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

Titleist VG3 Forged

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

ONOFF Forged 2011

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

Yamaha Inpres X V Forged Tour Model Limited

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

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

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.

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As many people know Epon's standard finish on its irons is an NiCr or nickel chrome plated finish which is polished to a mirror look. Epon does also offer custom finishes like satin, copper and black on their irons and wedges with options depending on which model. Recently people have posted up copper models as well as black finished models in our forum but some customers emailed me wondering what satin finish looks like. The Satin is brushed and gives a nice subtle less reflective look to Epon's irons and is also a very affordable upgrade. I asked Epon to snap a quick picture of a satin AF-302 which they emailed me today. I much prefer this look over the mirror finish.

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.

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The new PRGR 2011 iD demo clubs showed up today. I'll be spending the week with the clubs and testing each individual one and writing up a few reviews as I go along. The test clubs include both driver models the 435 and 455 as well as the new Fairway woods the iD Hit and iD Hit Type C. We also received the new iD Hit UT and both new irons, the iD Forged iron and iD Iron.

My initial impressions are that PRGR has completely overhauled the looks of their clubs as these new iD's are very different looking from the GN502 line. The 2 irons are very different from one another, the only thing they share is both use a pocket cavity. The standard iD iron is quite a bit larger than the iD Forged which is for the better player. The standard iD iron also uses a tungsten sole.

PRGR seems to have heard my words as shafts for the woods are all slightly shorter than many of the clubs on the market today (many drivers are getting longer and longer with some even at 46.5"). The very clean looking iD435 is 44.75" while the iD455 for the average golfer is 45" in length.  While these lengths will not add to swing speed creating more distance, they will make it more likely that your ball will end up in the fairway thanks to more control. The 435 is extra clean with no tungsten weight like the 455. I like the faces of both drivers which I'll take pictures of in my review.

The fairway woods look better than expected, they are very simple looking and the tungsten plated weight in the center remind me of the old Tourstage X-Drive FW from 2006. Their lengths are also down as the 18* 5 wood demos are both a nice and manageable 41.5" in length. One thing I noticed right away are the new iD shafts made by Mitsubishi Rayon for PRGR feel more stout than previous stock shafts and this is a good thing as some of the older PRGR shafts played a tad soft. Both FW's the standard model and the Type C look very nice at address, especially the Type C which is compact and pear shaped.

The utility is the replacement for the popular Zoom X. They've gone back to a black crown for the UT which is certainly a good thing and the shaft also seems more stout as the previous Zoom X really had a soft shaft. The face is shallow and long and looks very forgiving, I can't wait to hit it.

I'm looking forward to reviewing the new iD clubs. Their designs are simple, but PRGR has put a lot of thought into the clubs as noted by the iD concept, Inspiration and Data which is building clubs to make the game easier for golfers based on data from the golfers themselves. Stay tuned for Golf to Impress' PRGR iD reviews!

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

The Taylormade Japan TP Forged 2009 Iron had its debut at the Tokyo Golf Show in Febuary, we were able to hit it during the show but with all the sounds,  mats, and no golf attire it just wasn't something I could write a review from.

TM TP Forged 2009 Japan Model
I'll be honest I dont play much Taylormade but when we had a set returned to us  I couldn't resist taking it out for a spin on the course. This set was shafted with NS1150 ( my old choice of shaft ) 4-PW at .25" shorter than U.S standard which is perfect for me and my steep downward strike. Keep in mind that most of my reviews will be based on other ultra high end clubs not your normal stuff you find at the local golf store. If it's gonna be the best it needs to rank with the best.

Feel: 3/5 Points
The new TM TP feel's very good, it's forged of S25C and you can clearly tell that it isnt a cast product upon impact.  In recent months I have been hitting some Japan made  irons that are very hard to compete with like The Yamaha Limited Tour Edition,  Epon AF-Tour, Miura MB5003, and the PPM Pro Performance model.  The TM TP can honestly stand with them in most departments yet not all and while it would be at the bottom of this list in regards to feel without a doubt it stands atop the best in the U.S domestic market easily.

