TourSpecGolfer

If the Yamaha RMX UT married the ONOFF UT this is what you would get... The TW717 Utility Wood by Honma. It reminds me of the RMX UT with it's face profile and how it appears at setup. It reminds us of the ONOFF Fairway Wings Type-S because of the way it feels. As far as performance goes think ONOFF but slightly easier to get up. A nearly perfect combo. It's an undersized UT with a rounded leading edge and a low cg created by the weight screw on the sole. Honma makes these in 16/19/22 and the lower the loft the closer the weight is placed toward the face. We are in luck because Honma has a pretty awesome shaft option for this, the Vizard UT950 which is in the mid 90's range designed for the player.

The question was are they overpriced. The answer to that is always It depends on how deep one's pockets are, and that doesn't make you a mug. I love expensive stuff myself! I doubt your paying double for a factory build and the ability to purchase options.. Your willing to pay double because of the brands image. Those questions your asking, about weight tolerance, build tolerance, face angles. It's all made the same way for each brand, No magic Epon only elves unfortunately, automated computers "blueprint" everything by weight, heads made in the thousands and the OEM will inspect tolerance after delivery once again.

Both of you guys make good points. Does the Endo forged $799 USDM Cobra AMP or $999 USDM Callaway X-Forged equal a set of $2K Epons?.. it's the same metal, same machines, same tolerance, factory & staff with Epon you do pay a premium for the name and gone are the days of the $1150 msrp.

The graphic fabric sounds interesting but 4 axis is dated. We went to Globeride shaft factory at their HQ and I get the impression it's harder to make a good golf shaft than it is a fishing rod. Don't know if that's true, the rod has to be strongest, lightest, and longest sometimes which is expensive and cutting edge, but the golf shaft has to have playable characteristics through design. RI if you wanna try PM me.

It's always expensive to ship golf bags across the globe so when golf accessory maker Win Win called and asked if we could take these bags off their hands after the PGA show it was our pleasure. We actually do sell them slow albeit consistently throughout the year to what I assume are non forum members. I'm personally not one for cartoony very bright colored bags, I''m usually safe sticking to dark, carbon, denim, blacks and other colors in bags but it looks fun to have a bag like this. They are some of the best made I've seen in golf period and I totally understand why people buy these. They are expensive, but worth if you enjoy the style from great make & materials to upgraded rubber handles and partially transparant rain covers etc.. So these exact bags are already in the states, that means shopping is a lot less especially by ground for all those who live in the lower 48. Better yet I think were knocking almost half off on some of these. This is all we got here so if you like please PM me.

A couple years now we have seen them at the golf show. I think they make Graphite Leader as well, stuff seems pretty generic but I have no idea how it performs. Discount to be the guinea pig? http://www.olympic-co-ltd.jp/golfsite/

We are so far from agreement on a host of issues. It's so far beyond stupidity it becomes comedy.

If it's carbon and raw it will rust. The purpose of going raw is feel, do these irons feel firm like the wedges in your opinion?

I've never hit Zodia irons before so should I expect firm like the wedges? RAW irons is dangerous for people who live in humid areas. Vegas no problem with proper care, Hawaii this will look a rusty mess in just a few months.

Very good driver still. It's not that old. less than a year ago.

There will be an S600 coming, it will be a Hybrid I believe. A maybach as well. You couldn't be more right about AMG. The purpose of something like the S550 is purely comfort and the luxuries the car has to offer. In the U.S all S models are long wheel base, there is no short as there will be in other countries. I test drove the new S63 vs new S550 and ended up trading in my wives lexus for the 550. I went planing on AMG for its cool bumper, more powerful motor, exhaust, and small touches on the interior the ride actually felt a bit more harsh. Suspension & 20" wheels could be the main culprit here but with this motor and upgraded brakes the car didn't accelerate as smoothly nor stop as luxuirously as the standard 550 did. I've always had this issue with Brembo's, looks cool and stops way better yet it doesn't feel better and squeaks sooner with dust. The S65 is probably a whole other story as it's geared back toward luxury vs the S63 is sport. The AMG runs almost an extra 40k for all that and with no options. So we decided to load up on the options with our non AMG model. Glad I did because the options really make this car. Now I can't imagine an AMG without the extras added. There is an improved option on this W222 called Magic ride control and with the AMG's you can't get it. It's pretty awesome the cars cameras detect strong wind, speed bumps, pot holes & dips and prepares the suspension for it either softening and lifting or firming and lowering. The things you can do with a full air suspension now days. No matter what you do to an S class it will never be built for speed so why? Standard S550:

This is Honma's latest release, the BERES S-03 driver. For those not familiar with Honma's line up there is the Tour World (TW) series and the BERES line. TW is for the athlete while Beres is geared toward the average player & imo the slower swinger. Per Honma the S-03 is a mens club that will appeal to the Lady golfer who has a higher swing speed than the average woman... lol But seriously, it's for the low handicap player who wants higher, less slice, and forgiveness. I'll take all that except the higher. Looking at the standard shaft options & specs it seems a little game improvement and it kinda is but not... 46" standard length with the ARMRQ8 54* Stiff available and in 9.5/10.5* lofts. What makes this one special is Honma's Ti-5N proprietary face tech and material, what this does is add a variable thickness that lengthens the sweet spot. Honma also moved the hosel further away from the center of the club head making more of the sweet spot acessible. It's a 5 piece head with a crown made of 3AL-2.5V, a Forged G4-Ti sole and their new Alpha beta Ti allow Ti-5N found in the face.

Stock S63:

Spins most & best grind... The big question is what is the best grind for you? Your going to get answers from others on what the best grind is for them. I personally wouldn't suggest Vega or Zodia or Bolds for versatility. Zodia for spin but it's a more firm impact and not as smooth all around, Bold's yes on spin but ease of use isn't the best. I'm gonna throw out some options that I suggest mainly for versatility. - Cold Forged Vokey (available in many grinds) - Yamaha RMX Tour Model Wedge - RomaRo Alcobaca - Yururi Tour Wedge (conforming spec) - OnOff labo CB247 All of the above feature grinds that are easy for most, gives you the option to open up the face yet doesn't have sharp angles or finishes that could impede turf contact. Leading edge is a big one and shape of sole. I don't know what sort of conditions you play in but many above are what I would consider neutral. That said two really stand out to me if price were not a concern Crazy Toyoshima's & Tabuchi Wedges. Tabuchi because it's very similar to that Vokey shape and the grind seems to put a smile on everyones face no matter the conditions. Can you elaborate on the conditions you play, are you steep or shallow? what sort of divots you got?

Weird stuff ya know in Japan, I'm sure there was more than one reason there always is but he still supports them. I do know the original investor was bought out putting them under new leadership. I met up with him in Japan recently, met the GTD team and this seems like a really good spot for him. Thanks, Chris

In the Tour World series Honma features 3 drivers all suited to different levels of the athlete player. 430/455/460cc's. Interestingly Honma may have used Endo on one of them while not the other two. This 455 is the one, the main way to spot that is it uses "VL Titanium" in the face and "chemical milling" as a process for the crown in KS100, and that's pretty standard Endo stuff, while both the 430 & 460 use G4 Titanium and 3AL-2.5V Titanium / Forged. So who doesn't want to try an Endo made Honma driver like this? It comes stock at 45.5" which is short by Honma's standards and square faced as standard with a neutral weighting of 4g weights on each side. They offer high kick point shafts too, like the TZ75 or TZ65 which are pretty stout. Supposedly you become a Victorious Wizard when you hit this shaft. Looking forward to hitting it!

RomaRo releases a bit after the show, it's right around the corner and the product will be listed in the proshop as soon as it's released. I am loving the Labo TS358 right now! will post pics this week.

