EMAIL

 
Mitsubishi Rayon has once again decided to delve into the high modulus carbon shaft segment currently dominated by Crazy, Quadra, Bangvoo, ATTAS and others.  They have decided to release an all new premium high modulus carbon model dubbed the Diamana X. Unlike the limited Stinger model which used an existing boron material, Diamana has gone to its own MCHC Group (Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation) in order to develop an all new 78t high grade carbon sheet to be used in the X. The Diamana X will be limited to only 5000 pieces and is focused on the athlete golfer/pro and better golfer with a special emphasis on the stability and control for the hard hitter wanting even more distance.

Mitsubishi incorporates a new manufacturing technology they developed called Tough-QURE. Its a new technique used for carbon fiber composite moulding which allows Mitsubishi to cure carbon prepregs at a lower temperature and faster speed.  The faster speed allows Mitsubishi two benefits, one to incorporate Black Copolymer Technology which increases durability and two less resin flow which creates carbon that allows for better and more consistent formability thus great for a perfectly rounded shaft with less deformation and inconsistencies.

Thanks to lower torque, consistent load and unload from 78t carbon as well as increased overall stability due to less rounding and deformation, the Diamana X is designed to supress side spin and transfer maximum power by squaring to the target predictably and reducing off center hits.  March 3rd is the release date for the new X shaft and we will start taking pre orders soon. There will be 5 models/flexes as seen in the table below topped off by a 70 XX flex with a mere 2.2* of torque. The Diamana X has a mid to high kick made for a strong penetrating launch combined with lots of run.  So far Mitsubishi Rayon has listed a MSRP of  68250 yen which translates to about 900.00 USD. We have yet to see what the street price will but we'll surely be below that.

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

Just got this driver head in and its dark outside so I can't take pretty pictures. Here is a little teaser until tomorrow. It's a 4 piece head, white crown and an all new face shape (not the typical Kamui Works face). Check back tomorrow for more pics and details

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

I was in Akasaka yesterday attending the Pro Support meeting for the LPGA. I met up with Miysohi-san from Yururi and we headed out after the meeting for lunch and to talk about some new clubs in the works for Yururi. One of the clubs he showed me, and keep in mind this is NOT the finished product so it may be a bit rough around the edge, is the new MH-1112 forged cavity back for 2012.  Yururi has always been known for intricate CNC Machining on its irons and the MH-1112 takes it a level further.  Many advanced cavity designs these days are simply produced by either a cast or forging moulds. Cavity steps or design features are all created in that mould. Yururi has always premium forged their head and rather than just mould the cavity shape, they CNC machine the head which makes it look like art and is much more costly to do. Miyoshi-san told me that some of the Yururi models take 3 hours to machine a single iron. He passed the head on to me so I could bring it home for pictures.

The older KM-0107 is a beautiful iron and features some very nice CNC machining in the cavity however if you look closely, each machined step is flat. The new MH-1112 is the first Yururi iron to feature a 3D CNC machined cavity. This diamond shaped cavity is machined so the center is the highest and thickest point of the cavity. Its in line with the sweet spot of the iron so center strikes are rewarded with pure and buttery feel.

As with most of Yururi's better player irons, there is very little offset. The clean satin finish is pleasing to the eyes.

The face of the MH-1112 Forged features a straight top blade and taller toe area for more spin control and a nice strong appearance. The MH-1112 is a smaller cavity but at the same time its not tiny so better players all the way up to good ball striking mid cappers should have no problems enjoying this beautiful iron. As I mentioned here, this head is not the final finished product. It will still be fine tuned and the finish will be tweaked to look much better. Lucky enough we were able to provide the first sneak peak of this iron though it probably will not be revealed until later next month at the Golf Fair!

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

Coming from Canada, snow is nothing new for us. As a matter of a fact we got so tired of shoveling snow we moved to Japan. (^_^) Here in central Chiba Prefecture snow is a very rare sight. In fact in the nearly 4 years we have been here we only had a light dusting once that pretty much disappeared in a couple of hours. Last night before we went to bed we could hear the thunder outside as it began to rain hard, rain turned into snow overnight and we awoke to a white Kiminomori, a first for us since we moved here.

