gocchin

Via Golftoimpress.com Since Sri Sports bought Cleveland Golf last year, we continue to see some of the changes in Srixon's strategy. From heavily promoting Cleveland Golf in Japan to having Cleveland players switch to Srixon balls, Sri Sports has slowly been meshing the product offerings of Srixon and Cleveland. It has become evident this year, that Srixon, who has always made a great forged wedge, has shifted its focus to Cleveland as the wedge of choice. Almost all Srixon pros in Japan have made the move to Forged Cleveland wedges that are only available in the Japan market. They have decided to leverage Cleveland's long standing reputation as the No.1 wedge in golf to its advantage. The two Japanese forged releases are beautiful wedges, both aimed at the better player. The 588 Tour Action wedge is forged in Japan from soft carbon steel and features Cleveland Golf's patented Zip Grooves, the 588TA has a a slightly rounded leading edge and teardrop head shape with a straight neck. The CG-F1 wedge is also forged in Japan from soft carbon steel and also has Cleveland Golf's patented Zip Grooves. The CG-F1 has a straight leading edge and round head shape with a taller heel and straight neck. Both have great feel made for spin control and are versatile and easily opened up. Both the 588TA and CG-F1 wedge features consistent milling of each groove to maximum conforming dimensions. The absolute integrity of these grooves is maintained by the application of a proprietary coating to each groove for protection during the face sandblasting process. The resulting ZIP Grooves are Cleveland's biggest and most precisely milled ever. You can get both these wedges in the TSG Pro Shop here.

Thanks C for posting that for me as I forgot to. (^_^) Bjorn, the Diamana will play similar with low spin and tight dispersion. The full boron is higher quality than what is used in the Ozik which equals very predictable unloading and no worries about timing. Just let her rip and she should perform.

via golftoimpress.com Back in February, Mamiya OP announced the merging of its subsidiary United Sports Technologies (UST) along with its own sports division to form UST Mamiya. UST has long been well known in the West for models like the Proforce and Accra label while Mamiya OP has challenged the big shaft makers in Japan with their Axiv brand. The new UST Mamiya will focus on the high end market by providing premium performance high quality carbon fiber golf shafts. UST Mamiya will leverage Japanese materials, designs and manfacturing technologies combined with US experience on the pro tour to create shafts that meet the demanding requirements of golfers all around the world. Before I talk about the new UST Mamiya shaft ATTAS and its availability here at Tourspecgolf.com, check out this video from UST Mamiya where Gene Simpson, Chief Operating Officer explains the merger and focus of the new UST Mamiya plus a brief intro for ATTAS. (please see video on http://www.golftoimpress.com/) We first saw ATTAS back at the Japan Golf Fair back in February and it was clear from the booth that UST Mamiya had that ATTAS is and will be their future focus. There were no other shafts present at the booth including those from Proforce and Axiv with the sole spotlight on the ATTAS. ATTAS is the first shaft using the UST Mamiya Japanese design team and input from US and European Tour pros. ATTAS will demand a market price higher than what UST customers may be used to but inline with premium shafts priced by Mamiya OP in their Axiv line. What makes ATTAS stand out from the crowded and competitive high end shaft market? UST Mamiya claims the most explosive power to weight ratio in golf. UST Mamiya achieves this by using high grade, ultra thin modulus graphite hand crafted under very tight quality control measures to produce a shaft that stores maximum energy to be released at impact. UST Mamiya has created three mid kicking models and based on the targeted golfer of each model the perfect weight, balance and staight shaft produces optimal results for that player. Because of its balance and weight matched with just the right amount of torque, the ATTAS produces superior feel and kick on top of accuracy and control. ATTAS is set for a worldwide launch on September 10th but Japan will receive a special batch of 900 limited shafts each marked UST MAMIYA FIRST SHIPMENT on July 30th. UST Mamiya has already allocated a few shafts for Tourspecgolf so make sure you reserve yours now as those 900 shafts for Japan will be gone in the first few days. Check out the Tourspecgolf Pro Shop for more details!

