TourSpecGolfer

I do think a 20+ hcp could get along with it. 10.5 in R flex & 10.5 in SR

There's gotta be a good simple reason for this. It just makes no sense to me that FW lie adjustability is a no brainier.

Ok let's compare then.

J & B, what about with drivers do you notice any difference in a flatter lie vs more upright?

This topic is all about what you have noticed with the new BOLD wedge in regards to performance I've been hitting the bold for a little bit of time now and have some interesting observations. My wife has been playing BOLD's as well and noticing some pretty cool things as well. Many members have it in hand now and I'm curious as to what your noticing in terms of real world results and performance.

Low Spin, Deep Faced, Mid launch driver is exactly what the doctor ordered. I'm finding no fault in my 388 whatsoever but the TSG crew has been waiting patiently for this XV release as Mr.K seems to be especially excited about the performance of this driver and fw.

I like this thread. I appreciate you bringing it up ant. coop thanks for your contribution as well. I dont think it has to do with K-san's swing. These types of lie angles are the new standard and I haven't seen any adverse effects of having a 60* lie on a driver. A flatter lie does make sense to me for FW's as they make contact with turf. Whats interesting is this is industry wide, not only for drivers made by K-san or Endo but even factories elsewhere. It seems like one of the less clearly defined questions out there so I think we need to gather opinions from designers. we know many. This thread has got me curious so I'll ask Mr.K and others for their thoughts on this. If you could put your question into one simple sentence or paragraph what would you ask? I'll ask 2 mold makers and 3 designers what their thoughts are on this. I think the answer could be one of the theories already in this post.

What you said is spot on for me. The toe shots of the 388 are sometimes as long or longer than my center shots. heel not so much but still better than most. It's bizarre as shots that I would have guarantee faded go dead straight with this club yet I can fade or draw it a little easier than most drivers I have played. I'm at least 7-10 rounds into the 388 and near that many range sessions. I don't think I will be changing the shaft for a while either.

Updated: Soft Black Finish in original post.

It was supposed to be released yesterday in Japan but it wasn't. Possibly another delay? Gotta love Ryoma they keep me waiting with anticipation.

Wow this shaft is more stout than most other brands stock shafts. I should be S/R. I'm playing stiff with amazing results.

I don't know anyone who has hit both. RI? Tae? Compared to the non Tour Yammy forged iron I would say 909 more dense while the yammy is softer neither better to each is own. I'll just say when it comes to feel the 909 doesn't disappoint.

The majority of Endo's production is done in Thailand. It's not a matter of where it's made as it the design, tech, process, and materials. For Endo that means Japanese technology, staff, QC, and materials located in their thailand factories. I also think a big factor is price point the Japanese can do so much more with a driver that cost $900 usd vs $300. It's pretty apparent when looking at brands like Srixon, Cleveland, Bridgestone etc.. In order for these makers to bring a club to the states some features have to be excluded. i.e no forged model in the states, or no tungsten in irons or 7 piece forged Ti driver heads. A lot of people say whats made in Japan comes out in 1-3 years in the states, that's not exactly accurate as many of the technologies never make it stateside due to cost. So unless the global golf market is willing to pay for those advancements chances are it will not be wide spread no matter how great it is. Gimmicks are much cheaper to make and market than new technologies. I hope that helps, as for car analogies I think the RX7, GTR & LFA are good examples of cars that only the Japanese can do.

This is a great question F1, I can give you my opinion... Endo has a lot of expertise in molds and I think thats where a lot money is made. Endo can produce designs that no other company can. It's far more expensive to produce any type of golf club mold at Endo than anywhere else. Despite costing a lot more money many of the worlds best brands still make their best and most high end forged products here. When it comes to forgings they produce the most complicated and advanced designs. They allow OEMs to try new technologies because Endo has the technology and process. The rest of the world will catch up some day but only if Endo stands still. I don't see that happening. For now they are simply the only ones who can produce certain designs. If you look at the many Japanese OEMs that use Endo the majority use Forged VL Titanium as a face material in drivers it must be for good reason. That's a give away that the driver was made at Endo, also nothing is really CNC milled, It's all pressed or laser engraved. You will often here the term Chemical milling or recently the use of alpha gels, those are just few of the many things that only Endo does. Of course materials pass J.I.S standards which is a plus. The brands that are pushing the envelope have to go to Endo, Callaway Imo has some of the best golf technology in the world and for their top models only Endo can deliver, TourStage and Yamaha have shapes behind the forged faces that enhance forgiveness and those are the types of things only Endo can do, or like the face milling we are now starting to see in the ONOFF Forged, Yammys, and the SYD Bolds, only endo can do that right now and those little things done properly and with insanely tight tolerence make for something very special. I do think finish, QC, everything else is easily #1 as well. Thats my take.

