Photos of the new and limited Jbeam BM-435 Black Out drivers that we have received.  The original 435 is still known to be one of the longest JDM drivers ever made, It's actually 448cc's not 435 as the name would lead you to believe.  So what's different,  the most obvious is the color,  most important is that it's now made of a special composite titanium not the 6-4Ti + DAT55G like before and the final difference is it's micro face milling.  C'mon,  it's time to read more about it and see more pics...

The face milling as seen above is supposed to further reduce spin which was important for JBeam sponsored and Japan Long Drive Competitor Yasuhiro Yamazaki who needed to lower his trajectory and spin rates even further than the original designed 435.  For most of us this head was already known as "player" or mid trajectory low spin club head,  some loved the feel,  others did not,  some felt it wasn't forgiving while others thought it was but across the board most agree it's big on distance.

I'm excited to take this one out with a new shaft to see where I can land the ball with it.  I will be installing a Crazy Type B into it at 46" D2 and adjusting the heavy weights forward my personal 11* head.  If that doesn't work I'm going a flex up with the new Regenisis LY-03.

So is it really Limted? Yes and very hard to find as only a couple stores in Japan are authorized to offer it along with the Yamazaki ZY-11 driver which will will preview in another post at a later date.  For most Jbeam orders with TSG you can custom order loft, face angle, head weight,  build etc..  with the 435 Black Out we have 5pcs only then it will be sold out,  please inquire with info@tourspecgolf.com

Jbeam wrench and weight kit is available (here) so it's possible to create a bias or have a heavier balance and position weight forward or back on the club head.

Titleist T-MB Irons - Here we are at the 2015 Japan Golf Fair and just days before Titleist JAPAN revealed a sneak peak from a paper catalog of their latest muscle back design named the T-MB,  TSG not only has the first in hand photos but also review as I've had the chance to hit these fine tools and report back to you the members..

First thing to note is these are JAPAN Only,  obviously the best place to get them is at www.TourSpecGolf.com and with custom specs available, we will have it listed in the store for Pre Sale later this week or you can email info@tourspecgolf.com to reserve your set for a 3/20 release.

More info & Review After the Jump... Click Read More to Continue!

These are not Forged they are made of Stainless Steel with a semi hollow cavity within It's head that features heavy perimeter weighting that extends deepest on the face and heel.

Feel - Excellent,  it's somewhat similar to a forged feel yet different,  it's spongy dense impact and what I noticed while hitting in the cage is that feedback from bad shots has been subdued by its internal technology,   this is a very forgiving blade even more so than even many players cavity backs and the setup is stunning.

Isn't it pretty?  Maybe not for the hardcore butter knife blade purest but it's shape can't be ignored and for those who have hit the Titleist VG3 Forged Cavity Backs these are shaped in a similar way,  slightly thicker top line very minimal offset and even a similar face profile when looking head on.

Hitting these into the net doesn't make for the best review but until they are released it's the best we can do,  I compared it on the launch monitor to the current model Titleist MB irons and the difference was obvious,  not only is it softer and better feeling on missed shots but it also had a higher launch,  more powerful trajectory,  and much more distance in every shot...  oh yes and way more forgiving!

As you can see from above I did include bad shots into the test ;)  But also hows that shape?  It looks good to me.

I was averaging about 10-15 yards difference against the 714MB it's lofts are a full 2* stronger compared but again feels much softer all over the face and this is something that would appeal to the low up to mid capper.

The Sole shape is noticeably wider than the 714MB,   it's curved and looks unique with it's weighting system in a special PVD finish to highlight the technology.  I personally would have prefered it in a similar finish to the rest of the body but understand it's a different material so it would not adhere or look the same,  the entire club is in Satin Finish!  Thank You Titleist I'm over chrome in blades with their mirror reflective surfaces.

Shorter heel to toe as well which makes these look pretty tight,  the wider sole is well hidden even in the long irons,  when you look down you are thinking your hitting a players CB but it's a Neo Blade in reality.

Hope you enjoyed the very brief review, it was done in cage so it's really just our first impressions but based on everything from looks, to feel, to appearance and launch monitor performance it could be be "BEST of SHOW" and maybe even one of the very best selling and performing  irons of 2015 at TourSpecGolf.  Stay tuned for more info!  We have another Titleist item coming that we know you guys will lust over and yes it's Japan Only :)

Imagine if there were a driver that could take any companies shaft adapters...  Better yet imagine an adapter that could fit in most drivers to allow you to use any shaft adapter... EVEN Better!

Well Geotech has created exactly that,  If you have an adjustable driver you can have an experienced club maker remove it's original adapter and install one which will allow you to insert most shaft brands adapters into the head.  I'm not the adjustable driver kinda guy but still it's a pretty big deal for those who are.  Stay tuned for more from the 2015 Japan Golf Fair!

Yesterday we were invited to a private viewing of the new 2015 line up by RomaRo Golf,  each year Romaro arranges a beautiful conference room with hors d'oeuvres and staff to walk participants through the new items with detailed explanations,  I actually prefer this style of  release over a busy and noisy booth at the golf show hall across the street.

The new series is called the Ray Alpha Series and it's pretty expansive including Drivers, Fairways, Hybrids, Irons, and Wedges on top of that RomaRo had all new grips,  bags, and a new swiss stainless steel double milled putter.  Let's get started,  follow the jump to read on...

The new TourStream Alcobaca is a stud,  if you don't know RomaRo makes some serious wedges,  I've really enjoyed just about all of them since their beginning,  the Alcobaca series is very forgiving and that sole grind is incredibly useful and easy to manipulate and RomaRo has added another step below the funky sole grind + copper under layer + laser milled face and while its forgiving and very "Neo" it's for the better player as it has nearly no offset and a tear drop shape that's somewhat Vokey like.

This was the product I'm personally looking forward to the most,  by the way RomaRo has implemented forged cup faces into all it's Ray Alpha woods for 2015 making them feel crunchy soft metallic and they all share more shallow face designs to get the ball up with easy,  I will be putting a heavy shaft into a 3 wood for testing soon but its designed to make good clean contact on just about any turf condition.  Will post Face & Profile Images in the forum so please have a look.

RomaRo is gunning to take out the XXIO Forged with the new Ray Alpha Irons,  this is a mid to high capper club with a forged body like the XXIO BUT they went a step further with a Titanium face that's uber hot and forgiving giving it an Edge over XXIO's new iron.  It's got a bit more offset than the XXIO but we were told it's better in all aspects performance wise.

The UT much like the Driver and Fairway Wood has a shallow face designed for big carry with a stable ball flight combined with optimal spin rates,  RomaRo has also focused on shape and sole curvature to reduce turf drag.

The new Swiss Stainless Steel Hexagon Putter features a double milled face with a design very similar to what they had in the past,  will post more pics in the TSG forum shortly.  Also below we have a few shots of some of their latest accessories.  It's been busy with the show and I wanted to get these photos out quickly as we consider this a very well rounded and full release by one of our favorite makers. Stay Tuned for more...

The Titleist Vokey Cold Forged 2015 Japan Only edition was revealed at the Japan Golf Fair this weekend yet you wouldn't have known by looking at the Titleist booth,  the big push was the new ProV1 ball while the new and very exciting release were hidden in their bags at the hitting booth.  We had an idea that these were coming when just a couple of months ago the previous model Cold Forged wedge was no longer available.

The codename being thrown around by some of the staff was 716 Tour Wedge which to me sounds a hell of a lot cooler than Titleist Vokey Cold Forged Wedge.  The changes are subtle in spec with small adjustments to face progression and grind they are still very similar to the cast Titleist offerings in the states.  More info & pics after the jump...

Another thing worth noting is that the finish has changes to a more edgy and in my opinion attractive brushed satin japan finish over last years less aggressive look satin. Each loft has a different grind the pitching wedge at 48* and the 50* & 52* gap wedges are all F Grinds while the sand and lobs are M- Grind with the only K Grind in 58/12.  The expected release date is early march and we highly suggest early adopters order early as based on previous years and its even bigger popularity today the first runs should go quickly causing back orders perhaps even before release.  TSG has already listed the pre sale here:  Titleist Cold Forged Vokey Wedge 2015.

This was 1 of the 2 new big releases besides the new ProV1 balls,  the other is the Titleist 716 T-MB Stainless Muscle Back Irons which can be seen in this blog post:  716 T-MB 

Below a photograph from the 2015 Titleist Japan Catalog:

The Basileus 2015 AAA Limited 500 Shaft is coming in March but with only 500 shafts made they are nearly all pre reserved  with some specifications already sold out.  Basileus is owned by the company called Triphas (Tri-Fuss) and each year they release a uber high end model using the absolute best materials from their suppliers with a design they sets the bar higher in shaft making.

In 2013 the first AAA Basileus shaft was launched  It was PAN Based 60T  material ( VERY GOOD ) and golfers in Japan loved it because it was very stable yet you had lots of feel and kick then the year after in 2014 full length 80T carbon was used and while it didn't feel as good as the 2013 version it felt a little more boardy it was still an extremely stable shaft.  Enter 2015 a new material called Torray T1100G 80T material is being used which is known as Toray's highest strength carbon fiber made for shafts.  

If you look at the above image something I really like thin shaft walls,  this allows the tip to play more active,  the T1100G material from Torray is supposed to be equal to 80T with less glass content allowing the shaft to be more durable yet also lighter and this year there is a 50 gram range option even in R flex  that was released  More pics below but if you are interested in this shaft we do suggest moving quickly as they will be sold out shortly,  here is the product listing in the TSG store,  these are scheduled to ship in Mid March:  Click Here

Japan Only Big Bertha Beta Series Woods & Irons - Globally Callaway Golf has released the Big Bertha Alpha Series & V-Series while Japan get's a very unique new model called the Big Bertha "Beta" that was produced to replace the higher end Legacy models.  The U.S Big Bertha V-Series is based on the Japanese Legacy Driver while this new BETA could become the foundation of a next gen design by Callaway Global.

