ClubHoUno

I don't think you'll find that much of a difference between the HIGH TECH tour gear drivers from the US and tour gear from Japan when it comes to performance. If so, the few asian pros who now and then joins the PGA tour and major championships would all hit ít longer, better and straighter than the US and Euro guys - but they don't. In fact they hit it shorter and by a big margin. I saw two Japanese guys at the masters last week woth Tourstage gear in the bag. I really like Tourstage gear, but they don't hit it any longer or better with Tourstage drivers than with the other top brand driver from the US. If Japanese drivers would give the tour pro's an extra 10 yard, you can bet they would use them in tournaments or the US gear guys would copy the technology in a heart beat. What I believe makes japanese gear so special is the innovation and new technology they put into their drivers - and this is mostly helping the mid to high handicappers. But the new drivers from Callaway and TaylorMade are in my view up there with the best JDM drivers when it comes to performance with regards to shaping the ball, hitting it longer - but where I see a difference is in the low end driver market, where JDM gear offers much more technology, but also for an extra price, that the JDM market are willing to pay. You see a lot more innovation in the JDM drivers, and this technology will slowly but steadily float to the US market, when new driver technology has been evolved in the JDM market. The older technlogy will then be considered new in the US, but can be sold at a cheaper price - a price the US guys are willing to pay. When I buy a TM SuperQuad TP driver, and pays $699, this is considered expensive in the US and Europe, but in Japan, this is an average price for a driver - go figure that out. Guys in Asia are simply willing to pay more for the extra high tech stuff that you get in a Japanese driver. As I say, I don't think this will help the low capper so much as it will help the high capper, who struggles off the tee. I've changed my driver every year for the last 3 years, and I don't think I've added more than 10 yards to my driver length in this span and this mostly is because of the evolution in ball technology. Where I've seen an improvement is in forgiveness - and I think it's here that you really gain by playing expensive high tech JDM drivers....forgiveness off the tee, and on top of that you get to play with a driver that only a very few select people will know what is. The average Joe will think you got your $800 Tourstage driver in the nearest WallMart - but deep inside you know you play with something special and unique The same goes for forged irons - I play with Ping S 58 and frankly I love them. Are they as soft as my Miura and Mizuno irons, NO - but they still feel great and have other stuff built in the head that makes them play great. Will I ever consider NOT playing with forged irons now and then, to enjoy the feel of a well struck forged shot, NO, but a cast Ping still feels awesome - it's all a matter of taste and what you deep inside believe is the best for YOU !

Forgot....I also like Newcastle Brown Ale and Guiness (when it's served really cold)

I'm from Denmark - the beer country...you know vikings and that stuff My favorites are, and you probably have never heard of them: 1. Carlberg Carl's ale 2. Royal Ale 3. Royal Red 4. Tuborg Classic 5. Tuborg Gold

Holy cra_p - a Mizuno iron forged by Endo What's the world coming to OFF TOPIC: Chris, could you please empty your PM inbox - it's full !!

WOW - I must say these cool gadgets looks PIMP and SNAZZI Can I order 2 hybrid sock headcovers in RoyalBlue and Black striped and one putte headcover for an anser style putter ?

Nice bag How do you like the Rockettour headcovers and what kind of headcover is on the hybrid - I only see a headcover on the driver and wood ?

They look great - especially the new sock headcovers. Are they handmade or machine made ? The rockettour sock headcovers are machine made and it shows.......after some time.

This sounds correct and logical, Chris. Soft carbon steel is nice and smooth - but it can also be too much of the soft stuff. We all have to make up our mind whether we want super silky soft irons that will bend too easily or somewhat harder, but still soft, carbon steel, that will feel a bit harder when struck. It's all a matter of sacrifice......

HOLY CRAP !!!!! Am I drunk or hangover or can you indeed buy the new custom Mizuno's WITHOUT the runbird logo on the sole - is this true, Chris ??? Can you place the runbird where ever you want, maybe dump it altogether or do you have the choice of placing it on the sole or in the "cavity" of the club ? If this is correct, I have to custom order some Mizuno wedges and irons this upcoming summer - it's freaking fantastic to be able to get rid of the runbird on the sole. I have nothing against the runbird logo, but I don't like it on the sole of my clubs. This is why I avloid buying Cleveland wedges, can't stand to have to clean all these letters on the sole of the Cleveland wedges

Wow - thanks for finally coming up with some results I'm somewhat surprised of your test results so far though. The two irons sets I would have thought would be number 1 and 2 are dead last Looking forward to the final conclusion when the weather in Ireland gets better - here in Denmark we are slowly approaching the two digit temps (in celcius) I've been playing twice a week in golf simulator every week since November and have had red scores the last 12 times I've played (no mulligans and gimmies from 1 meter, putting sucks on indoor simulators)- so my expectations for the upcoming season are HIGH ! I know golf simulators are not the real thing - but it helps me feel like I'm playing golf all year round - and my scores on the real course benfits a great deal from this - and I think it's good fun to play in golf simulators, because I'm also a computer geek Will probably start playing outside for the first time this year in two weeks time.....

Is this post a joke or what No updates, no answers to any of our posts

May I ask how the topline of the Tc770 was compared to the topline of the Miura Cb-1006 and the Epon Type J ? The topline of the Tc770 looks a bit thick on pics....I like a thin topline in my irons.

Unfortunately the Tc770 looks to have a too thick topline for my taste - if not for this, I would be all over this iron. I've heard nothing but great about Fourteen. Fourteen can actually make a cast club that feels softer than their forged, and mind you, Fourteens forgings supposedly are among the softest and very best in the business. Unfortunate about the thick topline of the Tc770 though...... Also their lofts are far too strong for my taste - the Pw is 45°. But I guess Chris can special order them with custom lofts.......PW has to be at least 47° !

