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Mitsubishi Rayon has once again decided to delve into the high modulus carbon shaft segment currently dominated by Crazy, Quadra, Bangvoo, ATTAS and others.  They have decided to release an all new premium high modulus carbon model dubbed the Diamana X. Unlike the limited Stinger model which used an existing boron material, Diamana has gone to its own MCHC Group (Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation) in order to develop an all new 78t high grade carbon sheet to be used in the X. The Diamana X will be limited to only 5000 pieces and is focused on the athlete golfer/pro and better golfer with a special emphasis on the stability and control for the hard hitter wanting even more distance.

Mitsubishi incorporates a new manufacturing technology they developed called Tough-QURE. Its a new technique used for carbon fiber composite moulding which allows Mitsubishi to cure carbon prepregs at a lower temperature and faster speed.  The faster speed allows Mitsubishi two benefits, one to incorporate Black Copolymer Technology which increases durability and two less resin flow which creates carbon that allows for better and more consistent formability thus great for a perfectly rounded shaft with less deformation and inconsistencies.

Thanks to lower torque, consistent load and unload from 78t carbon as well as increased overall stability due to less rounding and deformation, the Diamana X is designed to supress side spin and transfer maximum power by squaring to the target predictably and reducing off center hits.  March 3rd is the release date for the new X shaft and we will start taking pre orders soon. There will be 5 models/flexes as seen in the table below topped off by a 70 XX flex with a mere 2.2* of torque. The Diamana X has a mid to high kick made for a strong penetrating launch combined with lots of run.  So far Mitsubishi Rayon has listed a MSRP of  68250 yen which translates to about 900.00 USD. We have yet to see what the street price will but we'll surely be below that.

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.

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Miura Giken Japan has introduced their all new WMF-06 Forged wedge for the 2012 season (introduced late 2011). The WMF-06 is aimed at the better player wanting top notch spin control along with the purest feel in a verasatile wedge. Like all Miura Giken irons and wedges, the new WMF-06 is W.D.D. (Weight, Dimension, Density) Accurate Forged from premium JIS S25C.  This forging technique perfected by Miura creates a perfectly balanced shaped head with consistent density in the quality of steel and with perfect weight.

When I first received the WMF-06, the first thing that stood out was of course its grind and sole design. The WMF-06 features a two step or two stage grind which creates a versatile multi level sole. The purpose of this was to eliminate unecessary parts of the sole creating toe and heel relief as well as a unique type of trailing edge relief.  While the sole features a lot of relief, because there is less sole making contact with the ground it actually excels in tight lies as well. The unique cut away center area of the trailing side of the sole serves a couple of purposes, one is to create more pure approach shots by reducing friction through the turf and secondly to provide maximum control and accuracy out of the bunker by channeling the sand through that cut away and keeping the head on line straight at the target.

The WMF-06 is a tear drop shaped wedge with a taller toe allowing for better players to work the face and create maximum spin control.  The leading edge is slightly rounded to prevent digging and the bounce is actually on the high side at 9* for the AW (53) and a whopping 15* of bounce for the SW (58*). These bounce numbers can be a bit misleading as with the multi level sole, it is the point of he sole where there is the highest bounce.  However when opened up bounce is reduced dramatically due to the two stage grind and cutaway which plays an even bigger part when the face is opened up.

The Miura WMF-06 features very little if any offset at all which will please the better player. It sets up nicely at address framing the ball well with subtle nickel satin finish. The finish of the WMF-06 is a big part of Miura's new design for his wedge as well. It features a new Cu-Ni dual plating toe enhance feel and bite of the wedge. With conforming grooves, Miura decided to underlay a first plate of copper finish to enhance feel and bite of the wedge. They then used a thin plating of Nickel to protect the wedge.  This produces a very soft feel taking Miura impact even a step further.

This is certainly a very unique looking wedge and its design is one that I have to test out so I've decided to bag this wedge as my SW for a while and see how it goes.  I am no pro so spin is not my strong factor, so when I choose a wedge its very important to me that it feels great and while it looks compact and has a straight neck, still can produce good spin PLUS good forgivness.  So far on looks and design alone, the Miura WMF-06 will very well fit  those characteristics.  More testing soon but it the meantime, look for the WMF-06 in the pro shop available as 53* and 58* heads only or contact us to get a custom shaft and grip built to your specs!

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.

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Kamui Works sent me two of their new KamuiPro drivers to check out.  The new KamuiPro heads are available only in conforming versions with a specially designed 4 piece structure.  The crown is made of BT14 Ti while the sole uses Ti 4-1-1 and 6-4 Ti in the hosel. Kamui cold forges the face using high strength BT14 Ti for a hot but soft feel.  The KamuiPro is only available in 10.5* and targets the average player looking for more distance and wanthing to hit a straighter more accurate ball.

Kamui decided, in order to keep costs down and to make the head more attractive price wise, they would reduce the number of options available compared to the Ray and 456/420 models. The options are still pretty good though and you can choose from a brand new Pearl White finish they have or Dark Pearl Green. The head features a mid height face which is rounder than previous Kamui models and a head which uses a high crown design that quickly tapers off into a more shallow height at the back. This helps bring CG low but reasonably short for a strong trajectory low spin ball, optimizing carry and run.

The forged face is designed to provide soft feel and great energy transfer at impact.  The wider face reduces distance loss on miss hits towards the toe and heel which are common for average golfers.  While this head is aimed at more aveage and recreational golfers, it really can suit any player who wants more distance in an easy to use head. And for those looking for a premium Japanese forged driver that is more reasonably priced.

The following options are available for the KamuiPro:

Loft: 10.5* Marked - real loft choices of 10* 10.5* and 11* are available
Lie: choice of real lie angles 59.5* 60.0* and 60.5*
Face angle: choice of real face angles 0.5* closed, 1.0* closed or 1.5* closed
Head Weight: 193g to 200g
Finish: Pearl White or Dark Pearl Green
USGA Conforming Only

As always the new Kamui head will be available as head only or custom made with any Japan market shaft and grip. Based on the head weights available, Kamui suggests that this driver be best built between 45 to 46" depending on the shaft and desired swing weights.

I'm hoping to get the chance to test these heads out soon once the cold weather passes. I'd love to get a Crazy Royal Decoration in here and see how long this driver could be. In the mean time I will be adding it to the pro shop tonight!

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.

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Just got this driver head in and its dark outside so I can't take pretty pictures. Here is a little teaser until tomorrow. It's a 4 piece head, white crown and an all new face shape (not the typical Kamui Works face). Check back tomorrow for more pics and details

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.

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I was in Akasaka yesterday attending the Pro Support meeting for the LPGA. I met up with Miysohi-san from Yururi and we headed out after the meeting for lunch and to talk about some new clubs in the works for Yururi. One of the clubs he showed me, and keep in mind this is NOT the finished product so it may be a bit rough around the edge, is the new MH-1112 forged cavity back for 2012.  Yururi has always been known for intricate CNC Machining on its irons and the MH-1112 takes it a level further.  Many advanced cavity designs these days are simply produced by either a cast or forging moulds. Cavity steps or design features are all created in that mould. Yururi has always premium forged their head and rather than just mould the cavity shape, they CNC machine the head which makes it look like art and is much more costly to do. Miyoshi-san told me that some of the Yururi models take 3 hours to machine a single iron. He passed the head on to me so I could bring it home for pictures.

The older KM-0107 is a beautiful iron and features some very nice CNC machining in the cavity however if you look closely, each machined step is flat. The new MH-1112 is the first Yururi iron to feature a 3D CNC machined cavity. This diamond shaped cavity is machined so the center is the highest and thickest point of the cavity. Its in line with the sweet spot of the iron so center strikes are rewarded with pure and buttery feel.

As with most of Yururi's better player irons, there is very little offset. The clean satin finish is pleasing to the eyes.

The face of the MH-1112 Forged features a straight top blade and taller toe area for more spin control and a nice strong appearance. The MH-1112 is a smaller cavity but at the same time its not tiny so better players all the way up to good ball striking mid cappers should have no problems enjoying this beautiful iron. As I mentioned here, this head is not the final finished product. It will still be fine tuned and the finish will be tweaked to look much better. Lucky enough we were able to provide the first sneak peak of this iron though it probably will not be revealed until later next month at the Golf Fair!

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.

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We received samples of the new Yururi Seida KM-0312 Forged iron today. They look simply fantastic. Before shafting them up for some testing I thought I would post a little preview here.  The KM-0302 is new for 2012 and does feature conforming grooves.

The premium Kyoei forged S25C head fits somewhere between a small and mid sized cavity back. The beautiful satin finished and CNC machined cavity look great and each iron has the loft engraved in the cavity which is kind of a cool design feature.

The cavity is low but deep and the face actually is thicker where the loft is engraved increasing soft feel right in the center of the face. Because of the pearl like satin finish the head just looks so clean!

The Seida Forged Iron is aimed at the mid capper to better player wanting an easy launch and some forgiveness but with premium feel. The face is not overly boxy but features a sharper toe with a rounder leading edge making it more versatile in various lies.

At address the sharp toe adds to the irons lines and defines where the face begins Less offset and a reasonably thin and straight top top line all add to the irons pleasing appearance. I'm looking forward to shafting these up for a go and a more detailed review!

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.

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Taylormade added all their new 2012 Japan market offerings to their site today so I will briefly go over some of the products and you can see what the lineups now look like below. We will get demos to review at a later date and at that time I will go into more detail. As I mentioned the other day Gloire is the new premium distance line which is a whole new offering. Its aimed at the recreational golfer looking for max ease of use and distance in a premium club.  They've added a few other clubs along with Gloire you can see below.

DRIVERS

The Gloire is the new distance driver and is Taylormade Japan's forged model - yes a forged driver from TM!  They've also added the R11-S and RocketBallz driver. One thing I did not expect was the redesigned R11-J which has been increased to 460cc in head size and 45.75" in length and re-tuned for max forgiveness and distance. TM calls it the R11 distance model for the Japanese market.

FAIRWAY WOODS

TM Japan has added the premium Gloire FW made for maximum distance and forgiveness and they have also thrown in a Japan only R11 Titanium FW! There is also the RocketBallz FW.

IRONS

TM Japan has two models of Gloire premium irons. One is in fact a utility iron at 20 and 23* lofts and the other are max distance irons with a Maraging face and 26* 6 iron! Though I must admit it looks a lot like the RocketBallz Max shape. They also added the RocketBallz Irons.

WEDGES

TM Japan added two new All Terrain Versatility Wedge models, standard ATV wedge in tour satin and the ATV Forged wedge in smoked Ion Plating finish!

PUTTERS

TM added the new Tour Preferred Ghost which features 4 head shapes and a deep milled forged face. They also introduced  Ghost Tour putters which feature 5 head shapes with Pure Roll faces as well as the Ghost Manta which goes along with the stingray and limited edition Itsy Bitsy Spider Ghost.

So it seems like an exciting time once again in Japan for new TM products. Stay tuned for live pics and reviews of all the clubs.

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.

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Taylormade Japan has been teasing with a special site they created called GLOIRE, named after their new Japan Market lineup that will be announced tomorrow.  GLOIRE pronounced GU-RO-RE, sounds like Glory, looks to be a new premium lineup along the lines of the Japan only XR lines which started with the non conforming cult classic XR-03 to the XR-FCT which was the last we saw of the XR line a couple of years ago. Here in Japan, there has been talk about how TM wants a lineup that can compete with XXIO and Callaway's Legacy line as Japan market premium, easy to use high performance clubs. GLOIRE which features a Lion logo and gold, black and white clubs will be all about easy distance. I'll have more details tomorrow!

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.

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As we lead up to the Japan Golf Fair at the end of February we will begin to see many new product announcements come rolling in. Taylormade Japan and Titleist Japan have both been rather quiet, while many wait for new TM Forged irons and a replacement for the VG3 forged. On the other hand, Mizuno has already announced the release date, January 20th for their new JPX iron lineup which will consist of two models, the JPX 800 AD which features an S25C forged body matched with high rally spring steel face and the JPX 800 AD Forged which is an S25C forged iron with embedded tungsten weighting in the long and mid irons.  Both irons are similar in size and feature identical lofts. However the 800 AD has a large undercut and the spring steel face. Matched with an inch longer lengths and Mizuno has its longest ever JPX iron out distancing the previous JPX 800 XD by over 10 yards.  The 800 XD forged is for the player who wants premium all forged feel in a forgiving distance package.

Fourteen Golf has already released their new TC-930 players cavity back in December, this premium Endo forged S20C iron features less offset, and a compact head with more traditional lofts and a focus on feel and control. The TC-930 feature a low CG which works well with the latest golf balls out on the market today. Long range shots will produce less spin while short iron range shots will deliver optimal spin performance. The low CG provides just the right amount of spin on each shot, generating consistent performance on every shot. In order to achieve this, Fourteen used varying CG positioning depending on the iron, for example the 9 iron and PW have a shorter CG to maintain exceptional control plus increased spin.

Look for all three models in the pro shop soon!

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.

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Thanks to the popularity and success of the Prototype RF700 Hi Cor Alpha Spec driver, Geotech has released a conforming model due to demand from those better players who play in tournaments. This post is not really a review since I already reviewed the Alpha Spec, it is more of an introduction of the conforming model.  Like the Alpha Spec the new conforming model shares many of the same design characteristics like a deeper face, mid high back head, open to square face angle and traditional compact shaped head.

The face shape is a little rounder and the score lines now go across the face. The head is also finished in silver vs black for the Alpha Spec and features a Ti face vs the springy non conforming SP700 face in the Alpha. The conforming model is made with a balance of distance and control in mind.  A low but shallow center of gravity allow for a low spin drive but penetrating trajectory for carry and run.  The hosel is 40mm deep vs standard 30mm deep hosels found in most drivers. This creates a firmer feel and more stability for the stronger and better player.

While the head looks more compact thanks to its deeper face and higher back design, it still provides a sense of comfort with good looks at address. The conforming RF700 also has a pretty big sweet spot but is workable with fade and draw at command for the better player.

Better players will appreciate its strong trajectory especially into the wind. Feel wise, the RF700 has neutral sound ie not too loud like many drivers today but also not too muted in that the player still gets good feedback. Best of all is the conforming RF700's price which won't break the bank unlike many higher end Japan market drivers.   At 229.00 in the pro shop it is certainly worth a go with you favorite shaft!

Here is the sound at impact video!

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.

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ONOFF is about to release their all new 2012 lineup and the first club I'll look at today is the new ONOFF Iron or as some call it the RED Model. In the past, ONOFF was divided into two lines, the RED line aimed at the average golfer and the BLACK line aimed at the athlete golfer. While ONOFF has done away with the red and black they still separate their models with similar targets. The ONOFF Iron compliments the Type-D line which is now the name of the line that is made for ease of use and max performance.

The ONOFF Iron has year in year out been a top performer and pick of the average golfer looking to gain more distance and simply enjoy golf with an easy to use iron. It's also a favorite of users here at TSG. As I had mentioned in my post the other day, I felt like the previous 3 generations, the 2006, 2008 and 2010 models were all too similar with only minor tweaks cosmetically and design wise. However when I first laid eyes on the 2012 model at their product launch in Tokyo I was very impressed with its new look.  In my opinion its a much better looking iron that previous models and its overall materials, and design have changed as well, all for the better.  Gone is the big red ONOFF logo, replaced with a much more subtle color scheme and brushed satin cavity area. ONOFF has come through this year with some very good looking clubs and the Iron is a bit part of that new look.

The ONOFF Iron is a stainless steel iron and ONOFF decided to use a newly developed ST22 soft stainless steel to improve the irons feel. Typically most JDM manufacturers will not offer loft or lie adjustments with any stainless models but with the softer material, ONOFF will now do 1 degree changes for loft and lie on the ONOFF Iron.  Like previous models, the ONOFF Iron sports a huge tunstgen weighted sole. The 2012 model features a whopping 78g of sole weight (5 iron) which is their heaviest yet. The weight is distributed towards the back of the cavity and towards the heel and toe for increased MOI and an easy launch. The sole of the ONOFF Iron is wide enough to prevent digging thanks to its leading edge relief but not overly wide to the point where it is bulky.

I found the previous 2010 model face profile to be quite rounded and a tad on the large side. The 2012 model is much more eye pleasing face on. As you can see in the picture I took above, I overlayed an image of the variable thickness maraging cup face. The face features 4 areas all quite think except for a ribbed Y area which is 2.5mm. This design creates a larger sweet spot with more spring effect and higher initial ball speeds. It minimizes distance loss and maintains an optimal launch even on strikes off center. It also promotes very good feel and I have to admit I am liking the feel of maraging more and more whether it be in irons like these or fairway woods and utilities as well.

At address the new ONOFF Iron has obvious offset but this is common in more average golfer models to help square the face at impact. It's not bad looking by any means. The top line is not overly thick or rounded so its actually quite eye pleasing and confident inspiring at the same time. This is one easy iron to hit. The ball launches very easily and distance is superb. Strong lofts and big carry type trajectories will help those in need of more distance get it. I'll have to say again, I really like the feel. The face feels hot and springy yet rather soft thanks to the thin maraging L cup. The ONOFF Iron is not meant to be a workable iron nor does it pretend to be. It is a performance iron made for ease of use and it excels in that role. The ONOFF Iron comes with both graphite shafts ranging from R2 (54g) to R (58g) and S (63g). ONOFF makes very good graphite shafts (they design and produce their own), so those wanting a light weight iron can go for the graphite shafts for even more feel and distance.  The graphite shafts have dual kick points too, mid and high, which will keep the trajectory from ballooning. The other option is Nippon NS Pro steel in either 850Gh Regular or 950GH Stiff which will suit the slightly stronger player and faster swinger. (Roddio is an option as well from their Labospec division) The iron picks the ball off any lie and gives it a great launch. My bad shot is hitting it fat and when I do I try and adjust and hit it thin out of fear of hitting it fat or incorrect swing adjustments. The sole of the new ONOFF iron was very good and I was able to make good contact on every shot.

Whenever I test an iron as good as the ONOFF, I am tempted to change to it. It looks good, is well designed, feels good and most of all its darn easy to use. Golf is a hard game, we all sometimes forget, equipment should make the gamer easier not harder. If you want more distance in a high quality, great feeling iron, the ONOFF Iron should be near or at the top of your list. If you are a high handicapper or an average golfer looking to get better, the 2012 ONOFF Iron will help you on your way.

We'll have the entire new ONOFF line in the pro shop in coming weeks. If you need help choosing or advice on the ONOFF or any other model, please feel free to contact us as always.

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.

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A box of 2012 ONOFF demos arrived yesterday and as I noted when I first saw them at the ONOFF Product Launch in Tokyo in October, they look amazing. Top notch designs and finish and I can't wait to test them out. As always the ONOFF clubs are divided into two lines, the Type-D or RED and the Type-S or Black. The Type-D is more suited for the average golfer looking for ease of use distance performance while the Type-S is for the better player, featuring smaller heads and square to open face angles and has always been a favorite line at TSG.  The only clubs that were not refreshed were the 2011 ONOFF Forged iron and the ONOFF S-Forged Wedges.

I'll be reviewing the new forged Type-S Driver as well as Type-S fairway wood and new Type-S Utility which was derived from the very popular but rare fairway wings Pro Spec model we saw this year for Shingo.  The driver is forged by Endo and features a variable thickness and ribbed cup ELF Titanium forged face. The Type-S fairway wood looks awesome, compact, pear shaped and deep faced. They are 1* OPEN and have a V shaoed sole with tungsten weighting and a variable thickness high maraging face. The new Type-S UT has a similar look to the Pro Spec with the face and neck merged as one continuous line and a recessed top line. Again the face is deep and features yet again a variable thickness high maraging face.

There is also a new ONOFF Iron which falls in the RED line. The last 3 generations have seen minor tweaks to design and to the unfamiliar with ONOFF clubs, could have all passed for the same model. The 2012 model has bee radically re-designed and visually it looks more aggressive than the past models. The iron features a 3 piece design with a very thin variable thickness high maraging cup face which feels very very good. An ultra heavy tungsten sole (78g in the 5 iron) is featured on the 4-9 iron creating very easy launch and higher MOI.

The Type-D RED line is made for ease of use which you can clearly see in each clubs design. The driver is bigger and shallower and features a 0.5* to 1.5* closed face (depending on the loft) to help battle the right side. The fairway woods are larger in head size and feature a closed face for the 3 and 5 woods and square faces for the 7 and 9 woods.  Unlike many ultra shallow FW's these days, the ONOFF RED still maintains a mid height face. The Tungsten in the V Sole is designed for easy launch and big carry. The RED Utility has a confidence building size and is not overly long in length for more consistent ball striking.

I only have about 5 days with the clubs so I a will be snapping pics and hitting all the models in the next few days. Tomorrow I am testing the Ryoma F vs the egg Spoon and will throw in the ONOFF fairway woods as well as I am sure they can hold their own. Be sure to check the TSG Pro Shop soon if you want to order.

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.