TourSpecGolfer

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.

I'm with you F1 on learning more info. I havent been this excited for a club in a long time, This one will have a hard time living up to my expectations. A couple more snags from my vids.

The sweet spot of the S-Yard is a little larger than that of the Ryomas actually, the ryoma does have a larger face to smack as well as a more stabke less twisting head due to the 60g power booster but this S-Yard is rediculously forgiving for a small head. BogeyDog was right it is easily a daily gamer and can work with all levels. Youll be surprised, get one and hit it first. Were meetung with Kobayashi-san again in a couple days, any questions for him that we should add to the interview? This mans a genius, created Epon, former president of Endo and has helped many og the biggest names in golf, yes U.S golf for decades. Let me know.

We would loveto help get this sorted for you. Drop T a PM about it. Yesterday We were just with the president of Baldo. That Company is moving forward in a very very good way. I dont think thats an acceptable finish, Its an anomoly as Tario has all the models at his home and those look flawless.

Awaiting a proto of the Maxima and more detailed info from Ryoma. Pics? yes plenty from all angles but lets devote a thread to it. I think we can get an idea of how good it will be by looking at stews excitement!

The new X-Blades sure do look the part but like most TS irons they are a bit on the firm side when it comes to feel at impact. The new Fourteen is cast but feels soft for a casting also it's not available till summer. Honma Tour World felt good, not Epon or Miura good but still excellent off the face We also have a cool new option called Buchi, It's made in Japan and the best part is you can adjust the offset by 1mm in either direction, the stamping can be customized as well as some other subtle grind features.

The Type-R RomaRo clubs were a great blend of forgiveness & proper setup. The current Ray series ( non Type-R ) was more geared to the athlete golfer while the new Type-R series get's up easier is more forgiving yet has the setup a better player would appreciate. This way your ego doesn't get bruised by the looks of your golf club yet mistakes can be minimized. I know we talked about it before but the Gloire drive by Taylormade was a pretty big deal here. Will we ever see this face technology trickle to the U.S market? From what were told it's durable and creates the biggest sweet spot of any wood in Taylormades history. If your not aware this face isn't Titanium it's layer upon layer of a Composite material. I think with a more stable shaft this driver has the potential to be point and shoot.

I'll let you know shortly, Thats a good question. I'm a fan of the plated version but I know many who prefer a raw wedge.

I would take the George Spirits over the crescent back any day. Tomaru is amazing but the GTSW pro is almost perfect.

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I think you mean minimal offset. No offset as in 0 offset would make any iron perform poorly. Offset is a very good thing even for top level players.

In Japan, It's Crazy's top selling driver model. It's known for feel and forgiveness but it also has less spin than drivers with equal attributes. It's a Japanese DAT55Z face which is a very good thing. George Takei of George Spirits designed it, The Crazy model is the same thing. In fact at Crazy HQ they have many of the George Spirits branded heads in the test center. What's interesting to is that all GS drivers come with an open face angle even the 11.5* What's strange in my personal findings is I come over the top usually and a square to slightly closed face logically would suite me best to help minimize my faults but with the GT450 & even his new mono that were currently testing the open face angle actually made me make a few swing adjustments that overall improved my driving. In my case it was simply a stronger grip where as I usually would play to the weaker side afraid of my pull.

Yup just different years with the darker finish being the newer one.

Vegaman's theory sounds possible "The higher percentage off glass particles ang high modulus carbon was the reason for the sound"

Thank You for the heads up on Takazawa, never been and just had the PHT book us for the 20th. I'm also gonna try Sushi Sawada for the first time as well.

Awesome! I'm down to try a few, Every year we go to "The Crane". You know it's a safe place when he has a Gold's Factory wedge hanging on the wall.

Any idea what the head weight was? Any tipping done to the shaft?

How about food, expensive scotch bars, luxury items? If we did get to interview some big names what sort of questions would you like answered? My pet peeve is when I hear cookie cutter answers that sound like they came straight from the website...