It all started with a used and abused Miura Giken Japan putter...  One of our top clients sent in 9 or so pretty beat up putters and asked us to mod them to our vision one per month or so,  with only 3 putters remaining and 6 completed already in the clients hands I decided to go all out and produce something "special" for him.  This client is extremely discerning he wants things a particular way and with all the options we could pull from and a no concern for price it could have been very easy to produce a tacky overly optioned putter that he wouldn't of liked.

Good news is he and I share similar tastes,  first it must be a heavy head,  second it's gotta have class with an understated approach to it's design.  I started with a drawing then a design and sent it to the master "Masayuki Sasaya-san" of Gold's Factory who worked on this putter personally as if it was a M.A.C series and while this putter is still in the air on it's way to the clients hands I still feel nervous that there is something he won't like about it as it is my design and vision completed by Gold's Factory to appeal to another persons preference,  I guess those nerves are a good thing.  Follow the Jump for more pics and the complete breakdown of what was done...

Looks pretty simple doesn't it? Nothing too wild?  Let me tell you this one was not a simple build and it cost a pretty penny in modifications alone.  Let's talk mods,  below is a picture of how the putter arrived to Gold's Factory,  it was dinged up,  rusting in some areas and worn in a good amount,  somehow I needed to figure out a way to add some heft to it while still keeping it's class,  we went for overlap tungsten weighting on the sole with a nice touch of orichulum 12mm tungsten for the inner weight,  subtle upgrade but I felt it added a little something,  we needed 2 weights because a lot of weight was to be removed to get rid of the writing on the sole,  re mill the face,  engrave logos and the removal of a Miura Giken badge located in the back cavity not to mention cutting the neck down a serious amount.  When the specs were checked before the work started this thing was warped the angle of the extra long neck,  the loft, the specs were off and not from use but that's how it was manufactured.

Each logo was made special for the client,  Craig's Factory is a play on the Gold's Factory logo which I thought added a nice touch,  on the heel of the face another play on what Scotty and GF use and then out on the toe a custom made reverse engraved CC logo for his initials.  Reverse engraved..  another subtle upgrade that add's an understated enhancement where instead of cutting out the dual C's we cut around it so they would have the lighter custom PZ milling engraving on it.

Next up is where a good portion of the money was spent,  in a "Japanese Kyoto made Damascus insert" and you may not notice but it was hand polished first then milled very lightly then hand polished again.  All I can say is wow ...  This is the finest Miura putter ever made and I challenge anyone to make one to top this.

Now the specs are spot on but I would have liked to have made it reach 370 grams yet with all the removal of metal and starting with an already light weight head  360 was a big victory,  this putter is made of mild carbon so it will feel soft the milling adds to that but really it's the Damascus insert that will give it the most unique feel and the light milling on top of it only add's to it.   A copper under layer was added on top of a Japanese NiCR Satin Plated finish and the specs are now tuned to a 70* lie angle 3* loft measured from the sole, Face Angle: 6°open / Shaft Angle: 2°open.  Those specs may mean little to some because manufactures measure in a more generic fashion so these numbers may seem odd but they are perfectly optimal like all Gold's Factory putters.

ONOFF is stepping up this year,  other brands have released nearly a dozen different models i.e Yamaha, Bridgestone etc..  But ONOFF is producing fewer clubs yet have ones that are quality while performing noticeably better than most.  Our members loved teh Labo CB358,  then the Labo TS358 fairway wood,  the ONOFF Kuro Forged was released not long ago and it's TSG's top selling iron 6 weeks running as of today and now this wedge...

Our all time best selling wedge is the Yururi Gekku Raw non conforming and more recently it's been the Titleist Cold Forged Vokey which has been slowing late in the year,  I'm hoping people gravitate to this new ONOFF Wedge because when they do they should be very very happy.  Follow the Jump for more...

At address it's got a nice thin top line,  almost no offset and a semi tear drop shape but from face on it's uniqu  more rounded in appearance with milling marks across the face for better spin and wet performance.  It's 100% Satin Finish looks top notch,  it's conforming grooves while pressed look nice and sharp at the edges.  So how does it play?  I've had this for 3 weeks now,  I play Modart Suda Grind wedges so whatever comes after needs to really perform for me to even take notice.  If you don't wanna drop the coin on Suda-Grinds this is your next best option.

These wedges are extremely versatile I found the leading edge grind clipped the ball nicely and it's subtle and small meaning it will work for steep angles of attack and more sweeping and shallow angles.  The trailing edge is not as pronounced as other wedges but it's there just blended really well,  you have enough of it to open the club face yet not too much where your club rocks totally open with a soft grip.

And then there is the heel relief,  it's more pronounced than the leading edge and trailing relief this extra removal of metal on the heel allows the player to make better contact on firmer and tighter turf.

Overall the grind is near perfect the club sit's nicely when set down and the bounce plays to it's full amount and open it up and the bounce plays less.

Hows it feel?  Very good,  nice and soft  we can only guess Endo of S25C very much JDM Forged Vokey like.  Who's it for?  The better player but it can go up to mid capper as well,  I say this because it features a longer hosel than most wedges,  this was done to raise the CG for lower more accurate shots .  Available in 48/50/52/56/58 and note that the 48/50/52 have less heel relief for full straight forward shots.  Ready to buy?  Here you go: http://goo.gl/T6Ll11

A short while ago we did a blog review on the Yamaha RMX "PB" Tour Model Iron,  while that's an amazing club that was highly anticipated we held off on showing the limited model that everyone lusts over year after the Tour Model CB.  That's right two CB's and no MB,  the previous year we had an MB and a rather mid sized CB but for the 2015 season none of the Yamaha staffers chose to put an MB in the bag,  it's as simple as that and the reason why we won't get an MB this year either.

But is a blade really necessary?  If a plus 5 handicap professional golfer can handle this shouldn't the single digit amateur or recreational player?  Follow the jump to have a look at our review and more images of this beautiful iron set...

I wanted to show you this image first,  versus last years blade the top line has only an increased thickness of 0.25mm,  this is the closest sized cavity back to a blade that I know today,  actually there is another CB a touch smaller but it has not been released yet ≧◡≦ anyhow this new Yamaha RMX Tour Model CB was designed with the best traits of a blade including feedback on perfectly struck shots as well as mishits,  a very compact visual footprint especially at address, and workability to rival many muscle backs.  

How did Yamaha create a cavity back with that features a ton of workability?  If you look close at the cavity the thickest deepest portion is in the center not on the outer edges like more heavily perimeter weighted and more forgiving designs favor and what this does is allows the face to rotate around it's center axis making it easier to open or hood at the latest possible moment,  but this design also has a secondary purpose it puts much more mass on the same line as the impact location to give it a more pure feel closely reminiscent of a muscle back design.

Waited several weeks before posting my feedback as I wanted to put this iron through its paces with multiple rounds and range sessions,  now let me just say I usually play and prefer more forgiving irons like the RMX PB or ONOFF Kuro Forged especially in the winter when vibrations are more harsh in the hands and joints so on the warmer days I took these out to see how they compared to last year's CB, MB and previous models as well.

Feel - More soft and dense with center struck than previous models,  but that quickly diminishes towards the heel but especially toward the toe.  Very able to feel the sting of shots off the toe,  especially higher on the face.  There is a center zone that feels a little buttery but best obviously is pure struck shots in the center,  I was able to test this by teeing irons up and swinging smooth,  very blade like pure feel in the middle.

Forgiveness - More forgiving than most blades yet not as forgiving as many players cavities and while it does go straighter than blades it's safe to say these are obvious low capper irons,  I would say 10hcp at the highest.  I'm testing these with Modus3 120 Stiff but I also had a demo club with NS950 custom "R" flex  that's where things really changed,  the lighter softer shaft made these a lot more user friendly,  some how swinging smooth with these irons managed to make it a much more accurate and duplicatable experience.

Distance - On par with most blades due to the traditional lofts,  I never judge blades or players cavities on distance anyway because that's not why people buy these.  They are as long as a 1 piece forged design based on a 46* PW can be.

Accuracy - This is where last years MB and now this years CB nail it for me,  If you hit them spot on the distance is almost always identical and I can see why Yamaha Tour Pro's covet these,  reliable, duplicatable and consistent results provided your ball striking is top notch and if you got what it takes your going to love this aspect of the irons.

Workability - Almost blade like,  I noticed the low draw and high fade are the easiest to execute,  even a standard fade was easy to duplicate.  It doesn't get any closer to blade workability in a CB design than this.  Hitting knock down shots were no problem,  coming in steep to pop it up high was also a delight,  precision instruments I consider them.

A little leading edge relief on all the irons and more so closer to the PW,  again another smart move by Yamaha giving the better players with a more steep angle of attack what they need in order to perform their best and this also aids in difficult more firm turf conditions providing the ability for the player to clip the ball with greater precision with less sole effective bounce hindering them.

All in all just very good iron for the pro or athlete golfer,  definitely above my abilities so I had a couple of PGA pro's provide feedback at the range which mirrored mine,  none of the pro's were blade players and they all thought these were pretty demanding and true tour players clubs,  considering they are non JDM guys they asked are all JDM clubs this pro like and that these are better than what the tour players use and a few of them noticed the quality and design are a notch up from what's available stateside.

You may have seen us tease a picture of these irons on our Facebook page last night,  many hardcore TSG'ers know the Crazy MB is not easy to find brand new and TSG recently had access to 10 sets in which we reserved 3 of them for special upgrades by our aftermarket division "TSG Club Works"  the other 8 standard models sold in a matter of 3 days but these are very special indeed.  Over the month I will be showing off the 3 sets,  this one may just be favorite and even though there are 3 I still call them 1 of 1 because each shares a different theme, finish, build.

This one here Crazy sent us the heads completely RAW hot from the oven straight from the factory to TSG Club Works where we had them dipped in copper before applying a fresh coat of the soft black finish,  so what's the deal with the copper?  These well feel like "cold dense butter" not to mention the soft black finish feels sublime already and this is Himeji Forged S25C Japanese steel :)  Ready for More Pics?  Follow the Jump!...

These irons will be listed for sale shortly in the TSG Pro Shop but once sold not made again,  hence the 1 of 1.  They are shafted with the new NS Pro Modus3 Tour 125 Steel Shafts which have been getting big praise from many members,  another special touch is that the grips are the limited edition Tour G Issue which come in a box set of 10 grips which we broke the set to make these and why they are special is because they use a stiffer rubber for the top hand with slightly softer on the lower hand like the other Tour G grips but these go a step further because the grips have a rough texture desired by Tour Pro's for more grip and to top it all off have a 0.05g weight tolerance which is the tightest of any grip made anywhere.

