TourSpecGolfers Main Gamer: ZY-11 + Seven Dreamers L01

[+TourSpecGolfer]

With the ability to play any JDM driver and shaft Its not an easy task deciding on just one gamer, too much switching has hurt my score in the past but on the flip side having access to a ton of different drivers over the last 13 years has helped me understand what I want and need to play my best golf.

In 2013/2014/2015 one brand has captured the big dog's spot more than any and that's Jbeam. Not from bias but for the simple reason that they are Loooong and reduce spin significantly, It started with the original 435, then the Blackout 435 and for most of 2015 the ZY-11. I currently own 2 Jbeam Blackout 435's and 2 Jbeam ZY-11's all four with Seven Dreamers Shafts installed, before that the Basileus AAA in 50 & 60 Stiff & Regular tipped along with many other shafts from some of our top shaft companies and It's not just me who owns multiple JBeams many of TSG's members have more than a few and for some strange reason just can't let them go.

So what's new about my latest gamer? Well for one the white finish yet the biggest difference to note is the Limited Seven Dreamers L01 Nishijin-ori Shaft, This means all 4 of my Jbeam drivers sport seven dreamers shafts and thankfully my driving game and confidence has never been better.

If you are not up to speed about seven dreamers I'm going to provide 2 links that will help, read them in order:

#1 Explains the Brand and Concept: http://www.tourspecgolf.com/blog/seven-dreamers-golf-shafts/

#2 Explains the New Limited Seven Dreamers L01 Nishijin-ori Shaft: http://www.tourspecgolf.com/blog/seven-dreamers-l01-limited-edition-shafts-only-300-made/

Not convinced? Head over to the TSG Forums and checkout the insane feedback from real world clients these are getting.

For what you get these are NOT expensive! The Seven Dreamers Matrix Shaft costs over 1k, the Haute that includes a custom fitting in person in Japan Only runs over 1500 and this Limited L01 is almost 3 grand! They do come with goodies that no other brand can match but what makes them special is they are custom made for you, your information, your driver head, your grip, your final specs it's basically a one off and the brand's database of what works and what doesn't is expanding at a rapid pace. I've known guys to buy shafts that cost over 1k that are off the rack, nothing special, not nearly the best materials so by this standard this far exceeds anyone's expectations.

Above is my shaft design, I was fit in Japan 1 year ago and have undergone some swing changes where I simply updated them during the purchase of my next shaft and they revised the next shaft for me to reflect those adjustments. The result has always been mind blowing, Spin was my problem and it's now in check, too high a trajectory was an issue not any more and this L01 version is ELECTRIC! Seven Dreamers is a very analytical and straight up company I asked them what's so special about the new L01 they said Chris, Honestly performance is same as your current shafts but the feel has been improved. OK improved I will try it... How to put this into words, a normal shaft is like an F16 taking off a standard runway, this is an F35 being catapulted off the deck of an aircraft carrier, electric powerful kick that still feels like that smooth seven dreamers characteristic but now an increase in kick feel. It's not really any different than my other 7D shafts besides that and the ancient Japanese Nishijin-ori weave pattern on it.

I'm not going to get too deep into it as you can always read the two links I posted above, but 7D needs to know your final playing specs, it's a huge deal the shaft design can't be complete imo until they take all details into consideration, that said I'm a big fan of the Elite Y360 with a wrap or two of tape under it coming off the Tour G J-Spec Grips which I still like in my irons.

The ZY-11 is low spin/medium launch I've gone from 9* to 9.5* to 10* to 10.5* and am now using an 11* with a 0.50* closed face angle all this tweaking of specs has lead me to be able to swing softer and smoother for more distance than trying to crush the ball this has helped me maintain a good score later in the round after about hole #11 where I begin to swing sloppy if I have to really go after it but best of all no matter what I do the ZY + 7D Combo is laser straight, no energy loss in the arc of trajectory, perfect height and roll out for me.

Straight speaking the ZY-11 for me is not as long as the Jbeam 435 but it's still the better of the two for my game. Crushing both with a hard swing when I catch the Blackout 435 on the screws it goes a good 5-10 yards further but the ZY-11 combo has the perfect amount of facial real estate for my miss hits which are high and low on the face.

Want more info on this club, it's an older review but I still stand by it: http://www.tourspecgolf.com/blog/j-beam-zy-11-review/

[Mjr. D]

Great article Chris. Have the ZY-11 - liking it more and more. Thinking of trying the Blackout or the the new Kamui TP07 Version 2 or whatever you blogged about a couple days ago. Which do you recommend for me?

