TourSpecGolfer

I love these, especially in the Romaro Type R UT

Have you tried the FW80?

Shingo's Irons that I wish I had, the ONOFF Forged version 358. I went to Globeride factory a couple of years back and saw Shingo's backup bag. Custom 3 spoon, custom irons, the guy just gets what he wants. I'll post a pic later but on the face of these irons it has the Yen mark and Yen marks lasered all over the face. These are Endo custom irons that must have cost a fortune to produce just a few sets. I love how shingo likes sharp edges a thicker topline yet still with minimal offset. Enjoy the Scan!

Yes very AF-103 like, Supposed to be much easier to hit than the previous model.

Having hit both plated and raw, I prefer the feel of raw but what I noticed reflects what Spoon is saying that the raw marks up easier. Without a doubt it dings fairly easily so they may not be the choice if you know you will resell in the future. The plated version is more durable but imo wears slightly easier than other plated S20C irons. So does the SUS316 actually feel softer than S20C, well this iron vs the AF302 in the first couple of shots I noticed that the 316 felt softer at impact. So Yes I think so. I've heard it has a bigger sweet spot but what I experienced was the 302 is noticeably more forgiving. IMO The AF302 is a players cavity and the 316 is nearly a muscle cavity which makes it unique because most muscle cavities don't feel this soft. To give you an idea of feel my first thought was the feel at impact of the plated 316 somewhat reminds me of the ONOFF forged/Srixon 725CB... So If I wasn't a stickler on looks & resale I would personally get the raw. But I am so I got the plated.

It's a fact, longer length drivers are longer in distance while shorter length drivers are more accurate. The exact same club one short one long on a swing robot the longer always goes further. The better a ball striker you are the better your result. A longer length driver for me yields nearly no gain because I don't strike the ball consistently enough with my driver BUT for Tats who almost always hits center it was obvious gain. I'm willing to bet that the average Japanese amateur hits closer to center than the average American. I also assume the average American swings faster. It doesn't really matter what the Pros use, they need more than anyone to keep it in the short grass so shorter is a given. Looking at the long drive competitions it's the complete opposite so that says a lot. What matters is the players needs. Then off center hits, I can't speak from experience but based on research of OEMs and in articles there is no distance lost difference in off center hits between short and long. Findings show with longer shafts off center hits sometimes show to be a yard or two longer yet nearly a degree more off in dispersion. I've gone both ways and have concluded that based on the design & specs of a club 44.75 - 45.25 is what works best for me because I value landing in the fairway and second sometimes a little more or less length helps with the build. I do always start longer then almost always cut down a little. Finding the right driver comes from trial and error and as we all know its how the club & it's build melds with a players swing (the good & the bad) thats why one mans holy grail is another mans nightmare.

Those pictures just don't do the clubs justice. In the real they look stunning!

Thought you guy's might like this... Epon AF-703 Pocket Cavity Irons - Coming Feb-March Epon AF-203 Fairway Wood - Coming March Epon AF-903 Driving Iron - Coming March Epon Shin Mallet Putter - Coming May - April Epon 2014 3 Point Carry Bag - Coming May Epon 2014 Accessories Series - Coming Feb

Just glad you got it man, sorry for the delay and I appreciate your patience.

Kung Hei Fat Choy! Enjoy family and friends and party safely everyone!

I had one, sold it, wanted another and couldn't get one. I regret. Very long D1 is still one of the best.

Not easy to find the Special Tuning version anymore.

The 460 launches higher, Tatsuro would of course like the 435 he's a scratch player, teaching pro and hits everything insanely consistent, He can turn the ball left or right at will and that's why he's great for testing clubs... Knowing your looking for a distance gain and forgiveness Id suggest the 460.

Caught this in a JDM Golf magazine, It's pics of the earlier prototypes of the RMX. The MB isn't very different but the CB looks pretty cool in it's minimal form. Imo the RMX Tour Model CB is the best CB of the year but I do think the gap between the player level required from the CB to the MB is a little large. Our friends at Yamaha told us these were not designed to fit a particular market need but rather they produce the Tour Model editions for their top players each year and this year Taniguchi decided he wanted a more forgiving cavity back unlike previous models that were more compact. That said i'm happy that was the case because I've struggled with the previous Tour Model CB's as they were a little too firm at impact and not forgiving enough for me to rely on. For those who haven't seen the CB in person, other JDM iron models that are a direct comparison/competitor would be the PRGR iD Nabla, TourStage X-Blade GR Forged and Royal Collection BBD 706V. All but the RC are S20C Endo forged so it gets interesting deciding between these. For further comparison the yamaha tour model CB is smaller than the ONOFF Forged, VG3, & 2012 & 14 Legacy Black yet It's not what I would consider a true players CB, its in between. So I think this brings back the term Muscle Cavity which for a long time I was using players CB to describe them players CB. Muscle cavity would be like the TourStage MC, Miura CB-1007, Srixon 725, etc..

