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Taken from GTI where there are more pics: We thought the ViQ had left us... Earlier this year when Tourstage announced 5 new X-Blade models in a one time release including newly designed and forgiving X-Blade GR models, many of us in the golf industry thought it signaled the end of the ViQ line. The largest segment of golfers in Japan is comprised of the "average golfer" or as players in the West call it the mid to high handicapper. The ViQ line has long been a mainstay at the top of the sales charts for the average golfer battling perennial rival XXIO. However in the last few years of ViQ models, we saw more tweaking of models rather than new innovation and the ViQ line's popularity waned a bit as companies like ONOFF, Fourteen, PRGR and of course American brands like Taylormade and Callaway ate into the ViQ's average golfer market share with new designs and awesome performing clubs. Tourstage was quiet since its most previous ViQ launch back in early 2008 but it turns out they were in fact taking the time to completey revamp the lineup with a visual, technology, and design overhaul. But it is back with a new look and purpose... So I received the new ViQ iron which looks nothing like the 2008 model. This is a very flashy iron and Tourstage boasts a lot of performance from all the new featueres it has put into this design. With the X-Blade GR C-1 and P-1 comfortably satisfying most mid handicap players in Japan, it looks to me as if the ViQ has shifted its focus toward the high handicapper head in the average golfer group. The 2010 ViQ is designed as an automatic iron for maximum forgiveness and maximum distance. I don't mind high tech looks but I find the new ViQ a bit too shiney and a bit too busy for my eye. Let's see if this high tech pays off where it really counts, feel, performance and forgiveness. Inverted co-- .... no it's Super Turbo Rubber. The 2010 ViQ utilizes several features to improve feel and forgiveness including a badge like emblem in the center of the cavity right by the sweet spot. I cannot help but be reminded of Taylormade's Inverted Cone at least visually from the outside. On the inside it is different as that badge covers Tourstage's Super Turbo Rubber which is meant to increase ball speeds at impact through its rebound characteristics and also improve feel but dampening impact. Feel is subjective and some people might like this and some might say it takes away too much feedback. For the high handicapper its probably a good thing to minimize vibrations on miss hits and create any extra ball speed. In front of the Super Turbo Ruber is a 1.85mm thick (or you could say thin) Hyper Maraging Steel face. There has been a huge shift in Japan when it comes to use of materials in average golfer irons and fairway woods from Titanium faces to Maraging steel faces. Many manufacturers are finding that Maraging steel provides great feel and performance results. Maraging steel is supposedly stronger than Ti so it can be made thinner for a more explosive impact. Makes me wonder when it will show up in a driver. Many of the top average golfer ions in Japan, including models from ONOFF and PRGR all use maraging faces now and the feel is excellent. The 2010 ViQ also feels very good or should I say feels like almost nothing when you pure the sweet spot. The Super Turbo Rubber is at work here. Automatic distance at your calling... The new ViQ places a lot of weight down low in the sole for a very low CG helped by two tungsten weights, one in the toe and one in the heel of the sole. Both these weights also have Super Turbo Rubber under them to again help enhance, or for some take away feeling. There is a an undercut cavity here which progresses higher towards the toe and towards the heel to widen the sweet spot on typical average golfer misses towards the toe and heel. Because the tungsten weights are so big the number indicating the iron is actually right in the middle of the sole. So with all the new design features and a wide sole, mid size top line and definite offset, is this an easy iron to hit? Yes it is. It sure fits the bill as an automatic iron. The low CG and strong lofts (24* 5 iron and 44* PW) provide some serious distance and is very easy to hit straight. The ViQ is not a shovel like some GI irons in the West but it is definitely larger than other mid sized irons and will give that higher handicapper enough confidence at address. It's size does make it easy to hit. Another thing that made the demo I had so forgiving is that it is shafted with a Tourstage graphite. Tourstage uses ultra light 55g mid kicking graphite which really help those slower swingers pick a a few miles per hour. The 5 iron weighs only 357g total weight. Thanks to the strong lofts the shots do not balloon but climb steadily reaching an apex and finishing with a rather soft landing especially in the short irons. It does what it supposed to do... So in conclusion, while I am not thrilled with the iron's overall look and I'm not a fan of too much offset and bigger head, the truth is, looks aside, the ViQ does what it is supposed to do. Be an easy iron to hit and give the higher handicapper the automatic performance they are looking for. Many traditionalists and better players may doubt the use of the Super Turbo Rubber (especially those who are always playing forged irons) but I think for the higher handicapper which this iron targets, the rubber works. So if you haven't been playing golf long or are stuck shooting in the 90's and 100's or simply need irons that can go very far very easily, then the 2010 ViQ is your calling. If you are an improving player who already is a decent ball striker and looking to add control to your game as you break into the 80's and lower go read the X-Blade 703 review. I've got the new ViQ Driver here as well and boy it looks.... interesting.

From GTI where there are a ton more pictures.... Our new Tourstage demos have come in and I started out by testing the new 2010 X-Blade 703 today. This premium Japan forged S25C cavity back fits right in between the X-Blade 701 series and X-Blade GR for size and target audience. The X-Blade 703 is slightly larger than the 701G making it fall between compact and mid sized cavity. It is designed to launch slightly higher than the 701G but lower than the GR C-1 Forged. So how does this iron look and feel in person? It was a beautiful day for pictures so lets find out! Good looking 1 Piece Forging... On first impression, the X-Blade 703 is a very good looking 1 piece forged CB. The head shape is a very strong looking yet a clean design. I say this even though it has CNC'ed notches and lines in the back cavity which I find unique and different. It is quite stunning in person. It definitely falls between compact and mid sized when it comes to overall dimensions in every way. The cavity is rather deep which pushes the CG lower but not too low as the toe and heel portion of the cavity have less meat. Most of the meat of the cavity is centered and this produces a nice solid but soft feel. Typical Tourstage and I can say it reminds me of the feel of the 2007 ViQ Forged except in a smaller package. Trajectory produced with this head design is an above mid trajectory. Not high like say the GR P-1 or ViQ but a controllable mid to mid-high ball flight that many better players will prefer. Sets up well at address... At address this is a well balanced iron. There is some offset but not enough to look like a some mid sized irons that have obvious goose necks. Enough offset to be forgiving enough at squaring the ball. The topline at setup is still rather thin. It was very acceptable to my eye. The X-Blade 703 frames the ball well enough to give confidence at address but its not at all large looking. This look would suit a low handicapper just fine but also be no problem for the improving mid capper. Feel AND Forgivness... Feel and forgiveness are both very subjective measures. What feels good to one player may not necessarily to the next. However I am one to believe that a forgiving designed iron can play part in enhancing the feel of an iron. We all know that a blade is considered the purest feeling iron but, if you cannot pure the sweet spot it will feel like crap. Truth is a blade or players cavity while pure feeling is not the most forgiving club so they do not give much room if you are a less then good ball stiker. A forgiving design will allow even a less than adequate ball striker a better chance at getting a pure shot away and less distance lost when they don't hit the sweet spot. The X-Blade's overall balanced design and wider forgiving sole with heel and toe relief really play a part in making the iron forgiving so that mid handicappers can reap the benefits of this soft forged 1 piece cavity by making good ball contact. I was very satisfied with how forgiving this iron is especially as a 7 series Tourstage iron. Great overall balance... When Tourstage first announced the X-Blade 703, I was unsure as to where it would fit in with the current lineup. Then the specs and pictures came out and I was surprised that they made it a solid cavity and branded it as more forgiving than the 701G with undercut cavity. Typcially irons with undercut cavities are perceived to be more forgiving than a solid 1 piece cavity. In this case however Tourstage did their R&D and the 703 is indeed more forgiving than the 701G thanks to its increased face size, offset, wider sole and forgiving sole grind. This iron was a pleasure to hit (I'm usually scared of X-Blades (^_^)) and I'm happy to say that it has enough feel and control for the low handicapper yet enough feel and performance for the improving mid handicapper. This is one balanced iron with good looks to boot.

Well that's why they are called Epon Japan Forged right? (^_^) Honestly why is it that people always ask where Epon is forged? They have a humongous Epon Factory and Forging plant sitting in Niigata Japan... it's not there just for show. (^_^) Even though their international Agent is in Taiwan I'm pretty sure most if not all of our orders ship to customers from Niigata. I know mine always have. (^_^)

They are not released until December 4th but I've asked for demos from Tourstage. I would imagine they feel similar to the ViQ Forged but with less offset and a smaller head.

Oh that's not a very good address picture. I posted some better ones on the gti blog 2 weeks ago. Here they are:. http://www.golftoimpress.com/2009/10/tours...d-viq-for-2010/

B, it took me some time to get used to the sound as well. But now I kinda like it. Especially when people turn and look and your ball is way down there... (^_^)

I've tried it briefly indoors and it feels a lot like the Spoon and is very easy to hit. I like the sound it gets at impact. I am waiting for a demo so I can test it in real conditions. The shorter shaft definitely does make a difference at squaring it up and puring it but as you've noticed Randy with the shafts you'd definitely have to get a M-43 at least. As for distance wise, on the monitor I was getting 15 yards or so more than the spoon. That is because the face and sweet spot on the driver is afterall bigger and thus able to create a larger sling shot effect.

The 502 does have a hollow body but that body is not technically hollow because it has a new alpha gel Epon developed particularly to create a softer feel and absorb vibrations. The gel is injected into the hollow cavity and that helps produce feel and a more muted sound at impact. This also overrides the so called undercut cavity which does not look like an undercut ala previous 501 model. So there is much less click with a softer feel.

The difference is the EGG Spoon BODY and FACE are Titanium which is why it is like a driver. The EGG FW is SUS630 Stainless steel. The Spoons are built for hot feel and distance while the FW is more for accuracy and solid feel.

The ERC III is conforming. All ERC's before that were not conforming so the III does meet SLE Rules.

From what I heard they won't be doing a black one at least not initially.

Hi Leonard, anytime my friend. The more you play it the more you will enjoy it. The feel is a real pleasure to hit and for me it is also longer than Epon.

Aaron they are cast but actually feel pretty good thanks to the pocket cavity. The 701G is a rather compact iron but has a pocket cavity for forgiveness. (it is smaller than the Srixon's you play) You might like lie the GR C-1 then if you still want forged or the new 703. Otherwise the P-1 is the most forgiving of all X-Blades.

Ryu-zen is officially for sale! http://www.tourspecgolf.com/Gold39s-Factor...n-Putter-1-of-1

It's too early to tell with the Yamaha since its not out yet. The 43.5" personally for me will make it hard to square up. I play my EGG at 42.5". Also the Yamaha is over 40cc larger which is good for some but maybe too big for others. However if it is as solid as other Yamaha FW's it could work awesome with the FricOff Sole.

Great feedback Randy, let us know more when you get a chance. I am also considering a 9w Egg in the bag because these are so easy to hit in any lie, even easier than some hybrids in my opinion.

As I posted on the GTI blog! Spoon to the rescue... Low lofted fairway woods don't have to be hard to hit. In Japan, most golfers don't call these fairway woods by their number ie "3 wood", they say "spoon". Hence the name EGG Spoon from PRGR. These so called spoons rival your driver in distance and are made to be silly easy to hit off the fairway or the tee. I would have to say that the EGG Spoon is my number one performing club as it saves me with a long second shot that nearly equals my driver in distance. Spoon's aren't just for average golfers though but for anyone who wants a mini driver off the grass or rough including pros like Shingo Katayama and Hideto Tanihara who both carry the EGG Spoon in their bags. Soon PRGR won't be the only one offering a hot Spoon to Japanese consumers. FricOff... no its not a swear word. Yamaha has decided to enter the Spoon picture and add the new Inpres D Power Spoon to their standard Inpres fairway wood lineup. The new 2010 Spoon shares some features of the Inpres D Fairway wood like the Fric Off sole I spoke about earlier this year in the blog, a slight hump in the leading edge of the club that is the only point to make contact with the ground at impact thus reducing friction that slows down your swing speed. 43.5" long and 208cc head?!?! The Power Spoon is made of precision 6-4 Ti all around. This thin and lightweight Ti allows for the sole to have an incredible 72g of tungsten weighting creating optimal launch and spin. The weights are purposely not placed far back in the head to keep a balanced CG and launch with lower spin. Note the 43.5" length and 208cc head size. This is no compact fairway wood nor does it pretend to be. This clubs is made to produce confidence and has one purpose in mind, DISTANCE and it is designed to perform. At address it looks nearly like a 350cc driver as the head is long from face to back and features a rather shallow face. The Spoon is made in Japan and is only available in one loft 15* and has a slightly closed 0.5* face angle. It features the new multi kickpoint Orbit shaft that really squares the face to the ball at impact. This is a mid kicking shaft and also rather lightweight which makes the entire club feel like a little driver at just under 310g. Interestingly the lie is rather flat which may appeal to some better golfers who are always looking for flatter lie FW's. The Power Spoon has a lie of 57.5* which is even flatter than the pro model Inpres V FW. The new Power Spoon will launch literally on December 5th and TSG should have the pre orders for this club soon. We hope to also get our demos in for some testing and real live pics!

What do you mean by too light? The Swing Weight?

You'll have to go with Fourteen because the 6150TG is discontinued... barely any lofts left.

The Motore F1 in Japan is also considered the stiffer control shaft made for the hard hitter, faster swinger. The JDM model "might be percieved" as softer because if I am not mistaken it has higher torque numbers which translate into more feel in the shaft. This seems to be the case for many of Fuji's shafts that are both US and Japan models. The JDM models follow a trend where there is more torque to move away from a boardier feel.

B, if your main concern is forgiveness which from our discussions I think it is, you would indeed miss the AF-701's. The 502 have less offset and are a smaller head with smaller sweet spot. If you want to stick with forged, the AF-701 is one of the most forgiving sets out there.

Technica Pro, Type J, AF-301 = Same iron, rebadged for global release idrive is right that the AF-Tour could be perceived as harder because the sweet spot is simply smaller and harder to pure.

Fourteen is now forged in China. But of very high quality. I am a fan of Fourteen wedges and they are amongst the best and most popular in Japan regardless of where they are forged. As a matter of a fact I think I will be switching to Fourteen to replace my milled RC 6150TG wedges.

