For sure. @KOG I used the lighter Kinetixx shafts on the 4-6 as I’m not super hot with the long irons. These are an almost utility build. I can hit them far and they are super forgiving. The low torque also makes them very accurate for me. For the lower irons I’m more dialed in and I have a strong transition and swing. This is where the steel plays better for me. 

[oldmainbeergolfer]

3 hours ago, Popeye64 said:

Love it. Can you get a closeup of the ferrules. And source.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
 

For sure. @KOG I used the lighter Kinetixx shafts on the 4-6 as I’m not super hot with the long irons. These are an almost utility build. I can hit them far and they are super forgiving. The low torque also makes them very accurate for me. For the lower irons I’m more dialed in and I have a strong transition and swing. This is where the steel plays better for me. 
 

@Popeye64

https://www.diamondtour.com/club-making/ferrules-and-adapters/3-4-inch-aluminum-2-ring-370-iron-ferrules-dozen-pack-13-4mm-od.html

[BMDubya]

10 hours ago, ArizonaLogan said:

Well, I'm dialed in. And the irons are officially "in the bag".

If you're thinking about buying these irons but you're wondering if they are "just as good" as other more expensive forged irons, FORGET IT.

The TS4 irons are BETTER THAN any comparable iron I've tested in most, if not all, categories, which for me are: spin, forgiveness, feel, looks, and distance. Obviously, some irons will have more distance/forgiveness/spin/etc, but none that I've tested are quite the full enchilada like the TS4 irons are.

Also... I did some, but not extensive (no comparisons or screenshots) launch monitor testing (Garmin R10, outdoor range).

TS4 33° 7 iron.

• Average Spin: 6099 rpm
• Average Carry: 149 Yards
• Average Total: 153 Yards

Logan, would you say the Malthus are bigger heel to toe length, than your other irons pictured? Beautiful build by the way! 

[Popeye64]

Logan, would you say the Malthus are bigger heel to toe length, than your other irons pictured? Beautiful build by the way! 

Generally speaking across the board of Maltby heads. The C dimension or heel to toe length are longer than most all OEM heads. Thats a key point to why they are so easy to play.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[vandyland]

Cross posting over here as well. My test club came!

 

[Peter Andrin]

About the TS4 not being an “intuitive iron”, not like a blade and not like a super game improvement iron ….

If you carve bigger divots with your irons, traditional blades carve sharper divots than the TS4’s. I like to try to carve bacon strip divots with my irons. The TS4 leading edge is rounded between the leading edge to the back of the sole. The sole is of moderate width and rounded slightly between the heel to the toe. The TS4 sole works well for my short iron swing.

[GolfSpy SAM]

1 hour ago, vandyland said:

Cross posting over here as well. My test club came!

 

 

 

 

Man, I LOVE the finish on that - looks so much sleeker in person than on the website! Nice!

What are the clubs in the pictures with the TE? I'm trying to get a sense of the size of it - I'm surprised it's as long heel-to-toe as it appears (not a bad thing in my book at all, mind you), but it seems to dwarf one of the other 7-irons in the first shot above, while being about the same as the other, but perhaps the widest sole of all three?  The angle makes it a little hard to be definitive there - again, no complaints, just trying to gauge the size.

That top line in the bottom picture looks incredible - Super inviting but the finish REALLY helps mask any "chunk" that might be there - it may be the exact top line width as the club on the left, but because of the finish, it looks significantly smaller. 

Awesome stuff, and thanks for posting! 

What shaft did you build it up with?

[azstu324]

I know there's been some talk/concern about heel to toe lengths being longer than most OEM companies in the Maltby irons. Of course if you put them next to a shorter profile they're going to look longer but when you have them by themselves squared up to the ball, there's hardly anything noticeable about the length and it's 100% a functional design by maltby. I'll say this, when my normal miss is towards the toe a maltby club is going to outperform any other club in its class because of that small extra little length and mass. It's still kind of freaks me out that when I hit a shot towards the toe with a TS4 blade, how straight and far the ball still flies. Take these other clubs that might be a few millimeters shorter and apply the same strike it would either be a dead ball or nearly a shank. 

When you're playing these regularly you don't even think about any extra length at all. But when you have a miss towards the toe and see the results you're glad that extra little length is there. 

 

[vandyland]

4 hours ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

Man, I LOVE the finish on that - looks so much sleeker in person than on the website! Nice!

What are the clubs in the pictures with the TE? I'm trying to get a sense of the size of it - I'm surprised it's as long heel-to-toe as it appears (not a bad thing in my book at all, mind you), but it seems to dwarf one of the other 7-irons in the first shot above, while being about the same as the other, but perhaps the widest sole of all three?  The angle makes it a little hard to be definitive there - again, no complaints, just trying to gauge the size.

That top line in the bottom picture looks incredible - Super inviting but the finish REALLY helps mask any "chunk" that might be there - it may be the exact top line width as the club on the left, but because of the finish, it looks significantly smaller. 

Awesome stuff, and thanks for posting! 

What shaft did you build it up with?

Built it up with an FST 125 shaft which performs fine but is probably a little light for me (they cut them all from the same 42" blank so technically the shafts get lighter as the clubs get longer). 

I will second what @azstu324 said in that they don't look as big by the ball. Especially the DBMs since I believe the black is "slimming" the other clubs in the picture are a Ben Hogan PTxPro (the smallest one) and a New Level Gi22 (which is a fairly large game improvement club). The sole does not seem overly wide in person. Also, the lesser offset and thinner topline (as you pointed out) makes it look really nice by the ball. I have a range session and a trackman session now complete that I am going to re-post here. 

Initial Outdoor Range Session with DBM vs current gamers:

TE+ V4 DBM w/ FST 125 stiff shaft (32*) vs Ben Hogan PTxPro w/ KBS Tour 120 stiff shaft (34*)

Look: Love the look of them at address and in the bag. They are stunning in a minimalist way. The blade length is LONG but it is hidden a bit with the black and the lesser offset but compared, side by side, against other irons they show their length. 
Turf Interaction: Seems fine with the DBMs, I take a divot and have around -6 * attack angle and it rained yesterday and these were fine. My PTxPros have a V-Sole and I didn't feel a ton of difference between them. Nothing diggy like the previous version of the TE. 
Sound/Feel: They are softish but not really in the realm of the soft forgings. The DBM probably adds a little bit of a harsher feel but these were still plenty nice to hit. Just don't expect some pillow soft strike. ALSO THE SLIGHT BIT OF HARSHENESS COULD BE EXAGERRATED BY THE FST SHAFT. They sound pretty good, tried to get a video here that captured the sound. 
Flight: These were not ballooning for me or overly spinny. We have confirmation of that via trackman below. Felt more workable than my PTxPros AND fades were easier to hit, possibly due to less offset. They were flying slightly lower than my PTxPros which is down to the 2* difference in loft I believe. 
Overall: Liked the feel of them and they get through the turf fine. Normal shot shape was there and feedback is fairly precise on mishits. 

 

Trackman Numbers:

Parting Thoughts (opinions, not facts):

I would play these in a heartbeat and be happy but they are not better for me than my current irons. (1) The land angle concerns me. I would prefer closer to a 45* land angle with a 7 iron. (2) I was also surprised that the PTxPros still kept up, carry distance wise. In fairness some or all of this could be down to the difference in shaft (DBM has a cheap FST shaft in it).

I am very used to the PTxPros and the 7 iron has tungsten in the toe which gives me a little extra ballspeed (I assume) on toe side strikes. The DBM, in all honesty, is just going up against a club (PTxPro) that has beaten out Mizuno Pros + JPX, TM P-770, Titleist 150, Cobra MIM Tour, Sub 70 639CB, New Level 902s, Ping i230s, etc. The good news is I am not rushing out to buy a new set of irons (though if something happened to my PTxPros I would buy these or the TS-1 IMs TS-3s in a second). 

Edited November 1, 2023 by vandyland

[ArizonaLogan]

8 hours ago, BMDubya said:

Logan, would you say the Malthus are bigger heel to toe length, than your other irons pictured?

Shortest Answer: Yes

Shorter Answer: No, I wouldn't declare the TS4s as "bigger" since a few hairs of difference is nothing compared to some irons I've seen.

Short Answer:

 

[GolfSpy SAM]

6 hours ago, azstu324 said:

I know there's been some talk/concern about heel to toe lengths being longer than most OEM companies in the Maltby irons. Of course if you put them next to a shorter profile they're going to look longer but when you have them by themselves squared up to the ball, there's hardly anything noticeable about the length and it's 100% a functional design by maltby. I'll say this, when my normal miss is towards the toe a maltby club is going to outperform any other club in its class because of that small extra little length and mass. It's still kind of freaks me out that when I hit a shot towards the toe with a TS4 blade, how straight and far the ball still flies. Take these other clubs that might be a few millimeters shorter and apply the same strike it would either be a dead ball or nearly a shank. 

When you're playing these regularly you don't even think about any extra length at all. But when you have a miss towards the toe and see the results you're glad that extra little length is there. 

 

For sure! I was definitely not complaining at the length, just more trying to get a sense of what it was being compared to so as to determine the actual length.  As Vandy shows below, it looks incredible behind the ball, which really answers a ton of questions for me.

3 hours ago, vandyland said:

 

 

Yeah, that looks fantastic.  

Thank you!

[IndyBonzo]

On 10/30/2023 at 6:34 PM, Popeye64 said:

I have not found the TS4 to be an intuitive iron. That you can just grab and go. There was a learning curve for me. It does perform about as good as any iron I've hit, but I've got to be committed to my swing. It's not blade like, nor is it KE4 Max like.
Dedicate some time to it.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
 

I concur with @Popeye64.  The TS4 wants to be used in a purposeful way, and also has a second gear if you want to get after it.