Maltby TS2

[Mark_Tha_Tinkerer]

Hello.  My name is Mark.  I have a Maltby problem. 

 

I am 69 years old, have lost swing speed from age and injury and my USGA index has fluctuated between 10 -14 for the last couple years.  In late January 2025, after lots of soul searching and research, I bought the TS3 heads (6i-GW) and built them out with Recoil ES Smacwrap 760 (F2 Senior) shafts and Lamkin 360 Crossline, midsize grips. 

 

I’ve now got over 20 rounds in with them.  These clubs feel and perform well beyond my expectations.  Even after 20 rounds, I believe I get a little more out of them each time I play them and, every time I try to slightly expand my shot repertoire,  they seem to deliver for me.  When the body and muscles hurt and my swing is not the best, they give me forgiveness to still hit good shots and play respectably.  Maybe it’s the 5 step carbon steel forging process or maybe the vibration dampening shafts help, but d@mn these clubs feel soft on most strikes.  Some have compared it to hitting a marshmallow and I concur.  As God is my witness, on a couple of perfectly executed shots, it felt like I totally missed hitting the golf ball. 

 

A couple years ago, I gave up on any thought of using a 5 iron anymore.  I hit the TS3 6i so well, I decided to try a Maltby 5i.  My first thought was just to go for the TS3 5i.  After comparing all the Maltby irons, I decided my best chance to hit a 5i well would be to try the most forgiving 5i Maltby makes (based upon MPF).  Thus, I just got and built a KE4 Max 5i.  The SW and total static weight fits perfectly into my TS3 set.  I really like the adjustable head weights allowing for SW management without tip weights or lead tape.  I haven’t played it yet and had one brief session hitting it off mats into a hitting cage.  As a cast 17-4 SS head, it obviously is nowhere near as soft as the forged carbon steel TS3s.  I did seem to make decent contact though.  I’m going to play it over the weekend and am keeping my fingers crossed that the performance will compensate for the harder feel which I don’t really like after playing the TS3s.   If not, I’ll probably get a TS3 5i head and give it a chance. 

 

Pardon the long post but I am only at Step 1: Honesty -- admitting that I now have a Maltby problem.   

[AZstu324]

1 hour ago, Mark_Tha_Tinkerer said:

Hello.  My name is Mark.  I have a Maltby problem. 

 

I am 69 years old, have lost swing speed from age and injury and my USGA index has fluctuated between 10 -14 for the last couple years.  In late January 2025, after lots of soul searching and research, I bought the TS3 heads (6i-GW) and built them out with Recoil ES Smacwrap 760 (F2 Senior) shafts and Lamkin 360 Crossline, midsize grips. 

 

I’ve now got over 20 rounds in with them.  These clubs feel and perform well beyond my expectations.  Even after 20 rounds, I believe I get a little more out of them each time I play them and, every time I try to slightly expand my shot repertoire,  they seem to deliver for me.  When the body and muscles hurt and my swing is not the best, they give me forgiveness to still hit good shots and play respectably.  Maybe it’s the 5 step carbon steel forging process or maybe the vibration dampening shafts help, but d@mn these clubs feel soft on most strikes.  Some have compared it to hitting a marshmallow and I concur.  As God is my witness, on a couple of perfectly executed shots, it felt like I totally missed hitting the golf ball. 

 

A couple years ago, I gave up on any thought of using a 5 iron anymore.  I hit the TS3 6i so well, I decided to try a Maltby 5i.  My first thought was just to go for the TS3 5i.  After comparing all the Maltby irons, I decided my best chance to hit a 5i well would be to try the most forgiving 5i Maltby makes (based upon MPF).  Thus, I just got and built a KE4 Max 5i.  The SW and total static weight fits perfectly into my TS3 set.  I really like the adjustable head weights allowing for SW management without tip weights or lead tape.  I haven’t played it yet and had one brief session hitting it off mats into a hitting cage.  As a cast 17-4 SS head, it obviously is nowhere near as soft as the forged carbon steel TS3s.  I did seem to make decent contact though.  I’m going to play it over the weekend and am keeping my fingers crossed that the performance will compensate for the harder feel which I don’t really like after playing the TS3s.   If not, I’ll probably get a TS3 5i head and give it a chance. 

