As many of you know the soft cast prototypes played by Moromizato along with the prototype Tour AD iron shafts in candy apple red went on sale in December as the Taylormade Japan Burner TP iron. It's still one of the hottest irons in Japan and what I say is TM's best looking iron to date.

I spoke to our TM Japan rep this week asking about when the Burner TP as well as the R9 TP Forged would be added to the TM Custom clubs program and as of this point they still have not been added. I know many of you are waiting for this as I get several emails a day just asking when custom specs can be order. One of the reasons for delay is that all custom orders are built by TM Japan in their actual tour vans here. The TM Rep explained that start of the pro season here in Japan has also turned the Vans toward sponsored player support with limited resources for custom orders based on existing clubs in the program like the Burner Forged, R9 and R9 Max irons and drivers.

In the meantime we can check out some of Shino-chan's (as she is affectionately known here in Japan) practice with the Burner TP iron as she does a step in weight transfer drill.

Test results are in!   For those who have missed it there was a big controversy about Scratch Golf's advertising claims that spanned across multiple forum's and blog websites.  Here were the claims I made against Scratch Golf last week:

1.  It was my opinion that they did not use 1018 carbon steel for their Irons & Wedges
2.  Scratch Golf claims Forged by Ishihara-Shoten yet Ishihara-Shoten doesn't forge golf clubs 
3.  ( TSG ) wedge was not Ishihara Forged or made of 1018 as we were led to believe
4.  Scratch is using Open Model Blanks dispite claiming their products are Original Designs

Let's get right to it with the Test Results! I sent in 6 sample heads to METL. Metals Engineering and Testing Laboratory based out of Phoenix, Arizona.  Here is a short blurb on what they do for their customers...

(Metals Engineering and Testing Laboratory) customer base includes major aerospace and defense contractors, both the fossil and nuclear power utilities, the fastener industry, the automotive industry, insurance companies, attorneys, construction, manufacturers, and metal processors such as heat treaters, coating and plating shops, weld shops, foundries, forge shops, extrusion plants and machine shops. Our metallurgical testing laboratory serves as a valuable resource for a number of smaller companies who use the laboratory for in-depth metallurgical engineering and testing support.

We submitted sample heads from popular brands like Mizuno, Epon, Miura Giken, Geotech and Scratch Golf. Click "Read More" to continue on for the test results...

We submitted 2 heads in total from Scratch Golf, one 1018 wedge and one EZ-1 cavity back iron.  From Epon we sent in the AF-Tour, Mizuno MP-67, and Miura Giken the CB2006 model. 

In regards to testing, heat treatment and plating make no difference at all  in the test results as the testing finds the chemical and mineral balance deep inside the head.  The above are UNS standards not JIS, the difference between the two is that JIS standards hold tighter tolerance on the minerals and chemicals.  The carbon rating is not the only thing to look at, there is a range of other minerals that need to fall into a tolorence allowing METL to come to the conclusion as stated at the bottom of the test.

There is no room for question due to any overlap's in minerals. If it says 1020 it's 1020 by UNS Standards. If it says 1010 it's 1010 by UNS standards.

When cross referencing the UNS results with JIS,  The 1020 UNS in the the EZ-1 iron falls near the minimum requirements of JIS S25C.  While the UNS rated 1010 doesn't have the acceptable tolerance to meet JIS standards.  By both UNS & JIS standards of the two Scratch Samples sent in none of them are using 1018 steel.

But why that 1010 conclusion on the 1018 wedge?  It would have to be an EXTREMELY poor quality piece of metal skipping from 1018 past 1017, 1015, 1012 into the 1010 range.  I don't know if this is a freak wedge but it doesn't meet any countries standards if it's supposed to be 1018. It's 4 carbon metal designations apart from what it was advertised to be. That is surprisingly bad if it was supposed to be 1018 even by China's metal standards.

In regards to the Mizuno, Miura Giken, and Epon product checkout the chart below...

