Tell me if this is a tour head...

[freemahc]

I have in my possession (for now) a 15* left handed V-Steel...bought from a PGA Teaching pro a while back. When compared to the off the rack retail versions, there are 3 key differences - first, the strip of black paint between the hosel is a different width than on any other retail head I've seen, and second, the hosel is shorter than standard, and third, it's polished chrome in lieu of the standard brushed chrome...there is a serial number

 

You be the judge...

[triputt]

Not hardly.

[freemahc]

I posted this for some insightful info, somethign more detailed than "not hardly" would be nice. I would venture to say that it's "not hardly" a retail version...so what is it?

[Putt4doh]

Although I'm no TM expert, I would gently suggest some better pictures. That would probably help eveyone (all the TM experts) out a bit..

[freemahc]

I'll take some tomorrow, those were taken a while back with one hand on the camera and one hand on the club...I need to stop by the store to take some other pics for a member here, so I'll put this side by side with a righty retail for comparison.

[freemahc]

dk - it's the hosel that polished, not the sole, here are some new pics side by side with a retail right handed v-steel still in the plastic. Note the difference in the paint thickness on the neck.

[freemahc]

just a couple more notes - first of all, I am in now way trying to pass this off as a tour head, I have little intention of selling or trading it unless the right offer comes up. I just posted this for the information so I would know for sure. Second, I am pretty sure that it is a .335 shaft that's installed, but based on the ferrules it was probably a re-shaft, I have no way of knowing the full details on that. Third, and last, I am fine if this is not a tour head, but I am 100% sure that it's not just any ordinary retail head. So if it's not retail, and it's not tour, what is it?

[leftygolfer15]

Let me give some insight here. I can tell you a couple of things. No left-handed tour v-steels have the paint break. I know for a fact atleast some and maybe all of them have serial numbers. TM did not make "tour versions" of the v-steel and rescue mid. They simply took retail heads and bent and weighted them to pro's specs. Every v-steel I've seen including MW's had no paint break and a serial #. I have a rescue mid that came from a top lefty touring pro that has a serial and No TP flag and it is certainly not retail due to the D4 SW with a 105 gram shaft and open face. Obviously it has a lower anti-ballooning and anti-hook bias but thats probably due to where they put the hot melt than anything else.

[freemahc]

FWIW - the serial number is 51TA2D2W

[StaffBag]

FWIW - the serial number is 51TA2D2W

 

 

Probably not a TOUR head with that type or any other serial number. It could be a retail head out of the TM tour dept.

 

Really the ONLY way that you will know is by tearing it apart (remove shaft) and check the hosel size.

 

There are NO .335 retail versions of the V-Steel..... NONE!!!!

[NPVWhiz]

Seriously, how many left handed PGA touring pros are there? You'd have to be a Steve Flesch, or that other lefty, to get an OEM to go through the expense of cutting forging dies or even making casting molds for a special production run of a head. It isn't cheap. It can certainly be done, but I'd expect it to be much more rare.

 

There's also absolutely no reason as well that some tour player would ask for a "tour" v-steel head to be milled to 0.350" to accept a 0.350" tipped shaft that the player likes. But I think the point about the tour versions having 0.335 hosels is a fairly reliable indicator.

 

If it has a 335 hosel, then you've got two possibilities. TM made a standard production run of lefty heads for both tour and retail use, and cut some of the hosels to .335, and the majority to .350, with the 0.350s going to the stores and either going to lefty "tour" players (and really, again, are there more than 7 or so?)

[Leftystar]

Seriously, how many left handed PGA touring pros are there? You'd have to be a Steve Flesch, or that other lefty, to get an OEM to go through the expense of cutting forging dies or even making casting molds for a special production run of a head. It isn't cheap. It can certainly be done, but I'd expect it to be much more rare.

 

There's also absolutely no reason as well that some tour player would ask for a "tour" v-steel head to be milled to 0.350" to accept a 0.350" tipped shaft that the player likes. But I think the point about the tour versions having 0.335 hosels is a fairly reliable indicator.

 

If it has a 335 hosel, then you've got two possibilities. TM made a standard production run of lefty heads for both tour and retail use, and cut some of the hosels to .335, and the majority to .350, with the 0.350s going to the stores and either going to lefty "tour" players (and really, again, are there more than 7 or so?)

 

:ok:

 

I can tell you that the most famous lefty on a tour with a green jacket (yes we have 2) Phil Mickelson was playing the v-steel before he put the Cally fairway woods in play. I believe that he still had at least one, if not both, in play during the last Ryder Cup.

 

:lol:

 

That seems like a pretty good reason for TM to make "tour" Lefty V-Steels to me!!!!!

[beninfluence]

Can't think of the top of my head........... but whats the difference between the Taylor Made V-steel and the newer Taylor Made V-steel 2 then?

Ben

[whitey_was_here]

hey guys, probably a dumb question, but do all tour issue v-steels have .335 tip size? Just asking because i recently got one, and was wondering if that would give me any problems if i want to reshaft, thanks

Nick

[freemahc]

well, I guess we are divided. SOme are convinced tat it's not tour, but it's not a 100% consensus...I guess I'll just play with it, and if I decide to re-shaft at some point then we'll see if it's a .335 hosel or not.

 

As for those asking to buy it, well I jump to the conclusion that you think it is a tour head, but as I said, it's not for sale, but I'd accept ridiculous offers :lol: (in my favor of course)

[sdcfan18]

It shouldnt be hard to tell if its 335 or 350. take it to any clu builder and he should be able to tell you just by looking at it what the tip size is

[NPVWhiz]

Seriously, how many left handed PGA touring pros are there? You'd have to be a Steve Flesch, or that other lefty, to get an OEM to go through the expense of cutting forging dies or even making casting molds for a special production run of a head. It isn't cheap. It can certainly be done, but I'd expect it to be much more rare.

 

There's also absolutely no reason as well that some tour player would ask for a "tour" v-steel head to be milled to 0.350" to accept a 0.350" tipped shaft that the player likes. But I think the point about the tour versions having 0.335 hosels is a fairly reliable indicator.

 

If it has a 335 hosel, then you've got two possibilities. TM made a standard production run of lefty heads for both tour and retail use, and cut some of the hosels to .335, and the majority to .350, with the 0.350s going to the stores and either going to lefty "tour" players (and really, again, are there more than 7 or so?)

 

:ok:

 

I can tell you that the most famous lefty on a tour with a green jacket (yes we have 2) Phil Mickelson was playing the v-steel before he put the Cally fairway woods in play. I believe that he still had at least one, if not both, in play during the last Ryder Cup.

 

:lol:

 

That seems like a pretty good reason for TM to make "tour" Lefty V-Steels to me!!!!!

"that other lefty" = Phil :tongue:

[Twister]

Can't think of the top of my head........... but whats the difference between the Taylor Made V-steel and the newer Taylor Made V-steel 2 then?

Ben

 

Ben,

There is a large weight at the rear of the sole. I don't know of any other differences.

 

Cheers

Jim

[goldie]

No real help here but just because the shaft is .335 doesn't mean its not a .350 hosel w/ shim. Onlt way to tell would be to measure hosel bore.........goldie