K2_2

While I know that most of my questions will be answered after the Tokyo show, does anyone know if Callaway will be rolling out a new Legacy Driver or maybe some fairway woods for 2009?

Thank you for posting the review T! As you mentioned, I am surprised about Tourstage, and the Srixon's being a bit off on their lofts as well. I am surprised to see the Ping Rapture being off by 2*, and I do not think that I need to comment on the 3.5* discrepency, for another driver, that speaks for itself. Kudos to Callaway for the nice work on the Legacy though .

Mixed reaction on the looks ... but the lofts will definitely throw off any well sorted set of wedges.

Nice pictures Chris - while some may find them a touch busy in photos I think that they look pretty solid in person. The script doesn't disappear but it doesn't seem to obtrusive, compared to other clubs in this day and age, and the finish and details on the set I saw were very clean.

Hi T, I'm with you on the graphics - and kicking myself for not picking up a GR in Black. To me, the 2008 line looks much more appealing than the new '09 models. On a technical note - will the 7 series really sit square being that they are designed to give players a bit more help?

Hi T, I saw one of these in Japan, but alas, it wasn't installed. Do you know if anyone is playing this on the JPGA/JLPGA? The newer profile woudn't really fit my swing but it should offer a nice option to those who just wouldn't do well with the Ali'Islei, similar to the MD6/7 expanding the Quattro Tech line to include more hitters vs swingers.

I don't have much more info to add beyond what T and Duffer said - but I do have a question and a request. What are you looking for beyond the BA that you're currently playing? Something a bit different or a specific change? As for the request - please get someone who knows what they're doing to install the Roddio ;-) I recently passed through Japan and can tell you that while the Roddio still impresses me as much as almost any other new shaft this year, a bad install can make it feel and perform rather poorly.

Very good news!

If they roll out an Anser style with face milling like the G-Field Premium Zone...

T, I'm happy to hear about the green as the old scheme did little for me, but sorry to hear that they decided not to offer the blue or black schemes shown on the AD-105 and AD-115. The green did look nice on the Yamaha irons that I tried... you just need to put a Quattro Tech 55 in your EMB to have things match up!

I have to agree - yet again - that the AD series are some of the best graphite iron shafts in golf. Although I played with lighter ~ 75 gram graphite shafts for awhile, I do better with a shaft that is ~ 100 g in my irons but especially in the wedges as I feel I have a bit better control of my trajectory. However, I think I could live without the extra 5 grams and could see a set of Tour AD-95's with the green Quattro Tech paint job finding their way into a few wedges. T, any news on when or if the AD-95 or the AD-Pro will be available in the new color schemes like the AD-75?

Quite a few people do play them for status but the 8, and especially the 9-series irons are very solid clubs imho. The old 904 irons were very a wonderful player's cavity - nicely contoured sole, very soft feel, and nice all-around performance. My experience with the new 913 iron has only been a few brief swings on a monitor, but it looks and feels as good if not better than the previous 9-series cavity. While I'm not in favor of buying them to portray an image, I wouldn't avoid them because of image either. If you get a chance to try them out, by all means, do so!

Beautiful selection of clubs! As for the long distances - man I miss knocking a five iron onto the green from over 200 yards.

Apologies for the delayed review for those who don't lurk on the WRX, I tried to post this the other day and kept getting an error! I didn’t deck out a whole bag like the last time I stopped through Japan, but I did try out some nice new gear, as always, and managed to find a driver that I couldn’t leave behind! Drivers; The new Tourstage X-Drive 445 is indeed a solid stick. It seems more forgiving than the 460; the face is not as deep, the launch is a bit higher, and it definitely seems more directionally forgiving. I came very close to grabbing this with an MD-7, but I had one or two more clubs to try. 2008 OnOFF Plus. This is the coolest looking driver I have picked up in sometime, and it is also a very solid club. I would say it is a bit more forgiving than the X-Drive 445 without sacrificing much control of your shot shape. Having had a GIII driver in the bag for awhile though, I was keen to try something a bit different. Callaway Legacy. There is already a great review here, and I can’t add any numbers yet – sheet that I had of results comparing these three went walkabout when I flew out – but I would like to add my thoughts. Shaft it up properly this is one of the best drivers you will hit. Period. From what I found and from a bit of strained conversation with the fitter and other guys I spoke to, here is the breakdown. Forgiveness – one of the more forgiving non-MOI drivers you can pick up this year. Launch – mid launch, mid spin - obviously varies with shaft selection. Ball speed – as high or higher than the above. All of the above, assuming you pick the proper shaft, adds up to a very long driver. What I really like so far though is the confidence, control, and feel. Confidence; that probably comes from having a reasonable fit, but the fact that the face on the head I picked up measured out to roughly square, and the loft is within about half a degree of spec inspires some confidence. Also, as noted by others, the driver – at least the 9.5* with a square face – does not flip over and produce a hook even if you have a good move through the ball. Control; the Legacy is very easy to hit – I have put some boneheaded swings on the ball, to be sure, but it is very forgiving imho. That means I can find the fairway when I’m not having a top day. Equally important for the better player though – and this might be due to me being in the final days of the honeymoon period – I have managed to control my trajectory a bit better with this driver. No, I can’t consistently command a shot that is 5.3 yards higher or lower than my norm – then I would be blogging about a tournament I finished up instead of writing reviews - but so far I have been able to keep the ball under a head wind a bit more than I could previously while also being able to hit the ball a bit higher if the wind is up behind me. Feel; again, much of this comes down to having a good fit, being confident, and having good control, but this club feels exceptional. It does not have a loud, explosive feel or sound that you would get from a Cobra L4V or high MOI driver. Nor does it have the soft springy feel that you find on some JDM game improvement drivers. Please forgive the alliteration, but the words smooth, solid, and strong probably describe the feel better than anything I can come up with.

The MD is a great shaft if you make a reasonably quick transition/move through the ball. It has great kick, but as mentioned above it is stable and should keep you out of the left-hand rough. I almost went with this combo in the Legacy and if I went after the ball more off the tee, this combo would be the go - I unloaded on a few with this and it was as close to dead straight as I think I will get! For a mix of easier and harder swings though, the stock shaft was a bit easier for me to play around with (ss is 48 ms with a slower transition).

I would agree, the red may look bright in some pics, but it 'fades out' a bit at address. While you may notice it if you fixate on it, if you have a swing for it and try one, you will love it, especially with the MD-7!

Bogey, the pictures are stunning man - T, why aren't you in Vegas?

Bogey, That was a fantastic review, cheers! I haven't taken the time to stop in Vegas yet, but the golf sounds like it could make it all worthwhile, Wolf Creek for the play and Shadow Creek if I have a reasonable night in the casino. Cheers

Well captured image of Elk, and nice find on the Tourstage Proto as well!

Randy, You picked up a fantastic iron, just enjoy them! BTW, what shaft did you set them up with? I won't post a long review as my comments are probably already floating around the forum, but for a decent ballstriker, I think they provide a fantastic blend of feel, forgiveness, and most importantly for me, playability from a variety of lies. Out of the box, I think they have one of the more versatile grinds available on any JDM iron, hence the great result from a variety of lies. Alb, you've been thinking about these for awhile, you know you want to try them out! As mentioned though, the TC-550 is also a great iron, and if I was to pick up another set, that would be very high on my list. I don't think you could go wrong with either one. Cheers

First things first I have talked to more than one dealer service manager or mechanic who recommends Toyotas and Hondas manufactured in Japan vs NA. As for the logistics, golf club production does seem crazy, but I am guessing that differences in labor costs and environmental standards make it favorable to send heads to and fro during the production process.

Chris, If you can, a little review with the stock shaft would be great! I was impressed by the stock stick in the 425V last year and a Japanese pro visiting in Thailand mentioned that the stock Yamaha shafts were a big reason that their drivers were so popular. Of course, I'll also be happy to read a review after you shaft it with an MD-7 or a Fubuki!

Straighter line through the cavity, but it still has some echos of the MB-2.

It looks very nice! The big question, of course, is how it feels in comparison to say, a G-Field Premium Zone?

I can't believe it took this long for someone to reference that with the way some golfers go through clubs! You've got an excellent setup, and have provided some inspiration for more than a few clubs that I would like to try!