gocchin Posted September 6, 2009 Report Share Posted September 6, 2009 That title probably doesn't make much sense but what I'm talking about is Kamui Works, a very prestigious hand made golf club maker in Toyama City. Kamui Works has been making premium drivers for over a decade and is a favorite among low handicap players and those wanting a premium custom made driver with a focus on feel and distance. The big draw for many golfers is that Kamui will make their drivers to any spec including conforming or non-conforming. Just like the Kamui Silver 456 prototype I received in the above picture. The popularity of Kamui Works grew as their premium drivers had premium demand. However with the companies growth, several workers from Kamui Works left to start another company called... yes you guessed it, Kamui. This second Kamui has also grown in popularity by producing performance oriented drivers including the Typhoon series (TP-05 pictured above) which has recently gained favor with many long drive competitors in Japan. These Typhoon drivers are made for competition and thus are conforming to USGA rules. Typhoon's are being built as long as 48" and with ultra 7 Star flex shafts (XXXXXSTIFFFFF!) for the fastest swinging competitors in DRAKON (Driving Contest). I showed the TP-05 from the newer Kamui above so people would realize that there are two Kamui brands but I will continue talking about the original Kamui Works below. The original Kamui Works still produces high end hand made drivers and all of their models can be hand made with the following options: Conforming or Non Conforming head Specified real lofts Real face angles Custom head finish While both Kamui brands sell different product lines and operate independently, they still share many of the same manufacturing techniques which makes Kamui unique. Kamui drivers are made using cold forged as roll titan faces utilizing DAT56, a next generation titanium steel from Daido Industries. The titanium is cold forged using pressure moulding with 400 tons of pressure. The 456 Proto above also features a dimpled back face which creates variable thickness all across the face for feel and added ball speeds. Premium club maker Kamui Works then uses TIG Welding (by hand) to attach the face to the driver body. Because this is all done carefully by the hands of top Kamui Works craftsmen, there is very little margin of error when it comes to loft and face angle. You order 9.3* and that's what you get. The driver heads spend a lot of time on the grinding belt and are worked thoroughly by hand to ensure uniform thickness all throughout the head. Kamui Works believes this is an important process in creating a maximum performance driver as uneven surface and walls of the driver would not only throw off the overall balance of the head but cause the performance to fall below optimal. Moving from rougher belts to finer belts with many steps in between, Kamui Works ensures a perfect polish and shine with the final touch being done by hand and cloth buffing. This is pure hand made attention folks. The head is then hand painted to color and finish of customers choice. All specs are verified to exact measurements and Kamui Works then builds your club to exact finished CPM desired. All very impressive but how does it perform? I received a Kamui 456 Silver Driver today, shafted with the new Bassara Griffin G53. It is exactly 10* in loft and is a conforming model. You can choose the face angle of your Kamui Works driver anywhere from 1.0* open up to 2.0* closed. This driver has a closed face of 0.5*. I took the club over to the driving range here in Kiminomori and hit a few balls to get a feel of this combo. Let me just say I was very impressed with this driver. I am very much into feel when it comes to golf clubs. A driver may look good and hit it long but if it feels like crap at impact I can't play it. I test and play lots of drivers and am very lucky to have access to all the top drivers in Japan. Feel wise the Kamui Works Silver 456 ranks right up there with the best of them. It has the soft feel of Epon and Yamaha but with the pop of a PRGR. The Griffin matched with this head is a very smooth combo. No worries about timing here as the shaft loads and unloads square at impact. Even though it usually takes me a few balls to get used to a new driver and shaft combo and how it unloads, I was able to pure my first 4 balls right in the sweet spot and it felt awesome. As expected with the Griffin, trajectory is a more piercing mid flight especially with the Kamui being a true 10* loft. This driver spins low as I still get very good run. I've been gaming a Yamaha and PRGR lately because I love the feel of the Yamaha and the Pop of the PRGR at impact. This Kamui has both feel and pop and can be built to exact spec. I'm thinking of getting one made to 10.5* with a closed face, pearl black head and COR of 0.88 shafted with a Griffin G43. The Kamui Siver 456 is one hot driver. We've decided to carry Kamui drivers so look for them in our pro shop in the next week or so or contact us for a custom build!http://www.golftoimpress.com/contact/ Via Golftoimpress.com blog! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogeydog Posted September 6, 2009 Report Share Posted September 6, 2009 Very cool. Wish more companies would custom make drivers. Is this the only driver they make? How about fairway woods? What is the lead time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idrive Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Kind of hard to imagine NOT wanting one of these custom made beauties sitting in your bag. Have to admit I'm curious what they sell for.... if it means paying a bunch extra but finally having the perfect driver it would be worth just about any price not buying 4-5 new drivers over the next couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted September 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 You'd be surprised at how much this head costs... very affordable for a custom head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogeydog Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 You'd be surprised at how much this head costs... very affordable for a custom head. Looking at their website, what are the differences between the models golf vs silver, etc.? Also apprears they are available head only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idrive Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Looking at their website, what are the differences between the models golf vs silver, etc.? Also apprears they are available head only. I have a Bassara Proto sitting here looking for a mate... feel like I'm waiting for pictures for a mail order bride... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted September 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Yup they are available as heads only. The Gold 456 is nonconforming only and is partially gold plated. We don't need that bling bling... (^_~) I'm just waiting to hear back on them to confirm all customizations including lie angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted September 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2009 Just a note that both head only: http://www.tourspecgolf.com/Kamui-Works-Si...tom-Made-Driver and custom shafted: http://www.tourspecgolf.com/Kamui-Works-Si...tom-Made-Driver are now available in the pro shop. Remember these are hand made drivers with almost all specs customizable... even lie angle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted September 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 Also just to let you guys know. Kamui just told me Non-conforming heads are a whopping 0.88 COR!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idrive Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 IF anyone knows... If two shots are hit identical, what would be the difference in the distance between .83 and .88 cor?? From what I know (which isn't much) we're talking about 10 yards?? Nothing wrong with an extra 10 yards... :) :) :) unless of course you're playing in sanctioned Tournaments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted September 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 I'll take 10 yards (^_^) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medfordoregon Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Why the Griffin G43 over the G53 version. I just placed an order for the G53 version and was kind of curious about the lighter G43, but couldn't find any info on it compared to the G53 version. Can you let us know the difference in Launch, feel and spin comparing the two different shafts. Thanks Dewayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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