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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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Coming from Canada, snow is nothing new for us. As a matter of a fact we got so tired of shoveling snow we moved to Japan. (^_^) Here in central Chiba Prefecture snow is a very rare sight. In fact in the nearly 4 years we have been here we only had a light dusting once that pretty much disappeared in a couple of hours. Last night before we went to bed we could hear the thunder outside as it began to rain hard, rain turned into snow overnight and we awoke to a white Kiminomori, a first for us since we moved here.

Snow in the Kanto area (Tokyo and surrounding areas) mean chaos as people here are not used to heavy settling snow. And we aren't even talking about a lot of snow, maybe 5-10cm. But what that means is cancelled classes, people not going to work (empty bus stop in the morning above), 100+ snow related accidents overnight, suddenly a mad rush at the auto center with people buying chains and snow tires. I almost have to laugh at how a little snow can turn everyone crazy.  My neighbors all met on the street in the morning discussing what to do with the icy roads in front of our houses. We just said ah it will  melt and took our dog Saku, who loves snow and has not seen it in years, for a walk.

Before going for a walk I just moved my car around the corner under the sun and the snow melted off within half an hour. Its a rare sight seeing white powder and palm like trees in the neighbors yard.

Saku was thrilled to go to the park where the snow was waiting for him to play.

Even after we got home he wanted to run around in the backyard and catch the snow balls we threw in the air for him.

I guess in Japan this is what they call a "Snow Day".  Looks like the golf course is closed today! (^_^)

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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The new Ryoma F Fairway woods arrived this week for testing. We received a 15* F3 and and a 18* F5, both with stock shafts. Initial visual impressions are that the f3 is huge. At address it is like a mini driver and it inspires can't miss confidence. For some athlete golfers however it may be too large. I will be first doing a comparison between the Ryoma F3 and the reigning champion of fairway woods the PRGR Egg Spoon. I am sure many Spoon owners want to know if their club can be dethroned and many others who are looking for the ultimate in distance and ease of use would like to see the differences between the two. Stay tuned for the comparison and club testing soon!

On a personal note, the weather has been crazy here in Japan, yesterday nearly 19C and today a very cold 8C. The temperatures have been up and down which is perfect for giving me a cold. My brother happens to be arriving in Japan tomorrow for a short visit from Toronto and we'll be heading to Yokohama to spend the weekend at the Motorcycle and Hot Road Show (my brother's hobby). I will be out of contact for a while but have packed up all my camera gear for some hardcore photo sessions of Yokohama and interesting machines at the show. Will report back next week when I return!

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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Bridgestone always comes out with cool anime related limited golf products like Doraemon and Lupin III. Now they've released the Newing 2 piece distance ball featuring the super popular Japanese anime One Piece! We introduced their headcovers a few weeks ago and now, this Newing ball made for players who swing under 100mph and want soft feel and distance as their main objectives. Each limited box comes with 12 balls with one of the Straw Hat Pirates on each (the Straw Hat Pirates are the main character Luffy's crew).

Look for the new One Piece Limited balls in the pro shop soon! They sure will make a cool Christmas present!

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'm in the midst of preparing a big Yamaha Irons review for tomorrow's blog post. In the mean time I thought I would post up the new additions to my bag. One Piece fairway wood covers! Those who follow Japanese pop culture and anime will be familiar with One Piece which is one of Japan's most popular manga and anime series. The fairway wood covers fit well so work with  both woods and utilities. I'm using Luffy on my 4 wood and Zoro on TRC 20*, and Sanji on my 24* UT. There is of course already a Tony Chopper driver cover from One Piece but its currently back ordered until the end of November. We'll be adding the new head covers to the pro shop but as always you can contact us if you need one right away!

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 huge, and I mean HUGE box filled with Yamaha demos arrived today. When the courier pulled up and brought out the box I thought he was delivering furniture as the box was so big. Turns out Yamaha sent every driver and iron model with every shaft option meaning a lot of clubs arrived! Bad news is I need to return everything by Tuesday!!

