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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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Hi TSG'ers I wanted to post pictures of TSGirl (Jacque's) new car the 2011 Porsche Cayenne.  I took some nice pictures a few day's ago and wanted to post it as an out of bounds blog post here at GTI.   We traded in her 2008 ML350 4matic for this, it took a while to find one in the white/black color combo that she wanted.  It's not the Turbo Cayenne as she's not into racing or speed.  The power was plenty for her, maybe too much as it's got a heaps of pep.

Of course I couldn't leave it alone, I picked up some OEM Turbo II wheels for it and had lots of paint work done.  The  lower moldings, skid plate, and wing were painted same color as the body and all of the lights were very lightly tinted as well. It's the best bang for the buck taking a stock Cayenne to the next level.  There are a few things to consider as well. When the GTS model comes out a bumper swap and enhanced skid plate would be nice.

The car has been totally overhauled for the 2011 model year,  The exterior is all new aligned with other future porsche models like the new 991 (911) coming late 2012.  The interior has been completely redone as well featuring a center console like the Panamera and other new models will feature.  It's got more horse power, it's lighter, and  more space on the inside.  It looks smaller but the dimensions are a hair larger.  We got it with the optional 8-Speed Tiptronic made made in Japan.  Check out the video below, it shows how the Cayenne looked before the paint work and wheels were added.

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What makes the Ryoma D-1 so damn good?  I must admit I hopped aboard this bandwagon a bit late, I sat on the sidelines and watched while others posted what looked to be unbelievable distance gains matched with complete face forgiveness.  Was this hype? Could it be the infamous honeymoon period we know happens when you buy a new club?  It was my turn to find out...

In a nut shell what makes this driver such a monster is it's 60 gram power booster weight in the back.  Usually you see 10-15 grams in a driver, you heard me right 60g!  It pulls the center of gravity so far back low and deep in the head that it increases energy transfer to significant levels for the ultimate slingshot effect.

On top of that Ryoma utilizes something called "DSI" it stands for Deep Strong Impact and it's basically a one piece unibody produced of forged titanium.  It's a construction features a body that is only 0.35mm thick which is about half the thickness of current drivers on the market.  Some brand's get their crowns that thin but not the entire head.

To keep stability and structural integrity Ryoma has stabalized the inner frame. If your the technical type and need charts with specific information and diagrams please "click here" to view this listing.

All this technology creates a mid launch low spin driver.  It's Ryoma's opinion that mid launch with low spin creates the best angle of descent and the most run... plus in most cases the most stability and control.

On average people are gaining 10-15 yards, some even 20-30 yards and not in a sloppy whippy carry bomber kinda way but rather a controlled  intentional and piercing trajectory that's very accurate.  Sound to good to be true?  Right tell me about it, that's why I had to review it for myself...

Distance: I swing around 100 mph+ with a higher ball flight than most and that's why I opted for the 9.5 V-Spec.  I've hit what could be the longest drives of my life with this setup.  Ryoma 9.5 V-Spec w/Muzzik BangVoo Preium S-260 cpm I usually average about 240ish now I have been in the 260+ range.  It's what keeps me a float when playing with longer hitters. Longest driver I have ever hit.

Forgiveness: I'm totally gonna sound like a Ryoma fanboy now but it's forgiveness was phenomenal!  My mishits are usually near the heel, it really didnt make much of a difference where as with other drivers that would create a big fade or slice this one sailed straight with a tiny fade at the end.  Distance loss was minimal and I gotta attribute that to the 60g power booster it spreads that weight through the club head making the CG so deep and far back that it projects mass behind the entire face and impact zone. Most forgiving driver I have ever hit.

Feel: It's got a firm forged feel to it, I would definitely rank it in my top 5 best feeling drivers of all time.  I'm sure it's not the best I've hit but it's pretty darn outstanding.  I tend to gravitate to clubs like the Epon 460ZR, Kamui, and Crazy CRZ 460 when it comes to feel and I would put the Ryoma in that level of perfection at impact.  Listen to the sound in the video review coming up.

Trajectory/Dispersion: This is where it shines, I can hit most 9.5's high by teeing the ball up but with the Ryoma V-Spec it was medium all day.  I did get the ocassionally higher flight resulting in distance lost when hitting into the wind but with all variables like wind gone it was simply the perfect medium trajectory.  The ball dispersion was nice and tight and much of that I can attribute to the Muziik shaft as I do know the stock Ryoma shaft flew high and wild for me.  Very straight and very accurate was my result with a forward kick and lots of roll.  I repeat lot's of roll with this one when combined with the proper model shaft.  I'm always looking for a driver that provides the right trajectory on both windy and calm days.

