Blader-X

Sorry for the threadjack, and sorry as well but I haven't actually gotten to put the time in with this club as of yet, a couple of home projects and then I've recently twisted my knee so it'll be a couple of weeks before I can let you know. The feel is amazing and I'm very sure it'll be a solid club but when I do put in the time I promise to post a review of this club in addition to the new RC VS 3 wood I just received from TSG as well.

Heavier shafts and swingweights tend help those who go at the ball way too hard and tend to get out of "tempo". I have tried going lighter in the past and never found it to feel right. In fact in set I had long ago, most of the clubs were around a D4 and I never liked the way my PW went. It ended up being a C9 and that pretty much told me what I felt was correct. My current set up is simply made in heaven and the irons spec out around the D7-8 mark with my wedges being E2 or E4, can't really remember which. Remember though, heavy shafts do not necessarily translate to a heavy swingweight. Shaft weight is a static measurement and swingweight is a dynamic one. Finding the right combination of both is the key and when its done right, its magic.

With the Egg head, it launches on the higher side. I have hit low shots with the combo but mostly, its higher than I would like. I don't attribute this the shaft so much as the Egg itself. I will say though that its not a ballooning type of flight. It just gets up very quick and rides on out. The dispersion however is very tight. As close to an iron type of dispersion as one can get with a graphite shaft.

Forgive me but I also wanted to comment on the Graphite Design SF shafts that are available on the new TRC's. I have a SF-8x in my current 3 wood, the PRGR Egg Spoon. This shaft is exceptional at helping to create a very straight ball flight. Its dispersion is extremely tight and gives good feedback as well. Although I haven't hit it in the TRC, my guess would be that the combo would be deadly accurate. Well, good luck to you in your search.

This TRC is a revision of the old Sonartec TRC. Back then it was my belief that these TRC's were the perfect hybrid. I still feel very much the same way. In fact I'm thinking of bringing my old 22 degree TRC off the shelf to take over for the 3 iron. I've been slowed by injuries this year so I'm thinking of shelving the 3 iron for awhile. And yes, I know what many will say and that's no one should be hitting a 3 iron or even 4 iron anymore. You can save a post as I'm well aware of this. However, for certain shots a 3-iron suits the bill unlike any hybrid can. Getting back to the utility clubs though, my current utility is an older TourStage X-UT and its served me very well. I didn't like it when they changed to the newer style so if you looking for something new, I would second Gocchin and suggest the new RC TRC. Very similar in looks and playability to the old style and it can be used in rough, off the fairway from fw bunkers and even on little short run-up shots. Extremely versatile club. I must say I've had my eye on the new TRC's as well, but first off I'm going with the new 3 wood from RC.

I would agree with the AF102. T & C just hooked me up with one recently. I went 8.5° with 10 grams of weight added to the head. 1° open and a degree or two flat. The best thing about the Epon is being able to custom order the face and lie angles. And now, its even better being able to add the extra head weight. I had been using the AF101 the past couple years and really loved it. Along with the P9003x it was my favorite club. From the brief time I've hit it, the 102 has more feel than the 101 (didn't think that would be possible) and the added weight adds to package. The 102 was ordered with a DI7 and while that is a very good shaft, it just couldn't compare to my P9003. Which; is why both clubs are with Goodsie getting swapped out. When I get them back the AF102 will be paired with my all time favorite shaft the GD P9003x. After some time with it, I'll be sure to post the full review. Which shaft should you get is a tough decision and everyone here has made very fine recommendations. My vote is for the P9003 series. I just think that shaft is so well balanced and produces such a pure ball flight. In my view, the DI series just couldn't measure up even though that is a very fine shaft. As for the added head weight, the 10 grams is very noticeable. In a very long range session with both drivers, I found myself liking the the feel of the AF102 much better due to the added weight. If you should feel that 10 grams is too much, dial it back to 5 and I think that would still give you that extra load you might be looking for. Before making the switch, the AF102 with the DI7 shaft was a D4 SW, although it felt to me, a little more than that. With the P9003x I'll find out soon enough. Good luck on your decision and keep us informed on how it goes.

This will be my new 3 wood for sure. I'll soon be putting up my PRGR for sale. Really excited to get back to RC woods.

I'll give my input on the wedges. I'd love to see a 53 and 59 model offered. Currently playing this setup in my TourStage 901 X-wedges and love it. Also I personally prefer the numbers 3 and 9 over 2 and 8. For the grind, need a lot of heel relief to be able to open up the face freely but want bounce when I need it. My current models have 9 degrees of bounce but due to the grind, I can use in most any condition. A multi-purpose grind is what I'm looking for. Also, would like to see more camber in the 59 model and less in the 53. For the finish, I really like the muted bronze color in a couple of the pics shown. I'm not sure the actual name of the finish but it looks like a muted bronze to me. The only engravings I'd wish to see, are the GS logo on the back face, and the numbers printed on the grind. Lastly, would really like to see a high center of gravity to keep the ball low (for a wedge). Combine that with KBS shafts and its a winner in my book. In fact just might need to seek out a few of these in the future. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

PRGR Egg w/ Graphite Design SF8x shaft. Very good combination. Great distance, nice trajectory and good feel but only drawback; for me that's the sound. Its hard for me to get around the sound.

