gocchin

But none of the leaves glow like that Kasco.... it was like a light in the gound it was so easy to find. A white ball was totally lost in the leaves. By the way, thanks for brining be back some balls.

Using graphite shafts with my utilities I play them around 0.5" longer than the club they are replacing. I also try to get close to the overall weight and swingweight of the club they are replacing to try and keep my set in balance. I used to play stock JDM utilities out of the box but they are excessively light. My XXIO hybrid is like 320g I changed the shaft to a Tour AD UT-55 and weight the head so that total clubweight got to 343g and swingweight closer to C9/D0.

I went out this morning to play 9 holes. I decided to bring only two of my balls with me. One Callaway Hyper ERC and one Kasco Dual Mode Tour (glowing yellow ball that looks radioactive). Played like crap, and only birdied 1 hole out of 9 but had a chance to see how my balls would stand up to various conditions. Of the tee both are long and straight with the driver. The Kasco had more spin, the ERC was slightly straighter. Both had soft feel. Around the greens both balls possessed adequate spin, not crazy spin (then again I did not play my sky dream jump wedge which spins the heck out of any ball but also shreds them to hell). Stuck the Kasco 1 foot from the hole off the tee with a 7 iron on the 4th hole (my only birdie). Chipping felt good and responsive with both balls, nice feel. Putting was also not bad, but they almost seemed too hot of my putter... maybe it was just me. I'm happy with the way both balls carried, spinned and felt. I will play them again but next up will be the Tourstage X-01 S3 and Mizuno 352S Tour. Oh yeah the ERC was pearl in color but the advantage went to the Kasco for being easy to find. It's fall here and leaves are everywhere but that thing glows like the sun. I had trouble finding my ERC in the rough on one hole, but never lost sight of the Kasco. Both my balls came home safely.

Most of the stuff there is pretty secret. Even Chris has toured the Epon factory but was not allowed to post any of the pictures. If you can get in that would be awesome. Even their showroom is quite a site with all the history of epon (those pics are okay). Anyone who's interested can see chris's original post here: http://forum.tourspecgolf.com/index.php?showtopic=23880 Here's a shot of the Endo plant in Japan as you know they have a few including in Thailand as well:

There are so many amazing utilities out there right now. It's funny you posted this as Golf Classic Magazine just did a shootout called your 200 yard club including a host of FW's and utilities. The best ranking hybrids in Japan have long been: Royal Collection Td+ Tourstage X-UT Srixon AD Hybrids But as many people here have said, and what I agree with is how the club matches your personal preference for shape and setup. there are those like the Td+ and X-UT that are more iron like hybrids and then the G-Field and ViQ and ONOFF that are more wood like profile. My personal favs are the G-field GFT UT, XXIO Utility and I'm very curious to try the new JPX utility.

Always good to see what the pros play. One great thing about japanese publications is the never ending coverage of what every oro plays. True to Katayama Shingo's word he is playing the Nike Ignite Hybrid Irons! He has always said "I will play whatever is the most forgiving in the Nike lineup" He's still playing a 10.5* loft driver which is not that common for pros I think. He's got the proto Black G graphite going as well in his irons! This is just a small sampling as this report was on irons and I only scanned a few pages out of many but still looks like a lot of blades in there... It's definitely a big battle overall between Tourstage and Srixon irons.... 5 irons specs are listed and in some cases shaft specs too...

Golf Digest Online Japan (^_^)

TC-550 forged currently the number one selling irons on GDO based on the strength of it's preorders (not out till 19th)! Further proof of Fourteen's reputation for their irons...

Awesome man! You know I'm a big fan of Tour AD iron shafts. I plan on using them in ALL my irons. The only tip for installation on these babies is always butt trim never tip trim on any of the Tour AD iron shafts. They are pretty much spined from the factory to go logo down or up so no need to waste time or money doing that. Finish on the shafts is definitely awesome. They have become my favorite iron shaft over the axiv for their consistent performance.

The click that you hear on the 701, type X and S and 501's is normal for any undercut. The face material may affect the tone of the click but the click will always be there with an undercut. The new AsRoll material on the 701's is said to provide higher cor ie a hotter face for faster ball speeds equaling more distance. The 701's do seem longer than the Type X. The TC-550's from fourteen look amazing. One thing I do love is the clean look and fourteen is notorious for being soft... this once again proving that Endo just simply makes some of the best irons on the planet or universe for that matter.... (^_^). I want to get a set... yeah I do. (^_^)

Great feedback dkats... sounds like another winner from PRGR... there are just so many good clubs out there, I may have to get one!

The PT Series definitely launches lower than the Quattro Techs.... It's bend is mid towards high and should not balloon. Especially the PT-8!

Do your Altus Newings have Doraemon on them? If not I don't think they will go as far. I heard that doraemon and his special powers makes the ball carry extra 10-15 yards!

Hehe I don't have a Type X here with me right now, but I was going from memory that I thought the AF-701 was smaller. The AF-701 definitely has a tink or more metallic click to it thanks to the AsRoll face. I personally like the way the 701 sets up. Type X is a tad softer, but the 701 is as we said more forgiving.

Kent, it's a pricey ball but you might like the XXIO XD. XD for Xtra Distance... always among the top three in most tests from various pulbications for feel and length.

Well they are molding it after the Stinger so it may have some resemblence (^_^)

They haven't provided a lot of info on bend profile yet but this shaft was created based on feedback from tour pros so I'm assuming it will be geared towards the more advanced player. They only talk about using the best carbon composite materials available to create optimal ball flight and control and feel at this point.

Sure you can bring up USDM compared to JDM, it's all about us finding what's best for ourselves so if it involves testing usdm equipment, why not? In fact I have hit the X-Forged. I went out of my way to hit them since they are from Endo. Great shape and pretty good feel but not forgiving enough for me. The AF-701's are far more forgiving. The 701's are as forgiving as the ViQ Forged which are bigger and chunkier and performance is about equal (lofts are very similar).

For me, how far the balls go coupled with feel are the most important. The balls have to feel good. I am not at the level of play were lots of spin benefits me. One ball that looks really impressive is the Mizuno ball. Cross Eight Tour 352s. Ever since I saw Mizuno promoting these balls I have wanted them. They are pretty advanced tech wise and the cross eight rib provides super ball like capabilities. I hope these balls go long... (^_^).

One thing we don't talk about a lot here is everyone's balls. We all have them, we all use them but what do we use? (^_^) I've been in search of my balls all summer. Thanks to Duffer19 who just got back he was able to bring me some new balls back to see if they would fit me. I've been using Wilson Fifty, Callaway ERC Hot and Titleist GranZ and NXT, Kasco Purple Silicone, Srixon Z-URS for most of the season but Duffer brought back some newer Japanese balls that have peaked my interest for the longest time. Bridgestone's Altus Newing Doraemon Edition (which he actually bought for my wife) Tourstage X-01 S3 Callaway Hyper ERC Pearl Mizuno Cross Eight Tour 352S Kasco Dual Mode Kira Tour I'll try and play with my new balls as much as I can before the season ends and I put them away for the winter. I'll give feedback on each one here when I get the chance. By the way in case you didn't realize I'm talking about golf balls. (^_^)

Initial range impressions: Well spent the last two days at the range hitting the 701's and they are more different from the Type X than just looks. They obviously have been redesigned with a new shape and undercut, with tungsten weights forged into the sole. The design is more modern looking and size wise is a tad smaller than the Type X. Mid sized but not chunky at all. Very nice view at address. the sole is not wide, but it's leading edge is pretty forgiving a I'm a steep swinger and had no problems with it unlike some sharper leading edges like Srixon's i506. The tungsten and meaty undercut in the long irons do indeed help get the ball up. The 701's have a different feel from the Type X, due in part to the new AsRoll face material they are using. While the Type X gave a click kind of sound at impact, the 701 is almost a subtle tink like hitting titanium. Very subtle and I didn't really notice it until I purposely listened for it. The AsRoll face performance wise is a winner, more forgiving than the Type X. My bad iron shot is usually toward the toe as I can tense up and pull the club towards me... I hit a few close to the toe and I had to check to see if I did because they went almost just as far as hitting the sweet spot which apparently is huge. Distance wise the 701 is slightly longer, the face, while no softer than the Type X seems hotter. And AsRoll seems durable, after two range sessions, I wiped the irons clean and they look like new, the face doesn't mark, they look like they have never hit a ball. With the strong lofts and design for high trajectory, they pair well with the mid kicking Graphite Design Tour AD shafts. Very smooth and great feel. So far the irons look awesome and seem to perform great. I think players of any level can play this iron. Forgiving enough for the still improving player and at the same time offering enough feel and balance between forgiveness and playability for the more seasoned mid-low handicapper. More when I get out on the course and still need to take side by sides with Type X and ViQ Forged.

You specs would call for the X-Con 5 as Chris said. It will help get your spin down for sure and help get your launch up a bit. Weight will be right in the range you prefer and solid smooth feel.

They all have pretty good feel, the V will launch lower than the two Oziks with the X-Con launching the highest. The V-Spec probably has the most noticeable kick to it. The X-Con 6 is a high launch low spin shaft. The Code 6 is a mid launch mid spin shaft. The Vspec is a mid launch mid spin shaft. I've played the Axiv and Code 6 and prefered the Axiv performance wise. Both felt smooth and stable but got more distance out of the Axiv.

Don't know that shaft but Mitsubishi Rayon Japan is releasing a new Diamana in November... (^_^)

Okay avatar back to Sayumi (^_^)! I sure hope these bring my handicap down... sadly I'm running out of time as the season is nearing an end.... I should go back to Okinawa and play all winter! Otherwise I'm happy with the strides my game has made this year, a lot of it thanks to enjoying both the game and gear I play! (^_^)