coops1967

There's a set of new Personals heads at Golfcraft in Bangkok.... and they have a Zero head in white.

Saw the Personals in person at Golfcraft today - very nice. Hit Sarint's 7 iron with PXi shaft... he also says they are easier than the AFtours due to the wider sole. They do look good in the flesh... but was surprised to see they have more offset than the 302's. He also had a Zen putter which i had a go with... very lovely indeed, although why a putter like that doesn't come with a real leather wrap grip i do not know. Did NOT give the Zero driver with BB shaft another go, haha. But did order a copper chrome 50degree wedge to replace the copper 52 208series wedge i sold.... Need to sort out shafts tho'.... tried a Titleist CB 6 iron with C-taper stiff versus my 302 6 iron with PX6.0, and the c-taper was very nice indeed - feels a lot more friendly, yet i think it comes out at around 6.5fcm on the rifle scale, so a bit stiffer than the PX while feeling better. Then i can reshaft my 301's.... and resist ordering a new set of copper 302's ( apparently no one has ever requested a copper chrome 901 iron... hmmmm.)

Well, i love and use my Epon 901 19 degree a lot... but i do still have a Mizuno Tzoid Pro II 1 iron (15 degrees loft?) with old Rifle 6.5 shaft. Good shots with it are spine tingling... bad ones, ha - at least the bad ones go nowhere, i guess, keeps the ball in play ;-)

If it's chrome plated, and you're worried about fertilizers or you've been practicing on the beach and got your clubs covered in salty water... than a rinse in tap water and dry with a hand towel will do just fine. Mind you, how about Baby Oil... although i confess to liking the smell of WD-40

That looks properly, genuinely pear shaped. hmmmm.... My Yonex380 is good, but think i've been spoilt by the feel and sound of my previous adams 9015. And now, after weeks of the Yonex, the Adams looks ugly.... Was wondering how the upcoming Srixon small head would look and feel.... hopefully this Epon may be the ultimate answer... what's the cc's of it ?

they'd come standard with your order They have (had anyway...) a copper/gold version for the copper chrome finish too

Ha, a fabulous smooth blended set from a blade af-tour shape to 302 shape longer irons would be nice.... Good to see the weave/carbon look ferrule is back.... but not sure about all these new offerings, well, unless it's a modern verison of the technicity 380 driver with cup face, pear shape, adams 9015d feel and that weight pad on the bakc thing and... and.... apart from that.

epongolf.co.jp website contact address for Epon is apparently no good - can Tourspec contact them and let them know? (about the fakes... and their faulty email address ;-) ) Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently: [email protected] Technical details of permanent failure: DNS Error: Domain name not found

My email to Epon about the aussie fake 301's was rejected due to their web site contact address being wrong.... and while rummaging around for a real contact came across this new set of irons September apparently.... it's on their Facebook page - go to Aug 14th on their timeline to see the relevant info.

Checked the '9' stamp against my 301's and that website 9 iron isn't right..... and the shape of the cavity, the extra weight portion with the AF-301 stamp, isn't shaped right either... no pyrimidal shape (?) see this mine the website Anyone in aus who can contact your trading standards people... ? I've emailed Epon Japan referring them to this thread and that website

Mach line shafts were/are an Epon standard shaft... very common in Golfcraft, Bangkok, the Epon place. My 902 has the same steel shaft as my other irons...

What weight are the stock shafts? This may be something to look at. Demo some same lofted irons with light weight steel shafts in them - maybe some lighter NS shafts. Probably a high lofted driver would be useful. Ping should still offer 12 degrees for the G20 and can request highest loft in that 'stated' loft and probably get something closer to 14 degrees at least, which should work great. I'm not a fan of going for longer and longer shafts as it may screw up the swing and/or confidence etc and end up with slower ball speeds - try at 44inches or so as well as the off the rack 46inch stuff... maybe a present to your dad of a fitting session with a genuinely good club fitter?

At least Epon doesn't spray the ludicrous term 'prototype' on a retail production item... My dream for the perfect Epon driver is : Shape at address is true pear shape, like the Technicity 380 or a Yonex eZone 380. This probably means volume will be 380 to 400cc, or 420 maybe? Performance, sound and feel will be based on the Adams 9015... I suspect weight pad on bottom of the Adams is somehow key - looked to me like Ryoma were 'inspired' by it ;-) so it seems to do the job... add some modern Adams aerodynamics if possible. Loft, lie, face angle, weight to be custom ordered after demo/test with an adjustable hosel version. Head finish will be no paint - brushed nitrided titanium. The nitriding makes the Titanium surface harder and far more scratch resistant... as well as a rather fetching colour - kind of the old Titleist grey but in a matte finish. something like this Ventura Watch... Well I can dream...

Hmmm, Still think the ' naked' (logo only) looks better on these....

