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We're already into the second month of 2012 and I haven't finished the recap yet for 2011's best clubs at TSG. I've been swamped with the new site launch and getting ready for the Japan Golf Fair as well as helping many golfers get their 2012 bags in order.  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. Today I'll look at what were (and still are) the most popular clubs of the last 14 months or so here at TSG.

There are so many great wedges to choose from coming out of Japan. This is both a good and bad thing, good because we all love to have choice and bad because we can't make up our minds which wedge to get! One thing is for sure is that the forged wedges rule the roost here and is one of the reasons why many customers around the world turn to TSG for the ultimate in soft feel and awesome spin.  The only cast wedge to ever make make a dent in yearly wedge rankings has been the Vokey TVD and its past 3 iterations. Otherwise, you can pretty much count on every popular wedge being forged. Some of the best selling and most popular wedges this year include the Royal Collection DB Forged, forged at Endo from S20C and with very versatile performance and wonderful feel, the Fourteen MT-28 V5 Forged, with its taper blade and beautiful no frills shape at address as well as great spin, Yururi's Forged Tour Wedge which excels in tight lies and provides amazing spin control. However 2 wedges pretty much dominated the top and continue to do so even into 2012.

Yururi Gekku Raw Forged Wedge

The premium forged Gekku Raw wedge has long been a popular seller even before 2011. This year it seemed to make a big comeback as people seemed to come to appreciate its one of a kind look much more.  Compared to other wedges it can be purchased as heads only, and is the lowest priced of all Yururi wedges which all play a factor in its popularity. 2011 also saw many golfers going out of their way to find non conforming sharp grooves which all play into the hand of the Gekku Raw. The Gekku Raw is the oldest wedge model in the current Yururi lineup but as a classic it still exudes superb looks, quality and performance. What makes it stand out from many mass produced wedges these days is it's grainy black appearance and the fact that every Gekku head is grinded and finished individually by hand. One would think a raw unplated wedge that is not buffed smooth would look like a rough stone, but on the contrary the Gekku has always looked like a work of art. By looking at the wedge you can tell the grinder's skill. Yururi has told me as well sometimes they can tell which of their grinders did which head due to signature style of grinding for each grinder meaning each Gekku Raw wedge is truly unique in small ways.

I'm pretty much copying what I wrote about the Gekku back in the summer when I already began noticing its revival, there is no need to re-write what has already been said. A great feeling wedge is not only about what type of steel it uses and how it was produced ie cast of forged. The design of the head plays a huge part into how a wedge ends up feeling. The grind of a wedge can dictate what kind of impact you get though various conditions. Yururi attention to the Gekku's grinding is very obvious and can be seen all around the head. Leading edge and trailing edge relief allow for easy entry and exit from the turf, heel relief allows a player to open up the wedge and still keep the face aimed at the target and careful grinding of the neck make it flow seamlessly into the wedges top line. Many of these aspects allow a player to create wonderful feel and spin and reap the benefits of this soft forged head. Finally another reason why the Gekky Raw is so popular is its wide variety of lofts. In this day and age with so many different iron and wedge setups available, I can't understand why so many brands will limit themselves by releasing a wedge with 2 lofts options. People ant variety and the Gekku gives it with  41* 45* 49* 53* 57* and 61* heads AND 49* 53* 57* and 61* as LEFT Handed models! This is why the Gekku Raw outold pretty much every wedge in 2011 until...

Titleist Japan Vokey Forged

Let's face it, when many of us think about wedges the name Vokey pops up. There are many Titleist fans around the world and top pros (even under contract with other brands) who swear by their Vokeys. So when Titleist Japan announced a Vokey Forged wedge for the Japanese market late last fall... all hell broke loose... literally.   The Endo forged S20C wedge was a hit long before it was even released with tons of pre orders not only through TSG from global customers but all throughout Japan from many who live and die by their Vokey wedges. At launch towards the end of October, only a handful of customers were lucky enough to get  in on the first batch before Titleist ran out of clubs. In the following months we have had many many orders, more than any other wedge by far, but unfortunately with customers waiting for quite a long time while Titleist caught up to demand (at this point the wait is still 4-8 weeks for standard spec and custom orders).

So does the Vokey Forged live up to its demand? It seems so as feedback I get from customers as well as testing I have done (review here) say this is one versatile wedge with very good feel and very good spin. Lofts ranging from 46* to 62* in 2* increments are available making for very versatile wedge combinations in everyone's bag. Bounce ranges from 8-10* on all the wedges meaning, its not really a low bounce wedge nor is it a high bounce wedge.  The design of the Vokey's grind and sole make it versatile so with its medium bounce numbers it can actually perform well in a variety of conditions and with different swing types. The new Vokey Forged features a combination R and M Grind (on the 54 56 58 60 and 62*) with a pre worn leading edge. The M grind results in trailing edge relief as well as heel relief allowing for more control type shots and deft touch around the greens when opening up the face of the wedge. The leading and trailing edge also produce clean entry and exit through a variety of turf conditions and in fact create a thinner sole area for usage in tighter lies. The 46 48 50 and 52* also feature a pre worn leading edge but the sole is flatter and in turn a bit wider to allow for full shots and less digging. Unlike the non conforming grooves of the Yururi, the Vokey Forged Wedges do possess  USGA Conforming grooves with 17 double pressed score lines more tightly bunched together for more spin. A spin milled face adds more bite and spin control across the entire face and helps keep spin up even on partial swings. Its undoubtedly one good looking wedge with versatile performance to boot. 

