Maltby wedges quick review and a question

[tlasher]

I had become interested in a second set of wedges for wet conditions. Based on a suggestion here I went with golfworks Malty wedges and utilized their assembly service. I got a 56 and 60 degree both with wide sole, M series. Assembly was included. I chose everything custom including grip size and shaft length. For two wedges with shipping I paid less then 90 bucks. I had low expectations.

 

The customer service is 10/10. 5 minutes after placing order they called me to confirm and discuss my orders. They were great. The wedges came in about a week.

 

They look and feel fantastic. The quality is on par with my Mac Daddy’s. The best thing is that they look to me pretty much like a normal wedge, Compared the wide sole clubs you see on TV which look weird.

 

I figured the wide sole would be limiting but I chip and pitch as well or better with these both on wet AND firm ground. I have no problem hitting flop or bunker shots even with the sole width. Wet ground pitches tend to come off better than with narrow sole but there is more friction at impact so you have to commit. Firm ground “trappy” shots with face square or closed come off fine.

 

My only question is why don’t more people use these(wide sole)? They work better on wet ground and don’t seem to limit me on firm ground.

[propman]

I have tried various Maltby wedges and irons. Big fan here. Reasons more people don't use Maltby products:

- Can't find them in brick and mortar stores to swing them.

- No name recognition. Many people assume if they don't recognize the name, the product must be a knockoff and therefore, inferior.

[tlasher]

True. I was wondering more about why people don’t use wide sole wedges. Just seems to make things easier, and I haven’t lost versatility.

[propman]

Sorry about going off on my Maltby crusade.

[Tommyj]

> @tlasher said:

> My only question is why don’t more people use these? They work better on wet ground and don’t seem to limit me on firm ground.

I'm sure you knew the answer before you asked the question. The majority of golfers will always gravitate to wedges from the big name OEMs like Vokey, Ping and others. The Maltbys may (?) offer comparable performance for a fraction of the price, but most players just don't want component clubs in their bag. I'll bet that if you could do a wedge count for all golfers in the US, you'd probably have a higher number with PXG wedges than Maltby. Nobody's impressed if you tell them you have a $45 wedge, but if you say you have a PXG wedge everyone wants to have a look at it.

 

[ChipNRun]

As @propman says, people don't find Maltby wedges in brick-and-mortar stores, they don't show up at demo days.

 

When Golf Galaxy opened up down the street circa 2007, they had a smattering of Maltby component heads which you could look at, and a few demo clubs they had assembled. Somewhere along the line the Maltby/Golfworks components disappeared from the shelves. GG continued to use GolfWorks in their supply chain for components and clubsmithing hardware for the stores. And, you would find the GolfWorks catalogs in the repair area of the shop.

 

But until you discover GolfWorks online or in catalog, it's hard to become aware of Maltby offerings. (I went to the GolfWorks clubfitting academy in 2012 and it was very enlightening as to how golfdom works - or doesn't work)

 

A similar, less happy story comes in the Hopkins Golf (HG) saga, a company started by former Cleveland/Srixon CEO Greg Hopkins.

 

 

The HG idea was to have custom wedges for everyday golfers at prices below off-the-rack major OEM items. The business model involved partnering with UPS to shorten the normal golf gear supply chain:

1. Orders came via the Hopkins online site

2. Assemblers next door put the wedge(s) together

3. UPS ships out the wedge(s) at end of day to customer

 

HG had an elaborate online website with selection options embedded. For one thing, it divided the USA into nine "turf zones." You self-fit in part by matching wedge grinds with your zone's turf characteristics. Also, the wedges had a money-back guarantee.The CJ-1 offered seven sole grinds and even-lofted wedges from 50 to 60 degrees with multiple bounce options.

 

In 2014 and 2015, the Hopkins CJ-1 wedge got a Silver medal rating on the Golf Digest _Hot List._

 

Besides the online presence, HG reached out to golf shops and assembled a loose network of product reps to visit golf events. A golfing partner of mine had a son that did this on a part-time basis. I visited some local golf shops listed as in the HG network, but the shop owners said that HG never really followed up with them after initial contact. This was unfortunate, as one shop had an excellent female clubsmith with PGA tour van experience who had specialized in wedges.

 

To wrap things up, Hopkins faded from the scene in 2017 right before Nike withdrew from golf hardware.

 

Edel wedges, on the other hand, thrived because of the detailed custom fitting as part of the purchase process. If the Edel crew comes through, you make an appointment for a fitting - you don't just show up and try a few shots.

++++++++++

> @tlasher said:

> I had become interested in a second set of wedges for wet conditions. Based on a suggestion here I went with golfworks Malty wedges and utilized their assembly service. I got a 56 and 60 degree both with wide sole, M series. ...

>

> My only question is **why don’t more people use these (wide sole)? ** They work better on wet ground and don’t seem to limit me on firm ground.

 

Wide-sole wedges tend to have a two-part perception problem: wide-sole wedges are for lesser golfers, and wide sole means less feel on shots. Also, there the issue of amount of bounce. A wide sole wedge will have more _dynamic bounce_ (functional bounce at impact) that a medium-sole wedge. So, some players who prefer high-bounce wedges incorrectly avoid the wide soles because they "want more bounce."

 

In my case, I find my MD3 wide sole 54/12 wedge feels pretty much like the 14 degree and higher wedges at impact, and in end result.

 

And, there's the issue of how much bounce? Edel superbounce wedges (sometimes with bounce 18* and more) and their apostles tout that lots of bounce is your friend. Still, more traditional bounces dominate the current golf bags. We'll leave that debate for another thread.

 

 

[tlasher]

Good point about feel. The wide sole does have a more sluggish feel at impact of all lies. But for me the shots are coming off better.