nobmontana

I haven't seen it in person yet either ... but looking at various pictures on the internet, I think these are one of the sharpest looking blades ever.

I currently have 4 so I'll list up my 4 that I have. Benock Blue Dragon II Went for a full fitting experience at Benock Tokyo in June 2017. Naturally, it works well with my stroke. Love the slant neck on this. Been my gamer for the greater part of the last 3 seasons. No plan to change that. Gold's Factory T102 Prototype Bought this slightly used from a member here back about 6 to 7 years ago. What I like about this is that it is one of Sasaya-san's early works and not a lot of them around. A pair of tungsten weights embedded in the face, heel and toe side, makes this traditional blade much more stable than in looks. I see better consistency with this putter than any other blade putters. Must be the improved MOI. Sound slot creates a subtle but noticeable "tink" sound at impact. Face is flat with no milling. Thought about adding milled face .. but I think this one should stay the way it is. Seven VS-R Sandvik Prototype I am told this was made to demonstrate the raw feel of Sandvik steel. Thus, it has no grooves or milling on the face at the moment. It's polished face is very bright and glare on sunny days! :) Plan to get the face milled in the future though the feel of Sandvik is very soft already. I put a Dogatti shaft in this one. The shaft helps wth additional roll. the shape is one the best blade shapes I've known with an extended bumper but with a base shape similar to what's commonly known as "Newport 2" Will need to take this out more. but probably best to use this under cloudy conditions. 🙂 Last but not least, my most recent acquisition. I've been eyeing on this 2016 TaylorMade Ghost Monaco Tour Black Prototype (aka Justin Rose replica) putter ever since they made 10 of these and sold on their Vault site. I was not fortunate enough to get a hold of one when it just came out, so late last year I actually reached out to a couple of wrxers who previously had BST posts. Luckily one of the guys still had one in possession and "unused! " For a 304 Stainless Steel milled putter, it actually feels pretty nice. Quality is not that great but I love the shape. It probably has too much toe angle to match my stroke but who cares.... for now, it stays in a box.

I don't think there are a lot of S15C MBs out on the market. Plenty of S20C and S25C MBs but somehow not much S15C.... My Seven x Shinagawa MBs are S15C but don't know of much other.

Kyoei Prototype MBs and KK MB are very playable thanks to the nice sole grinds they have. Makes them very playable.

Prices updated on all clubs to rock bottom prices ( not shafts since they were already rock bottom )! I won't be able to take any lower offers than this. So please don't ask. Let's get em moved!! If you want better pics. just ask.

Diamana W and Fire Express BX70 are SOLD!!

Oh and here's the Shinagawa with the MMT 75 S

During this lock down, I've shuffled out my gamers out of my bag and ended up with building up the following sets. *** Primary Grandista RS-D 9 deg / Loop GK (backup PIng G410 LST / Ventus Black or HZRDUS Smoke Yellow) Grandista RS-F The III / Loop FW Six TS Grandista RS-F The V / Loop FW Seven Buchi SP-301 21.5 & 24.5 / Crazy STP Iron 85 Seven CB Prototype 5-PW / Crazy CBI-80 Ltd Cleveland RTX 4 Forged / NS Pro WV Tour Only 115 Benock Blue Dragon II *** Sub Grandista RS-D 9 deg / Loop GK Romaro Type R UT / Crazy STP Iron 85 Shinagawa Split Set / Mitsubishi Chemical MMT 75 Gold's Factory T102 *** For my primary set, I've gone to a DR, 3w, 5w setup with the woods. All with Loop shafts. Have not bagged a 5W for a long time so we'll see how it works. SP-301 Driving irons got lighter STP 85 shafts... The 5-PW irons are a new build for me with the Crazy graphite shafts. For my JDM Cleveland wedges, I've gone to slightly lighter shafts. But still steel. Putter is unchanged. For the Shinagawa MB half set, I've swapped out the shafts from AMT Tour White S200 to a very light MMT 75 S. These MMT shafts are so slim they look like fly fishing rods!! But they are reasonably stiff feeling. It will be interesting to see how they play. This half set in a Sunday bag will be nice and light to carry with these shafts... looking forward to taking them out on Summer eve 9 hole strolls.

Yup that’s the one. SP700 face but likely not Endo.

Totally forgot about the PTune PG313 / Fire Exp Max WBQ. That was a great combo!!

