JayDM

I have another card for flights mate.... a very special card.... idk why I put that smiley face thing there, never used one before, just seemed like a good idea.

Gold's Factory does a "Gun Blue" finish, is this the same stuff Sasaya-san uses or does he do it a different way/with different materials? His raw gun blue wedges are gorgeous.

The centurion 100% has the best concierge, as good as a stand alone concierge service.... I begged my pops to add me on his account when I got out of high school, I wanted that black Ammex sooo bad, lol. I can't remark on the benefits and perks, but honestly it isn't worth the cost anymore regardless, besides benefits and such, the big thing about that card is you could spend as much as you like, but around 2009 after the big financial meltdown they started making it a huge hassle, you would have to call them to clear purchases after reaching a certain amount or if you were making a large purchase, at the time my family used it for ALOT of monthly business purchases that would add up very quickly and then I would find myself with an "unlimited" charge card I would have to call in all the time to use 3/4 of the way through every monthly cycle... My entire family doesn't use it as much anymore except for basic day to day purchases and the concierge for concert and sporting event tickets, reservations, etc. I've heard from others that it's gotten better in the past year, but I cant remark as I haven't ran up a bill large enough that would in the past require me to clear purchases.

Most exotics, if your actually going to drive them, you just have to expect that you will have issues, just a fact of life, or it always has been for me.... Out of what most consider a "supercar" I've found 911 Turbos to be absolutely tops for reliability, and the Lamborghini Gallardo to be the bottom(never owned the top end lambo's).... In between most just mesh together in a way that some will have bad experiences, but others good.... The v8 Ferrari's are actually not to bad, the v12's can get a bit "temperamental" my younger brother has the 458 and has never had a single issue with it, he drives that and a Range Rover sport don't really know how often he drives the 458 but it does get used a fair bit, believe my father still has a 430 that's got a good bit of mileage on it and hasn't caused any trouble. I've still got a 599GTO and despite having had a few issues it's 100% the most grin inducing car I've ever owned, have no desire to replace it with the newer Berlinetta, as much as I love it though, it rarely gets driven. Have very little experience with Aston Martin's, my father used to have an older Vanquish, don't think I drove it and don't remember much about it other than it turned a lot of heads. I can't really speak on the quality of the tech on various autos beyond how consistently it actually works, I purchase a lot of cars, don't know all that much about them though beyond how much fun to drive they are and how reliable they are.... I like the look of the NSX, haven't driven it though, don't even know if its available yet as I haven't gotten anything new since getting back to the states a bit before the 4th of July.

I have the same dilemma with utilities that I have with wedges..... I love almost every single one I hit, I'm not talking I love it when I first hit it and then a couple of weeks later it's just whatever.... 99.9% of utilities I hit I just enjoy one way or another, or for one purpose or another, they all just seem so easy to hit makes choosing pretty darn difficult... That said, this year's Romaro 18* is very, very good, can't seem to find a negative thing to say about it... at all.... it doesn't love to go right maybe? not like it won't cut either, just takes a touch more adjustment, which REALLY is no big deal, tough to compare it to anything else, as it doesn't seem to play like a utility that's really geared towards the better player or like a super game improvement club, just sits right in the middle and does mostly everything well, and other things VERY well. Want to try the ONOFF utilities, the new EGG i+, and the Jbeam Tir 21*. Knowing how the utility plays, I can't see the Romaro FW's being anything but wonderful.... Off topic here, but I really like the idea of the ONOFF labospec 5 wood, such a super small head is right up my alley, I've always been happy to get the 5 wood out of the bag in favor of a ute, does anyone have info on how the labospec's play vs. other FW's?

I cannot see how filling a head with Nitrogen gas would have any affect at all as to how it plays, as to making the face thinner, that definitely could affect performance, weather or not it would make the driver non conforming, I'm not certain, but if there's any serious performance increase from the "trampoline effect" off the face then I would assume it would be non conforming? Feel like Tario would be much better able to answer though as he always seems to have a good handle on the technical aspects of driver designs.

I'm pretty sure most of the guys in JPN have stated this a few times in this topic and previous ones, you aren't going to find shops that have new models of the boutique brands like Epon, Yururi, Miura, etc. that you can demo and get fit for, the places you'll find with those brands are used shops and the variety of gear changes from day to day.... I'm not certain if this is 100% a fact, but its the feeling I've gotten from quite a few other posts that have come from guys in Japan or who have been to Japan enough times to know what the deal is.

Thanks mate, looks like a 19* & 21* ute and a 15* wood.

Contact Tario via email, [email protected] even if you can't manage to get to the Crazy factory it's worth contacting him to see if it's possible... I'm pretty certain that would be your best fitting experience.

What lofts do the new Utes come in? PRGR and me just seem to get along so well, every single time I've hit a club from Pro Gear, I've loved it, and I think I'm one of the few who haven't hit an EGG FW, with the new deeper faces it might be time for me to try one....

Welcome to TSG. If your a Crazy fan, why not ask Tario if he'll take you over to get fit at the Crazy factory? I'm sure if Craig chimes in he'll tell you that you 100% will not regret that experience. Not sure about this, but I seem to remember hearing that there are VERY few places you can buy Epon gear, even in Japan.

