gocchin

Epon does not get much coverage from big name publications and that is at the request of Epon. As for TS, this is only two examples and they did surprise me a bit as they are usually very close to true loft. It could have been these two they happened to grab. At least they are not like the Cobra!

I just posted this on Inpakuto but will also post it here for those who don't go there. (^_^) The most recent Alba Magazine has a test of 26 of the newest drivers in the Japanese market. The test was not unlike what many tests have done in the past, which is pretty much gauge true measurements of retail drivers right off the shelf. This included MOI (left - right and neck), CG depth in head, CG distance from hosel/shaft line, Face Angle, Real Loft. This is always a good gauge of how close each manufacturer's specs are. It seems most are getting better. (please forgive the picture above, I don't have a scanner yet in Japan). Actual specs can help show how a real driver performs in real life, not just on paper as many of us have to rely on especially when it comes to JDM gear. For example, the CG placement coupled with the Real Loft can help you determine a drivers trajectory... ie very deep CG placement coupled with high Real Loft can equal ballooning shots if you're battling a high ball already, in other words don't get the Burner Plus if you want a lower launch! Also remember that these are just examples and it does not mean your head will have these specs. These were randomly pulled off the shelf to give an idea of manufacturing variances. Here are some notable models: Bridgestone/Tourstage 2009 X-Drive 701 Listed Loft: 9.5* Actual Loft: 10.3* MOI L-R: 4192gcm2 Neck: 7023gcm2 Face Angle: Open 0.3* CG Depth: 35.3mm CG from hosel/shaft: 40.8mm Bridgestone/Tourstage 2009 X-Drive GR Listed Loft: 9.5* Actual Loft: 10.5* MOI L-R: 4351gcm2 Neck: 7379gcm2 Face Angle: Closed 1.0* CG Depth: 36.3mm CG from hosel/shaft: 40.0mm Srixon ZR-800 Listed Loft: 9.5* Actual Loft: 10.6* MOI L-R: 4226gcm2 Neck: 6794gcm2 Face Angle: Square 0.0* CG Depth: 34.3mm CG from hosel/shaft: 40.0mm Srixon ZR-30 Listed Loft: 9.5* Actual Loft: 10.5* MOI L-R: 3870gcm2 Neck: 6206gcm2 Face Angle: Open 0.5* CG Depth: 32.2mm CG from hosel/shaft: 38.4mm Mizuno 2009 MP Craft T1 Listed Loft: 9.5* Actual Loft: 9.4* MOI L-R: 4241gcm2 Neck: 6959gcm2 Face Angle: Open 0.5* CG Depth: 34.1mm CG from hosel/shaft: 39.4mm Mizuno 2009 MP Craft R1 Listed Loft: 9.5* Actual Loft: 10.1* MOI L-R: 4527gcm2 Neck: 7389gcm2 Face Angle: Square 0.0* CG Depth: 38.2mm CG from hosel/shaft: 38.9mm Titleist 909D2 Listed Loft: 9.5* Actual Loft: 8.7* MOI L-R: 4779gcm2 Neck: 8058gcm2 Face Angle: Open 1.0* CG Depth: 39.1mm CG from hosel/shaft: 40.4mm Titleist 909D3 Listed Loft: 9.5* Actual Loft: 9.8* MOI L-R: 4500gcm2 Neck: 7453gcm2 Face Angle: Open 0.5* CG Depth: 36.3.1mm CG from hosel/shaft: 40.4mm Taylormade Japan 2009 Burner Plus Listed Loft: 10.5* Actual Loft: 11.5* MOI L-R: 5146gcm2 Neck: 8479gcm2 Face Angle: Closed 1.5* CG Depth: 42.0mm CG from hosel/shaft: 40.7mm Taylormade Tour Burner Listed Loft: 9.5* Actual Loft: 10.0* MOI L-R: 4821gcm2 Neck: 8010gcm2 Face Angle: Open 1.0* CG Depth: 40.0mm CG from hosel/shaft: 40.3mm Callaway Legacy Listed Loft: 9.5* Actual Loft: 9.2* MOI L-R: 4204gcm2 Neck: 7157gcm2 Face Angle: Open 1.0* CG Depth: 40.5mm CG from hosel/shaft: 36.8mm Callaway Hyper X Listed Loft: 10.0* Actual Loft: 11.3* MOI L-R: 4519gcm2 Neck: 6751gcm2 Face Angle: Square 0.0* CG Depth: 38.9mm CG from hosel/shaft: 35.5mm Yamaha Inpres X 4.6D Listed Loft: 10.0* Actual Loft: 12.0* MOI L-R: 4339gcm2 Neck: 6472gcm2 Face Angle: Closed 1.0* CG Depth: 34.6.5mm CG from hosel/shaft: 34.9mm Nike Sasquatch Sumo2 5900 Listed Loft: 10.5* Actual Loft: 11.7* MOI L-R: 5867gcm2 Neck: 9799gcm2 Face Angle: Closed 1.2* CG Depth: 47.0mm CG from hosel/shaft: 42.2mm Ping Rapture V2 Listed Loft: 10.5* Actual Loft: 12.5* MOI L-R: 4478gcm2 Neck: 7921gcm2 Face Angle: Closed 1.0* CG Depth: 38.0mm CG from hosel/shaft: 44.1mm Cobra L5V Listed Loft: 10.5* Actual Loft: 14.0* MOI L-R: 4875gcm2 Neck: 7857gcm2 Face Angle: Closed 2.0* CG Depth: 38.4mm CG from hosel/shaft: 43.2mm Cleveland Launcher Listed Loft: 10.5* Actual Loft: 12.3* MOI L-R: 44670gcm2 Neck: 7968gcm2 Face Angle: Closed 1.5* CG Depth: 37.9mm CG from hosel/shaft: 43.0mm

I will double check but at the moment I don't see those wedge shafts in Japan yet. The Japanese KBS site is only listing the KBS Tour under products.

No problem (^_^) Sasaya san said milling directly from the ingot/block/billet and by either Sasaya himself or others he trusts ie trained by him like his dad or yes, ex-GD employees who worked under him in the past. Who mills what depends on which design, the material, volume and cost.

Great news is that KBS Tour shafts are now available with all Epon irons. They've been officially added as options in the pro shop. There is a bit of an upcharge on them as they are not as readily available yet as other brands in Japan. Bottom line is that they are available to be built to the customer specs right from the Epon factory. Shaft offerings for Epon irons are now as follows: Shimada K's - AC-10, 3001, 7001 Nippon NS Pro - 750GH, 850GH, 950GH, 1050GH, 1150GH Tour Dynamic Gold - S200, S400, X100 Black Gold KBS Tour NGS Mach Line Graphite Mamiya Axiv Graphite Graphite Design Tour AD Graphite Bassara Graphite Diamana Graphite

You have that right. (^_^) All the putter milling is done either withing Gold's or those closely related and trained by him.

I did a review on the clicgear on Inpakuto here: http://www.inpakuto.com/index.php/Japanese...art-review.html Lots of pics too including folding out. I've got two. One for me and one for the wife. But now that we've permanently moved to Japan we have no use for them as everyone here pretty much rides.... (left them in Canada).

Sasaya emailed me today and all the machine milling of Gold's Putters are done by Sasaya-san himself or people directly related to him and trained by him either recently under the Gold's Factory brand or back during the Gauge Design days (including his father). To quote Sasaya-san's words, "Many people think just because there are no scratches or visible flaws or defects on a product it equals high quality. Of course this is not always the case. Mass production of clubs made in China by part time workers such as housewives who take on a job for extra income know nothing about golf clubs. I recently bought 10 driver heads (he did not name the brand). I am very picky and for me each head had a different shape and that will definitely effect the performance, the ball will not fly as far for some of these heads. So who machines the head is very important. Some putter makers machine, some can just stamp." As for the raw wedge heads from Kyoei, Sasaya machines them and finishes them.

Looks very high tech!

Sorry I should be more specific there, when I say forged I'm talking about the wedges. The putters are made of pure S20C and they are machine milled from the ingot (block). Which is why the quality of that steel is so important. The wedges are all forged at Kyoei then sent to Sasaya completely raw, he machines them, grinds them, engraves them and finishes them.

Gold's Factory USA is a collection of premium tour quality putters and wedges hand crafted from start to finish by M.Sasaya of Gold's Factory. These are all unique one time only designs made for Gold's Factory USA. Sasaya-san picks the best (most uniform with least impurities) and most expensive S20C from Sumitomo metals (as I mentioned before this is what he will do for any head he marks as tour or prototype). He then has the wedges forged at Kyoei into the most balanced heads. The putters are machine milled from the ingot (block of the best S20C steel) into putter heads. Sasaya-san then grinds and hand crafts and hand finishes all putters and wedges to perfection. Sasaya-san considers these his best works and will perform like masterpieces either on the green or as a collectible in your showcase (^_^). No doubt that these are not ordinary putters nor are they priced so. You pay for what you get and you can ask those who own Gold's that they are worth their weight in gold... (^_^) The initial launch has 5 putter designs and 3 styles of wedges (two wedge sets). http://www.goldsfactoryusa.com and in the Pro Shop: http://www.tourspecgolf.com/proshop/m54/Go...tory/index.html

I'm going to go hit them tomorrow to see what they are like and how they look in person.

New TFC550i graphite shaft is Tour AD!!

