Duffer19

Chris: Is this in the order of your preference or popularity in Japan?

I would nominate most older Japanese Mizuno forged blades and also my beloved T-Zoid Pro Limited Edition. Future Classics: Stay Tuned

If you are really a mid handicapper like me (15), perhaps we should be considering the ViQ instead as the X-Drive is not a forgiving driver.

I have a friend mated an Innovex head to a AXIV and the result is pretty good. The Innovex seems to be a forgiving driver.

I would look out for the nicest (loudest?) driver next time when I am at the Metro Dome. If the temp would go up to around zero, I would be at the Launch. Did Mike or Gord from McMahon Golf build the KZG for you?

How do you find the Mach Line shaft in terms of kick and stiffness as compare to your existing driver shaft? I have a 5350 Proto Regular put in my Fourteen 606 and find it to have a funny yet nice sort of kick. It seems to have more feel than my ZCOM. Are you from T.O. also (since you mentioned the Dome)?

Thanks for the suggestion but I have tried the strong grip remedy. I would tend to do a low pull with a strong grio which I think is worse than a high fade or slice. My problem is not that severe but a slightly close face would definitely resolve the problem for me as off set head for others. I would look into the book also. One more golf book then I would have enough to start a 2nd hand book store.

thanks T I know S-Yard TXT and the Katana Sward 880 are 3* closed. That might be too much. Perhaps I should work more on my swing mechanics instead. I am half way thru Tom Wishon's new book "In Search of the Perfect Driver". I would let you know whether it is worth the $18 or $20 at Chapters.

Hey Guys, This is a never ending chase you know. I guess that's the fun of it; always looking for that small marginal (or magical) increases. Cheers,

Thanks for the suggestion Chris. Would the new XXIO 460cc has a close face or the older 430 cc?

Due to inconsistency with my driver swing (slight outside-in if I try too hard), my square face driver tends to be slightly open on contact which could result in a slice (worst case) or an unintended fade. I have tried a 1.5 to 2 degrees closed driver with more consistent results. To all the JDM experts out there, I would be grateful if you could advise me which premium drivers or models, i.e. Epon, PRGR, Beres, XXIO or ViQ etc., would have a 1.5 to 2 degrees close face. Very few of the above mentioned JDM brands list face angle in their websites. My H/S is only 88 to 90 mph. Thanks in advance

Any reason for you to tip it half an inch ? Or you just want a firmer feel? Would the Roddio be part of Epon option eventually?

I certainly agree with you on Akira, Tsuruya and Gorilla being B- brand (with close to A brand pricing) but where would you put PRGR? It has not been as popular or rage as a few years ago.

What is your opinion of the Katana Sword vs Akira driver? I have an older model Tsuruya and it is just ok and the face is definitely not 'soft' like what I have been hearing about the Epon.

Akira is way better than Adams or Orlimar in the States. It has only been around about 10 years and although it is a sort of 2nd tier brand, it costs just the same as the well know brands such as TS or XXIO. It is good quality stuff and I believe, aims at better players.

I have a set of CB201 with NSPro 850 that I bought last year. They are very good and I play well with them and I switch between the Miura and my Matsumoto. They are actually more forgiving that the Hiros but quality is not as high. I wish they would make a larger driver in the 430 to 450cc range. I need all the help I can get. I might give their FW or U a try.

Oh, another beauty! ....Not the clubs, T, your new Avatar !!

Try Transview Golf www.transviewgolf.com.my They carry Sonartec but dont know whether they have RC. You can see the shop list in RC site whether they have any shop in Sing. I know that Transview carries S-Yard and XXIO which in my view better than RC.

No Golf today at L.A.? Thanks for the chuckle!

Which Honma did he get? I know the Beres 711 is very easy to hit. The shaft is soft (weak) and it is strong loft. JDM would be much easier than NA ones. Then there are the Beres 6 and 5 series but all depend on age and physical strength.

All these are very nice but just too heavy to use on a daily basis, carry or pull cart or just getting it out of the truck. I look forward to a line up or poll of Stand bags from JDM.

Perhaps that the reason they call the 460p 'Limited Edition.' I always see TS as mass market retail which I think,is the case of its Japanese market. It is difficult and probably would not make economic sense for TS/Bridgestone to do full customization to serve a very small segment of the market. I believe that the majority of TS/Bridgestone productions are off shore anyway which also makes customization difficult. If you guys are old enough (like me), you probably remember Kenneth Smith of Kansas City (club maker to the stars) that would offer full customization on all their clubs. I still remember that my father got fitted for a set of KS persimmon woods 30 years ago that would cost 2 to 3 times more than off the rack clubs. Of course KS is gone now being not able to compete in the market place.

I thought the M2+ is the old Gauge Design rather than G-Field Premium zone?

TourStage, in particular X-Drive, actually have customization (shafts and grip) but only for the Japanese market. I picked up a copy of their X-drive customization 2006 catalogue while I was in Japan in Oct. Actually most JDM , i.e. TS, Miz, XXIO and some minor brands have customization but mainly for woods. The Dunlop one is 20 pages long.

You dirty old man you ! She looks young enough to be my daugther. Wait, she is my daughter!! (Do you know how cold it is today in Toronto?)