For me to name 3 ... - Grandista RS-D / Loop GK - Epon AF-153 / Basileus AAA 2015 ( no longer in possession ) - Mizuno Craft 2014 / Seven Dreamers ( no longer in possession ) ** Grandista RS-D / Loop GK combo is still the best JDM combo I've found thus far. It's not super long but it does keep the ball in the fairway for me far more than anything I have played in the past.

I actually like the view from the top as well. Love the Matte black version. Don't know much about this new face material ... but did some reading of Japanese reviews, apparently this head is as straight flight as a driver can get. People are comparing against Ping G400 Max and saying the eRook is straighter. Check out this limited edition Purple IP sole!! Kinda like it! Would be a perfect color match with a HZRDUS Smoke Green in PVD green finish which has a purple tip section ( AKA "Hulk" ) There are heads with busier sole... so I really don't mind this sole design.

I am happy to see it's going to a good home!! but still in WA!! 🙂

Hickory shaft? Very classy!!

Grandista Dirver head , Kurokage XD , Speeder TR sold!!! PRGR ID BL pending payment.

Added my beloved PRGR ID BL irons. Time to let them go!! (weeping)

Thanks B!! I hope you are staying safe!!

With the range and courses closed now here in Washington, I've been keeping busy tinkering with ideas on what clubs to put in my bag once this Corona thing settles down (hoping very soon) Anyway, decided to shed some stuff that I do not foresee using anytime soon. Additional pics can be provided by request. Feel free to ask! Will ship worldwide as long as USPS ships to your destination. Driver - 2018 PRGR RS-F 9.5 / Speeder Evolution IV 661 Stiff 45.5" 9.5/10 condition Incl. headcover $250 + shipping $225 + Shipping Very clean. A couple of small scratches hardly noticeable. Fairway - Jbeam G-FW 13 deg / Speeder Evolution IV 661 Stiff 43" 8.5/10 condition Incl. headcover and weight kit $150 + shipping $125 + Shipping Some paint chips here and there. Putter - JDM Odyssey Stroke Lab #7 34" 9.5/10 condition Incl. unused headcover and original pistol grip $150 + shipping $125 + Shipping No noticeable marks. Minty condition. Driver Shafts - HZRDUS Smoke Green 60g 6.0 flex $75 + Shpg - HZRDUS Yellow Handcrafted 63g 5.5 flex $75 + Shpg - Atmos Tourspec Black 6 X $75 + Shpg - Miyazaki Kaula Kori (Black) 6S $25 + Shpg Fairway Shafts - Loop GK X flex 3W length $100 + Shpg - Miyazaki Kaula Mizore (Indigo) 6X 3W length $25 + Shpg Iron Shafts - NS 950GH HT Stiff 4-PW $100 + Shpg

After going back and forth with taperless grips and tapered grips, I'm currently settled with Iomic Absolute Grips ( the original one and not the Absolute X ) Tacky and just the right softness/firmness. I really wish they would bring them back. The feel and texture of it is actually similar to the Benock original grip. Then I tried a pistol grip from STM with a carbon fiber pattern which looked super cool and felt pretty decent but just a tad too thin towards the bottom.

> Are you going to sell the extra set of Crazy CBI 80? Please let me know, I'm waiting to get a set of these shafts! No sir... sorry if I gave you the impression that I was going to. I've searched for them for a very long time. ¥ Crazy just came out with a 90T iron shaft called CBI-9 as well as a new series called Crazy Dead I-80 and I-100 which are both full length 80T just like the original CBI-80

So I got my HZRDUS Yellow shaft yesterday and installed it in my Grandista head.... built it initially to 45.75" to see if I can get more club head speed. It's interesting that even with these longer builds. I hardly see any increase in club head speed from my 45" build with the same head..... I'm starting to think 45" is just my optimal length no matter what. Anyway.... the bright yellow shaft is actually very good. The 5.5 flex I think might be considered Regular or Regular + flex by some but I feel it is similar in stiffness with my Loop GK in SX flex. While building, I did see the swing weight effect of the shaft being counterbalanced as advertised. I was able to go heavier with the weight screws while not going up on swing weight. 313g overall club weight weight at D2.5 for a 45.75" build.. A few shots into my range session I noticed that the trajectory looked pretty low spin. I was hitting it very straight to a mini draw. Possibly a bit more straighter than my Loop... (Whaaaaat!? I know .... ) I also saw maybe 5-7 yards more ( on my Yupitel swing meter ) than my normal distances which I was really happy with .. but I just feel that the longer length is actually getting in the way of swinging faster comfortably... After I came home, I immediately removed the grip and chopped the butt by .5" I was able to to increase the head weight further to maintain the same swing weight. Good thing about these shafts are that they are fairly cheap to experiment! May try other HZRDUS shafts too. I'll take the HZRDUS Yellow out again this afternoon to see how the shorter length works out for me.

