K2_2

T, thanks for the scans! Also, when you get a chance, can you tell us what magazine and issue that came out of? I just picked up one Japanese magazine with bag pics from the US-Am, but I didn't find any coverage of year end bags on the JPGA. On a more general note... two things continue to surprise me about bags in Japan. First are the putters, as there seems to always be a huge Odyssey following, with Cameron/Yes/Rife covering many other players - a bit of a surprise when there are so many nice 'boutique' lines available here. The second thing that surprises me is the number of blades still in play on the JPGA, Shingo being the exception to the rule. In contrast, the girls on the JPLGA have a plethora of woods and hybrids, and from the last time I breased through Golf Style, bags with 5 or more woods were fairly common.

T, thanks I had to explain this to everyone in the lab here as I let out a nice laugh when I read the title! I switch between a Bridgestone E-series, B330, or Tourstage X-01 depending on my level of play. I'd like to try some Callaway ERC's while I am here, but I don't know which one would suit.

I haven't hit he regular R7 either. However, it might help if you mention what you don't like about the current R7's as well. Feel, forgivness, etc. Cheers.

Thanks for the translation and information everyone! I'm not sure what everyone else thinks, but I like the look of the TC 550 better than the TC 1000. The 550 seems to have a cleaner cavity.

Man, someone needs to review this for us .

Thank you for the review, and welcome to TSG! I'm not sure where the best place is to do a general introduction (Chris, T?) but feel free to post some bag pic's here: http://forum.tourspecgolf.com/index.php?showforum=19

Not the 'R7' Forged, but here is Taylormade's new XR Forged. http://forum.tourspecgolf.com/index.php?showtopic=25808 From what Chris said these are not replacing the R7 Forged irons.

I've only scratched the surface of the website, but from all accounts it sounds like a very impressive facility! Now if only they gave tours in Thailand... just kidding. On a serious note, Claus, its great to see that their staff were so responsive, it can take weeks to hear back from dedicated golf companies about golf equipment questions, so to get multiple responses from Endo on a range of topics, that says something about some of the people there.

Just a quick question for anyone with these (or other 'hi-cor') face irons for that matter; do you find it slightly more difficult to control touch shots like chips, bump-and-runs, or short pitches? I tried some ti-face irons, although this was 5~6 years ago, and was never comfortable with them from 100 yards in. That said, I would think that things have progressed a bit over 5 years!

Thanks Gocchin, I was going to have to email a friend for a translation lol. So you are looking for the largest area in the hexagon, preferably leaning towards the areas where you want to get a little more out of your club? If that is the case, the Epon really stands out, and the Cleveland does okay to. Have they done a similar test with the X-Drive GR or ERC Hyper?

Ooiiee I forgot about that! Actually... that is a way to justify the purchase of an extra putter or two over the winter as they are indeed carpet friendly.

So of the group pictured, which one's will you keep in your rotation? The Miuras and...

As I pm'd, the Black G is still on the GD Japan website. Also, a friend in Japan (not a big golfer, but he called around) said they were still available earlier this year... the retail is ~ 14000 yen but they were selling for ~ $600 for a set of 6 ( ie shafts for 5-PW). Gocchin or Chris would have to confirm whether or not they are still available though... and T, how old are these?

Thoughts from a man in the know, thanks T. One question on the AD-Pro's though, aren't they mid-high or high bend/kick?

I haven't tried these out for an extended period (borrowed some and didn't buy/keep them, which I regret). If you are swinging well enough to load them, they are amazingly smooth, and will give you fantastic control over your trajectory imho. I wasn't swinigng that great when I tried them, so I went with a lighter shaft for short term gains... dumb. There is a chance you could see a higher trajectory with these, atleast in the longer irons, as they are lighter than an S400/X100; most people I have worked with hit the ball higher atleast a bit higher when they go to a lighter shaft. However, the AD pros are quite stout, have low torque, and are a mid-high or high bendpoint shaft if memory serves, so they should't baloon. Chris or someone else might be able to comment about the swingweight and length issues, but the last time I spoke to someone about them, I was told that they were designed to replicate/replace a steel shaft used by a better player (scratch/pro) so the balance point should be such that you could install them at "standard" length and get a reasonable swingweight.

Now that is a beautiful driver! I think Chris had some Tourstage drivers refinished ~ 2 years ago, and then Tourstage had some black prototypes last year. I'm very excited to see them come out for the masses!

I had been waiting for an X-Blade or X-GR utility to replace the X-UT... as with the blades, I'm not crazy about the asymetric cavity (extra bit to the left of the central tungten weight). However, as with the new blade, the view from overhead looks good!

The look from overhead is nice, not that crazy about the cavity though, as I think the -Blade CB-2 looks a bit cleaner.

Thanks again to everyone for posting! Chris, I would love to spend some time with a fitter as described. One of my friends is going to help me look for shops around Shikoku, but if you know of a place worth travelling to for said service, give me a shout. To be honest though, whatever shafts and lofts I was fit for right now would be a bit different than what would suit when I am practicing regularly; with my longer irons and woods I am just not compressing the ball as much as I normally do. Club length and lies wouldn't change, but I would definitely not fit to the same flex now that I was playing last spring. Ideally, if I could find a set up (driver, wood, and hybrid shafts) that would not baloon and go left when I am swinging well, but still allow me to get some decent loading of the shaft when I wasn't swinging as quickly, I would be in golf heaven. I am leaning towards and currently playing something like the following; Driver (250) 4 wood (225) ? Nice Gap Hybrid 3 - 195 Hybrid 4 - 185 5 iron - 170 . . On down the list

Great cautionary note! One man's perfect grind is another's nightmare. It will be great to see where all of these slot in, especially the Fourteen's and X-Blade CB 2's, and the... who am I kidding, they are all great sets!

Thanks Ajay(kkr), That is helpful, and it is also interesting to see someone go from woods to hybrids back to a wood before getting into their irons... good stuff!

Does anyone here keep a chart of the yardages you hit different clubs, and if so, would you mind sharing it? In particular, I'm interested in everyone's mix of woods, hybrids, and long irons. I found the following Tourstage and Mizuno charts as a starting point (Chris/T, let me know if it is/isn't okay to post these up). I won't put mine up because I'm going to redo my bag over the next month... okay, I'm actually missing some clubs AND yards, and atleast one forum member would know just how many yards I'm missing!

Chris, any teasers from Callaway Japan? On a related note, are they going to keep and or revamp the ERC line? The irons and fairways have been out for awhile, and could use a bit of freshening up. Nothing against the X-Forged, but I don't get along with the leading edge grind on those!

Thanks to both TSG and to everyone who put something together for the contest!

New ViQ kit would be good, but surprising... the MX Driver is new for the year as are the forged irons. The hybrids are only a year older (or perhaps two?). Either way, ttt for more pictures of prototypes out on the JLPGA!