Forgiveness: 4/5 Points
Please keep in mind the 4/5 is when compared to players cavity backs and muscle back designs. The TM TP is more forgiving than the blades I have hit recently and it especially shines on heel and toe shots.  It shares about the same amount of forgiveness as the Yamaha Limited Tour's, yet nowhere near the Epon AF701. I found the Taylormade to more forgiving than the TourStage 701 iron. It's no ping but any single digit with decent ball striking can handle this iron with ease. Compared to bigger U.S domestic Irons I have hit it's no where near a Ping in forgiveness but also it doesnt look as crazy either and isnt nearly as large.

Accuracy: 4/5 Points
Well the ball likes to go straight, even on  some mis hit shots.  If your using the right shaft, lie, length and other fitted aspects I see this iron doing well for a wide range golfers even into the mid handicap range provided they hit the ball with the face fairly well. In my personal findings a smaller more compact iron head heightens awareness of face at impact and direction over using larger heads that send the ball high and straight on mis hits. The Taylormade TP Forged 2009 Japan model is very solid in accuracy and I attribute much of that to its forgiveness to size ratio.

Distance & Workability:  4/5 Points
Distance with a forged players iron usually depends on the shaft and build, I dont notice to much of a difference in the category of players cavity backs when it comes to distance but I sure do notice a lot in the realm of workability. The TM TP is somewhat blade like in this regard I was able to work it easily right to left and left to right, had some moments under a tree on a dog leg where the low hook to get back into the short stuff worked out really well.  I think the designers had this in mind and produced a well balanced golf club that can appeal to most players. Of the Yamaha Limited, Epon AF-Tour, and MB5003 it was the least workable but just a fraction less workable than the Yamaha yet it could be a hair more forgiving.

Aesthetics: 3/5 Ponts
It looks better than the last 2 Taylormade Forged TP Irons but still nothing spectacular in my opinion. The back cavity really doesn't do it for me and I would count it as a point deduction in the Aesthetics department but where this iron was saved is in it profile from top looking down, face shape and size as well as it's sole design. In my opinion everything looks almost perfect with this iron except the back face. To each is own and I know a lot of guys out there that would simply kill for an iron like this.

Overall: 4/5 Points
Another advancement over the previous model.   Is it revolutionary?  Nope but it does perform and play very well, it does improve a bit over some very well designed predicessors that are extremely difficult to improve upon and it is also in line with Taylormades branding and Image. So yes if your a fan of Taylormade product and looking for a forged iron that feels good and is pretty darn forgiving for it's size  and I have to mention the shape is stunning. You need not look anywhere else.  It's rare and will get guys in your group and others drooling.

To place an order for a set please visit TourSpecGolf by clicking here...

Please  Keep Reading to view more images of the Taylormade TP Forged 2009 Iron...

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New Royal Collection
Royal Collection the parent company of the long gone U.S Sonartec label has still been moving along in Japan with new releases each year.  This week RC announced some pretty good looking clubs at a Tokyo driving range where they held their press confrence about their new Qtr. 4 2009 products.

BBD TRC Hybrid
The first that caught our eye was a new Royal Collection BBD TRC hybrid wood that features a fariway wood like round shape but it's utility presence gives it some oval faced features.  A very interesting thing to point out about this new RC  TRC is that it's hosel size is 8.5 millimeters ( .335 tip ) Yup this doesnt happen very often in a hybrid for consumer use but it gives the customer the ability to install most of today's non hybrid shafts in it. Compared to the previous model our testers reported it looking more traditional and being somewhat easier to hit.

2nd Generation S.F.I Forged Irons
Another product highlighted at the Royal Collection 2009 golf club release event was a new forged iron which is basically shares the same name as a model released almost 5 years ago called the S.F.I Forged.  The S.F.I forged 2009 is of course forged but features a large undercut. Usually forged irons with such an undercut tend to feel almost cast but they are forgiving and easily bendable for customization.  I'm going to have to call this the 2nd Generation SFI Forged. This head is compact yet forgiving and features a semi gooseneck... Lastly a new Forged Wedge was announced taking the same script logo from the SFI iron and unfortunately in our eyes also having a semi gooseneck.