TourStage. While I only play the irons and wedges, it would have to be TourStage since I'm not about to give those up. And while I don't currently own any of their clubs, Yamaha would be second. Knowing my game and what I like, Yamaha could easily cover all my needs, provided I could get a hold of all of their limited product line.

I've always thought the Yamaha Tour Models to be one of the best looking and the new '10's do not disappoint. Its just too bad they're already sold out.

TourStage X-blade 901

I completely agree. I wonder if the new Egg driver sounds this way as well? Although, right now my eye is on the new Yamaha.

Yea, I know what you mean. I was killing this club yesterday. I really like the way it sets up to the ball. Instills a lot of confidence.

Just a little report. Yes this club is very long as others have reported and it sure is easy to hit. I do like the way it sets up. Not too shallow but I think high handicappers will feel confident with this club just as well as low handicappers do. The SF-8 shaft from Graphite Design was a good choice in this club. This shaft is very straight with little dispersion and has good feel and weight to it. Coming from Goodsie this club is well balanced. I really like this club with one exception. I'm not a fan of the sound. The feel is good, the results are good, but the sound is taking some getting used to.

Not to state the obvious here, but balls will be the response to the new groove rule set forth by golf's governing bodies. That is until golf's governing bodies start to begin to address golf ball design. This ball does look very promising.

Here's what Gocchin wrote yesterday in a similar post: The difference is the EGG Spoon BODY and FACE are Titanium which is why it is like a driver. The EGG FW is SUS630 Stainless steel. The Spoons are built for hot feel and distance while the FW is more for accuracy and solid feel. http://forum.tourspecgolf.com/t28883.html Hope that helps Ed.

There are a lot of tough choices for Drivers this year. Between the Kamui, TourStage, Yamaha and PRGR, my head is swimming.

Only difference is the lofts. The Spoon comes in 13, 15 and a 4 wood loft of 17. The fairways start at a 5 wood loft of 18 and then two more models at 20 and 22.

My Egg 15* just arrived from Goodsie yesterday. Had him put in a Graphite Design SF-8 in x-stiff. When I get the chance to hit it, I'll be sure to give some feedback. With the black SF-8 shaft and this head, this thing looks like a beast, very mean.

My favorite grips; on every club in the bag.

No, but its definitely got my attention. Several years back I was a big fan of the now defunct Sonartec TRC. This new RC TRC looks much like it. Right now I'm bagging just one hybrid, the older model X-UT from TourStage. Its solidly in the bag, but since lately my golfing is becoming less and less, I'm considering adding another hybrid in the future and this one just might fit the bill.

Oh well. Epon will soon become "out of sight; out of mind". No other company has promoted Epon in a more respectful and classy way than TSG has. For Epon to go and do this is simply wrong and a huge slap in the face to TSG and mostly to Chris. This move is only designed to do one thing. Increase price for a line which is already out of the range of comfort for most golfers out there as it is. No doubt that Epon makes very quality equipment. However, most golfers (USA) aren't and don't pay these prices simply because they're not going to really see an improvement that justifies the cost. For myself who plays an Epon driver and 3-wood, I could easily find the same results in most any other line out there. So why do I play Epon? Its because the feel I receive from these clubs is unmatched. Also, Epon is one of the few that I've been able to special order specs. My driver is near 2 degrees open and a degree and half flat. Same for the three wood. This move is very disappointing to me. I'm one of those people that once you burn me, I don't usually come back. Up until this time I had been waiting for the new series of drivers to come out because I very much wanted to update with a new Epon. I guess that's now out of the picture. That's okay because there are many other brands from which to choose and to be quite honest any one of them really won't stop me from going out and shooting 75. I'm not on the tour, I don't play competatively anymore so really, scores don't matter much to me. Well what I mean is score to me is secondary. I've never played better than I do now but I'm what I call a "soul golfer". I play to play. Simply to see how well I can perform for myself. My equipment has never been better and I'm shooting scores which have never been better. My enjoyment during a round has never been higher. I attribute a lot of that to the equipment I play. Epon was a big part of that. If they chose to do this now, well they're choosing not to be a part of my bag. Oh well. In the last year I've golfed several times in Phoenix, all around the Los Angeles area even as far up as San Jose. I've yet to come across another player, playing Epon clubs. The line surely isn't growing and this move won't help to make it grow any further. Truly a sad day for TSG, but, then again. . . There will always be another brand on the horizon. Then again, if it all goes to crap, there are other sports out there. There's always something else. Goodbye Epon, and good luck to you. You just might need it.

Hey TM, Yes I'm still using that shaft in my TourStage X-UT and still think its the best utility shaft out there. I haven't had any desire to switch nor have I hit any shots which have made me want to switch. A very solid shaft which gives predictable results. I can't tell you how many truly great shots I've hit with this combo and that's why I would have to say that of all the clubs I carry, this one club is easily the most solid in the bag.

It all really depends upon the company but if they're going to do it, it'll most likely be a another couple of months before you start to see some things. Epon I know hasn't really come out with much new of late and I would expect to see a new driver soon. Don't quote me on that, its just a feeling I've got. How 'bout it Chris, any breaking news from Epon you could share?