TourSpecGolfer

Thats on its way too sir, it looks amazing and I think ill get the Yamaha to test as well.

Yes sir I had a chance to take it for a whirl with the MX and the EMB yesterday. This shaft is semi soft for a stock stiff yet it required me to step on the peddle to get straight and accurate shots. It's my personal profile but I get best results from higher launching more forgiving club heads. This new XD had a very tight dispersion, distance was a little less for me than the ViQ and EMB. I also had to do something faster than my normal slower paced speed.

Funny you say that B because I agree the XCB08 looks forgiving, yet they are actually the opposite, its for sure a man's man type of iron. I agree with what Randy said in another post, not that forgiving, easy to work, and pretty darn close to a blade if ya ask me.

Paint Fill Removed!

Will Hit soon against the XD445 and report back.

PICS IN!

In most cases the slower swing speed does better with a higher torque shaft but another factor is your swing plane, I mean if you are fighting hooks i don't suggest a higher torque shaft. If you are fighting the slice you should almost always look for something with mid/high torque members. A lot has to do with the swing but the only thing I notice is lower torque is usually a tad tighter in dispersion and i have to step on the gas a little more. With higher torque ratings i swing smooth most of the round and play a very reserved steady and safe round of driving.

I posted a couple of short reviews in the EMB thread, and the MTI wedge thread, right now my TC-550's are torn apart, debating between black gold or Roddio I-10 or some Tour Concepts. Not sure yet, last round i used my tried and true AF301 Epon's. I should have my TC550's built to spec sometime this week.

I have gone back and fourth from 44" drivers to 45.5" drivers, the 44" for sure goes straighter, the 45.5" length always gives the shaft more kick feel and it does indeed get a little more distance, height, and hang time IMO. I say 44.5 - 45.5 is a good choice. Club usually feels better for average swingers. I have been able to take the EMB out for a short spin in recent days and here is my take: Design/Style Its the best looking High MOI driver from above IMO, its pretty decent from the sole view also. Epon has been working on this driver for a long time, a year ago these were one of the designs I saw on the table when at EPON, later some revised versions were produced and an initial launch date of early November scheduled, early November they found a way to produce 4-5 more yards for off center hits, this is indeed a big deal and enough to halt production mid way. Good on Epon and Endo for doing this as they have now designed and produced the highest MOI and most advanced driver on the market to date. As far as the design, IMO as performance goes this driver is unbeatable and it comes down to head design, manufacturing technology and materials. This is not a 1st gen high MOI design, its next gen. From above this driver looks unique, super easy to hit and with the option of custom face angles it can look as square, closed, or open as you desire. Feel: Not as good of a feel as the 460ZR, as it doesn't have that same face material but it isn't like the other MOI drivers that have horrible feel. closest to the Nike and furthest from the Callaway FT-i is the best i can describe it. Without a doubt and hands down the best feeling MOI driver built to date. Although lots has to do with the shaft installed, I am still working to fine tune it with the Roddio yet have curiosity to install an Axiv X, New Tour AD and most of all I would like to try a Mach Line Pro or DREV ICN Tour. Custom Build: Go with a shaft you love or something new that looks like it would fit you. I wanted a distance bomber and the Roddio I installed seems to be longer than any other I have ever hit to date. I added a small tip weight along with tipping the shaft close to a half an inch as this has been working well for me with any head no matter what brand or model. I decided D1 was best for my try at max distance and 45 ish would do the job for length. Great part is Epon has so many shaft options and has actually suggested the Axiv X or the new Tour AD's. I have not tried the EMB with its stock shaft but this should be optimal for average swing speeds. It was produced by Graphite Design. On the horizon I'm thinking of trying a 12* loft square face EMB with a nice DREV ICN shaft for the tightest dispersion possible. Accuracy/Distance/Performance What can I say, its a cannon and IMO the best driver on the market for an average player, I still suggest the 460ZR if your more into feel and traditional shape but if you don't have to have the best in those worlds this new Epon driver will most likley be longer, straighter, and better feeling than any high MOI driver you have tried. If your an advanced player then perhaps the 9.5 with a square to open face angle may do the trick, whatever the case with all the options Epon gives you it can be built to suite anyones game from pro PGA tour level to high handicap weekend golfer. Later this coming week I will put it up against the new Tourstage black driver and the new VIQ MX, both get killer reviews from the JDM mags, I would love to see if they match up in distance and dispersion after the re shaft.

