TourSpecGolfer

They seem to work for me and I've got recoils, monacos, modus, KB tours. I think having so many shaft options has increased my scores so I'm looking forward to settling into the C-Tapers.... Fingers crossed again :)

4* sounds too low imo. but there is more to it than the # so it may be worth a shot to see how that 4* actually plays when mated to your swing.

There is no need for a driving iron when ya got one of these iBrids

I may be getting rid of mine soon FYI, it's a mint 10.5 with stock stiff shaft. While I did enjoy it, For MY game it's a shoot out between the Ryoma ST, George Spirits 450 DAT55, & Romaro 460HX. Also moving on from the Personals to the 13 ONOFF Forged with C-Tapers.

A customer asked me the other day Epon vs RomaRo, I told him I would go for Epon. Then I thought a little more about it and realized I think I would actually choose RomaRo. Tatsuro and I put the Epon Personals against the RomaRo Pro Forged, I personally thought it was a toss up yet Tatsuro preferred the RomaRo, We have demos from both brands in Vegas and when we look back at our notes from a range session with 4 of us, 3 great players then me...:( The results were for RomaRo across the board even in the category of drivers and especially in wedges and fairways. It was AF-103 vs the 435/460 drivers and the 103 came in 3rd. Now the shafts were different with the Epon sporting a Diamana B-Series and the RomaRo's attached to DI-6's but anyway what's going on here? I did give the edge to the AF302 vs the RomaRo CX Forged BUT everyone else gave the nod to the CX as they liked it's setup & size a bit more. For some reason even after that test day I was still bias for Epon, but after that customer asked me the question I came to the realization that RomaRo can toe up or even surpass the best of them. That includes brands like TourStage, Epon, and all the others. Anyway just my random thoughts for the day. Here's some more pics: Video Coming Soon

Not much as far as Japan Only Callaway Golf Gear besides the putters & the girls..:) I will say that of all USDM brands Callaway is my favorite over TM and Titleist, they own carbon technologies that TM could only wish they had, Callaway has also had a the smarts to use ENDO frequently over the years meaning they care about quality. Many are asking about the new Spoon that Ryo Ishikawa has been seen using. It's being marketed in the U.S and Japan but I believe it hasn't been released yet. We are unsure if there are any differences between the USDM models and the JDM version other than shaft option and interestingly it's finish. As for putters the White Rize iX features new designs, a new insert that is somewhat softer & preferred by JPGA tour players along with a dark PVD finish to reduce glare and enhance durability. The White Rize series are affordably priced and are made of stainless steel with a brass sole weight. On to the new Callaway Legacy Black Ball designed for the average player who wants a soft feel off the driver, irons, and putter while also maintaining low spin in the irons to increase accuracy and increased back spin in the shorter clubs to land firmly on the green, It's a 5 piece ball.

A couple of key things we gathered from the Show about the new offerings from TourStage. The first was that the irons feel a little softer than previous models especially the MB and second that the woods were easier to hit from the 709 series to the UT & FW. This sounds promising as that was my personal issue with the X- series clubs was that they were either not forgiving enough or didn't feel soft enough. It seems that TS is finally creating clubs that can appeal to the player as well as pro.

I'm awaiting the new GT-6 in stiff, that one looks promising as well.

Nothing new equipment wise from Titleist this year which was strange.

Here's a video, it's a bit blurry but It provides a bit of the experience the TS booth had at the show. <!-- This version of the embed code is no longer supported. Learn more: https://vimeo.com/help/faq/embedding --> <object width="640" height="360"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=60632424&force_embed=1&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00adef&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=60632424&force_embed=1&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00adef&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="640" height="360"></embed></object>

+1 on the BB!

Hot melt can be effective if done properly. It takes someone who has done it many times. The thing is once it goes it, It's stuck. It could be risky business if done poorly. I prefer to leave mine untouched and not hot melt. If you want to change the feel there is something Geotech sells called VD tip tuning it's a part that goes in the hosel.

