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Epon 302 - revisited findings. Tourstage MC - unbelievable. Vokey Forged 2015 initial thoughts


Mjr. D

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Went to the range yesterday and took my bag with a 6 iron of each of my irons.

First up the Tourstage MC709. I bought the new Seven S15C irons to replace these tourstage irons but man oh man these are going to be tough to let go of. I have them shafted with MCI's and the feel is as good as anything I've ever hit. Kind of a metal sponge feel. Literally flawless and perfect. Mizuno with TT Monacos - nice and high, soft. Miura with Super Peening blue's awesome! Dense perfection! Onoff 2011 with Modus 3 120 TX flex - straight and long as anything out there. I hit a couple of 6 irons 250 yards with these and I'm not s**tting you. Incredible distance. These shafts are real performers. In wind these just cut through it. High launch but low spin. Feel is great although not as nice as the Tourstage with the MCI.

Last was the Epon 302 with Recoil Proto shafts. I don't know what the hell the deal is but does anyone else have a very difficult time hitting the 302s pure? I can hit all my other irons pure but almost every swing with 302s were thin or thick. When I did hit a couple pure the gold standard Epon feel is not there with these Recoil shafts. They feel is totally muted and dull with these shafts. Great performing shafts but they totally ruin the feel in my opinion. Very odd as you'd think graphite would just enhance the feel of the already spongey Epon feel. I'd love to hear if anyone else shares this point of view..

What shaft do you think is the best match for the Epon 302s to give off that second to none Epon feel? Anyone? I might re-shaft.

I haven't shafted the Seven irons yet but I did hit the new Vokey Fored for 2015 and I really like them! Very crisp, pro feeling. This is my first time using new conforming grooves and I notice no difference. These spin plenty. They are extremely versatile and the feedback and control seem excellent! One thing I found strange is the distance. They seem to go a long ways. I realize this isn't the point of a wedge but the distance seemed effortless and long for a wedge. I have them shafted with S200 Dynamic Gold shafts right now. Thinking of putting the Modus 3 wedge shafts Nippon just came out with. Thought?

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I have my Epon AF302 shafted with Recoil Proto 110 and love them. Not sure why it doesn't work for you, but maybe this just isn't the best shaft for your swing.

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The 302 was hard to hit for me when it was shafted with KBS Tour V. It felt dead.

But when I shafted this with Zelos 8, they became lively and easy to hit :-) Shaft is crucial sometimes because it can change the playability of a golf club.

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at that swing speed, you are going to have a different experience than most of us here....i find the 302s incredibly soft to the point of being vague...they don't seem to have a punishing point and even thin shots don't feel that bad.....with a graphite shaft to absorb some more vibrations, the feel may ne extremely muted.....some feedback is always good and i know the 302s really push the limit on softness and forgiveness......

* i wish i could hit a 200 yard 6 iron on a good day : (

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Can't attest to the 302s, but I have my 2013 Onoffs shafted with the Recoil prototypes, and next Tuesday, I'm getting my new Onoff Kuros shafted with the same thing...they just work for me, but like mentioned above, may not be the right ones for your swing. Hope you find something that works for you soon.

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I know when I've nutted my 302's with modus130s...... However I can understand some players finding them too soft,mushy,vague etc. we all want different feelings from clubs, maybe they aren't the best for you........ I'm a former Ho,but the 302s have been in the bag over 5 years now, although they haven't always had the Modus in them.

Want to try the Tour CBs though.....

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I use the 709 limited combo set and the CB MC MB all feel incredible in their own way paired up with DG Pro S300 shafts.

but for me 1150GH with Mizuno MP33 are still the winner in terms of feel at impact.

I also use 1150GH in my MP62 Coppers which redefined "buttery soft" for me.

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Can anyone hit a 6 iron 250yrds?

Really?

I've seen Jamie Sadlowski (long drive guy) hit a putter that far.

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Can anyone hit a 6 iron 250yrds?

Really?

Yes, obviously. It's not exactly common, but every long drive guy can probably do it with a 6-iron. Edited by Vegaman
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I watched Dustin Johnson easily hit his 6i 235 Yds on the 18th at Pebble in 2010 and was pretty impressed with that. If my 6i was even 200 yds, my bag would look completely different

Edited by needmoregolf
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Hang on fellas, steady up ... i feel some doubt here.. , Mjr D guy is no ordianry golfing human on TSG hes a bit of an enigma , if he says he can hit it 250 ,then no doubt to me he hits it 250 , he ( cud ) also also throw a ball on 100 miles an hour, anyone else who used to throw a bit of knows how insane rediclulous that sounds, but alas its true ....

luckily ive witnessed said rediculousnes golf before as well. i played a round with one guy who was a fulback for sanfrn 49s who hit the utter shiit ouuta it, i mean clobbered it ,ive never seen anything like it before, or agian , on 18 when i recomended he take the ute to lay up, he took dirver , (hit it over the trees i never knew were in play!) .he calmly (smugly) said , what u think i shud play from there?

i ,after picking my jaw off the grass had to say , how about putter, mate, !

its just redciulous playing with them seeing them fly ur best drive,,

with a ute!

Ok so , D.... yep, i struggled big time with the 302s as well

NO IDEA WHY.. i loved them

ive had 2 sets of them i just figured it was the indian not the arrow, but compared to my other sets it was NOT nearly the same consistancy, i was so frustrated , my plan was to play the aftours and 302 for ever. but i just cudnt get the 302s in tune. even tho they have close to , if not the best feel of any club ive hit , i just cudnt get them consistant enough i flattened a set 1* and that helped . but i was already thinking other clubs by then. flattening defnatly helped tho.

the best shaft combo i had with them was the SP blue. or the monaccos.

take the graphite OUT!

the modus DP ive got with my aftours. while thers a bit of a differnce to the 302 its the same unmistakebale EPON feel.

the modus are terrific with them. like them a lot.

keeps them a bit lower.

Edited by supo67
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Hi

May be you've done this but have you checked the lie angles for your irons.

For me re Af tour took a while to find the absolute sweet spot as it is most in the middle than traditional blades.

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Where do they play golf, the Moon?

Well, Sadlowski hits his putter 300 yards. With consistency too. He could probably crank his 6-iron up to 300+ yards without much trouble. Especially with a set like the OnOff forged, which is known to be long and features pretty strong lofts too

Edited by Vegaman
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I don't get along with Recoils either, while I love the feel of MCI's. Swing speed is one thing; feel is another. Even at (obviously) different swing speeds, my guess is that our taste in feel is similar. I've noted this in others as well -- that those who like MCI's often don't care for Recoils...

FWIW.

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And P.S., for the doubters: those wondering what planet a guy like this is hitting on...? It's the planet that pro athletes live on, which is, if you haven't realized it yet, very different from the one you and I inhabit...

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I don't get along with Recoils either, while I love the feel of MCI's. Swing speed is one thing; feel is another. Even at (obviously) different swing speeds, my guess is that our taste in feel is similar. I've noted this in others as well -- that those who like MCI's often don't care for Recoils...

FWIW.

Very true!! The MCI have a much nicer feel then the Recoils. Always felt the Recoils were a little dead to me. The MCI give feedback and are very smooth.

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Interesting posts, thanks guys. Ya the recoils perform great (distance, accuracy, etc) I just can't see to get that amazing epon feel with them in the 302s. I remember I first had them shafted with Super Peening Blues and they felt absolutely amazing. My ball striking is inconsistent to say the least so I'll reserve final judgement until I can hit a few shots pure with them (hopefully that is possible).

Supo, do you find the SPB or the Modus 3 120s feel better in the 302s?

As far as a 250 6 irons. I've been hitting the weights hard the past 4 months and although I'm 35 now, you really can reverse time with strength training. I feel I'm hitting the ball as far as I did when I was 27 again (when I didn't strength train). The 2011 OnOff Forged irons are long because I believe they are strong lofted so it's probably more of a 5 iron I was hitting. Every single long drive guy out there can hit a 6 iron 250 (or he wouldn't be in long drive). It's definitely not impossible. I remember at the PGA Tour Superstore their golf simulator said I hit a 7 iron 250 when I was 26 (prob not totally accurate) but 225-230 is doable.

So does anyone else have recommendations for a shaft to use in the 302s?

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I'm using recoils in my 302s and I think they're great but maybe just on the verge of being too soft. Not necessarily too soft in a bad way but any less feel and I really wouldn't get enough feedback on Mis-hits. Accuracy and distance have been fantastic and I've had enough low rounds with these to say they're as precise and consistent as any blade combo I have.

I have Modus3 120s in my PRGR IDBLs (think 302 with less offset) and these are the best feeling metal shaft since the original Royal Precision Rifle shafts. They are very accurate with medium trajectory and medium spin for me.

I haven't tried MCIs in any irons yet but I did build a set of wedges with them. They are extremely accurate but the tip may be a tad too lively for me. Admittedly, my Maru wedges do shread balls more than any other wedges I have (including raw Gekkus), but I'm getting way too much spin with these shafts and that has me questioning doing a full set.

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I agree, people really don't know how good the Rifles were/are. Unless you need a specialty shaft like something that lowers spin or trajectory, these still compete with any current metal shaft...and feel better to boot! I bet they would be amazing in raw Vegas!

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the modus werent baout when i had the 302s, so cant say there, but my aftours have them now,perfect match

120s are the lowest of the modus range with a very noticeable flex.

i like the 125 and 130s better than the 120s , for u id prob suggest the modus 130s wud be a better shaft that the other 2.

they are heavier , they ahve a differnetn kick and they are ubder strong.

every time i hit these vs others i keep getting reminded how good they are

cant ply them yet, building up my stregnth again. when thata back ill play these i only have them in stiff and thats PLENTY for me.

sp blue i had out on sunday i took 7 , 6 irons out for a test on sunday to see if i wa going t o drop a ton on hthose MCI shafts.

modus 120s...modus 130s...sp blueS...MCIs...monacco X (soft steped)..monacco S....aerotech 110X

of them all. my faves were the 130s stiifs, i just like the fligh best and the kick is non specific.

monacco dulls heads but their peformance is unrivaled, mid flight so straight but u can.......

ahh ill do a whole new thread post on these it makes for interstign reading..,

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Looking forward to that stew! I've got a set of Monacos S that need to get into something but I'm wondering myself if I want to try MCI, Modus3 125, or even SPBs again.

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