I am a 30 ish handicapper and have really gotten into golf recently. I found maltby, and have seen all the great reviews. I was wondering what irons and shafts would be most beneficial for me. I am 17, and hit the ball about 160-165 with a 7 iron when I hit it well. I’m currently gaming a strata starter set and am looking to upgrade.

Britt Lindsey Answered question January 3, 2024

My personal preference for new golfers would be the KE4 Max, and KE4 Tour +.
I’ve hit them both and have the Ke4 Tour + as one of my backup sets. Both are easy to hit and very forgiving. I have a customer that plays the Max irons and he absolutely loves them. I prefer the the Tour+ because of the appearance, and currently alternate between the TS2’s and TS3’s, but lean more to the TS2’s.
As far as shafts go, I would recommend a less expensive steel shaft such as the FST 115 or the Score LT. Both are great shafts for a young guy who hits it pretty far. You could pick up a nice Club Pak with either head and the Score LT’s for a good price.
Of course, nothing beats a fitting from a good builder/fitter, but I understand the need for something new and getting out to the course.

I’ll give a slightly different perspective to your question.

You’re a high handicapper now but given that you’re starting golf at a young age you will likely improve quickly. I think the TS3 would be a great head option as it’s something you could play for a long time at different skill levels.

If you’re hitting a 7i 160-165y now then you’ll soon be hitting it 170-180y. I would venture to guess your 7i swing speed is fairly high already, 80-85mph. For shafts I would recommend the standard Dynamic Gold s300. This is a long time proven shaft that doesn’t have any odd characteristics. As you progress you can always get fit for something more specific.

I would recommend building a half set and mastering those clubs, it’s nice to know how to work the ball and get creative. Maybe start with a hybrid 4 iron and 6/8/PW irons and a 50 or 52 degree wedge.