gocchin

Looking really good. That's an awesome performing setup. Pick up some JDM wedges and putter and your transformation will be complete!

G, it's sounding like you've become and Epon man. How are you liking the irons and driver? Will they last to the summer?

Tempting, very tempting... I've always wanted to try this driver... ^^

It's not uncommon to see wedges even at D4-5 (though not in Japan!). I think you won't notice too much difference between D0.5 and D1... D2 maybe, but with the higher lofts and shorter shafted wedges, the extra swingweight gives you feel for shorter more accurate shots anyway. If you look at Epon irons most of them are around C9-D0 and Epon wedges are D1-D2 so it's pretty normal for the wedges to have higher swingweight.

Good set of irons for non-forged but more popular among recreational golfers as high end game improvement clubs. For the price you'd have to pay for the ViQ (non forged) I'd rather grab a forged set of TourStage Z-101's (which I have) or TS-202's if you want more forgiving.

If you're playing in the 80's and want to grow your game, the new ViQ Forged would be great as would be the Epon Type X. Those would be my two picks. Both forged by Endo, great feel, great playability but not too advanced for your level yet could bring you all the way down to a scratch golfer. Both sets look great and play great. Either of these irons fitted to your game and swing will be awesome.

You becoming like everyone else here and bagging 10 different wedges?? Just too many great wedges to buy!!!

Hi gordo, As I mentioned in this thread on the 2007 ViQ irons here: http://forum.tourspecgolf.com/index.php?showtopic=23353 There are still Tungsten inserts in the 3 to 5 iron and according to Tourstage the MOI has been increased by 15% compared to the old ViQ forged allowing for more forgiveness. The lofts are a little on the strong side but with the tungsten inserts in the long irons and an extra 8g of weight distributed to the sole section of all the irons, that extra low center of gravity helps get the ball up. Size wise the 2007 ViQ Forged iron vs the old ViQ forged are pretty close. The heel of the 2007's are a tad taller than the old version and the sweetspot is according to Tourstage 0.6mm higher. They measured true loft on the 5 iron and the 2007's are a little stronger at 25.2* while the old ViQ was 25.8*.

Like I said last time.... How many wedges do I have to buy!!! ^_^ simply awesome!

They sure do...

Good feed back as always zerohandy!! Hopefully Dave that can help you out a bit. The Code 6 is definitely "tight"!!

Hi Doc, The code 6 plays pretty true to flex and every individual shaft has it's cpm measured and stickered on the shafts. You have pretty similar specs to Tourspecgolfer here and I think he was using a stiff code 6 with positive results. I had an R flex 242cpm code 6 in a J33R 10.5 and a R7 425 11.5 and both felt very smooth and accurate.

Both Black and White Caddy bags have been added to the pro shops. There are two versions available, Pro Tour model (CBTX70), which is EXACTLY the same bag the TourStage Pro's all use and feature a special prism design material and heavy duty X-thread bottom for maximum stability and sturdiness. It is the best quality bag Tourstage has ever made. They also have a replica (CBTX71) of the Pro Tour model which uses PVC and doesn't have the X-thread bottom. It all depends on the buyers budget. http://www.tourspecgolf.com/catalog/index....mp;filter_id=10