When looking at JIS standards the Mizuno and Miura Giken are right on the edge of S20/S25C which makes complete sense as this is what they advertise and the Epon AF-Tour is right where it should be for S20C like Epon advertises. 

The Scratch EZ-1 Iron also fell pretty close to being able to fit into the S25C category. The only surprise out all of these heads was the 1010 Scratch Wedge head.  I will let you guy's draw your on conclusions on the test results...  Whatever the case I now know for a fact that of both Scratch Golf heads submitted for metallurgy testing none of them are 1018. 

I requested the destroyed heads returned to us so we could take pictures. The results just got back to us today via Email we also have the data listed next to the picture of the club head via METL for those who want to question the test.

Two Japan Only TP Models...

The Burner TP as you all tknow was the first release for a Japan TP model with conforming grooves for 2010. The R9 Japan model which is in fact the same dimensions as the US R9 TP model but with a different look also has conforming grooves but is not a TP model in Japan. The R9 iron which was launched late last summer to much fanfare in Japan has not done nearly as well as TM has hoped for. Personally I feel the Burner line in Japan with the Burner Forged and Burner TP are the better irons, looks, design, performance and feel wise. The soft cast Burner TP had unprecedented demand in Japan which TM struggled to keep up with  when they launched at the end of December. Supply has finally caught up with demand now and they are much more readily available.

So in comes the first of the new R9 Forged models, the TP Forged, which will be followed by a standard R9 Forged in May... yes yet another R9 iron. For now lets take a look at how the two TP models, the TP Forged and the Burner TP compare.

Click Read More for more pictures and comparisons!

Physical Comparisons...

When physically comparing the new R9 TP Forged to the Burner TP, the R9 TP Forged is obviously a smaller head (even with the 5 iron vs the 7 iron of the Burner TP). The Burner TP stands a little taller and the scorelines/hitting area is slightly longer  heel to toe.  Another obvious difference is that the TP Forged is a one piece forged solid CB while the Burner TP has a pocket cavity that runs up to the 7 iron for added forgiveness.  Now while it is difficult to compare the TP Forged 5 iron to the Burner TP 7 iron for offset, interestingly when looking at the specs, the R9 TP Forged has minimal offset but MORE offset than the Burner TP which has very very little.  For a compact CB, the Burner TP really stands out when it comes to almost no offset and this is definitely one of the big draws for the Burner.

Contemporary Finish vs Black Modern Look...

Another obvious difference between the two irons is finish. The Burner TP comes in a very sexy black IP finish while the R9 Tp Forged is a mix of mirror finish and satin finish. What I began to think as I compared these irons is that the R9 TP Forged is more of the classic pure forged  clean looking one piece cavity while the Burner TP is technology and modern looks. Which do I prefer? I've actually said it before, I think the Burner TP is the best looking TM iron ever and the release of the R9 TP Forged does not really change that opinion. Minimalists may prefer the look of the TP Forged but it would have been even better in my opinion if it was all brushed satin.

Notes on Feel and Performance...

So how do they feel and perform? As I have said many times in the past, feel is subjective and there are many things that affect ones perceived feel of an iron, including the material, design, the shaft it uses and of course, how well a player can pure that shot. So based on that criteria I can comment on both what I thought of feel and how well I could pure the shot which tells me ease of use. Lets face it typically any club with a "Tour" tag on it is not usually considered in the ease of use category however I believe that one can never have too much forgiveness and that includes the better player. So first off the bat the Burner TP is the easier of the two to hit. Both irons had 950GH stiff in them which made the shaft an equal point. The TP Forged possesses the thinner sole of the two irons which really suits the better player who can take a divot or none after impact. For the average golfer a wider sole to prevent digging is considered more forgiving. The R9 TP is a players iron and is not meant for the player who cannot strike the ball well or consistently. The Burner TP has the pocket cavity in the 7 iron which was much more forgiving on miss hits.

Now here is the interesting part, the premium forged S25C and the soft cast Burner TP feel equally soft and equally rewarding. TM has done a great job here with the feel of the Burner TP, it feels as good as the forged R9 TP in my opinion. Both are very pure off perfect strikes almost to the point where you feel nothing. I do not notice any sort of clickiness on the Burner TP which can sometimes be associated with pocket cavities. At address both frame the ball very well and both look very good with their little offset.  It does appear that both irons have similar thickness when it comes to the top line though the Burner TP gives an illusion of being even thinner due to dark finish which joins at the top of the iron meeting the face (see second picture from the left in the last row in the gallery below for a clearer picture).

I should also mention again that I also had the R9 and R9 Max here to compare but since I already did a head to head comparison for the R9 and R9 Max last year I pretty much kept this to a R9 TP Forged vs Burner TP comparison. I would have loved to have more time with the TP Forged especially actual course playing time as I have gone out with the Burner TP in the past. Looks like in May we will have to do another comparison when the much anticipated R9 Forged with pocket cavity and asroll face comes out.

Japan gets the Best Stuff?

The new R9 TP Forged is a very good iron worth the consideration of any low handicapper or aspiring pro. It has a very clean no frills look to it, is small, compact and very pure on impact with a thin sole and top line. It does however have to compete with a magnificent iron under the same umbrella in the Japan model Burner TP.  One thing is for sure, Taylormade sure gives Japan the best stuff. (^_^) Check out all the TM Japan clubs in the pro shop!

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In 2007 we had many requests for the previous model and couldn't supply it. Now we do have a connection with the company that owns the license and produces these clubs. We just don't know how our customers feel about it the Superman branding.

Its 4-Piece Forged Ti, the crown is KIS 15-3-3-3, the body is KS120, hosel is high strength Titanium, and the face has 2 material options. The non conforming has my favorite face material DAT55G and the conforming version's face is produced of KSTi-9. Everything is JIS grade it's made extremely well and they didn't skimp out on anything. Do not expect a low price on these either, the design may not be what we are accustomed to but the manufacturing quality and materials selected is unexpected of a brand that carries the branding of a comic book hero.

The complete line up includes 2 drivers, 1 set of irons, and 1 wedge, and many accessories. They are again expected to sell out very quickly so for those few or many who are Superman fan's that are interested please drop us a PM or Email.

[View with PicLens]

 

I subscribe to most major golf publications to try to stay on top of marketing in the U.S golf industry. Its actually quite affordable right now as Golf Digest is offering 12 issues for only 12 bucks a year, can't go wrong with that deal and it beats buying it for full value at the book store. What I do is combine all the magazines I want to subscribe to and go with a company that offers it bulk to businesses, this is usually what doctor's offices and other places of business do.  Magazines are expensive now days and it seems as if we are getting less substance in recent years. I suggest using bulk subscription companies instead of paying top dollar off the news rack.

Something that bugs me is the amount of ad's in the magazines now days. I understand they are a business and want to earn as much revenue as possible but it does make it less pleasurable for the reader and In my opinion when you loose touch with the reader things go downhill.  Especially today with the Internet taking readers away from printed publications it's even more vital to tell it like it is.  I did a quick count of the ad's in the April issue of Golf Digest and it came out to approximately 97 ad's vs 102 content pages. I think I was being kind as many of the pages I counted as content had partial ad's on them and many were also full page images. In the end about 50% of the magazine is made of ad's.

Click "Read More" to read more of my rant and to vote in the poll...

It has also become obvious that often they print what some OEM's say true or not, I'm not talking about ad's I am talking about in their content. This makes it very hard to believe their articles at times.  You rarely see anything negative in these magazines even where it's deserved.  How can everything improve your game? 10 years ago magazines was not this saturated with ad's and 20 years ago they had even fewer, It was pretty pure back then IMO.

I guess I am spoiled as Japanese golf magazines get real in depth. They cover things that OEMs don't want covered and publish special issues done by independent testing groups like shaft bible's and special testing reports who often just slaughter new clubs.  This is the same for Japanese review web sites.  I don't understand why but many U.S websites are starting to stick to marketing claims, kissing the butt of the OEM's when I feel it's our duty to say what we think no matter the direct relationship or not.

