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They are sold out at the moment,  because of Akira's unique business model of only building clubs for their own tour players and the left overs being sold to the public they have run out of Tour Wedges.  I'm awaiting an update from them to see If and when more will be produced.

I was not very happy about this so what Akira has done is offer us their latest unadvertised unnamed wedge.  Not sure what we should call it and I don't know how long it will be available.  I know frustrating isn't it.  I decided to post pics anyway and to write this blog post to let everyone know that if you purchase the Tour Wedge in the proshop that you will be emailed the option of these rare beauties to replace it.

It's a purdy wedge,  I haven't hit it yet,  It's a RAW head so it will wear but it's also a heavier head for tour use.  It's basically their H1 series with an RTG finish and slightly different stampings.  Just wanted to let everyone know.  And for those waiting on the M215 #3 wood those should be in any day now.

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The Yonex ZERO Iron was first introduced at the British Open last year as a prototype for Ishikawa to use off the tee in battling the strong winds at the open.  The ZERO Iron has a premium forged body from S25C Carbon Steel matched with a high strength SAE spring steel face. The ZERO iron provides a penetrating trajectory thanks to a short CG and the ease of use of a utility.  Extra weight is focused on the heel and neck area to keep shots centered and reduce shots off the heel. The sole is semi wide for versatility and features a semi groove trailing edge relief.   Because the ZERO Irons feature lower lofts, they are made for extra carry with that penetrating trajectory thanks to lower spin which also equals run out.

At the Japan Golf Fair I had a chance to demo these briefly into a net.  I wasn't able to make good contact then,  it was sporting the Tour AD Japan spec shaft.  In the U.S the new 2011 Yonex Zero Iron comes with a nanopreme 85 stock shaft which isnt on the same level as the Tour AD yet I was able to make great on course contact using this shaft.  It's 85 gram weight works well keeping me on plane.  I would also be interested to try the new Yonex Zero Iron with a steel shaft yet its not an available option at the moment.

The Zero iron has an interesting hump heel side,  Its a heel outer weight that helps the player square up the face at impact for a straighter ball flight.  It's something I haven't seen done for a very long time.  Another thing worth noticing is the shape while looking sole down.  It's thick and boxy,  my on course impressions are that this thickness really helps by adding substance behind the club face.  mis hits are absorbed a bit better because of this.  Overall the trajectory achieved was medium.  I suspect it would be a little lower with the Japan Tour AD standard shaft offering.   The big question for me is does the new zero iron have what it takes to knock the Srixon Z-UTi out of the bag?

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It's about time these arrived!  We've been waiting since  the end of February after getting our first sight at the Japan Golf Fair 2011.  First thing I noticed upon inspection of the retail release is how much it has changed from the prototype.  It appears to have a lot less of that trailing edge bump as well as a more tear drop and rounded face profile.  It's stunning to look at although I must admit I've been biased towards a more boxy toe in past.

The Original release date was in April and member supo67 (stew), Tario, and myself practically begged the Yonex staff to hit their lone proto set into a net for some pre release observations.  Well Yonex was not having any of that.  The reason was that Ryo Ishikawa was not pleased with them initially which explains the many changes since then to it's design.  I was informed by Yonex almost a month ago that Ryo has put them into play. Does anyone know what was in his bag during the U.S Open?   Anyway I had a range session and 9 holes with them while Tatsuro had did the same.  We rotated from the TS 905MB back to the Yonex.

In terms of feel when comparing the two I think the Yonex is softer overall while the 905 MB has a sweet spot that has a more potent and rewarding pure feel when struck on the screws. With my skills I think I would prefer the Yonex to achieve the softest impact over a wider range of shots..  When it comes to forgiveness the Yonex Ezone MB gets the nod as it was less harsh and off center struck shots seem to have  had a slightly better trajectory.  When I hit the 905MB poorly the ball flight was a bit lower.

Distance overall when hit center was equal. The Trajectory of the TourStage 905MB was a hair lower.  The Yonex Ezone Blade is not just another blade on the market.  While other OEM's are designing their blades with tall boxy toe's Yonex has gone for what I call the exaggerated tear drop effect which is my guess to as why its slightly more forgiving with a little higher lift on the ball.  The trailed leading edge has been toned down and like the Yonex Forged CB tilt's back in a very stable manner.  This new Ezone MB  is produced in Himeji Japan by Chiba-san formerly of Zodia Golf and made of S25C.  If you have any questions please feel free to ask in TSG's official Yonex guide in the forum or right here in the comments section.

