bogeydog

Lie angle? Will they make a Tour model?

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I agree with TourSpecGolfer's review. Keep in mind that I too have played the 08 an 09 versions and written extensive reviews on TSG. If you have any reason to buy a new set of irons, do yourself a favor and grab this last set. If you prefer a set of irons that look almost like a blade at address, little noticeable offset, complete workability with reasonable forgiveness, and solid Epon-like feel, make the move. Goodsie assembled mine and he could offer comments on what he saw in terms of head weight, consistency and quality from a club builders view. I installed the KBS black nickel 5.5 flex in mine.

Prefer head only as I likely will not use your shaft. PM offers.

You know, my tastes have changed after roaming around for some time. I have come to realize that I am happiness when I am scoring well. Plain and simple. I like a little help when possible and appreciate a fine made instrument to help me. This is a great combo of design/engineering, etc. This set stands up to my swing when bad, however rewards it when it is good.

Ok I have had some time to spend with the clubs and add the following comments to my original review. I have played 4 rounds with them as well as beat some balls at the range. Looks - I love the looks from address. Sets up well for my eye with little offset. Almost blade like. Head size is smallish and I could never go any smaller. The rear cavity is not visible at address. Wish - I slightly reduced top line. Rating 4.5/5.0. Feel - Very solid. Epon like feel. Slightly clicky. Not mushy. If you like something real soft, you may be disappointed. These offer a solid positive feel with just a right amount of softness. Wish - Nothing really. 4.0/5.0 Performance - The most accurate sticks to date for me. Plain and simple. They are forgiving. Distance control across the face is excellent. Workability is very good. I think they are more workable than you would expect. I don' know if the offset helps this, but for my shotmaking, they work well. 4.75/5.0 Shafts - In my view, proper shafts have become a major link in golf. I installed the KBS 5.5 black nickel shafts. These provide a good feel with stellar performance. Not a shaft for everyone however if it fits you, it will excel. IMO these are not a shaft for the sweeper swing. They do better with someone that traps the ball properly and loads the club well. Solid swings result in perfect mid/high ball flight with a flat trajectory. Side spin is low. Back spin is about perfect. Even mid/long irons can hold the green. A nice pairing for these club heads.

I have the 2009 rpm, 10*, with the stock Rombax 6Y09 stiff shaft. I have played 3-1/2 rounds with it. The head feels very explosive and hollow. I bet ball speed is pretty high. I am changing the shaft though to a Ozik XCON5 as I need some more launch angle. The shape does make it appear as a smaller head, even as low as a 380 however the face height is large. I can tell it is very forgiving. Once I get the new shaft installed, I can comment more.

I would like to add a FW or hybrid to the mix, however I am concerned about the lie angle. I need something flatter and Yamaha doesn't offer it. I am concerned that bending titanium won't work or will break the club.

Pics added. The openess of the setup is the angle I took the pic.

I need to thank these three members in public. Here it is cold now and golf in somewhat on hold due to the weather and my neck issues. However, I received an invite to play in Florida for a few days. Having no clubs at the time of invite, I was waiting for he 2009 Yamaha irons to arrive. In a panic, I contacted Tour Spec Golfer (Chris) about the order and he informed me that the set that had shipped belonged to Idrive. To make a long story short, Idrive sent me his set and gladly said he would wait for my set to ship in a few weeks. He did so without hesitation and without question. Thanks Jeff. Chris also was instrumental in that he ordered the driver and it arrived within 3 days of ordering. In addition, he provided 2 wedges as well. Goodsie was recommended by Idrive to install the KB Tour shafts as well as pure/flo them. I intend to write an entire thread about Goodsie and his approach to his detail in club building as well as his fun demeanor. He is a great guy and his work is flawless. I strongly recommend that anyone that wants top notch service, call Gary. Can you imagine only having a putter and 1 week later having a full set of clubs, custom shafts and all from Japan to the west and back to the east? Thanks guys for the effort in helping me out. You won't be forgotten. Two thumbs up.

Ok after an early fall period of reflection, I finally am past my huge error of letting my 2008 Yamaha Tour irons go. That was a big mistake; One that I regretted about 1 minute after they went. Don't ask me why, just know it was stupid. Since then, I must have pulled up the Yamaha website daily looking for the release of the new 2009 model. Well, I am happy now. Below you will find the antacid for my ulcer. Initial Impressions Looks - As with the 2008 model, the shape includes a squarish toe. Size is actually pretty small. If my memory serves me correctly, I would say shorter than the George Spirits GS-MB. Perfect size for my eye. I can't stand longer irons and rounds toes make me sick. Finish it super excellent. Setup - Perfect. Very blade-like. Offset is very small. The square toe for me inspires confidence and frames the ball well. Design - I really didn't know what was behind the design in the cavity back. My thought was maybe a marketing gimmic. however I after studying these, I think they help place the CG and weight in optimal placement to help trajectory and to enlarge the sweet spot. The sole grind is very cool as there is a tri-grind that they showed in the 2008 model as well. The front sole edge is is only slightly round and sharp but not sharp. Shaft - Out went the DG S200s and in came the KB Tour nickel 5.5 shafts. What more can I say, but glad to have my favorite shaft in a cool finish. Feel - Ok I only hit about 2-30 balls with a 7 iron as it is 49 degrees here. I am probably one of a few that has hot both the 2008 and 2009 models. Feel is very solid and positive without a mushy feeling. Of course, well struck shots are pure and buttery. Mis**ts are still solid with good feedback and not harsh. I hate mushy super soft feel, and really prefer the "strike" feel these give. Performance - Darts. The KB shaft is again a good pair with these irons. I had string opinions as to the 2008 model that the 2009 also shares. Tremendous ball flight, great controllable spin. So far I find these very consistent and are easy for me to hit straight and draw. I haven't had enough time to try and work the ball much. If these are anything like the 2008s in performance, I will be very happy. One thing that I really like is the progression of the head shapes. As you can see in the pics, the head shape flows nicely from one to the other. Normally the JDM PW get a little weird as compared to the others however you may have a tough time picking out the PW from the pics below. The 2 clubs side y side are the 3I and PW. All I can say is I am glad they are here. I feel kinda relaxed now because I really missed the 08s. I will be playing 4 rounds this week with these as well as the Yamaha Inpres 460V rpm driver.