Snow in the Kanto area (Tokyo and surrounding areas) mean chaos as people here are not used to heavy settling snow. And we aren't even talking about a lot of snow, maybe 5-10cm. But what that means is cancelled classes, people not going to work (empty bus stop in the morning above), 100+ snow related accidents overnight, suddenly a mad rush at the auto center with people buying chains and snow tires. I almost have to laugh at how a little snow can turn everyone crazy.  My neighbors all met on the street in the morning discussing what to do with the icy roads in front of our houses. We just said ah it will  melt and took our dog Saku, who loves snow and has not seen it in years, for a walk.

Before going for a walk I just moved my car around the corner under the sun and the snow melted off within half an hour. Its a rare sight seeing white powder and palm like trees in the neighbors yard.

Saku was thrilled to go to the park where the snow was waiting for him to play.

Even after we got home he wanted to run around in the backyard and catch the snow balls we threw in the air for him.

I guess in Japan this is what they call a "Snow Day".  Looks like the golf course is closed today! (^_^)

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 received samples of the new Yururi Seida KM-0312 Forged iron today. They look simply fantastic. Before shafting them up for some testing I thought I would post a little preview here.  The KM-0302 is new for 2012 and does feature conforming grooves.

The premium Kyoei forged S25C head fits somewhere between a small and mid sized cavity back. The beautiful satin finished and CNC machined cavity look great and each iron has the loft engraved in the cavity which is kind of a cool design feature.

The cavity is low but deep and the face actually is thicker where the loft is engraved increasing soft feel right in the center of the face. Because of the pearl like satin finish the head just looks so clean!

The Seida Forged Iron is aimed at the mid capper to better player wanting an easy launch and some forgiveness but with premium feel. The face is not overly boxy but features a sharper toe with a rounder leading edge making it more versatile in various lies.

At address the sharp toe adds to the irons lines and defines where the face begins Less offset and a reasonably thin and straight top top line all add to the irons pleasing appearance. I'm looking forward to shafting these up for a go and a more detailed review!

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 added all their new 2012 Japan market offerings to their site today so I will briefly go over some of the products and you can see what the lineups now look like below. We will get demos to review at a later date and at that time I will go into more detail. As I mentioned the other day Gloire is the new premium distance line which is a whole new offering. Its aimed at the recreational golfer looking for max ease of use and distance in a premium club.  They've added a few other clubs along with Gloire you can see below.

DRIVERS

The Gloire is the new distance driver and is Taylormade Japan's forged model - yes a forged driver from TM!  They've also added the R11-S and RocketBallz driver. One thing I did not expect was the redesigned R11-J which has been increased to 460cc in head size and 45.75" in length and re-tuned for max forgiveness and distance. TM calls it the R11 distance model for the Japanese market.

FAIRWAY WOODS

TM Japan has added the premium Gloire FW made for maximum distance and forgiveness and they have also thrown in a Japan only R11 Titanium FW! There is also the RocketBallz FW.

IRONS

TM Japan has two models of Gloire premium irons. One is in fact a utility iron at 20 and 23* lofts and the other are max distance irons with a Maraging face and 26* 6 iron! Though I must admit it looks a lot like the RocketBallz Max shape. They also added the RocketBallz Irons.

WEDGES

TM Japan added two new All Terrain Versatility Wedge models, standard ATV wedge in tour satin and the ATV Forged wedge in smoked Ion Plating finish!

PUTTERS

TM added the new Tour Preferred Ghost which features 4 head shapes and a deep milled forged face. They also introduced  Ghost Tour putters which feature 5 head shapes with Pure Roll faces as well as the Ghost Manta which goes along with the stingray and limited edition Itsy Bitsy Spider Ghost.

So it seems like an exciting time once again in Japan for new TM products. Stay tuned for live pics and reviews of all the clubs.

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

There has been a lot of hype for the new Ryoma F fairway woods. It has the reputation of its driver counterpart the Ryoma D-1 to live up  to. The D-1 Driver as everyone knows is probably one of the most forgiving drivers to ever come out of Japan. It was easily Tourspecgolf's most popular driver of 2011. So when Ryoma announced a fairway wood that would perform like the driver, people jumped at it right away. So after more than a month of testing, does the Ryoma F deserve all the attention its been getting?

