TourSpecGolfer

It's actually very X-Drive, power slits, variable face thickness, power rib, laser milled face. None of this has a major effect on performance really.

Bennock makes the best quality putters in the world hands down. I go to his factory every year in Kyoto.. 100% made in Japan with no doubt. Japanese machine, German Controller, Italian cad software this mans equipment costs triple what is necessary for golf. Mizuno does have a foundry (not sure if it has anything to do with trains ) but it only produces certain MP models there. The rest is made in China or forged in China and ground and finished in Japan.. This depends on the design.

Full post is in the blog, this driver is awesome! goo.gl/HD5fjq

It's a stretch trying to associate "500 limited" to having a higher quality. A mold lasts a very long time usually producing many thousands of pieces before breaking. "Limited" is a marketing word and we are talking about mass produced products. If they could sell 2500 sets they would use a Limited 2500 tag line. Epon's higher prices come from their brand image. 9 years ago they retailed at 1150 shafted and shipped full price on TSG 3-PW So many USDM brands were Endo made the exact same way as Epon is yet no body talks about their quality. So your a bit spun in branding and prestige imo. I don't see anyone talking about how superbly made those older Cobra, Titleists, and Callaways were on the U.S side or those Maruman and Fourteen irons were on the JDM side.

I think for the new 2016 Maxima is a great great choice!

Distance is longer than the kuro's, feel is different... I think Kuro's remind me of a different flavor of Mizuno type of soft. Forgiveness I think that's a tie. If you like the Kuro's these are a choice but the VG3 Forged is one that Kuro owners seem to prefer over their onoffs. Waiting on the new Kuros coming next March...

Thanks and yes I got your email sir. Just waiting on an update because these are almost all gone.

New CRZ UT is great but it's for the good player, deep, lower launching and very straight. I love the Crazy Full Titan FW, one of the best for sure for distance, shape, forgiveness. not good off the tee box but it thrives off the fairway. I wish there was a UT in between the CRZ series and the full titan.

Similar but different. I can't wait to hit these. check it out - http://products.mizuno.jp/c/item/5KJXS67506/040002004

Its nothing to do with quality, everything to do with money and costs. If the brand pays X for a mold that is an investment to create the product. The brand makes it's money on selling to shops at wholesale and that profit has to pay it all back. These molds are so expensive you have to sell a ton to break even. Some brands complain with Endo you make your first dollar after the 5000th piece is sold. So don't think this is 5000 of one series brands must spread it out over multiple years making more subtle adjustments to the design. Then when the mold is paid off it's time to make their money. The strategies that Endo used the past were sometimes against the brand often forcing them to produce an entire series with them in order to get decent pricing on their bread and butter product. But then driver adjustability became the fad and Endo did not ride this wave which created a bigger draw to go to Chinese factories. At this time China factories were weak and Endo was #1 but then with the rise of china and some extremely aggressive tactics in pricing and service they took most of the clients. Some brands may still use Endo for an exisiting mold that is already paid off, usually a players iron that is forged and then the rest of the line up is made in China. Also if you really want to break this down harder not everything made at Endo is made 100% at Endo. But in the end China in the past 5 years has done such a good job with mass production. Keep in mind really only 1 of the top 3 golf factories in China are doing well. The other 2 are up and down AND these 3 have most of the customers. The investment that China has made in their machines to produce new technologies for their clients is on another level now compared to Japan. Customer service with the Chinese factories in general even outside of golf is quick with less arrogance than in Japan imo, then there is how they party with clients to keep them coming back for more ;) Let's not get into that one.

This one does not appear to have the FAST Crown. It does have a laser milled face. Here is the reveal post in the blog: The Bridgestone Tour-B Series Golf Clubs have officially been announced. While TSG has been posting news of this including in hand photos (here) this new pro line goes straight for the athlete low handicap player. The first thing to notice is it reminds us a lot of TourStage and for those of you who are new to the Japanese golf scene TourStage is what Bridgestone used to be in Japan and at one time the #1 equipment company in Japan. Overall the TourStage product was better designed with more features than the Bridgestone gear they would later rebrand to. Not anymore as these new Tour-B's start off exactly where TourStage left off. Impressive to say the least. Another thing to take note of is that there are no adjustable hosels on these clubs, If you look on Tour most of the players opt for a non adjustable version of a club and this is the case here. Already all the younger athlete Bridgesteone staffers have switched over to the new line of equipment and as you can see below the bags look stealth too. Let's start with the drivers, as we have been reporting there are 3 types, the X0-3/X0-5/X-07. This is very similar to how TourStage used to do it. The Xo-3 is basically the mid model with a balance of forgiveness, workability and plenty of loft options. The X0-5 is the more forgiving version at a full 460cc with a slightly higher launch and higher MOI with a more rounded appearance. Finally we have the X-07 which back in TourStage days would be known as the "P" for pear shaped. It's the least forgiving of the 3, most workable and low launching but with that classic shape you would usually associate with a blade player. Below the differences in the shape from address. All three are uniquely different visually, if you can't see that I suggest you start to think more about how your clubs look and the little differences between two clubs. Things like how deep front to back, the area around the neck and how it tapers and the ovalness vs circular shapes of drivers. We all have a preference when we focus in and sometimes your visual preference doesn't match up with your performance characteristics that you require to shoot your lowest scores. For example I would love to stare at the "P" or X-o7 all day but I know I should be hitting the X-05. Hope that makes sense. There is a lot of technology incorporated into these heads which also makes them pretty expensive compared to most drivers in the U.S. My guess is that these are Japan Only or Bridgestone USA is headed way up market. We are talking about $720 for the Tour AD shafted model to $870 with a few of the other shafts. Oh yea on shafts this selection kicks ass, New Diamana BF, New Fujikura EVO III not even announced by Fuji yet and the New Tour AD TP-6 just 3 top options for you which I would be surprised if offered stateside as factory options. Next up a quick look at the Brigestone Tour B X-0F Fairway Wood and Hybrid, at the lowest these start at $390 and with a top shaft we are at $540. Those prices don't look very competitive in the USA. More like what TSG customers are used to. Both the Fairway Wood and Hybrid are 2 part using stainless and maraging steel. This tells me they are more workable with a lower trajectory which caters to the stronger hitter. The deeper faces tell the same story. So if your a mid-high capper maybe these are not the best options but if you love a pure "tink" heavier head feel and workability in a fairway club that should work both on the tee box and the short stuff it's a worthy consideration. Shaft options are NS950 and the Tour AD standard carbon. The Hybrid club retails for $310 to $330. I love these irons. Bridgestone is continuing with the X-CB moniker and I think it's fits as the perfect name. X-CB and X-BLADE! As I write this I have to keep hitting backspace because I'm typing TourStage instead of Bridgestone. Im so happy I feel excited that TourStage is back even if its under a new name. It's got a wider sole that sits narrow due to a trailing edge grind. They are Forged of course but we don't know of what material exactly and it's hard to tell where these are made. One thing to notice is all these new clubs say Made in Japan. I'm almost certain that means "assembled in Japan". But again we can't tell right now until we have them in hand.

When you said "they sell at a loss to keep quality supreme" it sounded like a statement. Of course things look peachy from the outside. If you don't know what's going on then just take it all in and enjoy the read. Endo leaving the golf biz is likely based on what I'm hearing from very reliable sources. I care not just as you and we both hope they stay in as they make awesome stuff. For everyone else reading this, Hope you enjoy the banter.

These irons are amazing. I have the full run down in the blog and got to hit them on the range again today. Just super long considering their size. about 1.5 clubs longer than a normal 1 piece forged players iron. They feel soft in a synthetic way ( great ) sort of like the Epon 503's but even more dense and compacted vibrations. Nice springy vibe off the face. Besides it being very long they were extremely straight with the standard spec steel and the forgiveness is off the charts, these are players cavity backs evolved. I don't know if the 45* loft on the PW will bother the purists but the performance makes up for that easy. http://www.tourspecgolf.com/blog/29700-2/

With all due respect this is getting silly and your making stuff up. "They sell at a loss to keep quality supreme"... So the head cost is higher than the wholesale price? or are they throwing away thousands of heads? I don't know where to start with that one. Yet somehow they are doing well. They took Niimi's accounts and cut him out because they were in bad shape... Yet somehow they are doing well. They continue adjusting past designs because they have a great design team and are doing well right? We are still in the Kobayashi era of Epon until this new design team makes something completely original of their own. If you Produce high volume at a high price in a slow golf market and distribute only sell to club makers. This situation is not optimal for a brand. Remember what the Personal marketing said "Only 500pcs made". it did not say (500 Japan domestic and 500 worldwide). A sign of a brand doing well with limited releases at Endo is similar to the Yamaha Tour, first year 500pcs , next year 1000, year after that 2000 then 2500. That shows a brand is doing well. I don't doubt the AF105 is better than the 101. Thats a 6+ year gap. I wouldn't argue with you how to fly a plane because I love planes or talk to pilots so just read what my opinions are and take it with a grain of salt and if you don't agree that's totally cool.

We are all in agreement there and of course time will tell and we both hope they do great. I'm just disagree'ing with what you are saying. Such as 1. they are doing well as few are 2. talking as if what you are playing has little to do with Kobayashi 3. I don't even agree that there is this entirely new design team or new management team. 4. 1000 does not break even try closer to 4000+. 5. Boutique brands don't make at Endo. Endo math is: expensive molds, you must sell a high volume to make your money. Doing well with that In this golf market is a tall order if your not big OEM that's lean with serious market share or a boutique brand with low expenses that sells well.

Take a look at the AF101 thru AF105. see any similarities? Take a look at Personal 1 now look at Personal 2. How about now? Take a look at the Personal 3 and Technity Type X. Catch my drift? Again you don't get it you don't just produce 1000 heads of a new design and break even. You love and play Kobayashi designs you just don't know it. In regards to "Limited" - You said it yourself if they can get 500 or more orders they will make more... Does another production run make it not limited? The Taylormade M1 sold out it's first run, it that limited too?

Jimmieboi, I respect and appreciate your insights and opinion but (imo) your out of the loop sir. Your right that Golfcraft has a much better idea than most but they are only 1 source and they know more than they are telling you and for good reason. I take all the noise in Japan put it together and look for a pattern. The Endo math of minimum qty, mold cost vs Epon's volume do not create an environment for doing well. Especially in today's golf market. Kobayashi had real designs from scratch. Everything you see today is still based on his work. It's pretty obvious so have a good look for yourself. The whole sold out before release thing, here is just a few ways to spin it: Can't sell very many, make it limited. Factory behind schedule it's sold out. Have a newer release coming, make the gap product limited. Production defect or QC/QA delays, it's back ordered. Or not including global production into the # marketed as limited. We are talking about mass production here, if they can sell more than they could they would. Let's be real, just about every product is limited from all brands by definition. Limited Edition is used similarly to the word prototype.

Not sure where you got that when I said great distance but all drivers are within 5-10yds of eachother just with different characteristics.. So it depends on your needs, the shaft and build specs.

Yup it's very good. nice feel and great distance. It's mid/high trajectory and looks player. I have not hit the high COR model. Important to note that each loft has different CG locations, same with the high COR so I would assume the HCR version caters to slower swingers. I can see the TourStage influence in the design. I think it's better than any TourStage driver.

In the store now.. they will not last.. some suppliers in Japan are almost out.

That's how one would see it from the outside so I understand where your coming from. Many Insiders have been talking about Endo's exit from the golf industry, the rumors have come from factories, former clients and past employee's as well. The retail accounts will always hear it last unfortunately. I hope everyone is wrong including myself. Once Endo had most of the big OEMs volume which is no longer the case. Discerning fans on TSG could tell what club is made where by the face materials used in woods, S20C + how the cavity was pressed as well as the nuances of that beautiful Niigata TSUBAME SANJO polishing. Endo's business model is based high volume and very high quality mass production and now there isn't enough work so it's start and stop. Lay offs were made prior to even this recent equipment contraction. The recent loss of a key executive didn't help either. By the way this contraction of OEM orders started more than a year ago at a factory level and many knew what was coming. Many tier 2 factories in China have also disappeared. 3 key factories produce most the product today, sometimes they outsource smaller volumes or tasks to Tier 3. There is a lot of consolidation going on and competitors in some cases now work together. I can get deep on this topic in areas that would surprise many or just float over peoples heads as they don't really care. Like the strategy Chinese factories used to compete against each other or how some OEM's don't know exactly where their clubs are produced. The order flow of manufacturing has been disrupted from just a few years ago and many brands do not know about it. It's not drama, it's just business and equipment from the manufacturing side has never really been a transparent topic. How does TSG know these things? well it's pretty straight forward we deal with many OEM's "directly" and can kinda read what they are saying and figure out where it's made. Then we also introduce smaller brands to factories and provide advise to gain traction upmarket without using an agent, this gives us insight to the reasons why brands move production among other things. Then we know people in the industry and at the factories in both Japan & China. Take everything I say with a grain of salt or not, I do think we keep our finger on the pulse of the industry in Asia. There is some promising Good news for JPN golf manufacturing, a new factory has been built with major investment and construction going on now. They already produce what I consider the very best quality gear. I'm told former Endo staff has some part to play so Good luck to them. They do have a leader who has a vision and works his tail off. respect. The truth with any large company is it usually starts with a single persons vision then often decades go by and as it becomes the industry leader and a behemoth ways become set in stone. Then comes along big industry changes, competition from China and inner turmoil (especially in Japan). Different ideas and visions over time take it further from the core ideals that made it great. I'm not just talking about Endo, every strong company needs that passionate leader behind it who has skin in the game. Despite not working with Epon/Endo anymore I have a strong attachment to that brand. It was once our baby. While I can't say I created it I can recount the day I asked Endo to make me a wedge. It was too expensive and they showed me their obscure and faded brand that had almost no customers worldwide and asked for our help. The rest is history and the people working at Epon today know nothing of that turning point. Epon will go on no doubt and announce great new products, will it sell or stay and how do they exist in the future if Endo decides to leave as many are telling me is likely. I hope people find my opinion's interesting at the least.

Thanks for the pics Rex. I will be posting my brief review shortly in the blog.

No idea.

Loading these up in the pro shop soon!

Was browsing cars.com today for deals and came across this S65. I know it's a silly car the S63 is faster and this is more for showing off but what got me was the price! It's 156k asking with 10k miles and certified with warranty till 2020 by merc. This car's msrp is 230k. Someone took a hit on it big time. Update: someone bought it already..wow.