Soft Black + copper underlayer 
Translucent Blue Paint Fill theme 
Modus Tour 125 Stiff Flex 
Length Based on #5 38" 
Tour G Tour Issue + 1 wrap
D3 3-9 D4 PW

The second set of Limited Crazy MB's 1 of 1 for sale.

Black Boron + Copper Under layer 
- Red/White Paint fill theme 
- Modus Tour 125 Stiff Flex 
- Length Based on #5 38" 
- Tour G Tour Issue + 1 wraps
- D3 3-9 D4 PW

More Pics After the Jump...

The new NS Pro Zelos 8 shaft was just announced,  The zelos 7 was much needed in the NS Pro line up as their lightest shaft the NS750 Wrap tech was known to have a very thin, hollow, and tin like sound that many disliked.  The Zelos line is designed to bring a higher launch with a smooth almost carbon like feel yet maintaining accuracy of a light weight steel shaft.

The new ZELOs 8 is stiffer in all areas from tip / mid section / butt end than the Zelos 7 and compared to the NS750 it has a stiffer tip,  softer mid section and they are both equal in butt stiffness.  Available in R and S flex and now listed in the TSG Pro Shop.

Follow the Jump to See the Specs...

Fourteen Type 7 Driving Hybrid Iron - You seen it on the PGA Tour at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas,  we have been seeing variants of these for more than a year on the Japan Tour and now it's been sent to us for testing and eval.  I'm going to keep this short and sweet,  This is a near perfect driving iron that is highly refined,  from it's angles, feel, forgiveness and overall performance it hit's all marks for the player type it's intended for.

So who is it intended for?  I'd have to say the low/mid handicapper who want's to shoot tight accurate bullets to land in 2 on a par 5, or I can imagine it's extremely usefull off the tee on tricky par 4's or longer par 3's,  yes there are higher launching more forgiving driving irons and hybrids that can be used but none as evolved as this in my opinion.  Follow the Jump for more pics and review...

Ok so most important angle first right?  It looks like an meaty iron,  feels like a meaty iron,  the top line has some heft but just the right amount,  now while this is a prototype it's lookin to be released exactly as is,  the official release date,  unknown at this moment but for sure TSG will keep you posted.

Made of 1714 steel with a hollow pocket within it's designed for a playeresque look that should flow easily with a forged MB or CB yet still containing the most possible forgiveness they could squeeze into a small package.

Mizuno Yoro Craft MP-15 Irons - The latest forged irons release in the MP line by Mizuno the MP-15 so I figured I would go the distance and request them optioned like a fully loaded baked potato.  These are the designed for the low handicap player forged of their 1025E steel and feature a blend ti material that removed over 30 grams of weight replacing it with only 10 grams.

The retail version is mirror chrome and as you can see this one is done up in double nickel satin finish for a drastically reduced glare in the sun... but wait theres more!   On top of the Double Nickel Satin Finish it features a W Sole Grind which is a subtle killed trailing edge + leading edge for the steeper swinger or player who is in softer conditions that wants to get through the turf more easily.  Still more modifications done by the Yoro Dept...  Follow the Jump to Read on!

Look at that address pic!  unique,  blocky,  very straight and because we requested  they  grind a sharper toe and straight top line not to mention decrease the offset or in Japan as they say increase the face progression by + 0.5mm.   Very different from the retail version,  you are probobly wondering how the sharper toe and straight top line affect performance,  the good news is no harm was done at all as the Mizuno Yoro dept always does a good job to make sure the CG is in good position and there are no negative effects but what you will notice is a little lower trajectory and a sweet spot dead center or just a hair closer to the toe.

Anyway enjoy the rest of the pics,  I am not hitting these they are going straight to the TSG Pro Shop Brand new :)

One thing I'm wondering is how these would look in a twilight finish as the bottom of the Ti blended material has a twilight look to it,  next time a customer inquiries it's worth a shot.

The PHYZ line is something we've rarely touched on in the blog but, with the brand restructuring at Bridgestone, PHYZ has come more into the spotlight, as the Bridgestone lineup targeting Japan's largest segment of golfers, the average golfer. PHYZ has only been around since it's introduction in 2011, so barely over 3 years. However it's stock has continued to rise since that time. It was introduced at a time when Bridgestone was of course still Tourstage, and initially for many it was just another lineup in Tourstage's pocket buried beneath X-Drive, GR and ViQ. There was so much overlap among the lines that they competed amongst themselves for market share. So with Bridgestone's restructuring and rebranding here in Japan, there are now only two lines, the new J715 series targeting the better player and the PHYZ line which is aimed at the more average golfer.  The average golfer should be thankful that PHYZ is still around as it does a far more focused job at making golf more enjoyable versus the ViQ line which was originally slated as Tourstage's average golfer line.

I actually happened upon reviewing the PHYZ irons and originally had no intention of doing so. 2014 has been a tough year for me in golf as I battled shoulder issues which kept me from enjoying the game for much of the last 16 months.  I went stretches of months where I didn't play at all which to say the least, really sucked. In the past few months however, I've built back enough shoulder strength to start practicing again and I've been able to get a few rounds under my belt. Naturally that meant finding new clubs and I went searching for irons with very specific requirements. Those of you who know me know that I do consider myself an average golfer, someone who loves golf clubs and their designs and who loves the game of golf but doesn't get out there nearly enough to become "very good".  Taking all that time off didn't help as well so my search called for "forgiving" clubs which translates into 3 things in my mind: 1. Easy to use, 2. Covers up mistakes and miss hits well 3. Automatic distance and accuracy.  Adding to the forgiveness aspect, I also wanted something lightweight due to my shoulder issues.  Irons are probably a weak spot for me so I decided I would try everything out there to see what would work.

One of the driving ranges I frequent out in Sakura happens to have a lot of demo clubs so every time I went to practice I would grab a few, and this was not limited to JDM models only as I tried TM Speedblade, the new RSi 1, Callaway BB Beta's, X2 Hot's, Titleist VG3 Type E, ONOFF Red, XXIO 8, PRGR Super Egg, Epon AF-703 and the list goes on. After trying out all these irons, I had to change my criteria a bit to include "FEEL". Golf is very much about feel and my years of testing top flight irons for TSG have spoiled me thanks to being able to hit many of the most pure forged irons in Japan. Sadly some or should I say many of the average golfer (you may call them GI) irons lack feel or come across as simply hard. The TM and Callaway irons, while I liked there performance, I hated their feel (and before you jump on me about the feel, please keep in mind feel is subjective and we all perceive feel differently). A lot of this can of course be because of comparing cast irons to forged carbon steel but it's more than just that. Feel of a club not only comes down to materials, but also the design, the manufacturing, the shaft, an even how the sole interacts with the turf, which all equal what kind of impact you get. That said, I have hit Ti Face as well as Maraging irons that feel very close to forged as well as irons with AS Rolled Faces or Super Spring Steel as they call it.

I was leaning towards XXIO or ONOFF both coming very close too all my criteria - I'm sorry I just could not get over the looks of the Super Eggs nor the feel, when I saw they had the new 2014 PHYZ III iron demo in the rack. I thought what the heck, I'll give it a hit. I'm not going to beat around the bush. I BOUGHT THE PHYZ IRONS. So I guess I should tell you why.

Simply put the PHYZ III Irons were as automatic as any iron could be and unbelievably easy to swing and strike well. They very much live up to the concept Tourstage introduced when they launched PHYZ originally back in 2011. Human Harmonized Design they called it, clubs built from the ground up and specifically made to make the game of golf easier and thus more enjoyable.  The Human Harmonized Design was based on years of research about Japanese golfers and then production of PHYZ clubs to best suit the largest segment of golfers in Japan. Using 2010 data (the year before Phyz was launched), the following numbers were extracted:

8,280,000 golfers in Japan
60% of those golfers are 45 years or older
The largest segment being 55 to 64 years of age at 23.4%

Tourstage's research found that as players got older, their biggest concern was a drop in distance due to less flexibility and strength. The majority of golfers in Japan are also average golfers, ie middle to higher handicappers and the predominant bad shot was a slice. As we all know this data is nothing new. However Tourstage decided that PHYZ would be its own stand alone line made just for these golfers and would tackle ease of use, distance and hitting a draw. We are currently in the third generation of the PHYZ line hence the name PHYZ III, and they've taken the technology a step further by introducing slits ala Taylormade but with their own touch.

The PHYZ III's main draw is it's 360 degree power slit which is a slit that circles around the entire back cavity unlike Taylormade which had slots in the sole, and now on the face toe and heel as well.  An iron's face is far less flexible than a driver's face which means less spring effect and a smaller sweet spot. The 360 degree power slit increases the spring factor of the face and in turn increases the sweet spot and ball speeds at impact. To be honest I was not aware of the head's design details until after I tested the iron but now that I do know about the slit and it's intention I have to say that it truly works as the distance is well above average and the ease of use is pretty much in the automatic category. Even a bad swing produces pretty good results.

In the June issue of Golf Digest Japan, the most current irons on the market here were tested and the PHYZ III Iron was the longest in distance with the 7 iron averaging 180y for the tester which was number one for distance in the test. I can't hit the 7 iron 180y but I was very happy to see the ball approaching 155-160y (Regular flex carbon shaft), and this is every shot with a very repeatable ball flight and great direction - straight with a soft draw.  Besides the power slit the PHYZ III also benefits from strong lofts, ie a 29* 7 iron. Lower lofts would give a stronger ball flight but the PHYZ III has a low CG and high launch due to tungsten being embedded in the sole of every iron. Tungsten weighting is of course nothing new however its typically only used in long irons and sometimes mid irons to help get the ball up in the air. The combination of strong lofts, low CG (making it easier to strike the sweet spot as well) and the 360 Slit helps make PHYZ one of the longest if not the longest iron out there.

At address, it's thankfully not overly chunky like some average golfer models/game improvement irons might be. There is obvious offset which does its job in helping the iron head square up to the ball at impact and the toe to heel length of the iron is on the long side. The size of the head inspires confidence at address without being distracting. Some people will say there is too much offset but this is afterall an average golfer iron and the offset does indeed help produce that very nice baby draw I kept getting.

Now the truth is there are many irons out there these days that are pretty forgiving and very long but I chose the PHYZ III because of it's feel (and the fact that its top class for forgiving and long). As I had mentioned earlier in the post, feel is as important to me as performance. I can't hit an iron if it feels like crap and may of the irons I tried simply felt to firm and too harsh when even only slightly off center. With the PHYZ's huge sweet spot, slit and Chromium Molybendum head, it felt like a forged iron for me. Even on miss hits the feel was very satisfying and there was no harshness. How could I tell I miss hit the ball then? I really couldn't without looking at the ball mark left on the face as the ball flight and distance were almost identical to hitting the sweet spot dead center. For some people this may be translated as a lack of feedback but for me, feeling the ball compress on the face and shoot off the face is more than enough, and is the feedback I want.