 

Pardon the long post but I am only at Step 1: Honesty -- admitting that I now have a Maltby problem.   

Your "problem" is only a problem in other threads.. this is your safe space where you will only hear words of encouragement when it comes to buying an abundance of Maltby gear😜. Of course.. an alcoholic is only an alcoholic outside of the bar.. Welcome to the Maltby tavern! 

[Bryceslu]

24 minutes ago, AZstu324 said:

Your "problem" is only a problem in other threads.. this is your safe space where you will only hear words of encouragement when it comes to buying an abundance of Maltby gear😜. Of course.. an alcoholic is only an alcoholic outside of the bar.. Welcome to the Maltby tavern! 

This might just be the most poetic post in here. 

[Mark_Tha_Tinkerer]

10 minutes ago, AZstu324 said:

Your "problem" is only a problem in other threads.. this is your safe space where you will only hear words of encouragement when it comes to buying an abundance of Maltby gear😜. Of course.. an alcoholic is only an alcoholic outside of the bar.. Welcome to the Maltby tavern! 

Your kind words make me feel a little shame because I failed in achieving Step 1: Honesty in my above post.  After buying the TS3s, I thought Maltby must make great clubs other than irons too.  Little by little,  I ordered the KE4 Tour TC driver head, a KE4 Tour TC 4 FW head and a KE4 Tour TC 4 hybrid head.  Oh, I almost forgot, I also bought the PTM-5CS Putter.  

 

NOW I can move on to Step 2: Hope.  That is a weight off my shoulders.

 

[games]

On 6/3/2025 at 4:52 PM, gdb99 said:

I have tried the KE4’s, TE, MMB17, DBM, MMB 17 Black (same set twice, and my lowest round ever, -5)...

 

If I think too long about the feel I got from puring a shot with one of my old MMB 17 Blacks, I have to change my underwear.

[Bryceslu]

5 hours ago, Mark_Tha_Tinkerer said:

Your kind words make me feel a little shame because I failed in achieving Step 1: Honesty in my above post.  After buying the TS3s, I thought Maltby must make great clubs other than irons too.  Little by little,  I ordered the KE4 Tour TC driver head, a KE4 Tour TC 4 FW head and a KE4 Tour TC 4 hybrid head.  Oh, I almost forgot, I also bought the PTM-5CS Putter.  

 

NOW I can move on to Step 2: Hope.  That is a weight off my shoulders.

 

What do you think of the ke4 tc pro driver?

[Mark_Tha_Tinkerer]

12 hours ago, Bryceslu said:

What do you think of the ke4 tc pro driver?

Keep in mind that I am an older, distance challenged driver of the ball.  If I can get most of my drives out around 220 yards (carry and roll out), I am ecstatic.  

 

As a tinkerer, I really love the removable/replaceable head weights and the loft adjustability.  It gives me a lot of play to try to gear it in just right for me.  With our hard, short winter grass and lack of winter rough, I was pretty happy with it adjusted to its maximum 11* loft.  But, my trajectory was low.  When spring grass started coming in, the fairways got softer and the rough got higher,  carry distance (even with a high trajectory shaft)  was not long enough and my overall driving distance suffered. 

 

I remember Tom Wishon advised that guys/gals like me with lower swing speeds should not use a driver with less than 12* of loft for maximum distance.  So I am now using a 12* Ultimate Thriver and getting much better carry and overall distance under present course conditions.  I am pretty sure that I will use the KE4 again when we switch back to winter grass.  

 

For golfers like me, I cannot conceive of any benefit over the KE4 that I would get from a $400+ OEM driver.  For me, that would be a complete and total waste of money that I could use much more wisely purchasing several more Maltby clubs thereby giving me my club hoe fix. 

[TKS]

2 hours ago, Mark_Tha_Tinkerer said:

Keep in mind that I am an older, distance challenged driver of the ball.  If I can get most of my drives out around 220 yards (carry and roll out), I am ecstatic.  

 

As a tinkerer, I really love the removable/replaceable head weights and the loft adjustability.  It gives me a lot of play to try to gear it in just right for me.  With our hard, short winter grass and lack of winter rough, I was pretty happy with it adjusted to its maximum 11* loft.  But, my trajectory was low.  When spring grass started coming in, the fairways got softer and the rough got higher,  carry distance (even with a high trajectory shaft)  was not long enough and my overall driving distance suffered. 

 

I remember Tom Wishon advised that guys/gals like me with lower swing speeds should not use a driver with less than 12* of loft for maximum distance.  So I am now using a 12* Ultimate Thriver and getting much better carry and overall distance under present course conditions.  I am pretty sure that I will use the KE4 again when we switch back to winter grass.  

 

For golfers like me, I cannot conceive of any benefit over the KE4 that I would get from a $400+ OEM driver.  For me, that would be a complete and total waste of money that I could use much more wisely purchasing several more Maltby clubs thereby giving me my club hoe fix. 

That is the spirit!

[Mark_Tha_Tinkerer]

3 hours ago, TKS said:

That is the spirit!

Oh Cr@p.  I feel awful.  I now question whether I can even achieve Step 1: Honesty.  I need more confession time. 

 

All the while that I was willingly allowing myself to be wooed by Maltby, I was infatuated with another mistress named Hireko.  She (with her cute Acer logos tattooed on her heads) was cheaper and less refined in a very sexy sort of way.  It was kind of like occasionally lusting for a greasy Jack-in-the-Box regular taco instead of a more elegantly dressed taco in a refined, dimly lit, sit-down Mexican restaurant. 

 

It started innocently enough.  Maltby just wouldn’t put out for a chipper for some harmless experimentation.  So the Acer tatted chipper was just too tempting and I justified it as just a little bite of forbidden fruit.  Next, the Flipper Chipper didn’t make me feel like I was cheating too much on my precious Maltby.  With my purchase of an Ultimate Thriver my juices really started flowing. 

 

I got a 56* sand wedge all dressed in satin finish which I was pretty certain would only be a one round stand.  Then, the floodgates opened.  After one glorious round of usage of the 56*, I had to have her 54*, 64* and 68* sisters. 

 

I craved for more.  I wanted wood.  I needed wood.  The 3, 5 and 7 fairway woods beckoned  and I succumbed to the urge.  Totally helpless to control my self-destructive path, I next had a dalliance with the #4 and #5 hybrid.   

 

I feel so dirty.  I even took pictures to share with you all but am getting server errors when I try to share them (maybe I am a little too excited to do so correctly). 

 

 Can I still drink in the Maltby Tavern?  Is there any redemption for me? 

[mogc60]

On 6/3/2025 at 1:43 PM, AZstu324 said:

Before you move forward in your lives together you should have a full disclosure conversation.. but let her think the worst before you tell her about your addiction.

 

Something like this: 

Honey I have to come clean.. I've got a pretty serious addiction that you need to know about and I just want to be completely honest with you because I love you so much and you deserve to know. 

 

Her: ok what is it? 

 

You: I'm too embarrassed to say so maybe you can guess what it is and I can tell you if you guessed it. 

 

Her: umm.. drugs.. hookers.. gambling.. porn.. theft.. serial murder.. ??

 

You: ok I'll tell you but it's not something I'm proud of.

 

After she's built up how extremely bad it could be.. 

 

You: golf clubs

 

I'm sure she could only be relieved at that point 😁

Before I married my wife I made something very clear to her. Don’t ask about my golf clubs. Don’t even get involved lol. Then explained that they will be bought, sold, traded, altered, shafted, gripped at such a pace her head will spin. But I assured her that in the end it won’t cost us that much and that I’m a 30 year pro at doing this addiction.  5 years later she just keeps turning the other way when boxes hit the porch. Like my TE+ that just arrived haha 

[deepred]

45 minutes ago, Mark_Tha_Tinkerer said:

Oh Cr@p.  I feel awful.  I now question whether I can even achieve Step 1: Honesty.  I need more confession time. 

 

All the while that I was willingly allowing myself to be wooed by Maltby, I was infatuated with another mistress named Hireko.  She (with her cute Acer logos tattooed on her heads) was cheaper and less refined in a very sexy sort of way.  It was kind of like occasionally lusting for a greasy Jack-in-the-Box regular taco instead of a more elegantly dressed taco in a refined, dimly lit, sit-down Mexican restaurant. 

 

It started innocently enough.  Maltby just wouldn’t put out for a chipper for some harmless experimentation.  So the Acer tatted chipper was just too tempting and I justified it as just a little bite of forbidden fruit.  Next, the Flipper Chipper didn’t make me feel like I was cheating too much on my precious Maltby.  With my purchase of an Ultimate Thriver my juices really started flowing. 

 

I got a 56* sand wedge all dressed in satin finish which I was pretty certain would only be a one round stand.  Then, the floodgates opened.  After one glorious round of usage of the 56*, I had to have her 54*, 64* and 68* sisters. 

 

I craved for more.  I wanted wood.  I needed wood.  The 3, 5 and 7 fairway woods beckoned  and I succumbed to the urge.  Totally helpless to control my self-destructive path, I next had a dalliance with the #4 and #5 hybrid.   

 

I feel so dirty.  I even took pictures to share with you all but am getting server errors when I try to share them (maybe I am a little too excited to do so correctly). 

 

 Can I still drink in the Maltby Tavern?  Is there any redemption for me? 

I wish GW would come out with a Thriver.

[NRJyzr]

50 minutes ago, deepred said:

I wish GW would come out with a Thriver.

 

Would this fit the bill?  14°...

 

https://www.golfworks.com/maltby-m890-forged-driver/p/ma0318/

[deepred]

33 minutes ago, NRJyzr said:

 

Would this fit the bill?  14°...

 

https://www.golfworks.com/maltby-m890-forged-driver/p/ma0318/

I’ve looked at that but it’s really not quite heavy enough. The Hireko head is 212 with the standard weight. It can easily be cut to 43”.

[AZstu324]

19 minutes ago, deepred said:

I’ve looked at that but it’s really not quite heavy enough. The Hireko head is 212 with the standard weight. It can easily be cut to 43”.

14g weight and some poly fill in the head.. problem solved! 😁

 

 

[NRJyzr]

1 hour ago, deepred said:

I’ve looked at that but it’s really not quite heavy enough. The Hireko head is 212 with the standard weight. It can easily be cut to 43”.

 

Lead tape fixes that  😁

 

[RSLP]

KE 4 TC Pro Adjustable Wood users , what weight did you settle on?  Leave it stock, or did you change it?

[runpuddrun]

2 hours ago, RSLP said:

KE 4 TC Pro Adjustable Wood users , what weight did you settle on?  Leave it stock, or did you change it?

i'll be changing mine, if they ever ship. I ordered 3 of them and i'll be lucky to get then in July at this pace

 

[medic86]

I do have a quick question.  I had a lesson on Friday and noticed that my new TE+ were swinging slower than I used to.  I was swinging my Callaway Edge 7 iron 80-83 mph.  The TEs were swinging 78-80.  I was achieving the same distance with more spin, so I was happy with that.  But my question is would stiff flex shafts (the Edge were regular) cause the drop in club head speed?  I also noticed about a 10 mph drop in my driver from 105 to 98.  The Edge set was a D1-3 swing weight, and my TE+ set is a C9 on my instructor's scale.  I am also wondering if they were just built lighter because of the heavier shaft.  

[Cwebb]

20 minutes ago, medic86 said:

I do have a quick question.  I had a lesson on Friday and noticed that my new TE+ were swinging slower than I used to.  I was swinging my Callaway Edge 7 iron 80-83 mph.  The TEs were swinging 78-80.  I was achieving the same distance with more spin, so I was happy with that.  But my question is would stiff flex shafts (the Edge were regular) cause the drop in club head speed?  I also noticed about a 10 mph drop in my driver from 105 to 98.  The Edge set was a D1-3 swing weight, and my TE+ set is a C9 on my instructor's scale.  I am also wondering if they were just built lighter because of the heavier shaft.  

 

What's the difference in shaft and total weight?

[medic86]

I wish I could tell you.  Callaway doesn't publish the shaft weight on the Edge sets.  And I never weighed the clubs.  I am only going off the spec sheets published by Callaway.  I can tell the TEs are a bit lighter, if not very close to the swing feel of the Edge.  Edit:  I have added the chart that I am referencing. 