They are related so it's the small differences may be the defining factor, mpbachman is spot on about the 435 being similar to the D013 Trpx and it being both softer and more forgiving. The S isn't actually shallow either, still deep compared to many.

We met up with them and took a look at the product, Do you guys really want it listed in the store? It's sorta like the brand mystery, the products just don't look right. However we can get it if anyone wants.

The new 2014 Black Bison W222 by WALD tuning Japan. It's So stunning, The wheels are a couple inches too big but other than that bravo MB!

These are the DI's worth considering in no particular order. I'm sorry I can't compare the performance to each other, it's hard with out hitting them all side by side. I can only remember visually what I liked about them and refer to my photos. I will say I've hit all but the SYB. I've seen the SYB a few times and its sharp but I'm loving that TW-U right now, with graphite I'm swinging super easy and producing nice high consistent results. I'm probably gonna get another and also start tinkering with different shafts. The Epon & the RC are the smallest, the SYB has the least amount of offset if I remember correctly. If you play nice JDM forged irons the Buchi will blend more seamlessly with your set as is a true driving iron not "hybrid" driving iron. It feels more like an iron. Most forgiving is for sure the PRGR Egg i+. - Honma TW-U - PRGR Egg i+ - Epon 903 - Royal Collection 706V - SYB Piarm II - BUCHI Custom

And it continues. The W105P wedge by Honma Golf, It's their pro model wedge available in a wide selection of lofts. You may notice that Honma even offers a 63. I haven not hit it but I'm dying to as in hand it looks really really good, It may look even nicer with no paint fill at all, If I do I will post it. The finish is chrome satin, it's shape is just perfect. I love that about right now, so much good gear, so many different shapes, and so many awesome choices! Here's the issue, it's cast, of mild steel or whatever that means. So I'm rather interested if I will actually like these as much as my usual forged wedge there are many, some already here and more coming from SEVEN, BUCHI 2014, SINGLE B, GTD, New YURURI etc.. Knowing how Honma does casting there is a possibility I like these, I'm wondering what type of firm it will be and could it perhaps even be soft?

Diagram below showing difference in profile. One thing I'd add is that I really like it's size, It's compact yet visually you can't tell its designed for forgiveness.

Here is Honma's TW717M forged blade, it's compact but not too small, Honma calls it enlarged for improved forgiveness and shot stability and that said I did give it a whack and could totally handle it. Design wise these and the new Miura Giken MB 5005 are geared to the same type. I think more forgiving blades are a very good thing, there is really no need to go tiny now days. The control is there and workability. Like the TW717V (CB) it's also finished in Honma's half mirror which is basically in-between brushed satin and mirror chrome and was designed to control reflections in strong sunlight, it's about time someone does this well. While I love satin chrome has always looked more sharp so combining the two always seemed like a no brainer. They say it provides a "mild feel" that only a muscle back can provide... mild feel, not exactly sure what they mean by that but my feedback is its "just right" at impact and definitely better than most on mis hits. You can tell Honma put a lot of thought into the only blade in their line up. This MB just seems a bit more pure the closer to center you get it over the TW717V (CB) yet the cavity back seems softer all over the entire face. Dense & Soft are two very different sensations for me both the CB & MB can be called either which is a first for me. It's hard to judge. Comparing it to more recent blades it's softer than the Yamaha rmx MB, not as gushy soft like many Mizunos yet more dense and muted soft than Miuras. Hope that helps, I'm confusing myself... Interestingly Honma is now making these blades per order, nothing like fresh irons right out of the oven!

On the bright side Honma is still made in a Japanese factory with Japanese staff. Did it take you long to get over the S-yard sell out? Or Epon being made Thailand? Not sure if you noticed who they sponsored on the JPGA after they sold? deep pockets... Interestingly the Chinese don't own the best Golf factories in China. The Taiwanese do and most of it with Japanese money, technology and expertise.