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If you read the forums you may already know TSG is working on reviewing a massive line up of the latest JDM wedges.  I wanted to highlight one that's doing pretty well in the testing and evaluation.  The all new 2011 Miura Giken MB-5000WA Forged Wedge.  It's a true players wedge designed with a compact head, straight neck and an emphasis on feel and control.  It features leading edge and trailing edge relief as well as an added score line right at the leading edge to start spin immediately. The Trailing Cut Sole as Miura calls it allows for versatility and for the wedges to be opened up in any lie.

3 TSG club testers have been put to the task of testing a variety of the hottest wedges.  Tatsuro, Kawika, and myself.  Two pro's and a hack (me) is what I call the T&E team.  I would say this wedge is the offspring of the ONOFF S-Forged and the new 2011 Titleist TVD "R" JDM only wedge.  It's got that compact playeresque shape the TVD has yet a mini version of the ONOFF S-Forged trailing edge grind.

One of the things I like the most about this wedge is it's beautiful neck transition to the top line as well as the leading edge.  It's almost perfect,  It has that pure Miura feeling  not soft but firm and damp.  The sneak peak I can give you in regards to it's testing results are that it ranks in at the top of the pack in regards to shape and size for the better player.  Of course that attribute always sacrifices forgiveness.  It's softer at impact than the new TourStage X-Wedge and ranks middle of the group in spin.  If your looking for a compact players wedge the new 2011 Miura Giken MB-5000WA wedge should be considered along with the Japan Only Titleist TVD "R".  Enjoy the Pics!

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We've got a lot of new wedges in for testing and I wanted to start with Tatsuro's new favorite of the bunch the 2011 Yamaha V Forged Wedge.  It's Forged by  Endo from premium S20C steel, and  features a straight neck, tear drop shape and higher center of gravity for a stable lower trajectory producing more spin and stopping power.  The new 2011 Yamaha Inpres X - V Forged wedge is designed with a thicker mid section and top blade combine that with it's higher CG placement and one should expect more control and accuracy as well as pure feel at impact. The sole design allows for the face to be opened up.

Forgiveness: This new Yamaha has excellent forgiveness.  It's got a pretty decent amount of lower back mass behind the entire impact zone especially the center that extends higher than most other wedges.  Another factor is it's well hidden size.  It's for sure able to fit a wide variety of golfers from mid handicappers to the professional level.  It's top line isn't razor thin and not what I would call thick by any means.  It's just right.

Feel: Superb!  It's got a soft spongy yet solid feel to it that reminds me of the Epon AF-302.  It's a feeling that for me was an unexpected bonus that I really wasn't expecting. Both Tatsuro and I could feel  a sensation of the ball compressing on the club face. Better than most raw wedges and so far the best feeling plated wedge I have hit to date.

Trajectory: This wedge doesn't fly as high as others which equalled to more distance and a tighter dispersion.  I would say it has a mid-high ball flight that is perfect for someone who is interested in a more controlled wedge shot.

Spin: Above average,  I know im starting to sound like a broken record but the V-Forged is in my opinion built to perform.  It didn't spin as much as say the Yururi Raw or new Akira H2 series but it did out perform them all most other area's.  It doesn't have any new or fancy groove technology but the higher center of gravity is what in my opinion had it stand out in the spin department.

Overall Design: Love it,  It's edgy and looks modern, the finish is flat and sexy in sunlight kinda like a bronze version of the Yonex Ezone wedge which for those wondering ranked a tops tied for 1st place with this wedge.  From it's slightly larger than compact size to it's uniquely high bounce plus thin sole Yamaha has managed to produce a wedge that is very different than what's available on the market and in my opinion an improvement over most.  The sole can lay open quite easily straight back but isn't designed to open heel or toe up.

Ok so specs and info, The TSG Proshop has these on sale ready to ship from Japan.  It's only available in 3 lofts 52/8, 56/12, 58/12.  The great news is you can get them a variety of nice shafts like the NS 1050 and Tour AD-75 graphite.  The finish is actually made of a thin Chromium plating so over time it may rust but nearly as much as PVD or Raw wedges do.  It's new rule conforming of course and the 58* is special order only which may add some time to the order.

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Akira Golf - TourSpecGolf will be offering Akira Limited Tour Issue products via the TSG ProShop starting tomorrow. The Akira Golf Company is under Azumo Holding Co. which is a division within Hitachi which is a huge multinational corporation specializing in high tech manufacturing and services in Japan.  They produce everything from electronics to military technology for the JDF and a variety of countries.  That said the backing of Akira Golf is obviously substantial but it still operates under a Tour Only design and distribution concept.