Another thing that I see is that Japanese golfers can buy a new fancy expensive club and when it comes time to review it, they are brutally honest in their opinions. We run the website MyGolfClubReviews.com and also pay attention to comments posted on our website and other websites. On the U.S side it appears the consumer almost always justifies their club purchase by saying they gained 20 yards or it's their best club ever. Very few admit what they just purchased was a piece of junk or how it didn't work as they expected.   Is this the consumer simply Justifying their purchase?  Is the honeymoon period in the U.S stronger or does it last any longer? Are we just susceptible to hype and marketing?  We need to be more critical guy's!

Ok Rant over! Vote in the poll to show where you stand on this subject ( you may select more than one answer up to 4 total ).

It's the time of year here in Japan were many of the top manufacturers are releasing new 2010 models. This is an exciting time for golfers and with so many new drivers to choose from it can sometimes be overwhelming. I've talked in the past about driver specs and how different specs can affect a driver's true performance as well as finding the right shaft.

Today I'm not going to talk about shafts for once but rather look at some interesting numbers provided by Golf Digest Japan on several of the latest and greatest drivers here in Japan. We're talking about real specs, the loft, the lie, the face angle, the center of gravity, where the sweet spot actually is and more. Many manufacturers state a certain spec on their mass produced drivers but due to manufacturing oddities and quality control, what you see is not what you always get.

Do real specs make a difference to golfers? For many average and recreational golfers, they probably don't think twice when buying a driver off the shelf at their local golf shop. However, for the better player, the golf enthusiast, the player struggling with  their driver shot, real specs on a driver can make a huge difference.

Imagine you're a player who battles a hook and would like to keep the ball from ballooning. You see that new model driver with a 9.5* loft and square face angle and think that is the driver for you to keep the ball straight and get that more penetrating trajectory. What if that driver had a real loft of 12.8* and the face was in fact closed 2.0* due to manufacturing inconsistencies? Those rainbow drives and duck hooks could end up getting much worse.

So we've got data for 24 new model drivers but due to space constraints I will post what I think people are the most interested in (maybe I'm just lazy^^) including the new Titleist VG3, Nike Machspeed Round STR8-Fit, Callaway Legacy Type S, Tourstage X-Drive 703, Yamaha Inpres X D201, Srixon Z-TX, ONOFF Red, R9 SuperTri, PRGR GN502 Tour 440, Cobra S2 and Ping G15. Please keep in mind that these are only examples, what you see here doesn't necessarily mean every single club of a specific model has real specs like this. The drivers were randomly picked off the shelves. I've also made a few images of what key specs players like to look at here in Japan using the new PRGR 505 RED driver (which unfortunately was not part of the test but I just happen to have taken pics of the driver yesterday).

So click Read More to find out all the results of the test!

Some of the key points players look at are of course real loft, real face angle and the actual lie angle. Other points of interest are the sweet spot height, simply because the sweet spot is not in the center of the driver but usually more towards the top. It's good to know as that point will create optimal smash factor and spin (or lack thereof). Face height matters for many as well too as better players tend to lean towards deeper faces for control while average golfers miss towards the toe and heel so go for more shallow faces. The gravity angle is another spec which the Japanese look at. The larger the gravity angle the faster the head rotates to a square position at impact. So its typical that drivers with a large gravity angle are good for slicers. The depth of the center of gravity also affects the trajectory of the ball (and affects where the sweet spot is). The deeper and lower the CG the higher the launch. Those wanting high launch and max carry look for deep and low CG points while those wanting lower more penetrating ball flight for control look for a shallow and higher CG.

So lets check out some of the results. I'll list the off the shelf specs or stated specs followed by real specs for your reference, plus any comments I might have.

Titleist Japan VG3 Driver: 10* Loft 45.5" D1 Stiff/Regular Stock Shaft
Real Loft: 11.5
Real Lie: 62.25
Real Face Angle: Open 1.25
CG Depth: 39.5mm
Face Height: 58mm
Sweet Spot Height: 36.5mm
Gravity Angle: 23.5
Head Weight: 195.1g
Comment: The VG3 is made for carry and distance so I'm not all that surprised to see the higher real loft (I should mention that besides manufacturing consistencies, some manufacturers purposely produce different real specs... maybe to protect hurt egos^^). I was surprised to see the 1.25* open face though as this driver is aimed at a more average crowd unlike previous Titleist drivers.

Callaway Japan New Legacy Driver Type S: 9.5* Loft 45" D1 Stiff Stock Shaft
Real Loft: 9.5*
Real Lie: 59.5*
Real Face Angle: Open 2.0*
CG Depth: 37.5mm
Face Height: 57mm
Sweet Spot Height: 33mm
Gravity Angle: 22.5
Head Weight: 200.5
Comments: The New Legacy Type S is part of the dual release by Callaway along with a Type L driver. The Type S is aimed at the better player and the real specs show it. The specs are probably the closest in this test to being right on and its not surprising considering this driver is made by Endo. Heavier head weight, very open face, real loft same as stated loft and a smaller gravity angle and shallower CG make this a very good choice for the athlete golfer.

Taylormade R9 SuperTri Driver: 9.5* Loft 45.25" D2 Stiff Stock shaft
Real Loft: 11.0*
Real Lie: 60*
Real Face Angle: Open 0.75*
CG Depth: 40.5mm
Face Height: 60.5mm
Sweet Spot Height: 35mm
Gravity Angle: 22.5
Head Weight: 198.5
Comments: The SuperTri is meant to be the highest launching R9 driver so no surprise that the CG is pretty deep back. The face height is rather deep at 60.5mm so its hard to imagine the SuperDeep TP will be even more!

Ping G15 Driver: 10.5* Loft 45.75" D5 Regular Stock Shaft
Real Loft: 13.25*
Real Lie: 59.75*
Real Face Angle: Closed 0.5*
CG Depth: 37mm
Face Height: 57mm
Sweet Spot Height: 33.5mm
Gravity Angle: 23.5
Head Weight: 197
Comments: Almost 2* more for real loft. The CG depth helps bring that ball flight down a bit.

PRGR GN502 Tour 440: 10.5* 45" D1.5 Regular Stock Shaft
Real Loft: 11.25*
Real Lie: 60*
Real Face Angle: Open 0.5*
CG Depth: 34.5mm
Face Height: 55.5mm
Sweet Spot Height: 62mm
Gravity Angle: 19
Head Weight: 193.8
Comments: Very shallow CG in this model PRGR dubs as a tour model for the better player. Open face and small gravity angle help avoid nasty hooks. Face is shallower for a "Tour" model.

Yamaha Inpres X D201: 10* Loft 45.75" D0 Stiff/Regular Stock Shaft
Real Loft: 11.5*
Real Lie: 60.5*
Real Face Angle: Closed 2.0*
CG Depth: 34.5mm
Face Height: 52mm
Sweet Spot Height: 34.5mm
Gravity Angle: 24.5
Head Weight: 193
Comments: The standard D201 is aimed at those who want to hit a draw and keep the right side out of play so the 2.0* closed face helps (stated face angle for this model is 1.0* closed). The real loft is higher but CG is not deep. The Gravity Angle also helps square the face for the most forgiving driver in the Inpres X line. This is also one of those cases where it seems the brand has chosen a higher loft for this set up on purpose as in the Yamaha fitting guide they state the loft is 1.5* higher than marked... so they do know!

Nike Japan SQ Machspeed Round STR8-Fit Driver: 10.5* Loft 46" D1 Stiff Stock Shaft
Real Loft: 12.5*
Real Lie: 65*
Real Face Angle: Closed 1.25*
CG Depth: 39.5mm
Face Height: 52mm
Sweet Spot Height: 36.5mm
Gravity Angle: 23.5
Head Weight: 195.9
Comments: Okay a bit concerned about the upright real lie angle. Lets hope that is a typo in my data here (its probably not since the VR Driver in the test wqas 64.25* lie). Deep CG and high real loft are calling for some high launch here.

Srixon Z-TX: 9.5* Loft 45.25" D2 Stiff Stock Shaft
Real Loft: 10.75*
Real Lie: 60*
Real Face Angle: Open 1.0*
CG Depth: 37mm
Face Height: 55mm
Sweet Spot Height: 33.5mm
Gravity Angle: 23.5
Head Weight: 193.2
Comments: Overall specs aren't terribly off. The real loft may be a tad high, pretty good gravity angle for an athlete model.

Tourstage X-Drive 703: 9.5* Loft 45.25" D2 Stiff Stock Shaft
Real Loft: 9.75*
Real Lie: 59.25*
Real Face Angle: Open 1.0*
CG Depth: 36mm
Face Height: 54mm
Sweet Spot Height: 31mm
Gravity Angle: 23.5
Head Weight: 195.8
Comments: Another very close to real spec driver manufactured by Endo. Its no wonder Epon drivers are very close to real spec as well. Its also no wonder Endo produced drivers cost so darn much.

Cobra S2 Driver: 9.5* Loft 46" D4 Stiff Stock Shaft
Real Loft: 11.0*
Real Lie: 62*
Real Face Angle: Open 0.5*
CG Depth: 39mm
Face Height: 55mm
Sweet Spot Height: 34mm
Gravity Angle: 21.5
Head Weight: 198.9
Comments: A tad high on the real loft so coupled with the deeper CG could produce a higher launch than desired. Its an improvement though as a few years ago when I reported real lofts the Cobra LV4 was 4.0* more in real loft than stated.

ONOFF Driver: 10* 45.25" D2 Stiff Stock Shaft
Real Loft: 13.75**
Real Lie: 62*
Real Face Angle: Closed 1.5*
CG Depth: 39mm
Face Height: 55.5mm
Sweet Spot Height: 37mm
Gravity Angle: 24
Head Weight: 190.5
Comments: The real loft coupled with the deep CG will definitely produce a max carry high launch ball. With the closed face this driver is meant for the average golfer looking for carry and to avoid the right side.

XXIO 2010 Driver: 10.5* 46" D1 Regular Stock Shaft
Real Loft: 12.5*
Real Lie: 60.5*
Real Face Angle: Closed 2.5*
CG Depth: 40mm
Face Height: 52mm
Sweet Spot Height: 31.5mm
Gravity Angle: 27
Head Weight: 189.4
Comments: The most closed face, the largest gravity angle in this bunch are the designs for an anti slice driver. The XXIO is always long for the average golfer, maybe those specs are why.

So there you have a small sampling of current model drivers and their real specs. For many this means nothing and the driver you choose may not necessarily have specs like these nor might you care if they do or not as long as the driver performs for you. If it doesn't perform real specs might be one of many possibilities why it doesn't.  Yet for those who are picky as hell about specs, there are companies like Kamui, Epon and others who will build club heads to spec from scratch so you know exactly what you are getting. Hopefully this post gives you an idea of how sometimes specs can vary when buying golf clubs, which once again proves, if that demos gives you the best results ever, buy it because the one on the shelf may not have the same real specs!

Ever since the Technity 460 Driver Epon has been known to produce quality above and beyond most other brands. They have a major advantage when it comes to knowledge of manufacturing as their parent company is ENDO mfg. which is arguably the most premium  and #1 golf equipment factory in the world located in Niigata Japan. Known for producing Japan's best forgings it is no surprise that they continue to improve and evolve their line Epon far beyond every one's expectations.

If your interested in reading about what I think of all three of the new Epon drivers and seeing comparison images of their face and crowns click "Read More" below...

I'm going to start with the new EM-S Driver. It's the predecessor to the Epon Monster Beetle aka EMB and a much improved version at that.  When comparing it to the EMB its not as large and obtrusive looking it's actually a design that I almost counted out because of the sound that the EM-B had.  Much to my surprise the EM-S doesn't sound anywhere as loud as the EMB and holds onto much of the forgiveness that the EMB had.

