MoreBeerBetterGolf

That's hilarious because after receiving it I thought...man what Sasaya could do to this thing! It is very austere and businesslike. I think I will have it refinished eventually. I realized that as much as I wanted to play a blade/8802 or some other really sexy putter, it made more sense for my score (most important thing, to me) to play with a forgiving face balanced putter with a lot of heel/toe weighting. The box it came in was insane. You would have thought I was opening Elvis' casket. That no nonsense look with the subtle shimmer to the finish is just perfect. No bling, no flash. It just looks like something that was made to make putts.

I played the Callaway Tour ix for 2 full seasons as my primary ball, and I hated the iz. When the HB came out and I tried it and the Chrome, I was ecstatic. They somehow got almost all the distance of the ix in a much more user friendly, soft feeling, responsive ball. I played at least a dozen of every major premium ball this year, at least of their "firmer" lineup, i.e., the X version normally as I have found those to best suit my game. And I always kept coming back to the HB and the Z-Star XV. The HB is softer and more responsive around the greens, the XV is just a flat out distance monster with just acceptable approach and greenside manners. My first impressions are that the F4 isn't really in the same category of those balls firmness wise. My hope is that they drive as straight as those other two do but with their ultimate soft feel, would be the perfect ball. I hit em straight tonight, but I was swinging well. Part of the reason the XV and HB are so favored by me is that on those off days they keep me in play whereas a Z Star or Pro V is long gone.

SOLD Bought a Ryoma V-Spec back in September...In the meantime I got to playing a KPX and have fallen in love with it--I think it was designed for my exact swing type/misses! So I have decided to punt on the Ryoma head for sure and possibly this combo if anyone wants the combo. May try out the RomaRo HX Black head. The shaft was put in new Friday...yes, 4 days ago. The 519 is basically a CB50 with more feel. The ultimate control/feel shaft. This is the 7.7 SX flex and it has an orange Nowon grip. It plays right at 44.5" as I built this to be my ultimate fairway finder. There is some minor wear on the face and a surface scratch in the bottom in the finish. Probably from tees. Normal brush marks on bottom as well. Crown and back is like new. I have well over $1100 in this setup. Will sell entire combo with brand new Crazy shaft, Nowon grip, and V-Spec head in good condition for SOLD I have a Redboard 83S pull from my Egg Spoon that came out when I put in a Crazy FW80 to knock the spin down as I am already a high launch high spin player. 42.5" with a Golf Pride grip will play 43". Great shape. $Sold PRGR M-43 UT shaft from a 4i+. 39.5" in perfect shape to play 40". $25 shipped gifted. Accra Axiv XC75 X Flex shaft, never used, but had a Nakashima tip on it as a shop demo. Still has stickers on it. $sold

I have a ton of experience with Srixon balls...The XV is one of my favorites. With just 9 holes playing 2 balls, I can't make any concrete comparisons but I can say 100% it is much softer than the XV especially on wedges and the putter. It would compare more with the Z Star in terms of feel. The one complaint I have about the XV is it feels "heavy" on pitches and touch shots for me. The F4 feels much livelier and crisp feeling if that makes sense. In terms of launch, feel, spin, distance, etc, with a gun to my head, I am not even sure what ball I would say it most reminds me of. Maybe a pre-dual dimple B330S or a softer ProV1x? I like the fact that it doesn't feel or perform quite like anything else I am familiar with.

My mailman came today with not only 2 dozen Epon F4 golf balls, but my new RomaRo Barque putter...even though it's pretty cold I couldn't wait to run out to the local dog track a mile down the road and walk 9. I am also comparing my new V-Spec/Crazy 519 combo with my KPX/Fubuki setup I have been playing the past few weeks. No one was on the course so I played 2 Epons vs 1 Wilson FG Tour X and 1 Bridgestone B330 RX every hole. (I am out of Hex Black and XV right now for cold months but am familiar with them for a comparison) My first impression was that if this is the high compression ball, I can't even imagine how soft the mid or soft compression must be. The ball is soft. Like a stick of butter covered in lotion sitting on a velour pillow on a Tempurpedic mattress. I was expecting them to be more Hex Black or XV like but they play more like a ProV1 or FG Tour. So soft that on flushed iron shots you barely feel them and on mis**ts a bit of a rubbery feel. Every bit as soft as the RX, and softer than the FG Tour X. Drives: The ball seemed to be as long as the FG Tour X and longer then the RX for me. Of course 9 holes and 14 drives in 45 degree weather isn't really conclusive evidence, but I thought it seemed to launch somewhat low and then climb to a high apex, than have a more abrupt drop than the normal balls I play. It seemed particularly noticeable with the Ryoma combo which has a higher ball flight than the KPX. There was a slight breeze into my face on a couple shots and I swear I hit one that reminded me of the old balata days when you could hit a low screamer that flared up into the sky then just kind of dropped. It wasn't near as dramatic as those were but had a similar flight. Again, it is cold here and while I keep the balls in my pocket as much as possible, it will have an impact on performance for sure in the cold dense air. Bear in mind I am a fairly high SS and spin player. There's a short 295 par 4, flat with no elevated tee box, with a ravine 20 yards before the green, severe left to right slope on the green, it is drivable but you don't want to be right. I smoked both Epons on the drive, one with the Ryoma and 1 with the KPX. Would have sworn the Ryoma was going to be 15 yards farther, pin high and maybe a bit right. When I got to them they were pretty much the exact same distance, 8-10 yards short of the green, which was pretty much all carry. Not bad in 45 degree temps, no elevated box. Irons: The ball performed very well off the irons, I again noticed a higher ball flight than what I am used to, with a softer "drop out of the sky" descent. I really thought on a few approaches that I was going to sail the green then it just dropped right onto the center. The ball held the greens really well but they're soft this time of year anyways. Short Game: I probably liked the ball best here. Super soft, great controllable spin, predictable release. Probably just a coincidence but my approach shots and chips with the Epons all seemed to be the closest to the pin vs the other balls. Putting: Again, just incredibly soft. They really don't even make a sound off the putter face. Roll was true and they felt good, just not a lot of auditory feedback for those that like a good click. Love the RomaRo putter thus far as well. Pretty much idiot proof which is exactly what I need! Durability: The ball withstood several shots from an aggressive Chikara Proto 58* wedge with very minor abrasions at worst. It didn't fishgill or peel at all. The FG Tour X on the other hand I have completely cut through the cover before with the Chikara. After playing both balls the 9 holes, I washed them up and they looked great still. Overall: I kind of wanted to dislike the ball simply because they cost about $5 a piece for us US people, but I am definitely intrigued with them. Seem to be a very soft, long, carry oriented ball with outstanding approach spin and greenside manners. I hope to have the opportunity to get a bunch of time in with them in the next week as they say the weather will be cooperative.

I've got 2 boxes on the F4s in transit and hope to put them in play Saturday at Cog Hill. Ill give a full review afterwards. Normal ball has been XV, Hex Black, or FG Tour X.

The unnecessarily shallow face in particular. The first and third gen versions are plenty easy to hit off the deck but much less frightening off the tee or fluffier grass.

Some kind of a grid with current shafts in it lumping shafts of similar profiles together would be very handy though.

Well I thought I had these moved but they're still available. Reduced to $425 shipped gifted

The AF Tour is forgiving for a muscle back but it won't compare to a forgiving CB players iron. That's just physics. The MOI can't compare. If you want a sexy set of soft feeling muscle backs then sure but I'd be hard pressed to tell you they're the best for your score.

OT I suppose but I just put a Crazy Black UT and put in my 4i+ and couldn't be happier

The 2nd generation is the worst of the three IMO.

Color me on the RomaRo bandwagon. I just have to decide which irons I want.

Yeah I can't get over how far my 302s go either. Lofts are strong and they just seem hot. My ball striking has been improving as I've recovered from a torn rotator cuff last winter but still. Hit 5 iron last night in 50* temps from 200 into slight breeze and was on the front edge...I'd really have no use for a 3i in this set anyways.

Illini/Bears I'm a UI grad

Are these available? We need to talk about an HX Black. I'm in love. Oops checked the pro shop and saw them just never noticed before. Hmmmmmmmmm

Can't believe someone hasn't snapped up that KPX. What a great driver.

I'm with Swiss here. JDM lofts are more true so you can go to a higher loft without losing distance and since they seem to also be lower spinning you will get more roll out. I'm a recent JDM driver convert and while I play a 9.5* head with a 112 swing speed, it carries as far but rolls much further than my R11s with a low launch low spin shaft did...with softer fairways than when I was using the TM. Played 9 tonight walking and hit every fairway. I'm still amazed where I find my ball relative to where I think it's going to be based off the carry and feel. I hate to even tell anyone how far a few of them went tonight with no wind assistance and 50* temps.

Wow that looks amazing. I think these guys are definitely going to be an up and coming force. I ordered a RomaRo putter 2 weeks ago from TSG....first thing I've gotten from the brand. Hopefully I get it soon, anxious to put it in play before there's a blanket of snow.

Can you give us some more information regarding your swing type, typical miss, tendencies, etc? Some JDM heads tend to be anti-left, some are anti-right to some extent. The Kamui KPX is about as anti left as you can get while the Ryoma heads with their special high gravity angle design tend to fight the right side somewhat. Chiromikey made a couple of excellent suggestions for hot, long heads as well. The more info you can give us the better.

The original Penta was so soft and spinny for me that I could tee off, have a cup of coffee, change shoes, run out, and catch it before it hit the ground.

Maybe this...albeit "too soon", might lighten things up a bit for you guys. http://www.theonion.com/articles/superstorm-sandy-kills-35,30168/ Seriously though, I hope everything is ok and returns to normal quickly for those of you affected.

I am not a huge fan of the Aerotechs, especially at that weight, but they are still a good shaft and command a good resale price if you didn't like them. If the price is fair, I would jump on it, and if you don't care for the shafts, you likely could sell them and buy whatever you like (within reason) for little additional cost.

Ian those are real. Looked them over myself and considered them for my brother-in-law who is just getting back into golf but the shafts won't work for him.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned that the combination of Stew hitting an Epon golf ball with an Epon Zero might tear a hole in the space-time continuum.