The PHYZ III irons is without a doubt one of the most automatic irons I have tried in recent years and I've tried everything that has been released in Japan. It's light weight, easy to swing, the carbon shaft and head match up very well and when I say match up well I mean by timing and feel, the sweet spot is huge, the launch is easy and high and the ball flight is very much anti slice. It does it's job at making the difficult game of golf easier and more fun and is a must option to be considered for any golfer who needs help with their iron game or simply wants something automatic to play. If I had to think of a negative or draw back it may be in its bland looks, however that is something that can be forgiven due to its overwhelming performance.  It's nice to have an iron you have confidence in to the point you don't have to worry about how you swing but just swing. It's an added bonus that it feels nice too which in the end is why I went out of the way to purchase a set myself.   You can find one too in the TSG pro shop.

This isn't your average RomaRo SX-R wedge.... This version was done up by TSG's very own aftermarket division "TSG Club Works".  Another interesting tid bit,  this is our soft black finish and it doesn't look like it from this angle with it's almost bronzish purple hue to it so what caused this you may wonder?  was it photo editing or the angle of light and sun in this image?  nope.. It's a special pre step we did to it before the finish was done.  Best of all at other angles it loses it's purple hue as I will show you in the other pics after the Jump.

But first let me show you what this wedge originally looked like.  See below:

Continue on to see how this finish changes in different light:

A more bronze tone:

The new for 2015 Fourteen GelongD CT315 Driver,  460cc's it's a 4-piece composite titanium head structure most noteable is it's  6-4 Ti cup face and BF-11 Ti body.  This is fourteen's high MOI driver at 4160 and caters to the mid handicap player who has an issue fighting the right side or coming in over the top.

The previous GelongD had some very good reviews for the average and or slower swing speed player.  This latest CT315 version has an extremely long length shaft at 47.75" long which gives the golfer a big advantage in creating more club head speed.  Fourteen Japan's figures are that the difference between 45" vs 47.75" is 9 yards or about 3mph faster head speed.  Follow the Jump to read on...

With a semi shallow face depth it's got a good amount of space out towards the heel and toe,  head size and shape wise It reminds me of the RomaRo 455LX Type R driver.  Fourteen puts a lot of emphasis on the new MD-350KD shaft and claims it will help the player hit up on the ball with a more shallow swing plane and squaring the club head up at impact.  This is their second generation ultra long driver.

It's visually a very clean and simple looking club.  when looking down it's shape is not awkward and it sits just slightly closed which is perfect for the player segment they are targeting here.  Fourteen golf also has a wide array of shaft options this year and TSG can custom order you many of Japan's top aftermarket shafts in custom lengths for this club starting at 45.75" at the shortest to 47.75" at the longest.

Mitsubishi OT Iron Shaft by FRANKI - Last year TSG visited Mitsubishi Japan at the Tokyo Golf Fair and saw several prototypes labelled FRANKI they were extremely light weight as in less than 25 grams!!!  Just this week Mitsubishi Japan is showing off it's official creation the OT Iron Shaft by FRANKI.

Who is Franki?  I have no clue but this shaft has peaked our interest as it is a major departure in how carbon shafts are made.  Mitsubishi's goal was to create an affordable and highly capable iron shaft that has the soft feel of carbon yet the tight trajectory and stability of a steel shaft.  Follow the jump below this image to read on and see it's specs...

If you haven't noticed Carbon Shafts have made huge leaps in terms of performance, feel and they rival the best steel shafts yet there is no widespread adoption of Carbon in irons and one of the biggest reasons is due to price.  Often for high end carbon shaft's they cost more and in some cases much more than a steel shaft Those of you who have tried the Roddio I-10's or Fujikura MCI shafts know what sort of advantages carbon has.

Mitsubishi want's to bring high modulus and higher tonnage materials to the masses with this shaft and the new OT Iron shaft comes in at an MSRP of under $100 dollars per shaft and they are hoping this get's players to give it a try and once they do Mitsubishi is confident it will stick.

The OT Iron shaft is available in 2 weights  85g and 95g,  Torque 3.0 mid kick.  Do keep in mind that when using higher modulus carbon torque plays less of an effect because the heavier pressed tonnage carbon reduces shaft deformation extremely fast and in some cases even faster than steel.

The Above graphic sheds some light on why these shaft's look to be a serious advancement in carbon shaft design.   Normal carbon shafts are produced by rolling prepreg sheets and these sheets have been impregnated with resins by arranging the carbon fibers in a cylindrical shape.  The OT iron shaft was made a bit differently by imersion of the resin into a bundle of carbon fibers "bundled" is the key here,  then it's braided " braided",  this is not normal people in a very good way and it means stability while keeping feel.

The image showing shot dispersion is of the OT iron vs a popular light weight steel shaft in Japan,  can we assume this is the NS950?   Whatever it is this is a swing robot using the same #5 iron head at 39 ms and the latest Trackman then Mitsubishi took the average landing of 5 strokes on each club.  To sum this all up they are saying the Braid and technology of the OT iron shaft feels better and is more accurate than steel.

This shaft will be released Feb/16th in Japan,  stay tuned for more info @ TourSpecGolf

TSG Club Works originally worked on 3 sets of Crazy MB's and here is the final set done up in Chrome Mirror with a Copper Under layer for a little extra added weight and a softer feel at impact.

- Chrome + copper underlayer 
- Gold/Black Paint fill theme 
- Dynamic Gold S200 Tour Issue CPT Stiff 
- Tour G Tour Issue + 1 wrap
- D3 3-9 D4 PW

Follow the Jump to see more pics...

Honma TW727 Drivers - There is still the misconception that Honma is for the slower swinging senior player that's looking for gold plated golf clubs and I'm here to tell everyone "again" that couldn't be further from the truth.  So what is the truth?  It's that Honma is the #1 golf brand in Japan today!  Whaa! But how?  It's because Honma has stayed the course while other brands followed the gimmicks of many U.S brands and strayed away from what made them inherently Japanese in the first place which is Quality, Materials, and Design while never compromising or creating anything less than the best.

Honma has stayed the course and has come out the Champion now sponsoring the best JPGA tour players with plans and the budget to sponsor top U.S PGA Tour players as well.  In this blog post I have a lot to cover so let's get the ball rolling :)  Starting with the TW727 Drivers.

TW727 430 Driver - Deisgned for fast and stronger players who swing aggressively and require a low spin,  low launch, anti hook design club.  It has a very shallow and forward CG location for that strong trajectory and a black IP finish at the request of Honma's tour pros.

TW727 455 Driver - All W-Forged models are made by Endo using Honma's proprietary high density forging process that increases the face hardness by about 15%  This W-Forged face is also 2 grams lighter which allowed it to be larger in order to expand the sweet spot and improve feel.

TW727 455S Driver - The 455S is also W-Forged and it bridges the gap between the 455 and 460.  It's got a lower CG than the 455 and a slightly higher spin design  to help players who need more forgiveness and who value a straighter more forgiving shot over workability.

TW727 460 Driver - Naturally the most forgiving model in the line up designed around straight higher launching shots and a shape and size to inspire confidence.  It features a lower center of gravity  with it's shallow back which stabilizes spin for a tighter dispersion.

The TW-727 Drivers are scheduled to launch in Japan in January 2014 TourSpecGolf suggests taking advantage of our pre order to secure yours in the first batch as these will be in high demand and  there will be delays after the official release day.

Below are links to the TSG Pro Shop Listings:

Honma TW-727 430 Driver

Honma TW-727 455 Driver

Honma TW-727 455(S) Driver

Honma TW-727 460 Driver

Honma Golf TW727 Irons - In my previous blog post I unveiled the latest TW727 Series Drivers in this topic it's all about the TW727 irons and the good news is there are 4 types this year.  Let's get briefly acquainted with them shall we?   This year it's all about a new process called W-FORGED, and interestingly Honma has chosen to use different technology and materials based on the needs of the player and the iron they should choose for example the TW727Vn and TW727V are the only ones W-Forged while the 727 while S25C Forged is not W-Forged and of course I will get more information about this from Honma shortly but it goes to show they are not just shoving tech into all their new products they are carefully considering and testing which models perform best with the technologies they have available.

Honma TW727M Muscle Back Irons - Many pro's and low handicap players loved the previous version and now this version picks up where the las left off with minute differences starting with a slightly sharper leading edge that has been combined with a very thin sole it cuts through the grass like a razor.

The offset values have all been changed as well as the shape starting with the long irons at nearly zero but even the PW has extremely minimal amounts and as you go from the long to short irons the top line bends for better visuals to help good players shape shift the ball with confidence.  I gotta mention that this year there is a new Vizard heavy weight carbon shaft for these blades along with many steel options.

Honma TW727Vn Muscle Cavity Irons - This model didn't exist last year!  It fits in between the blade and the players CB and we are splitting hairs here because the players CB is already small and now this is just a touch more meaty than the blade is not to mention the W-FORGED technology starts here.

How this model came about is that the top players wanted a cavity similar to the below V model but with the same lofts as the blade and while that isn't enough to justify the creation of a whole new model and design Honma incorporated the W-Forged tech which is a new Forging Process (Could be by Endo) so what this entails is a two press process starting with a very hot pressing of the S25C then a cold forged press with new compression technology for improved granular grain flow what this does is make the final 0.2mm more dense and that is the face area.

Honma and their tour players are claiming the W-Forged irons to be the ultimate in feel and feedback.  I will get deeper on this in another blog post with actual pics of all these irons in hand.

Honma TW727V Cavity Back Irons - And this one is W-Forged as well :) Very similar in shape to the TW717V they have improved this years version by making the cavity a little deeper and the CG lower and implementing W-Forged technology.

The dimensions are just a fraction of a mm more beefy but in the end it's still a compact players CB and now easier to get up and easier to hit.  We will have photos comparing all models shortly.  Both the Vn and V models have some really good looking graphite options to choose from in the 90-110 gram range as well as all the usual steel models.

All in all I'm personally torn between the Vn and the V,  I really should be playing the V but can't resist the VN is a new model and it's shape is quite different than the V,  shorter heel to toe and also taller in the neck area.  Excited to try both and go from there.

Honma TW727P Cavity Back Irons - It's still for the better player as it's in the Tour World line up,  it's just the most forgiving of the bunch.  The all new TW727P irons are not fully forged they are 2 piece using soft forged steel in the body and a hot maraging stainless steel face.  It's top line isnt thick at all and it still doesn't have much offset but what Honma has done is give it a slightly wider sole than the rest a touch more goose in it's neck and stronger lofts.