This is the lightest weight Callaway driver has every released and it features their thinnest and lightest face material in the history of the brand called 811 Titanium which promises to have the highest ball velocity of any Callaway Driver ever.   This driver has a fixed heel weight giving it a draw bias to aid in keeping the right side our of play and it's also Interesting they released a higher end model using yet left out the adjustable hosel in the sake of performance & design.  A new internal sound rib was implemented for better feel and the standard shaft similar to the Fujikura Air a very light weight longer in length distance focused design mated special with this head design is supposed to make the new Beta series driver Callaway's biggest distance club they have ever released.   Ready to see the rest of the models including the new HEAVENWOOD?  Follow the Jump Please...

So are these just high priced Callaway woods very similar to the global versions?  Definitely not and in the case of their new fairway woods they use a forged cup face with stainless steel bodies meaning these are top end materials not used stateside.  Forged cup faces are the most recent trend in top notch fairway clubs and combine that with aftermarket quality standard shafts like the Fujikura Air Speeder it's easier to understand the premium in price one must pay for these.  (above pics of new HEAVENWOOD) 20.5*  super easy to hit,  longer length, made for forgiveness and big distance.

I'm not all that fond of the looks but again these are made of stainless with forged cup faces so they hit the mark in terms of quality/design/materials,  Callaway has also implemented a inner under cut behind the face,  this is a big deal because slower swingers usually need more spin for more distance while the undercut behind the forged cup face material lowers the CG and removes a ton of spin yet maintains big distance.  Shallow face profile,  confidence inspiring size I would say the mid to high capper now have another excellent option to consider.

Below the new Big Bertha BETA Irons,  looks like any other Callaway iron but they are not,  Callawway Japan claims to have combined wood design with iron design by using an undercut inner weight,
to achieve the thinning of lower portion of the  face lowering the CG and increasing rebound performance.  The face itself is an L shape that blends with the sole made of 455 Stainless steel,  a new wide weight structure rests behind the lower portion of the face near the undercut and combine that with it's large face and Air Speeder carbon shaft you have an easy to hit distance monster for the average player.

Introducing A-Grind Golf and while the brand and name itself is new the people behind it have been part of the Japan Tour for over a decade.  Let's start with the man himself Yusuke Ako-san who was the lead designer for Royal Collection from 2004 to 2013 for all their clubs including woods, irons, wedges, and utilities.

Yesterday I sat down for lunch with Ako-san  in Kobe  Japan  to talk about A-Grind and to organize special offerings for our members,  Click Read More to Follow...

Above a photo from the Japan Golf Fair,  this is the A-Grind Classic Driver intentionally made to be a mix of new and old with a sole design and head size reminiscent of  the wooden club era yet it contains materials, manufacturing technology, and many shape angles like the face that are vital for distance, forgiveness, and performance.   For those familiar with Royal Collection woods the face shape shares a similar design,  Ako-san is known well in Japan for how his woods look and perform.

The A-Grind Classic Driver is 350cc's and available in 9.5 and 10.5 lofts,  it features a Forged Titanium 6-4 face dead square face angle and a standard head weight of 202 grams. it's a club for purists and  at impact it's sound/feel is near perfect.

Here is a prototype fairway wood that Ako-san has been working very hard on,  he is "the man" when it comes to fairway wood design you can give him full credit for the royal collection and also the old sonartec fairway woods of past.  This fairway wood will be coming end of march to TSG and Ako-san promises it to be his greatest FW design ever.  I will post specs soon on this one as it's not released yet but in person it's dimensions and especially face profile has us very excited.

Below the A-Grind Hybrid Utility,  there are two utility clubs by A-Grind one a Hybrid style the other driving iron,  Ako-san has been a Tour Rep on the JPGA Tour for nearly 10 years,  he travels in the tour van during the golf season to nearly every event which is one of the big reasons why after only 1 year in business so many players have A-Grind woods and wedges in the bag and also 2 JPGA tour victories within months of the official brand launch.  The A-Grind Utility is available in 4 different lofts # 2/18 ° # 3 /20.5° # 4/23 ° # 5 / 25.5 ° and all very compact and sleek looking.  Made using a 455 Stainless face and 17-4 SS body.

Below the Driving Iron Version,  with already 2 JPGA victories under this particular product's belt make no mistake it's for the professional level golfer,  It's #1 goal is accuracy in a more forgiving long iron.  It's trajectory is medium it's a 2 piece SUS431 head done in a beautiful satin finish.  Made in # 2/18 ° # 3 /20.5° # 4/23 ° # 5 / 25.5 °.

Below is the A-Grind Muscle Back forged of S25C in Japan and finished with a nickel chrome satin finish hand ground with a very thin top line, sole, and extremely minimal offset.  The lofts are traditional at 47* on the PW.

The MB and CB will become available Mid March they are currently in production,  the cavity back iron targets top players with its thin appearance as well,  it's a great year to be considering new blades or players cavities ,  Ako-san designed these with the input of Japan Tour players who play MB irons implementing what they wanted to see in a professional level CB.  Lofts are semi traditional with a 46* PW.

Below a new prototype semi mid sized forged iron in the works no release date confirmed on these.

Probably the best selling product and most used on the JPGA Tour is the A-Grind Tour Wedge offered completely raw or in a nickel brushed satin finish in 50/52/56/58 lofts.