[dickyfowler]

Not a fan of the deep heads even though the big-hitters often like them. Think the average Joe can find easier to handle drivers. But you will struggle to find better shafts. One thing I find interesting in the driver head is the face milling and I do expect this kind of process is something we will see coming more into play in the top-end drivers going forward as a technology to assist with reducing unwanted spin.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

Not a fan of the deep heads even though the big-hitters often like them. Think the average Joe can find easier to handle drivers. But you will struggle to find better shafts. One thing I find interesting in the driver head is the face milling and I do expect this kind of process is something we will see coming more into play in the top-end drivers going forward as a technology to assist with reducing unwanted spin.

A few come to mind for smoother swingers, Romaro Alpha, Ryoma Maxima, Grandista...

We have clients that have installed 7Ds into them and swear by the result. I'm no power hitter I just have an aggressive transition and tempo that often gets out of whack or jerky, I also have trouble with my attack angle it gets near negative sometimes and I've spent a ton on lessons over the years to cure the issue but decided to tame it with gear.

[nobmontana]

Playing in a high elevation location, I have found that low spin heads combined with low spin shafts produce drop balls for me. possibly also due to thinner air.

I've tried the ZY-11 9 deg combined with AAA 2015 this past season and it was just too low spin for me.

I guess I could have tried a higher spin, higher launching shaft.. but instead I went for a different head and also got fitted for a 7D shaft.

Grandista 9deg with 7D is what I got.. I think I am getting around 12 to 13 deg launch angle with this combo.

No drop balls. The combo produces enough spin to keep the ball moving forward. I'd call this a mid spin head.

I should probably try a higher spinning ball to see if I can get the launch angle slightly higher for more carry.

Edited January 2, 2016 by nobmontana

[dickyfowler]

the gear these days can certainly help wth some issues in our swings. Lessons often fill your head with too many things to worry about and we all know that your best golf comes when it feels automatic - not complicated. As Arnie always says - Swing your swing! And then find great Japanese gear to smooth out the kinks.

Edited January 2, 2016 by dickyfowler

[FyteOn]

The ZY 9* and Basi AAA x is a combo that is perfect for me. I am killing the ball. However, conditions here are really firm, soggy fairways would be death.

[Mjr. D]

Anyone know where you can get a Basllius AAA shaft?

[daamartin]

Boy that white ZY-11 looks great at address. Great review Chris. Took my 425tour out for a run today and Jbeam are so good at giving you roll out when fairways are hard. Sneaky extra yardage...

ZY-11 looks like a great blend of things.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

Playing in a high elevation location, I have found that low spin heads combined with low spin shafts produce drop balls for me. possibly also due to thinner air.

I've tried the ZY-11 9 deg combined with AAA 2015 this past season and it was just too low spin for me.

I guess I could have tried a higher spin, higher launching shaft.. but instead I went for a different head and also got fitted for a 7D shaft.

Grandista 9deg with 7D is what I got.. I think I am getting around 12 to 13 deg launch angle with this combo.

No drop balls. The combo produces enough spin to keep the ball moving forward. I'd call this a mid spin head.

I should probably try a higher spinning ball to see if I can get the launch angle slightly higher for more carry.

Thanks for this, imo a 9* Grandista is like a 10-10.5 ZY-11 in trajectory.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

Anyone know where you can get a Basllius AAA shaft?

Sold out a long time ago brand new, but just go for the Fujikura EVO II 757 model, same + better materials & more tech for a much better price, playing both side by side in a test nearly everyone preferred the Fuji.

[Staxxx]

I have a Baselius 2015 AAA 60 S but can't find a head tempting enough to put on it as yet :)

Edited January 3, 2016 by Staxxx

[Steven Lam]

I have a Baselius 2015 AAA 60 S but can't find a head tempting enough to put on it as yet :)

you should of keeping your ZY-11 ..........

[RLL33]

JBeam Blackout with 7D still the all time killer for me. Can't imagine better feel, but then I couldn't imagine the 7D until I felt it. If I ever get over there for a fitting in person, maybe I'll get a chance to feel that L01, Chris.

As a side note, how would you compare that Elite grip with a standard Tour Velvet?

[twice]

People consistently say that Jbean and Maxima go the furthest. With USGA rules being what they are... what's the reason for the extra distance gained from these clubs?

[laudney]

People consistently say that Jbean and Maxima go the furthest. With USGA rules being what they are... what's the reason for the extra distance gained from these clubs?

Yes, USDA put a ceiling on COR and every competent manufacturer produces a driver that's at the limit. So when you hear "this driver has a much hotter face", it's mostly marketing hype.

However manufactuers can have different views on the CG location which affects launch angle, backspin and forgiveness. It's all a trade-off. Different CG location works for different players.

http://www.mygolfspy.com/the-most-popular-drivers-of-2015-secret-cg-locations/

Edited January 5, 2016 by laudney

[+TourSpecGolfer]

Yes, USDA put a ceiling on COR and every competent manufacturer produces a driver that's at the limit. So when you hear "this driver has a much hotter face", it's mostly marketing hype.

However manufactuers can have different views on the CG location which affects launch angle, backspin and forgiveness. It's all a trade-off. Different CG location works for different players.

http://www.mygolfspy.com/the-most-popular-drivers-of-2015-secret-cg-locations/

It's not just about COR and CG locations for distance and not all drivers go the same distance if those two things are equal. COR + CG does not create equal ball speeds. Factories know what drivers are longer than the others by using a very expensive trackman combined with proprietary software + swing robot. So say the robot is set to 95mph and all variables are equal other than COR & CG the distance will still vary. Some drivers are longer than others and that applies to SLE vs SLE & Non Conforming vs Non Conforming.

The brands are not all at the SLE limit for COR, they have durability/warranty issues in mind especially in the U.S, same as the US brands making shaft tips .350 for durability instead of .335 while negligible has a tiny effect on feel and shaft activeness. Some materials are more durable with thinner faces than others and some materials & designs have higher ball speeds and better rebound numbers as well, Another example would be Ryoma even conforming faces have a tendency to crack under high swing speeds this is not because of the COR it's because of the design and material of the face you can see that as good or bad I guess.

So I wouldn't want to dumb down the conversation by saying due to COR being near the limit one design or material can't be hotter than the other.

Lastly I will say look at how marketing in the USA is done vs Japan:

USA = Gain 15 yards with the new hotter brandX driver, Get more distance and adjust (click click) so your golf partners says wow!

Japan = By moving 30 grams back and lifting the CG we have increased forgiveness and workability for more distance, our patented forged cup face made of a new S700 blend produces more rebound than previous models.

Across the board not only in golf you see this, Mazda Miata commercial in USA vs Miata commercial in Japan one is about the fun the other is about the specifics and finally food to me is the biggest example of how two countries view quality of materials, preparation and pride differently. Take a Japanese person to wallmart to buy their produce, poultry and meats, they will smile out of politeness yet in their heads they are thinking how could anyone sell this crap.

[RLL33]

+1, Chris.

Feels like we've been getting some WRX "talk" around here lately...

Edited January 5, 2016 by RLL33

[Mjr. D]

BAHAHAHHA great post! I especially liked the Walmart part! I think it's time I move to Japan!

[twice]

so then what is Jbeam's "Long distance technology"?

[+TourSpecGolfer]

so then what is Jbeam's "Long distance technology"?

A technology that creates long distance I would assume.

[Porsche911]

Chris I just followed your footsteps as I had a fitting session at 7D. Ordered the L01 to be put in a ryoma maxima st which is my current gamer. Fingers crossed until that arrive.

[Aston55]

Chris I just followed your footsteps as I had a fitting session at 7D. Ordered the L01 to be put in a ryoma maxima st which is my current gamer. Fingers crossed until that arrive.

Wow, congrats on your order. Hope its everything you're looking for. I'm also waiting on my matrix model shaft in a JBEAM ZY-11 :)

Regarding the distance discussion, the head and shaft match to a SPECIFIC player produces maximum distance. In my experience, JBEAM has really long distance because how hot the face is and the low spin/launch characteristics. So a high ball hitter will immediately get longer distances IMO.

I have tried practically every USDM driver and many common JDM drirvers like Epon. Verdict JBEAM is superb!

[RLL33]

Congrats, Porsche. Look forward to hearing your reactions when you get the club.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

Chris I just followed your footsteps as I had a fitting session at 7D. Ordered the L01 to be put in a ryoma maxima st which is my current gamer. Fingers crossed until that arrive.

I'm stoked for you V!

I know first hand that the Maxima + 7D combo is the best shaft for this head. To me it totally transforms the Maxima into a distance beast with much much much improved dispersion and straightness, it does lower the trajectory as well ( of course depending on shaft design )

If you have questions about the process feel free to ask as 7D already knows your a good customer of ours and to look after all details.