A lot of it's forgiveness comes from its variable cavity design with the long irons having a deep wide cavity and as you go down to the 7 it narrows then to the 9 it's really just a slit then at the SW there is no undercut and it becomes a soft forged 1 piece head.

The TW-727 Irons are scheduled to launch in Japan in January 2014 TourSpecGolf suggests taking advantage of our pre order to secure yours in the first batch as these will be in high demand and  there will be delays after the official release day.

Below are links to the TSG Pro Shop Listings:

Honma TW-727M Irons

Honma TW-727Vn Irons

Honma TW-727V Irons

Honma TW-727P Irons

I usually pass on trying the newest Taylormade gear,  not for any other reason than there is enough written about them everywhere on the web yet I was intrigued by the latest Gloire F as it's a Forged driver which is something we haven't seen from Taylormade since well I don't remember when.

The Gloire F this year is geared toward the better player where as previous models where more mid-high handicap designs and with this new F we actually see the majority of the TM staffers in Japan using the complete line up from Driver, FW, UT, and Irons.  I've spent 5 rounds with this in the bag so follow the jump to read the review...

So the big question everyone will ask is how does it compare against the new R15 Driver?  I can't say as I have no plans to hit the R15 but I am intrigued to as why Taylormade Japan decided to use Alpha Beta Titanium Forged materials and can only assume it's for performance or feel and that the reason it's not used in non Japan models is due to cost where this Gloire F retails just under $800 usd where as Taylormade's flagship R15 is under $500 and soon to be under $300 ;)

Let's get to the brief review now,  my overall impressions are this is an excellent club and while it isn't a range topper in one particular area it is above average in all areas except workability.

In 5 rounds I never adjusted it once and is it comes square  and I will also say it doesn't really feel soft like most forged faces,  its got a semi soft pop off the face and if you didn't say it was forged I would not have noticed and just brushed it off as one of the better feeling TM drivers I've hit.

It's distance was better than average but not as long as many JDM drivers I have tried,  It's ball flight was very straight with a pretty tight dispersion for this stock shaft so I was impressed by this big time.  The spin seems on the low side yet it has a mid/high launch which I liked a lot  and surprised to say it but I will be keeping this club as a backup and tinkering with JDM shaft options that have a more aggressive kick and higher launch like the TRPX Air or Crazy LY-03 Regenisis.  That's one thing I'm noticing that low and forward CG of TM's drivers could be a good fit for the hyper aggressive long distance shafts TSG offers in it's proshop.  Yes we do have adapters available by request.

It's a beautiful looking club,  it doesn't have adjustable weight's and It's my favorite TM since the R510TP or classic 300R Tour.  That's my brief and simple take on the new TM Gloire F,  hope you enjoyed it if you have any questions feel free to email me at info@tourspecgolf.com

A couple of years back TSG released Buchi Global Edition Irons and Wedges and while it was received with a lot of excitement the lead times were a major disappointment with custom sets taking over 4 months to produce.  TSG  will begin offering the standard Buchi clubs which thankfully are in stock and readily available with custom build shaft/grip/specs.

Master Tabuchi-san is currently ranked as one of the top Grinders in Himeji Japan and his skills are in high demand as he has his own style of grind and shaping that can be seen in his work.  The difference is often a more rounded shape with some very compact heads and while this iron looks sharp and edgy from different angles it is soft and smooth.  Ready to see those angles?  Follow the Jump Please...

The Above address pic shows minimal offset,  a shorter heel to toe length than most blades and rounded corners all around,  the curves in my opinion are what makes Buchi clubs so versatile and easy to use most noticeable is how they slide through the turf effortlessly.

From the face it's another rounded angle not only making them visually appealing but the overall design add's a softness to impact that is unique to the brand and quite addictive.  This design is an interesting one,  it's considered a blade yet there is a lot of cavity built in and it also performs more forgiving than most compact player's cavity back irons available today.   I've briefly hit a prototype about a year ago of this design but things have changed with the design,  it has evolved and the performance is supposed to be even better in it's final release.  Reviews to come and keep on the lookout for the Buchi VS200 MB in the TSG Pro Shop.

LABO SPEC 358 DRIVER - Shingo Katayama is ONOFF Golf's  star player especially with his recent victory at the JPGA Tour's Casio World Open last month.   He collaborates with the Tour Division Labo Spec Department to produce some of the models in the limited edition Labo Spec series and the latest creation from LABO + Katayama-san is the Labo Spec 358 Driver.

I've had this driver in the bag for 5 of 6 recent rounds and it's awesome,  long,  forgiving,  low spin,  high trajectory,  great feeling which I can confidently recommend to a core group of  TSG'ers with no hesitation whatsoever.  Follow the Jump for the rest of the photos and review!

Material : Rolled 6-4Ti face with an 811Ti body and tungsten alloy.  

Specs:  460cc,  0* Square Face Angle, 59* lie angle and only available in 9.5 loft.

Shaft Options:  Shinari 60 Stiff or Tataki 50 Long.

The Shinari 60 Stiff is designed for faster swingers in between 96mph - 109mph depending on the players tempo/transition.  63 grams 3.0tq only stiff available.  I find it interesting they say this will hold up to 109mph but if it's a smoother swing I can see how it's possible as my swing hovers +/-100mph finds it firm and accurate I could use it a little softer myself.  The Tataki 50 Long is an interesting one,  light weight (54g) and anti left it's designed as a distance shaft also for the faster swinger.  46.5" length @ D6.

