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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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We're already into the second month of 2012 and I haven't finished the recap yet for 2011's best clubs at TSG. I've been swamped with the new site launch and getting ready for the Japan Golf Fair as well as helping many golfers get their 2012 bags in order.  As I had mentioned in part 1, Tourspecgolf probably sells the widest range of equipment of any store and that goes for even top Japanese based local outfits.  With many top end premium boutique brands, to famous mainstream brands to smaller budget brands, there is something for every playing level and budget.  Many demanding golf enthusiasts shop here and what they buy is very reflective of what is not only the most popular but also what is top performing. We should always keep in mind though,  not every club is for every golfer.  We are all different in swing styles and handicaps and finding the right fit doesn't always mean simply buying what is most popular. Its about finding the right fit for each individual. Today I'll look at what were (and still are) the most popular clubs of the last 14 months or so here at TSG.

There are so many great wedges to choose from coming out of Japan. This is both a good and bad thing, good because we all love to have choice and bad because we can't make up our minds which wedge to get! One thing is for sure is that the forged wedges rule the roost here and is one of the reasons why many customers around the world turn to TSG for the ultimate in soft feel and awesome spin.  The only cast wedge to ever make make a dent in yearly wedge rankings has been the Vokey TVD and its past 3 iterations. Otherwise, you can pretty much count on every popular wedge being forged. Some of the best selling and most popular wedges this year include the Royal Collection DB Forged, forged at Endo from S20C and with very versatile performance and wonderful feel, the Fourteen MT-28 V5 Forged, with its taper blade and beautiful no frills shape at address as well as great spin, Yururi's Forged Tour Wedge which excels in tight lies and provides amazing spin control. However 2 wedges pretty much dominated the top and continue to do so even into 2012.

Yururi Gekku Raw Forged Wedge

The premium forged Gekku Raw wedge has long been a popular seller even before 2011. This year it seemed to make a big comeback as people seemed to come to appreciate its one of a kind look much more.  Compared to other wedges it can be purchased as heads only, and is the lowest priced of all Yururi wedges which all play a factor in its popularity. 2011 also saw many golfers going out of their way to find non conforming sharp grooves which all play into the hand of the Gekku Raw. The Gekku Raw is the oldest wedge model in the current Yururi lineup but as a classic it still exudes superb looks, quality and performance. What makes it stand out from many mass produced wedges these days is it's grainy black appearance and the fact that every Gekku head is grinded and finished individually by hand. One would think a raw unplated wedge that is not buffed smooth would look like a rough stone, but on the contrary the Gekku has always looked like a work of art. By looking at the wedge you can tell the grinder's skill. Yururi has told me as well sometimes they can tell which of their grinders did which head due to signature style of grinding for each grinder meaning each Gekku Raw wedge is truly unique in small ways.

I'm pretty much copying what I wrote about the Gekku back in the summer when I already began noticing its revival, there is no need to re-write what has already been said. A great feeling wedge is not only about what type of steel it uses and how it was produced ie cast of forged. The design of the head plays a huge part into how a wedge ends up feeling. The grind of a wedge can dictate what kind of impact you get though various conditions. Yururi attention to the Gekku's grinding is very obvious and can be seen all around the head. Leading edge and trailing edge relief allow for easy entry and exit from the turf, heel relief allows a player to open up the wedge and still keep the face aimed at the target and careful grinding of the neck make it flow seamlessly into the wedges top line. Many of these aspects allow a player to create wonderful feel and spin and reap the benefits of this soft forged head. Finally another reason why the Gekky Raw is so popular is its wide variety of lofts. In this day and age with so many different iron and wedge setups available, I can't understand why so many brands will limit themselves by releasing a wedge with 2 lofts options. People ant variety and the Gekku gives it with  41* 45* 49* 53* 57* and 61* heads AND 49* 53* 57* and 61* as LEFT Handed models! This is why the Gekku Raw outold pretty much every wedge in 2011 until...

Titleist Japan Vokey Forged

Let's face it, when many of us think about wedges the name Vokey pops up. There are many Titleist fans around the world and top pros (even under contract with other brands) who swear by their Vokeys. So when Titleist Japan announced a Vokey Forged wedge for the Japanese market late last fall... all hell broke loose... literally.   The Endo forged S20C wedge was a hit long before it was even released with tons of pre orders not only through TSG from global customers but all throughout Japan from many who live and die by their Vokey wedges. At launch towards the end of October, only a handful of customers were lucky enough to get  in on the first batch before Titleist ran out of clubs. In the following months we have had many many orders, more than any other wedge by far, but unfortunately with customers waiting for quite a long time while Titleist caught up to demand (at this point the wait is still 4-8 weeks for standard spec and custom orders).

So does the Vokey Forged live up to its demand? It seems so as feedback I get from customers as well as testing I have done (review here) say this is one versatile wedge with very good feel and very good spin. Lofts ranging from 46* to 62* in 2* increments are available making for very versatile wedge combinations in everyone's bag. Bounce ranges from 8-10* on all the wedges meaning, its not really a low bounce wedge nor is it a high bounce wedge.  The design of the Vokey's grind and sole make it versatile so with its medium bounce numbers it can actually perform well in a variety of conditions and with different swing types. The new Vokey Forged features a combination R and M Grind (on the 54 56 58 60 and 62*) with a pre worn leading edge. The M grind results in trailing edge relief as well as heel relief allowing for more control type shots and deft touch around the greens when opening up the face of the wedge. The leading and trailing edge also produce clean entry and exit through a variety of turf conditions and in fact create a thinner sole area for usage in tighter lies. The 46 48 50 and 52* also feature a pre worn leading edge but the sole is flatter and in turn a bit wider to allow for full shots and less digging. Unlike the non conforming grooves of the Yururi, the Vokey Forged Wedges do possess  USGA Conforming grooves with 17 double pressed score lines more tightly bunched together for more spin. A spin milled face adds more bite and spin control across the entire face and helps keep spin up even on partial swings. Its undoubtedly one good looking wedge with versatile performance to boot. 

So the Yururi Gekku Raw pretty much dominated most of the year until Halloween came around and the Vokey Forged pretty much blew all other wedges out of the sand to dominate demand even up to today (and who knows for how much longer - though there seems to be no slow down and people seem willing to wait for their orders).  The truth is there are many amazing wedges out there and key points people look for when they come to TSG is soft forged feel, great spin and most of all versatility.  Versatility is a major purchasing factor especially for the average golfer or recreational player which most of us all. We can't always make the same swing, we can't always land in the same place, we end up in all kinds of lies and our game is nowhere near perfect. A versatile wedge can be a life saver.  We have been very lucky that there are many amazing forged wedges coming out of Japan that are very versatile and this year will be no different as we look forward to new releases at the Golf Fair. Look for a nice forged versatile wedge that fits your swing and playing level and you will go a long way towards bringing down your score. As always we're here to help if you need recommendations!

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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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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In case you haven't noticed, we've relaunched our blog, pro shop and forum with an all new look and color scheme.  Along with the new look, we've also got two new social networking pages. A new TourSpecGolf facebook page will now replace the old GolfToImpress facebook page. Joining the facebook page is an all new TourSpecGolf.com Google+ page. We'll be using these pages to grow our global reach and to try and create a closer knit community of golfers who can appreciate Japan Market gear.

Tourspecgolfer will be using facebook and Google+ to promote leftover inventory and stock as well as run promotions and giveaways. So in order to make sure you don't miss out, be sure to visit both pages and give us a "like" at facebook and a "+1" over at Google+!

Click here for the new TourSpecGolf facebook page.

Click here for the new TourSpecGolf.com Google+ page.

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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There has been a lot of hype for the new Ryoma F fairway woods. It has the reputation of its driver counterpart the Ryoma D-1 to live up  to. The D-1 Driver as everyone knows is probably one of the most forgiving drivers to ever come out of Japan. It was easily Tourspecgolf's most popular driver of 2011. So when Ryoma announced a fairway wood that would perform like the driver, people jumped at it right away. So after more than a month of testing, does the Ryoma F deserve all the attention its been getting?

As I had noted before the fairway woods looked better than I had originally expected. I was not the biggest fan of the look of the driver though its performance far out weighs its aesthetics.  The fairway wood is on the larger side at 220cc for the F2 to 140cc for the F9.  If you want to see a physical comparison, I did one earlier with the egg Spoon here. All of the D-1 F heads are spec'ed to have square face angles. Like the driver it appears to have a slightly closed face which many have said is an illusion caused but the slight onset/face forward and the way the sole sits. Even if the face is closed, its not by much and for many average golfers who will consider the Ryoma F, a tad closed may not be a bad thing. At address, the head does make the ball look small and could pass for a 350cc compact driver. For some the head may seem to big but for others, its size may inspire a can't miss image.  At first I did think the head was too large however I quickly got used to it.

The F2, F3 and F5 models all fall right below 0.83 COR and share the same all titanium monocoque (unibody) construction as Ryoma's D-1 Drivers. Ryoma is able to fit a 60g Power Booster weight on the back of all the FW models.  Not only that but they also add an additional 60g weight on the front sole called the Spin Control Unit. Considering the 13* weighs 209g, and uses 120g worth of weights, it means the 0.4mm walled body is a mere 89g in weight! Ryoma then plasma welds on their premium forged TDW face for maximum ball speeds and feel.  The F7 and f9 shorter woods have a similar design except use a maraging face and stainless steel body.

Thanks to that 60g backweight, the sweet spot of the Ryoma  fairway woods is huge. So huge that Ryoma claims there is very little difference in direction and distance on off center hits vs shots off the center of the club.  In order to counter the huge weight in the back which in a smaller fairway wood head would push the CG too far back and low, Ryoma uses that Spin Control Unit I mentioned earlier, another 60g right below the leading edge of the head. Ryoma says this weight drastically reduces spin and creates a strong and powerful trajectory that will not lose out to the wind. I certainly liked the trajectory and for me it was more of a mid ball flight.

Ryoma has designed the CG Point of their fairway woods to match the ball exactly at impact whereas on some deeper fairway woods the CG point on the face is in fact higher than the point of impact.  The face of the Ryoma's are considered shallow but not super shallow. They are shallow enough that make hitting off the deck and launching the ball rather easy. I had no problems teeing off with the Ryoma and I felt more confident doing so than with the ultra shallow egg Spoon. The egg Spoon which for me has always been the longest fairway wood, was coming short of the Ryoma by 10-15 yards on average. I also had a TRC FW and ONOFF Fairway Arms Plus as well as a Geotech GT SP and none of them could touch the Ryoma in distance. The testers I have here came with the stock Ryoma shaft. Its a good shaft but a bit on the soft side and the higher torque numbers especially in the softer flexes really do benefit the smoother swinger. I found that if I got aggressive with it, and I do have an aggressive transition and down swing, and if I released early, the soft shaft would cause me to go a bit left.  Even so, thanks to the very forgiving nature of the head, I was still out hitting the egg. It made me think if I had put my preferred Crazy Black FW80 I would gain more control and even more distance.

When it comes to sound and feel, at first the Ryoma F reminded me very much of the first generation egg Spoon with that hollow thwock. Its not nearly as loud but the pitch is similar thanks to the heads size and all Titanium construction.  It's rather solid feeling and while it did not feel hot off the face, it IS hot off the face. There were several times I did not feel like I hit it right on the screws and the ball just kept going, much further than I expected and pretty straight. Much of the results I got are thanks to Ryoma's huge forgiveness and near 0.83 COR. Considering how much smaller a fairway wood face is than a driver face makes this number quite staggering as many fairway woods on the market feature COR of around 0.70 to 0.75.

At the end of the day not everyone will like the looks of the Ryoma F. Not everyone will like its huge head size. Some people might get turned off by the sound. Others the price. But in the end you have to love the Ryoma F for what it is, and that is stupid easy to hit fairway wood that can probably rival your driver for distance AND forgiveness.

The stock shaft is a good fit for those who are smoother swingers, especially the softer flexes. The stiffer flexes do add some control thanks to lower torque and heavier weights. Many golfers will opt for an upgrade shaft and the Ryoma F is available with any shaft in Japan though more than 75% have gone out with Crazy shafts since they seem to be such good fits with Ryoma heads. If you need help with your selections as always just contact us. If you'd like to go ahead and get the stock shafted model, it can be found in the pro shop.

I took a quick video of the sound at impact. As you can hear its not terribly loud but its not that great sounding either. I also had my egg Spoon and TRC FW on hand and also an egg i+ utility so I thought I would throw that in as well.

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.

 EMAIL

Today in part 2 of Tourspecgolf's best clubs of 2011 I'll quickly take a look at what was hot when it comes to irons.  As I had mentioned in part 1, Tourspecgolf probably sells the widest range of equipment of any store and that goes for even top Japanese based local outfits.  With many top end premium boutique brands, to famous mainstream brands to smaller budget brands, there is something for every playing level and budget.  Many demanding golf enthusiasts shop here and what they buy is very reflective of what is not only the most popular but also what is top performing. We should always keep in mind though,  not every club is for every golfer.  We are all different in swing styles and handicaps and finding the right fit doesn't always mean simply buying what is most popular. Its about finding the right fit for each individual. That said, the top irons of 2011 did indeed belong to more mainstream brands.

Titleist VG3 Forged

For the latter half of 2010 and for the most part of 2011 leading up to the winter season, the Titleist VG3 Forged iron dominated demand and sales. Premium forged and with a similar size to the AP2, the VG3 provided even more ease of use and more distance all with better feel.  Demand was high all through the VG3's model lifespan and Titleist Japan was constantly back ordered. Even I got on for the ride and gamed the VG3 Forged for nearly a full year (this is amazing for me considering I can access any iron at any time). It still is one of my favorite irons and you can find quite a few posts I made on the blog about them. Its all around performance, good looks and size were a big draw for players of all levels. Truly an iron that is forgiving enough for the average golfer but with enough performance and feel to suit the better player. Sadly Titleist suddenly discontinued the VG3 forged in December even though there was still demand for this wonderful iron. It really makes us wonder what they have in store as its replacement.

ONOFF Forged 2011

Towards the end of 2011 as the VG3 was rapidly approaching a 2 year model reign, many customers began taking interest in the new 2011 ONOFF Forged. The ONOFF Forged is very much like the VG3 Forged, in that it is an all around performer that appeals to a wide range of golfers who especially want a soft feeling iron like the Endo forged S20C ONOFF. I personally made the change from the VG3 to the ONOFF and the ONOFF picked up right where the VG3 left off, great distance, accuracy and even better feel. The ONOFF while appealing to many, had a new challenger as well come November of 2011.

Yamaha Inpres X V Forged Tour Model Limited

Yamaha introduced its all new 2012 lineup and again included a limited edition V Forged Tour Model Iron. Yamaha has had a tour model since 2008 and every year it has sold out even before launch, and this year was no different. As I noted in my review late last year, this generation of the V Forged Tour Model may be the best looking and best overall performing yet. We were lucky enough to secure the most sets of the Tour Model that we ever have and customers who got them have all been very happy with the Yamaha. Looks, Endo S20C forgings and a new cross X milling face pattern which customers have said is producing as much spin as non conforming grooves have been big news. Moving over 16 sets in just a couple of weeks made the Yamaha the strongest selling iron towards the end of the year.  With it already sold out, many are now going back to considering the ONOFF forged and the standard V Forged iron which is also very good.

Later this week I will take a look at the best wedges, putters and shafts of 2011!

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.

 EMAIL

Winter is officially upon us and the courses are browning nicely. What that means is colder weather and unfortunately less golf for me even though golf is year round here in Chiba.  Below 10 degrees Celcius and golf just isn't as fun! 2011 was a great year of golf for me, I played more regularly than every and shot more consistent scores than ever however as father time catches up to my body I found that the increased frequency of my rounds also took a toll on my body. Aches and pains and a battle with arthritis in the joints all made recovering from one round to the next quite a task. I've also realized that I am not getting any younger so it will only get worse.  I've decided to use the time off from golf (don't get me wrong, I am still getting out but not as much as I would like to because of the cold) to improve my fitness, swing and overall well being.

Many of us obsess of over equipment and forget that the foundation of a sport like golf goes beyond the clubs we are using to our core fitness and metal well being. We all want to hit the ball further but we put all the emphasis on finding a club that will produce miracles rather than starting from the source, our own bodies. Building a strong core and flexibility as well as being in great overall shape and having strong mental focus will improve our games as much if not more than having the best clubs out there - if there even is such a thing as the best clubs.  We can't control what golf brands do but we can surely dictate how we live our lives and prepare ourselves.

I've given myself two main focuses that I will concentrate on as I prepare for the new season. One is conditioning in other words for golf, building strength, balance and flexibility. This takes motivation and dedication and of my two focuses can actually be considered the easier one as there are many conditioning programs and training aids to help with core fitness.

My second focus is improved health and general well being (which is also of course connected to the first focus). Improving health and physical well being aren't only about exercise. As we get older its harder to stay in shape, eat the right things and combat ailments and illnesses. I realize that I am not a chemist nor am I or my wife a nutritionist. Tourspecgolfer and I were discussing how time is flying and how we are aging along and he suggested I take a look at supplements which fill in the gaps of what may be missing in my diet. He peaked my interest so I began researching more on supplements. Many generalize a supplement as simply a vitamin but its more than that.  While many supplements certainly do provide vitamins they go beyond that and give the body much needed nutrients like minerals, fiber, fatty acids or amino acids. In other words they give the body balance by giving you whats missing in your diet.

I am the kind of person who researches something very thoroughly before I can commit to it, whether it be golf clubs or cars or computers, I spend a lot of time educating myself on what I need to know. The truth is there are many dietary supplements out there so where do I start? Tourspecgolfer and Tourspecgirl have been using products from a very well know nutrition company call Shaklee, and having very good success. I thought I would see what Shaklee is all about so began researching their background and what they have to offer.  It turns out Shaklee has been in the nutrtion business over 50 years and boasts 54 Olympic gold medalists using Shaklee products.  They have invested 250 million dollars into research and development and have produced over 100 scientific papers, 90 of them published in peer-reviewed journals. Based on the fact also that Shaklee products are based on purest natural ingredients I decided to give them a try.

I started with two products the Vitalizer which you could say is the ultimate multi vitamin. An all in one supplement with 80 bio-optimized nutrients to improve vitality and health in every way. Sounds pretty good huh? The second product was Shaklee's Joint Health Complex which is supposed to reduce joint pain and increase flexibility and joint stability leading to improved muscle strength. Now this is what I really looked forward to trying. Anything that could reduce joint discomfort and increase my flexibility would be like finding gold. These are only two products in a wide and vast offering from Shaklee but I was not about to buy everything they had without trying first.

I was not planning on writing about Shaklee until I knew for sure it made a difference. As you may have guessed by me writing this post, it has made a difference far faster than I expected! Starting a month ago I began taking a daily strip of Vitalizer and 3 capsules a day of the Joint Health Complex. Within a week my joints felt better and I'm experiencing much less aches and pains now compared to before.  Some of the benefits of the Vitalizer include stress reduction/management as well as heart and brain health thanks to a wide spectrum of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, anti-aging phytonutrients, omega-3 fatty acids, and probiotics. I spend a lot of time as you can imagine sitting at my desk in front of my computer and my focus can surely wander but after being on Vitalizer for month I'm feeling more energetic, I'm sleeping better, I've got better focus and I feel generally refreshed. At first I thought perhaps it was all in my head but then I realized I was feeling much more alive after lunch whereas in the past I would feel more like taking a nap after lunch (that's what I get for working from home!).

So while its still early, I feel I've had a pretty positive start with Shaklee products. I had a talk with Tourspecgolfer and Tourspecgirl who have been using Shaklee for the last year and they echo the same sentiment in their experiences with Shaklee products.  I'm glad I was able to get the chance to try and if it didn't work for me I would have simply stopped.  The more we talked about it the more we thought it would be a good idea to do  a test run and make Shaklee available in the pro shop for anyone who would be interested in trying.  If you are health conscious, looking for a change of direction and something to help supplement your physical training, consider Shaklee for performance nutrition.  Now hitting the weights and honing my swing seem easier than ever!

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.