Mjr. D

I got lucky and got a rare tour only colorway (blue and orange - not sure if the performance is any different) and I play them in Tourstage 709MC's from last year and I absolutely love them. I find them extremely effortless. Meaning they just make the ball go and go. Extremely long. The feel is probably the best I've ever felt in a iron shaft. Tourstage isn't known to make the softest of irons/woods but these make the 709MC feel that desirable soft/spongey similar to the Epon 302s. Second place would be the Super Peening Blues. They MCI's are very accurate, mid launch and I think low spin. My miss is a slight hook with them but that's my swing not the shaft. I have the Recoil Tour Prototypes in Epon 302s and I find them slightly more accurate than the MCI's but they're not as long and they don't feel nearly as nice. They actually kind of mute/dull the beautiful feel of the Epon 302s. I've never hit the 302s with the MCIs but I have hit them with Nippon Super Peening blue shafts and they felt better than the recoils. Recoils are great for accuracy though!

I have them in some tourstage heads. Fantastic shafts. Among the best.

More shaft info please! Have you ever used the Diamana X or Rogue? How's it compare to your Waccine? Thanks!

Pacific Grove. Great course, especially for the money!

HAhah Chris! Great comment. No no, I still ordered the Zy-11. Need to try it. Can always do better haha.

Oh ya and suffice to say I'm a big believer in driver being the most important club in your bag for scoring. If you can't hit the fairway or 1st/second cut it's pretty impossible to score.

So I hit up the ASU Karstan course in Tempe yesterday. This is only my second round since last Sept (I know it's unacceptable) and it was one of my best rounds ever. I attribute it to two things. The 7am tee time (i'm not an early riser) and the Maxima Type V. First the 7am tee time. It's amazing what happens when you take your mind out of the equation. I was literally so tired during the first nine holes I played on "auto-pilot" so to speak. My brain wasn't overanalyzing, I didn't have the energy to pay attention to swing mechanics and didn't stand over the ball too long. The result was a front nine 34. For me, this is outstanding. I'm not a drinker and I don't do drugs but I now understand why a lot of people play much better on the back nine than the front. Nine holes in they're good and drunk or slightly high and therefore they don't overthink everything. Honestly, overthinking is a huge problem in non reaction type sports. Anyway, on to the Maxima Type V. I know a lot of people on here claim they have problems with hooking the Maxima (myself included). In my previous round this year in Monterey I was snap hooking the Maxima and every time I did I noticed I made contact towards the toe. Yesterday my only focus was on trying to make ball contact mid-heel. I just starred intently at the ball and tried to strike it mid-heel. The results were a personal best driving round. I missed only 3 fairways and my distance was 305-330yrds with one at 347yrds. With the hook out of the equation this driver is as automatic and long as anything I've ever hit. I use a Diamana Ahina 73 X. Not the best shaft in terms of technology but a low spin, low launch bomber. I highly suggest all of you who still own the Maxima take it out of the closet, head to the range and focus on making mid-hell contact. It was a night and day experience for me. I literally couldn't miss and trust me, I typically miss most fairways. I shot a 75 and for me that is very very good. Hopefully you guys will experience the same drastic change in performance with this club after trying this. All the best.

Ya I've heard the Rogue 125 MSI is the real deal in terms of performance. It's not jspec but it's still supposedly unbelievably good.

If they offered the f**king thing with a neutral or custom face angle all of these issues would be resolved. Best all around driver I've ever hit other than the slightly closed face which causes a hook a few times a round.

And the only adjustability is the ability to use different shafts, right? No face, loft adjusting...

Good to know!

I may be able to provide this comparison soon but in the mean time does anyone have any experience with these shafts? Comparisons... At the very least has anyone tried the Basileus AAA yet? I'd love to hear about it. Thanks.

Thanks guys, appreciate it. I'll let you know!

Is this the successor to the MB5003 blade? How does this compare to the Miuraisms?

How's the Ryoma putter in the background?

I hear ya except that I'm worried about the face being slightly closed like the Egg 7. I don't want to pay $650, then have it arrive and be disappointed to find out it's exactly the same face angle as the Egg 7... which is slightly closed. Same as the Maxima. If the Maxima was dead neutral I wouldn't be looking for another drive. That club is amazing in all respects. I talked to Chris a little more and I've decided to go with the JBeam ZY-11. It and the Black are their latest designs and the face milling seems like a cool feature, as does their new titanium composite material used in these heads. Chris said the ZY-11 is more forgiving due to having a larger face, has less spin and produces a higher ball flight. It comes in 8 or 8.5. The Black I think only comes in 9.5 with slightly higher spin but lower launch. So since I'm pairing this head with either the Diamana X or Aldila Rogue 125 MSI the Higher launch won't be an issue since these are both low launch and extremely low spin shafts. The TRPX sounds like another good option but since JBeam makes that head anyway and it's a year older than these latest designs I might as well try them out. I appreciate all the help and replies guys! That's part of what makes TSG the best golf forum out there IMO. Good stuff! I'll let you know my findings when I get it. Rob.

How come some 435 Blacks have red paint and some white?

Is the design/tech the same in the ZY-11 as the Black? Both have the face milling right? Egg 1 is out. Don't want to risk a closed face like the Egg 7. Modart is only 8.5 and mid spin and not that forgiving so it's out. TRPX - no clue who they are but I have more faith in JBeam as a driver company. ZY-11 or 435 Black for me. Straight low spin bombs is what I'm after. Hmm...

Seems like every top player on the PGA Tour right now is using the Mitsubishi Kuro Kage XT. That and the Aldila Rogue. Other options would be Diamana X, I'm a big fan of Quada Fire Express shafts, I had a Attas 5 GoGo and it was very stable and long too. Endless options out there... basically comes down to specs, how much you want to pay, large company or boutique and feedback from members/tour players. Good luck!

Interesting no Modart love yet. Ya I'm thinking hard about this one. I agree with you about the Diamana X. More of a control shaft than distance shaft but the Aldila (owned by Mitsubishi) Rogue 125MSI is supposed to be as good or better than any shaft out there so I'll probably put that in whatever I decide. So Chris swears by Modart but most people on here say Egg 1 (supo says the face is dead straight... (egg 7 sure wasn't), 435 black, ZY-11 or 535. It's going to be one of those. Tough decision... anyone else with feedback on these 5? Appreciate the help!

Great advice, thanks! I'lll definitely consider the Egg now that I know the face is dead square.

That does help! Is the Black easy to hit straight? Have you ever hit the ZY-11? Have you ever hit Modart? Thanks man!

Spoon have you tried the ZY-11 and Black? Findings?

I've had the original Crazy 435 by Jbeam back in the day. It was long. So so forgiving, low spin. Had the Egg 7 but the face was slightly closed so I sold it. That's about it. Again, looking for straight drives more than anything.