We hope you enjoyed the brief introduction to a very exciting brand,  We will have more in hand images in about 1 week followed by proshop listings and on course reviews so please stay tuned!

Modart Wedges are a sight to behold,  CNC'd from a solid block of S25C steel "BEFORE IT HAS BEEN FORGED" to create the most uniform grain pattern and a sensational feel during impact.  There are a few types of different Modart wedges but I put them in 2 different categories the first is the CNC milled wedges as you see in this post,  the second are the forged  handmade Suda-Grind wedges fully custom and made for you by who in my opinion is the best hand grinder in all of Japan today.  Click "Read more" to Continue.

A little bit of background on Modart,  Suda-san having spent more than 10 years in the golf industry had long had a dream of making his own brand. He spent years honing his grinding and club design skills at Fourteen Golf where under the guidance of Grind Studio master and former top Fourteen grinder Masahiro Tomaru. When Tomaru-san left, Suda-san became the top grinder and focused on grinding Fourteen wedges for top Japanese pros on tour. Besides grinding for tour pros, Suda-san was also in charge of up and coming releases which include the very popular MT-28 V5 wedge in his portfolio.

Who are these designed for?  Very good players,  they are compact,  with a rounded sole grind providing ample relief in the heel and toe side which makes it easier to manipulate the face opening it up for high more creative shot patterns,  the offset is next to nil and the overall dimensions of this club head is what most consider compact.

The best part about it is it's performance,  for a conforming wedge it spins a lot the face has milled grooves plus the cleanest and most refined face milling I've seen in other words the T55 screams quality. It's curved edges and milled rounded shape glides through the turf better than most wedges on the market.  It's top line is narrow yet has a touch of heft to it so confidence is always there for the player.

Lofts and tons of them 48/4 - 50/4 - 52/6 - 54/8 - 56/8 - 58/8 - 60/6 - 62/4 that should have pretty much everyone covered!  Notice how low the bounce is in the highest lofts as well.  Expect to see the new Modart T55 wedge in the TSG ProShop shortly but I must warn due to the full CNC milled design which is something no other brand is doing these do cost a pretty penny approx MSRP - $450 usd.

At TSG there has been a cult following of certain fairway wood models over the years like the PRGR Egg ( 2nd gen ) and the Ryoma D1 F3 both which we geared toward the same type of player,  those looking for a shallow face thats easy to get up into the air,  forgiving on off center hits making the ball fly straight and finally very long which is often about having a high launch combined with low spin.

We just may have another one of those "grail" items in the all new 2015 Glorious FW by Jbeam,  follow the jump to read more...

For those who don't know Jbeam they have been around almost 30 years as a smaller cult brand in Japan that has only just recently taken off in Japan and internationally with the help of TSG.  We were at their HQ just a few days ago for a meeting  and were able to take photos of their newest fairway wood the Gloirous FW.

This would be considered Jbeams most forgiving fairway wood, they do have another the RX-FW which is a a stud small compact with a deeper face that has sensational feel very much like a driver and also flies mid/low for the stronger golfer but this Jbeam Glorious FW will appeal to a much wider range of player as for many the 3 wood is a problem club and especially with stronger mid cap players it can get them in trouble losing them strokes over the round.

The new Glorious FW similar to the driver has a high launch low spin design,  It's face is nice and shallow,  head is a little more rounded  face angle is square and through TSG Jbeam can hand select various face angles and lofts for you also the lie can go about 1* down if we hand pick and install a certain way.  There is a weight moved toward the back this aids in the launch as well and you may use the same Jbeam driver weights to adjust the port in the back,  a heavier weight will launch slightly higher but not much and can increase the MOI of the club head for straighter shots.

As mentioned above,  it's a rounded shape that adds to the ease of use of this club,  overall it looks very confidence inspiring from setup it also has metallic specs in that can be seen in certain lighted angles.

Down below the face height is shown giving you an idea of just how easy this thing is to get up into the air.

Of course with Jbeam you have some options for example the 3 wood is available from 15.5 - 16.0,  the 4 in 18 - 18.5, while the seven is 21 - 21.5 and if you have more specific requirements we have a very close relationship with Jbeam and can zero in even further to help you get what your looking for.

It's a 2 piece "hyper steel" structure available in 2 colors white or black and in person both colors look great,  I'd suggest black if you want to hide the size,  white if you want it to look as easy to hit as possible.  Look forward to the new Glorious FW in the TSG pro shop this week where it will retail for about 300 usd.

Those who follow Modart closely may have seen a picture from a few years backof a muscle back iron hand made by Suda-san himself.  We can always count on TSG members to find these hidden gems and when I asked the team at Modart if they were available the answer was a quick no.  Why?  It's because Suda-san can hand grind no more than 2 heads per day including wedges so a single set of blades 3-PW would take him 4 days just to grind the heads pre stamping and finish.

Grinding an iron or wedge usually doesn't take very long,  I've watched many being made but never any the way Suda-san does his,  It literally takes him 1 hour to get the base shape done on just one head and you can blame that on his extreme attention to detail where everything must be perfect.   Follow the jump to see the prototype blade and the very first available set of Modart Suda-Grind MB's being made...  Click Read More to continue.

