Tourstage 2010 X-Blade 703 Review

Our new Tourstage demos have come in and I started out by testing the new 2010 X-Blade 703 today. This premium Japan forged S25C cavity back fits right in between the X-Blade 701 series and X-Blade GR for size and target audience. The X-Blade 703 is slightly larger than the 701G making it fall between compact and mid sized cavity. It is designed to launch slightly higher than the 701G but lower than the GR C-1 Forged. So how does this iron look and feel in person? It was a beautiful day for pictures so lets find out!

Good looking 1 Piece Forging...

On first impression, the X-Blade  703 is a very good looking 1 piece forged CB.  The head shape is a very strong looking yet a clean design. I say this even though it has CNC'ed notches and lines in the back cavity which I find unique and different. It is quite stunning in person. It definitely falls between compact and mid sized when it comes to overall dimensions in every way.  The cavity is rather deep which pushes the CG lower  but not too low as the toe and heel portion of the cavity have less meat. Most of the meat of the cavity is centered and this produces a nice solid but soft feel. Typical Tourstage and I can say it reminds me of the feel of the 2007 ViQ Forged except in a smaller package.  Trajectory produced with this head design is an above mid trajectory. Not high like say the GR P-1 or ViQ  but a controllable mid to mid-high ball flight that many better players will prefer.

Sets up well at address...

At address this is a well balanced iron. There is some offset but not enough to look like a some mid sized irons that have obvious goose necks. Enough offset to be forgiving enough at squaring the ball. The topline at setup is still rather thin. It was very acceptable to my eye. The X-Blade 703 frames the ball well enough to give confidence at address but its not at all large looking. This look would suit a low handicapper just fine but also be no problem for the improving mid capper.

Feel AND Forgivness...

Feel and forgiveness are both very subjective measures. What feels good to one player may not necessarily to the next. However I am one to believe that a forgiving designed iron can play part in enhancing the feel of an iron. We all know that a blade is considered the purest feeling iron but, if you cannot pure the sweet spot it will feel like crap. Truth is a blade or players cavity while pure feeling is not the most forgiving club so they do not give much room if you are a less then good ball stiker. A forgiving design will allow even a less than adequate ball striker a better chance at getting a pure shot away and less distance lost when they don't hit the sweet spot.  The X-Blade's overall balanced design and wider forgiving sole with heel and toe relief really play a part in making the iron forgiving so that mid handicappers can reap the benefits of this soft forged 1 piece cavity by making good ball contact. I was very satisfied with how forgiving this iron is especially as a 7 series Tourstage iron.

Great overall balance...

When Tourstage first announced the X-Blade 703, I was unsure as to where it would fit in with the current lineup. Then the specs and pictures came out and I was surprised that they made it a solid cavity and branded it as more forgiving than the 701G with undercut cavity. Typcially irons with undercut cavities are perceived to be more forgiving than a solid 1 piece cavity. In this case however Tourstage did their R&D and the 703 is indeed more forgiving than the 701G thanks to its increased face size, offset, wider sole and forgiving sole grind. This iron was a pleasure to hit (I'm usually scared of X-Blades (^_^)) and I'm happy to say that it has enough feel and control for the low handicapper yet enough forgiveness and performance for the improving mid handicapper. This is one balanced iron with good looks to boot.

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