Only been to one in China and it was big. It didn't look too bad but it didn't look like a fun place to work either. Lack of passion & enthusiasum is what I noticed... I did meet some very sharp and nice people in upper management though. No one actually making the clubs was smiling that's for sure but I was just walking through so I don't really know. What is interesting is the amount of older Japanese women in Japan's factories big or small and in specific positions that require attention to detail, QA or repetitive actions that need care. Another big contrast was cleanliness. Big difference in that department.

Hi PortableDave welcome to the TSG forum! good question. Without spending too much time and having to research brands I can say anything made by Endo is Japan or Thailand usually elite models from TourStage, Yamaha, PRGR etc.. not all but usually their Tour or Limited models. There is also JGE aka Jbeam, Kamui Works, and a handful of other smaller factories. Many are made in China & Taiwan but even then no two drivers made anywhere are alike. For example a big factor in what type of material or tech that goes into a club is it's retail price and the available margin to eat into. If the average JDM driver cost 600-800 bucks while the average USDM club costs 200-400 dollars it allows more & different money invested into JDM R&D, Manufacturing & Materials. But even then most USDM brands produce only one type of club and sell it for a slightly higher price in Japan and sometimes that means they wanted more profit and often it's because Japan adds a real aftermarket shaft. I've been to many factories most in Japan some in China, I have also had many meetings with JDM brands and there is a premium QA fee that the Japanese usually pay for at the factory or often they do the QA themselves in Japan, It's common that many heads are thrown into the garbage. It's bitter sweet as once I saw nearly and entire run of irons (almost 50 sets) scheduled for destruction over finishing issues but on the other hand it shows that quality matters. This has always been a double edged sword for the Japanese especially in an industry like golf that is mostly driven by older gentlemen. What I call "the old guard" and they have a mentality that quality is the only thing that matters, there is a big emphasis on feel, and emotion. This is why you see such a diversity of face materials in Japan vs brands made elsewhere, a diversity in the design behind a drivers face, or in multi piece forged heads, forged cup faced drivers etc.. etc.. that is not seen anywhere else. Then there is the whole term USDM & JDM. If you look closely most major OEM's are not owned by American corporations for example Titleist is now owned by a Korean co., Taylormade is German, Cleveland is Japanese, Bridgestone Japanese, and the list goes on. The silver lining to all of this is Japan is bouncing back, brands are returning production back to Japanese makers because the factories in Japan have invested into technology & retooled much of their factories. Hope that helps sir!

Man PRGR is severely underrated. Another wedge to look at is the new iD nabla "Tour Wedge". There is two models the Azuma Yano model (Type-A) which is a high bounce larger more rounded sole and the Hideto Tanihara model (Type-H) which has low bounce trimmed edges and a trailing edge grind. Both for the better player, both made by Endo and both limited edition.

Exactly every time I give it a whack I think Epon 460ZR.

It's been a popular club recently, one of the better drivers released this year. Let's have fun with this, please answer and provide your input: 1. What driver does it remind you of most? 2. What is your favorite thing about the Kamui TP-07? 3. What would you change about the TP-07? 4. Which head do you prefer Nitrous or Foam? 5. What would you like to see next from Kamui Pro?

Stew you ever hit the Srixon 925MB?

It's that time of year again! In just a couple of weeks TSG will be live at the 2014 Tokyo Golf Fair! And look how corny this add they made in English is! This year our coverage will have a different look & feel to it with a few special surprises coming at you during that very same week. What would you guys like to see more of or perhaps less of? - JDM Golf Gear? - Food? - Girls? - Cars? - Electronics? - Photography? You tell us and we will do our best!

That's a nice spot you got there Bill, Always wanted to live in the country side.

Brand New: $225 + Shipping Each Retail: 450.00 Original Post Here:

It's perfect! Congrats Craig on the Pure putter & wedge!