Above the original prototype forged in Himeji of S25C steel that was once a raw unfinished head,  now if you have no interest in grinds or the quality of a handmade club head then read no further because these are for the extreme and discerning they are considered expensive at almost $4000 usd per set and at this point only 5 sets of Suda-Blades are scheduled to be produced not offered in Japan they exclusively sold by TSG.

Who is Suda-san?  He was in charge of the Tour Players wedges as Fourteen Golf for almost 10 years and has designed countless wedges including the very popular MT-28 V5 wedge,  his wedges have been used on the JPGA tour for many years back when Fourteen was known for their driving irons and prototype limited wedges.   Today Suda-san runs and operates his own high end and rather boutique brand called Modart,  Modern + Art which has a full retail line up of really nice irons, wedges and woods but for specialty clients he is able to produce his own signature hand made wedges which TSG calls the Suda-Grinds.

Original Prototype on bottom,  new TSG Exclusive MB on top.  So with the honor of being able to offer these to our top clients we also had the ability to choose the grind,  we consulted with Suda-san and came up with a shape that is slightly shorter heel to toe than the original,  slightly thicker and with a toe that aligns more inward rather than pushed out as you can see in the below picture.

When a head is custom hand ground the point of the toe can be made to sit far out or closer to where the grooves line up,  for example Zodia's Chiba-san is known to grind the toe peak extremely close to the inside and this gives the club a smaller and more edgy or sharp appearance.  The ONOFF CB358 is another example of this and that style was specifically requested by Shingo Katayama.  This creates a more tear drop shape vs boxed toe.  Suda-san prefers this as well butI made the call to go slightly more pushed out because to my eye the shape looked more appealing this way.

This photo shows the sole before it has been completed,  the next few steps take it down in size making it more narrow but if we stopped at this point it would be a mid sized MB with a heavy head,  interesting thought but we can always save that idea for later.  The main attributes we wanted from this grind was a butter knife think top line and sole,  shorter heel to toe,  slightly boxed off and not so tear drop in order to create a blade that is soft, workable, and looks very sexy at address.

Ultimately the sole will look like the below picture, so much will be ground off the sole that we will need to engrave new numbers on it as the original stamped #7 will be no longer visible.

The original prototype below has just the right amount of offset in the 5.0-5.5 FP range,  the top line is extremely thin at only a touch over 4mm thick.

So when will these arrive?  It's gonna be another 2-3 months before they are completed,  Modart is pretty busy with their custom wedges already having a 2 month wait list but TSG has everything finalized and the first set is currently in production.  In the next couple of months we look forward to providing you an update on the new Suda-Blade.

Introducing SEVEN 577 Series Wedges | Creating wedges for the most part is an easy process but for SEVEN and this particular wedge it was 2 years in the making,  We needed to work directly with the foundry, grind house, and finishing company  this is essential to us to control every variable for now and into the future.  No manufacturing agents were used to produce our products as many brands do, every detail is extremely important to us.

For those of you not familiar with SEVEN it's been a brand that has been very secretive on TourSpecGolf  we needed to establish the proper foundation to create designs consistently and to our standard,  and that standard is very high.  We pull from the collective feedback of our most discerning customers and listen to what our target player truly desires.  The result is this...

Click Read More to Continue...

Straight to the point - Japan Forged of SS400,  what is SS400?  It's very similar to S20C just measured by Tensile strength instead of carbon content,  so why did we use it?  We found it produced more spin combined with non conforming grooves vs S15/20/25C with the same groove design.  It's feedback is mild soft not mushy nor firm and the pro players who have tested it gave it's impact feel the thumbs up.

Compact but not tiny,  thin top line, near zero offset with a slightly high neck transition making it a good balance of precision and forgiveness.

For months we went back and fourth on the spacing of the grooves and the distance between the leading edge and the first groove,  in the end the only way we could produce the most spin without compromise was to produce an entirely new mold + pattern for non conforming grooves so in other words we won't be making any money of this wedge but the bottom line is it was done to our standards.

No stamping on the sole,  no Made in Japan written on the neck,  just a brand name, 3 digits and a blast art logo,  we don't have to explain much else.

The grinds are progressive we took some of our favorite wedges and after many months of testing came up with what we consider the most versatile grinds for nearly any turf condition.  The lower lofts sit straighter and rock open less than the higher lofts,  the higher lofts remain stable and flow through the turf without opening up too much or too little.  We feel it's just the right amount of trailing/leading/heel/toe relief and as our first edition we can save the extreme designs for later.

Let's talk options,  you can choose your paint fill but also we have a custom series that allows you to select any finish and opt out of the blast art logo.   We can bend before the finish has been applied this is un heard of and only found at the manufacturing level.  Copper finish?  Black Boron?  Satin with a Raw face all not a problem in fact we offer more than 10 different finishes to choose from in our custom series.  Shaft options? Only the best of course,  Ferrules?  While not shown in this image the standard ferrule is a single silver line high quality Japan made sleeve.  Name stamping with custom paint fill with a colored ferrule, black shaft and matching colored grip... OK!

The above shows a higher neck transition which we preferred over a lower especially from the rough or sand,  this is not only good for the amateur seeking more forgiveness but also the professional women and men who helped us test,  when I say professional we do mean players who hold JPGA Tour cards.