Much of Endo's Manufacturing is done in Thailand but not these FH1000 irons. There is always a difference when it comes to Endo.

There have been many forged fourteen irons, some at endo and some in china. These were forged in China.

What's really interesting is that in Feb at the golf show they told us these were cast like the TB-1000 and these actual photos are supposed to be of the soft casting version. But when the official information came out it said Forged of S25C.

Played again today and thanks to this club I'm able to hit Par 5's in two on a more frequent basis than before. It's for sure longer than anything else i've tried in some time, I just wish it were a little more shallow and forgiving.

Yes along the lines of the 705M I would say. It's just a bit different is subtle shaping and a little more but I think they are be similar in most ways. Stew I think the 909MB is softer than previous blades from TourStage or that could just be in my head but its for sure softer than the MC and maybe even the CB. Your right about the clicky I could get used to it.

Sorry can't reveal all the pictures just yet...

Blades are making a come back in Japan and at TSG we're very happy about that. One of the sexiest blades at the 2013 Japan Golf Fair was the FH1000 by Fourteen Golf. It was sorta hidden behind a wall at the Fourteen booth. We finally have a successor to the TB-1000 of years back. These are not cast like the TB model was this new FH1000 is forged of S25C with fairly traditional lofts with the 5 iron at 27* and PW at 47*. This is Fourteens new "Tour Model" something they plan on encouraging their professionals to use and like the RM12 wedges it has the same reverse muscle back design which is supposed to improve accuracy according to Fourteen. The center of gravity was placed to make long iron shots low spin and short iron shots higher spin and lastly it's beautiful shape. Wedges from the PGA & JPGA Tours along with extra shots from the Japan Golf Fair.

I think we have similar taste in FWs Ryoma F3 w/ Crazy FW80 has captured my heart lately mostly for how forgiving, straight and long she is. Much credit goes to the shaft. However and Tario can confirm this the S-Yard XT are just stupid easy to hit, soft spongy metallic and very long. It has a shallow face as well. I'll ask T to take some pics if he hasn't already. Yamaha Z may fit the bill as well. I haven't hit it yet but on paper it seems to have a lot of what your looking for. George Spirits Mono 3D are finally released end of April, I have a prototype now and its rediculous, looks player but gets up easily. Not sure if you hit the old Gauge JPN FW woods, they were awesome. RomaRo Type-R this is definitely worth considering when it comes out as well. Psst... there are new eggs coming out next month too....

I do something similar stew, Neo, Anser, Center Shaft mallet the one who behaves gets to go out on a date. I've had a very hard time with L putters and have been told its my back and fourth stroke leaving the face open thats why CS is a big help to me. Currently RomaRo Barque CS, not the prettiest thing but it's been curing me of many 3 putt a round. I also really suggest for everyone to have their putters lie and loft adjusted to make sure your putter is near parallel to the ground and your hitting it where you want on the face and also loft because its just such a big deal, based on our strokes some people can get great roll while others bad roll from the very same putter. It's not the putter many times it's the specs.

Here's another new fairway wood that just arrived a few weeks ago at TSG, the new 2013 TourStage X-FW in 13.5* loft attached to the upgrade Graphite Design Tour AD GT-7 Stiff flex shaft. I'm only 2 rounds into it and already know it's not going to be my gamer although I sure wish I had the game for it because it's really something else. What can I say it's X-SERIES... that means it will be for the faster swinging better ball striking golfer especially in 13.5*. Bridgestone actually trademarked a new material used in the manufacturing of this fairway wood called "Ultimate Strong Metal" Yes I know very cheesy Japanesey but its supposed to be able to maintain very high energy transfer, its thin and light but also very durable. The reason why I said I couldn't game this was purely my game, I don't have the ball striking skills to hit this with full confidence. I know a lot of golfers that absolutely could and I wouldn't hesitate suggesting this as one of their options. I hit two par 5's in 2 in a single day which is a rarity for me and oddly after i hit poor drives. This could be that life saver if you find yourself in a position having to carry a revine or arroyo or perhaps needing play it safe hitting a long tight accurate club from the tee box. How about the new GT-7 by Graphite Design in this club? I like this shaft a lot it for me produced a mid-high launch with not very much spin noticed. I like the 70 gram range shafts in my FW's as one of my biggest problems is hitting FW's left or right even much more so than my driver. So it's been the CRAZY FW80 thats cured that and it appears this shaft does something similar in the heavier weights. It has a very nice setup when looking down at it. I personally would prefer a slightly more shallow face but being a 13.5 they needed to not only keep the trajectory low but also make sure the slightest mis**t high on the face wouldn't produce a tragic result.