Bridgestone 2005

[HipCheck]

Anyone have any info / pics on the Bridgestone 2005 offerings that will replace TourStage in The States? Specifically J33 iron info?

Thanks :cool:

[th6252]

man, i knew i read somewhere here a few months ago chris saying that at least one of the new bridgestone us offerings was basically going to be an x-blade cb. i guess he was right again.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

Tourstage ( Japan ) will have completely different models than U.S bridgestone.

I was told the drivers will be made with a different material for the most part and the Irons will have turbo rubber and or Tungsten extras that are not cost effective for the U.S.

I know nothing about the U.S bridgestone offerings, I dont get any info from U.S bridgestone and Japan has never even heard of the J33's.

Coming soon for Tourstage Japan,

- X-Drive 2005

- ViQ Utility wood for men

- ViQ forged Irons

- X-wedge mid size 02

-?

-?

-?

We wont know till the golf fair in Japan.

[tickyboy]

I think that lineup looks very solid. At first I thought the drivers looked cheap, but I'm sure in person they look much much better. I can't wait to try out those j33 combos, and the wedges look very similar to the x-wedges, which IMO have the perfect shape.

[murch]

I know nothing about the U.S bridgestone offerings, I dont get any info from U.S bridgestone and Japan has never even heard of the J33's.

Japan has not heard of the J33's ???

Do you mean the Japanese public and retailers have not heard of them, or are you saying Bridgestone Japan has not heard of the new J's ?

[tickyboy]

Probably since they're not going to be released for another 4 months they're told not to say anything. Or, maybe whoever you spoke to simply wasn't in the loop.

[Breal]

This is some good stuff, but it is mostly the Japan 04 stuff and looks real good. I am using the new Prototype ball and love it. It is going to be a great hit.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

I know nothing about the U.S bridgestone offerings, I dont get any info from U.S bridgestone and Japan has never even heard of the J33's.

Japan has not heard of the J33's ???  

Do you mean the Japanese public and retailers have not heard of them, or are you saying Bridgestone Japan has not heard of the new J's ?

The staff i speak with at Japan bridgestone has no clue what the J33's are. they are trying to keep the U.S stuff seperate.

Theres a lot about bridgstone you guys dont know, Im not gonna even get into it.

[10-footer]

I know nothing about the U.S bridgestone offerings, I dont get any info from U.S bridgestone and Japan has never even heard of the J33's.

Japan has not heard of the J33's ???  

Do you mean the Japanese public and retailers have not heard of them, or are you saying Bridgestone Japan has not heard of the new J's ?

The staff i speak with at Japan bridgestone has no clue what the J33's are. they are trying to keep the U.S stuff seperate.

Theres a lot about bridgstone you guys dont know, Im not gonna even get into it.

What is Bridgestone???? Is it similar to Tourstage?? :whistle:

Tourstage :love:

[dorkman53]

I know nothing about the U.S bridgestone offerings, I dont get any info from U.S bridgestone and Japan has never even heard of the J33's.

Japan has not heard of the J33's ???  

Do you mean the Japanese public and retailers have not heard of them, or are you saying Bridgestone Japan has not heard of the new J's ?

The staff i speak with at Japan bridgestone has no clue what the J33's are. they are trying to keep the U.S stuff seperate.

Theres a lot about bridgstone you guys dont know, Im not gonna even get into it.

It does seem interesting that the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing. I really like some of their equipment but their marketing in the U.S. has been dismal to non-existent. I hope 2005 is the year they make an impact here. I think there might be a set of J33 Combos with my initials on them out there somewhere.

[HipCheck]

I'm getting a set of those J33s for sure. Too cool looking. Nice to not have to rely on the pretty expensive Japan market this year, I guess. :love:

[murch]

Theres a lot about bridgstone you guys dont know, Im not gonna even get into it.

Hey Chris,

Head of Bridgy Australia just got back from Jpan, he had talks about upcoming Bridgestone hardware and also TourStage lines. I am somewhat involved and have talked with him extensively and he has not found Jpan to be unaware of anything they produce? They are all very switched on to any and all product from Bridgestone he says.

Who do you deal with that has not got this knowledge?

I am not trying to contradict what you have said, I think it would help us {me} to understand who it is that is seperating Bridgestone {TourStage V's Bridgestone}

The 2005 Bridgy line {J's} look great {very TourStage} and so does the excisting and upcoming TourStage stuff, but why would anyone seperate the two?

Kind regards,

Chris M

Tour Technologies, Aust PGA

[+TourSpecGolfer]

Theres a lot about bridgstone you guys dont know, Im not gonna even get into it.

