nobmontana

I was even par at the turn (1 birdie & 1 bogey ) and then doubled 14 and bogeyed 17 for a round of 75. Irons were mostly good, putting was also mostly good. Driver has seen better days. I take this as a good start for the year!!

Ok I went out for a quick 9 yesterday and was tracking 2 under up until hole 7 .... then bogeyed the last two!!! Darn!!! Could have been my lowest 9 ever! Not bad for the first 9 holes of 2019!!! Going to my first Men’s club round of 2019 this morning. We shall see if yesterday’s swing is still with me!! ?

So I picked up another pre-owned set of Modus 125 S shafts and re-shafted my Miura 1008 Fe with them. Had my first range session yesterday and they are as good as my Epon SUS316s now. Very accurate and long! Miuras are a degree or two stronger lofted than the Epons so I did get a few more yards on each club. Now I have two excellent iron sets that I can rotate without major playability differences!!!

Good resolutions!! Looks like you will have an exciting year! I've thought about doing the one set thing too.... Everytime I think about that, there's some inner voice that whispers "you only live once!!" ? Good luck!!

Very cool! Hopefully, you'll do it when we are out playing together!! That would be so awesome! Still a few years out until I can realistically think about an "Age Shoot." I'm 51 now so I'll start putting it in my New Year's rez in about...oh... 7 years? "58!" V (^o^) V

I like the idea... let the base design take the base COR higher than the limit and tone it down to the limit by injecting some goo. The overall design of these USDM drivers just get louder and louder! and they look so much cheaper nowadays yet they are charging $550 for a stock shaft M5? Ridiculous!! With most JDMs at least I know I am getting a high quality product using high quality material with classy looks!

Ok that looks a bit better. Like the Odyssey 7 but with the funky hosel... ?

Thanks Bro!! need all the help I can get! Sorry to hear about your injury!! give it good rest , recover and come back strong!!

Which putter is this? the head cover suggests a larger mallet type shape.

1) Stop hooking my drives on hole No. 1 It's a par 5 with a wide open fairway and somehow I manage to get the ball to the left edge rough every single time!! 2) Post my first ever under par round Got really close a few times last year. Just need to stop choking the stupid easy short putts!! 3) Maintain and further lower my HCP Currently a 4.3 but want to eventually get to scratch ... likely be more than a year away but doesn't hurt to try!!

I think the only way that they could make the driver feel as good as the Epic Forged ( which I have tried ) is to use the same SP700 face material and all Ti construction. But I understand that SP700 is no longer an available material as the SP700 manufacturer stopped making them. Very bad news for SP700 fans like me!!! ?

https://www.randa.org/RulesEquipment/Equipment/Equipment-Explorer/Results?type=driver&id=995831 I believe the "Star" models in general are similar to the normal version but just without the adjustable hosel. My understanding is that the normal models as well as the start models are all slightly draw biased with internal weights. Sub Zero models tend to be less draw biased is how I would look at it. Trend nowadays is to give it draw internal bias but give the face a slightly opened face. Similar to what Grandista RS-D is doing as well as PRGR.

Happy New JDM Year to everyone on the forum! seems a bit quiet once we hit the holiday week... but 2019 is upon us now!!! let the new golf year begin!

Looks like there is a Epic Flash Star model registered in the R and A site. could be a Japan model. I guess I’m not expecting a Forged model since they skipped the forged model on the Rogue.

Hey D!! Good to hear from you!! Thanks to the relatively mild rainy season, Snohomish course is not as soupy as last year. They made some fairway drainage improvements over the Summer too so it is plenty playable.

Was down in So Cal over the last 5 days to celebrate Christmas with my brother’s family. Weather was so nice!! But no time for golf. ? Did go to Knott’s Berry Farm but it was so crowded we only got a few rides. Anyway, back in cold and rainy Seattle now getting ready for a traditional Japanese New Year’s celebration. Deep cleaning the entire house is customary on Dec 31 and then prepare special New Years food. If I have the time, I’ll also be polishing my golf clubs to get ready for 2019 playing season!!!

To all on this forum who celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas!!! May all your fancy JDM dreams come true!!

Not trying to be picky here but Scratch wedges were not JDM ( Japan Domestic Market ) products. I don’t recall Scratch products being sold in the Japanese market at least not through traditional retail routes. Perhaps you meant to say they were “made in Japan? “ Anyway if aesthetics of having lead tape is not an issue for you, yeah it’s easiest to try different swing weights.

I guess I don’t see the difference between purchasing a $1000 JDM driver vs a $1000 JDM set of irons without actually hitting them. I feel that a similar assessment that you’ve made to get your irons can certainly be applied to drivers. Perhaps in this case because the BB4 is from a new company and with Bridgestone it’s a well known company that “in the past” brought us many delightful products....?

Yup... I think I paid my dues over the years as many others have. Ultimately, I think it’s part of pursuing JDM equipment while living outside of Japan. If it weren’t for TSG and this forum, I’d just be playing boring old USDM stuff.

Oh I’m sure others will still want a review. I personally don’t wait for full reviews before I buy something new. “Someone else’s” review is ultimately just “someone else’s” review. While I understand that you want to minimize risk by reading product reviews, any review by nature are subjective and there is absolutely no guarantee that a driver that works well for someone will also work well for you. Conversely, the opposite is true as well. For me, searching, experimenting and discovering what best works for me is definitely a big part of the fun with JDM clubs.

Oh right... I think I saw that too. Not sure why he just doesn't do the new Srixon Z785. Pretty sure it can keep up with the Ping both from a distance and forgiveness perspective.

Astro V III is a good looking driver for sure. I need to try it too. But the MA01F is a winner as well. Love the sleek compact profile but is also forgiving thanks to the very shallow face!! I recommend the 14 deg over the 16.5 since the 14 deg is the only model which is constructed with a cup face. I also had the 19 deg 5 wood for a bit but it did not feel as hot as the 14 deg. If you are looking for a 3 wood, the Jbeam GFW is another great option. I use both the JBeam GFW 13 deg and Modart MA01F 14 deg and love them both. the 13 deg GFW launches higher probably because of the Ti construction having lower CG. The Modart MA01F is definitely a more piercing trajectory. I really love them both.

Pics are still there.

Why not go look for a Callaway Fusion which is essentially the new and improved FT-iZ Similar triangular shape. Last year for Christmas, I built my father in law in Japan a Callaway Great Big Bertha 13.5 loft and shafted it with a Platinum Speeder in 4R ... He loves it and hits it really well! Plus ( if I recall ) Hideki Matsuyama still uses this head. which he can brag about to his playing group friends! ?