Lots of clubs in to test these days. Got the Z-TX line in and surprisingly I can hit them! Here is the driver mini review, tons of pics at the blog http://www.golftoimpress.com Z-TX Clubs in the house I received a box full of Srixon clubs for testing recently including the all new Z-TX Driver, Fairway Wood, Irons and new Srixon Hybrid. I'll start off today with the Z-TX driver which as you know Tourspecgolfer has already reviewed himself. Usually I would NOT be reviewing a driver or clubs from Srixon, especially anything from their "Z" lines as in the past they were aimed at the Athlete golfer (low handicapper) and pro player. However, the Z-TX line peaked my interest as Srixon completely redesigned the driver from the ground up with input from Srixon Pros Jim Furyk and Tommy Nakajima on head shape, face design and feel and even the sound of the driver. Also it seems the trend these days even for athlete model clubs is an emphasis on forgiveness. So how forgiving are the Z-TX? Super-TIX 51AF comes calling Another feature of the new Z-TX driver that caught my attention is their decision to move away from the cold rolled Ti-9 face to the very hot and softer feeling Super-TIX®51AF found only in XXIO drivers. This is a special mix Titanium that was developed by Srixon for XXIO and used in the best selling XXIO drivers in the last few generations. The Super-TIX®51AF produces amazing feel and spring like action unlike previous Srixon faces which were more solid and had a firmer feel geared towards harder swinging professionals. So how does the Z-TX feel and can a slower swinger like myself benefit from a Srixon driver now that it uses Super-TIX®51AF? Good looking head It was a beautiful day for taking pictures and I must say the driver is a looker. It may not appeal to those who prefer a clean looking basic sole but those who like high tech strong looking clubs, the Z-TX looks like it is ready to transform and challenge Optimus Prime. It's indented twin cam sole features a weighting system to increase MOI and help bring CG further back in the head for a low spin and piercing trajectory. The head features 11g of weight placed at the toe and heel to achieve an optimal launch. At address the head is slightly larger than the ZR-800 and ZR-30 but still retains a pear like shape. Jim Furyk actually took part in the head design and this is a size and shape he felt comfortable with. It gives confidence at address but is not overly large like an MOI driver (which this is not) The Z-TX features a square face angle and neutral balance for a workable ball. Forgiveness comes from the new Super-TIX®51AF face with 6% larger sweet spot than the ZR-800 and an overall shallower face. Srixon still chose to use the 6 split bulge and roll design but with the new face material was able to make the areas surrounding the sweet spot thinner while the larger center area retained a 3.4mm thickness for feel. I guess you could say it kind of resembles the old starburst design we saw on the last generation of ZR drivers. Low Torque stock shaft The Z-TX is available with two stock shafts, the SV-3020J in T-55 (55g) and T-65 (65g). I received a T-55 in regular flex. The stock shafts are lower torque that what you would usually find in a JDM driver with OEM shaft. This T-55 has 3.8* of torque which is low for regular flex in Japan. I am used to playing higher torque shafts which result in more feel but I was glad to see that at 3.8* the shaft does not feel boardy and still has good feel to it. The 10.5* I had with mid kick T-55 shaft gave a mid to high trajectory with roll out. So to answer my questions above, can a slower swinger and mid capper hit the Z-TX and how does it perform and feel? Firstly it feels very good. Sometimes athlete spec drivers can feel harsh for the slower swinger/average golfer because manufacturers design the sweet area to be thicker to handle the faster and more aggressive swings of better players. The Z-TX felt very good to me and having come from hitting Srixon and XXIO drivers before, I would say the feel is close to the latter albeit with the thicker sweet spot muting the feel and sound a touch over the XXIO. Yes its forgiving Forgiveness wise this is where the Z-TX surprised. The shallower face allowed me to catch the sweet spot more consistently and I did not lose much distance on of center hits. The thinner outer walls of the driver face do seem to contribute to an equal slingshot effect around quite a large area of the center of the face. I dare to say this has forgiveness on a similar level as my 2007 TaylorMade Burner driver which I still keep around (I have to say that is one USDM driver I can't miss with). Distance wise I was right around where I usually am with the longest drivers I have hit including the Kamui and Epon EMB. There are still aspects of this driver aimed at the better player such as the lie of the Z-TX which is a flatter 57.5* where as many average golfer models are now 60* or more to compensate for the natural flattening out of the shaft on the down swing. I will not brag that I can hit draws and fades at will, its more like I hit them accidentily so I cannot give my honest feedback on control but with the neutral face and bias this driver should be workable especially shafted with a good control shaft like the Motore F1 or Kai'li. Thumbs up Overall the Z-TX is very good looking, feels pretty good and is rather forgiving. It's a fun club to hit and that's what we all look for afterall, something fun that stays in the fairway (albeit with a slight fade for me). Thumbs up for the Z-TX driver quality wise and performance wise for the mid capper or better. I'll post a Mini review on the fairway wood tomorrow.

I have all the info and pictures and specs. Just waiting to put them up on the blog first. 4 new models and they look very very good.