After a couple of weeks yet still limited time with the Cool Design MTI wedges I simply can't decide if they will replace my Yururi Tour Seida's. In regards to the MTI wedge this is my opinion: Design/Style: Let's be honest the back face is ugly as hell, but what these wedges have helped me learn is that pretty design is more for the eye and mind while performance has nothing to do with beauty. Of the Type S and Type D most of us think the S looks like a better shape thus its a better wedge, we see this all the time, whatever wedge looks the best shape to the eye is what a golfer will play, like, and recommend to others. I would have taken the MTI S wedge vs the D based on Looks alone but after hitting both I must say the player profile image in the pro shop that shows shallow entry vs deep is spot on because as far as performance goes the D was just perfect for my steeper wedge shots. In regards to the style of the grind, very basic, not so fluid or drastically attractive but IMO its tried and true and at the very core of what works for most golfers. So to Sum this all up, Ugly with Amazing performance. I removed the paint fill in mine, I also tried gold paint Fill, black, and silver but in the end the quality of the deep fill job did not look as OEM as desired as I wanted so no fill is where i went with this. With the slightly thicker top line and its very minimal offset it does the job simple and clear giving increased confidence after each round played. Custom Build : I too thought these were very light and immediately tore them apart and installed some S400's ( my favorite wedge shaft ) I also added a tip weight to bring the swing weight to D4.5 in the 58* 2* down is where the Lie angle went and some TOUR SPEC cord grips were installed. Bingo! What a world of difference this did to it's performance, when hitting them with the stock S300 shafts I was getting a semi high flight that was not so accurate at all which had lots to do with the light swing weight. The customization was the jewel which further validates the key rule to customize all your clubs to what works for YOU! Feel: These shine in the forged feel dept. It feels sooo nice soft and not mushy with the shine of ultimate quality in build. The feel is between the Epon or Cally X Wedge and Kyoei, very pleasing imo and while it isn't as soft as my Tour Seida wedges its for sure in the top 5 of any I have ever hit. Of course custom built for me did lots for that. Accuracy/Distance/Performance Distance was perfect and IMO it is because the design is so forgiving you lose less distance when not hit on the screws, Yet its a very accurate wedge it makes a good and complete turf contact with your swing IF the lie angle is correct, very consistent and depending on the setup can be used for high or very low shots. I have a bunch of wedges with the same setup that I hit side by side with the MTI, My top wedges in no particular order are MTI, Tour Seida, Epon AF, Gold's Factory and Crews Spin Max. Having tested these all against each other the MTI is all around a better performer ya just gotta get around the looks and your in for a steady gamer. I did try to work the ball with both inside out and outside in swing paths MTI vs Crews Spin Max and the crews did move easier meaning it was more workable but not nearly as accurate or as tight of a dispersion. Around the green for small chips you can feel its head even attached to the S400, I feel this is due to the overall volume of the and size of the MTI, I may be wrong as its head weight is only average but after a little tip weighting it sure did help. Outcome: There is a 75%+ chance these will become my gamer's of choice, overall its steady and solid performance make it a winner over the rest, although they are pricey especially after customization they still receive my highest rating of any wedge on the market. Before these were retail I commented about how ugly they were, I'm eating my words now. If ugly keeps treating me like this I will have learned a good lesson about club selection. Paint fill free pics soon to come.

We will beat store prices in Japan no problem sir, what you will find is many clubs are more expensive there than on TSG. There are many golf shops in Tokyo, the good ones are Victoria golf in Shinjuku, Nikki Golf, Ebisu Golf etc..

Its not a debate, this is what JDM OEM's are telling me, trust me they would offer it if it was available. More news is NSPRO has been in struggles after the Japan earthquake in getting the inventory needed to supply demand. In regards to the 550 + PX combo, i think it would feel great but there is always that chance things don't mesh well for certain players.

Your right that it's not a popular shaft now in Japan but pre TT buy out it was a common option from most brands. I have hit pre 5.5 and post 6.0 made shafts and can't tell much of a difference to be honest, oddly Its a great shaft in certain flex's for certain heads. They work well in my Miura irons but not my AF301 and I have yet to find out in the TC550's.

Since TT purchased Royal Precision almost every JDM OEM now complains of poor quality control. Whats odd is the American OEMs still use them.

The R7 Forged is done in Taiwan, also foundries usually don't finish their own clubs so it may not be a good idea to judge quality on finish. Not sure on feel because small design differences can change feel big time, also shaft and other features.

Will do sir, please give me a few days.

Guys Drop me an E-mail @ [email protected] for some information on building your custom Gold's Factory putter.

Wow its a VOL.1, I'm sorry to say that its worth very very little, It was one of their first models.

Yea I agree with Duffer, It's gotta be installed correct for your swing and also I noticed there is an adjustment period where you learn how the shaft reacts to your tempo. It takes a little a time but after your done its noticeably longer and straighter than most. With Axiv, Mach line, DREV, Fuji, and Tour AD's there are just so many to choose from.

Guys after time on the range against my AF301's I think the 550's might just take the spot. Its been a while since an iron has tempted me like this, and these may be a tad bigger but the feel is so pure for such a forgiving club. Feels as good if not better than most USDM blades on the market. Against the Miura 202's that were also put up against these the 550 is dumb friendly to hit and feels better IMO. So here it goes, I will be swapping out shafts for maybe black golds or Tour Concepts or perhaps even S400's this week. I also went ahead and put the brushed satin look w/ golf paintfill into the works!

Take a sneak peak at the new EMB coming out Mid December guys. Gonna try and sneak out this week to hit it!

Im purdy sure its .355 Japan doesnt make .370 unless its got a graphite stock shaft in it.

Yup! please take more pics! That could be the nicest Gold's Putter around, let us know how the sound slot feels with this insert. I think you are the first to do this.

I hit it and liked it a lot, it was not able to kick the 460ZR out of my bag but it sure was a world more user friendly than the previous X-Drive. I need all the help i can get with a driver so a high launch, lower spin and more forgiving club is always welcome. Thing is there are so many great drivers and not enough time on the course and for many folks not enough money in the wallet to test them. I sure do wish great JDM drivers were a lot more affordable.