I've had one Modus 3 installed in my 7 iron at 'normal' 37" long. The only flex they had at Golfcraft was S - so it's gone in, and will it give it a good trial versus my old satin PX 6.0's.... Installed it freq'd out at 310 cpm (i think), which was same as another 7 iron with a PXi at 5.5 flex.... so should be a good comparison. they've got C-tapers as well there if i can't resist the urge.....

Anyone know anywhere i can test the modus 3 and ctapers in bangkok? (with same head, preferably)... Currently use PX satins at +1/2"and 6.0 flex, not terribly forgiving on bad swings - i used rifle 6.5 before ( the stepless Brunswick Precision model i think) and did so happily for many many years... which was why i jumped at the PX's. Those old rifles felt way better though... saw a titleist iron shaft chart which has the modus 3'sright next to the old rifle in spin/ launch, so perhaps they play very similairly too... i've tried verious NS shafts before, once with a direct same titleist head with TT shaft and have always found the other NS shafts to produce very unpredictable results... my bad swings don't go where i'd expect them to ( a pull or pull hook, or hook) and even a good feeling swing could end up anywhere it seemed - the TT,s in comparison were 'normal' as in my results were as expected really. thanks chris

Nice. And gripmaster leather grips are the best. I have black cowhide stitchbacks ( red stitchng which is nice), and leather is the way to go. Feel and tacky hold is remarkable - and moisture from rain or sweat just makes them tackier. Get one, try it and see for yourself... upgrade gradually - they cost more but last way longer too and perform much, much better during that time. Very highly recommended for hot humid golf...

Some people prefer offset in their irons ( Olazabal with forged and bent Macgregors) , some don't. Some prefer their driver to be square faced, some open and indeed some prefer it look closed at address... Whatever. Choose what fits your eye, as then it won't freak you out... which gets you back to why there is a particular search for driver's that are NOT closed face, which has become so common, due to it being a cheap and easy (semi)fix for the common slice ( or 'fade' as it has become known in these name inflationary times). The adjustability of many newer drivers has lessened the 'search' but it used to come up so often because those who liked a face that didn't look like you'd be endangering your left ankle, didn't have much choice before.... well, before the 9015D - praise it! praise it! ( i lusted after a Epon Technicity 380cc head.... for some while, finally gave up on finding one. Bought an Ezone Yonex 380 - eye wateringly lovely, and naturally, a few months later Epon produce the zero.... come on..... seriously. ) coops

I got myself a Yonex ezone 380 head last time i visited the states... ooooooh, it's beautiful.... but haven't had it shafted yet. Currently still love my Adams 9015D and the Blueboard 73S shaft is great (down from my previous 83S... getting older) - I've used a AD-DJ 6s in a Tourstage and shaft feels ok - but more loose than hte Bboard, still seem to prefer the diamana... and am very curious about the Nunchuk. am back in the states (around Pittsburgh) so can get a nunchuk shaft - anyone tried it in the Yonex? I got the head at the high loft option (10 or 10.5?), and already play my Adams at 'only' 44 1/2" long... so would be getting it made to be probably 44" (certainly not longer than 44 1/2" which I think the Nunchuk guys recomend anyway).... Coops

Epon. I'd get another 901 19deg but in copper-chrome to match 4-PW 301's in copper chrome wedges in copper-chrome Putter - well, could get the Epon Anser in copper-chrome i guess... but would prefer a copy of my Odyssey Backstryke Sabretooth (!). Get Byron to mill it, and Epon to plate it in .... copper-chrome Driver - maybe the 102, but needs a 'naked' no paintfill with the head nitrided - gives an extremely hard surface, very very scratch resistant... and an interesting dark greyish look. This watch has nitrided titanium bracelet and crown :- think that should do it... along with an Epon Dog bag. Coops

Sounds good - looking forward to seeing pics of the blades in black. (what colour are the shafts? ;-) ) Where was this fitting? ps I know the black looks stealth and good - but if you're in a hot and humid area you may want to consider changing to copper-chrome (sexy and no rust). The black on my 301's would rust in Thailand...

Hmmm, Maybe if Spoon can post a pic of the Pitching Wedge - i imagine JGalls is concerned how the shorter irons look, given that sometimes these can be the odd looking ones... I've an address pic of the prvious model 301 PW in black here:- NOTE:- the 302 will have a little less offset, otherwise i think appearance esp from address/on top will be very very similair - is the heel slightly softer shaped? anyway.... they're lovely. I avoid the local Epon shops now, just so i don't see them... my copper 301's are lovely as they are... but the slightly reduced offset on the 302's really does look great, and word is a good strike feels better than the blades. Basically, if you're worried about a funky PW shape, don't be. Lovely set of clubs... ps here's a pic of 4 iron, 7 iron, PW of 301's, and a Yururi SW next to each other - kind of face view, so should be good likeness to a 302 set

Yup, you're right... i tried the 2011 version as in your proshop now, not the new one in your blog - that explains it... i was a bit disappointed! I didn't mention it, but it felt like it's easier to get the club back square with the smaller head Tourstage.. but without makingnme hook it, my usual fault. I've got them now at same length etc so looking forward to seeing how they compare and how the two shafts compare also. I remember reading Miura saying how his driver's size was no bigger due to this 'effect' - i mean the face center is a lot closer to the shaft line, so impact torque on the shaft and the golfer's arm torque to get back to square will be much lower.... Any idea on how a DJ6S should compare to a blueboard 73S and.... the 'ultimate' fire express 65S ? coops

I'd picked up an Adams 9015D while in Houston, back in March 2009... had heard such good things about it that I just checked how it looked at a golfstore then decided to get one head only from Sellingers - I wasn't interested in the off the rack length of 46". Fortunately had the sense to order one made up at 44 1/2" from Sellengers - they picked out a heavier head and i'd chosen an 83S Blueboard as I had a 73S blueboard in my G10 in bangkok and knew i'd never find the 83 weight anywhere... It's worked a treat, and never really looked at anything else since - nice open faced, clean head and excellent sound/feel. I haven't seen the Yonex 380 anywhere (fortunately? ;-) ) but the new PRGR 435 model and the Tstage 705 sounded/looked interesting so.... While at Wilding Golf in Bangkok (indoor golf simulators with 2 cameras for each bay) practicing I had a look at the Tourstage shoppe - there was no new 705 version there, but i'd seen the 455cc head at Fuji Supermarket (yup, this Japanese Supermarket has a Tourstage booth in there...) and it looked good. I asked about the 705 and the guy said they have and I could demo... 415cc? Yes.... in about 30mins it was brought round to the centre and a I tested it out against my old Adams. The Adams is 10.5 degree with an 83S Blueboard at 44 1/2", the Tourstage was the 705 415cc version 9.5 degree with the Graphite Design AD-DJ6S but at 45 1/2". I'd have chosen the 10.5 degree but there were only 2 left in the country (out of original 10 sent to Thailand), both same spec. Not a demo head, so had to try it taped up, and taped up over the original shrink wrap.... and it still did very well. I seemed to tend to hit then off to the heel, yet distance was up with or longer than my Adams and launch was also fine despite the lower indicated loft. I was choking down on the Tourstage due to the excessive length of the club, but was very impressed... quote liked the shaft too - I was worried that the lighter shaft and more closed face of the Tourstage might give me some nasty pull hooks, but was ok. The Tourstage was nice and square faced (maybe slightly open but i'm used to the definitely open Adams look) and is certainly cute looking... a kind of mini version of the pretty shaped Adams really :- Adams 9015D Tourstage 705 415cc Side by side Look at my cute little face Tourstage Sole I didn't buy it straightaway (!) as I had the idea of heading off to the All Star Range on my home where i knew there's a PRGR shop (along with shops for Yamaha, Honma, Epon, Tourstage, Nike, TM, Mizuno, Ping, Srixon and others). so.... they had the PRGR 435cc version for demo both in 9 and 10.5 degree with stock shaft at 44 3/4"... some made for Diamana shaft. you can check out pics of the PRGR at Tourspec proshop - it's also decent shape, and at 435 cc is very much in between the Tourstage and the Adams in appearance - they're all a nice shape. The PRGR definitely was the also ran here, for me... sound/feel was in last place, easily although it's not bad - just the Adams and Tourstage are in a different league in sound/feel from most anyway. The Tourstage is a bit more muted than the Adams, but still good solid sound. The PRGR didn't perform for me so well, compared to the Adams... maybe/probably the shaft is an issue. So... phoned up wilding and reserved the Tourstage - picked it up yesterday, one range visit today and a round tomorrow... The lighter AD-DJ shaft got me thinking though.... I'm not getting any younger, and I still have my 73S Blueboard (nice ion flowerband version) so.. i've already been to Golfcraft to fix it (!)... I mean get the Tourstage tipped an inch down to 44 1/2" (6g of lead in tip for swingweight) and put my leather gripmaster grip from the 83S on it. Pulled the 73S from my G10 and installed that in my Adams... Now have Tourstage 705 (415) 9.5deg at 44 1/2", AD-DJ6S and Adams 9015D 10.5 deg at 44 1/2", Blueboard 73S i'll be back to golfcraft on the launch monitor to have a crack at seeing how they do against each other - and intend to swap the shaft between them also to see a real direct comparison - any predictions? I saw they have a Quaddra Fire Express 65S in stock Hopefully I won't 'need' to try that option out with the winner (!). Coops

The smaller, pear shape and made by Endo is what especially interests me... and the fact it's made for 45" playing length means the head isn't too light either, so a mid 70's gram 44 1/2" shaft should be good if needed. Can't find any of the old 380 Epon Technica drivers, sadly...... if only Epon made a new 380 same shape at address but sole etc redesigned (maybe a la Adams 9015D/Ryoma style with the bulge at back and centre and all the latest Face tech and a nice Endo cup face with custom choice of lie and face angle etc....