The X-Con is an excellent choice. It is very long and creates high ball speeds. If you've played an R flex Reax in the past at your swing speed then you are smooth and could play the Matrix X-Con 5 in regular. Another choice is the Mach Line Proto 5350 in Regular flex, one of the most balanced shafts on the market, very smooth and a great performer. They are both in the 55g range. You could probably play a Firm (ozik) or Stiff/Regular (mach line) at your speed but the regular will give you distance and feel. I'm actually going to give you 3 options, the Diamana Whiteboard 63 in Regular flex as wonderful feel because of it's softer butt. It is also low spin to provide some rollout. Slightly heavier than the other two and lower launching. If you want a recommended head I would suggest the Epon AF-101 in 10.5*, this head is deep faced and provides amazing feel (makes a Taylormade Burner I have feel dead!) This head would pair wonderfully with any of the shafts mentioned above.

Hi Larry, You've got a few options here for feel. Bret mentioned the Roddio which is definitely a very good option for those looking for a feel shaft that produces a mid to high launch with reasonable roll out. Your swing speed is kind of borderline SR and S flex so you have a couple of options. Many smooth swingers can opt for the softer flex which can result in added distance and feel, this is not a good idea for agressive swingers as they can end up overpowering a softer shaft. You could also go stiff at 103mph which would also allow you to occasional go after the ball without worrying about overpowering the shaft. You didn't mention what kind of weight want in your shaft as that will make a difference as well. Also what shafts have you used in the past that you liked and didn't like? Also what head would this be paired with? If you let me know I can provide a few more options. Thanks!

I've added them to the pro shop! http://www.tourspecgolf.com/proshop/p2177/...oduct_info.html I spoke to Sasaya-san today and admittedly while they are not cheap, the quality is very high as each individual tag takes a while to produce by hand (we're not talking mass production here). The aluminum is 5mm thick, takes a while to machine mill then hand grind and polish to finish.

Yes I'm getting plain old black. (^_^)

Callaway has decided to introduce a new forged iron for 2009 the Legacy Iron! The new Legacy is aimed at the mid capper looking for a high tech forged iron for performance and forgiveness. The Legacy has a wider sole, tungsten weights and Vibration Absorption Rubber to minimize vibrations. The design was supervised by Roger Cleveland specifically for the Japanese market featuring a easy to use head shape, slightly higher heel and semi goose neck.

Ping Japan releases another Rapture J, the V2, again with less offset and 1 * stronger lofts: Ping Japan introduces their all new Rapture V2 J iron for 2009! The Rapture V2 J is specifically made for the Japanese market. It features less offset than the US model and 1* stronger lofts. Engineered to bring golfers maximum forgiveness, the Rapture V2 iron relies on multi-metal technology to launch the ball longer, higher and with more accuracy. A dense tungsten sole weight positions the center of gravity low and away from the face to optimize the launch conditions. An innovation made possible by the lightweight titanium face that frees weight for where it's needed most-low and on the perimeter. The high launch angle allows for stronger lofts so golfers can generate greater distance without sacrificing control. The Custom Tuning Port stabilizes the titanium face to help ensure a solid feel and consistency.

The blade and the muscle back are one in the same. I can't see why they wouldn't have custom finishes like the AF-301, I'm pretty sure they will. We'll be getting a demo set real soon. (^_^)

They are both Fe. (^_^)

I take it you're getting a set? (^_^)

Epon Japan has asked that the picture of the blade not be posted. We have had the pictures for a few weeks but have abided by their request to not go public with the pics. We will post pictures once Epon gives us the green light to release to the public. Though since it's already been posted twice here by our fellow UK members the cats probably already out of the bag. (^_^) Thanks for understanding.

Hi proshopace and welcome to the forums. The Premium Zone milling has actually been around for many years originally as part of the G-Field (Gauge Design) Premium Zone. (hence the Premium Zone tag). It was one of the most popular putters of it's time because it created such wonderful feel and roll. After GD/G-Field went under many customers asked for a similar milling and feel and Sasaya former designer from GD and the Master at Gold's Factory created his own PZ milling using CAD design to produce a similar feel and roll. Originally it was a seperate milled insert like G-Field but it was far more economical to mill the whole face. While visually Rife has a similar face the specs of the milling, angle, depth, groove distance etc are different. Each putter is also individually built and milled by the master himself. All Gold's Fe (carbon) putters are made of Japanese JIS Standard S20C . Gold's gets the highest quality most expensive S20C from Sumitomo Kinzoku Inc. to forge their putters. Here are pics of the old G-Fields: Then the insert for Gold's: Then face milled:

P, the 901 Blade has the least offset followed by the 701 which has very minimal offset. I think you'd get along well with the 701.