I have a medium trajectory ball flight and the face of the EM-S being shallow really helped me gain extra carry. I hate to say it but of the 3 drivers I will be comparing in this blog post this is the one I SHOULD be playing. Its a higher launching, low spin driver that is extremely forgiving on heel to toe shots. In fact I have not hit another driver that can produce straight long shots off the toe like this one can. Below I have some images of the face and top line.

A couple things did bother me though, I would have liked it not to have the metallic effect in the paint especially on the crown, its subtle and didn't bug me that much but still something I could do without. Another thing is the chrome face, I don't know if this is popular in Japan but most of our customers prefer a brushed metal face.  The last thing is the word "unconscious" on the very rear of the club, a nice EPON engraving would have done the job and I although it doesn't effect performance its not something I think the American golfer understands. I think what Epon means by using this word is that this driver is so damn easy to hit straight and long you dont have to think very much about your drive...

The next driver is the Epon AF-151, This one is something special for sure. It's another one that I should consider because it produces a medium/high trajectory and feels  so pure and far better than any Taylormade & Titleist drivers.

It's produced with Forged Titanium from Japan and it fit's a wide array of golfer from higher handicaps to low.  It's forgiving with a semi deep head and also has a design that expands the sweet spot near the heel side of the face.  Mid handicappers usually miss high, low, and toward the heel.  In my opinion the AF-151's best asset is that you simply won't find another driver that feels this pure with as much forgiveness from any other OEM. With drivers you usually sacrifice one for the other.

Like the EM-S it's 460 cc's and if money is no object to you we definitely suggest it with the Quadra FireExpress 65 80 ton carbon shaft. This is the setup I hit and it produced some of the longest drives of my life. I'm no big hitter by any means but this combo is crazy long. My drives are usually in the 240-250 range and with the FireExpress 65 I added a good 30 yards in distance with this combo.

I don't have any gripes with this driver, liked everything about it. Maybe I would enjoy if the sole wasn't chrome but at this point I am nit picking.

Have a look at the profile pics below...

Last in the line up is the soon to be released Epon AF-102 Driver.   Epon is dishing this beauty out with a great stock shaft, well maybe not exactly stock It's the Graphite Design Tour AD DI-6 or DI-7. It serves as a killer setup right out of the box. I selected a 10.5 with an SR flex DI-6 as my sample club and this driver is KING for any purist who desires a pear shape head and most importantly muted feel.  This driver head is all about distance and feel!

It's a 460cc head made of high intensity titanium alloy that is super precision forged at the Endo factory in Japan. It's got a deep face that produces a mid trajectory. Epon claims it has a persimmon like feel be using head deflection and a tapered face thickness. I don't really agree with the persimmon analogy but it is hand's down the best feeling 460cc driver ever to be produced in my opinion.

It's very long, It feels amazing, and it has a design and setup that is simple elegance. I have no gripes about this driver, If your a good player who desires these things It's a MUST HAVE!

Of all three drivers the AF-102 is the one I shouldn't be playing, my game is better off with a higher trajectory that is a bit longer heel to toe. Well who cares! I'm addicted to the feel and shape and am about to order the highest hand picked loft that Epon can possibly find then tune it with the highest launching shaft I can find.

Thanks for reading! I took all these images from the same point and distance so that you can get an accurate idea of their differences. I didn't get into much of the tech talk or their marketing points for it because It all comes down to telling it how it is.

All 3 drivers are really solid, Epon doesn't produce anything that is not quality and not designed well. Now they just need to switch up the wedge and fairway wood for the complete and ultimate line up.

GT FORGED Tour Issue Irons
Geotech Golf had a bunch of new products this year at the Tokyo Golf Show and the one that caught our eye was the new GT Forged Iron.