 

Edited June 8 by medic86

[Popeye64]

12 hours ago, medic86 said:

I do have a quick question.  I had a lesson on Friday and noticed that my new TE+ were swinging slower than I used to.  I was swinging my Callaway Edge 7 iron 80-83 mph.  The TEs were swinging 78-80.  I was achieving the same distance with more spin, so I was happy with that.  But my question is would stiff flex shafts (the Edge were regular) cause the drop in club head speed?  I also noticed about a 10 mph drop in my driver from 105 to 98.  The Edge set was a D1-3 swing weight, and my TE+ set is a C9 on my instructor's scale.  I am also wondering if they were just built lighter because of the heavier shaft.  

It's certainly possible with your swing mechanics that you are releasing the R flex setup much better. 

It's als9 possible that the total weight of the Apex set is lower. But you are also stating that your driver swing speed is down 8 mph. Which is kind of confusing. Are you testing the TE and the Apex clubs back to back or was that previous data???

[imagine29028]

Golfworks new catalog just showed up in the mail yesterday 

[games]

I'm trying to decide between a DRT wedge and a MAX wedge. I have a 53 degree GW in the set and it has 10 degrees bounce.  I'm looking to replace my 56 and 60 Maltby DBM Tour Grind with one wedge so I can add a hybrid.

 

I expect this wedge to be almost solely for sand play and short pitches from rough. I'm not great out of the sand, and my miss on most shots (sand and full swing) is thin.

 

So, which wedge do I pick? Do I go 56 or 58? Should I go higher bounce or wider sole?

[mprince]

Just received my TS3 DBM 7-iron.  Head looks fantastic, but Golfworks installed the shaft logo up?  Very distracting, guess I'll have to bring it to my local guy to have the shaft rotated 180°, frustrating...

[deepred]

41 minutes ago, games said:

I'm trying to decide between a DRT wedge and a MAX wedge. I have a 53 degree GW in the set and it has 10 degrees bounce.  I'm looking to replace my 56 and 60 Maltby DBM Tour Grind with one wedge so I can add a hybrid.

 

I expect this wedge to be almost solely for sand play and short pitches from rough. I'm not great out of the sand, and my miss on most shots (sand and full swing) is thin.

 

So, which wedge do I pick? Do I go 56 or 58? Should I go higher bounce or wider sole?

What shots are you most likely to hit with the wedge?

[deepred]

Just now, mprince said:

Just received my TS3 DBM 7-iron.  Head looks fantastic, but Golfworks installed the shaft logo up?  Very distracting, guess I'll have to bring it to my local guy to have the shaft rotated 180°, frustrating...

With an air compressor rotating the grip might be easier.

Unless the order included an instruction otherwise they will always install shafts and grips lane up.

[mprince]

4 minutes ago, deepred said:

With an air compressor rotating the grip might be easier.

Unless the order included an instruction otherwise they will always install shafts and grips lane up.

Interesting.  I've never had an iron (custom or otherwise) where the shaft (not the grip) is logo up.

[games]

6 minutes ago, deepred said:

What shots are you most likely to hit with the wedge?

 

Green side bunkers and short pitches from rough.

Maybe use it from fairway or shorter rough if I'm short-sided.

 

I'm not great from the sand, and my miss tends to be thin.

[Klubster]

1 hour ago, games said:

I'm trying to decide between a DRT wedge and a MAX wedge. I have a 53 degree GW in the set and it has 10 degrees bounce.  I'm looking to replace my 56 and 60 Maltby DBM Tour Grind with one wedge so I can add a hybrid.

 

I expect this wedge to be almost solely for sand play and short pitches from rough. I'm not great out of the sand, and my miss on most shots (sand and full swing) is thin.

 

So, which wedge do I pick? Do I go 56 or 58? Should I go higher bounce or wider sole?

When I switched, I went with the Max Milled 58 degree 1.05 sole.  As I have noted before, it is a get out of sand free club.  Of course, no loft, bounce or sole is going to fix a thin sand shot.  The only thing that would deter me from that club is if you have a lot of tight lies.

[games]

5 minutes ago, Klubster said:

When I switched, I went with the Max Milled 58 degree 1.05 sole.  As I have noted before, it is a get out of sand free club.  Of course, no loft, bounce or sole is going to fix a thin sand shot.  The only thing that would deter me from that club is if you have a lot of tight lies.

 

Good thought. The only use case I can think of for a tight lie is if I'm really short-sided. Maybe pitching over a bunker. How is the sand at your courses? Here in Iowa, mine tend to have firmer and/or less sand.