Building My 2021 Sticks - Sub70 699/699 Pro Combo Set

[edingc 12,445]

@Headhammer nailed it on Twitter, I'm a club ho.

My winter practice this year has revealed a few things about my bag setup. I started last season with a 5-GW set of Maltby PTMs, and thanks to #CobraConnect I spent about half of my 75-ish rounds last year playing Cobra SpeedZones. I loved the forgiveness of the Cobras, but hated the gapping in the shorter clubs, where I could go 15+ yards between irons.

I had been kicking around the idea of playing a mixed set of Cobras and Maltbys, but the idea of mixing iron brands, shaft weights and looks within a single bag just bothered me too much.

Additionally, my winter practice off of mats has been hard on my wrists and elbows. It's not uncommon for me to have a few days of achy joints after my weekly range sessions, and over the holidays when I was able to go to the heated range more often I actually experienced some significant pain in my wrists. As my longer term plan is to get a Skytrak and net for winter practice at home, I know I will be hitting a lot of shots off mats in the future. For this reason, I've been looking at moving to graphite.

Last weekend I demo'ed the newly released Callaway Apex Forged with the Mitsubishi MMT graphite iron shaft and really loved the feel. I very nearly pre-ordered a triple combo set (DCB in the 4-5 irons, Apex 6-7, Apex Forged 8-PW), but after totaling everything up, the price was too much for me to stomach.

I've long been a fan of @GolfSub70 and had been eyeing a combo set of 699/699 Pros for a while (especially after reading the MGS Forum reviews), but @GolfSpy MPRprovided a gentle reminder on Twitter of the existence of their used section, where I found an "excellent" condition set of 4-6 699s, 7-AW 699 Pros significantly marked down because they were regular flex shafts and 1" short. Being that I'm open to doing my own club work, I jumped on them and plan on doing some experimenting over the next month to settle on a shaft combo I like.

While I don't anticipate saving too much over ordering something new through a major OEM (aftermarket shafts are expensive), I'm excited to put together a set of irons that I will enjoy for hopefully at least the next two or three years.

I'm starting this thread to document the progress and hope to have everything built up within the next month or so. While we've had eight-plus inches of snow in the last 12 hours here in Michigan, I played my first round of golf last year on March 1 so the season is drawing near.

[GolfSpy_THV 1,362]

5 minutes ago, edingc said:

@Headhammer nailed it on Twitter, I'm a club ho.

My winter practice this year has revealed a few things about my bag setup. I started last season with a 5-GW set of Maltby PTMs, and thanks to #CobraConnect I spent about half of my 75-ish rounds last year playing Cobra SpeedZones. I loved the forgiveness of the Cobras, but hated the gapping in the shorter clubs, where I could go 15+ yards between irons.

I had been kicking around the idea of playing a mixed set of Cobras and Maltbys, but the idea of mixing iron brands, shaft weights and looks within a single bag just bothered me too much.

Additionally, my winter practice off of mats has been hard on my wrists and elbows. It's not uncommon for my to have a few days of achy joints after my weekly range sessions, and over the holidays when I was able to go more often I actually experienced some significant pain in my wrists. As my longer term plan is to get a Skytrak and net for winter practice, I know I will be hitting a lot of shots off mats in the future. For this reason, I've been looking at moving to graphite.

Last weekend I demo'ed the newly released Callaway Apex Forged with the Mitsubishi MMT graphite iron shaft and really loved the feel. I very nearly pre-ordered a triple combo set (DCB in the 4-5 irons, Apex 6-7, Apex Forged 8-PW), but after totaling everything up, the price was too much for me to stomach.

I've long been a fan of @GolfSub70 and had been eyeing a combo set of 699/699 Pros for a while (especially after reading the MGS Forum reviews), but @GolfSpy MPRprovided a gentle reminder on Twitter of the existence of their used section, where I found an "excellent" condition set of 4-6 699s, 7-AW 699 Pros significantly marked down because they were regular flex shafts and 1" short. Being that I'm open to doing my own club work, I jumped on them and plan on doing some experimenting over the next month to settle on a shaft combo I like.

While I don't anticipate saving too much over ordering something new through a major OEM (aftermarket shafts are expensive), I'm excited to put together a set of irons that I will enjoy for hopefully at least the next two or three years.

I'm starting this thread to document the progress and hope to have everything built up within the next month or so. While we've had eight-plus inches of snow in the last 12 hours here in Michigan, I played my first round of golf last year on March 1 so the season is drawing near.