Low Bounce Design,  they are all 8* of bounce.  Depending on where and how you measure bounce any brand can fudge the numbers,  we could have easily said these have 10-12* bounce but to create a uniform process to carry into the future with all our products we decided to measure it dead center using a particular method that our factory advised.  It's indeed 8* bounce and works really well even in soft, wet, sand conditions this was a surprise to us but not only was the performance of the higher lofted wedges better with a lower bounce the leading edge sat the perfect distance from the ground when set flat.

So there is a brief introduction to our wedges,  we appreciate any support you can give this new brand,  we believe in what we are doing and are trying our very best to create products that don't compromise our high standards.  Everything is is hand made in Japan we do not use one factory to produce everything our mold maker is different from our foundry who is different from our grinders who is different from the finishing house then assembly, modifications, refinishing and options is handled by TSG Club Works.  Click Here to visit the Seven website and Click Here to purchase this product in the TSG Pro Shop.

New for 2015 the Modart MA01DS Adjustable Shaft Driver - Last year the surpise brand of the Japan Golf Fair was Modart which flew completely under the radar until it's launch and besides a complete line up of equipment from woods to multiple sets of irons and wedges 2 Modart drivers were released the MA01S and MA01D which although similar in appearance were designed for players who desire two different flight characteristics.  I personally played the MA01S for almost all of last year and fell in love with it's mute feel and sound during impact combined with it's low spin design and good distance.

This year Modart has further evolved the MA01 driver with the new "DS" and it features a new adjustable hosel not for loft or lie or face angle but only for interchangeable shafts.  I got to hit the new MA01DS on the trackman at Modart HQ last month and walked away impressed as I usually do when it comes to Suda-san's designs. Follow the Jump to Read...

So while it looks similar (consider this an evolution) there are some major changes all around starting with the head size,  the new "DS" is 5 cc's bigger at 440cc, Modart also changed the face material to Japan SP700 for a slightly softer forged cup face feel at impact while at the same time shifting the center of gravity more forward not only making it more workable but also reducing spin.  It's finished in a lovely matte black finish.

What's been left alone is it's stunning shape which will totally appeal to the purest or player who likes looking down at the square face with a compact shape,  when you buy from TSG it's available with a ton of different shaft,  we also offer the adapter so you start with 2 shafts to test,  some of our Seven Dreamers customers have been combo'ing this up with the distance option and the results have been reported as jaw dropping distance with a penetrating trajectory that cuts through the air like a knife.

The official launch date is April but TSG has had these for the past month in 9.5 and 10.5 lofts,  feel free to email us with your questions at info@tourspecgolf.com and we can go over a custom build for you.

Ryoma Beyond Power Driver - This year many of our members were asking what will Ryoma release new for 2015 and while it's not entirely new Ryoma has enhanced it's Ryoma Maxima Driver naming it the Ryoma "Beyond Power" Special Tune Driver.

Made with high strength titanium TX Forged with a Forged CNC Multi-beam cup face the "Non Conforming" Special Tune is combined with a new shaft that Ryoma claims will increase head speed by 2.7mph on average and depending on the player sometimes even more.  What's interesting is this shaft is infinity flex which works for any golfer between 67mph to 111mph!!

This isn't uncommon now days as Fujikura has an infiniti flex "Fujikura Speeder Air" shaft that works for both fast and slower swing speeds but this new Ryoma Beyond Power Driver Shaft is designed for both types of swingers not to balloon and to still meet the ball square at impact with no delay.  The design and materials of the shaft allow the bending to start at the tip section and as you swing toward impact step by step it kicks in different areas ending with kick in the hand area at impact which allows the club head to accelerate through the ball in an automatic behavior.  Usually the final kick is in the tip section.

Ryoma claims this will amplify the head speed for all swing types creating power to the player of 120%...

So we know everything Ryoma makes is well thought out and they don't rust to adding new products of the line up,  but will this really work?  Let us know your thoughts!  The Ryoma Beyond Power will be available at TSG for Pre Order shortly with a mid April ship date.

TW727 460 Driver - Naturally the most forgiving model in the line Honma has designed it around straight and higher launching shots with mid spin.  So figure mid spin/higher launch,  It features a lower and further back center of gravity compared to the other Honma TW727 drivers,  it's got a shallow back which stabilizes spin for a tighter dispersion the MOI is also higher than the smaller four heads as well.

I will be posting brief impressions on all of Honma's new products over the coming weeks,  TourSpecGolf has has ample time with these on the course with a few different types of players,  click read on to see our thoughts...

So first thing to note is that each of the TW727 series drivers are unique from each other,  each shape and shape and weight location is different they are not simply the same driver in different sizes.  As you can see in the above photo it's still a fairly deep face but the 460 extends further heel to toe than the others it also tapers quickly near the sole making it the most shallow of the bunch.

This was evident in our testing where compared against the others ( 430/455/455S ) it had the higher launch,  the feel was slightly more hallow but the more rounded shape and the size made you feel like you could swing harder.  Just remember harder hitters who have swings that produce more swing should look at some of the lower spin versions,  while the TW727 460 is the biggest remember it's still a Tour World Product,  this is by no means for high handicappers although they could use it,  it's still for Tour World type player which is what Honma would consider athlete,  If you look on the JPGA tour many females and senior players have the 460 on Tour.