At address it's beautiful,  easily one of the best 460cc sized drivers ever made from an appearance aspect,  the shape is understated and the face while deep doesn't seem overly tall.  I've already mentioned it's great in about every category from distance to forgiveness to feel but one thing I want to stress is it's truly neutral,  the head itself has zero bias to the left or right where as even square face drivers have a slightly more weighted heel side.  I noticed my fades got a little bigger than normal with my first shaft but after installing  an SX flex Crazy Regenisis LY-03 I was getting more carry than ever with the straightest high piercing bullets,  I'm extremely pleased with the trajectory I'm getting with this combo.  ( went a flex up on the LY-03 to SX).

This driver is made based on what Shingo likes a high launch low spin forgiving driver with a particular setup and feel,  These go along great with the TS358 3 wood and CB358 limited edition forged irons.  The Feel is soft and muted not loud just pure all around.  Before the shaft change my distance was already up from my other drivers by a few yards on every hole and by round 3 with the new shaft I gained a lot of carry finding myself in new areas more consistently from the same tee box in similar conditions.

The 358 Driver being perfectly neutral allows the player to experience the full effect of the shaft's design and profile.  I noticed performance changes night and day between the original shaft vs the LY-03 the Shinari felt firmer, flew lower with less spin and a tighter dispersion it helped fade the ball while the Crazy shaft softened everything up increased launch and helped it draw a bit more with a little less roll.

I've hit the Shinari, LY-03, and Tataki 60 in the new 358 so if anyone has questions feel free to email info@tourspecgolf.com we have less than a dozen of these drivers left and they are going quickly when you think about it 358 pieces is very few,  now days limited edition is 2000 pieces for most brands this size.

Forgiveness was excellent considering it's a players driver,  there are more forgiving 460cc drivers out there but none with such low spin nor as well rounded as this one in my opinion,  it's one of the longest drivers I've ever hit and scores well in all categories.   Interested in getting one?  "Click Here" for the pro shop listing

In our last blog post we showed you the very limited 358 driver used by Shingo Katayama,  now it's the ONOFF Labo-Spec RB-247G irons and while Shingo doesn't use these he plays the CB358 Forged Irons,  these are still part of ONOFF"s special tour department called LABO.

This is the most forgiving Labo iron made that I can remember and while it's not forged it's body is soft cast with a high rebound maraging face,  inner tungsten alloy and a resin inside that reduces vibration at impact all finished up in NiCR mirror & satin.

Designed to sit in between the ONOFF Red irons and the Black series I would categorize it as a club for the mid to pro player and someone who is seeking stable trajectory,  very long distance and lots of forgiveness without sacrificing much at setup.  Follow the Jump to Read On...

Let's start with the top appearance this will give you a good idea of who it's meant for,  as you can see it's got a nice sized top line,  nothing too thick nor would I consider it thin,  there is some offset and for most players this is a benefit but overall  it's still a club designed for ONOFF's JPGA tour pros who want something more forgiving both Men and Women.

The cavity is unique it tapers and is deep,  near its furthest point it thickens and as it gets closer to the face it narrows this places more mass in the back with a low and deep center of gravity that is further improved with two tungsten alloy weights deep in the sole on both the heel and toe end.

The leading edge grind is also very versitile,  it's setup for a player who desires a little relief in the leading edge or comes in steep and or plays in medium to firmer turf conditions.

The face itself is variable thickness as you can see on the right side of this image,  this not only helps with feel but also forgiveness,  the previous version was called the RB-247F and while the two look very similar the new "G" was revised with a lower + rounded and deeper cavity.

The shape of the face as seen below is more tear drop for a sense of confidence and more real estate on the low side.

I've hit a single #6 iron and was floored by how long,  stable and forgiving it is and consider it easily one of the best mid size cast cavity backs on the market.  Compared to one of TSG's favorite irons the ONOFF Kuro Forged it's similar in setup yet more toward the bigger end of mid sized,  its for sure longer and more forgiving not as soft but still for those who are used to 2 piece structures this is one of the best feelers out there.  One of the things I liked most was that this was not a high launching club it was actually pretty piercing and stable into the wind and accurate for sure.

Good news is TSG can have these custom built for you with just about any of the Labo Spec offerings and of course Roddio shafts.  I'm not a mid sized iron kinda guy but these have me considering a second set that could over take my first set.  Enjoy the rest of the pics and feel free to inquire with info@tourspecgolf.com if you have any questions.

They make really nice putters don't they?  My fav most fav clubs from Modart are their woods, suda wedges,  and now putters.  All original shapes in compact form elegant and simple with an absolutely perfect finish that's easy on the eyes.

The R51 - plumbers neck, mallet style,  soft flat grey finish.  The milling is at perfect depth it's a forged putter so already soft.  The R52 - Your classic L shape but this one is smaller,  sharper,  more refined, It's perfect.  Follow Jump to See More...

The R51 & R52 are new models first seen almost one year ago at the last Tokyo Golf Show.  The R50 is the original and awesome to say the least,  see below:

These are all made of Japan S25C then CNC machined from 1 block finished off in Black Nickel,  Modart uses NS-Gold putter shafts and a click black body blue cap branded putter grip.

Back to the R50 now:

R52: