gocchin

I'll find out the price. In the mean time heres another he just did:

The putters shown here are just putters Sasaya-san has made in the last month or so. None of them are for sale as they are all paid for by customers already. Gold's only makes on order to your specs. (^_^)

S, both are neither deep nor super shallow really compared to many of the other FW's out there. Their face heights are average.

Actually when Sasaya-san has time he also will take on refinishing and modifying of certain Gauge putters as projects for customers as well.

S, both are very easy to hit. The M3 Hit is a little larger in size and has been around longer. The new ViQ CL has gotten good reviews as well. My guess is that the PRGR will be easier to hit with it's slightly larger head and shorter shaft. It also has two choices for ladies shafts including one for ladies that swing in the high 60's mph.

Some new creations from the Master. I see also that Sasaya-san is doing the Premium Zone milling now.

What happened is that in Japan more than half the sets had sold on preorder even before launch... then after they came out, the reviews were fantastic... that coupled with both Yamaha's top two pros performing well on tour with these irons and being Endo forged pretty much cleared out the rest. 700 sets pretty much gone in one month.

They're available for pre-order now B. Tentative release is end of the month or early March. (^_^)

The 2007 model has actually been replaced already by the 2008 model. They are both similar the way they look and setup. Both slightly closed (0.5*) and not overly large. Both are considered very easy to hit and more high trajectory style utility.

I'm betting it's a great smooth combo... there are quite a few users in Japan on blogs that have paired up the MB5003 with graphite and have proclaimed them the best setup ever.

Good feedback B, Chris was playing one last year and echoed the same sentiments, great shape, easy to hit and very playable. As I've mentioned before, PRGR is pure quality and very highly regarded in Japan. The M3 Hit has been a best seller for a long time. The Tour version was great for those looking for a more compact and square faced playable FW while the standard M3 Hit may very well be the easiest FW to hit on the market now and provides confidence for lesser skilled players because of it's larger size.

They will be available for pre-order tomorrow as well as the AF-101. Release is tentatively end of Feb-early March.

B all driver heads coming out of Japan are now USGA conforming, the AF-101 included!

18 20 22 24 only! (^_^)

I play with light shafts all around but sub 60g shafts in FW's in Japan are not uncommon at all. The W-60 is a very smooth shaft. Great performance and a nice mid trajectory. I'd say it would all depend on your swing style. If you use a nice smooth swing with your woods regularly then this shaft can work for you. I've always been okay with having an FW shaft the same weight to 10g's heavier.

Not to mention the 700 sets of Limited Tour Yamaha Inpres X sold out within a month in Japan!!

Hi there, reason why the 5002 is cheaper is because it's an older model and no one is buying it anymore. The 5003's have been selling like crazy. Touted by Miura and many top reviewers in Japan as Miura's best blade ever. Shaft would depend on the trajectory, feel and weight you are looking for.

Wonderful club B, you'll love it. I've only heard positive things from everyone who's gotten one. Keep us posted!

Well it's definitely a good way to remove excess weight at the bottom by creating that "box cavity" and bringing CG up for lower more stable trajectory and lots of spin.... remember the Yamaha is forged at Endo too (^_6) Epon totally revamped their wedges this time around and they do have a more sophisticated grind and even though the bounce is higher, they are made to easily open up and definitely play well in all lies. As for the spin, these KGX grooves are engraved, not pressed or stamped which is why they are SHARP!! They've also designed the wedge so that when you open the face to have more loft or bounce the grooves do not aim right...

Very different, still has the traditional shape but through design changes including an all new cup face with variable thickness, there is even more spring like effect on this one compared to the 460. It also has slightly more horizontal MOI 4300>4100 and quite a bit more vertical MOI (2922), even more than a super forgiving high MOI driver like the JPX E500 (2680 and the 460 is 2592). Through robot hitting tests, the new 101 has less distance loss from off center hits. The variable thickness face has a thicker sweetspot in the middle and thinner but larger/wider perimeter... think of a slingshot. This was done using an all new chemical milling process at Epon. Fancy stuff. (^_^) The Driver also has an all new sole design and aesthetics as you can see. It's also a slightly heavier head at 199g. Initial numbers show it's a lower launching driver than the 460 as well with less spin.

The face and the top at address have an awesome look. I like.

They're not cheap J, over $800 MSRP and to be released on March 7th.... however the way Fourteen wedges sell in Japan they'll be sold out for sure!

Actually I quite agree with your thinking epsecially when it comes to the kickpoints and tip stiffness. The US site does list the tip stiffness and yes it definitely is a tip stiff shaft according to the US specs but that is the opposite of what the Japanese descriptions say (though Fujikura Japan does not list the actual tip stiffness.) as they recommend the shaft for those players with more of a body turn and not those with wrist lag or wrist action.... Interesting... it is quite possible that there are two different shafts for different markets. I've sent Fujikura an email asking. As for the torque of Japanese shafts. I've learnt over time to take them with a grain of salt. I don't pay as much attention to those torque numbers anymore as it seems that the high end shafts use such good materials and design that a higher torque number doesn't always translate into worse dispersion or less stability. I tend to pay more attention to the bend profile, kickpoint and how stiffness is distributed in a shaft and it's overall balance. Take the Tour AD for EMB for example... on first impression everybody thinks this shaft must be out of control due to the high torque numbers however it's the complete opposite. It is in fact very very stable as those who have one have found out. Soft... maybe, but wet noodle and all over the place... NO! Very stable even with torque numbers like these: R = 7.3*, SR = 5.7* S = 5.7*.... I've been researching a lot about the design of shafts this year and it almost seems as if Japanese manufacturers stay away from torque that is too low on most occasions as that can transfer into boardy lack of feel... I guess it does make sense.... Shafts are hard to understand... that's why we have to try so many. (^_^)

Not uncommon at all for Japanese spec shafts to have higher torque X Flexes. Axiv has an SX shaft that's over 4.5* torque and Roddio 6 series X flex which are 74g are also the same as the 67g Z at 3.8* (which is listed as a mid kick). Other brand X-Flex's like GD and even the Rombax X in the high 60g range are 3.5-3.7* torque as well. Fujikura Japan has not listed the shafts yet strangely but they've already been in all the magazines and reviews as well as live video reviews with those "japanese specs". Haha it'd be a shame if they were wrong! (^_^) http://www.golfdigest.co.jp/special/0712fujikura/default.asp http://www.golfdigest.co.jp/special/0801fujikura/ Actually correction fujikura Japan does have it listed here: http://www.fujikurashaft.jp/rombax_z.html

That's a good question... I wonder if those US specs are right? 50 gram range shafts with 3.2* torque... pretty low. And those 7 and 8 series torques are even more LOW!! Very interesting. If they are correct then they are very different shafts, even the kickpoints are different, as well target audience... according to Japan the Z is more for the smooth body swing: