Looking for experience with TS-1 irons and recommendations on higher lofted wedge heads

[tortoise1956 1]

 I'm looking to buy some new irons, and the TS-1 caught my eye. I ordered a 3-iron head with a TT XL Lite taper shaft in stiff to see how it performed for me. If it fits my eye (and swing), I'll be buying more, as well as (maybe) a Steelfiber shaft to see how it works for me.

 Basic description:

 I am 65, was shooting in the very low 80's with an occasional foray into the 70's until the pandemic put me on a general hiatus. I had been playing TaylorMade M4 irons, but I had no feel with them, leading me to just start whaling away at the ball.

 I recently went back to an old set of KZG ZO irons (4-PW) with TX-90 stiff shafts, to remind me when I was not hitting the sweet spot. These irons have been bent to be 2 degrees stronger than original. I normally hit the ZO 7-iron between 145-165 yards, depending upon shot shape.

 I recently added KZG TRS wedges - 50, 54 and 58 - with Dynamic Gold stiff shafts to the bag, but haven't been overjoyed with the distance and dispersion and may go back to my ZO GW and SW instead, or seek out new wedges entirely.

 Here are my questions:

 Do the TS-1 PW and GW heads follow a good progression as far as distance, compared to the rest of the set?

 Are they capable of producing good backspin with premium balls? I use Srixon Z-star/Z-star XV as a general rule, but I have been known to hit Vice Pro Plus balls as well...

 Also, any knowledge about Steelfiber shafts paired to TS-1 heads would be appreciated. 

 Finally, any suggestions or recommendations of Maltby wedges, anyone?

[bellairemi 119]

I play with TE Forged but built a set of the TS-1s for my son's graduation present.  We have the same specs so I have played quite a bit with his irons.  Neither he nor I have seen any gapping issues between the pitching and gap wedges and they generate plenty of spin ( we both play the OnCore Elixir balls).  I paired his irons with the new TSW DRM wedges which are very nice.  The sole grind works well for our varied conditions (we go from hardpan to very soft quickly) and the feel is very nice.  I will be replacing my Tricepts with the DRM wedges this week.

[jtgavigan 122]

I have been playing TS-1 irons almost a year. Best irons I have played. No gapping issues. I bent mine to have a 4° progression from 6i to pw. I play the TSW wedges in 50, 54, and 58. I hit the 9i about 150 yards, pw about 135, 50 deg 120, 54 about 110, and the 58 95 to 100 yards. I am playing dynamic gold X100 sensicore, but I am 50 and still swinging it 110ish with the driver. 

[NCDuffer 47]

TS-1 5-GW, TSW 54, M-Series 58.  Standard lofts have been good for me but I don’t have your swing speed as my iron shafts are KBS90 regs.

Edited June 28, 2021 by NCDuffer
Correct spell check!

[tortoise1956 1]

Thanks to everyone for their comments and recommendations. I will take all of this to heart when I refit my implements of desperation soon... 

Edited July 4, 2021 by tortoise1956

[Angular 9]

I've got the TS-1 in 3-PW as well as the 52/56 TSW wedges in late September. I built them up with KBS C-Taper Lite Stiff (soft-stepped 1x). Distance wise they are right in-line with what I was coming from (Ping i210) and I have no issues spinning the ball. Really impressed with the looks and feel and playability of these irons! I see these staying in the bag for a while.

Edited December 21, 2021 by Angular

[vic-js 4]

Maltby released a sneak peek of their TS3 and TS4 ... 

[vic-js 4]

I have the TS1 3-GW and the TSW wedges. Very nice irons. The sneak peek image is from the Maltby Golf Forum.

[azstu324 4,332]

On 12/21/2021 at 3:03 PM, vic-js said:

Maltby released a sneak peek of their TS3 and TS4 ... 

OMG!!!!!

[Kansas King 603]

Someone over at Golfworks has some style. Something that has seemingly been omitted from most of their designs since ever. 

[edingc 12,062]

Is that a milled bottom I see on the TS-4? Wow.

