gocchin

Most Japanese offerings coming out this year probably will. The rules change left many JDM brands scrambling. The Vokey CC are the first wedges to have the grooves. Most likely the rest will follow like the MT28 V5 and so on. Not sure about Geotech but will ask them.

Yamaha has always made amazing drivers. I am a big fan of the feel and pop they produce at impact. Being Endo made they are pure quality. Your order sure took a long time to clear customs but I'm glad you finally got it. It's been a long time since I gamed a Yamaha but am considering the D201. The face seems more shallow than Yamaha's of the past.

John, The focus of the EGG driver is really for those who have trouble keeping the ball straight and in the fairway of the tee. It's shorter length provides control and allows more striking consistency. It of course has a larger sweet spot than the Spoon and is meant to generate more ball speeds due to the larger head and deeper CG. It will also spin less than the Spoon as most drivers do compared to fairway woods. Come to think of it the 13* Spoon is good off the tee as well but since it is teed lower than the driver it actually produces a lower trajectory with more run. With a driver and the ball teed up, typically the driver strikes the ball on an upswing launching the ball at a higher angle for more carry. Both will work off the tee, I guess in the end its what you are comfortable with. Many of us Spoon owners find that the Spoon is not much shorter in distance than our actual driver.

Jack, glad you got them. They sure are a good looking iron. As with previous tour models, and as bogeydog said, the feel of the Tour Models is typically soft but crisp and its exactly for the reason of giving feedback. They do launch lower because of the lofts as well as a slightly higher CG on this model. Changing the shaft out will very likely change the feel (not a fan of DG S200 when it comes to feel). Let us know what you do and how it turns out.

You know there are a lot of SuperTri so called Tour and Prototype heads floating around even here in Japan. I spoke to the Taylormade Japan rep to find out where the heck these guys get all these heads. The TM Rep told me that they cannot confirm authenticity of any of those heads floating around even in Japan. In other words he can't say that they are real NOR can he say that they are not real. He said the source for most of these heads coming into Japan are from grey market Chinese distributors who have access to TM goods in China. They are NOT from TM Japan. I had approached the TM Rep because I would love for TSG to carry all these kinds of heads too because believe me, a lot of the emails I get are always can I buy this or that head only. But if we can't get it from a legitimate source we won't get it at all. So these guys selling the so called "Japan Model", it is very possible they come through Japan as heads are floating around here but who knows where the original source is. TM Japan has not even made an official announcement yet on the release of the SuperTri here so I don't even know what the specs are or materials are officially for the JDM model if there is in fact any difference... The only info we have is on the USDM version. Will we see a SuperTri MAX? Anything TM does these days doesn't surprise me. (^_^)

The lower the number the softer the metal.

I've hit both. I am about to post a review of the XXIO on the blog in the next few days. Both have good feel but have different face materials, the XXIO with its usual TIX face and Callaway going with high grade Ti. Both lines, the XXIO and Legacy have been know for very very good feel. Distance wise, in the past two years of the D1 Golf Digest Contest, the XXIO and the Legacy Aero have both won once, the most recent being the Legacy Aero. The XXIO is aimed more at the mid to higher handicapper while the Callaway Tour is aimed at the better player/low handicapper. They have very different target audiences. The Tour is lower launching and focused on workability while the XXIO is a distance driver made for high launch and carry. Callaway's newer 2010 driver has two models, the L model which is aimed at the mid capper wanting forgiveness and the S which is for the better player/lower handicapper. The New L is a good comparison to the XXIO but the S has a different target audience like the Tour.

According to RC's specs it is indeed 440cc. I highly doubt they would make a sub 400cc driver for the mid to higher handicapper. The closed face will help square the club for those who battle thew right side and whose club head lags behind at impact. It is weighted along with the closed face to produce a draw.