As I had noted before the fairway woods looked better than I had originally expected. I was not the biggest fan of the look of the driver though its performance far out weighs its aesthetics.  The fairway wood is on the larger side at 220cc for the F2 to 140cc for the F9.  If you want to see a physical comparison, I did one earlier with the egg Spoon here. All of the D-1 F heads are spec'ed to have square face angles. Like the driver it appears to have a slightly closed face which many have said is an illusion caused but the slight onset/face forward and the way the sole sits. Even if the face is closed, its not by much and for many average golfers who will consider the Ryoma F, a tad closed may not be a bad thing. At address, the head does make the ball look small and could pass for a 350cc compact driver. For some the head may seem to big but for others, its size may inspire a can't miss image.  At first I did think the head was too large however I quickly got used to it.

The F2, F3 and F5 models all fall right below 0.83 COR and share the same all titanium monocoque (unibody) construction as Ryoma's D-1 Drivers. Ryoma is able to fit a 60g Power Booster weight on the back of all the FW models.  Not only that but they also add an additional 60g weight on the front sole called the Spin Control Unit. Considering the 13* weighs 209g, and uses 120g worth of weights, it means the 0.4mm walled body is a mere 89g in weight! Ryoma then plasma welds on their premium forged TDW face for maximum ball speeds and feel.  The F7 and f9 shorter woods have a similar design except use a maraging face and stainless steel body.

Thanks to that 60g backweight, the sweet spot of the Ryoma  fairway woods is huge. So huge that Ryoma claims there is very little difference in direction and distance on off center hits vs shots off the center of the club.  In order to counter the huge weight in the back which in a smaller fairway wood head would push the CG too far back and low, Ryoma uses that Spin Control Unit I mentioned earlier, another 60g right below the leading edge of the head. Ryoma says this weight drastically reduces spin and creates a strong and powerful trajectory that will not lose out to the wind. I certainly liked the trajectory and for me it was more of a mid ball flight.

Ryoma has designed the CG Point of their fairway woods to match the ball exactly at impact whereas on some deeper fairway woods the CG point on the face is in fact higher than the point of impact.  The face of the Ryoma's are considered shallow but not super shallow. They are shallow enough that make hitting off the deck and launching the ball rather easy. I had no problems teeing off with the Ryoma and I felt more confident doing so than with the ultra shallow egg Spoon. The egg Spoon which for me has always been the longest fairway wood, was coming short of the Ryoma by 10-15 yards on average. I also had a TRC FW and ONOFF Fairway Arms Plus as well as a Geotech GT SP and none of them could touch the Ryoma in distance. The testers I have here came with the stock Ryoma shaft. Its a good shaft but a bit on the soft side and the higher torque numbers especially in the softer flexes really do benefit the smoother swinger. I found that if I got aggressive with it, and I do have an aggressive transition and down swing, and if I released early, the soft shaft would cause me to go a bit left.  Even so, thanks to the very forgiving nature of the head, I was still out hitting the egg. It made me think if I had put my preferred Crazy Black FW80 I would gain more control and even more distance.

When it comes to sound and feel, at first the Ryoma F reminded me very much of the first generation egg Spoon with that hollow thwock. Its not nearly as loud but the pitch is similar thanks to the heads size and all Titanium construction.  It's rather solid feeling and while it did not feel hot off the face, it IS hot off the face. There were several times I did not feel like I hit it right on the screws and the ball just kept going, much further than I expected and pretty straight. Much of the results I got are thanks to Ryoma's huge forgiveness and near 0.83 COR. Considering how much smaller a fairway wood face is than a driver face makes this number quite staggering as many fairway woods on the market feature COR of around 0.70 to 0.75.

At the end of the day not everyone will like the looks of the Ryoma F. Not everyone will like its huge head size. Some people might get turned off by the sound. Others the price. But in the end you have to love the Ryoma F for what it is, and that is stupid easy to hit fairway wood that can probably rival your driver for distance AND forgiveness.

The stock shaft is a good fit for those who are smoother swingers, especially the softer flexes. The stiffer flexes do add some control thanks to lower torque and heavier weights. Many golfers will opt for an upgrade shaft and the Ryoma F is available with any shaft in Japan though more than 75% have gone out with Crazy shafts since they seem to be such good fits with Ryoma heads. If you need help with your selections as always just contact us. If you'd like to go ahead and get the stock shafted model, it can be found in the pro shop.

