First I would say we do not compare our models to others. We believe ours perform as well or better. That being said the P770 did fall into the Game Improvement category of our Maltby Playability Factor, which for that type of iron is pretty good. It came out to 645 MPF points. Our TS3 is 849 points and the TE+ is 838 points, to compare. You can go to our database for MPF and see what the differences were. Basically all that means is that TS3 and TE+ fall into the Super Game Improvement category and would be more forgiving than the P770.
I think the profile of the P770 is a little more traditional, so if that is what you like, you should consider the TE+, the TS4 (755 MPF) or even the TS1-IM (728 MPF). The latter two have more similar lofts to the P770. The TS3 and TE+ are 1 degree stronger, which is not a big difference. The TS3 is a different profile that one might describe as less traditional. We consider it a players cavity design like the TE+, but they are different. Just to throw another one in the mix, our newest TS3.5 will be arriving shortly and it is basically a stronger lofted, slightly wider sole and topline version of the TS3. I classify it as a distance iron with the 6 iron loft being 26.
No matter what you choose in the iron design, I believe any of them will perform at a high level (better than others you may try). TE+, TS4, TS1-IM are the more traditional blade profiles and TS3, TS3.5 are a different profile with slightly lower heel heights, wider toplines and soles. Compare the looks and specs and then pick the one you think you will like to look at address.
As far as the shaft, the previous version of the MPF graphite shafts were very good, but they were stiff for their flex designations. R was a firm R, S was a firm S, etc. The newer version, the MPF Pro Series +, are more true to flex. If you’re hitting your #7 iron 152-158, that would fall into an R flex usually. Of course your tempo and your feel preference have to be considered as well. My guess is with your 7 iron club head speed, you might hit it a little farther, which could put you in an S flex. If you like a softer feel and like hitting it higher, go with the R flex. If you like a firmer feel and hit it too high now, then consider the S flex. You are really right on the edge and could go either way. If you have a quick tempo, go with stiff. Slower, smoother tempo, maybe go with the R flex. If you want to stay with graphite, the new MPF Pro Series + we really like. You might consider testing with a #7 iron first before committing to the entire set. Lightweight steel, the TT Score LT we use as our stock steel is really a good shaft and a great value. I like the Nippon steel products and they have the most selection of light weight steel shafts, so you might look there if you want to go with steel.
A lot to consider and apologies if I have just made the decision more difficult. Pick the head that has the specs you need and the look you want. Not a lot of difference in any of our irons from a performance standpoint if fit properly, other than the difference a stronger loft option might give you in distance comparison. The TS3 and TE+ do have the higher MPF and might be slightly more forgiving. They are all very stable, solid and forgiving and will perform as well or better than any other brands models that fall in the same category type of irons.
Britt Lindsey
Thanks Britt. What are your thoughts on hard stepping a R flex shaft since I am in the middle?