I've previously tried the MCI Black in 100 Stiff before as well as the Hybrid version (MCH) in 80 X I would say the MCI series in general are less dead feeling compared to early graphite iron shafts probably because of the metal tube in the tip section. The 80X Hybrid shaft was not overly stiff so if the 100X fits your swing, then it could be a good fit. Flight wise, I think they are higher launching than Dynamic Golds S200 (or S300) but not as high as say a NS950GH. MCIs are well made/well balanced graphite shaft that work well with a broad range of players.

Had some extra time today after dropping off my wife and daughter at an arts and crafts store .... it was right next to the golf shop that I frequently visit... So I stopped by to check out a couple of new drivers I was interested in trying... Not to buy but just wanted to experience the new ST200 from Mizuno and Cobra's new SZ drivers with the CNC milled faces. ST200G 9.0 + Diamana D+ Limited 60 S Waaaay open face for me ... could not get the ball to stop fading. Also while the SAT2041 Beta Ti face felt and sounded very springy, not really did not reflect in the numbers. The head just did not feel forgiving and I just could not get good numbers. ST200 9.5 + Diamana D+ Limited 60 S Looked much more neutral at address. But the rest were really the same in terms of performance. Just doesn't seem like a good match for me, Cobra SZ 9.0 + HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 65 6.0 The CNC face looked very different. I think they still need to work on some refining especially where the face transitions to the crown. A bit rough around the edges if you ask me. Anyway.... I immediately started getting some good numbers. The back spin numbers were too low for my swing speed. Was hovering around 1500 to 2000. Low penetrating trajectory how I liked it.. launch angle a bit low at 11.5 to 12.5 . Still a bit fade promoting too. CNC milled face gave very good feedback on centered hits vs off centered hits. Feel was good. Soft but not mushy. a bit more metallic sound and firmer feel compared to the previous F9. Cobra SZ Extreme 9.0 + HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 65 6.0 Bingo!! Spin 2200 to 2600, straight to slight draws. launch angle 14 to 15 and optimal. Was getting the best carry and total distances on this combo. Shaft felt a bit stout for me... had to swing a bit harder to feel the head. a 5.5 flex would probably be perfect. Cobra SZ Extreme 9.0 + Rogue 110 MSI (Black?) Wanted to see if I can get similar numbers with a different shaft.... nope! short by ore or less 10 yards. *** So as far as heads go I was more impressed by the Cobra SZ. CNC Milled face looks like it could use a bit more refinement but it does the job well so far. While the feel and feedback was actually pretty good relative to the other USDM heads I've tried this year, I still very much prefer the feel of my Grandista head. Also all the distractions that are happening on the crown with the alignment logos and stripes around the outer edges...... are just plain ugly. If any of the USDM brands came out with a head with a bonded hosel and plain black with no detractors on the crown, I might just buy one!! I was pleasantly surprised by the HZRDUS Smoke Yellow shafts as it did seem to provide me with extra yardage and very good spin numbers although the overall feel was a bit stout for my taste. It intrigued me enough to look up some tech details and I learned that the HZRDUS Yellow series are a bit unique in the HZRDUS family in that it has a pretty noticeable softer mid section. It's designed for players with moderate to smooth transition. Also a counter balanced weight distribution. This was actually the first time I got to try a HZRDUS in Yellow. I've tried the Black and Smoke Black before and every time I tried them I just remember them being too stout and too heavy feeling. The Smoke Yellow I tried did feel a tad stout but not terrible and it did not feel overly heavy. My next thought "I must try this shaft in one of my Grandista heads!!" After getting back home and reading up about HZRDUS Yellow for a good couple of hours. I then went on the auction site and picked up one of the original HZRDUS Yellow Hand Crafted in 5.5 flex. (All yellow paint!! Yikes!!) Will report back on how it goes.

What I loved about the Bangvoo 787 was that stability was top notch without feeling stout. Smooth as Silk on the feel department!!

Here's the face milling on my Blue Dragon II ... When I got this, I ordered the standard "Cat's Eye" face pattern. This was 3 years ago but they said it was the softest feeling face pattern they had at the time.