Hey Chris,

Head of Bridgy Australia just got back from Jpan, he had talks about upcoming Bridgestone hardware and also TourStage lines. I am somewhat involved and have talked with him extensively and he has not found Jpan to be unaware of anything they produce? They are all very switched on to any and all product from Bridgestone he says.

Who do you deal with that has not got this knowledge?

I am not trying to contradict what you have said, I think it would help us {me} to understand who it is that is seperating Bridgestone {TourStage V's Bridgestone}  

The 2005 Bridgy line {J's} look great {very TourStage} and so does the excisting and upcoming TourStage stuff, but why would anyone seperate the two?

Kind regards,

Chris M

Tour Technologies, Aust PGA

I'm surprised you have never experienced a Japan company not knowing squat about its U.S counter part.

Yup for the last 2 years I have experienced Tourstage not having a clue about the U.S release's...NO CLUE! Thats not saying the company don't know about them of course.

Try asking a U.S Srixon Rep about TN proto's or the I-404's, he will not have a clue for sure...

Try asking a Mizuno U.S rep about the JPX driver or maybe ask a Japan rep about the Hi Fli.

Its nothing new that most employees don't know very much outside what they are told.

PM me if you want to know the names of the reps i deal with, but really what will you do about it... :-D

[murch]

I agree with you about reps, they are not paid to be concerned with markets outside their own.. I thought you may have been talking about other B staff telling you they were unaware of the new Bridgstone kit going O.S to replace O.S TourStage line. I was curious as to why they would tell you that.

Reps I can understand.

Have a happy holiday and all the best for the 2005

Chris M

[Mikey]

I personally think that the real issue here is this:

Would you prefer to pay $800 for the Japan version of the Bridgestone Driver or $399 for the US Model.

Anyway you shake it, the versions may have some minor cosmetic differences, but very similar to playability.

Personally, I think it is a breath of fresh air for the Tourstage fans now that they can buy it in the USA for less money and get the same sort of quality.

IMHO

[dorkman53]

Let's face it. The cost of a golf club is only related in a small way to the actual cost of production. A major determinant is the cost of marketing (endorsements, advertising) and simply "what the market will bear". I can guarantee you that the cost of the "turbo rubber" and any difference in production techniques doesn't remotely approach $400!!

[Guest]

Let's face it. The cost of a golf club is only related in a small way to the actual cost of production. A major determinant is the cost of marketing (endorsements, advertising) and simply "what the market will bear". I can guarantee you that the cost of the "turbo rubber" and any difference in production techniques doesn't remotely approach $400!!

I definitely agree with you the mark-up on golf clubs has to be ridiculously high. But I think the main reason why import equipment costs so much for US buyers is simply because of the exchange rate.

We're paying for goods that are priced for the japanese market. Most of this stuff is really not that expensive if your getting paid in yen. The dollars been so weak and it just keeps getting worse :D

[Mikey]

Just another GOOD reason to buy USA!!!

[Mikey]

Here is another fact to not ignore.

How many of you out there have bought brand new Japan models of irons/woods, etc. and then wanted to sell them??

Firstly, If you have anything to sell, you know that no one wants to give you half of what it is worth, so now factor in that you paid top dollar for Japan model.

I have for example a practically brand new Xdrive 350 for sale. I have tried many times even on this site to get 1/3 of it's selling price and can't get a bite.

I think it can be used as a lesson of sorts. Unless you plan on playing it for the rest of your life.... don't buy anything Japan new unless you don't mind spending the money and have NO desire to resell it.

I have been buying anything Japan that I want used and that is the only way to do it.

[dadriver]

Here is another fact to not ignore.

How many of you out there have bought brand new Japan models of irons/woods, etc. and then wanted to sell them??

Firstly, If you have anything to sell, you know that no one wants to give you half of what it is worth, so now factor in that you paid top dollar for Japan model.

I have for example a practically brand new Xdrive 350 for sale. I have tried many times even on this site to get 1/3 of it's selling price and can't get a bite.

I think it can be used as a lesson of sorts. Unless you plan on playing it for the rest of your life.... don't buy anything Japan new unless you don't mind spending the money and have NO desire to resell it.

I have been buying anything Japan that I want used and that is the only way to do it.

I have bought exclusively Japanese products for the last few year and I agree with you to a certain extent. The cost of clubs in Japan, in this case were talking the new Tourstage driver, is determined the market engine--market demand and other factors like cultural values. If people didn't buy them at $800+ then Bridgestone wouldn't sell it for that much. The Japanese market have a different appreciation of products than we do in the U.S...and, to say the least, they also have different expectations.

