EMAIL

Golf Today had a really interesting article which I wanted to share with you all.  They call it the Driver White Paper and it's a collection of data surveyed from 350 random recreational and amateur golfers about driver trends.

The survey provides some interesting results for the Driver White Paper and a look into the an average sampling of golfers in Japan when it comes to their playing ability and purchasing trends for drivers.

The survey began with basic questions about the golfers themselves like their age, average score and how long they have been playing:

The majority of golfers fit between the range of 30's and 50's equaling a very lucrative target audience as most are working folks in the prime of their careers meaning disposable income.

This is a telling statistic. One I always speak of here on the blog... the average golfer segment here in Japan. People always wonder why Japanese clubs have certain design aspects and so much technology to promote ease of use and distance performance many times at the cost of sacrificing feel and playability as desired by the better player. That's because the bulk of Japanese recreational/amateur golfers fall into this average golfer category. They are the ones who spend the most trying to get to that next level.  70% of the golfers in the survey are 80-100 score players. Some of those players can certainly be considered athlete golfers but the bulk are average and many of the clubs on the market in Japan are made for these golfers.

These numbers are rather spread out  and more for a reference point as the amount of time a golfer has been playing doesn't necessarily represent their skill level or spending trends.

After the basic questions above, the survey went on to ask the players questions related to their driver and purchasing trends.

Based on the above numbers, about two thirds of the players own a driver most likely released in the last 2 years and only 17% of golfers surveyed owning a driver for longer than 3 years. 83% of players will switch a driver within 3 years.

It seems in Japan the brick and mortar golf shop is still the king with nearly 45% of purchases still going through golf shops. Surprisingly online auctions were not very high, and even online golf shops being just slightly more than buying a driver at a used golf shop.  Direct from the brand means the player visited an actual brand store like the PRGR store in Ginza for example.

The majority of players said they bought a new driver every 2-3 years but based on question one with most players owning their current driver for under a year it would mean that a high buying cycle has taken place in the last year or 2 most likely due to the amount of high quality and new designs being available. While 460cc is the max conforming size and 0.83COR the max spring like effect of a driver head, brands in Japan have instead focused on materials, design and technology to lure buyers looking for better performance.  In the last couple of years we've seen some great driver designs with premium forged, multi piece heads and hybrid cup variable thickness faces, ulta thin crowns and all kinds of weighting and new technologies like FCT and STR8T Fit attracting buyers of new drivers.

The large majority of golfers are satisfied with their current driver but that obviously does not mean they won't hesitate to go out and buy a new driver. Japan is a market full of trends and niches and if there are hot performing drivers out there, it won't stop even those satisfied with their current drivers from buying.

(please note I made a typo in the above chart, the number of people willing to spend 240.00 on a driver is in fact 17 people or 5% not 5 people)

The above table has the yen values converted to US dollars for easier understanding for the reader. This is a great example of the Japanese market pricing I always talk about. Many mainstream drivers in the US from the biggest brands are in the 300.00 range or even less. So many customers always find it hard to understand why prices of Japanese drivers are so high. A lot has to do with the different market as well as exchange rates but also simply because in Japan, the demand for high end drivers is there so brands follow through by making high end expensive drivers. This is why Japan is the only market in the world that get's all their own model clubs PLUS all the other clubs that are available in the rest of the world. Yes the ONLY market that has this arrangement.

The above table shows that of those surveyed 64% of Japanese golfers are willing to spend up to 600.00 or MORE with almost 10% willing to spend up to 1200.00 on a single driver. If these results of this survey were extrapolated, 10% of millions of golfers in Japan wanting to spend 1200.00 on a driver is happy news for the manufacturers.  Even the 27% that are willing to spend around 720.00 to 960.00 on a driver is reason to celebrate for the brands.  Because of these large sales on expensive clubs, brands are able to put much of the earnings from these sales into better design, materials and processes and the cycle begins again.

More than half of the players try a driver before buying or while they are shopping for a driver.  This is one of the hardest parts of shopping online and buying JDM golf clubs for most of our customers worldwide. It's hard buying without trying which is why we're always here to help provide as much info and answer as many questions as we can. There is no doubt that JDM clubs are nice, and perform great but finding the right club to fit each individual's game is the key to optimizing performance.  I've said it many times and I'll say it again, the best driver for player A is not necessarily the best for player B. Also there is no such thing as the longest driver or else everyone would buy that one single driver wouldn't they? Drivers come in all shapes and sizes and designs and levels of quality. They fit all different player levels, swing types and budgets. It's certainly not easy finding the right club but making good purchasing decisions can surely improve your score as well as your enjoyment of the game.  Thanks to Golf Today for some interesting information!

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

So the Japan Golf Fair 2010 is officially over. There were some great previews at the show including the Ping Anser Forged Irons, the Taylormade Superdeep TP driver, the Titleist Japan VG3 Driver, Fourteen's MT-28 V5 Wedge and Mizuno's MP Craft Forged Putters were among some of the highlights.

We've got lots of pictures, videos and reports for you to check out. Here is a breakdown of where you can find everything:

All the pictures we took including, venue pics, clubs and girls of the show which total over 1200+ pics are in the gallery here:

http://www.tourspecgolf.com/gallery/main.php/v/GolfFair2010/

You can find brief reports on each manufacturer in the forum here:

http://www.tourspecgolf.com/forum/f80.html

And of course right here on the blog you'll find our High Definition videos of the show and hottest clubs as well as our more in depth reports on top products we saw.

2010 should be a great year for fans of Japanese golf and golf enthusiasts in general!

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

After many requests from customers to get Kamui's fairway wood in the pro shop, so we thought we would get a few heads in to check out. Yesterday I received a custom 3 and 5 wood from Kamui and they are indeed a simple and clean design with a very traditional shape and mid height or semi shallow face depending on how you look at it. The Kamui FW is hand made to spec just like the Kamui drivers that TSG carries.

Each Kamui Fairway Wood is made from soft SUS630 for the body and a FORGED high maraging face. Maraging steel is stronger than SUS630 so can be made thinner providing soft feel and POP off the face at impact.  The heads are considered mid to smaller sized heads with a pear shape.

As always Kamui's are hand made made to exact specs. Keep in mind also that while I list adjustment guidelines here, it is NOT uncommon for Kamui to be able to adjust even more beyond these guidelines.

3W
Loft 15* plus/minus 1*
Lie is 59* plus/minus 1* (or more)
Face Angle 2* closed to 1* open (but like the driver 2* is probably doable)
Weight is 207g and can be increased up to 217g

5W
18* plus/minus 1*
Lie is 60* plus/minus 1* (or more)
Face Angle 2* closed to 1* open (but like the driver 2* is probably doable)
Weight is 214g and can be increased up to 223g

7W
21* plus/minus 1*
Lie is 61* plus/minus 1*(or more)
Face Angle 2* closed to 1* open (but like the driver 2* is probably doable)
Weight is 223g and and can be increased up to 232g

Like the Kamui drivers the Kamui fairway wood can be purchased as head only or custom built with any of the best shafts Japan has to offer. The Kamui FW will be in the shop this weekend with a head only price of 299.00. If you need help with specs or need recommendations or a custom quote, as always feel free to contact me.  Here are some pictures, at the moment, head only:

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

Magazines and websites love to cover what's in the bag for all the top pros on tour. One of the things I find most interesting is what's in the bag of your fellow peer or average golfer. There are so many brands out there and what each person plays is not only a testament to what fits them but what brands they like and in many cases what is most popular in the market. Today we are going to look at the what's in the bag for... ME.

As many of you know I have access to almost any club in Japan and I test and try all different brands and models regularly. At first switching clubs for me was like a revolving door, but strangely enough, I have slowly become less of a golf club ho in Japan than I was before. Maybe because I've finally tried to stick with what works for me, and the gear that will improve my game. Too many players, myself included, get caught up in all the great gear out there and swap clubs in an out, often more frequently then we should. While reasons like simply wanting to try something new or on the search for the longest iron or best spinning wedge, are all valid reasons (I use those reasons too), sometimes when a club works you stick with it.

So what has managed to stick with me most of this year? Some of you who know me may be amazed to see how used my clubs actually look since in the past my WITB posts on the forum has always looked like brand new clubs. This is a credit to the clubs I play now as most of them have lasted much longer than usual.

So as I've said above, my main bag (yes I do have backups so I still qualify as a "club collector"  lol) consists of clubs I actually game and work for me. These are clubs are truly help me make my game better.

Driver: The driver is my worst club. I have long battled the right side and because of this lose distance. I went from too steep a downswing, causing too much spin and too high a trajectory to flattening out my swing which improved spin tremendously but in the process losing trajectory.  I've been able to get away with playing 10.5 and 11.5* retail off the shelf drivers. Many of these retail drivers especially average golfer models have real lofts that are higher (in some cases 2-3* even) than stated loft. The truth is this is not necessarily a bad thing for the average golfer or slower swinger because, as I have discovered myself, that higher loft works for getting extra carry for this bracket of player. This fall I replaced my PRGR GN502 gamer with a Kamui Works 456 Silver. As many of you know this driver is handmade to spec and all specs are pretty much exact. The Kamui I have has a true loft of 11* and even with a high launching Motore Speeder VC3.0, I could probably use a tad more launch but the feel and forgiveness of this driver are tremendous. I am thinking of getting Kamui to produce a 12+* loft driver for me.  I play the 456 Silver at 44" and a C8 swing weight.  I feel at this length and balance that I have enough control and speed to load the shaft and produce results.

Fairway Woods: I am carrying a 17* PRGR egg Spoon and a 20* PRGR GN502 Hit. They are both very different clubs but both are amazing performers. I use the egg more than the GN502 because it is simply so long as you can read from my previous review on it. I am not a long hitter so I need the egg frequently as my second shot on par 5's or long par 4's.  I play both these clubs because of their forgiveness and performance. They are both very easy to hit. The 17* egg is shafted with a Griffin G53 at 42.5" though I may re-shaft it as the Griffin is best in a driver at longer lengths and is a mid launch shaft. The GN502 also has a G53 at 41.5". I am not looking at replacing either of these woods right now as they simply work.

Utility: I carry a 24* ONOFF Fairway arms utility. This in fact replaces my 5 iron (which is also 24*). I have found I can hit this utility far more consistently than a 5 iron or than most utilities I have tried in the past. My fairway arms UT was a special order from ONOFF and I had them build it to a shorter 38.5" and I use it as a 5 iron off the deck and off the tee with great success on long par 3's .  The shorter shaft makes it very easy to control and square at impact which is exactly what I wanted. The ONOFF gives a higher but very stable trajectory with a soft landing.

Irons: I'm playing the ONOFF 2008 Iron 6-PW. These irons replaced the PRGR GN502 and Epon AF-701 I had earlier this year. ONOFF is about to replace this model with a 2010 model but this iron is one of the reasons why ONOFF has made great progress as a brand to be reckoned with especially among average golfers. The maraging face feels amazing and forgiveness is on a whole new level. I personally find them more forgiving than any other mid sized cavity I have tried which is why I am playing them. Distance is amazing and with custom shaft options you can have them built the way you want. Mine are shafted with Roddio I-6 graphite built by ONOFF as a custom order.  These shafts play a big part in how the irons performs and are very stable but smooth feeling graphite shafts. I do play my irons at standard lengths with is a 38" 5 iron.

Wedges: The Sky Dream Jump DP-2010 are actually the newest edition in my bag. They replace what I consider to be the best wedges I have played in a long time the Royal Collection 6150TG Forged. DP-2010 have a mid to compact head, minimal offset and a wonderfully milled face. It is as I mentioned in previous blog posts, a very different wedge as it is made from a damp alloy material with high magnesium content. Sky Dream Jump says the actual material is 3 times stronger/harder than S25C steel but feels just as soft due to its absorption characteristics that really grabs the ball at impact creating major spin. I have these shafted with Roddio I-8 graphite to go along with the I-6. The verdict is yet to be decided on these new wedges but so far I like them a lot or they would already be gone from my bag!

Putter: I was playing the Gold's Factory Hearts proto for all of last year and I began the season playing a center shaft itsy bitsy Spider. By summer my putting was going very poorly as I had poor control with the Spider. The Spider is forgiving and the agsi+ face is soft but I was not getting enough feedback from the spider so I went back to a blade anser style putter.  I like a heavy head with a shorter length so I now have a Bettinardi Japan model 360TR cut to 33" and D1.3 swing weight. The firmer yet soft (does that make sense?) honeycomb face gives me the feel and roll I want and my putting has improved tremendously. Is another Gold's putter on the horizon for me? Maybe.

One of the best things about my bag is the bag itself. I got a ONOFF caddy bag figuring it looked different. It not only looks different it has turned out to be the most useful caddy bag I have ever owned. Storage is unparalleled with huge easily accessible pockets on all sides. I keep a sweater, rain gear, food, drinks, my shoes, lots of balls and accessories and still have lots of room to spare.

So there you have my bag at least until next year. Golf is all year round here in Japan so I hope the golf ho bug doesn't bite me especially with lots of great new gear coming out in 2010 from Epon, Tourstage, XXIO, ONOFF and others!

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

PRGR a subsidiary of Yokohama rubber and one of the most cutting edge golf companies in Japan has announced a slew of new products for the 2010 season.  Along with new balls, putters and chipper, some of the new products we will see in a February launch right before the golf show will be:

1. A new GN502Tour 440 Driver, featuring  a much shorter and shallower and higher center of gravity compared to the current 460cc GN502Tour, for a mid to low trajectory ball. This 440cc low spin driver features a deeper face and a more solid feel than other PRGR drivers in the GN502 lineup and is geared at the better to pro player.  The 440 will be available with new Motore Speeder VCX.1 series shafts as well as the Tour AD DI Series and Diamana 'ilima as upgrades.

2. A new GN502Tour model forged iron featuring super soft premium JIS S20C steel and less offset and a thinner topline than the current Tour Forged. The new Tour Forged will feature a consistent CG point accross the set and traditional lofts. Standard shafts will be PRGR's Spec Steel II shaft or DG S200.

3. A new TR500 forged iron will also be introduced. This looked like it could fill the gap between the Tour Forged and standard GN502 Iron however looking at the specs, it is right on par with the new GN502 Forged and apparently has even less offset. It is also forged with interesting CNC milled back created for feel.  The lofts are 1* stronger than the GN502Tour and are also available with Spec Steel II or DG S200. This is actually a replacement for the very popular is 500BL model which was a favorite of several pros in Japan.

4. A new TR Wedge that complies with the 2010 groove ruling will be released in two phases. The 50 56 and 60* lofts for this premium forged in Japan wedge  will be released in mid  December while a 52 and 58* comes out early next year. The wedge features a compact head and a m style grind for the better player who wants to focus on spin control. The TR Wedge will be available with Spec Steel II or DG S300 steel shafts.

It's interesting to note that both new forged irons and the forged TR Wedge ARE indeed forged/made in JAPAN!

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

We've got some great news for customers in our Pro Shop. Not only will we be carrying the new Yamaha Inpres 2010 Line up, but we will now offer full customized specs as well as upgraded shafts direct from the Yamaha factory. We can quote you on any specs and any available shaft and even help you make the right choices. Yamaha's new drivers the V201 Tour, V201, D201 and D201 Type S as well as V Forged, D Black and D Steel, and D Power Spoon will be available with all the best shafts built to spec including length, swing weight and grips for woods and loft, lie, length, grips and swing weight for irons.

Some of the options will include:

Woods:

Fujikura's Rombax X, Rombax Z, Rombax V, Rombax F, Rombax Y and the new Rombax J (most likely the Motore Speeder as well)

Graphite Designs Tour AD EV Series, MD Series, DI Series, Quattro Tech Series and PT Series

Mitsubishi's Diamana kai'li, 'ilima, Blueboard, Whiteboard, Redboard

Roddio's Pentacross WA Series, Tricross EX Series

Irons:

Nippon's NS Pro 750GH Wraptech, 850GH, 950GH, 1050GH, 1150GH Tour

True Temper's Dynamic Gold, Dynamic Gold SL, Dynamic Gold HL, GS75, GS95 Rifle Project X, PX HL, PX Flighted

Graphite Design's Tour AD 75 85 95 in gray, blue or green

Mitsubishi's Diamana and Bassara Iron shafts

Roddio's Pentacross I Series Iron Shaft

Fujikura's Rombax Iron shafts, Motore Iron shafts, Speeder Iron shafts, ZCOM Iron shafts

Please contact us if you need recommendations or help with new custom specs and Yamaha!