Design: In the beginning I was honestly not a fan of its looks, but while in Japan I held a V-Spec and was surprised that the 60g power booster could not be seen from above. The black finish is highly durable, I've drop kicked this club a few times and where as other black drivers would scratch heavily this one didn't.  I keep going back to the 60g power booster and the stabilized unibody frame support within it's forged titanium head.  Something so obvious and overkill I'm surprised other golf club companies have not picked up on it.

All in all the Ryoma V-Spec has converted me, It sit's FIRMLY in my bag which is no easy feat as I have over a dozen of the hottest drivers with aftermarket shafts at my disposal.  I highly suggest this head and I highly suggest the Muziik BangVoo Premium shaft as well. It's a triple axis 70T carbon shaft that is VERY PREDICTABLE in the sub 70 gram weight range.

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It's been a while since I have posted bag pics. It's also been a long time since I was proud of my club setting.  A little bit about me Jacque aka TourSpecGirl.  I've grown up playing the game of golf and Wailua GC on the lovely isle of Kauai in Hawaii will always be my home course. My dad is still a crazed golf fanatic playing a good 4+ rounds per week back at home, my brother loves the sport yet has little time to play since becoming a doctor and my other brother is a manager at TPC Summerlin Vegas.

In the family we also have my uncle David Ishii who has 14 pro wins including JPGA major  under his belt and even won the 1990 U.S PGA Sony Open.   As an adult my passion for the game was reborn just before moving to Japan back in 2001, Chris aka TourSpecGolfer was still new to the game and I loved giving him the beat down.  I still do now days...:)

My previous clubs were a full set of Lepon by Endo 1 thru LW,  it's the womens version of Epon quite old but still a very forgiving set.    In 2010 we visited Japan and I didn't bring clubs Tario aka Gocchin was kind enough to lend me his wife Koko's clubs and she was gaming the PRGR women's eggs.  I fell in love and had to have them.  Back in late February, Ryoma sent us all drivers and I put it into play at Hirakawa GC a famous Japanese golf course where they hold senior JPGA events.  I loved the Ryoma so much I had to have that exact driver sent to me 11.5 men's R2 flex which I think is a bit too soft for me as I'm producing too large of a draw at times.

Here's the breakdown of my set, I have space for a couple more clubs to fill the gaps, I'm still deciding what clubs those will be and when I do I will update this blog post:

Driver: Ryoma 11.5* R2 flex
FW: PRGR 17* Egg Spoon ladies flex
FW: PRGR Egg PX-03 #9 Wood
Irons: 6-PW PRGR ladies Egg irons
Wedges: AW+SW PRGR ladies Egg
Putter: Odyssey Marxman 33" w/ Muziik Grip

I haven't had an official handicap in years but my last several scores were 84 - 87 -87. I plan to go into the low 80's be the end of the season.  Below I have a short video Chris (TourSpecGolfer) made that shows my swing during a round a couple months ago in Japan at Hirakawa GC in Chiba.

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Finally got them back! What your looking at is 1 of 5 sets of the Mizuno MP-Hokkaido irons based on the older MP-62 design.  I sold these off in 2007 to TSG member idrive and have been pestering him for the last several months to allow me to buy them back.  At the 2011 Japan Golf Fair I had a chat with one of  Mizuno's top staff  about their custom irons department and asked what is the most rare set of Mizunos produced that was actually sold?  They really didn't have an answer for me until I asked what about the MP-Hokkaido's?  It was like wha! how do you know about those?  They were offered as a gift to Mizuno's top account in Japan allowing them to sell only 5 sets.  It features what's called a hokkaido grind that was hand made by Mizuno's senior grind master from heads that started 20 grams over.  These were finished and plated in Japan as well.

I'm now searching for another set of irons I should have never of sold, the Titleist Miura made Tiger Woods irons. You know who you are, I want them back!

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Shown in the Video above is Master Sasaya adding a sightline to the the Odyssey Black Series #9.  This is the same setup that Ryo Ishikawa uses and has become a very popular request in Japan.

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2010 Ping Anser 2 Putter Revealed!

Lot's of new products are scheduled to be released by Ping including a 14 new putter models under the scottsdale name.  One of our content partners Toshi of the popular Japanese blog Anserfreak was recently able to visit the Ping Japan headquarters and warehouse to see first hand what was in the pipeline.

The new Anser 2 model features a durable blackish grey finish from top viewing angles while the sole has a dark mirror finish.  The new insert is made of a Thermoplastic Elastomer and we were told that it feels softer yet has a surprising and more apparent impact sound.

We are not sure about the differences between the U.S market models and the Japan market models yet but based on the early reports it appears Japan is only reporting on the blackish grey finished versions while the U.S has the traditional silver finish in their marketing aids.

We do however expect the entire U.S line up to be available in Japan along with some unique Japan Only models that of course TourSpecGolf will carry.

Ping today held  their annual sales meeting  showing off  official images of the entire U.S Scottsdale putter line up and we will have more info in pictures in the coming weeks. For now enjoy the gallery images below posted on their twitter page from the event.

New Products include the Ping K-15 series, Ping "Faith" women's series, Ping S56 Irons and the 2010 Scottsdale Putter line...Enjoy!

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Masayuki Sasaya of Gold's Factory is now offering putters visually similar to what Tiger Woods plays on the PGA Tour.  This putter is based off of the Gold's Factory Private Stock No.2 Design which in many ways resembles the Scotty Cameron Newport 2.

One of Tiger's back up putters will cost you about forty thousand U.S dollars while this GF designed version will only cost you 1/40th of that at 1000 USD.  Made in Japan by Gold's Factory it also features a sight circle, flat blast grey finish at all address locations and a polished sole and face area.  Traditional light milling was used on the face and please remember that if there is something you don't like about the design Master Sasaya can customize it to your every need.

It's being offered standard in 34" 4* loft and 71* lie angle much like Tiger's original specifications.  The paint fill choice is up to you and based off your selection of color your grip can be matched to the theme even with paint fill in the GF lettering, these pictures show a dark translucent blue effect.  And if you look closely you can see a G logo inside the back cavity large dot.

Stay tuned for more Gold's Factory Custom Mod Job pictures, Master Sasaya has been doing a ton of aftermarket upgrades for Japan's top players.

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About Four weeks ago I took delivery on a new 6.2 Ford Raptor that I had ordered back in December 09.  It finally arrived! Picked it up with 30 miles and began the break in process. The Raptor was designed by Ford SVT (Special Vehicle Teams) and is based off of the latest F150 platform but comparing the raptor to an F-150 is nearly useless. It's main purpose is high speed desert racing and it does an excellent job at that. To put it bluntly other trucks would rattle apart if put through the same test.

The Raptor comes with triple bypass Fox shocks specifically designed for this truck giving it almost 12 inches of travel front and back

The Raptor rides on a chassis that is over seven inches wider with beefed up shock mounting bolts, control rods, rear axle produced of thicker and higher grade steel than on the super duty, upgraded hydro mounts,  jounce bumpers, high-strength steel for the rear lower shock mounts and a whole lot more.  It's got the heavy duty skid plate and standard 35" BFG tires.

Because the raptor is wider than other tucks it had to comply with DOT mandates giving the truck marker lights on each fender and 3 amber lights atop the grille... Yes it's that wide, wider than a Hummer H2 and nearing the width of a dually which is sometimes a problem due to tight parking stalls and also the fact that it doesn't fit in the standard car wash.

Click "Read More" to see Video, Images, and what was done to my Raptor and it's future plans...

The four month wait allowed me to stock a few parts in the garage ready for installation as soon as the truck came in.  If you are familiar with the new Ford Raptor you may notice something different about the way my Raptor looks.   It looks STREET and that's because of the wheels/tires, and painted bumpers/fender flares to match the body. The standard raptor has a flat grey matte finish in those areas.  Don't be fooled though as also sitting in my garage are off road17" wheels and 35" tires.  The 20" wheels are great for street but in off road situations you want more tire between you and the terrain.

I've put her to the test after the break in period was over conquring BLM race parks and off road trails.  It's the 911 GT3 of off road trucks yet I still managed to get stuck twice in thick mud. The standard tires are all terrain but I consider them great high speed desert tires not aggressive enough for the thick stuff. If you live in the north west or wet muddy areas you may want to consider Toyo M/T's.

So far very few parts are available for its 6.2L 411 HP - 434TQ engine so until more parts become available the style is about all I can work on.  So far the truck has  an aftermarket leveling kit which raises it only 3 inches but most importantly gets rid of the stock ass up nose down stink bug stance.  I had a Mag-Hytec rear diff cover installed helping to keep the rear end a lot cooler not to mention the aesthetic factor.  20x9 Fuel Hostage wheels and Toyo Open Country M/T's make the truck appear much more aggressive on the road.

The truck had to go into the body shop after my second trip off road. The desert pin striping down both sides were unable to come off by hand or buffing machine and there is nothing worse than a 2 week old truck with scratched paint.  I decided to have the bumpers, and fender flares painted the same color as the body and along with that all but the front head lights were tinted with clear coat.

This Ford Raptor 6.2 is a promotional tool for one of my non golf related business ventures and has not been revealed anywhere else except for GolfToImpress.  Expect many new additions by June including custom fab mounted warn winch powder coated black, new billet door handles, Recon head lights, CAI, Exhaust, Tune, Ported Throttle body and maybe a supercharger if the sponsorship deal is right.

The truck will be on display at the 2010 Ford Raptor Roundup at the Las Vegas Speedway on June 19th.  The Raptor Roundup is giving 500 people the chance to drive the new 6.2 Raptor on an off road course for 15 minutes each for free simply by registering.