While I (the U.S. golfer) have a high appreciation for the products I buy I won't pay top $$$ for them. Why? Because I know that eventually I will find it for less somewhere else. I, in fact, set my own market price--what I think is a fair price...and eventually someone will sell it to me for what I want. Thanks to eBay and these golf forums this is all possible. In Japan the off market opportunities isn't much of a factor. One of several examples is where I tried to buy club off of Yahoo.jp but because of the sellers policies he wouldn't sell to us not matter how much we tried to make it possible for him to do so. You should know that my wife is Japanese, we have an address in Japan, and could send him funds any sort of ways but they refused--even at the higher price he was asking. Imagine this scenario here in the U.S. Not likely.

All this to say that the reason your XD350 won't sell at 1/3 of the value is because no one wants it, not because of the price or that it's from Japan. I just bought a very good condition 983e with a Fuji 693 for $210 off of BSG. $210 is ridiculously low price for a club and shaft combo of that quality...but for some reason the U.S. market has determined this to be the going rate. Now if you add that Titleist is much more popular in the U.S. than Tourstage you can easily see why the 350 won't sell. On the other hand, there have been Tourstage products that have consistently sold well here. I, deduce then, that it's not Japanese products that don't sell well. It's just the XD350 that won't. I love Tourstage products but never wanted a XD350 when I could have a J340, even though it cost more. All this to say that the U.S. consumer will pay for what it wants, Just like the Japanese consumer will in their market. It's all a matter of preceived value.

Anyway, you all know this and I'm just spouting off. I'd like the new Tourstage driver too but there's no way I'm paying that much for one when I can buy a XD350 or a 983 for $210. God bless the U.S. golf equipment market. It all makes ho'ing possible.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

I don't think the yen is a problem at all, its currently 104 to the U.S dollar.

Its easier to live in japan for the most part because people make much more than the average U.S worker but IMO they work much harder. Also lets keep in mind the family structure in Japan is very different where the majority of wives don't work, so the man supports the entire family on a single income not to mention the $$$ to the mistress :wink:

but all in all, i buy a lot from japan and its pretty much the same as it was a year or two ago.

I understand what Mikey is saying totally.. its not as luxurious living in the U.S as it is in Japan, per capital the amount of high end products the Japanese buy vs Americans is a lot.

TSG does not make its money in the U.S, to put it simply the majority of customers in America don't have the cash.

In regards to your X-drive Mikey, Do you know why your not getting a bite? It's 5 years Old no matter how new it is or when you bought it, its still a model that has been floating around for a super long time.

and....

Tourstage U.S reps are to blame for bringing in a ton of XD's at 300 bucks cost which brought the entire X-Drive market down. mid last year. for example the 390 X-Drive pro spec from a rep was 350 - 400 yet in Japan 800 bucks. Tourstage has said they fixed the problem by only giving U.S Tourstage 30% off of Japan retail for reps.

Yes Japanese clubs are expensive, but its all relative to what you make and how you spend.

don't buy anything Japan new unless you don't mind spending the money and have NO desire to resell it.

I have been buying anything Japan that I want used and that is the only way to do it.

TSG thanks you for your support :-)

Just another GOOD reason to buy USA!!!

Buy USA = Buy China in this industry

[Mikey]

Chris,

You are totally right. It is different here in the USA. I am basically speaking for myself when I say that I don't always just have $800 sitting around cash to buy a new driver.

That is why the BST forum is such a good way to not only sell, but purchase used equipment from Japan.

I think the Japan equipment is one of the best sold. However... I just cant justify paying twice the price of a driver made in the USA for the new Japanese model, no matter how much more I may like the model.

I lost my job five years ago and when I was able to replace that job it was at 1/2 my old salary.

Like others in this situation, life has changed and the way we have to live it.

:-)

[AKFLY]

Just another GOOD reason to buy USA!!!

You mean assembled USA :-D

[AKFLY]

I lost my job five years ago and when I was able to replace that job it was at 1/2 my old salary.

Like others in this situation, life has changed and the way we have to live it.

:-)

I can relate to this topic - Thanks GWB.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

I'm sure a lot of you are already hearing this but the worlds largest Economy could soon be China. Kinda scary for us Americans unless you can view it as an opportunity.

and yes Mikey the B/S/T here rules! its free, has a ton of used import stuff floating around and a trader ranking system that should be more valid in about 6 months. TSG is due for a total makeover :laugh: