gocchin

That is what we do every single year... (^_^)

Yes we will be doing videos just like last year

I'm revamping the fitting threads a bit to get them up to date with new brands and models. The threads are closed for now as I set them up. To those of you who posted a fitting before please do so again when the new threads are ready to go. Thanks! T

This is in fact only more evidence that Japan's market is so different from the rest of the world. Japan's market simply has a different kind of demand and pricing structure... This bag and its 1000.00 + price tag is not alone, as Miura's 1000.00+ and WinWin's Limited Edition as well as DWD Limited all go for over 1000.00 + AND sell out.

Show runs Feb 19, 20 and 21st at Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba... guess I should be setting up the new thread for all our pics!

Finally mine arrives tomorrow from PRGR along with the new Endo forged TR Wedges... I hope this will be an all new driving game for me... (^_^)

Advice... stick with your good friends (^_^). In the end your good friends will take care of you. (^_^) You pretty much have to wait it out.

The concept of undercut disappearing in the short irons has been done by many manufactures including epon's AF-501. The dual material construction is meant to increase durability as the sole and back cavity of a forged iron can sure get dinged and chattered up. As alwas TM does not say who forged the iron but I would not be overly surprised if they were forged at different makers from one another due to the materials and technologies. Not everyone can do a fancy multi piece forging with two different materials. We're looking at an early march release for the TP and May for the standard.

All the Zestaim irons are available raw I would assume. Kyoei told me that they are available for custom finish so they could be left raw. We've done the Vega V Muscle as well in a black raw finish: http://www.tourspecgolf.com/m69/Kyoei-Golf/index.html So I think in that link all Fi-2 models as well as the V Muscle can be raw. As you already know Yururi and Gold's Factory as well.

The ViQ Forged is on the larger side already so I would suggest utilities or driving type irons like the Epon AF-901

I've always said and I say it to all the customers I fit. Go with the softest flex you CAN control. That will maximize distance. This is an extreme example but once Golf Digest Japan rounded up a group of golfers and gave them a driver with an L flex finished at 190cpm. At first they were all over the place, but once they learned to control the shaft they easily out drove their normal drivers. Of course I'm not telling everyone to run out there and get a ladies driver. (^_^) but you get my point.

The spikes can actually be aligned in three different orientations. I guess depending on the position they are in the shoe will affect footwork.

The best selling shoe in Japan for the last two years has finally been updated! Read about it on the blog and see how it has improved! http://www.golftoimpress.com

I think I had also mentioned you "could" play the X for the Qudara for control (we were talking about the heavier and stiffer 75 too) but the SX would provide more distance. For the other shafts I did recommend X because they have no SX flex and S would indeed be to soft. Your 115 is probably on the higher end of the SX flex for the Fire Express 75, but it would work provided you are not too aggressive with it. If you plan on going after the ball then the X is better even for the Quadra. One other thing to keep in mind is that you want to play the club at 44" and the SX will play stiffer than it is intended to at that length. One thing I did not note above is that of all the high end shafts the lowest spinning which I 'm sure everyone wants to know was the 9003 series followed interestingly by the Griffin 53.

Typically the 7" clamp can make CPM's higher anywhere from 10-15cpm but there are many variables that affect this. Two clubs on two different machines with the same clamp can even come out with a 10 cpm difference which is why CPM's are hard to go by. Other variables are of course head used/head weight, finished length and even grip model will affect CPM. According to my fitting chafts, the Quarda Fire Express 65 Stiff at 45" with a 200g Nickent 4DX Revolver 9* head and Golf Pride Tour Velvet weighing 51.5g CPM's out in Japan at around 262. Based on the charts I have, I am guessing around a 10-12 cpm difference for US measurements (I'm guessing this based on 150 shafts I have data for and some of which I actually CPMed in Canada to compare) So 252cpm for the Stiff 65 which after cut weight is 62.8g. Just a note as well, back spin on that combo was measured at 2405rpm and a launch angle of 14.4*, apex of 29.0 yards and total distance of 265.5 yards. For comparison, Crazy Longest Yard 01 Stiff CPM's in Japan at 277 cpm with the same head and grip at 45" on the same machine (I'm guessing 262-265 US CPM) and this is for a 50g range shaft producing 2485rpm of back spin and total distance of 265.8 yards. In my data, the Fire Express 65 and the LY-01 are the longest shafts. This is a small sampling so I do not have data for every flex ie SX and X... but it gives an idea.

The Iomics, especially the Opus 2 and sticky light are a touch harder than the Nowons because of their thinner walls. I've mostly stuck with the stickys as they are most like Nowon. Though I am about to regrip with that Masda grip.

If you are using Ping Aqua grips which are 1/64" smaller than standard, the Opus 2 with 1.8mm wall should be very close to equivalent. One wrap should do the trick. Use water based or solvent depending on the grip tape your club fitter uses.

The 322 is the harder of the two 3 series balls and you would actually feel the super ball effect more with the softer 352s. The hardness of the 322s also adds to the durability.

That is correct, if you want the flatter lie go for the weak 3 wood, if you want more upright the strong 5 wood.

All Japanese balls are of course USGA conforming and are used on the Japanese tour. I used both original and new version. The new V10 was better for distance than the original as they changed the dimples to wider web style dimples similar to the Brill. The Mizuno's are a pretty good ball but I found them to be as bit less durable than I would have liked. The 352s I liked a lot and as I have noted before, even though it is for swing speeds 105mph or less.. 7 our of 10 of Team Japan's long drivers use the 352s which must mean something.

After many requests from customers to get Kamui's fairway wood in the pro shop, so we thought we would get a few heads in to check out. Yesterday I received a custom 3 and 5 wood from Kamui and they are indeed a simple and clean design with a very traditional shape and mid height or semi shallow face depending on how you look at it. The Kamui FW is hand made to spec just like the Kamui drivers that TSG carries. Each Kamui Fairway Wood is made from soft SUS630 for the body and a FORGED high maraging face. Maraging steel is stronger than SUS630 so can be made thinner providing soft feel and POP off the face at impact. The heads are considered mid to smaller sized heads with a pear shape. As always Kamui's are hand made made to exact specs. Keep in mind also that while I list adjustment guidelines here, it is NOT uncommon for Kamui to be able to adjust even more beyond these guidelines. 3W Loft 15* plus/minus 1* Lie is 59* plus/minus 1* (or more) Face Angle 2* closed to 1* open (but like the driver 2* is probably doable) Weight is 207g and can be increased up to 217g 5W 18* plus/minus 1* Lie is 60* plus/minus 1* (or more) Face Angle 2* closed to 1* open (but like the driver 2* is probably doable) Weight is 214g and can be increased up to 223g 7W 21* plus/minus 1* Lie is 61* plus/minus 1*(or more) Face Angle 2* closed to 1* open (but like the driver 2* is probably doable) Weight is 223g and and can be increased up to 232g Like the Kamui drivers the Kamui fairway wood can be purchased as head only or custom built with any of the best shafts Japan has to offer. The Kamui FW will be in the shop this weekend with a head only price of 299.00. If you need help with specs or need recommendations or a custom quote, as always feel free to contact me. Lots of pics on the blog! http://www.golftoimpress.com

Kanetani Pro is reviewing both the D201 and V201 for GDO in those videos. I also posted a video on the blog a few months ago. Yamaha drivers always sound and feel great. Tour Model review: http://www.golftoimpress.com/2009/12/yamah...201-tour-model/ Yamaha official promo video: http://www.golftoimpress.com/2009/11/yamah...deo-of-the-day/ You can hear all the sounds here for all their clubs

I was okay with the V10, a nice all around ball that did lots of things well but not one thing outstanding. I played a case and moved on. I prefer their X-01 Balls... even though they are not meant to be distance balls compared to the V10 they gave me better distance and spin around the greens. The TR Spin is a very good ball but its just been replaced by the new TR Spin S9 which I have yet to try. I will though. I still keep a case or two of Hi-Brid BB Soft around as they are very comparable to the V10 with all around performance albeit 2 piece so half the price.

We all have a club that we seem to place above all others and feel like we can always rely on. For me in the past few months it has been my PRGR EGG Spoon. I love to hit it and try to used it as often as I can when playing sometimes even replacing my driver off the tee as I am more consistent with it. I have grown to like the sound and feel but most of all the performance makes it my go to club and current FAV. What club in your bag is giving you the most joy right now? How about the most pain? (for me its any driver right now as I am struggling with control... EGG Driver calling my name)

Both Spoons are definitely made for distance. TMfreak that is a good point. I will definitely compare when I get the Yamaha.