TourSpecGolfer

So what driver is in the bag bag now now?

Sandwiched between the release of the Limited 388 driver and Ryoma's new D-1 Maxima the S-Yard XV has been somewhat lost in the mix. Thats a shame because its up there with the best of them. We first laid eyes on these back in Feb and were actually more excited about this release than the 388. After more than 10 rounds, launch monitor sessions, and different shafts i'm feeling comfortable enough to review it. currently in the bag... I'm using many different drivers, the XV with Crazy Boron in stiff flex is one of them. I started off with the stock shaft it was stiffer than the 388's stock by about 5 cpms. Then the Crazy Black Tour 65 in stiff was next, perfect for a stronger player just not me, my fades grew and I had a very hard time staying straight or getting it to turn over. Tatsuro our club tester was uber consistent with the crazy, long and straight even on the most windy of days. After the Crazy the DI-6 in stiff was installed and worked wonderfully. It was a temporary shaft installed while I waited for more Borons to arrive. The DI-6 is a superb shaft in this head. And now the Crazy Boron, now this is a shaft you can feel yet it doesn't spray the ball everywhere like other shafts that you can feel. Many TSG'ers are now playing the Boron, it seems to fit a wider range of golfers than other crazy shafts. The XV reminds me of the 388 in many ways. The XV is really only 16% larger. It feels similar with some of the same characteristics so if you enjoy the T388 chances are you will like this one a little more or maybe little less. We found the same boring mid trajectory between the two and it's low spin carried over into this bigger head as well. It has a high CG compared to many 450cc heads and like the 388 shares the internal rib feature for the transfer of energy. You can tell they weren't designed far apart from each other and that Mr. Kobayashi the man behind S-Yards rebirth was the designer. Ok so how did the LM numbers turn out? XV flies a little higher with more carry and less roll than the 388. The XV also flies even straighter than the already laser straight 388, we are talking by small differences here. The overall longest "freak" shot would occasionally creep out of either head which makes you want to hit it more. I found myself tee'ing the ball normally and that worked just fine and I think both clubs have very unique face shapes as seen below, It's great to see different things every now and then. XV - Overall you gain forgiveness and a different sensation at impact. I think we can all agree that Mr. Kobayashi coming to S-Yard has really turned things around. Mr K is the master at making drivers that are uniquely modern yet classic, Player yet forgiving. What we are noticing is that his drivers are better than most at keeping the ball in the short grass. When talking about distance It's up there, not the longest against the Ryoma Maxima or Crazy 435 but I'd gladly shed a few of those yards for what the XV has given me. A unique driving experience that leaves me coming back for more. I think visually the matte crown is looks fantastic. The XV has a square face, some say that it looks a hair closed but thats probably the curvature of the face. What I found out about different shafts working differently in different heads was revealing as well. The 388 & XV react and play the same to each other when it comes to shaft changes. Often different hosel depths or hosel distances from head make the same shaft in 2 heads play differently. I experienced this with the Ryoma Maxima during all our testing. The Boron played a touch softer in it than it did in the SYARD drivers. So is this driver in my bag? Sometimes, just as much as the Maxima, 388, and GS Mono get play. Its one of the best current model clubs available today imo.

Both the XV & 388 fly straighter than most. Maxima is for sure longer than the two and more forgiving on off center shots. The flex in both drivers heads come from two different methods. The drivers are also made very differently from each other so toss in a ton of variables imo it's hard to compare. The CG closer to the face I like, ball flies lower, straighter for some, more roll.. The deeper back CG of the Maxima aids both forgiveness and distance. The 388 and XV are very nice toward the toe, it still loses yardage but for the most part many are reporting unexpectedly straight and long shots still. Hit it a further out on the toe and you got problems. Do the same with the Maxima and you keep your distance.

I've heard a few things like it's used to hide pitted steel, helps the finish adhere to the head as well as softens feel.

Put a Boron in it. Mine came out at about 257 cpms feels great with kick and has really opened this driver up. I know you like that shaft so it's worth a try, that and the XV are pretty amazing heads. I can't call a winner between the 388/XV/Maxima with the same shaft.

CB Tour is a mans shaft! I couldn't handle it but a few golfers who swing fast loved how stable it was on a very windy day. Forget Basileus, Their stiffest shaft will noodle in your hands. I'm afraid its a long shot to find max distance with max control. Its give and take. Also different heads will play differently with different shafts. For me I found the best possible setup for a straight mid traj. shot thats not the longest I have but within 10yds of it.

Bummer on the damage, luckily it's not your driver and more. I really like the below 3 woods for different reasons. TourStage UT - keeps it lower, doesn't pop up when hit from rough. nice feel, distance etc.. Just takes a bit more speed to get it up. George Spirits UT - All around best, feels best at impact, very straight, with the best setup and mid height face level. Yamaha UT - Best for ease of use. Gets up quick, it's hot off the face, looks pretty good. Face is shallow imo. I'm gaming the George Spirits with another on the way. Not sure if you remember his woods of the past but they are a must try. You have a Ryoma Maxima I would be interested to see what you have to say about the Mono 455 driver if you ever hit one. Very similar the two visually.

You don't want to buy it off the rack.... unless you like sheep :o) TSG models won't have all the extra stamping or pets stamped on the club it will be much more clean. We will also be offering custom grind everything pretty much and some cool extras as well.

Yup oil or even the water mist will reduce spin so better dry it off before hitting the ball.

The things we are working on right now are pretty cool. Tabuchi-san himself will hand grind everything for our customers. We are now testing copper underlay and raw faces on plated heads.

This driver was made by the brand Solid Contacts which has turned into TABUCHI "Buchi" which we are a couple of weeks away from launching officially.

I think its cool your idea of a light shaft is 70g. If you want a PNOEZ let us know, they are not hard to get at all. I wouldn't put it on the list you already have too many awesome shafts in contention and should narrow it down to only 2-3. A WBQ may be good as RI said. A 787 X may be a little soft for you but tipped I think it would be alright. Don't over analyze this. Find the brand, specs, and opinions that you feel comfortable with and as RI said play it a tad long and tip down as needed.

Have you tried the 435R?

Craig brought up something interesting. The 388 total yardage over the entire round vs other drivers. If you only count what lands in the fairway there is a good chance the 388 takes the cake.

2 of the same shaft in the same torque in a different flex do not feel the same. Torque has an effect on feel but not more than flex imo. Shaft Length Butt/Mid/Tip Stiffness CPM's Head Weight Shaft Design has more to do with feel than torque. Torque is just one of the many variables.

Is anyone getting a quality factory looking finish from BOS? We tried them with 3 putters and were not impressed.

Adapters are a pain. TourStage isn't isn't offering them so you would need to buy the shaft with the adapter installed by them. Don't overlook the 388 or XV. Both can handle your swing speed, both spin low, feel great, and are very straight. Both the XV and 388 fly low. Ryoma Maxima 8.5 is a must though. To confuse you more I'm guessing the 8.5 Maxima flies like the 388 9.5.

Mr. D, Ant is correct about recent findings on torque. A lot of athlete golfers used to associate the soft feel of a Japanese shaft with too much torque when it most cases it was flex. Lets do this a different way, What shaft works well for you? List maybe 3 shafts that have given you results better than the others. Next list 3 shafts that gave you the total fits, did not work for your swing. There could be something in there to look at. Light probably won't work for your swing. Have you gotten good results from light shafts? All I can say is I havent. You will have to try to find the right shaft, we can analyze all day but in the end our swing is the great equalizer. Make a plan to eventually get a few of the shafts you want in for testing over the year. There are too many shafts on that list. half or more probably only fit you on paper. I would narrow it down to: Tour AD Z9003 Muziik 787 Crazy Black Tour CB80LSW WBQ75 Fire Express Attus 4U Diamana X

I had the Yamaha UT's in the bag for a couple of months then moved onto the TourStage, don't get me wrong both performed really well it's just the Yamaha went high due to the shallow face while the TS went low and wasn't as good in the rough. Thankfully George Spirits released their Mono Utility. I had the proto for some time but the just released final version is where it's at. Main thing was the face depth, shallow enough to get the ball up from most places yet deep enough to ensure contact made higher on the face didn't suffer as much. It's shape is killer but mucho importante for me was how straight and accurate it was. It's like the T.388 of utility woods. Mid Trajectory, Nice shape, dark IP finish, It's worth a look if your hunting woods.

Hi Tom, If you can't feel anything in the Crazy it's gotta be a phone pole. I've tried several exotics over the years but always keep coming back to the stock JDM NS950 steel shaft.

Congrats on the new Maxima, I assume 8.5 V? I love this head, It feels much better than the D-1 imo. It's definitely hotter. Choosing the right shaft is vital. I'm on shaft #3 already in the Maxima V. I love the Crazy Boron in just about any head and right now it's been pure bliss in the 388. Having 2 more sent one for the Maxima and other for the XV. Nothing better than finding the right shaft for your swing. Stock - Not bad but dispersion wasn't as tight as I wanted also felt a bit soft, it also didn't have that "Crazy" distance. Crazy Black Tour 65 - A little too much shaft for me, I found it really powerful yet fade inducing. Crazy Royal Deco Athlete Deep Impact - I over powered the stiff flex, ball went everywhere, felt soft but hit 2 of my longest drives ever on my home course. Mr. D, The 787 is an awesome shaft, Tatsuro plays stiff, it's very stable. A bunch of tour issue BSG type guys have been buying it lately as well. They need to make a Tour X for you.

Cool copper bett. I think going with a golds tune will make it look a lot cleaner and more uniform in finish. Your putter has some great opportunities for quality paint fill. I personally would keep the milling design, only put mill marks on the bumpers some line steps on the right and left of the cavity. Finish in beads boron or teflon black with circus color paint fill. The neck same finish as the head with a new shimada putter shaft and matching color grip would do the trick for me.

Maxima Type V. Blown away by this club, It's got my two SYD's scared at the moment! btw Mr. D have you tried the 388? In regards to the TS drivers, great all the way around. I like the feel as the 450 kinda reminds me of the Epon 460ZR, kinda. I have the head only of the demo's we used on the launch monitor if your interested.

Playing Crazy Boron in my 388 and loving it. The combo of the 9.5 loft and the higher launching shaft has given me about 5-10yds carry over stock. Roll is about the same to a little less on the LM but it's a net gain overall. The Boron you can feel kick, It's got good weight to it and feels amazing. It's a very good shaft, one I should have looked at sooner. If your looking for higher launching I suggest it. 5 rounds in and no surprises. The new Crazy Black Tour 65 is in my XV. Not the best shaft for me, Thinking of going with the Deep Impact Royal Deco. I hit some of my longest drivers with this setup but faded a bit more than I would have liked. It also feels stiffer. Tatsuro did very well with this shaft, He could only hit it straight. This lowered his flight over the stock shaft and gave him +9yds roll on average more and +4yds carry.

This is what I noticed as well. Even my wife noticed the same thing. It feels heavy on the down. I re shafted / spec'd it and I don't feel that anymore. That said I'm playing my Toyoshima's again for the last couple of rounds. It doesn't spin as much or cut through the rough as well but bad shot go longer than it does with the Bold and I'm full of bad shots now days :)