Well it's taken me months of shuffling around to finally get to a FULL bag of clubs that will most likely play for this season. The only exception will probably be the TourStage Z101 irons that will probably be knocked out of the bag by my new Epon Type X irons that will arrive soon with Axiv shafts. I've also put the Epon Limited X Wedges on the sidelines as they are just so limited (12 sets made by Endo) that I'm scared to hit them! I've replaced them with Fourteen Golf's MT-28v2 wedges. Oh and hopefully I'll be getting a couple of new bags to hold all the clubs. A special thanks to Chris here at TSG who got me most of my clubs and to Jeff at Fore the Golfer here in Toronto who did all the work on all my clubs, spending countless hours fitting every single club to suit my game, including finding the right shaft for every club and length, loft and lie adjustments on everything. Driver: Epon Technity 460ZR 10.5* w/ Mamiya Op AXIV 6060L @ 44.5" Comments: Best feeling driver I've ever hit and I hit over 10 last year. this will be my gamer for the entire year and I don't see replacing it. Shaft is perfect and has an awesome kick. Everyone who I've let hit this club is in shock after doing so (including Jeff). ^^ 4 Wood: G-Field GFT-FW 16* w/ Japan Diamana Redboard Ion Flowerband @ 42" Comments: It's far easier to hit than any 3 wood I've ever used and at 16* I don't lose too much yardage. Deadly accurate and great penetrating ball flight. Very nice design and look. Hybrid: TourStage ViQ-UT 20*(bent) w/ Fujikura Banzai @ 39" Comments: Very easy to hit and get the ball up. The ViQ line is very popular in Japan for mid-cappers and recreational golfers. I love the techie look it has in contrast to the clean classy look of the G-Field. Hybrid: G-Field GFT-UW 24* w/ Fujikura Banzai @ 38.5" Comments: Clean design, also very very easy to hit and get the ball up. All the G-Field clubs are very easy to work. Irons: TourStage Z-101 5-PW w/ Nippon NS Pro 850GH 1/2" shorter 2*Flat Comments: A combination of good looks and feel and performance make it really hard top the Z-101's. I've kept the 3 and 4 iron out of the bag even though they are easy to hit with the tungsten inserts (which the 5 also has). Robert Allenby used these clubs a few years back. Soft feel and reasonably forgiving, thin topline and minimal offset may be an issue for some but I love the way they setup. We'll se how the Endo-Epon's stack up when they arrive. Wedges: Fourteen Golf MT-28 51v2 and 56v2 w/ Nippon NS Pro 1050GH Comments: I have not hit them yet but their reputation preceeds them. The number one wedge on the Japan Tour known for it's spin prowress and stopping power. I can't wait to hit them. Would have been Epon Limited's here but those are going in a case or something. Putter: G-Field Premium Zone #1 w/ Iomic Japan Grip and Comocome cover Comments: I love this putter. The heavy 355g SUS303 head gives superb balance and feel. It has a SUS304 insert which is soooooooo soft like butter but designed to give optimal roll on impact. This putter performs. Spares: Epon Limited Type X Wedges 52 and 58. Too limited to hit even though they'd probably be the softest best wedges ever. I think kevy_boy on this forum also grabbed a set. TM R7 425 11.5* w/ Fujikura Rombax Tour Issue shaft. Nice club but doesn't come close to the Epon. Nike Ignite+ DFI Japan. Club is discontinued, on clearance and it's a ROCKET. TourStage Kevin Burns II putter. Recently a massive clearance on this sweet putter in Japan so I grabbed another one. TourStage X-Drive 340 w/ TourStage Z-Series shaft. My practice club. Smaller head helps me develop accuracy on hitting the sweetspot. Bridgestone J33R 10.5 w/ Fujikura Fit-On e150. This club is permanently in the trunk of my car in case I drive by a driving range and feel like stopping to hit some balls. Various woods, hybrids, irons... wife is getting upset over the crowding in the basement!!! :)

Interesting... I tried looking up a CD-433 and it appears to be pretty old but not much specifics available. Can you post a picture of the club? Thanks.

All TourStage stuff is excellent quality and on the high end. The ViQ Utility is probably the easier club to hit and is probably more suitable for mid to high handicappers. The X-UT will provide a lower ball flight and I've heard it's good for taking the left side out of play. Both excellent utilites, it's more dependent on what you're looking for.

The 16-21 Proto above is in play at the Sony Open right now with Yusaku Miyzato... no official word on when and if which putters will come out...

Bridgestone has been working on revising their putting lineup with a big name for quite some time now. Last year at the Bridgestone Open practice day last year, many big name putter makers brought in over 100 prototypes for testing by pros that day. As you can see in the bottom left picture, there are all shapes and sizes and styles but it hasn't been revealed yet which are actually going into production (if any at all) :). Yusaku Miyazato was actually the main tester for Bridgestone back at that time. Remember these are still prototypes and could be tweaked if they went retail.

Nice bag R! I like it.... hope it performs well for you this year! You went for the 558 Axiv's eh? I'm going to have a shot at the 758M's soft stepped once in Epon Type X's.

Hmmm you might be right... I don't have my DFI anymore but I did at one point try a 0.350" Grafalloy shaft in there now that I think about it so it could very well be 0.350. But like you said even at 0.350 you can shim it for all the 0.335 shafts.

Good points all around and I absolutely agree, it's about finding that balance between distance and accuracy, and what each individual is comfortable with. I tried a 43.25" driver and yeah it was easy to hit the sweetspot but it "felt" too short and I did in fact hit it shorter even though I hit the sweetspot. 45" is a tad too long so I think for me I "feel" right around 44-44.5" ^^

You're not alone thinking that way L, I'm seeing this shorter shaft trend now, but before I, and probably others, were hesitant to go too short cause of our egos. Because of my wrist to floor distance and height my club fitter said I could actually go 44" or shorter even but I said NO!!!

Yeah I wasn't sure about how the star system worked now with the ARMRQ's, thanks for pointing that out for me as I'm not much of a Honma man.

0.335 as most Japanese drivers are. Great driver, what shaft are you putting in?

To quote from the web: "Honma’s Star system, initiated in 1991, denotes both the grade of materials used, and the seniority of the craftsman who builds the club. Hence, a 5 Star top-of-the-line Honma shaft uses T-1000 grade composite, the highest grade commercially available, and is produced only by a senior craftsman. And Honma’s flagship 5 Star irons – for example, the new MG-818 5Star irons, available by specific order only from Honma UK’s head office – are cast from platinum and plated with 24 Karat gold only by the company’s most senior ‘5 Star’ craftsmen. But every Star club-maker at Honma, experienced or apprentice, receives the most rigorous training available in the golf industry." They are no longer using the star system on their ARMRQ shafts if I'm not mistaken. But as it said above the difference in starts basically denoted the level of quality in materials and workmanship for the club and seniority of the club builder. The 5's cost a fortune cause they have the most 24k gold.