37 replies to this topic

[Pinsplitter59]

found these last week shopping around.
not very exciting i guess, just thought i'd show them.
Mizuno Pro MS-3 irons 3 - Sand Iron.
hit them a bit on the range, sort of playable but not like the more modern Mizunos.
no idea how old they are.
Dunlop Augusta 3 wood, DG S300 shaft. A run-of-the -mill wood i guess but swings quite well and feels good.
Tad Moore Maxfli putter, haven't used it, just bought because of Tad Moore's name on it.

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[rich13]

Hi, the Tad Moore putter looks very similar to the putter used by Ian Woosnam to win the 1991 Masters, so that's a nice find on its own! The 3 wood looks to be persimmon, and I recall Dunlop making some nice woods for the US market during the '80's, which were very similar to the Maxfli offerings we used to get in the UK. This reminds me of the woods offered with the Maxfli Australian Blade irons, a top-line set in the day, and used by most of the top Maxfli Pros at the time.
The MS-3 irons are from 1984-86, and were the model just before the wingback irons used so succesfully by Faldo, Olazabal, Lyle etc from 1987.
All in all, a very nice old school selection.

[Pinsplitter59]

thanks, that's great info.
i did see a set of the Mizuno Pro wingback style as well,
didn't know they were used so famously.
don't think  i'll be buying them because yesterday i saw a set of Wilson FG59 going pretty cheap.
i'll give the putter a go next time i play,
but that might be a while, 100 degrees and 100 percent humidity here in Thailand now.
i only go the driving range at 5pm in this kind of weather.
hit 3 shots - sit down - wipe away sweat - drink water - repeat.....

[Blade Junkie]

Brilliant pick up in Thailand! Where do you play out there ?

[dalehead]

Seve Ballesteros used a  Tad Moore putter for a while in the early 90's. May have been a Maxfli model.

Would love to hear Tad's comments about these putters. I'm sure he has some good stories.

[astamm8]

I've always been a fan of those MS-3s; they're some of the best Mizunos in terms of leading edge and toe shape, in my opinion.

[Pinsplitter59]

thanks for comments guys, much appreciated.
i hang around Pattaya, just 120km from Bangkok on eastern seaboard.
famous for being the sin city but also has 20 or more golf courses within 45 minutes drive.
there is a large golf mall in Bangkok (Thaniya Plaza near another sinful street Patpong),
sometimes find interesting old stuff in there.
they import second hand clubs from japan as well as sell new.
but new prices are even more than in Australia.

some prices are silly in those shops.
Miura 2nd hand blades 6 iron - PW were asking about $800.
half set of Epon's even more expensive.
the MS-3 cost me $135.. cripes i just converted the Baht.. that's expensive i think.
also had Hogan Apex Grind set there for same price.

so i did buy the Wilson FG59's  (3-PW), DG R300 shaft for $210 , not a bad buy i think, from a Japanese guy who couldn't hit them.
they were in the shop at my local driving range ( .80 cents for 40 balls).
they are as good as new and look very lovely, but don't feel right for me yet, need some weight and shaft experiments.
pics: sometimes have visual distraction problems while practicing and a fairly typical course style.

[astamm8]

Hitting in heels must help with balance, maybe I should try that instead of barefoot...

[Pinsplitter59]

That's "Tammy Two Gloves",
haven't seen her in a while.
she played a decent game and always won or lost hundreds of dollars a round with her other golfing girlfriends.
they all have wealthy husbands, many of them foreigners of course, to keep them in style and out of the sweatshops.
you do meet some weird, unusual, strange and/ or nice people here from all over the globe.
Golf isn't cheap, about $50-70 a round including caddy and cart, that's about 8 times a building labourers daily wage.
Strange how Thailand hasn't produced a world class player, could be the lack of good teaching or even the courses they learn on which are very open, and have strange grass.
oopss.. turning into a travelogue.
cheers.....

[majic]

Great post of good sticks.  The TM 3 was a good model and won a few Tour events before they started paying players.  Seve used a TM 2 model set at 68 dgree lie angle and 3.5 degrees loft.  35 inches long and a Dunlop grip made I think by Lamkin for Dunlop Japan.  Similar to the Ping Tiger used but a little smaller.
Great times.  It was a great time in golf.  Tad

[emifujita58]

I just bought a second hand maxfli Tad Moore TM4 this morning, i immediately tried it in the golf course and i was not surprised that it is an excellent putter and very well balanced, even scored some one-putts with it. The putter is in very good shape and must have been treasured by its former owner while he was using it, Anyway I plan to use it for my regular games. Excellent putter.

[majic]

The TM-4 had many Tour wins.  It was very popular with the pro's.  I still make a version of this great putter.  Enjoy it.  Tad

[emifujita58]

Thanks Tad, I have it in my bag now replacing my long time putter. Here are some pictures taken using my iPhone.

[majic]

Nice shape.  Enjoy it.  Tad

[Arafel]

emifujita58, on 02 September 2012 - 12:15 AM, said:

Thanks Tad, I have it in my bag now replacing my long time putter. Here are some pictures taken using my iPhone. securedownload-2.jpeg securedownload-1.jpeg securedownload.jpeg

I have this exact putter but the gunmetal finish has worn off and is just the raw carbon steel now.  The putter head was a little light (322 g) so I put a 9 gram tip weight down the shaft and now it's perfect.  I'm actually thinking of getting some sort of Pro Platinum finish for this little beauty.

[dalehead]

Tad

What are your thoughts on adding a tip weight like sustain did?

I wonder what the effect on balance and feel would be with the extra weight so far from the center of the face.

In any case, I think we sometimes get too hung up on head weight today. For me performance is the only consideration. Do I make putts with it?  If I do head weight doesn't matter.

[Arafel]

dalehead, on 02 September 2012 - 10:33 AM, said:

Tad

What are your thoughts on adding a tip weight like sustain did?

I wonder what the effect on balance and feel would be with the extra weight so far from the center of the face.

In any case, I think we sometimes get too hung up on head weight today. For me performance is the only consideration. Do I make putts with it?  If I do head weight doesn't matter.

I can say in my case the sweet spot is still in the middle of the clubface and the club now has a swingweight that I'm comfortable with.

Edited by sustain, 02 September 2012 - 06:11 PM.

[dalehead]

Isn't that the point of this board?

[Pinsplitter59]

my TM-3 (as above) doesn't suit my putting style as it is.
it did feel too light and i added lead tape which helped,
but the shaft is too short for me,
so i have tried it in play but now have gone back to old faithful the Ping A-Blade which i bought after Lee Trevino won a British Open using one.
that said, i do like the look of the TM and might change the shaft and grip sometime.
sank 3 putts between 30-40 feet on saturday, yumm yummm, made a few 10 foot tap-ins too,
best day's putting for ages (Par comp, 4 minuses, 7 pluses = 3 up, 5 hcp, had hot short game on the day).

[Bella Woods]

sustain:


Wow - We are so lucky you visited us here to educate us.

BTW - as dalehead was alluding to - your putter is very much
hook weighted.

[Bella Woods]

sustain, on 02 September 2012 - 05:45 PM, said:

Bella Woods, on 02 September 2012 - 05:33 PM, said:

sustain:


Wow - We are so lucky you visited us here to educate us.

BTW - as dalehead was alluding to - your putter is very much
hook weighted.

Hook weighted.  That's grand!  


Too anal about too many things.

What happens to the center of gravity when you actually attach a shaft to the club?  Where is the center of gravity at now?

It is obviously factored into the equation prior to, are you kidding me, or maybe new to golf?

You altered your clubs center of gravity - that is all there is to it. I am glad however, that
it is working out for you!


Obviously the edits and deletes by sustain make this hard to follow.

Edited by Bella Woods, 02 September 2012 - 06:50 PM.

[majic]

I will try to add the question of adding weight.  For years working with tour players around the world I would do two things.  One add lead tape to sole.  Second as well know Ping has a ball bearing down the shaft tip at about 7 grams? so i also used small tungsten plugs of from 5-10 grams set in the bottom of the tip with great success.  You will never know the weight is in the tip except for a little more head weight feel.  A good solution.  It does no damage to the balance of the putter.  Tad

[Bella Woods]

majic, on 02 September 2012 - 07:05 PM, said:

I will try to add the question of adding weight.  For years working with tour players around the world I would do two things.  One add lead tape to sole.  Second as well know Ping has a ball bearing down the shaft tip at about 7 grams? so i also used small tungsten plugs of from 5-10 grams set in the bottom of the tip with great success.  You will never know the weight is in the tip except for a little more head weight feel.  A good solution.  It does no damage to the balance of the putter.  Tad

Tad:

Putting a bunch of weight in the heel area of the club does not change the designed charateristics of the club?

[okesa]

We have fairly slick greens at my home course and my Tad Moore TM-5 (left handed) is pretty much perfect for the feel required to putt well on them especially as it has the original Maxfli Royal grip which is a lot slimmer and more refined than most putter grips and which seems to help the balance of the putter.I have a spare which I've regripped a couple of times trying to recreate the feel of the other but can't find a grip that's anywhere near the Maxfli original.
Love using it when playing in a group where the other guys are putting with branding irons and spanners on sticks,TM is so much classier and a real case of 'less is Moore'!

[majic]

Weighting a putter with a small amount of weight right at the tip.  This is important as the tungsten weight is very small and about the size of the Ping bearing is OK. This works good for a putter. If you put a lot of weight in the heel or toe you do effect the "sweet spot" and therefore the way the club head was designed.
Now how about an iron.  If you stick 8-10 grams in the neck of an iron and you have ruined the club. This is why as the manufacturing methods have changed in the last 10-15 years so has the weighting of the clubs to make manufacturers suggested swing weights.  The player obvious irons are the Ping, Taylormade and others that have visual weighting in the back of the head.
The ROYAL grip.  Sad story I had this grip made at both Royal and Golf Pride and neither company has the tooling anymore.  A great grip I designed for the Maxli putters.  i tell people to buy a trashed putter to get the grip pulled and use it.

[rex235]

Tad-

Thanks so much for your thoughts and advice on weighting clubs-

This weekend is the 20th Anniversary of my use of the  LH Tad Moore TM-5.

Used primarily on rocket fast greens, this putter also reminds me who was first with LH milled putters-

..and the only word from Titleist  was "No"

[dalehead]

majic, on 02 September 2012 - 07:05 PM, said:

I will try to add the question of adding weight.  For years working with tour players around the world I would do two things.  One add lead tape to sole.  Second as well know Ping has a ball bearing down the shaft tip at about 7 grams? so i also used small tungsten plugs of from 5-10 grams set in the bottom of the tip with great success.  You will never know the weight is in the tip except for a little more head weight feel.  A good solution.  It does no damage to the balance of the putter.  Tad

Thanks Tad.

I wanted to get your take on this before trying it myself.

[majic]

Thanks for your comments.  I feel that there is no doubt who perfected the CNC milled putte or even the milled putter and that is myself along with Rick Cooper of Cooper Precision.  I had several great left handed putters in the Maxfli lineup. I plane to make two new models this year.
I think the weighting of clubs is very interesting and has led to better production methods being used.  for example in the 80's and up into the 90's nobody used milling to produce an iron.  We started using this as i was of course so involved in the putters.  first it was used to flatten the face and then to do other parts of the head.  Now most companies that do not adjust weights after assembly with placing a weight in the back of the head use form forging, minimum grinding and milling for the final shape, face and of course the grooves to control weight etc.  A better way to make heads but also a more costly way.  tad

[Nspiel58]

Here's my 33" TM-2.  It's a beauty and sits very nicely at address.  Great putter Tad!!

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[majic]

Seve loved this putter.  So did many others and I am sure that is why so many other people copied the basic shape.  I hope you enjoy it.  Looks in great shape.  Tad