gocchin

He appears to be a Titleist man/boy but he's still an amateur so they are not talking about his gear much... I will keep digging... they are all just talking about his 300 yard drives at 15 years old...

Wow whatever he was using he was averaging 299.13 yards!!

I think there was a recent article in one of my mags... let me check. ^^

T, I replied to your PM. ^^

The site you posted is Korean, but I checked around on Japanese sites and that glove is originally a Japanese 2006 model. So far the sites I've checked are sold out. Let me look some more.

Yeah it is, I would have preferred logo down but the with the position that the small Tour AD is in at the bottom, the shaft graphics are actually at 3 o'clock which isn't too bad.

Got a request for pics the UT-106 at address. Thought this would be a good reference for anyone else considering this fantastic forgiving utility:

Yes there are a few with private onsen in the rooms or at least private onsen that you can book. Let me dig out the names and locations for you.

Fe, I didn't realize you had gotten the JPX, I remember you mentioned to me that you were thinking of getting them, how are they?

I've decided to drop a 5 wood from my bag so.... Mint condition RC CV Pro 18* 5 Wood with Japan Diamana Ion Redboard M63 R-Flex. Everything is just like new. Club plays at 42" and has a superman colors iomic grip. As you all know Royal Collection is the parent company of Sonartec. One of the most popular FW's on tour... this combo is like $500 new. Here it is for $250 obo shipped and practically new! Only trades considered are for putters of course.

Congratulations! It feels great when you know your financial investment into some great clubs has paid off. Get them out there on the course!

Welcome back BE, just do a quick read on the last topics from the last 2 weeks and you will see one brand you can't go wrong with is Epon. Probably the best driver of the last year and amazing FW's that many people here will attest to. Shaft technology has greatly improved too so you will find lots of equipment that will definitely help your game.

The grip is TSG's own "tourspec" (written in Katakana) cord grip.

If anyone wants to see the topline of the GR and what the cavity looks like, GDO has their video review up: http://www.golfdigest.co.jp/golftv/gear/it...n/070515_02.asp Seems to work best in IE, could't get it to work right in Firefox for me.

This shaft is made for someone with a smooth fluid swing and a headspeed of around 92.5mph to probably around 100mph on the high end... also depends on how Chris installed it...

Wow nice finish... typical PRGR quality!!

Can my custom Epon look like that??

R, I've been back to Japan 14 times... I grew up ONE of those OTAKU. I'd like to think I know a lot about Japan... trust me my friend my biggest obsession with Japan is FOOD, especially my mother in law's home cooking in Chiba. But yes I have lined up an hour an a half for a bowl of noodles and I have attended those concerts with those crazy fans and I only went in the Adult shops to take pics for this writeup... no really... just for the writeup. (^_^) I've been obsessing about Japan since I was 12 years old and in 1996 started jpop.com to share that obsession though to be honest my focus has waned from that site (too much work!!)

Many people around the world are interested in Japanese culture. I spent many years sharing my knowledge and love of Japan with English speaking people around the world. I wanted to show people all about Japan good and bad, cool and strange. Japan is a wonderful place but yes it is A WORLD OF ITS OWN. I wrote this a few years back for my site jpop.com, I think in 2004 or so and took some pics to go along with it. Japan is all about obsessions, and it's not only golf. I'll post more threads and insights from jpop.com into Japan here in the coming days: Japan's Obsessions If there’s one thing Japan has down pat, it is obsessions. From cute girls in sailor suits to the urge to conquer every ramen store across the country, when the Japanese want something, they want it bad. And if they want it that bad, they’ll go to any lengths to get it. Of course there is nothing wrong with that. The desire of the consumer is what drives Japan's unique culture. Where else (Harajuku) can you buy undies worn and sold unwashed by teenage schoolgirls and then satisfy your other appetite with hundreds of different kinds of ramen by riding over two stops to Shinjuku? Where else will you find people lining up for 10 hours to get 10% off an $800 designer bag? Where else can you buy porn out of vending machines (see picture below)? Japan has long been known as a weird yet fascinating, dark but fun place. Some will label these people as otaku, but otaku is a strong word in Japan and probably shouldn't be used with all Japanese people who are obsessed about something. The definition of otaku does refer to someone who is totally obsessed with something that it consumes their life and stops them from functioning normally on a social level. Being born in the west, I think that is kind of extreme. I personally would rather consider an otaku as is someone who wants to know everything about something they like -no matter how trivial it may seem. Otaku, just like other ambitious people, want to be on top of their game. People in North America will use the term pretty freely and if not anything else, jokingly. We laugh and say sure there are lots of anime otaku in America, but in Japan people would find the word derogatory, referring to an outcast of society. I can sympathize with that because there are quite a few otaku in Japan that are downright scary. I saw a documentary once about a 37 year old who lived with is parents. He had his room plastered with the cartoon character Sailor Mercury and wished she would be his girlfriend (he had never had one in his life). Of course he had no real friends and he just lived in his own fantasy created world full of Sailor Mercury collectibles and obscure information that no one else on earth would give a s**t about. At least these types aren’t propagating. Then there’s another breed of otaku who have obsessed over an idol so much that he’ll know more about her life than she will (see picture below of fans outside Yokohama Arena before Hello! Project concert). Every penny scrounged goes to purchasing any conceivable product associated with their "hobby". These otaku only manage to survive by eating discounted bento boxes from corner conbini (convenience store). Believe you me, those discount bento boxes get old real fast. Otaku is often synonymous with “fan boy”, but obsessive behavior is not exclusive to Japanese men. To quote a Wai Wai column on Mainichi.com about obsessed David Beckham fans, one Japanese girl said: "I stayed at hotels where Beckham stayed during the World Cup. I checked toilets he might have used, took photographs of them and even licked them," she said. "I'm definitely going to England. I want to live in Beckham's neighborhood and go swimming or shopping together with him. If I meet his wife Victoria, I will ask her to leave him." Yes, she actually believes this. And no, as far as I know, she hasn’t been exposed to mind altering drugs. Okay, enough about those crazy fringe types. What about the ‘normal’ Japanese citizen? Yep, even the average nihonjin is obsessed about one thing or another. Japanese can’t resist designer goods or anything with a name. If something is considered hot then people will just have to have it no matter the cost. Japan has had major Prada and Gucci swings, when department stores and boutiques have lineups for hours due to a minor sale. There are trendy shops which open only for one day a week ? and promptly unload their entire inventory in the first few hours of business. People say the economy is bad in Japan but I don’t believe them. When I go shopping the stores are packed and everyone is buying… Alright, the economy may technically be hurting (which is why you can get some killer deals), but consumers are not showing the pain. Specialty stores that cater to otaku or hobbyists are out in full force, electronic stores keep pumping out more cool gadgets, and restaurants are opening (but also closing) on every corner. Japan's desires drive this unique cycle of artificial demand even in an atmosphere of financial uncertainty. This is what makes Japan such a wonderful place. They don’t really know what they want, but they do know that whatever it is, they gotta own it. Where else could a Toy company on the brink of bankruptcy (Takara Co. Ltd.) make a comeback selling banana shaped cell phone headsets… and then spend that money developing a dog translator? It is this slightly off-kelter mindset that allows the Japanese to innovate at such a rapid pace and always stay one step ahead of the rest of the world. If you’re looking for the next great fad, look no further than Japan... the land where obsession is born.

(^_^) I just noticed that dragon was using an FT-3 so I brought up the comparison. I personally have NOT hit the FT-3, I'm only relaying the data and experiences for Becca. She hits it dead on the sweet spot every time and with the FT-3 can only go around 220 yards while she is around 240y with the Epon... she does agree though that the Epon is by far the superior feel. When I want to do consistent testing I always get her to hit my drivers as I don't know anyone who is a more consistent ball striker or shoots a lower score than her (^_^) Anyway Duffer is pretty much right, the 460 is made to be more forgiving and get the ball up. Some have noted that it tends to have a high trajectory which is good for some, not so good for others, but getting the right shaft as I said above will take care of that.

Any of the Epons will out distance the FT-3. I have a 14 year old female amateur here who regularly hits my Epon 460 at least 15-20 yards longer than her FT-3 and she is an amazing ball striker. We tested outdoors and on the Vector and the Epon 460 with axiv shaft was providing optimal spin and launch for her. She had been using the FT-3 for a year. The 460 is the more forgiving of the two. Both are deep faced while the smaller Technica's were a bit more shallow. All the Epon models cry quality and feel. It is the best feeling driver I have ever hit and I've hit at least 10 since last summer. I just happened to have a bit of trouble with a deep face. But as you said, find the right shaft for your swing and pair it with an Epon 460 and you will most likely have your gamer for the year!

An Epon driver of some sort always finds it's way into my bag, I have my 4th one coming soon from Epon once they customize the face for me, which is another great thing about Epon, I battle the right side so I am getting a new 460 with the face closed 1-2*. I have yet to find a driver that beats the FEEL of an Epon. For me I've always had good roll with it. I've had Epon irons and Tourstage, never Fourteen... (yet). And have never had a problem with going 3-4* flat (I'm 5'4"). I don't see too many people playing rifles in premium JDM forged irons, I'd recommend Nippon NS Pro for feel and trajectory, especially if you have a slower swingspeed, the lighter weight of the nippons will help improve swingspeed and ball flight.

Yeah a lot will depend on your shaft choice too but the 430 would be a good mix of performance and forgiveness. Some members here still swear by their 435's. Is it the most recent golf gear that compares the two? I should have that issue here somewhere...

It's starting to show up in pre-release on the tour and with testers in Japan. It's like a flattened out new X-Drive with the weight pushed even lower and a much shallower face for foriveness and higher trajectory. Bridgestone says this is good for the player with a head speed of around 43m/s (97mph) or slower. It's a lighter head than the normal X-Drive and the hosel is apparently 1cm shorter.