via golftoimpress.com Golfers have asked and now they receive! To follow in the foot steps of Tourspecgolfer and continue all the great news from TM, Taylormade Japan today announced the availability of several high end Japanese Market shafts with FCT Sleeve from Taylormade Japan. So for those with no access to aftermarket or loose FCT Sleeves or just want to keep their warranty intact, you can now buy top shafts from Diamana, Graphite Design and Fujikura with two different FCT sleeve options. As you all know FCT or Flight Control Technology fits with Taylormade's R9 series including the Japan R9 Max allowing you to change the loft, face angle and lie angle. These shafts are interchangeable with all R9 heads, Japan or US models and can be ordered from Taylormade with custom length and grip (seven TM grip options). Length Options For drivers Taylormade Japan lets you choose a shaft that will give you a finished club length of anywhere between 44.5" and 46.75". For fairway woods, 41.75" to 43" in length. Choice of Sleeve Two different FCT Sleeves are available. The standard R9 sleeve that gives loft adjustments of 1* either way and face angle by 2* either way or the R9 Max Sleeve which gives loft adjustments of 1.5* either way or face angle of 3* either way. All the FCT Shafts will be available in the TSG pro shop by the end of the week! Here is a list of the available shafts. Steel shafts are also available like Nippon NS Pro and Project X for R9 Rescues.

via golftoimpress.com I got the chance to briefly test out the new TC-770 Forged and now I see why they sold out so fast... The Hottest Iron of 2009? Fourteen Golf has long been known for super soft irons that have beautiful lines and simply perform. The original TC-770 Forged released back in 2006 was one of the best selling irons and a favorite of lower handicap athlete golfers. In 2008 Fourteen released the TC-550 Forged as well as the TC-1000 Forged which were also among the best selling irons of the year while the TC-770 Forged fit right in between the two models target audience wise. Alas the original TC-770 Forged ended its model run early last year to the dismay of many golfers who preferred the 770 over both the 550 and 1000 models. Fourteen has heeded the Japanese golfers demands by releasing the New TC-770 Forged for 2009. Very Clean Design... Initial visual impressions are that the New TC-770 look very similar to previous TC Forged models. The cavity has the Fourteen logo and the word forged and the TC-770 model number on the toe towards the sole. This is one clean looking iron and will be very attractive to those who prefer the minimalist look. The iron is finished in a nickel chrome satin which gives it some shine but not enough to be distracting. This is not noticeable at address at all. The New TC-770 is forged from very soft S25C and maintains many of the strong qualities of its previous generation. The smaller head with minimal offset are very appealing for its intended player group, the athlete/scratch golfer. Fourteen has also decided to keep the standard 5 iron length for steel at 38.00" which is more inline with US specs as Japanese irons tend to be around a 37.75" 5 iron. Lofts are more towards players lofts with a 26* 5 iron unlike many sets today in Japan which have stronger lofts and 5 irons around 24* for a focus on distance. Impact Like Butter Make no mistake the TC-770 Forged focuses on feel and control. While the head is not tiny like a blade it is small enough that it is not distracting and yet has enough size to provide some sense of confidence and forgiveness. Setting up the club at address is almost blade like as you can see from the pictures of the 5 iron on the right. There is very little offset on these irons. Fourteen boasts an MOI of 2282gcm2 which is reasonably forgiving but in order to get full satisfaction from these irons its best to be a good ball striker. Perfect strikes are rewarded with a smooth buttery feel. If you miss the so called "hitting point" as Fourteen calls it you will feel it, though distance loss is minimal especially towards the heel. For some this may be a good thing as many better players want feedback from their irons. They don't want an iron that feels the same no matter where on the face you hit it as that doesn't tell the player anything about the shot they just hit. Paired with the NS Pro 950GH, the TC-770 Forged is very smooth and produces a high and controllable trajectory with no ballooning. This allows you to attack the pin knowing you will not overshoot your target. I forgot to mention that the grooves on the TC-770 Forged do comply with the new USGA Groove Rules for 2010 however I could not tell any difference feel or spin wise versus the old TC-550 forged I had previously with U grooves. The new grooves do not seem to sacrifice feel or spin at all on the New TC-770 Forged as balls still dropped and stuck close to the intended target. Consistency brings... consistency The New TC-770 has a very consistent feel across the entire set. Consistent swings provide consistent performance. This is an iron that will excel with good iron players or force you to become a good iron player by training with the TC-770 Forged and that is a good thing as players are always looking for irons to bring their game to the next level. Another way to judge the quality of an iron in Japan is its popularity. The New TC-770 Forged sold out within weeks of its release in Japan. It took over the number one spot for iron sales on Golf Digest Online in June and apparently Fourteen is back on track with getting sets back in stock. Customers have raved about this new iron and its feel and performance. You can find the New TC-770 Forged here at TSG. Just check with us first to be sure we have stock!