Many have asked me about the Superman driver headcover I have shown in my WITB pics. Well here it is and I am selling it. I have had it sitting on one of my driver in a storage bag for a while and think that someone else may enjoy it. I paid $129 last summer. It is high quality vinyl or leather material. It is very soft and look and feels like leather but I don't think it is. It is embroidered. The stitching is high quality. It has a magnet catch as the Taylormade covers do. Real nice and will fit the largest of drivers. It will fit an EPON EMB with no issue. $75 shipped in Conusa.

Ok today received the new 09 4.6V rpm driver from Yamaha. Fresh from release on Nov. 29th. Ordered with stock Fujikura Rombax 6Y09 stiff shaft. From what I can find, this is a profile built for this club which is characterized as mid launching with low spin and good roll out. The stock stats have this face at 0.5 degrees open. This particular model is the 10*. Looking at the club, I am amazed at the use of so many different surfaces. There is shiny metal, matt black, gloss black, satin black. I can't imagine what the finishing time was as this type of scheme normally takes quite a few steps. The finish in the pics looks less than perfect, but I am taking inside pics with overhead lights. I assure you that lights are reflecting everywhere. The overhead profile of the club is pure pear shape to me. The face is dead square however my stellar picture taken ability makes it look slightly closed. To me, the head looks on the smaller side which I prefer. The face depth is substantial and I would approximate it to that of the Epon AF1-101. The shaft color is black with the matrix hexagon design on the butt end. Tomorrow I hope to hit a few balls with it and have some initial feedback. If it plays as good as it looks, we have a winner here. PS - My new 2009 Yamaha Inpres XV Forged irons should be here Tuesday with newly installed KB Tour black nickel shafts. Thanks Goodsie. (More on his services then)

Many people have experimented with different shafts, but I think that they have mostly returned to the stock Graphite Design.

Anyone have any idea? It is stock in the 09 Yamaha V driver.

Good luck finding the 2008 model. I think I was the only forum member to buy these. I keep an eye out for these anywhere on the web but have yet ever to see a set in the US. I would jump and try to get a set of the 09s.

Make that 4. Maybe a hybrid also and driver.

How long does it take for custom shaft options?

I see that Yamaha is now offering custom shaft options on all of their products. Options from Roddio to Fuji to GD. Woods, irons, wedges included. Looks like you can order length changes as well as grip changes. Here are some links. I am not sure how to post the entire sections. Check out the inbedded charts for interesting stats. http://www.yamaha.co.jp/product/golf/custo...er/custom_d.pdf http://www.yamaha.co.jp/product/golf/custo...er/custom_i.pdf

Guaranteed at $100. Will ship for free. Issued last month. $90.

I would concur with your assessment as I have played these irons all year until I tried a change late this summer. I already purchased the new release of these irons and by sight only, they look as though the cavity has been the only change. The square toe, smallish head and sole grind appears to be still present. Therefore I am eagerly waiting to get my hands on this set again. And once again they will be shafted with the KB Tour shafts, yet these will be the nickle black limited release. I know many of you may shy away from Yamaha as they are not well know in the US, but believe me and now TheGolfSpecialist, these are the real deal. Forged by Epon, they are the my most favorite iron ever. you may be asleep at the wheel though, as only 1000 sets are to be produced this year. 2008s sold out in 3 weeks and my guess is that these are already sold out before the Nov 29th release. Maybe if you sweet talk Chris, he may look real hard for you. I know Jeff and I will enjoy ours!

You will be fine with either. I have used the 50 extensively and they are stock sized.

Jeff and G, I concur about woods, especially FW needing to be available in different lie angles. Being 5'-3" doesn't help me. The only extreme stock flat lie I have ever found is the PRGR M3 Hit Tour at 56.5. Perfect. If the FW is metal and not composite, likely it could be bent. Interesting that the JDM market demo tends to be shorter than the US demo however many makers aren't taking that into consideration. However, the Yamaha Inpres XV Forged Limited irons standard length (5I) is 37.5" which is 1/4" shorter than anything out there. The lie is still a little upright for me but I can bend with ho issue to 58.5 degrees. The new AF Tours could be an issue in that their starting lie angle is much higher.

I noticed that the 2009 Inpres Forged Limited model is 2 grams lighter than the 2008 model yet appears to have more metal. I wonder of they changed the material somehow, or weighted them differently. Same shafts, grips and lengths. Any ideas?

For sale is my EMB with Graphite Design Tour AD for EMB stiff shaft. I special ordered this from TSG and am the only owner. The face is square (ordered that way), 10.5 degrees. 45.5" long and D1.5 SW. The shaft is the stock shaft which was removed, spine aligned and reinstalled. Grip is a black/yellow Nowon from Japan. Condition is excellent with no chips, crown marks. The sole only shows normal swing scratched. You will not be disappointed. Stock Epon headcover is included. $440 pay pal'd and shipped in the conusa. International but you pay extra shipping. Please no trades and no low ballers.