Many things catch my eye about this wedge, of course the 21.5 COG but also the ratio/spacing between grooves, the breaks in between the laser milling that add friction vs no breaks. It's design also aids in getting the loft you intend more consistently. I also love how it frames the ball as well as its beautiful finish raw finish.

I see a little bit of AF-301/302 in that head. just a hair, especially in person.

The T.388 just arrived and it's unreal! Irons well I'm sure thats in the future a whiles down the road. I just received my T.388 & I'm patiently awaiting he BOLD wedge if Kobayashi-san keeps it up he's gonna convert me to all S-Yard or at least all K.K designs in my bag.

TourStage Golf presented a solid line up at the 2013 Japan Golf Fair this year. The designs were oh so clean and modern each and everyone of the new X-Drive series products from irons to woods I could easily see land in my bag in 2013, thats how good it was. Let's dive right in and take a look out our favorites this year from TourStage. Above we have the all new 909 X-Blade. It's important to know that this is a limited edition model and only 2000 sets have been produced, so if you like what you see you don't have very long to order it from the TSG Proshop. The new TourStage X-Blade MB really reminds me of the old TourStage MR-23 U.S Spec blade except with a cleaner setup and added forgiveness. The entire head is plated in a beautiful brushed satin finish it really is stunning in person even these fantastic pictures just don't do it justice. Forged by Endo of S20C it's one of the most beautifully designed blades perhaps ever. Take a look at just how amazing she looks, then picture yourself on the short grass with 170 to the pin with a mid iron in hand. Pure this club dead center and your rewarded with a feeling the pro's desire most please allow me to explain... These are ENDO forged of S20C no doubt the best out there but TourStage specifically the X-Blade series has always felt a bit more firm than soft. Why? It's because top level golfers prefer the feedback given when they know where the ball was struck on the face. I still like irons that feel on the softer side but if your ball striking skills are excellent you must experience the new X-Blades sweet spot. MC = Muscle Cavity, if your looking for a nice blade like compact this iron shouldn't be ignored. The TourStage 709 MC has a slightly thicker and rounder sole than the blade where the leading edge relief is more evident. Offset is ever so slightly increased to help straighten out shots and the top line while still what I would consider very thin has been increased in thickness by just a hair. It's really an attractive offering by TourStage and I'm loving how the difference between the MB/MC/CB is gradual versus sudden. It really allows the better player more choices based on where they feel they need the extra forgiveness in exchange for a slightly visual increase in size. And now to the the most forgiving of the X-Blade series the 709 cavity back and when I say most forgiving please understand this by no means is a game improvement iron. It's still designed for the better player or the golfer looking for a nice crisp and compact setup. If you want even more forgiving TourStage has many other series of golf clubs to satisfy ones needs. The CB is simply the evolution from Muscle Back to Muscle Cavity to Cavity Back. They did a great job with this one as it hides its size extremely well they also have made some adjustments across all 3 sets in regards to loft. at the MB level you have what I would call a "closer" to traditional loft make up while strengthening into the MC then Cavity model. TourStage has also produced 3 beautiful drivers each with different playing characteristics, First is the 909 Forged 420cc pear shaped fade inducing monster that features a sexy and deep face designed for the better player, next the 709 D430 which promotes a neutral non bias shot to fly straight with optimal spin rates and finally the 709 D450 which is the most forgiving of the X-Drive series, again if you want uber forgiveness I suggest a different TourStage series but this is for the golfer looking for athlete forgiveness. In our testing we found that the smaller 909 had a more firm feel while the 430/450 were softer. More Pics:

I went 52/56/60 but based on the way these are selling I could be the last to get mine as customers come first.

I'm not sure on GIII but we can find out. The Roddio UT is still produced by Globeride it is noticeably similar to the ONOFF UT visually. I think that volume and cost would be the key factor of why they didn't use Endo for the irons. More Pics:

I would say they are trying to change their brand image, it was pretty evident at the way their booth was setup. Everything was Tour World while Beres was hidden in a small corner. None of their GI or executive type models were present at all. We hit everything, I'll try to post video later, the feedback from our partners, friends, and Tatsuro was mostly positive. As one member mentioned the woods lack feel and we felt the same. Now to someone who hasn't hit all the Juicy JDM stuff we market they may think the feel is fine to good but to the more critical and experienced JDM players (TSG'ers) we will notice a difference. Same went with their TW irons, I mean after hitting Personals, ONOFF Forged and the George Spirits irons and experiencing just how sublime they feel and perform it would be hard to think of buying the TW's. Or if one already owned the TW's it would be hard not to want to wander into the others.

There are some prototype shafts that were never released to the public, not sure of the name off the top of my head but they are finally coming to light.

Remember Roddio? The promising shaft co owned by Globeride formerly known as Daiwa, well it's split from ONOFF and is now doing it's own thing. It's a subsidiary of Globeride just not in the ONOFF stable any longer. I used to love their shafts to pieces, I remember them as being very finicky to install for example the head weight + desired CPM would determine how many millimeters you must tip the shaft and yes even in drivers. When installed properly the results were fantastic but when installed the same way most shafts would be ( straight in no tipping for a driver ) The results were a high spin, high launch, whippy mess. Some good news? well Roddio's are now designed to be installed like every other shaft on the market. Even better news is they are coming back from Limbo and this time making some very interesting woods & pretty cool irons. Check it out... There are two model types of the same design, one is produced by Miura while the other one Chiba-san from the old school company Zodia. Both have the same design but it's the way the design is executed that's pretty interesting. The Miura version is much smoother and more rounded while Chiba-san's is very grainy sort of like the raw look the yururi flatback features. I really don't know who actually forged these or if they are made from Spin Welded Hosels ( I hope not ) but it's still a cool concept to be able to compare two renditions of the same design. I think Miura wins over the Zodia but you be the judge... If you look closely you can see the entire back cavity of the Zodia version is CNC milled while Miura's is pressed. The shapes are also very different as well. The Miura is rounded and looks like most other Miura irons while the Zodia version is what I would call extremely sharp from it's top line to toe. Pardon the pictures the light at this booth was difficult. Ready for the bad news? These are all gone! Sold Out in a matter of a few days! both the Chiba & Miura versions. Roddio told us they would consider making a few more for TSG but no firm desicion was given on that so IF you want these I guess you'll have to cross your fingers and wait patiently. Another interesting thing Roddio has done is produce fitting drivers that you can actually play. They actually designed the shafts to work best with these heads and it allows you to totally fine tune it's performance. We're not entirely sure how this will work as their Driver & UT have not been released or officially announced yet. But from what I can tell it's a multi piece head that allows you to tinker quite a bit. Interesting concept to say the least, I would have preferred a less colorful designs across the board but on the positive at least they are a brand trying something different in a sea of companies somewhat following the same path. Finally of course the shaft's, again quite colorful but we know Roddio's perform and being made at Globeride which produces the most amazing carbon fishing rods and has technology most other shaft brands could only wish they could get their hands on I can say with some confidence that these shafts should be really really good.

Starting this thread to go over the new XXIO & Srixon Gear at the show, There wasn't much that we didn't know about but this video shows some of my favorite products at their booth. The Z-725 forged cavity back looked pure and so did the Z925 muscle back. The new woods looked just alright to my eyes. For those of you not so familiar with XXIO, it's one of the best selling brands in Japan geared toward the player seeking big time forgiveness. I do suggest them for players looking for a point and shoot golf club. Any questions just post um up here, T and I will do our best. I know Tatsuro hit all the new models in the swing cage as well. <!-- This version of the embed code is no longer supported. Learn more: https://vimeo.com/help/faq/embedding --> <object width="640" height="360"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=59864484&force_embed=1&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00adef&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=59864484&force_embed=1&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00adef&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="640" height="360"></embed></object>

I'm looking forward to the Fujikura MCI Carbon + Steel shafts. Also I cant wait to get back to install my Recoils in the George Spirits Mono 3d Forged Irons. I hit a demo iron with the S200, even with that shaft they feel so pure and soft reminiscent of the G-Field NC-1's.