Scratch Ar-1s

Hello everyone,
Does anyone have any experience with the Ar-1s or the scratch company in general? Are the Ar-1s soft(softer than mizzys?) ? workable? Also does anyone know if i can get them engraved and w a diffirent finish without going the tour department(3500$) route? And finally does anyone know if i can get the 1018 wedges w a diffirent finish and engraved w/out the tour department(350$) route? Thanks a ton guys.

I don't have any experience with the AR-1 but the SB-1 is a great club. They also have a new combo set out that might interest you, the TC-1 (EZ-1 3-4, AR-1 5-7, SB-1 8-PW). You can also have your own custom blend set put together as well.

Like most OEM's, Mizuno uses a form of 1025 carbon steel in their clubs. Scratch uses 1018 which is a softer steel (less carbon, .18% vs .25%). In theory this will provide you with a softer feel. Feel, however, is subjective. IMHO, the Scratch SB-1 is the softest feeling golf club I've ever hit. Your mileage may vary however. Your given shaft and grip will also influence feel so if that's your prime motivator, plan accordingly.

I can't speak to the AR-1's workability but I will say that you can do pretty much whatever you want with the SB-1. Based on your handicap, is it safe to assume that you're a good ballstriker? Why are you looking at the AR-1 instead of the SB-1? For a pure muscle back, the SB-1 is a very forgiving club so no need to "fear the blade" if that's your concern.

Engraved or stamped? They can stamp any of their clubs for you. TD, 1018, 8620, whatever.

I believe that finishes other than the satin chrome have to be purchased through the Tour Department. From time to time however, they'll do a special run of so many "special finish" clubs. These finishes vary as does the timing of when they do it. You'd have to call them to find out specifically what, if anything, they have going on right now. I'm the odd ball, I have all Tour Department clubs in satin chrome and very plain stampings... BTW - Tour Department list price for a set of irons is $2500, not $3500.

You can also obtain Scratch clubs via a dealer. Depending on the exact dealer this could result in lower prices and a faster turn around. My wedges came direct from the Scratch Tour Department but irons came from the Tour Department via a dealer. Since I went the dealer route, I got them quite a bit faster than I would have had I ordered them straight from the Tour Department. I saved a few bucks to boot. Of course, with Don White in the Scratch Tour Department now, it would be pretty awesome to have a set built by the legend himself.

If you want to get a feel for the various offerings, AR-1 vs SB-1 or S/S, D/S or D/D grinds, give Scratch a call. In my experience they've been more than willing to send out various demo clubs to give you an opportunity to hit them before you buy. Be forewarned however, if you hit them, you very likely will buy them.

Thanks alot rebby. I am looking at the ar-1s and not the sb-1s because i already hav a set of blades and im just not consistent enough....i play a good bit of tournaments and the pressure can lead to mishits....i think you get the idea.... Did you just call them and they sent you a demo club? Any charge for that? Im actually going to get fitted for irons next saturday and im thinking of ordering the ar-1s with those specs. they seem like the perfect irons for me. One more question: did you just order them and then got them or did they follow up on everything to make sure everything went right? thanks

Ok another question: whats the diffirence btwn the regular ar-1s and a td set? Why would someone get a td set?

No charge for the demo clubs. They may need a CC # just to make sure that you send them back though. I'm not sure if they're doing that or not.

Chances are the regular AR-1's would serve you just fine. The only real reason to go TD is if you have something very specific that you want and can't have done to a regular set. Things like this would include a custom grind or specific finish, something major like that. If you're just looking for minor tweaks like custom stamping, loft/lie changes, specific shaft, etc... you can have that done in a "regular" set.