I took a quick video of the sound at impact. As you can hear its not terribly loud but its not that great sounding either. I also had my egg Spoon and TRC FW on hand and also an egg i+ utility so I thought I would throw that in as well.

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

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.

 EMAIL

I have a been a big fan of Sumo since my father in law first took me back in 1999. Its a big part of Japanese culture and is always quite an event. Interestingly sumo has become more international than ever now as well with many of the top wrestlers originating from countries outside of Japan. So when my father in law told me last week he had 1st floor box seat tickets to the January Grand Sumo Tournament I could not say no! My wife and I headed out to Tokyo early this morning to meet her dad and brother. We had sushi for lunch before heading over to the Ryogoku Kokugikan where all tournaments in Tokyo are held.  For the most part of the day, staring in the early morning, matches are held between lower ranking sumo (usually in front of much sparser crowds) and its not until 4pm when Sumo's top division, the Makuuchi begin their matches and the majority of the audience start rolling in. My father in law however is a very big fan so we were at the tournament by 1pm.

I got the chance with the early matches to see how I would do with photos. I brought along my Nikon D5100 and at this time I have no lens longer than 50mm!!  So it was quite a challenge to shoot today. I brought along a Tamron 17-50mm (NO optical stabilization/vibration control) and shot using NO flash. In order to freeze the action I shot everything at high ISO (1600 all the way up to 6400) with shutter speeds of around 1/320 to 1/400. The D5100 does very admirably shooting in low light and pictures weren't too bad considering my very very limited reach at 50mm.

For those who have the chance to visit Japan, I would suggest getting tickets if a Sumo tournament is on. The 2nd floor tickets are only 2100 yen and its a great way to take in some Japanese culture. Plus you can drink Japanese beer, shochu, eat bento (lunch) boxes and yakitori (skewered grilled chicken).  You may not understand it or even care to appreciate it but its worth checking out!

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

As we lead up to the Japan Golf Fair at the end of February we will begin to see many new product announcements come rolling in. Taylormade Japan and Titleist Japan have both been rather quiet, while many wait for new TM Forged irons and a replacement for the VG3 forged. On the other hand, Mizuno has already announced the release date, January 20th for their new JPX iron lineup which will consist of two models, the JPX 800 AD which features an S25C forged body matched with high rally spring steel face and the JPX 800 AD Forged which is an S25C forged iron with embedded tungsten weighting in the long and mid irons.  Both irons are similar in size and feature identical lofts. However the 800 AD has a large undercut and the spring steel face. Matched with an inch longer lengths and Mizuno has its longest ever JPX iron out distancing the previous JPX 800 XD by over 10 yards.  The 800 XD forged is for the player who wants premium all forged feel in a forgiving distance package.

Fourteen Golf has already released their new TC-930 players cavity back in December, this premium Endo forged S20C iron features less offset, and a compact head with more traditional lofts and a focus on feel and control. The TC-930 feature a low CG which works well with the latest golf balls out on the market today. Long range shots will produce less spin while short iron range shots will deliver optimal spin performance. The low CG provides just the right amount of spin on each shot, generating consistent performance on every shot. In order to achieve this, Fourteen used varying CG positioning depending on the iron, for example the 9 iron and PW have a shorter CG to maintain exceptional control plus increased spin.

Look for all three models in the pro shop soon!

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

Royal Collection has released their all new Next Generation BBD 305V fairway wood. Today I received 4 demo clubs and headed out right away to test them as they simply looked awesome. Unlike the SFD lineup, the BBD line like the TRC line, is made for the better golfer who wants max performance and feel in a more compact and stable club. The BBD 305V come in 14, 15, 18 and 21* lofts and are dubbed the Next Generation by RC thanks to a change in design compared to traditional RC fairway woods with its new V Sole.

Year in and year out, even though Royal Collection is a very small company, they continue to produce top notch fairway woods and utilities. It is this segment of clubs that they excel in and are best known for thanks to their driving cavity and twin rail cavities. The new BBD 305V's main design points are a new V sole which helps the club cut through the turf at impact, reducing friction and lost swing speed resulting in better impact and better performance.