Only complaint looks-wise is that the sole numbers are out of place. Why they'd go with a serif font on the soles but sans-serif on the club badging annoys me more than it should.

[RollingGreens 2,213]

The ts4 has a sharper look to it. I am contemplating building a set of ts1s in the future. I had my cart all loaded up with shafts grips, club heads, and ferrules but couldn’t pull the trigger

[vic-js 4]

1 hour ago, RollingGreens said:

The ts4 has a sharper look to it. I am contemplating building a set of ts1s in the future. I had my cart all loaded up with shafts grips, club heads, and ferrules but couldn’t pull the trigger

Britt mentioned on the Maltby forum that the TS4s won't be out until at least summer, maybe fall, so it will be a while. I think you'll be more than happy building a set of TS1s ... I have 3-PW and they're great. 

[Kansas King 603]

1 hour ago, RollingGreens said:

The ts4 has a sharper look to it. I am contemplating building a set of ts1s in the future. I had my cart all loaded up with shafts grips, club heads, and ferrules but couldn’t pull the trigger

The TS4 does look sharp but I'll be curious to see how it stacks up to the TS1. I was looking at building a new set in the next 12 months and the TS1 or maybe the new TS3 kind of has my eyes. I currently play the MMB 17s and I enjoy them but I wouldn't be against a little more forgiveness from the sole. I don't think I will be playing quite as much as I used to in the future. I'm sure when available, I'll just build one of each TS1 - TS4 and see what I like best. For all I know, I may really love the extra forgiveness of the TS2. 

[RollingGreens 2,213]

Either one works for me. I think the project alone has made me more interested in maltby products. I’ve never heard a bad review. I would really like to use graphite shafts but not sure if I want to use graphite for my first project. 

[Kansas King 603]

20 minutes ago, RollingGreens said:

Either one works for me. I think the project alone has made me more interested in maltby products. I’ve never heard a bad review. I would really like to use graphite shafts but not sure if I want to use graphite for my first project. 

I like Maltby products and find they are a good value. I think their products are largely as good as anyone else's in the in the industry. The hardest part about Maltby products is getting fit. There are some club builders out there that fit for Maltby clubs but there aren't a lot of them and many times, they don't advertise well so it's hard to find the ones that do exist. Plus, many of the fitters actually just fit you on a driving range and build at their homes. 

IF ANY MALTBY FITTERS ARE READING THIS, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT OR SIMPLE WEBSITE EXPLAINING WHAT YOU DO AND HOW TO CONTACT YOU! THANK YOU!

I always kind of laugh when it comes to Maltby fitters. You can always tell when you're on a course where a Maltby builder is active. You'll see lots of people with some Maltby clubs in their bag and you ask someone about and they're like "oh yeah, Bill's been building us Maltby clubs for years!". You ask how to contact them and their like "just catch him playing in league on Wednesday night or he's always out here on Saturday morning". 

[RollingGreens 2,213]

33 minutes ago, Kansas King said:

I like Maltby products and find they are a good value. I think their products are largely as good as anyone else's in the in the industry. The hardest part about Maltby products is getting fit. There are some club builders out there that fit for Maltby clubs but there aren't a lot of them and many times, they don't advertise well so it's hard to find the ones that do exist. Plus, many of the fitters actually just fit you on a driving range and build at their homes. 

IF ANY MALTBY FITTERS ARE READING THIS, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT OR SIMPLE WEBSITE EXPLAINING WHAT YOU DO AND HOW TO CONTACT YOU! THANK YOU!

I always kind of laugh when it comes to Maltby fitters. You can always tell when you're on a course where a Maltby builder is active. You'll see lots of people with some Maltby clubs in their bag and you ask someone about and they're like "oh yeah, Bill's been building us Maltby clubs for years!". You ask how to contact them and their like "just catch him playing in league on Wednesday night or he's always out here on Saturday morning". 

That would be where I am at. I am just going out in a whim trying to match the specs to my current set. Or to what I think I might like 

Is their anything that makes maltby easier or harder to build than other OEMs?

[edingc 12,062]

1 hour ago, RollingGreens said:

Is their anything that makes maltby easier or harder to build than other OEMs?