Now I can see the pics !! LOOKING VERY MUCH FORWARD TO YOUR TEST RESULTS !!!!!!!! When will you come up with the results, plus 1 ????

Great looking irons, Chris What is the name of the finish on the Mp33 ? Is it possible to order Mizuno's new irons without the Runbird logo when you make a custom order ? I know the Mp-60 and Mp-32 does not have the runbird, but when new models arrive next year, they probably all will have this new stupid runbird logo on the sole - I hate logo's on the sole of clubs. Have nothing against the runbird logo itself, but I positively hate the placement of it on Mizuno's irons and wedges

Too thick a topline for my taste Which irons will succeed the Ad I-506 USA Srixon iron that Stenson and Furyk currently have in play ?

I wonder why that is so too ? The new TM Burner driver also comes in an edition with scorelines across the entire face. That will generate spin on the ball when you hit the center of the clubface, so basically a driver with scorelines in the center of the clubface is a big nono for people who wants less spin of their driver but great for people who want more spin with their driver.

Hey AlpahPro - sorry to bump an old thread I wonder what made you switch away from the G-Field Premium Zone putter ?

Chris, is it possible to order the Golds Factory putter with an insert and technolgy that matches the G-Field ? I'm ready to pay $1K for a unique putter, if I get the performance advantage of the new high tech putters too...... I've tried YES !, Guerin Rife, AGSI and Odyssey putters and while they perfromed fine for me and might have put a better role on the ball, I simply put better with putters that looks like small pieces of art. I'm a great putter and have no trouble getting proper acceleration and roll on my putts - and I simply put better with Scotty and Bettinardi putters with no fancy inserts......just give me a Newport II/BB8/Anser 4 style of putter head and I'm in golf heaven Frankly the Rossa AGSI and YES! putters I've owned this summer doesn't seem to be durable enough - both my Corza AGSI, Daytona AGSI, YEC Callie & YES Callie Forged showed excessive wear in the grooves after only circa 200-300 putts with each putter. 'Especially the AGSI grooves seemed to be brittle. The grooves were slowly but steadily being eaten up by sand grain, dust and other small dirt particles. Mind you I'm very anal about my golf gear and cleans and protect my clubs after each round, and wipes my putter with a towel after each and every putt to remove dirt from the putter head - but still the grooves of the YES and Rossa AGSI seemed less durable than one would expect. I managed to sell all of these putters in due time - and will not buy putters from these companies anymore. I'll stick to my Bettinardi Tour DASS, my Scotty Studio Style NP II and will probably order a GoldFactory or/and a G-Field PremZone 1 with silver insert and probably also one of the new upcoming Scotty Circea '07 putters with dark maintenance free Pro Plantinum finish. I already own a TP Mills putter - great craftmanship from Mills. That's it - I'm set with regards to putters. I'll probably buy the occasional Scotty RETAIL and sell it again, but from here on I'll concentrate on buying drivers, woods, hybrids and irons each year - but not putters. If I could get a GoldFactory with grooves that was more durable than YES and AGSI; I might consider it though......just for the fun of it And I'm NOT fond of putters that will rust if you don't nurse them with oil and stuff. This is the reason why I did not buy the Circa '06. Is it possible to get the Goldfactory putter in a finish that is 110% maintenance free like the stainless steel putters ?

I think you're comparing apples to oranges. Both putters are great, but the Gfield is a retail putter, while the Gold Factory is a custom made puter, that easily will cost you close to 1K $ if you want to add insert and fancy inscription on the putter. I personally will order a golfs factory putter from Chris, when I get my tax return in june. It will probably cost me $1.000, but I see it this way: Why go spend $300 once a year on a RETAIL Scotty Cameron putter if you can get yourself a great almost totally costomised Gold Factory putter that you won't feel like dumping for a long time ? If I look at it this way, $1.000 is actually pretty inexpensive for such a great custom made putter. You get to choose headweight, inscription, logo, stamp, insert or not, weight of putter head, colour to your likings of the great Iomic puttergrip, shaft length, finish of the putter head - this means I can get myself the first custom made putter in my life made for ME and myself and I I also ordered a Bettinarid Tour DASS putter that cost $1.995 - and first I thought I've made a mistake. But OH was I wrong.......when I received this putter I must admit I've never held a beauty of a putter like this in my hands. The feel of putter, the headweight and the air slots - just an awesome putter, that you can't buy in any shops. A real genuine tour putter made for the tour guys and for those that will pay a premium for a putter. Therefore I hope my investment in a custom made Goldfactory putter will be bring me at least as much joy and pleasure as when I purchased the Bettinardi Tour DASS putter. It's pretty awesome to put with putters that you know probably not a single guy in all of Denmark (where I live) have in their bags

They look really nice. I see Epon has done something to the old basic logo. Now a red swoosh swirl around the Technity logo - now they are talking Now the Epon heads are actually starting to look commercial and not like a proto type design anymore.

Maybe a new proto in the works

Come on....post the pics NOW !!!! I guess the finish you're talking about is the Black Nickel finish Mizuno have on their wedges. Do they have a runbird on the sole ?

No special grind option available ? They look very basic when it comes to grind......

What could the SS-2.5 and SS-3.5 head be then (Great heads BTW) I had a small conversation on WRX with the US Sonartec Guy and he would not admit that Sonartec uses old RC heads - he was very stubborn and almost offended that I dare post what was most likely true - new Sonartec heads are old Royal Collection heads