National Custom Works Official Thread

[GWfool]

What's been the turnaround time on your set?

[Yrckllt]

6 hours ago, GWfool said:

What's been the turnaround time on your set?

From the moment the specs were sent to Don, something like 2 months. Patrick and I discussed the specs for quite some time before though, I knew way less than I thought regarding my tendencies, likes, dislikes, needs (even after playing for 21 years) so I took my time before pulling the trigger. Close to 6 months total which I think is very fair.

Patrick was extremely helpful during the whole consultation process.

Just got pics from Patrick. I went with 4/5/6 small CB and 7/8/9/P machined muscle. They look exactly like I hoped they would and I'm extremely happy with the result and the whole experience.

 

Will most likely work on a second project with NCW in the next few months.

[Davethegolfer]

2 hours ago, Yrckllt said:

From the moment the specs were sent to Don, something like 2 months. Patrick and I discussed the specs for quite some time before though, I knew way less than I thought regarding my tendencies, likes, dislikes, needs (even after playing for 21 years) so I took my time before pulling the trigger. Close to 6 months total which I think is very fair.

Patrick was extremely helpful during the whole consultation process.

Just got pics from Patrick. I went with 4/5/6 small CB and 7/8/9/P machined muscle. They look exactly like I hoped they would and I'm extremely happy with the result and the whole experience.

 

Will most likely work on a second project with NCW in the next few months.

Perfection

 

[brad1978golf]

Well boys and girls they finally arrived. And are even better in person than in pictures. Not to find a fitter to build them up for me. Good thing we are starting 4-5 months of winter up here in 🇨🇦. Oh well I would totally recommend working the Ari, Patrick and the boys at NCW. It was truly a pleasure. 

[brad1978golf]

On 10/21/2020 at 5:21 AM, Yrckllt said:

From the moment the specs were sent to Don, something like 2 months. Patrick and I discussed the specs for quite some time before though, I knew way less than I thought regarding my tendencies, likes, dislikes, needs (even after playing for 21 years) so I took my time before pulling the trigger. Close to 6 months total which I think is very fair.

Patrick was extremely helpful during the whole consultation process.

Just got pics from Patrick. I went with 4/5/6 small CB and 7/8/9/P machined muscle. They look exactly like I hoped they would and I'm extremely happy with the result and the whole experience.

 

Will most likely work on a second project with NCW in the next few months.

Those are beautiful. 

[davo32683]

Cleaned up a little and oiled this morning

[wam78]

@davo32683 how are you getting along with yours?  Patiently waiting for my update on my wedges.  Been almost 2 months now...

[davo32683]

6 hours ago, wam78 said:

@davo32683 how are you getting along with yours?  Patiently waiting for my update on my wedges.  Been almost 2 months now...

Absolutely love my wedges. Long story short, but the irons were re-made and I’ve not gotten the new set yet. The wait for Don is substantially longer than Jeff. ~6 months for Don

Edited November 1, 2020 by davo32683

[Yrckllt]

1 hour ago, davo32683 said:

Absolutely love my wedges. Long story short, but the irons were re-made and I’ve not gotten the new set yet. The wait for Don is substantially longer than Jeff. ~6 months for Don

Care to share the long story ?

[davo32683]

8 hours ago, Yrckllt said:

Care to share the long story ?

Just had a disconnect on what exactly I was looking for on the hosel to top line transition. No questions asked they offered to do them over so I agreed. Fantastic customer service. 

[1930_]

On 10/28/2020 at 8:28 PM, brad1978golf said:

Well boys and girls they finally arrived. And are even better in person than in pictures. Not to find a fitter to build them up for me. Good thing we are starting 4-5 months of winter up here in 🇨🇦. Oh well I would totally recommend working the Ari, Patrick and the boys at NCW. It was truly a pleasure. 

That toe shape looks nice … a little square maybe? What did you spec? Or is it a standard toe?

 

On 10/28/2020 at 8:28 PM, brad1978golf said:

Well boys and girls they finally arrived. And are even better in person than in pictures. Not to find a fitter to build them up for me. Good thing we are starting 4-5 months of winter up here in 🇨🇦. Oh well I would totally recommend working the Ari, Patrick and the boys at NCW. It was truly a pleasure. 

