A Generational Clash and a Couple of Reminders : Long

[wmclarenf1]

So many new drivers today, Kamuis, Ryomas, S-Yards, George Spirits, JBeam… and the list goes on and on. With each driver is marketing promise of longer drives and from the golfer, eternal hope that we can one day match Bubba’s 350 yards but down the middle each time. Such hope is what makes the golf industry tick. Such hope is what makes every golfer (or at least the ones here and reading this J ) try the “newest and greatest” each time. I am part of this league of extraordinary golfers. Always trying, always hoping.

It came to a point last week when there just was not anything more for me to try, or wanted to try as incredible as it seems. I had run out of projects. Played around with multiple drivers over the year end festive season, got a few new drivers, sold a few drivers. Tried different irons, got a new set of irons. Tried different wedges, got a new set of wedges. Tried different putters, got a new putter. Tried a different FW, got a new FW. Moved to bags. Got 2 new bags with matching headcovers. What to try now?

Noticed one of a few old Epon AF 101 heads lying around at my fitters.. the AF-101. A legend from Epon many will argue. I certainly will especially when you compare to almost any driver that came after from Epon. I gamed it for 4 years and tried so many different shafts in it then. Diamanas, Aldillas, Fuji, Tour Ads of most specs… while it felt great, solid, I always had back spin (YUP, BACK SPIN!) with the driver. Ball would almost always be at the pitch mark or some times even spun back a few centimeters. It’s certainly the Indian and as I have said several times here, driving is the weakest part of my game.

Today however, with all the low spin JDM heads and shafts, I actually can get roll and sometimes, a lot of roll. OK. I have been working on my game and got my cap down to 7.9 as the start of this month (I’ll readily qualify and admit that a high 80s game is still very much in me though) but I thought… ok… no project. What if I tried one of today’s high modulus carbon shafts in an old style driver? I looked at the AF101 9.5 in front of me and thought, let’s go back slightly further and get perhaps an even bigger legend, one that I too had owned before… and back spun with the myriad shafts mentioned above…. Lets try the mega legend ( to me at least) Epon Technity 460 Titan!

The Epon Technity 460ZR Titan as you can see below is rather traditional in shape. Pearish enough, nice deep face and nothing busy about the stamping, sole plate and color scheme. Where do I get one now?

I gave my friend who still had one a buzz. Incidentally, I credit this friend (lurker here) with being the first person on my shores to play any Epon driver… me being the second J which I searched frantically online immediately after trying his Titan 460 at the range. He said ok and then I thought which of my spare shafts would be best. I have a Crazy CB46 and a Roddio M:6. Didn’t take long to decide… Titan 460 is high launch high spin in today’s context. I went with the CB-46.

First session at the range beside my beloved and longest setup, JBeam 435 10 with TJ46. Jbeam was doing what it always does at the range so I know I am swing ok that day. First swing with the Crazy Titan (which is what I’ll call her henceforth) and my immediate reaction was a mixture of reminiscence and welcome to the FEEL. Sure feel is subjective but we talk about feel today from the 388 to Kamui to whatever! What the heck are we thinking?! Nothing and I mean nothing to me, beast this for feel. It was ecstasy in the hands. That soft, solid so hard to describe fantastic feel! If this feel were a woman, I’d be all over her in a heartbeat! If you guys have not tried this, just for the heck of it, once in your golf life, just get one just for the heck of it. If anything, to serve as a benchmark for what feel should or shouldn’t be. Again, for feel, to me… this is the Titan of feel!

So she feels great but can Crazy Titan perform or is she all tease?

Trajectory….Although a 9.5 with a lower launching shaft, Crazy Titan launched as high as Black Widow 10 with her TJ46. And bear in mind, the CB46 has also been tipped ½ an inch which should result in a lower launch and spin. At times, trajectory could even be a tad higher.

Carry… This combo given the head is more about carry than roll. I would say probably carried as much as Black Widow.

Dispersion. Quite good and perhaps on par with Okamoto, my safety Ryoma D1 TJ46 combo. We shall see over the coming weeks.

Overall distance (wait.. what happened to roll? Below). 435 still beats Crazy Titan on average and longest drive BUT Crazy Titan is longer than Okamoto, my safety Ryoma D1 TJ46 combo.

Roll… this is what surprised me pleasantly and was the key focus of this project. I used to back spin this head so will a modern day low spinning high modulus carbon shaft help to correct that despite my bad swing where at the top I’m a hybrid of John Daly and Jim Furyk? A resounding YES! At the range despite range rocks, slight head wind, damp cow grass laid out on a slightly uphill gradient, there was roll! Quite a bit actually. I was damn excited! Now for the course.

On course the above pretty much repeated itself. Great carry, hit more fairways than I do with Black Widow but not as long. The roll was so great to see. Not as much roll as when I played at Moonah Links but enough.

So project success but a problem lingered. The shaft was mine but not the head. Easy solution. List a WTB on TSG, Blader X responded, paypal sent and my 9.5 ZR in now en route to me.

This project yielded 2 reminders:

1. The shaft the shaft the shaft!!!! It’s the engine of the club and a huge determinant of performance. In this case, a modern day shaft has transformed a super high spinning head for me into a very decent driver that for ME, even out performs one of the current rave drivers.

2. Heads are all maxed out. Unless there is a fundamental design and technical proposition like the D1 and Maxima, does buying a new head actually work or should we spend our time trying shafts to maximize our current heads to our swing.

These 2 points I have always known for a long time now but I guess every once in a while, a reminder is needed.

Sorry for the very long mindless waxing! The pics:

Edited May 10, 2013 by wmclarenf1

[EdGolf]

Nice post and absolutely agree it's the shaft that matters... but like many others out here, we all wanna 'live' in the dream that we will met the 'perfect' driver so the hoo'ing

[RIduffer]

I have done something similar with two older heads, the Epon 380 and the Kasco e340. They are both shafted with Crazy shafts, the Epon with a Proto 519 and the Kasco with a Sigma 50 Noir. Both are point and shoot accurate with massive carry limited roll out. The Zero and the S-Yard both out perform them when you factor roll out, but for accuracy the Kasco might be top dawg for me...

I only recently started down the driver hunt, having id'd irons, putter and utility clubs. Once the XV gets tested I think I will be done there. The wedges are pretty much nailed and is a toss up between the Crazy Toyo and the Bolds. On the driver front, agreed the shaft is critical to actual performance, but confidence at address is fundamental to getting the club to perform at all. As such smaller heads or at least compact looking is a must for me.

[Blader-X]

I do hope that head works out for you. Like I said its still a very relevant driver and I'm sure there's a lot of great drives left in her. Keep us posted.

[supo]

Steve that ahhhh kasco is errrr. In the lava sorry never coming back

Tell you what im gonna do on my return

Something ive been eyeing again for a while

U all remember the taylor made r7 superquad TP

The japanese one not the americanpiece of spam

Supler lomg hosel

4weigt ports

Small rounded head

That getting rebuit

[RIduffer]

Oh no, not the Kasco… Thought it was the Yonex that suffered the horrible fate…

If you want, keep it and send me a shaft, we can discuss which one as I think I can get another head. PM me...

[chiromikey]

Steve that ahhhh kasco is errrr. In the lava sorry never coming back

ok...i gotta hear this story!!!

[lykato]

The bottom of the Epon Technicity looks like the back of the Personals.

[RIduffer]

Well here is what I know of it.

I bought a shaft used from Stew. Brought it on vacation with me and after 1 round and 1 hole it developed a chip. On the second hole of the second round, not knowing there was a chip, there was a thick long pubic hair of a fracture on both sides of the shaft.

So I sent Stew an email and he graciously offered to reimburse me. Way above and beyond the call of duty. I said no thanks, but if he could reach out to Crazy for me it would be appreciated. He did and they had him ship them the club. So I sent it to Stew, he sent it to Crazy, they rebuilt it and shipped it back to Stew. Stew was going on vacation to HI and meeting iDrive. I half jokingly said he should bring the club to HI and then at the end of the trip have iDrive shuttle it to the CONUS for shipping. I also indicated that I would be curious to hear his thoughts about the build.

It is not the longest driver, but I was getting 290 yd baby draws point and shoot performance with it. All carry, basically. This combo just makes me ooze confidence, can be mistaken for male moose pheromone. It is a 340cc head with a Super Hyten face, carpenter steel per Spoon. Even though it is not as long as the S-Yard, it might be my favorite.

The veracity of it melting in a lava flow, shattering after freezing in the airplane baggage compartment or being confiscated by various authorities are yet to be verified...

Apparently he likes it.

[chiromikey]

ah...lol...so you're saying it seems stew wants you to believe the club has been victim of grave circumstances and you won't be getting it back. in all my interactions with stew, he seems pretty honest so if he says it shattered from sub zero temps in the cargo hold then was accidentally buried in a lava field...well i just have to believe him!!!

[RIduffer]

Yes, and I am inclined to believe him too. Just his original story of the cargo hold and confiscation by relevant authorities before succumbing to a lava field as part of the evidence disposal activities of government agencies spurred by the sequester initially involved a Yonex. So barring that slight tweak to his story, I would have believed him straight away...

[gocchin]

The 460ZR is considered one of the legendary heads on TSG. I must have owned at least 4 and Chris probably like 10.

Blader-X, and many of the original members all had this head.

I wish I still did!

[wmclarenf1]

Well here is what I know of it. I bought a shaft used from Stew. Brought it on vacation with me and after 1 round and 1 hole it developed a chip. On the second hole of the second round, not knowing there was a chip, there was a thick long pubic hair of a fracture on both sides of the shaft. So I sent Stew an email and he graciously offered to reimburse me. Way above and beyond the call of duty. I said no thanks, but if he could reach out to Crazy for me it would be appreciated. He did and they had him ship them the club. So I sent it to Stew, he sent it to Crazy, they rebuilt it and shipped it back to Stew. Stew was going on vacation to HI and meeting iDrive. I half jokingly said he should bring the club to HI and then at the end of the trip have iDrive shuttle it to the CONUS for shipping. I also indicated that I would be curious to hear his thoughts about the build. It is not the longest driver, but I was getting 290 yd baby draws point and shoot performance with it. All carry, basically. This combo just makes me ooze confidence, can be mistaken for male moose pheromone. It is a 340cc head with a Super Hyten face, carpenter steel per Spoon. Even though it is not as long as the S-Yard, it might be my favorite. The veracity of it melting in a lava flow, shattering after freezing in the airplane baggage compartment or being confiscated by various authorities are yet to be verified... Apparently he likes it.

Lol! Nice to see stories of other re-builds.

[wmclarenf1]

The 460ZR is considered one of the legendary heads on TSG. I must have owned at least 4 and Chris probably like 10. Blader-X, and many of the original members all had this head. I wish I still did!

This will be second time around ownership for me. Will very likely hold on to it for good this time.

[supo]

Ok ok u got me

I just got off the course and sent. It back with jeff

In the most phenominal sensational revolutiomary goling shots in the history of golf and after 5 days of intense training with jeff swing docotr idrive on the15th today out of the blue ihit this driver

With a smoking low thumping hammer time BOOM BABY yea. Draw

Not some vaby draw thing but a full throttle thumping draw

That added about 20 yards on waht id been powderpuffing all week

The on16 on17 and 18 i flew thgreen with 18' ute

I just learned how to hit one

And this driver

I gotta say is killer

Its fantastic

I love it

If u want to rid it send to me ill have it

I killed it

[RIduffer]

Got it in the mail today, will bring her out in the morning. Also got a backup head the other day, thinking about putting a Diamana X 70S in it. Since it is a higher launching 10* head the lower launch of the X might be just what the doctor ordered for the other head. Just have to tip the shaft a tad to stiffen it up a little.

[RIduffer]

Did I say I had an extra head, craziest thing happened. To make a long story short, don't have the extra anymore...

[wmclarenf1]

Got my head from Blader X and immediately put in the CB46. I'm not sure if there were differently colored heads for this but my friend's Techity has a dark Blue sheen hue to it while the one got from Blader is Black. In any case, will be taking her on the course next week and have only had 2 range sessions with Crazy Titan and even with range rocks, she is lovely to hit. I think she is longer than D1 but not as long as 435. Seems like a good compromise between distance and control though as she is more forgiving dispersion wise than 435.

Looks like Okamoto, Black Widow and Crazy Titan will form the foundation for my drivers moving forward. I'm glad I brought back a legend!

[wmclarenf1]

Took Crazy Titan out for 9 holes. The feel is tremendous! Missed 3 of 6 fairways but all the misses on the first cut. Very good by my standards. Really glad I got her back but need to get an UNTIPPED CB46 6.2 for her as the tipped CB 46 6.2 is just a tad too stiff for my liking. CB46 is already a stout shaft (at least more stout that I am used to) and tipping it 1/2 inch was not a wise thing for me to do on hindsight.