RLL33

The S-Yard XV is definitely worth considering. I came to it after being blown away by the t.388 driver this year, and I'd been unable to find a 3-wood I liked better than a 7 year old club I couldn't get out of my bag. (It was a higher flight also.) But the XV is a mini-version of the t.388. Super penetrating low ball flight, lots of roll, same stealth appearance, very, very long, straight, and accurate. Can't say enough good about this driver-3wd combination and what it's done for my game. I see we're about the same index, I came to the driver from a Miura SIT, and I couldn't be happier with the new combination.

I didn't have any choice. Bad shipping snapped the shaft on the one I bought... I'd have gone for one from Stew any day if I'd seen it in time. (Might still, depending on how mine comes out... and if it's still here, of course...)

Oh, okay, sorry if I got that confused... I have one getting re-shafted and re-gripped by Goodsie now. I'll check back after I get it. Curiosity and all that... Good luck with the sale.

Stew -- didn't you have one at Gold's? or did you change your mind and decide to sell it? I was curious to see what Sasaya would do with it...

Couldn't agree more. ;=]

+1, Jay.

I know what you mean, there's something itchy about waiting for a custom putter to come back... <g> While I was waiting for my Yamada to come back from Gold's over the summer, I picked up a Ping Scottsdale at a local shop just to distract myself, and ended up having fun with it. I generally don't like putters with inserts, but this thing has horizontal grooves that are variable depth, and it produced a nice feel. What I also liked tinkering with (more distraction... <g>) was that it has an adjustable length shaft. Some days I played it at my usual 35", others at shorter in-betweens just to test how different length seemed to affect my putting. But then the Gold's Yamada showed up, and all distraction was wiped away... ;=]

I gamed a Black Carbon with FIT face for about a year, and agree with others that it had a nice crisp feel and got the ball rolling beautifully with nice sound and very little skid. Eventually went back to my Yamada which felt less "coated" somehow. Don't know how else to describe the quality I'm talking about -- it's just different from a "raw" feel. Particularly different when moisture was present -- the FIT seemed to lose a little traction with the ball.

Think they also might want to understand that the connotations of the word "tourist" are very different from those of the word "tour." ;=]

Miura 1957 C-grind.

Put 52g hybrid shafts in both my Cally Proto's and Yonex Zero, and man, those things fly. Longer and straighter than any hybrid I've ever hit.

Should add that Gary re-shafted my Miuras with the Fuji MCI's I got here, and I am loving them! Control is great, working the ball both ways. New more balanced feel across the spectrum of shots. I thank the forum members who sent me to him. I'll be sending clubs his way from here on.

I'd be curious to know if you guys who like heavier shaft weight are "heavier" guys (body wise). I'm not a big guy, but I'm strong for my size -- used to be a gymnast in my youth. And in both golf and tennis, I've always considered myself a touch or feel player. Placement, spin, location, good short game, that kind of thing... And I prefer light in shaft weight as long as I can keep control of dispersion. Not all light works for me. For instance, Aerotech SteelFibre shafts in my irons felt like air, could hardly feel contact with the ball. But recently the Fuji MCI's in 60 have been fantastic for me. Great control, great distance, can work shots both ways. In my driver, still using the stock Tour AD in the t388, which I believe is 65, and I love it even though it feels about as heavy as I'd want to go in a driver shaft. 3wd, I'm back to light in the XV with a 52g shaft. Hybrids, also use light 52g shafts. I've noticed that among pros, the guys who appear to be heavier bone types physically seem to match up with heavier shafts, which makes sense since body weight has a lot to do with flex on a shaft, I think. Thanks for this discussion though -- it's something I think about a lot.

PM sent.

Agree with you both. I call it my T3. And it keeps growing on me too -- just like the t388 did at the start. Love how the two of them look sitting next to each other.

I'm just loving the MCI's in my irons, too. Playing the 60s. I like the light weight in these, whereas I didn't in Aerotech's when I tried them.

Stew -- yup, the XV is like a mini-t388 off the ground for me. On Tuesday, I overshot the green in 2 on my course's longest uphill Par-5 -- something I've never done before. Ball was sitting up in the fwy, and I caught it just right. Still... (My mates have gotten used to hearing me say, "Kobayashiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii..." after shots like this.

Interesting... Well, whatever it is, Kobayashi and S-Yard have my number -- and i'm glad for it!

I guess. I do have a natural draw, but I don't normally hook. Found the same thing happened with the F3 fwy wd with a Crazy in it (think it was the FW80...). Anyway, it's one of those things about shafts that makes me wish it was easier to demo them. May have to come over there some day like Craig and have my own Crazy adventure... ;=]

Thanks, J, i'm definitely in the smooth swing category, right on either side of 100, I like a light shaft, and as we've talked about, I think we like similar feel. The only time I tried a Crazy was in the Ryoma, it was the Noir TJ46 in 6.7, and I didn't care for it, it was a hook machine for me. But since I know you also liked the stock t388 shaft, I'm thinking the Royal Dec should be worth a try. Thanks again.

J- you keep intriguing me on that Royal Deco shaft... <g> Think I have to talk to Tario about one... Question though: I have both of the stock shafts in S and S/R in my two t388's, and I find myself preferring the S/R most days. How does the flex on the Royal Deco compare with the flex on the stock t388 shafts? Thanks.

Interesting, ndrew, as I was in a similar position before I found the S-Yard. Had been using an old TM R7 3-wd that was the only USDM club left in my bag for years because I couldn't find a better replacement, although I had tried many... Will be interested to hear how this goes for you, but I'll bet you'll be happy with it. Best of luck, --Richard

S-Yard gives same rocket trajectory as the t388 driver. Soft face lets you really hear and feel the shot. The Ryoma seemed very harsh to me, both in sound and feel, and for the same effort, didn't produce the distance I get from the S-Yard.

Thanks for the history, Carlo. Spoke to Yuna, PP sent. Have been curious about this putter for some time. (Look forward to seeing yours post-GF, Stew.) ;=]

e-mail sent.