 

[brad1978golf]

1 minute ago, 1930_ said:

That toe shape looks nice … a little square maybe? What did you spec? Or is it a standard toe?

 

 

It’s is a little squarer. More like the Miura irons but the offset is next to none. Should have them built in the next month and play in the spring. 🤦🏻‍♂️ Winter sucks. 

[1930_]

Just now, brad1978golf said:

It’s is a little squarer. More like the Miura irons but the offset is next to none. Should have them built in the next month and play in the spring. 🤦🏻‍♂️ Winter sucks. 

Thanks for the reply. I have square toe on my NCW set, which I do like very much, but maybe for set #2 I’m pondering I’ll go a little more standard with a touch of square — your toe pic looks quite perfect to me.

 

Winter does suck. Dreading it, but having nice warm weather this week and I, playing on Friday!

[brad1978golf]

56 minutes ago, 1930_ said:

Thanks for the reply. I have square toe on my NCW set, which I do like very much, but maybe for set #2 I’m pondering I’ll go a little more standard with a touch of square — your toe pic looks quite perfect to me.

 

Winter does suck. Dreading it, but having nice warm weather this week and I, playing on Friday!

Especially when you get your new blades and wedges from the boys at NCW and don’t have time to put them to use. Oh well here’s to sharp grooves  in 2021

[Yrckllt]

Got’em

[EaglesGolf99]

3 hours ago, Yrckllt said:

Got’em

Those are stunners, my friend! Don knocked those outta the park! 

[brad1978golf]

The irons just returned to me from being meticulously built by Golfwrx’s own Ryan Barath. He was a pleasure to work with on the final build. Can’t wait to hit these clubs. I paired them with Ctaper s+ shafts and Golf Pride z-cord grips. Now just to wait for the snow to melt in 3-4 months. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[norcaltrojan]

After a month of communication with Ari I submitted my order for a combo set of the Small CB(4-6) & Machined Muscle (7-G) in mid December. Couldn't be happier with the experience and I'm excited to get a true piece of art from Don White himself. Estimated wait time is 4-5months for DW so I still have plenty of time to work on my game before they arrive. 

[norcaltrojan]

On 10/21/2020 at 5:21 AM, Yrckllt said:

From the moment the specs were sent to Don, something like 2 months. Patrick and I discussed the specs for quite some time before though, I knew way less than I thought regarding my tendencies, likes, dislikes, needs (even after playing for 21 years) so I took my time before pulling the trigger. Close to 6 months total which I think is very fair.

Patrick was extremely helpful during the whole consultation process.

Just got pics from Patrick. I went with 4/5/6 small CB and 7/8/9/P machined muscle. They look exactly like I hoped they would and I'm extremely happy with the result and the whole experience.

 

Will most likely work on a second project with NCW in the next few months.

Did you ask for the flat back line on your machined muscled blades? The pics I received during consultation had a curved shape which peaked in the middle 

[Yrckllt]

4 minutes ago, norcaltrojan said:

Did you ask for the flat back line on your machined muscled blades? The pics I received during consultation had a curved shape which peaked in the middle 

That's correct, I thought I would like them better without the wingtip and I don't regret my decision. This is however a matter of personal preference and as far as I know, this does not affect feel, performance, CG location, etc...

 

Since I've been playing my irons for a few weeks now I thought I'd give some feedback.

 

As far as looks go, they're my favorite irons ever. You can definitely tell that most lines are cut by hand. 

They look quite different from everything I've played previously. The leading edges are super straight and beveled, the topline-hosel transitions are more "rounded" than my previous gamers.

Now I don't even notice it anymore and I feel pure joy every time I address the club.

 

Performance wise, I had some doubts at first regarding the sole profile, especially in the shorter irons (9 & PW), because I found myself hitting some fat shots with very low trajectory. Distance was also a concern because even though I was expecting some loss, there was a full club difference compared to my previous set, which were also blades.

 

Now this is very interesting, at least to me : I've been playing Z-Stars for the past 4/5 months after maybe 10 years of playing XVs because I found they would give me better accuracy off the tee.

Last week I switched back to XVs as an experiment because I wanted to see if that would give me higher trajectories with the irons. And OMG did that make a difference. After 2 rounds, I've noticed a big increase in height but I also got back the distance I had lost.

I'm not an expert in ballistics nor did I check my numbers on a LM but I'm pretty sure this jump in performance is due to very good launch and spin conditions.

 

Quick side note on finish : I went with raw and they patina pretty quickly if you're not careful. I gave them a quick rub with steel wool and WD40, all the rust went away.

 

To be honest, I placed the order knowing I could resell the irons easily and for a good price if I ended up not liking them.

Now, I've completely fallen in love with them, not only because they are unique but also because I may have found the best performing irons I've ever played.

 

To Don, Patrick and everyone at NCW, thank you very much for such fine pieces of equipment.

 

[brad1978golf]

9 hours ago, norcaltrojan said:

After a month of communication with Ari I submitted my order for a combo set of the Small CB(4-6) & Machined Muscle (7-G) in mid December. Couldn't be happier with the experience and I'm excited to get a true piece of art from Don White himself. Estimated wait time is 4-5months for DW so I still have plenty of time to work on my game before they arrive. 

Congrats man. I know you won’t be disappointed. They are a great group of artists to work with. 

[norcaltrojan]

21 hours ago, Yrckllt said:

To be honest, I placed the order knowing I could resell the irons easily and for a good price if I ended up not liking them.

Now, I've completely fallen in love with them, not only because they are unique but also because I may have found the best performing irons I've ever played.

 

As a close friend said, worst come to worst you can hang them on the wall as art that you'd cherish for the rest of your life. 

[AdmiralPicard]

On 2/4/2021 at 10:54 AM, norcaltrojan said:

After a month of communication with Ari I submitted my order for a combo set of the Small CB(4-6) & Machined Muscle (7-G) in mid December. Couldn't be happier with the experience and I'm excited to get a true piece of art from Don White himself. Estimated wait time is 4-5months for DW so I still have plenty of time to work on my game before they arrive. 

I think 4-5 months is going to be pretty conservative. I placed my order in April 2020 and they haven't hit the grinding wheel just yet. I'm not in a rush, and the delay has given me more than enough time to overthink everything, which has been good.

 

Good things come to those who wait.

[norcaltrojan]

21 hours ago, Yrckllt said:

That's correct, I thought I would like them better without the wingtip and I don't regret my decision. This is however a matter of personal preference and as far as I know, this does not affect feel, performance, CG location, etc...

 

Since I've been playing my irons for a few weeks now I thought I'd give some feedback.

 

As far as looks go, they're my favorite irons ever. You can definitely tell that most lines are cut by hand. 

They look quite different from everything I've played previously. The leading edges are super straight and beveled, the topline-hosel transitions are more "rounded" than my previous gamers.

Now I don't even notice it anymore and I feel pure joy every time I address the club.

 

Performance wise, I had some doubts at first regarding the sole profile, especially in the shorter irons (9 & PW), because I found myself hitting some fat shots with very low trajectory. Distance was also a concern because even though I was expecting some loss, there was a full club difference compared to my previous set, which were also blades.

 

Now this is very interesting, at least to me : I've been playing Z-Stars for the past 4/5 months after maybe 10 years of playing XVs because I found they would give me better accuracy off the tee.

Last week I switched back to XVs as an experiment because I wanted to see if that would give me higher trajectories with the irons. And OMG did that make a difference. After 2 rounds, I've noticed a big increase in height but I also got back the distance I had lost.

I'm not an expert in ballistics nor did I check my numbers on a LM but I'm pretty sure this jump in performance is due to very good launch and spin conditions.

 

Quick side note on finish : I went with raw and they patina pretty quickly if you're not careful. I gave them a quick rub with steel wool and WD40, all the rust went away.

 

To be honest, I placed the order knowing I could resell the irons easily and for a good price if I ended up not liking them.

Now, I've completely fallen in love with them, not only because they are unique but also because I may have found the best performing irons I've ever played.

 

To Don, Patrick and everyone at NCW, thank you very much for such fine pieces of equipment.