The face is square but our players who are excellent a couple of them are golf pro's (instructors) felt there was indeed a draw bias and while it's not mentioned in any descriptions I believed that true myself because of the heel weight and on the topics of weight you will notice this 460 has the weight furthest back of all the models which tells you a lot about how it will play,  higher, more MOI and more forgiving.

So for the tech,  I've explained it before these are made by Endo then completed at Honma's amazing Sakata Studio where via TSG we can also offer face angle, lie, and even matte black finish adjustments but bottom line is that it's new manufacturing process in the 455/455S/460 has improved significantly with Honma's proprietary process called W-Forged,  The goal was to make a firmer face feel very soft and they did this through variable face thickness and a new forging method which in the end has a tighter material fiber across the face so the face is stronger,  the sweet spot is larger and it feels more pure at impact.

So after 2 rounds and 3 range sessions all of us walked away with similar feedback,  It's definitely quality,  it feels really good,  the spin isn't too much it's mid range and the launch is high,  for a smooth powerful swing it should do the trick very well.  Distance depends on the player and conditions of course but for me it's as long as anything out there,  the sound is slightly hollow but the face vibrates very nicely,  all around an easy choice for a good player with a less aggressive tempo.  I could easily play this one in a heartbeat and it would help my score.  If your interested in getting one TourSpecGolf has them right here:  Honma TW727 460 Driver

As it stands today Honma Golf is one of the most powerful golf brands in Japan,  many don't know this or understand why but it's a combination of their aggressive business model and their marvel of a factory the Sakata Studio.   As an established golf brand  Honma has the experience and financial backing to be  in prime position to grow market share in Japan once again and nowhere is this more evident than on the JPGA & European tour where many of the top ranked players are signed with Honma under contract, 18 to be exact.

Today we will dive deep into the Tour World TW727P Forged Iron,  It's the most forgiving of the TW727 line up designed for more distance and to be easier to hit.  It's got a thicker top line than the rest not to mention a larger head size so looking down at it you have confidence you can hit it with a good result, compared to teh TW717 it's even easier to hit with more carry than before.  Time to Read On...

So there are 4 models of irons in the TW727 series and as the most forgiving of the bunch it's still not an iron I would put in the Game Improvement category which is usually reserved for the larger headed multi piece distance focused irons,  this TW727P is still a forgiving players iron that I consider full mid sized.  If you need sharp looks with lots of carry and forgiveness and generally play to a mid to low handicap with an eye for a bit more heft in your cavity back these are an option you should consider.

A little bigger than the 717 version they have also enlarged the sweet spot,  the offset has also been increased slightly making it even more easy to hit,  it's two piece cavity features a nice deep undercut unlike the rest of it's 727 family.  Long irons have a thinner face for more carry and the design is made to send the ball with a higher launch to cover more distance.  the mid irons are 2.7mm face thick for better spin performance and as you move into the #11 and SW those don't have any undercut yet still have the forgiveness factor.

Low center of gravity on a higher MOI based design,  it's thicker top line also helps in creating a powerful impact and a better vibration feel.  Honma has revised the sole grind on the 727 series and describes it as clean-cutting,  it's more curved with slightly wider form across all models this helps the player in so many ways from sliding through the turf easier to making cleaner contact.

Do note the long #4 has a deeper cavity,  thinner face for forgiveness and distance,  the mid irons have a less deep cavity and thicker face for better targeting and spin,  the short irons have a slight slit cavity undercut for feel and accuracy while the wedges have no cavity at all and come fully forged for feel, spin, sticking it near the pin.

As you can see above the semi gooseneck is evident and it helps square the face for straighter shots,  looking at the design and it's materials it's made fantastically  It's a 2 piece structure head the body is Soft Forged while the face is high strength maraging stainless steel.  They CNC milled the cavity into the Forged Body creating it's pocket and increasing the MOI while lowering the CG making it more forgiving than other irons it's size.

I need to get to my impressions as I have hit this iron:  It's really nice!  about 2 clubs longer than my traditionally lofted players CB's but also it has a different type of feel,  the vibration that runs up your hands is dense while the sound at impact has a little click to it due to the stainless face.  so dense clicky is how I would sum up feel and distance + 2 clubs over my current irons,  the launch is not all that high it's still for the better player actually this one is easy to suggest to a female athlete player or a low handicap senior player as there is a lot of accuracy that comes from this design.  Forgivness was almost point and shoot,  it's not automatic like game improvement irons but it's getting near so it's a nice blend of both worlds.

I found the #3 iron to be a gem off the tee box,  I don't think a driving iron is necessary here as if you like to hit long irons off the tee these are so much fun and reliable,  I'm not used to hitting clubs this forgiving so these were a pleasant surprise and they don't look gaudy or massive either,  right at the edge for me I think this is the biggest I could game.  I'm glad they make a #3 iron in the first place,  available in 3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11 & SW you got some options,  same goes with shafts,  Vizard IB, Vizard I, Steel or ARMRQ8 leaves you with plenty options,  I'm hitting steel NS950 on my test set so that was another big help in getting a higher launch compared to what I'm used to but Vizard IB sounds good as well as graphite would butter these up at impact just fine I would assume.