This sounds great! Look forward to watching your progress as I've been eyeing their used section too much lately

[GolfSpy MPR 12,232]

Are you going to snag the Mitsubishi shafts, or looking to grab a bargain there as well? Because Sub 70's sister company Diamond Tour has some interesting shaft options for irons far under the price of the MMTs.

[GolfSpy_BOS 15,493]

Looks like a perfect winter project!

I was blown away by the performance of the Forged Tecs... I think you’re really going to enjoy the hollow body irons. Should be a perfect blend between the two sets!

[edingc 12,445]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

Are you going to snag the Mitsubishi shafts, or looking to grab a bargain there as well? Because Sub 70's sister company Diamond Tour has some interesting shaft options for irons far under the price of the MMTs.

I know the Aldila NVs get good reviews, as do Recoils. I've hit various Recoils and liked them, and I've been fit into Steelfiber i110s before by the Mizuno Shaft Optimizer.

I'm looking to stay around the 105-115 gram weight mark, which starts to limit the options a bit. MMT, OTi, Steelfiber i110cw, Recoil 110, KBS TGI all have options in that range. Prefer to stay in taper tip for constant weight and also because they are less work to build.

I did inquire with Sub70 about some custom shaft options, but they are only doing parallel tips at this time so that ruled out some of the heavier graphite options.

EDIT - I should add that I've had two separate fittings turn up that I do best in that 110 gram range so that's why I'm targeting those shafts.

[edingc 12,445]

5 minutes ago, B.Boston said:

Looks like a perfect winter project!

I was blown away by the performance of the Forged Tecs... I think you’re really going to enjoy the hollow body irons. Should be a perfect blend between the two sets!

I looked long and hard at the Forged Tecs too, but by going (lightly) used the Sub70s were $200 off the already low price. So much easier to want to experiment at that price.

[edingc 12,445]

I'm getting pretty good at tearing clubs apart these days. Saved the basically brand new GP Tour Velvet 360s and pulled all the shafts in about 25 minutes.

Step one, complete! The shafts already have found a new home for $60, so I'm at least recouping a little of the cost of the irons.

[bellairemi 119]

Maybe you could send some of that snow up north?  You now have more on the ground than we do in TC.

[edingc 12,445]

23 minutes ago, bellairemi said:

Maybe you could send some of that snow up north?  You now have more on the ground than we do in TC.

We got probably three inches more than expected today. Snowy winter days are bad for the budget when I spend too much time browsing...

[HardcoreLooper 5,533]

3 hours ago, edingc said:

I know the Aldila NVs get good reviews, as do Recoils. I've hit various Recoils and liked them, and I've been fit into Steelfiber i110s before by the Mizuno Shaft Optimizer.

I'm looking to stay around the 105-115 gram weight mark, which starts to limit the options a bit. MMT, OTi, Steelfiber i110cw, Recoil 110, KBS TGI all have options in that range. Prefer to stay in taper tip for constant weight and also because they are less work to build.

I did inquire with Sub70 about some custom shaft options, but they are only doing parallel tips at this time so that ruled out some of the heavier graphite options.

EDIT - I should add that I've had two separate fittings turn up that I do best in that 110 gram range so that's why I'm targeting those shafts.

Big fan of the Recoil 110s here.  It's all in what works for you, and they're working well for me.  I haven't loved a shaft so much since the Apex 4.

[edingc 12,445]

7 hours ago, HardcoreLooper said:

Big fan of the Recoil 110s here.  It's all in what works for you, and they're working well for me.  I haven't loved a shaft so much since the Apex 4.

Glad to hear a vote for the Recoils.

Looking at reviews, cost and considering my past experience, I think I've narrowed my searching down to:

• Mitsubishi MMT
• UST Recoil
• KBS TGI

While I was fit for the Steelfibers, I've read (in the 110 weight especially) that they can be a pain to swingweight. The only other intriguing and widely available option I've found is the Project X Catalyst 100s, but some of the reviews of those say they play and feel like PX steel, of which I'm not a fan.

Recoil would be the cheapest option. TGI would probably be a good fit because I get along with the Tour well.

I'm currently enamored with the MMT because in the Callaway demo 7 iron, I saw increases in launch angle, height, spin and carry and it felt really nice. More muted than steel, but I could still easily know where on the face I hit the ball. Very stable, too.

[ejgaudette 3,927]

3 minutes ago, edingc said:

Glad to hear a vote for the Recoils.

Looking at reviews, cost and considering my past experience, I think I've narrowed my searching down to:

• Mitsubishi MMT
• UST Recoil
• KBS TGI

While I was fit for the Steelfibers, I've read (in the 110 weight especially) that they can be a pain to swingweight. The only other intriguing and widely available option I've found is the Project X Catalyst 100s, but some of the reviews of those say they play and feel like PX steel, of which I'm not a fan.

Recoil would be the cheapest option. TGI would probably be a good fit because I get along with the Tour well.

I'm currently enamored with the MMT because in the Callaway demo 7 iron, I saw increases in launch angle, height, spin and carry and it felt really nice. More muted than steel, but I could still easily know where on the face I hit the ball. Very stable, too.

Been thinking of those MMTs a lot as well and now that Ricky is trying them out they seem to be getting some traction. I am going to practice more next season and figure graphite is on the future at these same weights so interesting to see how it goes.

[edingc 12,445]

5 minutes ago, ejgaudette said:

Been thinking of those MMTs a lot as well and now that Ricky is trying them out they seem to be getting some traction. I am going to practice more next season and figure graphite is on the future at these same weights so interesting to see how it goes.

I believe Ricky was playing the 125s last weekend, while Ancer has the 105s in play. 

Not that it should affect my decision making at all, but if they are good enough for them, they are certainly good enough for me. Assuming right weight and flex, that is. I'm not going to go with 125TXs anytime soon. 

[ejgaudette 3,927]

Right those things must take some speed for sure but I hear they are coming out with a 125 S now that is tempting

[edingc 12,445]

I mentioned the heads were described as in "excellent" condition. They've obviously been hit before, but there were in great shape overall with only a few minor dings. There were a few scratches on the satin finish that were noticeable, so I grabbed a set of 3M hand sanding pads today at Home Depot. I purchased pads with the equivalent grit of #3, #2, #00 and #0000 steel wool with the idea that I would start with the course pad and work down to a final polish with #0000.

I started with the most course pad and am loving the brushed finish, so I might stop there. Thoughts from the gallery? (Before is on top, after on bottom.)

[ncwoz 2,782]

13 minutes ago, edingc said:

I mentioned the heads were described as in "excellent" condition. They've obviously been hit before, but there were in great shape overall with only a few minor dings. There were a few scratches on the satin finish that were noticeable, so I grabbed a set of 3M hand sanding pads today at Home Depot. I purchased pads with the equivalent grit of #3, #2, #00 and #0000 steel wool with the idea that I would start with the course pad and work down to a final polish with #0000.

I started with the most course pad and am loving the brushed finish, so I might stop there. Thoughts from the gallery? (Before is on top, after on bottom.)

I'd say keep it! Might not make a huge difference, but brushed might hide future nicks a little better too.

[edingc 12,445]

4 hours ago, ncwoz said:

I'd say keep it! Might not make a huge difference, but brushed might hide future nicks a little better too.

Took your advice and went with it on my lunch break. Finished with 0000 equivalent and some metal polish. I think they look fantastic now, almost no dings whatsoever. The toe of the 7 iron has like four small pits (maybe lightly dropped on a hard surface?) and the back of the 4 iron has three small chatter marks. They are nearly invisible now and the rest look brand new.

After cleaning out the hosels with my .370 reamer and solvent, I also weighed them and they are very nicely on spec across the set. The exception is the AW, which I'm wondering is just a mistake on their site. Doesn't matter to me, I'd rather them be the same as I play the PW and AW at the same length typically, and then drop down 1/4" to my 54/58 which also play at equal lengths.

[Tom the Golf Nut 8,221]

48 minutes ago, edingc said:

Took your advice and went with it on my lunch break. Finished with 0000 equivalent and some metal polish. I think they look fantastic now, almost no dings whatsoever. The toe of the 7 iron has like four small pits (maybe lightly dropped on a hard surface?) and the back of the 4 iron has three small chatter marks. They are nearly invisible now and the rest look brand new.

 

Very nice work.

[sirchunksalot 16,302]

1 hour ago, edingc said:

Took your advice and went with it on my lunch break. Finished with 0000 equivalent and some metal polish. I think they look fantastic now, almost no dings whatsoever. The toe of the 7 iron has like four small pits (maybe lightly dropped on a hard surface?) and the back of the 4 iron has three small chatter marks. They are nearly invisible now and the rest look brand new.

After cleaning out the hosels with my .370 reamer and solvent, I also weighed them and they are very nicely on spec across the set. The exception is the AW, which I'm wondering is just a mistake on their site. Doesn't matter to me, I'd rather them be the same as I play the PW and AW at the same length typically, and then drop down 1/4" to my 54/58 which also play at equal lengths.

You've got them looking great! This will be a fun thread to follow to see how you like them. 

[TBT 3,888]

Those look nice, I’ve been eyeing the Sub70 stuff for awhile. I look forward to seeing how the journey goes


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