 

Sounds like we have a pretty similar eye. I have raw SM8's and love the patina so went with a raw finish as well.  I'm curious which shafts you put into them and what process you went through to get fitted? I've heard that people either take what they currently game or go to a place like Club Champion and get fit using Miura or Mizuno blades. With my SS and high launch there are only a limited number of shafts that really fit my profile ($Taper 130, TT X100,  PX LS 6.5) but another buddy (+3) just made the switch the graphite MMT 125 TX and said he'll never go back to steel. Unfortunately for me all those steel options are $50/h so the MMT being $65/h is within striking distance. Hell if i went with MMT I'd have NO excuses lol

[norcaltrojan]

5 minutes ago, AdmiralPicard said:

I think 4-5 months is going to be pretty conservative. I placed my order in April 2020 and they haven't hit the grinding wheel just yet. I'm not in a rush, and the delay has given me more than enough time to overthink everything, which has been good.

 

Good things come to those who wait.

 

Damn - I assume you went to DW? Have you received any updates from Ari or Patrick on your place in line?

[AdmiralPicard]

10 minutes ago, norcaltrojan said:

 

Damn - I assume you went to DW? Have you received any updates from Ari or Patrick on your place in line?

That's correct. No I haven't. I briefly chatted (via email) with Ari in December about a putter order and he confirmed my suspicion that I was "a couple months" away but nothing definitive. I haven't been hounding them because I'm not in a real rush. Work has been keeping me swamped.

 

At the same time, I'm already dreaming up my next set. I'm thinking something in a cavity similar to the old 962B, but with a touch more offset. I tend to like looking at offset. Not a bunch, but a little bit.

[Yrckllt]

3 hours ago, norcaltrojan said:

Sounds like we have a pretty similar eye. I have raw SM8's and love the patina so went with a raw finish as well.  I'm curious which shafts you put into them and what process you went through to get fitted? I've heard that people either take what they currently game or go to a place like Club Champion and get fit using Miura or Mizuno blades. With my SS and high launch there are only a limited number of shafts that really fit my profile ($Taper 130, TT X100,  PX LS 6.5) but another buddy (+3) just made the switch the graphite MMT 125 TX and said he'll never go back to steel. Unfortunately for me all those steel options are $50/h so the MMT being $65/h is within striking distance. Hell if i went with MMT I'd have NO excuses lol

I ended up going with PX 6.0.

For the fitting process I consulted a local fitter called John Lawson (I live in Paris, France) who’s equipped with GEARS and Trackman. We used a JPX 919 Tour 6i head for reference because if I remember correctly, Patrick had told me Mizunos were pretty low bounce.

On that particular session performance was best with the 6.0 so I went with it but I don’t care much about what iron shaft I play as long as it feels good. Had something like C-Taper been the best performer, I wouldn’t have chosen it.

Will Peoples took care of the assembly and I strongly recommend him.

He also did my wedges a few weeks back. Very nice guy.

 

Yorick 

 

 

[payerasjl]

Im quite aware that these are tools, not jewels- but it’s nice to keep them looking clean! 
 

what are some of your maintenance routines for your NCW’s?

Edited February 9, 2021 by payerasjl

[wam78]

Let’s keep it going...

 

Huge shoutout to @FairwayFred  These guys turned out beautiful!  Had them replicate some old Scratch grinds with minor adjustments for versatility with some bounce.  Incredible work!  Took a while, but can’t say enough about the craftsmanship!

What has really impressed me the most is the shape of the 53.  Straight leading edge, no offset and took some off of the top line with their square toe shape.  Added a little more camber to the trailing edge.  Kept all the details of the stamping as simple as possible.  Just beautiful!

 

[brad1978golf]

1 hour ago, wam78 said:

Let’s keep it going...

 

Huge shoutout to @FairwayFred  These guys turned out beautiful!  Had them replicate some old Scratch grinds with minor adjustments for versatility with some bounce.  Incredible work!  Took a while, but can’t say enough about the craftsmanship!

What has really impressed me the most is the shape of the 53.  Straight leading edge, no offset and took some off of the top line with their square toe shape.  Added a little more camber to the trailing edge.  Kept all the details of the stamping as simple as possible.  Just beautiful!

 

The 53 is beautiful.