So there you have it,  we have the Honma TW727P Available in the TSG ProShop Here:  Click Here  Also TSG can add a pretty intense look to it with Honma Sakata Factory Black Nickel Finish added to it.  I could only imagine what that would look like shafted up with the Vizard IB105 Carbon + Metal fiber shafts.  Inquire with info@tourspecgolf.com if you have more questions.

It's finally time,  our review of the 2015 Titleist 716 T-MB Irons.  This one caught us by surprise at the Japan Golf Fair and just a few days before the event leaked spec sheets were floating around the web,  we scrambled jet lagged the day of the show waking up at 1am to prepare the product listings and placeholders in the newsletters for an iron we had never seen in the flesh,  somehow we knew this would be big,  and it was.. it is.

After hitting just a #7 iron in the swing cage  I knew it was special and while it looks like a blade it doesn't perform like one, not even close.  This thing whatever it was is different and after a weeks worth of play It's time we spill the beans on what could be one of the most awesome irons of 2015.  Follow the Jump to Read on you do not want to miss this!

Today was my 2nd round with the new Titleist T-MB,  I also enlisted the help of a couple of my pals to share to provide feedback,  one a Titleist staffer golf instructor who was floored to see these as he prides himself about knowing all things Titleist he hadn't the slightest clue these had been released.  At first I handed him the #2 iron on the range and he said ya he already has the "U" in his bag so then I handed him the 8 iron and said 716 buddy.  You should have seen the look on his face,  it was disbelief that this release could sneak past him.  Welcome to the world of JDM.

Let's get the specs out of the way,  these are Stainless Steel not forged so bend at your own risk.  I suggest ordering custom from TSG as Titleist Japan is willing to bend loft/lie 2* for us.  The new 716 T-MB features a unique design utilizing a hollow body and within a composite tungsten material behind the toe and heel section to produce a low center of gravity and mucho forgiveness,  it's thin face structure increases ball velocity making not only the most forgiving muscle back iron in golf but also the longest distance MB ever produced.  Sounds too hypey!  but I confirm longest MB i've ever hit but can we really consider this a true MB?  I say yes.

Below the #2, 7, and PW sole profiles,  the charcoal PVD finished tungsten thingy looks much better in the real than in photographs btw.

JDM enthusiasts know the Titleist VG3 very well and while holding these at address you can totally see the two are related in not only minimal offset but also similarities in shape,  roundness of the top line and it's extra added heft.  Hit them and you fully know the two are most likely designed by the same person or team.  This is a blade for people who normally wouldn't play an MB,  hit it all over the face,  go ahead it's soft mostly everywhere and long.  I wasn't kidding when I said longest blade,  let's toss most forgiving in there as well.  Titleist has combined strong lofts with a low center of gravity which is like mixing low trajectory with high launch to create penetrating mid traj bullets.  And don't forget it's hollow on the inside AND Stainless steel,  it should feel like s**t then right?  not at all,  this thing is spongy soft metal again sharing some of it's DNA with the same impact sensation as the VG3 CB.

Below the address pics of T-MB #2, 7, and PW...

The #2 isn't all that pretty but the #7 and #PW are gorgeous! And I tell you what, the #2 iron is extremely hittable,  now days we don't get to enjoy many #2 irons and especially any that are this forgiving and easy to hit.  Titleist has gotta release these to the rest of the world!  I'm hitting these with S200's they could feel so much better with a different shaft but still these are just blowing my mind with how they look,  feel, and perform.  Distance is 1.5 - 2 clubs longer than the traditionally lofted butter knives I usually play,  the #2 iron is 17* btw!!  PW = 45* trajectory is very penetrating, but still easy ups.

Most MBs have near 0 bounce all the way through,  these are 0 in the #2 and #3 but then increase in bounce thru the PW so my takeaway from this would be it's better in average to softer conditions, better for the slider,  and great from the rough and in my testing that was all confirmed,  I come in pretty steep and still these did the job for me but I could imagine them being a touch bouncy in hard pan conditions.

Again all beautiful shapes,  nothing to quibble about here it's curvey,  got a nice amount of real estate these truly are mini driving irons all the way through hence why it's based on the 712U driving irons.

Ok so what am I forgetting in this review?  different shafts yup I gotta yank the S200's these are tried and tested but still no fun so I'd like to see some distance enhancing shafts in these perhaps MCI 100's in stiff for me or the Modus3 125 if accuracy is the goal  whatever the case the Titleist T-MB 716 Stainless Steel Irons are legit and what I consider  a big advancement in muscle back design,  if you like a minimal appearance, distance forgiveness, and nice feel do consider.  The only segment I could see not liking these are people who play a lot of hard pan or like flatter and narrow soled short irons or those who feel comfort in familiarity of that pure MB impact as these are different compared to just about every MB i've hit in almost every way but in a very very good way.  Available Here:  Click Here!  Enjoy the rest of the pics and thanks for reading!