B, the ONOFF Red can go as flat as 58* and the ONOFF Plus can go as flat as 56* from the tour van. They've been added to the pro shop.

I see what you mean. (^_^) Yes the Hyper X borrowed the hyperbolic face from the Hyper ERC and then was manufactured in China if I am not mistaken while the ERC and Legacy are made in Japan. At 348.00 the Legacy is a steal. I am already checking if we can get discounted prices as it is being cleared in Japan too.

No way is it a rebadged FT-5, the FT-5 is nothing like the Legacy which was designed by a completely different design team (Japan) and made in Japan unlike the FT-5 which is not. It features many design points like the power weighting and hyperbolic face that if I am not mistaken the FT-5 does not. The materials are different as is the feel. The Legacy feels like Epon (hint hint).

Golf Town in Canada has always dabbed a bit in JDM. That is the real Legacy at a very good price. I think Duffer19 here on the forum bought 2.

via golftoimpress.com READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE WITH RESULTS We all know that playing in the rain is tough. Besides getting wet and clubs getting harder to grip, the wet conditions affect the peformance of both your golf club clubs and balls. What exactly does rain do to your performance? Golf Today and PRGR ran a very interesting test on club and ball performance in dry conditions vs wet conditions. Golf to Impress is glad to be able to present the results for your reading pleasure. The test was done indoors to maintain consistency and take wind out of the equation. Because of this, results reflect how wet conditions affect clubs and ball performance and do not take into account a player or the hands and grips getting wet or as I said before wind. If those variables were taken into account, results would be far to erratic and inconsistent so they were factored out. The test used PRGR's Science Fit Launch Monitor, a very advanced swing and ball flight analysis system that PRGR uses for all its fittings and club testing. The system tracks not only ball data but also the complete swing of the player hitting the ball is captured and analyzed by Science Fit which is able to measure acceleration through the entire swing. In this test however only the ball data was looked at and not the swing. The tester was Accordia Golf's Tojima Pro who has a head speed around 108mph. The equipment used in the test were the following: PRGR GN502 Tour driver with 9* loft PRGR Egg FW #5 18* PRGR TR Spin Ball (Urethane Cover) PRGR Premium Red Ball (Ionoma Cover) Grind Studio Prototype 58* Wedge with grooves Grind Studio Prototype 58* Wedge with NO grooves... yes I said NO grooves For wet testing, a spray bottle was used before the swing to wet both the club and ball with water. This simulated the wet conditions of light rain on the ball at impact. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE WITH RESULTS

Premium TM driver with lots of feel and focus on distance. The XR line has always been the mid capper performance line. I have been thinking of testing one out now that it has FCT. It is very lightweight compared to the R9's. Even with the FCT Sleeve its still around 280g if I'm not mistaken.

Hmm good question. I will ask them. I should have known you'd ask that (^_^)

Actually that is another set and may actually be the first hybrid forged iron. It had a forged body but asrolled face.

via golftoimpress.com Tourspecgolf - Golf to Impress is proud to announce the availabilty of tour drivers from ONOFF Golf's Pro Division. These drivers are built to spec by ONOFF's top tour craftsmen from the Pro Division tour support team. We received a brand new driver today from the tour van, an ONOFF Red with 1* open face, Roddio's new Tricross W-5EX shaft built to 46.5" at D6 with a weight of 310g and finished 254CPM! (this driver is for sale) As many of you may know, Shingo Katayama plays this exact same driver and shaft (his is prototype Tri-cross with a stiffer CPM) with very similar specs overall. So now fans of ONOFF can purchase these custom built drivers through TSG with any Roddio shaft, custom lengths and face angles and built to flex. Katayama chose this driver because it is very forgiving. The retail model is actually considered the average golfer model with a closed face but you can get the more forgiving version off the tour with an open face now. The athlete model ONOFF Plus driver is also available as well as ONOFF Plus Forged irons. One of the things that impressed me right off the bat was how stout this club felt in my hands even though it was using a mid torque lightweight 58g shaft and at 46.5". Installing Roddio's are not easy and if done incorrectly the feel and performance can be ruined. Get one from ONOFF Pro Division and you're guaranteed a hand picked head and perfect install with Roddio!

Hi Nat, These could all fit the average golfer. The Yamaha and Tourstage are more traditionally shaped. The EMB and Revo are high MOI big head shape with very shallow faces, especially the Revo. The PRGR is right in between. All these drivers have 0.5* or more closed faces so will helo the slicer. The PRGR has the largest gravity angle which helps the head rotate the fastest to square at impact, a big design plus for slicers. Getting the right shaft will be a very big part of performance and will also affect the spin. All these drivers could work. It will also come down to what you like visually and feel wise.

Yes you're absolutely right samuee, the GR Black uses a SUP10 spring steel face.

R the clubs I was testing were demos and not my own. I am waiting for my driver and Griffin now but I suspect the R will be around 230-235.

Via Golftoimpress.com Golf relies heavily on design and technology and exotic materials to push the envelope of performance. In recent years, many new high tech muti piece forgings have shunned traditionalists and their methods of forging the basic forged iron. Cutting edge manufacturers like Epon, XXIO, and most recently PRGR have spent lots of time and research on developing these new breeds or even hybrids of forging designs, moving away from the forged iron from a single billet of S20C or S25C steel. Why have manufacturers decided to do this and what does it mean for the average golfer? The largest golfing group in Japan is classifed as the "average golfer" or what they call in the West, the "recreational golfer or weekend golfer". This group of golfers probably makes up close to 80% of all the golfers in Japan so it is no surprise that many manufacturers gear many of their designs towards this customer group. The Japanese market is a very picky one and the Japanese only demand the best, and they are all willing to pay for it. People always ask me, "Why are clubs much higher priced in Japan?" The fact is, pricing is dictated by the market and what the consumer is willing to pay for. Manufacturers set those prices based on numerous factors including, design, manufacturing process, materials and market demand. While a $750.00 driver is the very high end in the West, in Japan it is pretty much the norm. What this equals is conceivably a Japanese golfer who spends 3-4 times the amount of money on equipment as compared to a golfer in the US. They are willing to pay but in return they demand the best in design, materials and performance. Just like buying top notch and latest electronics in Akihabara Electric town, golf gear from Japan is expected to be cutting edge, premium quality and produce top notch results. Okay to get back on track here, irons is what we are talking about, Japanese manafacturers know that even the average golfer understands feel and quality when it comes to his golf clubs. Its all about the complete package when it comes to irons for the average golfer, not Game Improvement which is a term rarely used in Japan, but the complete performance package meaning, design, feel and performance. XXIO from Sri Sports, Epon Forged, and PRGR have decided that the traditional forged one piece iron, while definitely providing great feel didn't necessarily meet the needs of the average golfer. These manufacturers went back to the drawing board and decided that they would create forged irons based on high tech designs and processes even if it meant using other materials besides soft carbon steel and even if it mean the iron itself would become more than one piece. Epon was one of the first to do it by releasing its AF-701 forged iron, a mid sized ultra performance cavity back iron that has not only been embraced by the average golfer in Japan but also the "athlete golfer", the term in Japan for low handicapper, scratch golfer or simply darn good player. The AF-701 is an advanced multipiece forging from S20c steel for the neck body and undercut cavity matched with an AsRoll Steel face and tungsten weights forged into the sole. Why did Epon decide to use an AsRoll face? For a couple of reasons, durability and performance. The AsRoll steel is harder than the S20C body but does not feel that way because Epon is able to make the face thinner because of the stronger material. What this does is make the iron stronger and create higher ball speeds on impact. XXIO also released a new 2009 Forged multipiece iron this year with a soft forged S20C body but matched with a Chrome Vandium face. Once again the same concept applies, a thinner but stronger material still providing great feel but more ball speeds and a larger sweet spot. The new GN502 Forged from PRGR is the same idea with its nickel chrome molybdenum face and the PRGR is aimed at the athlete golfer. So far response from Japanese golfers have been tremendous. These irons provide not only forged feel, but amazing distance and forgiveness as well. The Japanese golfer is very technical and rather than saying, hey this iron is not "really" forged in the traditional sense, they look at the technology and say "wow this is a new type of forging that is amazing for my game". The truth is these multi piece multi material forgings are more expensive and more labor intensive to make than their single piece counterparts. Golfers are now taking their games to the next level with irons that have been made to a new level. I have tried the irons I mentioned above and they all feel great and perform great. There is definitely something for everyone in all these new iron designs. Golf equipment has come a long way and will only continue to evolve as manufacturers strive for ways to get ahead of one another. All that means is better gear for all of us.

Via Golftoimpress.com Check out the tour prototypes Tourspecgolfer got from the JPGA here: Tourspecgolfer broke the word on the new Bassara Griffin series earlier but with its official launch in 3 days, I thought I'd share some more information now that the shaft has been added to TSG's offerings. But let's take a step back to last year first where it all started. A New Focus on Elasticity for Mitsubishi results in the Kai'li Mitsubishi, has in the last year, changed some of its manufacturing processes to focus on new technologies and materials and making better shafts than ever by controlling elasticity and energy. This started with the Ali'islei Special Edition shaft which is no longer available. Some of us feel that the Ali'islei was more of a trial venture into this new direction as it was a mixed bag of performance and in a way it is good that it was limited. Diamana learned from the Ali'islei and followed up with the Kai'li which to this point may be Diamana's greatest shaft ever. A lower torque control shaft that is called the new and improved Blue Board, the Kai'li maintains amazing accuracy but still provides wonderful feel, with low launch and low spin. Because of this, Diamana's popularity in Japan has grown considerably this year. I've noticed more and more pros on the Japanese tour moving to the Kai'li. Sales of Kai'li are at the top or near the top every month since its release. The Longest Bassara Ever As for the new Griffin, the Bassara line has always filled the gap for Mitsubishi when it comes to lightweight and ultra light shafts. The new Griffin Series not only looks good with its all new stunning graphics (a Royal Emblem featuring a Lion with Eagles Wings on a Yellow/Gold shaft) but for the first time, Mitsubishi has released a mainstream shaft with more flexes to meet the needs of a wider range of players who want a lighter performance shaft. The Griffin is a sub 60g shaft that is designed to create a overwhelming sense of acceleration on the downswing, creating increased swing speeds and ball speeds with the end result being more distance. The Griffin features a new Super Elastic Fiber tip which accelerates the head to meet the ball at proper loft and impact. The Griffin creates a low spin trajectory for big carry and roll out. Mitsubishi considers this their longest lightweight carbon shaft ever. The Super Elastic Fiber features a special titanium alloy which has a property that allows the shaft to return to its original shape immediately after being loaded (flexed) with energy. What this translates into is a high rebound release with no loss of that stored energy on the downswing. The Griffin with its strong kick and performance still emphasizes control. With mid range torque numbers that translate into feel NOT loss of accuracy, the Griffin has a stiffer butt than the Falcon and Hawk which equal more control. Overall profile is shown in the chart below with a tip flex between Falcon and Hawk, a softer mid section which produces that distance and kick and feel, and the stiffer but for control. The Griffin is available in two ranges, the G53 and G43 and for the first time as far as I can remember they actually have a Stiff/Regular flex to fill in the void many golfers fall into between Regular and Stiff flex. The G53 also features a Tour Spec flex instead of an X-Flex made for those more agressive or faster swingers which Stiff just won't be enough. I have a Griffin going into my driver and Egg Spoon. I cannot wait to try them out and report back. Check out the tour prototypes Tourspecgolfer got from the JPGA here:

via golftoimpress.com There are a plethora of high end golf shafts to choose from in Japan as the top shaft makers here are always introducing new models and OEM's don't hesitate to offer them as upgrades from the factory. Japanese performance shafts are NOT cheap, but the fact is there is demand and a market for them as the Japanese love to tinker and toy with their clubs and the market here really is blown out of whack sometimes when it comes to the cost and amount of money players are willing to spend. Golf Digest Japan recently took a sampling of golfers and asked them why they decided to reshaft their drivers and the results are in the chart below which I originally posted on our brother blog Inpakuto.com: Japanese golfers truly believe the shaft is the engine of the golf club. Getting the right shaft can mean magic and the wrong shaft can mean disaster. Many of the shaft brands have worked hard to capture the "tuning" market in Japan and this has forced brands to make better and better shafts and more and more choice in this fierce segment of golf gear. All this equals more choice for the consumer which is a great thing. Japanese golfers are ready to spend the money. Besides changes in technology and new manufacturing processes, there has been an increase lately in use of higher end carbon in this up and coming premium shaft market. Honma Golf was one of the pioneers in offering models of shafts with different grade carbon, the Honma 5 Star rating system. Honma enthusiasts are well aware of this system where the more stars a shaft has, means the higher the grade and density of carbon used for that shaft. You can see in the table below the difference in dispersion with off center hits and different grade Honma shafts. 5 Star being the highest and 2 star the lowest. 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 also are related to the higher grades containing more glass and metal particles which are more rigid and lower grades containing more flexible rubber particles. Besides Honma Golf, Japan has seen high end shafts with ratings as high as 80t from shaft makers like Axiv, Crazy and Quadra. Most recently top Japanese shaft maker and a brand known worldwide to golfers, Fujikura Shaft released its new Rombax BangVoo in collaboration with golf boutique Muziik. This is the latest player in Japan's Premium shaft market. The BangVoo shaft core uses high modulus triple axis weave 70t rated carbon with high focus on accuracy and explosive distance. Because of its 70t carbon, the BangVoo is predictable, golfers can trust their swing and know that when the BangVoo unloads the head will be right there at impact. Golfers do not need to worry about timing with the BangVoo as it has minimal energy loss and twisting , accelerating on the downswing to create amazing ball speeds at impact. A more accurate shaft equals more distance overall because a player will be in the fairway more often then not. Besides BangVoo's performance strengths, another thing the more rigid high quality carbon brings to the table is true flex. Fujikura has released the BangVoo with CPM ratings which they don't usually do with their other models. Specs have Regular flex being 240cpm and two stiff models being 250 (S2 or SR) and 260cpm (S) and a true X-Flex at 270cpm. This premium shaft comes with a premium price tag at retail of just over $1000.00 but surely because of its price it will sell out in Japan. I had a 240cpm Regular flex sent to me for which you see the pictures I took here. The 240cpm appears to be accurate for a finished club at 45". We just put the shaft in a driver head finished at 45.75" D1.8 and cpm came out to 233cpm at the longer length. Once I do more testing I will talk more about this setup and results. I can't wait to try a $1000.00 shaft. (^_^)

via golftoimpress.com I swung by the Geotech Golf office in Chiba the other day to check out the new offerings for the summer season. I chatted with Kensaku Yaita, Geotech Golf's Chief of Sales (picture above) about these new drivers and what they had to offer. The all new GT455 is the new Geotech flagship driver. The GT455 is a conforming 455cc all titanium driver made for all around performance. Featuring a black PVD finish with dark red accents, the GT455 features Geotech's Gravity Control System with new titanium weights dubbed GT Stabilizer screws. These interchangeable weights allow for the GT455 to be configured for various ball trajectories and draw and fade shots and can add extra weight to the already heavy 205g head. The GT455 comes with a 5g weight in the back and 2 x 2.5g weights, one in the toe and one in the heel. Yaita-san told me that Geotech spent a lot of time working on the design for this head in order to improve on the already best selling Black SP driver. 3D Auto CAD was used to design the head with a focus on creating a head rigid enough to create maximum energy transfer at impact but soft and stable enough to suppress vibrations. Precision titanium casting which has always been one of the strong suits of Geotech (since their Dynamic Golf days), allow them to create a head with consistent and optimal thickness. The slightly deep face and longer head still retain a rather traditional shape but boast very good MOI at 4466gcm2 and a sweet spot 10% larger, and deeper and lower CG than the Black SP. When I asked Yaita-san, what golfer group the GT455 was aimed at, he told me that pretty much anyone could play this driver as it is forgiving enough for the mid to higher handicapper but has enough feel and control for the lower handcapper. (The square face angle on the 9.5 matched with the deeper face and lie of 58* actually make a good athelete model). Yaita-san stressed that the GT455's strengths were balance and distance with a mid trajectory ball. One really cool thing is that Geotech got Ichiro Kanatani (picture at right, a pro and former tour player who does all the video reviews on Golf Digest Japan and one of the most respected golf gear reviewers and commentators in Japan to give his feedback on the GT455. Kanatani liked the shape of the head as it is more traditional and not distracting like some of the larger new high MOI heads can be these days. He noted that the GT455 is very stable at impact and is very forgiving. He thinks Geotech has a winner on their hands with this head along with the matching GT455 Fairway Woods both in design and performance. It's definitely one good looking driver and I can't wait to get my demo next week. The SP Driver, released at the same time as the GT455 is 460cc driver featuring one interchangeable weight screw in the back (4g included) which can control trajectory. Yaita-san said that it is aimed at all levels of players on a budget looking for distance and all around performance. While at the shop I decided to borrow the SP Driver Flighted (11.5*) they had on hand. A very simple and clean look paired with a very traditional shaped head, even though the 11.5* is supposed to be a degree closed, it does not look that way as you can see from the pictures I took below. Those wanting a deep faced, traditional shaped driver, this is it. The face is deep at 59mm tall and the pear shape is sure to please. I hit a few balls with this driver and found it to be very solid and forgiving. The SP produced a mid to higher trajectory and was easy to fade or draw thanks to the deep face which had me tee the ball higher than I usually do (It was like going back to the old Epon 460ZR but with a different more solid feel rather than soft). Great performance at this price as is usually the case with all Geotech clubs!