" I've driven the C63 and the power is just ludicrous, not as useable as most other cars, I'd say wild yet insanely fun. If thats what someone wants flat out go AMG." That's pretty much SPOT on, without a doubt the most FUN car in this class, always walk away smiling...... I've honestly never owned a Lexus, but from what I've heard from a few mates that drive the ISF, its the perfect daily driver in this class, if your going to own just ONE car and are choosing between the C63, ISF and M3, then the Lexus get's top spot every single time. I've never been a fan of BMW, one of the first cars I ever purchased was a 760 and I just can't count the amount of bad experiences I had, from absolutely horrid service through the dealership to heaps and heaps of problems with the car leading to me having to deal with the dealership's miserable service, in hindsight I would never have put large chrome rims on it which led to a lot of problems, wasn't the only issue I had though.... I don't know how I feel about the large price jump for the new Lexus though, my issue is with the Benz you have the standard C class, the C63 AMG and then finally at the large upcharge the Black, with the Lexus they're giving you a standard model and then a very large upcharge to get the F, seems like a different variation of the mistakes Audi makes with there S line, they offer the S lineup at an upcharge to compete with BMW's M and Benz's AMG, yet the Audi's just aren't in line with the competition.... Admittedly, I'm not a person who appreciates the more advanced tech in the Lexus, I just want the tech in the car I purchase to ALWAYS work, weather I can do all sorts of new and improved things with it or not. Depending on the car, performance figures vs. the competition may or may not be a large factor in the choice I make, the real deciding factor for me if I was choosing between the new Lexus and the C63 is at the higher price point, what would I get from the Lexus that I wouldn't get with the standard C63 AMG(not the black)? Which will be more reliable for me? And which will generally cause me the least amount of problems? You also have to look at the individual customer who's purchasing a car and how they make comparisons, I forget who it was but I believe someone above asked about making a choice between a GTR and a variety of Ferrari's, it's not always such a simple issue of performance, tech, price, etc.... Most Ferrari owners own a bevy of autos, generally high end, most people I know who own a GTR are younger, and its usually there only ride, I have a 2010 GTR and at the time, I was making a choice between the Nissan and an Audi R8 5.2 coupe, the Nissan won out because it was just a more comfortable enjoyable car to drive, if I had to drive only ONE car and I had to make the choice between the GTR and a Ferrari, I would probably go with the GTR, as the Ferrari's I've owned would not do as well day to day, but owning multiple rides I just could never really see myself trying to decide between a Ferrari and the GTR, just wouldn't personally class them in the same category regardless of performance stats.

Depends on the wedge for me, if it just rusts and does I let it happen and the rust covers the whole head, sometimes I find it really cool, and like the look, but if it just happens and I start getting strange random rust spots on wedges I don't want to rust than its not cool.... I didn't know that totally getting rid of rust could be done so well, I'm going to give it a shot.

Just wondering what grips everyone has been using. I've tried and messed around with soooo many and can never seem to find that one perfect grip that's just a no brainer for me when putting together clubs. So far I seem to like Iomics best in woods, either the Sticky or the X grip and the Nowon 50's in irons and wedges. It varies though, Tour G's have been solid for me but I don't love the feel, I recently tried the Nowon ICHI for the first time and I like it, but it feels very thin, find myself squeezing a bit, Nowon 48's aren't bad either my biggest issue with the 50's are that they twist, the 48's don't twist as much but they don't feel quite as nice and they also feel a little thin, extra tape wraps help but they start to feel firmer than I like, tried the Masda slick fits and they just don't give me quite enough hold. I don't like cord grips much at all or dual compounds, only cords I've ever tried that were alright were the perfect Pro cords, they weren't bad. I've tried most of the more run of the mill grips here in the US in the past and nothing ever stood out for me, Tour velvet's don't do much for me, the Golf Pride Tour wrap wasn't bad, probably my favorite grip from the US, never enjoyed any of the WINN grips and I don't think I've tried all of the Lamkin's but the few I did hit just felt like Tour Velvets. What are you guy's playing? Is there anything out there I should be trying? Like the look of the Muziik Dry Compound, any one try it? Thoughts?

I used to have that 1957 k grind with that "knuckle grind" and I didn't like it, it wasn't bad for a standard flat sand shot or a standard shot out of deep rough, but it wasn't a versatile club for me at all, couldn't do anything with the face, wasn't a terrible wedge, it just didn't let me do what I wanted, felt very restricted..... Idk if this one is similar with the single dent in it. But I would like to try the miura wedges C is gaming, what shafts do you have in them Carlo?

Really like the look of the driver, and I honestly cant see how the shafts would be anything but fantastic..... When will they be available?

Hmmmm....worth a go.

Never thought about the 5000WB, why those C?

I've always personally preferred to play my shafts a touch softer, I'm probably just incorrect as to where I was putting him flex wise. I would stick with what A suggested.

I didn't really answer your question, why not soft step for graphite or steel, lol. I don't really know enough about the OP's swing to really give a certain answer, but just based on carry distance an R seems to fit, it seems in line with the lightweight steel shaft and the flex, my thought was if he was going to go lighter and graphite then soft stepping might not be the best idea if he feels the R fits in the 950's... But soft stepping the steel might help, if I knew his swing I could say better, it's only a 1/3 flex difference, but it could give him a bit more feel out of the 950's without a doubt without being much softer than what he's used to.

Here's my thinking, an R is going to be around the right flex for the OP in the 950's, carrying 140 would put him in the Reg flex range for sure, a lighter graphite shaft is probably going to play softer. No, not all graphite plays softer than steel, very true, but lighter weight graphite(50-85 grams) is designed to be a lighter softer option, the graphite out there that's designed to play stiffer is going to be heavier options, I highly doubt that anything in the weight range suggested is going to play stiffer than a 95 gram steel shaft, on top of that, weight affects the swing, at what I'm guessing is around the OP's swing speed going to a lighter graphite shaft than the 95 gram steel shafts he's playing now is going to increase his club head speed and the lighter weight will also(probably), slightly increase his tempo. That's what went through my head when I said I wouldn't advise a soft step. Again, you are a graphite player, so you would probably be more in the know about how the shafts suggested actually play, I'm just weighing in based on how I would assume going to graphite and a lighter weight class would affect flex choice.

Softer flex in graphite than steel? And going lighter? I don't know how most graphite plays, but I would think if someone fits an R in steel, then they would fit at least an R in a lighter graphite shaft.

I wouldn't base the flex entirely on carry yardage, everyone has different swings, your probably right, at 140 I would say an R flex probably would get the job done, don't know if I would advise a soft step, but there are a lot of other factors to consider, you would definitely know graphite better than I would though.... On that note, I just had my first experience with graphite-ish shafts today, a set of Aerotech 125 Stiff's in a set of Kamui head's on Stew's advice. I really like the shafts, the heads are pretty darn nice(understatement), but as this is my first experience with anything other than steel shafts in my irons, that's what I'll comment on, They fly almost dead on like a steel shaft, something like a DG type ball flight, much lower than I was expecting, but they have a much smoother feel with a bit more acceleration, nothing violent or harsh at all about these, they feel.... comfortable... that's the best way I can describe it, very easy to get used to vs. steel, I was expecting more of a perceived kick, and while I do feel a bit more acceleration from the shaft then I'm used to its VERY smooth, not difficult to adjust to at all, maybe a touch muted, but on the whole I would say a very positive experience, only negative thing I can say is that it took take a ton of time for my builder to get these shafts in. Will I run out and switch all of my steel iron shafts to these? No, but they will be a serious contender when I'm deciding what shafts to put in new iron heads, and I would recommend these to anyone looking for a graphite-ish option that performs dead on like a steel shaft with a touch more feel and is a bit easier on your hands/joints.... Don't know if my experiences with 125 gram Steel Fiber's will help the OP out to much, but I would definitely say give the lighter Aerotech shafts a look, the price is definitely right and they might be a good fit for you.

Nothing wrong with them at all, Stew was just suggesting a way to find the right WEIGHT for your wedge shafts. Generally shafts classified as wedge shafts are heavier, if you find that you prefer a heavy wedge shaft then there are a lot of good shafts out there specifically for wedges if you want to go that route, the WV is a good wedge shaft, quite good, spins a lot. The Shimada and Crazy 120 wedge shafts are tops for me as far as shafts labeled wedge shafts go, both are totally neutral and you can hit ALOT of shots with them, both also come in a 110 which is the shaft I use in ALL of my 60*+ wedges, the DG spinner has a very heavy feel and does exactly what the name implies.... spins.... KBS makes a wedge shaft, forget the actual name of it, haven't hit it in a while but it had a very nice feel to it, ball went a bit high for my taste though. As far as regular shafts that are just generally good in wedges, SP Blues are excellent, 1150 GH X are dead stable, bit of a higher launch but excellent dispersion and touch, the 1150 doesn't get talked about to much, but its a performer. Cant really go wrong with DG's whichever flex/weight you prefer, the most boring shaft in golf, but they DO perform consistently. Monaco's are excellent in wedges but they aren't for everyone, if you enjoy them though, they go REALLY well, very easy to move the ball around. I've tried 3 different models of NS protos in wedges, the 2f14 which are SUPERRRR heavy and stiff, the big kahuna of NS pros, and they went quite well, if you can handle the shafts, they'll perform like a champ... if not... well, you'll certainly get a workout.... Also the DP which are my favorite NS protos in irons, so far there also my favorite protos in wedges, they're the proto of the Modus 120 which were only OK in wedges for me, but the DP spun a bit more in wedges than the Modus 120 did but kept the flight very strong and piercing. Also tried the C10 protos which didn't work well for me in wedges, don't spin enough, coupled with the lowest ball flight of any of the protos and they just didn't do it for me in a wedge.

They aren't cheap, never heard of them, but seem like quality wedges, would assume that the spin would be closer to the Yururi raw wedges, the grind is interesting, thin sole with trailing edge. Would also be interested to hear if any one has any other info on these.