gocchin

I would highly recommend the Quattro Tech in your FW's, very smooth shaft, for some players it seems it's a much better FW shaft it seems than a driver shaft. That said, it's got a nice trajectory and is a performer. I think idrive and K2_2 has all their FW's shafted with QT's and love them.

What kind of trajectory are you looking for from this three wood. Do you want it to be a low bullet with lots of roll or something that gets it in the air higher and with a soft landing? Any bad shots like hooks or slices with FW's?

Well considering your irons have 1150GH in your irons.... it could very well be that the Mach Line UT shafts are way too light in the 901's so they don't just feel right for you, especially if you swing them like an iron and expect them to feel like one. Perhaps you do need a heavier feel to get your timing right. So either a steel shaft or even maybe GD Tour AD UT-95's might do the trick.

Sorry to hear that S, how are they not working? Too soft? The tip size is 0.370" parallel. How are the 701's doing? Forgiving eh?

Had a couple of people try it. As you can see B, it's very blade like. Obviously not as forgiving as other driving irons but for the good ball striker, a pleasure to play. Provides a similar feel and set up to Miura blades except more forgiving.

The hottest driver shafts in Japan continue to be Graphite Design's Tour AD. This is reflective of tour use AND recreational use where their share of the market has grown 6 years straight. In the last year and a half or so the major stand out shafts are the Tour AD PT, Quattro Tech Green, Quattro Tech MD Blue, Diamana Whiteboard, Fujikura Rombax X. When I go to the driving range in Japan, I frequently walk past everyone at the range, during peak times this is over 100 people on multi level auto load ranges, just to check out their gear. It is a TSG members dream as everyone, no matter what level of player or age has a hot staff caddy bag loaded with the latest gear. One of the things I try and check out is what shafts they are using. The range by my house was very heavy on NGS Mach Line and Quattro Tech Green. I talked to the pro shop there and their reasoning was that the Mach Line, especially the proto, is probably one of the most balanced and underrated shafts out there. As for the Quattro Tech, the lighter 55 and 65 models really cater to the average golfer looking for a smooth high launch. Graphite Design is simply a great shaft company and well respected in Japan... I have an article looking into their company... I think I'll scan it. (^_^) There are definitely lots of great shafts out there, some classic, some new, but as always it's about finding the right shaft for the individual. One person's ultimate shaft may be another's failed experiment...

The Yururi Raw Gekku is 61/5 and the Geotech Special Grind is 60/6 which both have less bounce than the Fourteen 60/8 (which is a very good wedge). the Yamaha inpres X is also a 60/8 wedge and has very good spin and feel. Can't go wrong with any of these wedges.

Approximately 340g, mallet slightly heavier

Lots of draw biased drivers and closed faces but no actual offset driver, at least from any of the big names.

Okay you said it.... not me.

C! You've been spoiled by all your Epon's! You said it was easy to hit, how was the performance paired with that nice UD49?

It's the exact same shaft as the standard PT-6 except for the tip diameter which in this case is 9mm rather than the standard 8.5mm or 0.350" (actually a touch bigger) and why it's called Tip 9. It's perfectly normal to tip this to put in a 5 wood, it would work great... mid trajectory with the left side of play.

Both are not meant to be easy utility type clubs... they are both geared towards the lower handicapper. The UT-106 is a lot easier to hit than the UT-306 though I think the 306 looks a lot better. The cvXer is slightly easier to hit than it's previous model the Td+ but it's still a very iron like utility wood that's compact and excels best when hit on the screws.

Honma has just released their all new MG713 woods.... a big step away from their more traditionally shaped drivers.... this new Beres features high MOI type design with lots of technology packed into it. Shallow wide face and low back... it's not like older Honmas....

Fourteen is releasing their new putter line next month... two models with double premium milled faces and two with a new double insert featuring a Nano5 aluminum type alloy matched with a soft epoxy for feel (the ones with the red around the face are the insert putters the others are face milled).... I saw these in person at the Golf fair and they were nice!

Begins shipping out the end of this month so I doubt anyone has had a chance to review it yet. There have been a few pre orders for it so if we're patient we may hear some reports soon. (^_^)

Awesome to hear you finally found your FW! How does it set up and how does it feel and perform? Details details! You do know who makes the Yamaha right? (^_^)

The 1150's mated with the 5003's are a very very smooth combo and the 1150's will not launch high like the 950GH, they are made to provide a more stable trajectory. I believe the PX will be similar trajectory wise, but I personally prefer the Nippon's for feel.

No exact numbers but they were not limited in any way and were standard retail so I'm guessing several thousands?

Still no news at all about ViQ Forged irons... I know everyone is waiting on those. I just noticed on some Japanese blogs a reference to the new GR so I researched. (^_^)

He can center shaft them on request apparently.

No apologies necessary and you're actually right on all the models... (^_^). The ViQ Deep is geared at the better player still looking for forgiveness but preferring a deeper face. The regular ViQ is what Japan classifies as an Average golfer model. The Deep version would be between the Average and Athlete golfer where the standard X-Drive line is placed. Tourstage created all these models to try and match all the different levels of players as well as different tastes in drivers. The ViQ Deep would definitely work for a lower handicap player. And as with any shaft, an upgraded shaft would definitely help a driver from being overpowered. So by June, TS will have 4 x 2008 driver models from Athlete to Average golfer: X-Drive Black, X-Drive GR Black, ViQ Deep, ViQ

Actually the 07 model was 460cc and called the ViQ MX and ViQ Deep (which was 430cc). The New ViQ that was 430cc is a 2006 model (the blue one). That ViQ Deep above is based on the 2008 ViQ that was released 4 months ago. so many different ViQ's can be confusing but as you said this new 2008 ViQ and ViQ Deep have no more weight plug and both feature the dual fin face.