via our blog at golftoimpress.com Be sure to READ MORE OF THE REVIEW AND CHECK OUT MORE PICS! I've been writing a lot about shafts lately and for good reason. There are just so many good shafts out there to choose from. Today Yamato dropped by and delivered the new Mitsubishi Bassara Griffin that we have been talking about on GTI as well as the highly touted Fujikura Motore Speeder. These two new summer 2009 releases could very well be the shafts of the year. Will these shafts live up to the hype? While the Griffin was just officially released today to big fanfare in Japan, the Motore Speeder has been out now since late April. It was first previewed by us way back in February at the Japan Golf Fair at Tokyo Big Sight. Our initial impression back then was that the had a very nice kick and feel to it though we only had a chance to test it in the nets at the show. Talking with the Fujikura reps at the time they described the Motore Speeder as being a great feel shaft made for distance and most reviews out in Japan seem to have proclaimed the same positive feedback. Fujikura claims that the Japan only Motore Speeder is the most advanced shaft they have ever made, featuring the world's first 7 PLY cross axis design. The Fujikura 7 Axis technology (a special 3 axis design layered with a special 4 axis weave) minimizes energy loss and creates a shaft with little to no rounding during flex. This creates great feel and kick as the shaft unloads with full force creating even more head speed for the golfer. Stability is placed at an equal importance to distance for the Motore Speeder and the shaft produces minimal twisting for accuracy in addition to distance. The Motore Speeder is designed for low spin, high ball speeds and mid to high launch for maximum carry and run out. The Motore Speeder with its feel, gives the impression that it is softer than the Motore F1 which we confirmed that it slightly is. This however does not make it any less accurate because of its design and technology, this is one stable and tight shaft even with all its feel. Using a VC5.0 paired with a forgiving and easy head like my PRGR GN502, creates an automatic driver. Just swing and the Motore Speeder does its work to make sure the head meets the ball flush at impact. I found this to very much be a user friendly shaft with the VC5.0 providing a good kick with a mid to higher trajectory for max carry but still giving good run out. The VC5.0 and 4.0 are definitely the distance models in the Motore Speeder lineup, great shafts for higher handicappers or those slower swingers who want more distance. More advanced players or harder hitters should look to heavier weights and stiffer flexes of the Motore Speeder. If you look at the specs of the entire Motore Speeder lineup you will see that the bend profiles for each model become stiffer overall as weight increases. READ MORE OF THE REVIEW AND CHECK OUT MORE PICS!

Heres a post I did from our golftoimpress.com blog featuring our visit at Gold's Factory. 36 pictures in all that give you a brief impression of our cool visit. CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE PHOTOS HERE! Tourspecgolfer posted up parts ONE & TWO of the Gold's Factory Interview as well as the video he took while we visiting Master Sasaya in his workshop. While TSGolfer was busy taking videos, I had a chance to photo document our visit and here it is for your viewing pleasure! We only had the morning at the shop but learned a lot about how much work is put into hand made and crafted clubs and watched the master in action. Gold's Factory is located in Itabashi, in Tokyo. We took a 10 minute JR train from Shinjuku to JuJo on the Saikyo Line. (I took Chuo to Shinjuku) Jujo is a typical smaller scale Japan Rail Station with two main enterances and exits. The West Exit is the main rotary where cars and buses drive into. Master Sasaya picked us up here. Itabashi is one of Tokyo's 23 Wards and is rather densely populated like most of Tokyo. There are some pretty tight spots for driving and walking. Gold's Factory is tucked away in the Nakajuku block of Itabashi. The workshop is a cozy size with all the tools of the trade needed to produce hand made clubs. Master Sasaya was kind enough to spend the morning with us explaining his machines and techniques. We talked about golf club designs especially putters, wedges and irons of course! CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE PHOTOS HERE!

I still love my G-Shock's.... to each his own tastes (^_^)

Told you that 9003 rocks... its the shaft. Totally the shaft. Just ask Blader-X (^_^)