The first thing everyone notices is the word " TOUR ISSUE " on the back of the head.  My first question to them was how can this retail offering be a Tour Issue product and while I expected it was a marketing gimmick it was actually true this is a Tour Issue product and how they got to that answer was that features the new V/Tour/Double R grooves that are conforming to the new groove rule. I don't consider that a loop hole at all it's simply just a different way of wording it in Japan.

Its  100% Forged and assembled in Japan, made of S25C and features a very interesting trailing edge grind that Geotech claims helps it through the long grass by narrowing the sole and drag area. Geotech will also be offering a blank version of this head with a different grind named the JF10 Prototype.

Both the New GT Forged Tour Issue Iron & The Blank JF10 Prototype are now available in the TourSpecGolf ProShop.  One would expect a price well over a thousand dollars for a set of Japanese forged players cavities but Geotech always offers an outstanding quality& performance to value ratio.  For only $435.00 USD you can get a set of the GT Forged Irons "Head Only" 5-PW. Add  $170.00 and walk away with 3-PW.

Stay tuned for more updates and reviews on the 2010 GT Forged Irons as well as in hand images as soon as we get our samples in a couple of weeks!

"Click Here" to Purchase the new GT Forged Tour Issue Irons!

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** Image Source: GEW ( Golf Equipment World ) - The Leading Golf Industry Magazine **

Rating Gate is a free independent golf club review source with a team of about 5 JPGA players who give unbiased reviews of many of Japan's top selling drivers, shafts and irons. They have quickly grown into one of Japan's most respected and premier golf equipment sites as they do not hesitate to tell it as it is even if a top brand driver under performs.

Rating Gate recently reviewed the Crazy FX-435 Driver and found it to be one of the longest drivers ever produced with the best overall performance for players who swing 96-110mph by a large margin. The ratings were recently updated on February 15th 2010 showing full specifications and noting exactly where the drivers performance shines.

The TX-435 was originally produced by J-BEAM for the CRAZY Shaft co. It features a 6A-4V body and in my opinion one of the best face materials  for drivers, a cold forged DAT 55G next generation Titanium which is also used in the Kamui 456 & 420.  It's head volume is not 435cc's like the model name It's actually 445cc's. It's available in 9.5, 10.5,11.5, and 12.5* lofts with a square to 2* open face angle depending on loft. The head weight standard is 198 grams and the total face height is a deep 56mm.

The testing was done using the Crazy TJ-46 shaft, Rating Gate recommended this shaft over all others. In the review notes there are many interesting comments such as this driver isn't as good for players with a swing speed below 95 mph also the appearance reminds several guys of the X-Drive 435.  Some guys say that without the Crazy TJ-46 shaft the value of this driver would be half.  The driver held its ultra long performance  between the lengths of 45.5" - 44.75" any longer or shorter the distance began to decrease. Its not surprising in our opinion that the driver excels for faster swing speeds as Crazy shafts typically do their best with better players with faster swing speeds.

It appears this shaft is a must have for those who are interested in hitting their longest drives ever.

Read more to see great pics of the Crazy driver as well as more driver charts of other models from Rating Gate to compare.

Rating gate also reviews and provides detailed information on several of the the big name OEM's like Taylormade, Titleist, XXIO, Srixon and others. Unfortunately they don't come anywhere near this head and shaft combo for this swing speed. The only other driver that resembled the same results as the Crazy driver was the very popular Epon Technity 460ZR, a driver we also loved for its feel and distance.

Besides performing their own reviews, Rating Gate also brings in many recreational and average golfers like you and I to test the same clubs they test and then provide a list of what they consider to be the best driver for each swing speed category. Different drivers will excel at different player levels and swing speeds and the Crazy FX-435 is number 1 for faster swingers as tested by regular golfers. Number 2 was the Yamaha 4.6V followed by the new Legacy Tour from Callaway. For those who are curious, the Kamui 456 took the number one spot for slower swingers under 90mph.

For reference here are a few other popular drivers that Rating Gate has reviewed.

Check out more cool pictures of the Crazy FX-435 driver!

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