Well, as far as components go there aren't many other companies that you can buy from anymore. Hireko has some stuff available, New Level does heads only and I believe Haywood Golf does as well. Alpha Golf and Wishon also come to mind. If you look around at Value Golf, Diamond Tour or Monark Golf there are a ton of cheap clone components, but as far as original designs go, Golfworks/Maltby are one of very few options anymore.

Build-wise, they typically use a universal hosel bore that accepts both parallel and taper tip shafts so they are pretty simple to build. I built a set of Maltby PTMs (since discontinued) and used them for about half a season (Cobra Connect 4 pushed them out of my bag). I liked them. I ended up selling them for about a third of what I had invested in them ($425 invested / $150 sale price), however. I don't know that I'd pay full retail for a set of heads unless I was set on playing them for a long time.

[azstu324 4,332]

On 1/12/2022 at 6:21 AM, RollingGreens said:

the ts4 has a sharper look to it. I am contemplating building a set of ts1s in the future. I had my cart all loaded up with shafts grips, club heads, and ferrules but couldn’t pull the trigger

 

On 1/12/2022 at 7:35 AM, vic-js said:

Britt mentioned on the Maltby forum that the TS4s won't be out until at least summer, maybe fall, so it will be a while. I think you'll be more than happy building a set of TS1s ... I have 3-PW and they're great. 

I've been saying for the past 2 years since I've had my TS1's, that if I were to get another set of irons that it would just be a new set of TS-1's.. They're that good! But now that I've seen the TS4's I'm changing my tune a little. You're in a tough spot. the TS-1's are pretty much a 100% satisfaction guarantee so you will not be disappointed if you make the move on them.. but the TS4's visually are really something to behold, and from what's being leaked by the brass at GW, it sounds like they'll rival the tech of the TS1's but just with a different concept. 

I don't envy the position that you're in my friend. Me on the other hand, my mind's made up that I'm getting the TS4's as soon as they launch. I've played 2 different sets of Maltbys over the past 4 years (3 if you include the STI2's I built for my pops that he wouldn't trade for anything) and know enough about what Maltby brings to the table and that EVERYTHING they offer is serious business! 

so.. do you pull the trigger now and be nothing but thrilled with the TS1's? or do you wait it out with a 99.9% probability that the TS4's will be worth the wait? Or do you buy the TS1's and then wait to get the reviews on the TS4's, and know that even after having spent around $1000 for 2 sets of Maltbys, you're getting 2 sets of playable, highly enjoyable, high quality golf clubs?  

 

 

[pozzit 791]

On 1/24/2022 at 2:41 PM, azstu324 said:

 

I've been saying for the past 2 years since I've had my TS1's, that if I were to get another set of irons that it would just be a new set of TS-1's.. They're that good! But now that I've seen the TS4's I'm changing my tune a little. You're in a tough spot. the TS-1's are pretty much a 100% satisfaction guarantee so you will not be disappointed if you make the move on them.. but the TS4's visually are really something to behold, and from what's being leaked by the brass at GW, it sounds like they'll rival the tech of the TS1's but just with a different concept. 

I don't envy the position that you're in my friend. Me on the other hand, my mind's made up that I'm getting the TS4's as soon as they launch. I've played 2 different sets of Maltbys over the past 4 years (3 if you include the STI2's I built for my pops that he wouldn't trade for anything) and know enough about what Maltby brings to the table and that EVERYTHING they offer is serious business! 

so.. do you pull the trigger now and be nothing but thrilled with the TS1's? or do you wait it out with a 99.9% probability that the TS4's will be worth the wait? Or do you buy the TS1's and then wait to get the reviews on the TS4's, and know that even after having spent around $1000 for 2 sets of Maltbys, you're getting 2 sets of playable, highly enjoyable, high quality golf clubs?  

 

 

I'm really excited for the TS4s they look fantastic. I will likely buy a few to combo with my TS1s and go from there if i replace with full set. I have loved everything Maltby since I found them. If there is a slimmer topline and feel as good or better then TS1 im sure they will be a no brainer.