So I quickly snapped a few shots or sneak peeks and headed out to the range in the evening to hit a few of the clubs. Will spend as much time as I can in the next 2 days trying everything so I can give proper feedback. In the mean time here are a few teasers and also a quick video of the V202 model (not tour) at impact.

The Endo forged V202 Tour Model driver looks very compact at 415cc.

New face milling looks very nice.  Irons are some of the softest I have ever hit.

Sound at Impact video of the standard V202. Driver was rather forgiving and the BB6 rather straight. Very soft feel at impact! Look for reviews soon 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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It's been a while since we posted up some Gold's Factory eye candy. Gold's is busier than ever with many many modifications, refinishes and custom created putters as well as wedges in the works. Every job is unique and for each specific customer which is why they haven't even had time to any one off models lately.  Very popular has been custom neck work on Scotty Camerons as well as refinishes, custom face milling and extra weight.

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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Working in an online environment like TSG can result in long hours everyday, 7 days a week of manning the site and helping customers as well as researching and understanding all the golf clubs offered here in Japan. Believe it or not, I actually get tired of looking at golf stuff sometimes so yesterday morning my wife and I decided it be a good chance to go to a nearby mark called Showa no Mori with the dogs for a nice morning hike. While the weather is cooling now we're still seeing temperatures between 19-24C which is wonderful for this time of year. The colors of the leaves have barely started changing yet and I can still get away with shorts and t-shirt on certain days.

While there are a total of 11 parks here in the Kiminomori golf community its nice to go with the dogs to a park like Showa no Mori which is bigger than the entire community we live in. It gives the dogs a great chance to let loose and go all out without holding back. Yes don't worry they are playing in the picture below... Saku likes to bare his fangs when he is playing.

Playing hard requires lots of fluids. For some reason the dogs always love the water at the parks...

The gardeners and maintenance crews were hard at work trimming Japanese Maki trees which are all around Showa no Mori. The Maki is Chiba's prefectural tree.

Saku is certainly beginning to look his age at over 7 years old. Hana is only 2 and keeps Saku young. She probably annoys him a lot which is why when the play hard he shows his teeth.

All in all a fun morning which we ended at an outdoor dog cafe where the dogs got yummy food and we had lunch. Now its back to work!

Few more from that morning taken with Nikon D5100 and 35mm f1.8G lens.

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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Gold's Factory sent over a couple if their new Trinity series putters featuring the new Next Generation Premium Zone Milling. they are for a photo shoot I'm doing however it was a good opportunity to also test out the new milling for the first time and see the new Trinity weights and inserts. The two models I received are both based off of Gold's Factory's Anser No.2 head made from premium JIS SUS303 steel (also known as GSS in some circles). As with all Gold's putters, they can be fully customized including lie, loft, head weight, type of milling, finish, weighting, engraving, types of necks etc. The sky is the limit. This is an intricate milling process with the cnc machine guided by HAND.

Compared to the original two Red and Blue Trinity prototypes, these two are far more clean and simple with only two weights in the sole and inserts in the cavity and face heel. Head weights are 350g but Trinity models can go as high as 380g or so depending on the type and number of weights used. Each weight is CNC machined right at Gold's Factory on order and come in a variety of designs and sizes. The Trinity putters also feature the tri-level sole we've all seen on Tiger's Newport 2, and the brushed non reflective satin finish for that pure and simple look.

This was my first time rolling the ball with the new Next Generation Premium Zone Milling.  Premium Zone milling was first introduced on the now defunct G-Field's Premium Zone putter about 6 years ago (hence the name Premium Zone). PZ milling is known to give great forward roll and super soft feel. Master Sasaya further enhanced the milling angles by using overlapping half circles and zig zag patterns within those circles. These milling marks are at similar depths and angles to the original horizontal PZ Milling so the result is just as good forward roll and just as soft (if not softer) feel PLUS now reduced side spin.

Feel is very subjective and one of the most debated topics is the feel of putters. Soft or crisp? Too soft? Too Hard? Not responsive, not enough feel? I do like a soft feeling putter but not to the point where I get no feedback. Some carbon steel putters and insert putters can be this way, too soft that you really can't tell where on the face you hit it. The great thing about SUS303 is that it has a certain crispness to it and the Trinity putters have that combination of soft but crisp feel thanks to the face milling and material complimenting each other. Putting the ball is very responsive and with minimal skidding the putter face is great at promoting forward roll. At 350g, these two Trinity's have great balance of direction and distance control. I tried putting with different balls which all have different cover firmness to see what kind of feel I would get from the Next Gen PZ Milling and every ball was responsive and produced the similar soft but crisp feel that I like. Hitting the putter off center is much more muted so you can clearly tell when you pure a putt simply by the sound and feel.

As always Gold's can create your own custom putter or do some serious modifications for your existing putter.  The sky is the limit for what is probably the most used club in your bag! Check out some of the one of a kind putters Gold's has or base models which you can use to design your dream stick!

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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Our featured customer today is Rob Harrand who is also know as Mjr. D on the TSG Forum. Rob was kind enough to write up his own introduction and save me the work so without further delay here's one of our favorite customers, Rob Harrand!

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First of all, I’d just like to say thanks to Tario, Chris and everyone who contributes to making TourSpecGolf a fantastic business, website and forum.  It’s definitely one of a kind... full of great people (and hopefully golfers!)

My name is Rob Harrand.  I was born in a city called Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  Yes, Regina is pronounced the way it shouldn’t be. Ha!  I’m the youngest in a family of six.  I have three older sisters but unfortunately no brothers and no one is a golfer :(

BASEBALL

Baseball was my first love growing up.  Instead of dragging around a bag full of sticks on the course, pretending I was Jack Nicklaus, I spent my youth firing baseball’s into fences, pretending I was Nolan Ryan.

By the time I was 11, it became apparent that I had a gift.  I was able to fire a baseball faster than most adults.  Pitching in the Major Leagues was my dream and getting the attention of scouts that early in life, was definitely encouraging... perhaps my dream could one day turn into a reality!

I grew up with a very natural, fluid, effortless delivery but by the time I turned 14, it was already beginning to disappear.  As it is in Golf... Baseball and more specifically, pitching, is an industry full of contrasting theories and opinions when it comes to the “mechanics” of the pitching motion.  I had no idea at the time, but all the instruction and coaching I was receiving as a teenager would end up seriously impeding my development and progress later.

Too many “experts” began attempting to (unnecessarily) change the natural mechanics of my delivery (similar to what Tiger Woods is going through right now) and what that did was not only waste valuable time, it caused me to become far too aware of my “mechanics” (paralysis by analysis) and stymied my fastball velocity.  In pitching, velocity is what gets you further, faster, than anything else.

When I turned 17, I dedicated myself to pitching more so than ever before.  I had to do something to get myself back on track.  I rented an old Bingo hall and transformed it into my own personal pitching center.  I was able to find a local pitcher who had experience playing down in the US... I worked with him diligently for two years as we attempted to get me somewhat back to my natural pitching mechanics.

Through thousand of long winter hours doing mechanical drills, throwing, video analyses, strength training, etc... come summer of 1999, I was able to get drafted in the 42nd round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.  42nd round isn’t great, especially since I was able to throw 90+ MPH at the time, but coming from a place with a three month baseball season and very limited exposure... it wasn’t bad.

I didn’t sign with the Dodgers, as I got a letter in the mail from San Diego State University, a Div.1 college.  They were interested in having me go to school there as a pitcher on their baseball team.  What was very strange about this letter compared to others I received was that is was signed “Rusty Filter” - Pitching Coach - SDSU Aztecs.

My dad owns a business in Regina called “Aztec Industries”.  Strange coincidence but not nearly to the degree that one of his main products is something called an Aztec “Rust Filter”.  Long story short, I had booked a trip to pay a visit to a Jr. College in Santa Barbara, CA on a particular weekend in July, 1999...  ironically, this was the only weekend of the whole summer that the head coach of the SDSU Aztecs - Jim Dietz, was going to be in San Diego.  Again, long story short, my parents and I met with him and he offered me a full scholarship on the spot.  Pretty cool!

I headed down to San Diego, California at age 19 to become a pitcher for the SDSU Aztecs.  It was a very difficult transition (coming from some place named Regina, Saskatchewan to a hotbed of the baseball world in California).  I stuck it out and although I definitely didn’t reach my potential (mainly because I was still so caught up in “mechanics”)... three years later I was drafted in the 9th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.

I signed with the Phillies,  got a pretty nice signing bonus, treated myself to a car that I always wanted and headed to Batavia, NY to pitch for the summer.  I ended up doing well enough to be invited to the Philly’s post-season “Instructional League”, in Florida -  A league dedicated to developing “prospects.”

It was there, that would alter the next two years of my life.

I woke up one morning and for the first time in my life, it hurt my shoulder to throw a baseball.  Several cortisone shots, ice, running, rotator cuff workouts, sprints, stretching,  medication, and many worrying hours, later... I was no better.  I had a chronic muscle impingement in my shoulder that would not go away.  As a result,  I was released by the Phillies in the early summer of 2004.  It was a very difficult time as everything I geared up for since I was 11 years old (to one day pitch in the major leagues)... vanished into thin air.

I flew home to Regina, took a year away from baseball, went back to college and played on the college basketball team.

From 2005 to 2006 I spent a lot of time in the weight room.  Although the time away from baseball was good for me, I decided to pitch for a local team that summer and lone and behold, my arm didn’t hurt anymore!  Best of all, I started throwing a few miles per hour faster than I ever had in my life, so I decided I had to give baseball one more shot.  Unfortunately though, later on that same season, I hurt my shoulder again.  Shortly after, I flew down to LA to have a minor shoulder surgery (debridement) then headed to Tempe Arizona to rehab.

GOLF

It was in Arizona that I fell in love with Golf and not long after... I discovered TourSpecGolf... the rest is history!  My first order was an Epon Technity 9.5 with a Roddio Pentacross X flex shaft... along with a smorgasbord of wedges!  I fell in love with J-spec right then and there.

I spent a lot of my downtime in Arizona golfing (and eating).  Baseball was still my focus but golf became my hobby.

I finished my rehab in time to join the Ottawa Rapids Professional baseball team (CanAm League) in the spring of 2008.  However, when I flew up there and got back into the routine of professional baseball, I found out my personal desire for the game was no longer there. After a long talk with my family, I decided it was time to hang it up.

Since then I’ve spent the last 2 1/2 years focusing on my golf game and developing a website dedicated to helping pitchers of all ages reach their potential.  It’s called “Reality Pitching” - www.realitypitching.com.  It’s a one of a kind pitching website that I’ll be launching very shortly.

Golf is now my passion.  I fully intend to play it as long as I live and become as good as i’m capable of.  I actually went to Mesquite, Nevada this past March with a long time friend and former Milwaukee Brewer’s pitcher, Eric Thomas, to compete in a Long Drive Qualifier.  It was a great time and I plan on continuing to compete in it.

For those of you who asked... my swing speed with a 50” long drive club has been measured as fast as 150mph.

What's in the Bag

Right now i’m about a 10 handicap and I play Epon 302’s with Matrix Program 130 shafts as well as Miura Mb-5003’s, Nippon Super Peening Blues and Mizuno Mp-37’s with KBS Tours.  My Driver of choice is the Crazy FX-435 with the Crazy Black 50 XX.  My fairway wood is the RC 14* BBD Tour VS with a Crazy Black FW XX.  My hybrid is a Tourstage X-UT with a Crazy Utility X.  My wedges are custom Gold’s Factory’s with DG spinners.  I also recently just ordered the 2011 RC hybrid, a Sky Dream Jump type bite wedge and 2011 Onoff Forged irons.  I’ve gone through a ton of different equipment over the years (just like all of you guys, i’m sure) and my current setup is definitely my favorite!  I think the golf industry is starting to consistently make some really great stuff and no better place to buy it from than TourSpecGolf... helpful and honest a staff as you could ever hope for!

Thanks Tario, for giving me the opportunity to be featured on your blog.  I look forward to every single update you have.

Best of luck with your golf games, guys!

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Check out Rob's Reality Pitching Website Promo Video which features Rob in action in all 3 sports!

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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It's been a while since I've pulled out my camera to shoot pictures other than of golf clubs for work. It's been too hot to bother with the camera while walking the dog each day but the last two days has seen some cooler evening temperatures (finally!). I brought along the D5100 for some casual photo taking as well as some high ISO evening shots.

As I parked my R2 outside my in-law's place a couple of days ago, the sun was setting over in the west end of Chiyoda so I snapped a quick one.  I did NOT use the HDR function on the D5100 so this is a pretty good example of how well Nikon's matrix metering works.

Here's another angle above, except at ISO2000. The Nikon D5100 continues to really kick ass at high ISO with very clean images.

The shot above was taken last night while heading out with my wife and our dog for our evening walk. The sun was setting in the distance over Kiminomori. I shouldn't have shot at f16 as it bumped ISO up to 900 but with the D5100 I can't complain. Again this was taking in aperture priority and is NOT HDR.

Few more shots below, most after the sun has set (you can see the street lamps are on).  Our doggy shot is at iso6400!

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 introduced the all new Epon AF-902 a few weeks ago and today (it is the 9th here in Japan) is the official launch of this wonderful utility.  The AF-902 is a true one of a kind utility. While most utilities these days are made from cast stainless steel bodies and faces with some manufacturers also using maraging steel, Epon's new AF-902 takes manufacturing for a utility to an all new level. The AF-902 is a four piece super precision forged all titanium utility and the most advanced of its kind. Using high intensity titanium, KS120 Forged for the crown and sole, 15-3-3-3 Forged for the face and a pure Titanium forged neck, the plasma welded AF-902 provides the ultimate feel and maximum COR distance performance.

Our demo head arrived today and I thought I would snap some pictures and give some initial impressions on the head. Workmanship and finish is quite flawless as you would expect from Epon and the head is a beauty. Its hard to imagine this is a 4 piece head as the plasma welds are invisible to the eye and perfectly smooth. I had expected it to be on the larger side due to its spec'ed cc size of around 126cc which is larger than the typical utility, however its not visually big by any means. The face is certainly on the shallower side and this is expected from a utility that targets average golfers and mid handicappers.

Seeing the head in real life, the double stepped sole stands out more especially when you look at the head from its heel side like the picture below. The back of the head is raised to create trailing edge relief which reduces friction and contact with the turf or rough for much more pure contact. The AF-902 is not as stubby from front to back like many utilities and from this same heel angle could pass for a small fairway wood which in fact may be part of Epon's thinking. Fairway wood like performance but the versatility of a utility or rescue.

At address you can see what I mean by the head does NOT look overly large. It's rounded shape actually looks quite compact a la TRC but the length of the face from heel to toe is quite noticeable. This creates a wider sweet spot as typical average golfer misses are towards the heel or toe. At setup the look inspires confidence and you can clearly see the AF-902's face which allows you to focus on impact. The CG is positioned for an optimal and easy launch from any lie and designed for big carry with maximum distance performance. The AF-902 is really a great replacement for the long irons or short woods especially for those wanting ease of use and vesatility.

There are many great utilities and rescues out on the market right now, many with features and looks similar to the AF-902. But, what makes the AF-902 stand out from the crowd is its unique manufacturing and premium materials for a utility. As far as I know, no other utility or fairway wood for that matter in golf is made from completely forged titanium. As a matter of a fact, there are even many drivers who cannot make the same claim. While many brands try and cut cost and mass produce cast woods, Epon goes the opposite direction both in quality and in price.  The AF-902 is made to rival even the most premium drivers in quality and its priced accordingly.

So far its reception has been more positive than I imagined. Honestly my first reaction was a double take at the price of the club, however that has not stopped customers who appreciate Epon's quality and performance from ordering.  Customers are not only pre-ordering the club but even choosing more expensive upgrade shafts with the Crazy Black Utility so far being the most popular. It is certainly a shaft we are considering putting in this head for actual testing.  Based on first impressions alone, quality is superb, its design and looks very appealing especially for the average golfer or anyone who wants an easy to hit utility looking for maximum distance. The Epon AF-902 Utility begins shipping today, please contact us as always if you are interested or need more information! You can also find the specs for the new club here in our pro shop.

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.