Honma Golf - They make some of the best gear in the world in fact I can't think of another brand that has as complete of an arsenal as they do or owns a factory as advanced and massive as they own or has the backing with as deep pockets they're on a whole other level yet at the same time there is a segment of enthusiasts that simply brush them off as gold plated golf clubs with soft whippy shafts for the older asian rich gentleman, and the sad part is most of these people have no clue what Honma is all about and are missing out on some of the best gear in golf.

last years model the 717 was spot on but this years model while looking somewhat similar is completely refined and TW series is one of their many line ups now consider this this one portion of Honma's gear has 4 drivers,  4 irons, a fairway, UT, driving iron, and wedge not to mention a ton of high end accessories to match.  That's more than most brands have period and that's not counting the other many series of clubs Honma produces.

Here's my take on the new TW-727M (muscle back) - Follow the Jump to Read On...

Compact and this on this years model everything is a little more rounded this is the #6 iron and what I like most about it is the subtle neck transition as the neck has a short and slight bump forming into the top line which is also very thin yet curved slightly on both sides.  Looking at it's face profile what I see is a slightly more shallow 6 iron than other muscle backs (im splitting hairs here)  Honma did this for two reasons to keep more mass low making it easier to hit and give it a softer dense feel at impact.  I can vouch for the softer feel compared to the previous TW717 model.  I've had these for several months already I've hit some of the most pure strikes in my life with the shorter irons especially the #8 as well as some buttery #4 iron shots from the tee box on long par 3's.

I'm diggin the font used for the numbers on the sole (below) and also the curved angles all around especially in the toe back side, the image below doesn't show this well but the heel and toe are more rounded than one would expect,  you don't see this in very many blades from Titleist to Miura also the Honma appears to have a little more bounce although I'm not sure on the exact number the curves give it that appearance,  I wouldn't consider them flat soled at all although they extremely versatile help at least a little in the rough or softer conditions yet round enough not to get in the way of playing them off hard pan or tight lies.

Ok so how do they play?  Forgiving compared to other blades?  Yes but not the most forgiving of MB's more forgiving than just about every Miura MB and less forgiving than most Neo Blades like the Titleist T-MB I posted yesterday the heel to toe length gives you confidence,  what appears to be a more shallow profile adds to that as well and it's extremely accurate which is where I think these shine not all MB's are as well balanced as these.

Feel is soft and somewhat buttery it's in between soft and medium,  for sure not mushy and it's distance is what you would expect from any other blades keeping in mind really no traditional blade is designed for distance they are designed for workability and accuracy for the most part.  The shape is gorgeous they gave the 727 a more square and straight neck image than the previous model at their pro players request.  The finish is absolutely bonkers  and I mean that in a good way it's called half mirror + mirror + double layer paint I have no clue what that means but lets call it the sexiest brushed satin from any brand finished in house at Sakata Studio.

Lofts are somewhat traditional with a 46* PW aka #10 iron,  the two standard shafts are DG S200 and Vizard IB95 Carbon,  These Vizard shafts are legit and Honma has put a patent on the IB version as it's a Japan made high grade carbon shaft with amorphous metal fibers in the tip section so it feels like carbon but plays somewhat similar to steel,  much like the Fujikura MCI also these are high kick point shafts.

These irons in the photos are a standard set,  My personal set is on an entirely different level,  TSG offers some wicked options from Sakata Studio first I'm playing a Combo set #4 is the TW727P 5/6/7 = 727Vn and 8/9/10 is this M but that's not all they have custom Vizard IB105's which are the heavier version and second they have a custom black nickel finish done by Sakata that I will show pics of in the coming weeks.  I asked Honma to match the lofts, lie angles, serial numbers and everything of my combo set so it flowed properly.  Anyway you will see those soon.  In the meantime I hope you enjoyed the brief review here is the product listing:  Click Here!

Seven Advanced Design is only several months since its official launch yet it's been years in the making. hundreds of sketches of different cavity backs,  dozens of sample irons from other brands combined with over a decade of listening and learning about what our members truly desire from a compact players iron. 

Learning the Japan golf industry inside and out has helped a lot, knowing where and how other brands get stuck,  see'ing the life cycle of companies including their ups and downs and understanding why they rise and why they fall has allowed us to create a unique scenario for SEVEN.  

In this post I will talk about the History of just 1 of our products,  explain our concept and express thoughts that led to the final design...  Enter the Seven Cavity Blade.

It started with sketches and many of them,   then the hiring and firing of multiple 3D Cad designers,  then visiting the factories to find out who had the ability to produce the product to our standard and then producing sample after sample over the course of 2 years then sending it to get CG tested then changing the material,  then having design changed, then going over and over and over a similar process as there are boundaries and limitations to what the factories can do.

So what did we learn?  That there is not one factory that can do it all so the next step was to have particular factories do certain tasks then ship to the next and the next and so fourth.  Was it all worth it?  We think so but it wasn't cheap to get things done the way we envisioned our costs sky rocketed and all near the end of the process so it was too late to turn back,  too much time and money invested and quite honestly I was just too damn excited to see what golfers would say about the feel,  the performance, and the style.

Above is a photo of the cavity blade done up in soft black with blue paint fill,  during early morning or late afternoon the orange in the sky gives it a purple hue.   Originally we had opted for just S15C but during our testing found that SS400 which is FORGED not stainless feels really good as well SS400 is also a forged carbon material simply measured by tensile strength instead of carbon content, In terms of feel it comes is in between S15C and S20C.

The toe extends ever so slightly pass the groove and the neck is a little shorter these two features bring the CG to center rather than toward the heel,  the center of gravity is mid/low positioned not considered very low as we wanted these irons to be workable and produce a piercing trajectory as they are geared toward the better player.  We did have actual JPGA Tour Card holders test these irons and also professional ladies and across the board the praise for look and feel were extremely high.

100% Forged and Handmade in Himeji Japan using only Japanese materials the Seven CB was made to produce a soft pure feeling yet maintaining feedback on mishits.  These “cavity blade” irons have a compact athlete profile designed to visually aid the golfer in focusing with an emphasis on feel and accuracy.  The top line is very thin,  sole has a slight trailing and leading edge grind and the lofts are traditional with the PW at 47* so this is not an iron geared toward distance.

S15C is no more in Japan it was always considered too soft which is why we used it in a design that would normally feel firm (designed for feedback) this balanced out too soft and firm really surprising us at how good it felt,  so why go with 2 materials?  well during our testing 1 of every 4 testers would say it's a little too soft so we tested S25C and S20C and the feedback was those were both a hair firm and finally we found SS400 which was just right.  What we noticed is pro's like firm and this SS400 material which is in between S15C & S20C was perfect.  All S15C sets come finished in brushed satin original,  SS400 sets we kept raw at our warehouse to apply custom finishes.