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

Yamaha has released an all new promo video for their 2010 lineup which includes 4 new drivers, a new power spoon and 4 new iron models. Video is in Japanese of course but you don't need to understand to check out the new gear!

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

Taylormade releases a lot of new golf clubs on a regular basis. This is because their R&D department is always working away at producing new designs and trying new things. Some people say they come out with too many products too fast but this is in fact a strategy used by TM emulated from believe it or not Japanese brands. Golf brands believe golfers want to see the latest innovations and see them quick.  As Mark King CEO was quoted in BusinessWeek back in February:

Chief Executive Officer Mark King calls the company's lickety-split rollout schedule "relentless innovation." It's an idea he imported from Japan, where, during a 2000 business trip, he saw how Japanese golf-equipment manufacturers were trouncing leisurely paced American leaders by turning out new products much more often.

A few years ago they came out with MWT or Moveable Weight Technology and this year in the R9 series FCT or Flight Control Technology. What many golfers don't know is that these technologies did not just happen overnight. Taylormade has been working on them for a very long time and have in fact developed many prototypes over the years that have not made it to the retail market or tour scene at all. These are the true prototypes of Taylormade.

The work of Mr. Toulon and Mr. Vincent

A big part of Taylormade's club evolution is Sean Toulon, EVP of Innovation, Global Product and Brand Creation. Mr. Toulon was a former Taylormade sales representative who founded Zevo Golf, a cutting edge brand that included Zevo Shot control an adjustable driver, before coming back  to TM and heading up equipment marketing before being promoted to his current position. Golf Today in Japan recently featured Mr. Toulon and another Taylormade visionary, Benoit Vincent, Chief Technology Officer and their prototype and development work for creating the new R9 Series. Mr. Toulon along with Mr. Vincent, have brought Taylormade to new heights of innovation over the past decade with MWT and FCT. Lets peek into the history of some of Taylormade's innovative prototypes of years past.

Flight Control Technology

First lets take a look at Flight Control Technology. The first FCT style "sleeve" first appeared in 2001 with the 360Ti driver. This sleeve which was built as a part of the driver allowed shafts to be changed in and out. In 2006 Taylormade placed a "Select Fit System" sleeve on the Burner Iron. In 2007 the makings of an R9 sleeve began with a prototype in the r7 425.  Between 2007 and 2008, Taylorade used a r7 CGB Prototype which featured a very close to production FCT sleeve and sole screw for attachment. In 2009 the R9 Series with Flight Control Technology was officially born!

Moveable Weight Technology

Taylormade first began playing with the idea of changing weight on a driver back in1993 with its M27 Prototype which was a catridge type removable plate in the back of the head.

In 2002 they utilized a 3 weight variation system in an R500 Series Prototype. This was a smaller catridge system with smaller weights inserted into the back bottom sole.

In 2002 and 2003 they the first MWT Prototype was born utilizing three head screw weights in the toe heel and back of the driver.

This prototype evolved into the R510 MWT Prototype which actually used 4 weight ports, one in the toe and one in the heel and two in the back sole.

MWT can now be found in drivers and fairway woods and utilities and even Taylormade putters. Being able to change your ball flight has helped make Taylormade not only the number one driver on tour but also one of the best selling brands worldwide.

The introduction of Flight Control Technology has helped them gain even more market share as it allows even the average golfer to adjust loft, lie, face angle and change shafts on the fly. This has allowed different swing type players to purchase the exact same driver and configure it for their own type of shot.

So what does the future have in store for Taylormade? Most likely more innovation and busy rollout schedule to satisfy every golfer's needs.