So the Yururi Gekku Raw pretty much dominated most of the year until Halloween came around and the Vokey Forged pretty much blew all other wedges out of the sand to dominate demand even up to today (and who knows for how much longer - though there seems to be no slow down and people seem willing to wait for their orders).  The truth is there are many amazing wedges out there and key points people look for when they come to TSG is soft forged feel, great spin and most of all versatility.  Versatility is a major purchasing factor especially for the average golfer or recreational player which most of us all. We can't always make the same swing, we can't always land in the same place, we end up in all kinds of lies and our game is nowhere near perfect. A versatile wedge can be a life saver.  We have been very lucky that there are many amazing forged wedges coming out of Japan that are very versatile and this year will be no different as we look forward to new releases at the Golf Fair. Look for a nice forged versatile wedge that fits your swing and playing level and you will go a long way towards bringing down your score. As always we're here to help if you need recommendations!

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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Today I'm going to look more closely at Keigekiku Yururi's current wedge lineup. As you may have seen on the blog a few weeks ago, I covered the different forged irons which offer a bit of something for everyone. The wedge line is much of the same, with top quality forgings, designs and performance for a variety of players. This post will look more at the visual design of each model and compare they side by side.

The current Yururi lineup includes the Gekku Raw Wedge (non conforming grooves), the Tour Wedge (in both conforming and non conforming grooves), the Chili Wedge (conforming grooves), the Tour Seida Wedge (non conforming grooves) and the Seida Rupas wedge (conforming grooves). Every model is an original design forged from premium S25C steel in Himeji and each head individually grinded and finished. They all show superb workmanship and on the model like the Gekku Raw which is unplated and unfinished you can really see the skills of the grinders at work (see the post I made on the Gekku Raw).

All the pictures below can be clicked on to pop up a larger image for your viewing pleasure. It can  be hard to squeeze in the comparison pics when our blog is limited to 648 pixels in its content column.

General size and shape...

When first comparing the Yururi models side by side you'll notice that size wise, they are not that different from one another. while they are not ultra compact, Yururi wedges are on the smaller side which will appeal to better players. Size aside, the differences like in the grinds, and designs of each head as well as the overall shapes and finish. All 5 models are superb looking and from an aesthetics standpoint quite attractive. The Gekku Raw and Tour Models (silver paintfill for non conforming and gold for conforming) are both finished in black with the Gekku being dyed black and the Tour a flat black. The Chili and both Seida wedges are plated and satin in finish.

Face Profiles...

From the face profiles, you can see that the Gekku, Tour and Chili are tear drop shaped heads while the Seida models are rounder, especially the Rupas. The head shapes actually go hand in hand with the grinds and while all 5 models are versatile, they do excel in certain conditions which I'll talk about below with the grinds. Typically a tear drop shape allows for more mass towards the toe which also raises the CG away from the hosel and creates a stronger heavier spin ball. It also promotes the better player, when opening up the wedge to utilize the full length of the face for more spin control.  The Seidas have a larger face area for slightly more ease of use and confidence at address.

At Address...

Here again at address you can see how the Seida Rupas is more rounded and the raw black face provides a nice target for the increased impact area. All Yururi wedges have reasonably thin top lines and pretty small offset, the older non conforming Tour Seida has the most offset while the Gekku, Tour, Chili and Rupas are all quite close in offset numbers.  Being raw, the Gekku has the sharpest grooves and this is one of the reasons why the Gekku's 41 and 45* lofts are very popular as golfers purchase them to replace 8, 9 and PW irons for much superior spin and stopping power. The Seida Tour which is also non conforming may have the most bite due to a very aggressive face milling.

Sole and Grind...

The top images shows a side by side comparison of the grind and sole shape of each Yururi model. All 5 models have some degree of trailing edge, heel and leading edge relief to different extents which increase verastility. The Seida series feature a wider and rounder sole which helps it suit lusher courses and provide a bit more forgiveness. The Gekku, Tour and Chili have narrower soles making them very versatile for different conditions and in tight lies and especially excelling in harder conditions. The heel relief is the largest on the Tour models allow the head to be completely opened up but still pointing at the target with its tear drop shape. As mentioned above when comparing head shapes, the sole matches the face in creating maximum spin control and direction. The largest amount of leading edge relief is on the leading edge grind of the Gekku Raws and this helps it dig less even though the sole is rather narrow.  Bounce varies on all the models and there is really quite a variety of bounce to match different swing styles. The Chili model actually has the most to choose from with the number of Chilis representing the amount of bounce ie 1 chili = low to mid bounce, 2 chilis = medium to high bounce, 3 chilis =very high bounce.

In the end Yururi has 5 great wedges that all look and feel wonderful and are grinded and designed with top performance in mind. Like the Yururi irons, there is a Yururi wedge for everyone and all different kind of swings and conditions. As always you can find all the Yururi clubs in the pro shop and if you need advice or custom quotes (Yururi can be built with any shaft and grip to spec), please feel free to email us.

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

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.