Handmade,  so what I wanted from the very beginning is all Seven clubs to be handmade as it all started with a handmade sketch and ends with hand done paint fill and assembly,  even the satin is brushed by hand after it's chrome dip.  The "cavity blade" has a small touch that I felt was important,  starting at the eight iron the second step in the cavity slightly blends into the top line.  originally the CB had a thicker top line but I decided to go even thinner to have this feature,  it does nothing for performance it just shows that the clubs are hand ground.

What Japan has that other countries don't is the skilled craftsman and grind skills.  Mass production can be done anywhere but the art of the grind can't be as it's a fading tradition that will only fade in time unless there is a following of purists to keep it alive.

So as this brand is part of TSG I'm going to reserve my  review and leave that to our members,  These are Edition 1 and will never be produced again.  At the time of this post April 14th we have only 1 set of S15C irons left and a few more SS400 sets ready for the customers choice of finish and paint fill.  So far Edition 1 wedges are sold out as well and S15C will be no more in all of Japan.

PRGR did a showing of their up coming releases for mid 2015,  we are allowed to show you some of them but not all.  The PRGR Nabla Tour 2015 Series is exactly what TSG members would expect retro look pro level clubs packed with technology especially the 3 wood in my opinion.

The new Nabla Tour Wedge has a flat silver finish to totally eliminate glare and trailing edge grind that goes to the center of the sole which PRGR says provides enough to open the face a few degrees yet allows the player to hit full shots with the club sitting square if you want it to.  Ready to see the Driving Iron and new Fairway Wood?  Click Read More...

PRGR has for decades made amazing driving irons,  they are some of the best in the business and I'm excited to try the new iD Nabla Tour.  Reviews coming soon to TSG.

This new 3 wood is something else,  not exactly traditional as PRGR claims they have combined the performance of the original EGG FW with a more player shape,  hopefully this time they got it right as few woods beat the original and 2nd gen Egg FW's,  in the photo below it shows that while it has an elongated back the weight is big and low while still forward making this indeed forgiving yet designed to produce low spin and penetrating shots.

W-FORGED is a new process developed by Honma which combines two new techniques,  the first is an industry first high density forging method that increases the face strength by 15% via tighter forged fibers allowing Honma to make the face thinner and save 2g weight,  this gives Honma a greater freedom of design.  The second is Variable face thickness, and while this has been around for a while the method Honma uses is proprietary to create the perfect amount of rebound across a wider area thus expanding the sweet spot size.  Bottom line bigger sweet spot,  better feel, and more distance!

So how does it compare to the previous version?  You will have to read on to find out.

Before we get into comparing it to the TW717 let's put the 455 into the proper context as it is not for the slower swinger or high handicap player.  There are four new Honma drivers  430/455/455S/460.  The latter 3 are made using W-Forged tech and obviously and listed in order of the player skill set.   If you are a pro to low capper this is a great driver to consider, why?  First the shape,  it's deep faced taller from sole to crown and the heel to toe doesn't have as much real estate meaning it's workable,  second it's high back and forward shifted weights create a higher more forward CG, and this translates into less spin and stronger trajectory and of course we can't forget it's made of top notch materials  KS100 Forged Ti crown + Elf Titanium high density forged face.

The head while rounded is compact with a square face now here's where things get awesome through TSG you can get custom matte black paint done at the factory,  you can also have the lie angle adjusted in half degree increments up to 1* as well as the face angle,  these are all very important options to players who may want to open the face or close it based on preference.  Again all factory done.  Oh, wait one more thing we can also do custom shaft colors as well :)

The only limiting factor is factory shaft options but what they have available should have just about any player covered.  There are two options Vizard Series and ARMRQ8 both are shafts produced at the highest level in house using the best materials.  Vizard uses a prepreg sheet made with a new material codenamed YARN The outermost layer of the shaft butt on the new VIZARD (YA/YC/YZ) features YARN Prepreg sheet, a cutting-edge material highly resistant to cylindrical compression. This controls compression of the shaft during cutover and downswing, and by stabilizing launch, enables a more accurate impact. Use of high-strength YARN Prepreg sheet also expands freedom of shaft design, making it possible to develop shafts that meet a wide range of requests from top professionals players.

ARMRQ8 which is a custom option uses an eight axis structure for straighter shots and more distance,  I would consider ARMRQ8 if your tempo is normal to smooth and you may not have as fast of a swing speed.  These feel great and to further enhance things I suggest upgrading to 3, 4, even 5 stars if you have the coin.

My Take:  Have hit this driver on my home track and on the range many times as I've had all the new Honma gear in for testing for a while now.  Hands down one of the best all-around players driver money can buy.  For sure it's got technology that 99.999% of other drivers could only dream of thanks to Honma's deep pockets and amazing designers but feel was sensational,  the trajectory I describe as mid/high much depending on the shaft that I used the Vizard YC-65 in stiff.  It felt a little too firm for me but the result was very straight shots and long,  again these feel and sound so pure think a more muted metallic soft not crunch.

The Distance was top notch it's definitely long and probably among the best with the properly selected shaft.  The Key is selecting the right Honma driver for your swing based on what you want,  launch, spin, workability etc..

It's still pretty forgiving but not so much on heel and toe shots compared to the 455S and 460 so think about where your misses are and if its high and low on the face then this one is a worthy contender.  Hope you enjoyed the quick review,  next up are the irons.

Some clients prefer not to wait 3-4 weeks for their custom GF putter so we decided to bring in a few so they can ship quickly.  In this blog post we will be covering the 5 latest custom and modified Gold's Factory Putters recently added to the store.

Make sure to move fast if you are lusting over one of these fine flat sticks as there is only 1 of each already made and the modified putters can't be ordered on a normal basis unless you send in a head first.  Follow the Jump to Read On...

Based on the Newport 2 Replica body by Gold's Factory this putter features next-gen PZ milling,  2 orbit G weights.  This is a GF custom so it can be ordered any way you want it with more or less options in a different color theme so it's up to you.  Its made of JSS which is the equal in mineral content to GSS but from Japan.  The total head weight is a heavier 365g it's at 34" witha  matching GF original grip | Official listing:  Click Here

Total Weight: 535g
Head Weight: 365g
Swing Weight: E4.4
Lie Angle: 71.5°
Loft Angle(Sole): 6°
Real Loft Angle: 5°
Face Angle: 4°open / Shaft Angle: 1.3°open
Frequency: 356cpm
Shaft: Gold's Factory Original 34"(Spine Aligned)
Grip: Gold's Factory Original(Blue)

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Next up we have a Custom GF00A which we have 1 in stock or it can be special ordered in 3-4 weeks with all the options you want.  Made with a flat face this one also has a heavy head weight of 365g,  the unique black dots on the bumpers and matching dots on the sole are not a common design for GF.

Total Weight: 541g
Head Weight: 365g
Swing Weight: F3.2
Lie Angle: 71.5°
Loft Angle(Sole): 6°
Real Loft Angle: 5°
Face Angle: 4°open / Shaft Angle: 1.3°open
Frequency: 345cpm
Shaft: Gold's Factory Original 35"(Spine Aligned)
Grip: Gold's Factory Original(Black)

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And now on to some modified putters,  this next one is a classic,  the Prototype M402 is a mallet designed by master Sasaya that is no longer offered in the main line up.  It's not easy to find so when I was able to find this one it deserved extra special attention by adding a light next gen pz face milling along with tungsten weighting to bring the head weight up,  a nice Teflon black finish and unique orange / white paint fill theme.

Total Weight: 532g
Head Weight: 359g
Swing Weight: E7.2
Lie Angle: 71.5°
Loft Angle(Sole): 6°
Real Loft Angle: 5°
Face Angle: 4°open / Shaft Angle: 1.3°open
Frequency: 337cpm
Shaft: Gold's Factory Original 34"
Grip: Gold's Factory Original(Black)
Light Next Gen PZ Milling

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Here is another modified putter no readily available by Gold's Factory based on the GF Del Mar 3 Replica Head it's been further enhanced with again light PZ mill,  teflon black and arc reactor accents on the toe and inside the back cavity as well as a welded neck then finally finished off in a red and white paint theme.  This particular head is well suited to faster greens hence it's lighter head weight and specs.

Gold's Factory Del Mar 3 Replica Putter Modified
Total Weight: 495g
Head Weight: 328g
Swing Weight: D0
Lie Angle: 71.5°
Loft Angle(Sole): 6°
Real Loft Angle: 5°
Face Angle: 4°open / Shaft Angle: 1.3°open
Frequency: 370cpm
Shaft: True Temper USTP-2B 34"
Grip: Gold's Factory Original (Black)

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Finally a Modified and rare Yamada Dream 54 Putter by Golds Factory,  done up with a Next Gen PZ Milling & Smoked Copper Finish that's all that was needed here.  This finish is started with a copper dip then followed by a black dip then torched and hand polished to have this rustic yet luxurious look.

Total Weight: 512g
Head Weight: 344g
Swing Weight: D4.1
Lie Angle: 69.5°
Loft Angle(Sole): 3°
Real Loft Angle: 2°
Face Angle: 3°open / Shaft Angle: 1°open
Frequency: 365cpm
Shaft: Gold's Factory Original 34"(Spine Aligned)
Grip: IOMIC Regular Size(Black)

The cold forged is back and further improved for 2015!  The previous version was a major hit with TSG members and clients one our best selling wedges we have ever had and already the new cold forged is picking up where it left off.

This year offered with lofts between 48* and 60* in 3 different grinds the  F, M, and K Grinds all made with a more medium bounce profile making them extremely versatile for all types of conditions.  Why would Titleist only offer a forged wedge in Japan and not everywhere else and I don't know the reason  perhaps it's a supply or cost issue or maybe it because the majority of golfers and especially outside of Japan don't particularly have a preference on what materials were used to make their golf clubs.

Lots of photos and comments so click Read More to continue on...

F-GRIND - In my opinion the most versatile of the 3 grinds with few faults it's slight leading edge provides a way to open the face but just a little and not a lot,  its sole width  is  medium to narrow and it has just a little camber.  It's killed leading edge  helps move turf while the overall  design allows you to utilize bounce more effectively without having to open up the club face.   Only available in 48/08,  50/08, 52/10,  and 56/14* loft/bounce.

K-GRIND -  This wider sole is rounded and doesn't dig as easily,  it's high bounce and shape works great for bunkers,  high rough,  soft  or wet conditions  and a player who comes in steep or makes big divots may appreciate some of its traits.  Only available in 58/12

M-Grind - This mid bounce wedge is available in most lofts and in the 58* you can choose between mid or high bounce options.  It's designed for the more slider sweeper impact type and plays great for someone who wants to open the club head  for even more loft around the greens and finally it has a slightly killed leading-edge that works well in getting the club face under the ball.  Only Available in 54/10, 56/10, 58/08 and 60/08* Loft/Bounce.

And now my review:

Spin - Better than most good as it gets for conforming grooves,  they incorporate the latest TX3 spin milled technology and what Titleist did is make the 48 - 54* grooves more narrow while the 56-60 is deeper giving you stronger spin where you need it most.

Distance - I don't judge wedges with distance.

Feel -  Dense/Firm/ Kinda Soft and remember shaft & grip make a difference but If they could make these a little bit softer I would be happier and that's not knocking them they feel really great still.

Accuracy - Excellent - these wedges have it all and near shape perfection  the "Cold Forged" process they refer to is forging where they control and suppress heat and deformation for a more accurate material you can do anything with these wedges and they are forgiving which make them accurate.

Forgiveness - Excellent It's got the size and its got the grind and design to just offer everything really well,  some offset where offset is best utilized and when it's well balanced like this the result is feeling of confidence and reliability which make them forgiving.

I found impact to not be as soft as expected from a  forged wedge but still very nice and more importantly better than most,  spin was between good/great and I usually play non-conforming so I have a decent sense of what poor/good/great/and finally ludicrous spin is but to make further comparisons the,  S-Yard Bold was "great" spin for a conforming wedge,  Yururi Gekku Raw Non-Conforming is ludicrous spin and these are almost great if that helps.

What would I change?  not much it's brushed satin is gorgeous,  could use less stamping,  these are easily all the wedge most of us could possibly want.  The 2015 Cold Forged Titleist Japan Wedge is up there with the best of them you can learn more or purchase here " Click Here".

TYPE-D Vs TYPE-F: Coming Soon

Last year the model "V" was Honma's most compact forged players cavity  iron it was called the Tour World 717V and this year it's grown a little to become a more forgiving and softer club making way for a new and even more compact players CB the "VN".  This is good news to me because I liked the previous V a lot but this one  with even more forgiveness and still a low offset thin top line iron It's now better than ever.

Honma's professionals really liked the V but wanted an iron the had a cavity and traditional lofts still,  this paved the way to create the VN to fit this need allowing the V to maintain slightly stronger lofts and implementing just the slightest bit more size and a deeper cavity.  Ready for more angles of this beauty?  Follow the jump!...

Hard to tell it's any bigger with looks like these.  Compared to the VN it's slightly longer heel to toe,  the lofts are only 1* stronger with it's PW or #10 as honma calls it at 46* instead of 47*,  the face is taller  and it just has slightly more offset which you can barely see from the photo above.

Honma has implemented a new forging method called W-FORGED,  its proprietary and belongs to Honma alone,  they take S25C and cold forge press then hot forged press making the fibers tighter and in the face area even more metal compression takes place and how this translates to the player is the face is more durable and more dense so with miss-hits your shots are straighter.  Honma calls it Winning Forged but the bottom line is it's a double metal structure which also made a more mild impact. Honma claims that against normal forgings there is no loss of momentum when hitting the upper portion of the face.

It's still considered a half cavity but compared to the smaller Vn the center of gravity was lowered as well,  It's considered by Tour Players a slightly bigger face shape,  to me in person and on the course it seems perfect in size,  Honma nailed it!  The pro's even consider this Goose Neck for forgiveness but looking at it I don't see that at all from the long to the short irons.

What I love about the entire TW727 series is what they call the Half Mirror + Mirror Double Layer Painting finish but for simplicity lets just call it a beautiful high gloss brushed satin,  Honma is an expert at creating platings in house at their Sakata Studio that are gorgeous, durable and best of all golf specific designed for feel.

Now the stock shafts are NSPro Modus3 Tour 120 in Stiff as well as the Vizard IB95 carbon,  This is players carbon!  It's not soft or whippy and the IB series has a patent itself for the steel fibers woven into the tip section of this shaft,  I'm also playing the IB105 which is a heavier special order model and find it to be even stiffer than my Fujikura MCI 120 in the same flex.  The IB95 option is in the 90 gram range with a high kick point for a lower accurate ball flight,  there is also a softer I version of the carbon vizard shaft which doesn't have metal fibers and plays to a more flexible profile for those who may have the game to play these but not the speed for the IB version.

Below a photo of it's sole profile,  here's where you can tell its a little wider than before but it does have a nice pre-worn leading edge for better ball contact and turf interaction.  I also really like the font they used for the numbers on the sole it adds to the somewhat modern look of the entire series.

So the bottom line is Honma by adopting the W-Forged method,  lowering the CG by making a deeper cavity and increasing the dimensions has made an iron for the low-mid handicap to professional player that plays easier than it's predecessor,  has better feel as well as a bit more distance.

Miura Giken has a couple of new variants recently announced called the Y-Grind series Type-D & Type-F blades,  both very similar to the blades they already have the market but hand ground with some aggressive new angles and edges.

Of the two models the D & F MG has released 200pcs of each model 100 in a more silver metallic finish and 100 in a flatter silver look x 2 different sets that means a total of 400 of these new blades  combined will exist.  While it looks like most of their other blades as the base heads are often shared there are still some visual distinctions that are easily noticeable from different angles that we will highlight in this blog post.  If you like Miura Giken ( Japan Version ) and you enjoy drooling over muscle back irons its time to read more...

Y-Grind Type D Face Angle Below:

So why buy these?  really they are not so different from what MG already offers but the main difference is the toe grind and face shape.  Miura-san has always had toe grinds that were usually more squared and boxed off over what other brands release and on the other side of that extreme is Zodia who has the toe's highest peak closer to the outline of the groove and most other brands are in between.  In the photo above you can see the toe's highest point is as far out as you can put it which gives the appearance of a larger longer to toe heel to toe length and also helps push as much weight out for a more centered CG although it is still slightly toward the heel vs the middle.

Above the Y-Grind D from top view - When you have a slightly squared & pushed out toe it also changes the appearance at address,  I personally like this look very much as it's lines and shape just look stable and minimal,  this shape is the less extreme of the two toe grinds as you will see in the Type F photos,  I think the type D is just slightly more boxy than most of MGs other blades.  Both irons share some of the best techniques used in my favorite MG iron the MB5003.

Back when Miura made some of the Taylormade irons they looked similar to these and later grew a following which TM implemented into some of that eras MB and CB designs after finding that many MB players on tour also preferred this look but how does it compare to the opposite extreme?  The Zodia extreme which almost aligns the toe peak with the outer groove edge is a newer look,  sharper that some say produce a smaller head profile yet more forgiving as the bulk of the mass sits tighter and closer together.  What I would advise is don't pick one and say you like it better,  try both and you will notice that your eyes will prefer one of the other but at the same time your result or the overall performance may favor another.

Type-D Sole Above:  It features a nice slight leading edge grind, flatter narrow sole that tapers in toward the heel,  of the two finishes I would recommend the shinny satin version as shown in these pictures over the flatter more dull finish,  The Type-D has red accents such as the letter D and the funky Y on the sole has a touch of red in it,  personally I think Miura should have made an extra 10 sets almost completely blank of stamping besides the MB logo and I know many of our TSGers feel the same way.  From the sole grind the Type-D & F are near identical.

And now the Type-F...

What you should notice first is the toe in the above & below pictures,  it's sharp and as far out as it can get this is the toe out extreme of Miura and while the Type-D to my eye looks stellar the Type-F is the contrast to go for.  If you want something special this is it.   My take is that blades are blades and Miura blades always have a similar flavor so go for something different try the F as there will be more like the D in the future but the Type-F is something special and different.

Taller near the heel,  higher CG,  straighter lined top line leading to Miura's sharpest peak while not many modern irons have this look it reminds me of a few classic irons I remember.  So what you are really choosing between is the face profile and address appearance between the two and this is the more extreme of the two.

Scroll up and compare the toe and shape vs the Type D to see the difference,  knowing these difference help create a preference,  not many golfers can see let alone describe the grind adjustments they prefer,  TSG'ers are exceptionally well at this as they are the most discerning in golf.  I applaud Miura Giken for producing irons with these types of grind differences.

The toe on this end of the sole isn't as thick on the "F"  It's less tapered yet still has that slightly leading edge grind which is perfect for step swing,  firmer conditions or just players who hit more precise shots that need to clip the ball perfectly without bounce.

In the TSG Forums I have created a thread showing these same photos side by side with notes for you to better compare.

Thinner sharper and reminiscent of classic blades I like the way the D looks naturally but those and similar shapes should often be available from Miura but this F...  It's unique that toe is so far out that it makes the top line appear even thinner even though their thickness in millimeters are equal.  So which would you choose?  The Y-Grind Type-D or Type F?

Want to see side by side pictures?  We have a special thread going on in the Forum to compare these two,  Join the discussion by "clicking here"

ONOFF Labo Frogs Leap Wedge - It's an interesting concept a 70* wedge that plays to an effective 64* when used as advised.  ONOFF has released three lofts  52/64/70 each can be adjusted up to 1* stronger or weaker and the basic premise is you play these closed down a bit and come into the ball square versus across the ball.  ONOFF wants players to realizing how it's used looking beyond it's loft  and not just consider this a normal wedge at 70*.

The 64* and 70* feature a  twin cut sole that has variable bounce angles and out near the toe the 70* plays to 24* bounce,  toward the heel it's 12* but center where bounce is usually measured it's 14*  This is something most players don't take into account when figuring out bounce,  that manufactures tend to measure center while a wedge can play totally different from the heel and toe.  Ready for more?  Follow the Jump Please...

These wedges are cast,  finished in satin and mirror,  why make a 52* along with a 64 and 70?  for the chip and run shot and these wedges are designed to promote better contact and less topping or thin shots around the green.

The photo above shows the club hovering but when it's placed on the ground it naturally rocks a little closed,  you can play the 70* slightly open for 70* loft or open it up further for even more,  I've tried this and the face just slides right under the ball which would make it great for a short shot from atop a hill going down to a fast green.

The 64* is similar as well,  pretty much plays to a 58-60* closed down or a full 64* slightly open,  the sole design of the 64* starts at the bounce at the  toe with 23* then moving toward the heel 13* and 11*.

The 52* has a different sole grind that the Labo Dept calls Wave Sole yet it's designed to serve the same purpose providing better turf interaction,  allowing the leading edge to sit low near the ground and provide interaction that increases your chances of a better approach shot.  TourSpecGolf has these listed in our Online Store and these are shipping well at the moment but keep in mind like all Labo Clubs they are Limited Editions and will be gone as soon as stock runs out.  Click Here to Purchase!

Here's something new & special that we don't see very often,  A Honma 4-Star Upgrade but on the new Tour Wold 727 Series club.    Many have heard of  Honma star rated clubs and shafts but the majority still doesn't quite understand how the program works or how it's better than the standard versions so I figured it's time to explain this and there is no better way than to test it myself on range and course.

So what makes the 5 Star better than the 4 or the 3 better than the 2?  Follow the Jump to learn why Honma offers these pricey upgrades and what they do to better performance for the player...

Only Veteran Craftsmen can work on 4-5 Star builds,  each person must have over 20 years working in the factory with Honma.  Honma clubs usually come standard at 2 stars with optional 3/4/5 star upgrade options each costing more the higher it goes.    The difference between them are basically  aesthetics,  custom options, and shaft materials,   for example 4-5 star shafted clubs are open to all requests within Sakata Factories realm of capabilities..

In this case if I just ordered a 4-Star TW727 without requesting options this driver would have arrived with a gold crown but I selected custom matte black because its my preference,  the matte look combined with gold is gorgeous kinda a mixture of bad ass with luxurious.  I decided to keep the 4 star shaft original gold color to flow with the rest of the theme although matte black with gold foil graphics would have been insane.  The ferrule itself has real 24k gold accents on it as well,  it's over the top yes but it's beautiful looking ferrule.

Pink Shaft & Head no problem?  White Ice cream cone looking driver is fine as well,  Honma also let's you customize the specs from exact lofts to lie angles and face angles or weighting biases but besides the looks it's really the shaft that has a lot of the value.    ARMRQ8 is an eight axis design made with 2 basic graphite sheets and as you go up in stars the materials used in the sheets change to higher grade carbon.

2-Star = 40T/46T
3-Star = 46T/46T
4-Star = 46T/50T
5-Star = 50T/50T

Some of you are wondering where is the 80T?  80T is not the material of choice when it comes to performance & feel as a whole,  it is a great option for anti shaft deformation but it also causes issues with feel and distance so it's not the ideal material for most shaft applications although on the web the higher # will tend to get the credit over design.

The carbon material is different depending on the star grade so the  higher grade shaft  will minimize wobble at off-center hits and the negatively effected  shot dispersion and distance loss are minimized.  let's say you had a swing robot that hit the center perfectly the same spot and speed every time then there would be no need or difference between the 2/3/4/5 star shafts but the reality is we can't duplicate our best results over and over so this is where materials aid the player in keeping a tighter dispersion on off center shots which maintain straighter results and more distance or in other words it improves the results of our swing flaws.

So what does this all mean?  It means with better materials you rely on timing less,  you get better distance on off center hits due to less shaft deformation and your trajectory is more penetrating in general.

That matte crown looks so sweet,  the Tour World 455S is the second most forgiving model of driver in the series,  it's still draw biased but just slightly and like the others has a square face angle.  The standard shaft is VIZARD which is designed for the harder swinger,  it too also has a very tight dispersion due to the metal fibers in the tip section,  the Vizard line is not available in upgrade stars only the ARMRQ8 series is.

Below an image of the face,  as you can see while still deep there is space on both sides heel & toe for miss hits.

The 455/455S/ and 460 models are W-FORGED which is a new process developed by Honma which combines two new techniques,  the first is an industry first high density forging method that increases the face strength by 15% via tighter forged fibers allowing Honma to make the face thinner and save 2g weight,  this gives Honma a greater freedom of design.  The second is Variable face thickness, and while this has been around for a while the method Honma uses is proprietary to create the perfect amount of rebound across a wider area thus expanding the sweet spot size.  Bottom line bigger sweet spot,  better feel, and more distance!

Hope you enjoyed the run down and photos of this club,  any of the tour world series drivers can be customized one thing worth mentioning is 5-Star customers when traveling to Japan can schedule a tour of the factory and have their clubs & shafts refinished and re gripped at no additional cost keeping their investment looking brand new even after years of play.

What we have here are the prototype Seven 577-AG Series the "AG" = Aggressive Grind, and while the retail version will differ slightly from these I still wanted to go ahead and give everyone a sneak peak of what these are all about.  Obviously by name these focus on a grind that allow players to get creative with shots and have a lot of confidence in doing so.  Ready for more? Follow the Jump Please...

If you pay close attention the original 577 series wedge has non conforming razor sharp grooves as does will most wedges by SEVEN Golf,  but these in the AG-Grind are actually new rule conforming grooves for someone who may be interested in playing USGA sanctioned events ( disclaimer these have not been submitted to the USGA for approval yet but this same stamp pattern has been approved on other wedges recently ).

What are they?  It's the same basic and rounded shape as the Original 577 but the sole grind has a few new features,  what we created was a wedge that still has  8* low bounce but with the sole channel dug out the leading edge sits even flatter and closer to the turf which makes it even better tight lies,  although the original was already above and beyond for tight lies due to it's low bounce profile already this one is a bit more extreme,  we also removed the trailing edge grind to keep the head from rocking too much but at the same time we removed a lot of the heel and toe so the player can now sit square with less rocking off the face yet if they want to crank it open they can and in a way that is more reliable with more consistency than if the trailing edge grind remained.

The Original & Prototype SEVEN wedges all have a more pronounced and rounded shape to them,  some call it the JDM neck style but it really is a natural blend of say what a Vokey is vs a JDM neck transition, they have a higher neck to top line transition and a more rounded toe design,  we did this strictly for performance and will continue to evolve it's design into the next series of 577 and 577 (AG) series wedges.  What we noticed is our shapes contribute to spin performance and feel for both non conforming and conforming grooves not to mention having that extra space toward the heel vastly contributes to forgiveness and reducing hosel shanks.

Yup Above,  Nice rounded shape on this 52*  The 60* is even rounder.

New Grind w/ Aggressive Heel & Toe Relief
Conforming Grooves
Sole Channel for harder conditions & tight lies
New High Gloss Japan Brushed Satin Finish
All Lofts feature 8* Bounce

Below photo,  thin top line,  not too compact yet not too large,  minimal offset and with the 58 & 60* we have slight onset.

Photo Below shows how much we removed from the heel and toe sides we are confident that this design allows the player to open the face to just the perfect amount without rocking forward or back as it would with a traditional heel & toe grind.

Below photo shows the 60* more rounded toe & neck transition yet just as aggressive in sole grind,  Its a unique design as there is virtually no trailing edge relief and to everyone who tested them they felt very secure hitting these with the perfect clip off the turf.

I'm playing mine with Modus3 Wedge Dedicated Shafts the 105 version & Elite White Grips.  So thats the brief rundown,  look forward to these and a bunch of new SEVEN releases coming soon!

Ako-san has been extremely busy with his new company A-Grind and the results are paying off with the winner of the Volvo China open playing an A-Grind UT 20.5* club so big congrats to A-Grind and Ako-san on that one.  Today I'm going to highlight something we have been waiting for since the Japan Golf Show back in Feb where we caught glimpse of a prototype R1 CB iron which I must admit looks stunning.

Forged in Himeji Japan & Made in Kobe the A-GRIND R1 is the new design cavity back made of mild S25C,  it's designed for the low capper to pro with a very thin top line and compact appearance,  it's toe and face shape are unique to cavity back irons and its neck transition is very quick yet subtle and small to provide a more blade like appearance at address.   More photos after the Jump...

Toe design still curved at the very top but extending very high and I must admit it looks gorgeious,  Ako-san spends most of his time on the JPGA tour service and this shape is inspired by the professional players preference.

What stands out to me most is the neck transition it's virtually invisible which is not a common thing on CB's but very common on blades this CB is designed for workability and soft feel.

Sole design has a nice size in addition to some rounded curves making it more forgiving than a muscle back in softer conditions, bunkers, and rough.

The Cavity is shallow but it extends a long way which is not only good for a softer feeling but also in keeping the CG location in a good spot.  The above image you can see it,  in the below it appears very blade like

Hope you enjoyed the review,  this new A-Grind R1 Cavity Back can be purchased in the TSG Pro Shop as heads only or you can contact us for a fully custom build. Click Here to View Listing.

SEVEN - Every time the brand "Seven" produces a new model many True Protos and test samples must be made,  we experiment with different grinds, finishes, specs, and anything else we think is needed.  Today we pay homage to one of our most special sets of True-Protos and while may look similar to the first version of the cavity blade I would consider it's DNA version 1.5.

The original CB as seen "here" features blade like specifications to face progression (offset) to top line thickness which is in the 4mm range.  This prototype was designed to bring it a little more forgiveness while finding out how these changes effect feel during impact.  Follow the jump to learn what happened with this one of a kind Seven True-Proto's.

Above the 1.5 prototype and below the final release 7CB which we would call version 1 - As you can see the first major difference is the slightly larger and sharper bump inside the cavity incorporated into the new prototype,  the next difference is in shape and size we enlarged the top line by half a mm which allowed us to up perimeter weighting a little bit,  this allowed the sole to be just a quarter of a mm thicker as well.

The finish on the original seven cavity blade is also different,  On the V1.5 prototype we tested a factory that uses a brighter higher gloss NiCr Satin and while it's hard to tell the exact difference through these photos we really like it and hope you will too.

Below the face shape of the V1.5 it's close to perfection and just easy on the eyes closer to tear drop than boxed.

Below the top line and view from address,  near-zero offset,  top-line still very thin by cavity back standards,  neck transition is all business with no weird curves and while packing a touch more forgiveness than our original cavity blade it still appears compact for the better ball striker,  very athlete.

Below the sole,  only a fraction larger than our current Seven CB with the translucent red fill on this bright high lustre satin finish it looks outstanding,  We really feel this sole grind provides the best all around performance for everyone,  it's killed leading edge and subtle trailing edge grind combined with just enough thickness to give out enough in wet/soft conditions yet in firmer locations this is where a players iron like this excels.

Lastly notice the word SEVEN is gone and the only symbol is our logo out on the toe,  this is something simple and small that purists tend to appreciate an iron without all the model, series, brand, etc.. stamped on it,  it gets silly now days so enough's enough with the stampings as here is what you need to know about SEVEN,  It's made 100% in Japan and we spare no expense to use the best factories, grinders, finishing house, JIS Materials, and Designs.

Only 2 sets were produced,  one to hit and the other for photos.  Seven has been back ordered for about 1-2 months now so a good client has made off with the only brand new set of heads in existence, congrats to you sir on your new set,  treat them well as they are a part of the history of Seven as this is rough design we based the next generation V2 cavity blades on.

2 Drivers have taken the lime light recently and both are made by J-Beam,  this all started during my fitting at Seven Dreamers where I asked what clients heads do they see the best performance during their in depth analysis and the lead engeneer blurted Jbeam 435 & 535...  Not sure if he wanted to let that out but the answer came quick so I'll take it!  Why is it important who this man thinks produces a good driver?  Because his job is analyzing heads and designing shafts to work together and at his place of work he gets to see the absolute best clubs money can buy.  Since then the new and limited Black out 435 and even more rare ZY-11 have become two of TSG's top selling drivers and boy am I happy these are catching on because now many players are expereiencing something very different and totally unique to what they are used to.

Ready to experience the ZY-11?  Follow the Jump Please...

First things first let's acknowledge it's shape,  it's very much triangular in an upside down sort of way which makes its face super deep which is ideal for better players who miss high and low on the club face vs out near the toe and heel for me the face shape allowed for lots of space to land the ball on and while this shape is not traditional by any means the rest of the club head especially from above looks like a normal driver.  The laser-engraved face milling further reduces spin,  this driver is considered low spin/high launch but for me and just about everyone else who hits it the general consensus is that it is mid launch

Important to note that this driver head is fully foamed from the factory,  what is foamed?  It's basically a material baked into the head to mute the sound and dampen louder hollow feel it's an aquired taste most often prized by those who miss wood heads or love the way sub 400cc drivers sound and feel at impact,  it's a very dead muted "thwack" or "tick" sound but very unique and in my opinion necessary as I could only imagine how loud and hollow this head would be without the foam inside.

Above my personal ZY-11 which I have in with a custom ordered 0.5* closed face angle to help me avoid the right side,  as you can see it's shafted with a Seven Dreamers Matrix Shaft which is absolutely sublime and I can't imagine another shaft in this head ever as it's a match made in heaven but anyway as you can see looking down on this head it looks like most other drivers very hard to tell how deep it's face really is.

Weights are located 2 in the front and one far in the back,  I love Jbeam heads not only for their adjustability in specs as TSG can custom order you special lofts, head weights and face angles but also because we also offer the wrench and weight kit so you can tinker with it yourself to achieve optimal flight and balance or even bias.

Feel - Foamed, Dead, Mute, Thwack, Tick,  not loud,  not hollow at all,  feels like a head that is sub 400cc with a hint of persimmon thanks to the factory foam job.

Distance - Very Long,  this is a big deal on the Draco circut which is Japan's long driver series and the ZY-11 is a popular high end choice,  plenty of roll and carry with this head and if built right for your swing profile expect some of your longest drives evern.
Forgiveness - Very Forgiving especially high and low on the club face,  sweet spot must be huge with it's large face profile even toe and heel shots are somewhat forgiving.
Spin - Very low spin
Trajectory - I would say medium of course shaft plays a big part in it and Jbeam confirms this is high launch compared to the blackout 435 our customers feel it's got a low trajectory so split the difference it's mid trajectory,  I'm getting 14* launch personally

personally
Dispersion - Very Straight,  ball has a hard time turning over left or right so it's an absolute fairway finder unless you put a bad swing on it or have an improper build going on.

My bottom line with this club is it's one of the longest I've ever hit and the absolute straightest I've hit and I've tried 4 different shafts already  the Basileus AAA 50R,  AAA 60Stiff,  TRPX Aura Stiff, TRPX Air SX, 2 types of 7D "Distance" shafts and all of them did pretty much the same thing super straight and long only the TRPX air traded some roll out for a higher launch and more carry.  I've hit 9.5, 10, and 10.5 and it appears I get the best distance, launch, spin rates from the 9.5*

I've had this driver side by side with many other drivers some even sporting the same shaft such as the Blackout 435 the only other driver I would rank as high as the ZY-11  you can see that by "clicking here"

Hard to see but in the above image there are two small gaps behind the silver face area,  very interesting detail that I'm curious about,  It's on all of them and is supposed to be there but I've never seen this sort of thing in another driver before.

Below my coveted Seven Dreamers Distance Shaft!  Hope you enjoyed the review you can view the ZY-11 and Blackout 435 in the TSG ProShop!

Big news coming Monday as TSG rolls out 3 new exclusive models by Yururi stay tuned for the announcement on Monday!

Feast your eyes on this the all new 2015 Yururi Gekku Okamura Wedge done up in smooth brushed satin hand ground by Okamura-san himself.  You may be wondering who is Okamura-san?

He is the master and head grinder at Kyoei Golf Factory in Japan and in collaboration with TSG is responsible for personally grinding all the new TSG Exclusive Yururi wedges to ensure the highest quality and best performance that Kyoei can possibly offer.

What we have here is the original TSG exclusive version Yururi Gekku wedge with a slightly adjusted grind, shape, and stamping done up in what we are calling a Smooth Satin Finish,  it's called smooth because we also have other new Yururi products just released in what we are calling our Satin Raw Finish.  Click Read More to carry on!...

The "original" Yururi Gekku Wedge had a Raw Grain Black finish that would wear beautifully and age nicely with use,  "raw" means there is no plating over the Japanese forged S25C "raw grain" means there are deep grind marks as the head has not been barrel polished to smooth and round the edges.  People love raw grain,  especially in black and especially the feel when a wedge is raw you are making direct ball contact with the soft carbon against the grooves which with Yururi means they spin like mad.

Talking about spin,  these are conforming yet they still shave covers off  balls.

So there are now 3 versions of the Yururi Gekku Wedge:

1  The Original Gekku Raw (click here)

2. The TSG Exclusive Gekku Raw (click here)

3. The New TSG Exclusive Gekku Okamura Satin (click here)

These lofts are not available in the original Gekku Raw while the new Gekku Satin is available in 52/56/60* as head only or custom shafted it features a much smoother surface that glides through the grass, rough, or sand with a little less restriction,  it's designed for a better player yet packs a good amount of forgiveness  and turf versatility with it's narrow sole, subtle pre word leading edge and a beautifully hand ground killed trailing... it's narrow clean and elite.

A man who drinks a lot and looks scary and possess the highest skills makes these by hands,  he is not well known but his grinding speaks the story of his life, he never talks when a head is in his hands Okamura-san of Kyoei has put his best effort into these. and and says the 52 is deadly from within 100yds with a perfect trajectory and backspin allowing you to attack the pin and precisely stop the ball on a dime.

After many rounds with these I totally concur with what he said and would add that the 56* i  better for firmer conditions allowing you to knock it down low and hard soft and high its easy to open and surprisingly good in bunkers as it's got 11* bounce.  the 60 loft is all about spin,  it's a rescue wedge and cuts through short or long and playing very precise to get you near or out of trouble.

As for the suggested builds I would recommend the Modus3 Wedge Shafts in 105/115/125 or NS WV Wedge 105/115/125 or Shimada 100/120 or the S200 tour issue black onyx and for sure an Elite Grip, Iomic, or Tour G Grip, Perfect Pro can't go wrong within any of those and for the carbon croud so many,  Crazy Wedge Shaft  or their STP-85/105 and Fujiuras MCI 100/110/120  so somewhere in all those numbers and models you can find something supreme.

These are some of the best wedges money can buy today,  hand made in Japan by really good people a botique brand owned and operated by Keita Miyoshi-san who has been a permanent fixture of Himeji and the Japan golf industry for many decades.

(Click Here to buy your Yururi 2015 Satin Gekku Wedge)

Quite the week for Yururi it has been and still more to come.  Introducing the Yururi Satin TATAKI by Okamura most and the notable difference is a RAW Grain look but this actually is plated satin so it doesn't wear like unplated wedges do.  I love this finish because it's still soft, now more durable and allows you to see every turn of the hand that Okamura-san did when crafting it.

ow is the original Tataki only released a year or two ago it's another really cool finish almost rustic it's not the normal dark or black finish other companies use the beauty lies within it's purposeful imperfections,  it's a "coating" with an process applied on top of it so it's not a "plating" this means it provides a different feel not better or worse just different,  I think the satin and or grain on the new Satin Tataki makes it feel softer while the original  feels slightly clickier I could argue that I like that feel as well.  So for me it's a toss up if your the type who prefers visual perfection with no blotches or little intentional scratches go with the new satin, if your a RAW guy then by all means the original's the way to go.   Click Read More to Continue...

Thew new Satin Tataki is mid sized for a blade style wedge just slightly bigger than what I would call compact it's also more forgiving and easy to use in return,  as you can see in the photo above it's top line is very thin doesn't this photo make you want to hit it?  or at least get out and play.  Available in an interestingly wide variety of lofts: 50.5/52.5/56.5/58.5/60.5  the lofts are supposed to be spot on.

The stamping is slightly adjusted as well and the 52.5* you see above has a totally different sole grind because your need to open the face is less in approach shots. Below is the 52.5* wedge face on and it's shape is what speaks the most it looks pretty perfect to me it's angles and turns are very attractive.

Mr. Miyoshi-san the owner and designer of Yururi Golf has taken his time with the Tataki,  He already has a few other amazing players wedges in the gekku and gekku tour so this one had to be different yet appeal to the similar level of player.

Forged of S25C in Himeji Japan this is a 5 X pressed wedge so impact is dense soft and pure at at the same while and the spin this wedge produces is probably better than what you play now and for those who know Yururi wedges they know spin comes with the territory.

The Satin Tataki Wedge has a good amount of trailing edge relief a lot of toe relif with a nice smooth rounded leading edge,  it has a decent amount of heel grind in the 56.5* to further open it up making it easy to open.  The shape is reliable,  reminds me of the cold forged vokey or the buchi wedges,  the curves and smooth finish just glide through turf.

Available and Shipping now in the TourSpecGolf ProShop "Click Here" these retail at 175 per head or 225 with most aftermarket upgrade shafts and grips these are TSG exclusive products and only 15pcs of each loft are can be produced each month.  Interested in purchasing one?  "Click Here"  for the TSG Pro Shop

Enjoy the rest of the photos:

Below: 52.5* at address...

Below 52.5* sole...

Below Tataki in Smooth Black:

From Wikipedia,
Tataki (Japanese たたき: "pounded" or "hit into pieces"),^[1] also called tosa-mi,^[1] refers to two methods of preparing fish or meat in Japanese cuisine.

Yururi's third new release this week is the FORGED Tataki Blade which is essentially the 2010 flat back with a plated satin finish,  adjusted stamping and hand ground by Master Okamura himself.  Click Read More to Carry on...

look at the setup this is as close to perfect as about any blade I have ever seen,  slightly long heel to toe with what appears to be a top line in the 3-3.5mm range  so it's a razor blade!  The great thing about Yururi irons besides their good looks and wonderful feel and performance is that each head is individually grinded and finished in Japan.

In this new Satin + Grain finish you can still clearly see the grind work since the head has not been plated. The back cavity, the sole and leading edge and trailing edges, the toe area and the heel and neck, you can still see the "raw" grind work. A lot of people seem to like this hand crafted look.

As typical of a blade, the Tataki Satin Blade is esentially the same as the Flat Back 2010 model which has the smallest face area and sweet spot but certainly the most pure feel. As a blade it is aimed at feel and spin control with working the ball and attacking the pin its key strengths. As a muscle back with lofts bordering on the traditional side, trajectory is strong and stable adding to its spin capabilities.

They are Forged in Japan from S25C steel and provide a wonderful feel and look,  as a TSG exclusive model hand ground by Okamura-san himself the maximum ouput of this set is three sets per month in 3-PW and 2 sets per month in 4-PW but right now we have them so if your interested the Pro Shop listing is right here:  "Click Here".  

Thanks for reading!

It's been less than a year since A-GRIND has opened its doors to the public originally they were only found via the Tour Service on the Japan PGA Tour and they were not for sale given away by Ako-san who is part owner and designer of the company not to mention the lead designer for royal collection for more than a decade.

The connection with RC is apparent in this Fairway Wood,  Royal Collections most successful products were it's fairway woods and now that Ako-san has left and started his own company the DNA of the design has gone with him. In this blog post I share my long term thoughts on the A-Grind Fairway Woods.  Follow the Jump to Read On...

First I have to say Pardon the gap between the neck and the ferrule,  this is a brand new head in the photos not epoxied to any shaft which is why you see the gap,   I simply stuck a shaft in there to take these pics.  My gamer which is a 14* that I've had  for many months is beaten up pretty badly it's been borrowed by others shafted and re-shafted again and brutalized even with sky marks so we preferred to use this new head for these shots.  So yes pardon that gap.

The above image shows what could be one of the most beautiful fairway wood faces I've ever seen.  Ako-san only had the option and funding to make 1 new model fairway and for those that follow RC has had many over the years so Ako-san's goal was to take the best of the more than a decade worth of RC woods and combine them into what he considers the ultimate players wood.  It's not deep it's not shallow it's juuuust right!

I'm playing mine at 43" with the brand new Crazy FW80 "Regenesis" and let me tell you this wood/shaft combo is a sleeper.  Originally I had the normal FW80 installed and that is my all time favorite FW shaft it's heavy and stable with a tight dispersion so when the new FW80 regenesis arrived prior to any specs being released I had to try it and to my surprise the shaft was very different yet shared some of the originals most positive qualities.

The new regenesis is 3 grams lighter in the same flex as the original,  it's got a smoother feel with a softer butt section and a more powerful kick yet it maintains that straight trajectory and it's still made of full-length 80T made by the Crazy Factory in Adachi.   The 80T in a fairway shaft really stablizes the dispersion and while the original was for sure a mid trajectory the new regenesis is a mid/high launch which is what you want in a fairway wood.

They make 4 different lofts 14/15/18/21 both 3 woods are 160cc's while the 5 is 145cc and the 7 the smallest at 135cc's each with a matte black crown.  The face angles are all 1* open .

The feel off the face is spongy metallic as it's made with a 455 stainless steel it has a shallow center of gravity with more weight placed forward all of these are specifications geared toward the better player but don't let that scare you if you are a mid capper as I found the face profile to get the ball up in the air easier than most,  it's just when it is in the air it will not balloon on you.

I didn't find distance to be as long as some of the Neo FW's out there ya know those bigger oddly shaped designs but that is not what this is going for,  it's designed around feel,  workability,  and its stunning looks don't get me wrong it's long the ball pops off the face with intention.

Forgiveness is extremely good considering how compact these are and the ball flight is very stable with less spin due to it's forward CG.  I play square to 0.5 closed on the driver but for fairways and UT's I prefer an open face angle.

I would say naturally this head produces a mid-trajectory so pairing it with a higher launching shaft can squeeze out more yards if thats what your looking for.  For me with the softer profile of the new FW80 regenesis it's a match made in heaven.

Other than RC woods it's hard to compare this to anything else,  they are smaller heads,  they have the semi sharp angles in the face profile,  they are not deep nor shallow and with the removal of mass in the back of the sole it means less weight back there which keeps spin down and your shots straight,  these are not all that expensive either so head on over to the TSG Pro Shop to check it out.

Suggested builds,  I would say the new FW80 & CB50 or best to consider as well as TRPX's Red Hot FW Shafts between those you should be covered.