gocchin

E, Yes that is correct, the efficiency is based on smash factor so irons will rarely create as much smash factor as a driver. The efficiency rating is much more useful for woods than it is irons. sounds like you are having fun. It is just such a great tool to have. Its obviously not as advanced as a launch monitor but you can't put a launch monitor in your bag or pocket and take it everywhere you go. The REP is one of the greatest tools any golf enthusiast or club junkie could have.

A customer of ours Allen just received his F3 F5 and F7. I had them fit for him with Crazy Longest Yard FW Evolution shafts in 6.4 - R flex. He just sent me an email which I got his permission to post here since he's not a member of the forum. "Wow tario I just received the ryoma fw I can't believe the launch I'm getting from them! I've been notorious for hitting low stingers. I tried out the ryomas I'm launching them so high now and I've easily gained 15 yards in distance easily! I was only landing my taylormade 3 wood 185-190 and only sometimes rolling it to 200. Today at the range with the ryoma I was easily almost 8 out of 10 shots landing them 200-205 wit a crazy launch angle. Let me just say I'm really happy with these clubs. Can't wait to try out the new driver. One more thing I forgot to tell you is even on my miss hit either off the toe or heel I'm barely losing any distance its amazing. I know distance doesn't mean much as accuracy but for short hitters like me 15 yard gains makes getting birdies or pars on long par 4s a lot easier." After getting his email I cannot wait to get one myself. (yeah I did not order one yet!)

Ryoma F3 face height 31mm PRGR Egg Spoon 28mm Its a close one! For reference the F5 is 28mm.

Haha stew should have known better, of course Crazy will design both their shafts and driver heads with each other in mind. I thought you would have put a Crazy in the first place as well.

He could not resist and got the CRZ460! B I think you are better off with the lower swing weight and shorter length. A higher swing weight and a shaft that is not tight enough can cause control issues as the shaft loads more with balance towards the head and can also unload more quickly. Of course a lot depends on your swing. The 460 is a great distance driver and not to mention it looks great.

I miss that bag... (^_^) The REP really helps in so many ways. It really lets each individual understand their swing more and with different clubs. Its such a great tool.

The CRZ460 is the most forgiving of all the Crazy models and uses a very similar head design to the Ryoma. Its the only Crazy driver to use the monocoque body and that is where its huge pop comes from. It also uses back weighting to increase MOI and launch. It is the hottest feeling of all the Crazy drivers as well and definitely makes the others feel muted like you felt with the AF-102. The CRZ460 is a low spin distance driver with big forgiveness while the AF-102 is aimed at the better player.

The Ryoma's target audience is not the pro and low handicap player though they could certainly play it. It is made for the average golfer or anyone who is looking for max distance performance in one of the most forgiving drivers ever made. That said, it is supported and promoted by several of Japan's most well known golfers (retired Japan tour pros) who have become top golf analysts and equipment specialists. Also Ryoma has pretty much ZERO presence outside of Japan. They are a small specialized brand and seem to like it that way.

Coops Was it the new 435 or the older one for PRGR (the one in our shop is the old one)? It seems PRGR replaced the original id435 very quickly and it was barely out a year. The new 435 forged at Endo is superb and very much inline with the X-Drive 415. It's a huge improvement over the original 435.

Hi Ara, Nice post. A couple of corrections though as I see you are using the measurements and graphics from Miura Giken. B is not the sweet spot length. It is the face length as the sweet spot does not span the entire scoreline area. The strike point won't necessarily equal where the COG is though you are correct that typically COG is shorter in a smaller more pro oriented head vs a larger more forgiving head. Very nice work. Keep up your great contributions.

I wouldn't say that Christian but the truth is there are finish quality differences between every brand. Some brands simply look more polished and more expensive though that isn't always reflective of their performance. The fact is not all brands are created equal. Kenmochi wedges do look nice and spin very well, I don't doubt that at all. Ara asked for an opinion on the quality of forgings so I gave it. I did not say it is subpar (what is the definition of par in this case) however below some of the other top brands. For many that may be very well acceptable but for others who want the best of the best maybe not. At TSG we try and offer the widest variety of products and people originally asked for Kenmochi so we have it. If it was really "sub par" or below acceptable quality level we would not carry it. haha yes we do not need to get into the spin welded hosel discussion yet again. (^_^) Performance wise I have no issues with the Kenmochi, I actually like the way they look too.

C, it's quite a tough call between the 80t Crazy shafts. First of all they are all quite demanding shafts. They play rather stout and getting the right one as you know is important. According to Crazy they believe the TJ-80 has the best kick and feel of the 80t shafts but from feedback I get from users. its quite a demanding shaft. It turns aggressive hard hitting players who hit hooks into players who suddenly go right with the ball. When hit well it can reap great rewards but that goes for the 80LS Noir as well. Both the FE Proto and TJ80 are in the 2012 shaft bible so I can compare them directly for you (though they used a 65S For the FEP) The TJ-80 is stout all the way from the tip through the center and the butt is average. The FEP is average in tip stiffness, semi soft in the tip/center area, reasonably firm in the center, and average at the center/butt and butt. While the TJ plays more stout, the shaft bible ranks its kick and square up to the ball ability as having more feel than the FEP which ranks near no feel, in other words the FEP just squares up and you don't really feel it. The key for the Crazys is really finding the right flex. If you really go 115 with lag and aggressiveness you should be the 7.7

Sharp grooves no doubt but they don't seem to be as popular as many of the other brands most likely due to forging quality and quality control in general which is not up to par with many of the top brands.

Yes 2006 were indeed ai-chan's wedges and her spec and grind as you noted above. That was the last year of the limited sets. 2004 2005 2006. After that TS did not make anymore limited sets though 2010 saw a few limited releases of Tour Limited X-Wedges in black.

Ryoma F3 F5 F7 F9 FW's began shipping earlier this week, those who wanted head only should have them soon. Custom built ones (which are most of them) are being built now. F2 is released after all the other heads and we are still waiting on those.

Unfortunately Fujita's wedges are Vokeys!

The REP is on the way already and you should have it soon!

Stew if the Ryoma gets you on the fairway most consistently then it probably is the longest you have ever hit. (^_^) Those ultra long drives in the woods and deep rough don't count. (^_^) The Ryoma is simply very straight thanks to such a huge sweet spot. I have the same experience with shots towards the toe, they just stay very straight. There are so many reviews on this forum for it, more than probably any other driver.

Its funny how old models can still hold their own. These were so popular when they first came out in 2005 and sold out so quickly. I actually recommended them to Jason last month too and he loves the set he got. The 2004 models and 2006 are also pretty good.

Especially on the 80LS which has an extremely thin and sensitive tip... 1 inch would its characteristics and feel.

Yeah but I love the Evo too as much as I love the STI. (^_^) That is true though, the AF-502 is larger with more offset and for many this will allow them to hit it more pure. Other irons may be softer but it all depends on how well we can hit them. It doesn't matter how soft an iron is if you can't hit the sweet spot consistently.

Same shaft as the current 80LS Noir. Right before they launched the new Black, Nero, Noir lines they had renamed the 80 to New CB80, but then they changed it to properly fit in with the current lines.

Soft is subjective. There are too many factors influencing the soft feel of an iron including not only its materials, manufacturing processes and even design and grind and of course shaft. And then finally how well we can hit it. We can already see different opinions in this thread on feel. Unfortunately I am not a fan of the AF-502. The alpha gel deadens and mutes the feel for me. I like soft but lively and somehow the AF-502 doesn't work for me... but thats me. I loved the Yamaha Tour and thats because its a simply a soft ONE piece forging. Its pure with no technology or added parts to hinder feel. For the ONOFF, the long and mid irons are affected by tungsten melded to the sole while the shorter irons are more pure. The Yamaha Tour model was one of the best feeling irons I've hit in a long time and yes I have a AF-502 demo here which I always hit against irons I test but I just can't get to like it... but then again thats just me, its all subjective and personal. I much prefer the AF-302 and some customers who got the AF-502 have said the same and on the other hand there are those who do love the AF-502.

I'm trying to get Marc a set....(^_^)

Yes you were indeed the one right before Stew!