Get your FCT fix in the pro shop with the XR FCT, R9 Max and R9 Max Type E!

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

Golf Digest Online or GDO as it is better known as here in Japan recently released an all new Free magazine called GDO Style Book. This magazine focuses more on trends in the golfing world and the lifestyle aspects of both professional and recreational golfers. Volume 1 which just came out has Ai Miyazato on on the cover with her mom and dad as part of a feature in the magazine on pros lady golfers and their parents.

Also included in the magazine was a part of GDO's recent online survey which I also took part in back in July. GDO not only asked 5000 golfers about equipment, but also food, tv shows and cars and lifestyle related questions. The results were interesting so I thought I would share some of the results them here with you. (I won't show the food or tv or other Japanese lifestyle related results)

Players with average scores UNDER 80 were asked what they considered to be the best brands for specific clubs and the results came out as follows:

As always Taylormade shows it has a strong following in Japan and the results give Taylormade Japan good reason to continue to market and focus on developing Japan only market products for the demanding golfer.  US brands TM, Callaway and Titleist all show their strong presence in Japan giving big Japanese brands like Tourstage and Mizuno a run for their money. Royal Collection, long been known to make the best woods and utilities still ranks in the top 5 and Fourteen, best know for the wedges places strong in that category.

The above results were base on the answers of single digit handicappers and scratch golfers. If you look at the overall results including all level players the results do change very slightly with XXIO a top brand for the average golfer really helping Srixon move up in the rankings:

GDO asked all the survey participants who their favorite pro golfer is and the results were as follows:

1. Tiger Woods 2. Ryo Ishikawa 3. Ryuji Imada 4. Azuma Yano 5. Shingo Katayama 6. Hideto Tanihara 7. Shigeki Maruyama 8. Tommy Nakajima 9. Keiichi Fukabori 10. Phil Mickleson

GDO then the showed results of what was in each survey participants bag based on who their favorite pro is:

So who your favorite pro is does not seem to affect whats in your bag in Japan. GDO then showed results on what kind of CAR a golfer wants to own based on the driver in his bag:

The last results I'll post here is how much on average a golfer spends MONTHLY on golf related expenditures (converted to US Dollars based on a 93yen dollar).

43.6% $215.00 to  $538.00
35.9% Under $215.00
8.7% $538.00 to $860.00
8.0% $860.00 to $1075.00
2.1% $1075.00 to $1613.00
1.7% Over $1613.00

So 43.6% of the golfers surveyed spend $2580.00 to $6456.00 a year on golf.  A small 2.1% spend $12900.00 to $19356.00 annually and a 1.7% spend over $19356.00 a year. When you think of it though even 1.7% of 5000 respondents is  85 people. Golf is definitely an expensive pastime but one that Japanese golfers won't hesitate to pay for.

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

Graphite Design the Japan Tour Leader
Graphite Design has long been the leader for shafts in play on the Japanese tour.  Their Tour AD series of shafts have held an over 30% share on the JPGA and JLPGA for 7 years running. With improving technologies and materials, many manufacturers including Mitsubishi Rayon and Fujikura are working hard to increase their own percentages. In recent years we have seen Diamana climb from the 10% range to the high teens and maybe even more this year with their amazing Kai'li shaft, Bassara Griffin and new Full Boron Stinger. Fujikura has shrunk the gap as the number two name on the tour with strong releases such as the Rombax F and Motore series of shafts.

Tour AD for the Fairway Wood
Besides their high launching low spinning Tour AD EV shaft which focuses on big carry with a big kick, Graphite Design released a shaft dedicated to Fairway Woods, the Tour AD SF Series. Most of the time, driver shafts are installed into fairway woods, but with the shafts being cut down to shorter lengths, players are not optimizing the original design of the shaft which are created for driver lengths of around 45" and sometimes even longer. So when you take that driver shaft and cut it down to say 42", it slightly changes the playing characteristics of the shaft. Graphite Designs Tour AD SF Fairway Wood shaft is designed to play at shorter lengths and focused on direction and control performance. The SF Series is available in 5 models, all mid kicking to create a stable medium trajectory.