So guys, a new season is upon us.... lots of new clubs out but lots of last years models still in people's bags and for good reason. Which JDM clubs really stood out for you since last season and up to now? For me it's as follows: Driver: Best feeling - Epon 460ZR/460 Forged - still nothing beats the feel of this driver, truly the forged iron of drivers if you know what I mean when it comes to impact. Best performing - Epon EMB - I still don't like the sound, I've gotten used to the look and I feel confident swinging away with this driver, especially with the stock shaft and know that it will go straight. Want to try in my bag: Mizuno JPX A25 and Callaway Legacy.... these two drivers have similar characteristics to my favorites above and I wanna give them a shot. I demoed both for a short time and I liked what I saw/felt... the Mizuno was simlar to the EMB in performance but more muted on impact... the Legacy had that soft feel of the Epon (wonder why? (^_^)) Fairway Woods: Best feeling - Epon AF-201 - that wonderful feel but sad truth is I can't play it well as I can't handle the deep face... feels good but was hard for me to get the 3 wood in the air with any shaft I tried... higher number woods like 7 and 9 much easier to play. Also... Royal Collection FD Star - Not quite the Epon feel but very nice feel thanks to it's large and shallow head. Easier to get the ball in the air. Best performing - Besides it's not so pretty alignment mark, the Mizuno A25 is very very easy to hit for a FW, higher loft of 17* is actually more realistic for mid to higher handicappers and makes it easy easy to get in the air. Very straight and that's what I needed and it's in the bag now. Want to try in my bag: Geotech GT Fairway woods.... nice size, nice shape, nice face, nice price... positive reviews make me want to try this out though for me personally I may not do so well with the square to open face as I tend to go right. Utility: Best Feeling: Royal Collection's Td+, not the easiest to hit due to it's compact size, but when you do get it good it's like a rocket and pure joy. Best Performing: Epon AF-901 and PRGR's Egg, both are easy easy to hit, the easy edge goes a bit to the Egg but feel and accuracy goes to the real driving iron 901. Want to try in my bag: Fourteen's new UT-306 and Taylormade Japan's XR Rescue. Both highly touted... Fourteen a tour level type utility and the XR supposedly being one of the easiest on this earth to hit. Irons: Best Feeling: Tourstage ViQ Forged and Epon AF-301, I played the ViQ's as gamers for a while and spent some time with the AF-301's. Don't have the game for the AF-301's but when the swing is on the feel is unbelievable. ViQ Forged... premium endo steel. Best Performing: Epon AF-701 hands down. For me no other iron is as easy to hit long and straight..... I don't work the ball much so these are the strong points for me. The undercut is very forgiving and the click for me is subtle. I love these irons and they are my gamers once again this year. Want to try in my bag: Fourteen TC-550 Forged.... gotta feel how soft these babies are. I also would love one day to try copper AF-701's as inspired by idrive. Wedges: Best Feeling: Epon Copper X are still the softest I've ever hit. I wish I still had them. Sky Dream Jump/ Royal Collection 6150 are still amazing feeling and compact. Best performing in other words crazy spin: Yamaha Inpres X Wedge and Epon 208KGX just rip the crap out of balls. Feel pretty good too! Want to try in my bag: Geotech KA-1 and Special Grinds... once again Japan forged, great design and great price... gotta try these out. Putter: Best Feeling: G-Field Premium Zone / Gold's Factory PZ - softest feel still when hit dead on. Best performing: G-Field Premium Zone / Gold's Factory PZ, great roll and heavy heads equal good distance control for me. Want to try in my bag: Nothing else right now.... Ball: Best Feeling: Tourstage X-01 S3 - I tried the V10 but something wasn't quite right about it. The S3 was the best all around, mixing a softer feel than the four piece X-01's and a great combo of distance and spin. Kasco Kira Silicon Purple... unbelievably soft but also unbelievably florescent!! Best Performing: A toss up between the X-01 S3's and Mizuno 352s... The Mizuno's are beasts off the tee and the super ball effect really is amazing. The S3's just do everything well. Want to try: XXIO 2008 XD - Ranks every year as one of Japan's longest balls. Shafts: Best Feeling: Graphite Design Tour AD shafts in my irons changed my life... shock absorption, extra distance with lighter feel, smooth as heck... I cannot go back to steel. Best performing: Lots of amazing shafts out there including the Tour AD iron shafts but what blew me away was how good the STOCK shaft is in the EMB.... just make sure you get the right flex.... 7.3* torque?? Bah it matches the EMB head perfectly. Want to try: Roddio Iron shafts and new Mitsubishi Bassara Iron shafts.... can they rival GD??

Tourstage is releasing a revised GR line in June. For those players who want to play the X-Drive line of clubs but are looking for more forgiveness. The new Tourstage GR Black Driver is like the X-Drive Black 445cc except it has 460cc and shallower face and is shafted with the Tour AD B08-05 Proto. The new Tourstage GR Black Irons have stronger lofts than the X-Blade 2008 and an undercut cavity for forgiveness... forged body with a SUP10 hi COR face. Tourstage is also releasing a ViQ Deep for those wanting a forgiving driver with a deeper face.