From the golftoimpress blog: http://www.golftoimpress.com Mizuno has long been a competitor in the average golfer market with their JPX line. They have just announced the release of their new JPX AD line for 2010 which will be released right before the Golf Fair here in Japan. The last two generations of JPX clubs, including the A25 series and E600 series have seen a less than enthusiastic reaction from consumers in my opinion. Because of this, Mizuno has overahauled the look of their JPX line and gone with a new approach. This approach is that a longer club will equal more distance. The new JPX AD Driver is 46.5" long, the 3 wood is 43.5" long and the 20* utility is 42" long. Those who follow my opinion on the blog know that I agree that a longer club adds distance BUT only if the player can square up that longer club at impact. I have said it many times, a longer club is simply harder to hit consistently. Mizuno notes that for every extra inch in length there is an increase in swing speed of 1m/s. I am unsure as to what to think of Mizuno's new JPX stategy especially as an average golfer who can hit a 44" driver staighter and further than a 46.5" driver on a consistent basis. And golf is all about consistency right? I'd rather swing 40m/s and hit it dead center and flush then 42.5m/s and hit a glancing blow off the toe. However, Mizuno of course makes awesome clubs and is perhaps Japan's most well known golf brand outside of Japan and for good reason. So I will give them the benefit of the doubt until I test the clubs myself. At a recent test session, Mizuno had 134 average golfers test the new driver and 85 of them or 63.4% of them all saw an obvious increase in distance. Sounds promising especially if you are one of those players who have no problems squaring longer clubs and are looking for more distance. The new JPX AD line will step back to the old JPX E310 series colors and feature a gold and black theme. The E310 series was a very solid line and if the JPX AD can perform up to its standards we have something exciting to look foward to. Once I get a chance to test the new line you'll surely hear from me on the blog.

We've got some live pics of the new Tour Forged over on the blog. At address they look to have minimal offset and a nice thin top line as the players CB it supposed to be! http://www.golftoimpress.com/

The weights are actually NOT adjustable. Very good driver. RC is know for making solid all around drivers though they get far more recognition for their FW's. The Star FD FW is one of the easiest Fairway Woods you can get but they are discontinued... (we may be able to get some at discount). I used to game one and it was unbelievably easy to hit and a rocket launcher. This driver is 440cc if I am not mistaken. The 11.5* has a close face of around 1*. Should provide solid feel and good distance.

D, I'm glad to hear you have them shafted up and ready to go. They look awesome. Thanks for the comparo pics with the X-Forged. The dark finish of the TM irons is superb, the best looking cast iron from TM in my opinion. T

B, it is always great to see posts like these. Thanks for the efforts as it really helps people get a visual idea of these irons.

At your swing speed and handicap, without a doubt you will be looking at all the athlete models. The shaft choices will be the key as most stock shafts ie the ONOFF Plus FW will not handle your swing. Both the Kamui and 703 are very good choices and you cannot go wrong with either head. The Kamui will allow for far more shaft choices as well as real lofts and face angles. The 703 does come with upgrade shafts that could work in X flex as well. For a FW, many players have gone for the PRGE EGG, it's a beast and for many comes close to their drivers. You can get a 17* custom made by PRGR with heavier shaft from Diamana, Fuji or GD. Blader-X has similar speeds to you and he is also using the EGG. For a utility, if you want to stick to a 3-PW set how about a driving iron to replace the 3? Irons, there are so many to choose from and it really depends on what you are looking for.

If you really want to go JDM, the rapture V2 J are very very good and supposedly an improvement on the original J's with an even higher launch, wider sole and more forgiveness. Jack is right though, at a 30+ handicap, its best to concentrate on improving your swing and then investing in a good set of irons like the aF-701 which can help bring your score down to 20 or less and help you enjoy the game.

It really depends on the model. Both brands are know for smooth feel, great quality shafts. Shimada came out with some newer heavier "Tour" branded shafts that are supposed to launch lower but their lighter sub 100g range shafts have similar trajectories to Nippon's under 100g shafts. Nippon has lower launching models in their heavier low torque Super Peening line as well.

I guess I have probably used the most JDM balls of anyone: Titleist Original GranZ GranZ Premium Sri Sports XXIO XD XXIO Super XD XXIO DC Hi-Brid BB Soft Mizuno S201 D201 352S 322S 401 Cross Eight Bridgestone X-01 R4 X-01 S3 X-01 B+ X-01 G+ Original V10 New V10 Newing Brill Altus Newing Kasco Kira Soft Distance Kira Silicone Purple Kira Silicone Mild Callaway Hyper ERC Legacy Legacy Aero Taylormade Burner EX XR LDP PRGR TR Spin TR Distance Premium Red Distance Spec There are a lot of amazing balls out here and many are different in feel, peformance and spin. A lot depends on what you want from a ball. No US ball has similar designs to the Mizuno ball which uses the Cross ribbed core and really does act like a super ball. 7 or 8 out of 10 of the top long drivers in Japan actually use the Mizuno 352s even though it is a softer ball aimed at mid range swing speeds. I am currently gaming the Brill. Amazing all around ball. Wicked distance but still very good spin around the greens and very good feel off all clubs.

All Japanese models these days from top brands are definitely conforming. This driver is being used on tour all over Asia so I'm pretty sure it is and it is listed as conforming by Callaway.

They are not actually game improvement persay but are along the lines of the ViQ Forged and JPX E600. TM Japan has 3 burner models now the TP, Forged and Standard Burner. TP: Pro/Athlete/Low Handicapper Forged: Mid/low Handicapper Standard: Mid/High Handicapper Is the way they lay out this line. The ViQ forged was a touch on the larger side for a forged iron. The Burner Forged probably has close offset to both the ViQ and JPX, perhaps a touch less according to 18th's numbers above and offers maybe a touch more forgiveness due to its head design. It is definitely a forgiving forged iron that really any level can play.

Great info Bat! Thanks for sharing!

Alrighty, I posted on the blog my initial impressions and a few pictures but I will take better ones when I get my set... yeah I kinda caved in after hitting them. http://www.golftoimpress.com/

The 'ilima is indeed a good shaft and fits your swing well. Too bad it was too new to make an impact on the 2009 sales.

From the GTI Blog: Lots of data are now coming in for the 2009 season when it comes to sales and trends in Japan's golf market. Today I'm going to talk about shaft trends from 2009. Overall in general, we saw the trend move away from high launch max carry type of shafts to shafts that produce a lower more penetrating launch and a focus on control and stability with the main goal being keeping the ball in the middle of the fairway. As manufacturers strive to meet the needs of consumers in the most demanding market in the world, technology and designs are ever changing. The bottom line though is results and the sales data for shafts can give a good idea of what is working for golfers who reshaft. 2009 Trends... Using data received from various club making shops around Japan, we can get an idea of some of the popular sales trends. The data comes from smaller independent club makers as well as large golf chain stores and Tourspecgolf.com's online shaft sales. Of course every shop or club maker has their favorites but the popular brands seem to always stick out. Sales data only includes wood shafts not shafts for irons. Last years data saw a very popular Graphite Design Tour AD MD Series dominate the charts which was reflective of GD's market dominance in Japan both on the Japanese Tours and in the consumer market. With only the EV Series released this year, we see a bit of a decline in GD's presence on the 2009 charts as a number of new up and comers begin to not only appear but take a large chunk of GD's market share. The Mainstays... Japan's big three, Mitsubishi Rayon, Graphite Design and Fujikura each released at least one premium shaft as a flagship product for 2009. Mitsubishi released the lightweight Bassara Griffin, Graphite Design the Tour AD EV Series, and Fujikura the Motore Speeder line. (the Diamana kai'li and Rombax F were released in fall of 2008 though they could be considered key 2009 models as well). Bassara Griffin... Mitsubishi's Bassara Griffin bucks the trends of lightweight shafts lacking stability and a penetrating launch with the G Series very much a stable light weight shaft with a low-mid launch and low spin. Pretty much no 40 and 50 gram range shafts can boast the control and launch that the the Griffin provides and this is reflected in the charts as the Griffin makes it on the top 3 for 6/18 shops which actually bests the Diamana kai'li which made it on 5/18 shops. Tour AD EV 6... Graphite Design's main release for 2008 the Tour AD MD Series made it to the top 3 on every shop we had data for (only 10 shops were used in 2008). This year's Tour AD EV series, which features a stiffer butt for control but still with a higher launch and low spin made it on the lists of 7/18 shops which is still a very repsectable showing. Interestingly the MD Series which was easily the top shaft of 2008 has pretty much dropped off the charts. Initial reviews of the 2010 Tour AD DI-6 series have been very positive so GD looks to bounce back to dominant form in 2010. Motore Speeder... The biggest disappointment might be Fujikura's Motore Speeder which only made it on 2/18 lists. The Motore Speeder was made to be a very forgiving distance shaft with good kick and control but consumer seemed to have shunned it for its softer overall feel and profile. I am currently using this shaft in my Kamui driver and while it definitely excels distance wise, it could be overpowered by aggressive swingers. Fujikura seems to have realized this by releasing a newer apparently more stout version, Motore Speeder VCX.1 series. Overall Fujikura shafts made it on 8/18 lists buoyed by the ever popular classic Rombax alphabet shafts V X Z and F. One shop, Golf Messe in Tokyo has the Rombax Bangvoo as its number one seller which surprised me considering its a 1000.00 shaft (Japan is supposed to be in a recession but it never shows when it comes to golf). The new contenders... So what stood out? I'd have to say the presence of smaller lesser known brands like Crazy, FSP and Quadra, while not a surprise, is definitely a fresh look. These smaller brands focus on high performance shafts with not only top quality designs but also top quality grade carbon. Crazy and Quadra both use 80t carbon in their top model shafts. So how does carbon grading work? Shafts are created with carbon fibers weaved together, and these fibers are measured by their modulus of elasticity in tension. Typical golf shafts are around 24t or 30t, the measurement of tensile strength. These grade shafts are more flexible and because of this the shaft is slow to regain its original shape on the downswing creating inconsistent impact where a player must rely heavily on timing due to the flexibility of the shaft. As the tensile strength increases the carbon weaves are more dense, more rigid and return more quickly to their original shape. The flex and rebound of the shaft becomes more predictable equaling more consistent shots and much tighter dispersion. The higher tensile ratings ratings in golf shafts are also related to the higher grades containing more glass and metal particles which are more rigid and lower grades containing more flexible rubber particles. Control AND Distance key... Crazy's Black 80 and Quadra's Fire Express both use 80t and Crazy's Black 50 uses 50t carbon while the Crazy Longest yard is a hybrid shaft using both 50t and 40t grade carbon all higher than typical graphite shafts. Higher grade carbon also equals higher pricing with many of these models being priced from 500.00 to 800.00 USD. With the data in the charts though, it appears that Japanese golfers are ready to spend on getting the right shaft for their clubs no matter what the cost. And getting the right shaft isn't easy, many times it can turn out to be an expensive experiment as we all know. For those players though who want to maximize performance and truly match their swing getting the right shaft can make even an average driver head perform great while the wrong shaft can make a great driver head perform average or worse. It is also true that many average golfers can get along just fine with stock shafts and cannot tell the difference between a 500.00 shaft or 100.00 shaft. But for those willing to spend the options are there. One other thing that stands out about companies like Crazy, Quadra and FSP is that their shafts pretty much put to rest the myth that Japanese shafts play soft. Crazy Black and Longest Yard as well as Quadra and FSP models all play with finished CPM's generally higher (10-15cpm more) than the mainstream brands we know. Crazy especially focuses on the harder and faster swinger and have developed a cult following in Japan for those looking for max distance AND control among the fastest swingers (Many Crazy models are available up to XXX flex). Crazy's Longest Yard shafts are mainstays on the Drakon circuit (Drakon stands for long driving contest) and their reputation for distance without losing control has filtered down to the average consumer as shown in the data above. Looking ahead to 2010... So what does this mean moving forward into 2010? In previous years, Japanese golfers were surveyed for the reasons why they wanted to reshaft and 65% had answered "to gain more distance". I believe the numbers have shifted more towards a combintion of "gaining more distance AND control". Afterall, 275 yards in the center of the fairway is better than 290 yards in the woods. It is very possible many of these smaller shaft manufacturers will continue to take market share from the big dogs, forcing companies like Graphite Design, Fujikura and Mitsubishi Rayon to design and manufacture even better shafts to compete. More competition is a good thing for the conusmer and while more awesome shafts mean harder decision making and fitting it is better than no selection of shafts at all. Here at TSG we've seen our share of sales for Crazy and Quadra but the main brands still dominate probably due to a lack of recognition for the other brands. We always want to offer the best so we plan on adding to Crazy and Quarda's offerings in our pro shop. I'm about to test the Crazy Longest Yard in my driver to see what all the fuss is about and will be adding it to the pro shop soon for those of you who have always want to try something new. As always getting the right shaft is not easy and I'm always here to help. You are welcome to send an email to me though our contact form (product recommendations and info) with as much info about your swing and the clubs and shafts you use now so that I can give you some recommendations.

I quote myself "I am supposed to write in the blog about this" meaning I have NOT written it YET. (^_^)

During my driver test session today I got my hands on the new TP albeit with Tour-AD Proto Graphite shaft in stiff flex. I had about 15 minutes with it indoors (we were using the launch monitor for the drivers). First of all, this iron is compact and has a very thin topline and very little offset. The R9 is a letdown compared to the Burner TP which very much looks the players iron the R9 (R9 TP in the US) very much wanted to be.. First off let me tell you that I am not a fan of ANY of TM's cast irons. The only irons I have given a thumbs up to are the R7 Forged and 2009 Burner Forged but let me tell you this, these are soft. When pured, they feel forged. I was very impressed. They are not the most forgiving nor are they meant to be. The Tour AD combo is very nice and very smooth and actually contributes to the soft feel. I actually went away considering bagging these though I know they are too advanced for me... okay I said to much... I am supposed to write in the blog about this... Here is one pic in the meantime... rest will be in the blog... PS. These are most likely 0.355" taper... that's at least my guess cause even though they have graphite in them the Tour AD are 0.355"