The SF-Series has begun making its presence shown on the Japanese tour, especially with the heavier models perfectly suited for the tour player. The SF-7 and SF8 feature 79g and 89g weights with torque ranging from 2.3* to 2.8*.  Then there is the SF-9, a heavy 99g with 1.9* of  torque made for the hard hitter and aggressive swinger. Graphite design has said this heavier shaft provides a more piercing trajectory and is very effective in the wind.

For slower and smoother swingers like myself, there are also SF-5 and SF-6 models with lighter weights and more torque.

Though the SF series was first tested and available only on the tour, it is available through TSG for amateur golfers like you and I. The great thing is, for players with a budget its harder to buy several $300+ driver shafts (Most JDM driver shafts retail over 400.00 but sell for prices in the 300.00 range) to cut down for fairway woods.  The SF Series Retails at 300.00 but you can get it here at TSG for 229.00.

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

A nice big box was delivered to my home office today by the very reliable Kuroneko (Black Cat) Yamato. The driver, Aoki-san who is a regular on this delivery route pulled out a long PRGR box which I gladly accepted.  I knew these were the new PRGR EGG II irons (which I will write about in another post). Aoki-san quickly said, "Please wait a moment, there is a second box." and out he came from his truck with a much heavier box that simply said "MADE BY KYOEI" on the side.

Now this box got me very excited as it is loaded with Kyoei's new Zestaim forgings all which will be available through Tourspecgolf with several custom grinds and finishes!  I also received many Vega forged heads which are also available for custom work and finish now from TSG.  Here's a preview list of some of the items you will see on the blog in the next few days once I have pictures taken!

Kyoei ZESTAIM Fi-1 Cavity #6
Kyoei ZESTAIM Fi-2 toe heel Semi-Cavity #6
Kyoei ZESTAIM Fi-2 toe heel Flat #8
Kyoei ZESTAIM Fi-2 Muscle #7
Kyoei ZESTAIM Fi-2 Lo grind SW
VEGA Classic Muscle #6 & #9
VEGA Neo Muscle #6 & #9
VEGA RAFW-01 AW & SW
VEGA RAFW-02 AW & SW
VEGA RAFW-05 AW, SW & LW
VEGA RAFW-08 AW, SW & LW

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

It took a long, long time to finish, it took a lot of weather delays, a lot of waiting, pacing and hoping the rain would stop, and in the end, it took two playoff holes, but it finally ended.  When it ended, Nathan Green stood alone hoisting the trophy for the RBC Canadian Open, after beating Retief Goosen on the 2nd playoff hole of the day, on a rare Monday finish.  Rare, but not rare for this season as weather has been a constant and ever-present issue.

TaylorMade Notches Victory With Green

Once again, Wednesday tends to be the day we like to dive inside a players bag and figure out the tools of the trade they used to battle it out and take home the very top honor at the RBC.  Looks like TaylorMade is once again celebrating another victory as the driver, woods and irons of choice.  Nathan Green used TaylorMade for everything but his putter in Canada, and looks like they suited him quite well.

The Clubs Green Used

Nevertheless, here is the full set of clubs Green used to take home the top honors:

DRIVER: TaylorMade R9 460 (10.5) with Mitsubishi Diamana White Board 63 shaft
FAIRWWAY WOODS: TaylorMade Tour Burner (14.5°, 17.5°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 83 shaft
IRONS: TaylorMade Tour Preferred (3-PW)
WEDGES: TaylorMade RAC (54°, 60°)
PUTTER: Odyssey Tour White Hot XG #3
BALL: Titleist Pro V1

Will Titleist Always Dominate?

Also interesting to note that once again Titleist is the top ball on tour.  I am having trouble imagining a future where Titleist isn't the number one ball, with the number one amount of victories on any tour, anywhere?  I know Tiger backs Nike's golf ball, and the image of his Nike swoosh sign rolling slowly into the hole at the Masters is an iconic one, but nevertheless, numbers don't lie and Titleist is absolutely dominant.

Congrats to Nathan Green

That said, congrats, and thanks for a peek into your bag Nathan Green!

(image via foxsports.com.au)