The sole of the 305V still features RC's driving Cavity which is now a weighted  part of the club extending deep into the back of the head. While big back weighting is nothing new (see Ryoma) I like the way RC incorporated the weight into its driving cavity hence the name driving cavity weight.  More weight in the back of the head of a club typically creates higher launch but to keep trajectory down, RC shortens the CG in the 305V. This results in an easy and higher launch but strong and penetrating overall trajectory for more distance and control.

The back weighting on the 305V also increase MOI and the sweet spot of the club which I am glad to say is quite big and noticeable.  The face and head is a slight departure from past BBD models in that it is not quite as deep and more of a mid height or semi shallow face. This allows the 305V to make more consistent center impact off the deck but still allows for it to be tee'ed of with.

There really isn't anything I do not like about the head visually. The face shape and head shape are great as is the straight face angle which is on every loft. Even though the face is shallower than past models the heads are still compact and traditional. We see a lot of modern shallow faced FW's with very large heads as they get flattened out and to create very very low CG points.  The 305V sets up wonderfully and the better player will like how the smaller head frames the ball for a draw or fade.

In my morning session here at Kiminomori, I tested all 4 lofts which vary in size from 160cc to 146cc. 160cc is not tiny by any means but because of the 305V's shape it makes my 165cc egg Spoon look quite large. For an average golfer like myself that can be quite intimidating but I am please to report, that the 305V is not hard to hit. With advances in design and manufacturing, the line separating clubs for the average golfer and athlete/better golfer has become more and more blurred in recent years. Even better player models are becoming more and more forgiving which is a good thing. One can never have too much forgiveness. The great thing about the 305V is it still maintains all its athlete qualities, a compact square faced head, strong trajectory, workable stable shots with very very good feel.

Royal Collection's move to a custom 455 stainless face a few years ago was a superb choice and while the same materials are used on this years TRC models, the face of the 305V feels even hotter most likely due to the back weighting.  The 14 and 15* produce very strong trajectories with ample run and even the 18 and 21* while they are easy to launch, do not go overly high which is a good thing. The stock shaft is as usual made for RC by Graphite Design and is a Tour AD designated model meaning high quality and stable performance. Once again, RC offers shafts in various weights and flexes depending on the players swing style with 50 60 and 70g stock shafts available. The stock shafts (I had all 60g models here), have pretty good feel and are easy to load. For the very aggressive or faster swinger, RC also offers the 305V with all the latest shafts including the Tour AD BB DI DJ SF series, Fubuki K ahina FW,  ATTAS3 and Motore Speeder FW.

I have to tell you I am torn, I'm in the midst of testing the Ryoma F and I also finished testing the ONOFF Fairway Arms. Now throw in this new BBD 305V and we have some very amazing choices here for a wide variety of golfers in the coming season.  I honestly can't make up my mind which to bag for the new season and my egg Spoon probably is not happy that I am thinking this way! I hgihtly recommend the 305V to the better player wanting a compact square faced head and very good feel with a penetrating trajectory.  For the mid capper and improving player, this club is certainly forgiving enough and can definitely be an option if you prefer a smaller head.

I hope to add the new BBD 305V in the Pro Shop this weekend so make sure you check for it!

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

I had forgotten to post this up when I got back from Yokohama. We've talked about this place before as its a favorite of TSG Staffers - Uogashi Standing Sushi Bar in Tokyo Station. Ultra reasonable prices for Tokyo and fresh and delicious fish. You just call out what you want and they make it for you right in front of you. There is always a lineup at this place but its worth the wait which is usually not long since people don't lounge around after eating because they have to stand. As part of the Tokyo Station lifestyle its just eat and go on the run.

While on the way to Yokohama and the hot rod show I just had to take my brother as I know he had never stood up at a sushi bar.

Somehow I always end up with this same guy above making our sushi.

No chopsticks required... just pick it up and take it down with one bite... sure speeds things up! Below are a few of the favorites of Tourspecgolfer and Tourspecgirl so I just had to take pictures to post here. Toro Salmon Aburi with ponzu on top:

Yaki Gesso with Mayonnaise on top:

And currently in season SANMA with a bit of fresh green onion and ginger on top:

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.