Akira produces clubs for the Tour Player, they produce small batches with little to no concern about revenues or the standard consumer market.  Several months ago I hit a variety of their golf clubs in Japan and with the drivers especially I noticed the ball flight was lower than most which is similar to Ryoma & JBeam in some respects.  Now that we have a relationship with Akira I better understand why that was,  It's the JPGA & PGA tour players input that weigh's heaviest on the design and performance of the golf club.

Notice how the irons and blacked out driver images above are labelled "PROTOTYPE". There are two famous designers at Akura Golf,  one is Masuda-san who was the personal crafter and design consultant for Jumbo Ozaki.  The other is Horie-san who worked for Daiwa for over 15 years through the 80's and 90's.  Some of the clubs are labelled M109 or H109  the first letter designates which designer it came from.  On that note Akira Golf also designs Prototype Golf Clubs specifically for players.  The top image in this blog post shows a Proto iron called the KS-201,  well the KS = Kawano who is a Rookie in 2011 on the JPGA tour. The driver designated as K109 was produced specifically for Kenichi Kuboya Akira's Marquee JPGA Pro.

The Prototype series are all designed for the top level or professional athletes, The TM series is geared toward the better player as well.   Akira also has a lot of products to offer the mid to high handicap level and while TSG may sell some of it we will focus primarily on the rare and more limited Tour Issue & Prototype models.

More on the Prototypes - In regards to drivers Akira makes small batches for the Tour Pro.  This allows Akira to set the COR much higher than the big box manufactures due to the rejection ratio.  Big OEMs have to produce thousands of driver heads, then they hand pick the hottest and send those to the tour.  So in some cases 1 of 500 or 1 of 1000 will have the on the edge of legality COR for their most important contract players. Each Akira driver is like that 1 of 1000 head.  They produce smaller amounts  higher tolerance because there is a lot less risk of rejection and its all for the Tour Pro anyway.

When it comes to their wedges, many may not know this but there are wedges on the PGA tour that are considered grey, some perhaps illegal.  They are carved very aggressively and again hand picked the same way the drivers are.  Akira produces very aggressive original design CNC grooves right on the edge.  Big brands have to go well below the limit to again avoid the risk of mass rejection.

Above we have pictures of a putter never seen before in the public.  It's called " The Weapon to Win" designed by Masuda-san.  It's scheduled for a limited release August in Japan only.  Last week sunday it won a JGTO event.  I will be posting more pics of it as I have it in hand.  It's a stunner!  Actually this week will be sort of an Akira week.  A few weeks ago a huge box arrived at the TSG offices with all their products.  I'm pretty critical when it comes to design and I must admit through the entire Prototype & TM series line up it's top notch.

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Our New Fourteen Hi610 Driving Irons have arrived and they look amazing.  I have had the opportunity to hit these several times since they were announced back in Feb.  The new Hi610 T.S was just released this week and we are pleased to finally say that all pre orders have been filled.  So what's the deal with driving irons?  Some players prefer hybrid wood style clubs to fill that gap above their longest irons while others like myself prefer the driving iron style of golf club.  Many people ask which one is better and in my opinion it boils down to what do you hit better, long irons or fairway wood?   In my case I can hit a wood longer but my dispersion is no where near as tight as a driving iron,  another aspect that makes me lean toward them is that they make a fine replacement of 3 & 4 irons.  Now day's I purchase iron sets 5-PW and mix in some driving irons.

In previous years the driving iron trend has faded in and out.  Fourteen first made big waves on the JPGA then later we say players like Ernie Els, David Duval and more recently Matt Kuchar playing prototype tour only versions.  In my bag I have been gaming the Srixon Z-UTi  and love it.  I actually prefer the setup and feel over the new Fourteen.  I have not done a head to head review yet but I do know I like the trajectory and forgiveness of the new Fourteen Hi610 T.S better.  Above I have the Srixon Z-UTi on the left and the new Hi610 T.S on the right.  The Fourteen is shorter heel to toe, features a thicker more rounded top line and sole.  Stay tuned for a full head to head review.

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The new Srixon Z-TX Driver just arrived.  It features a pretty cool weighting system called "Quick Tune".  It comes with a pouch, weights, and a wrench.  The head itself is 460cc's, there is also a Tour model Z-TX that is 430cc's.  The head features a 8AL-2V Titanium cast body while the face is made of what's called by Srixon Super TIX 51Af Forged Titanium.

It features a larger sweet spot with a newly redesigned face.  By changing the wall thickness making the center, upper and lower area's thinner against thicker diagonal portions.  Tour players in japan are using both the 460 and 430cc models It's based purely on preference, some like to work the ball and look down at a more compact appearance while others prefer a larger look as well as more heel and toe forgiveness which inspires confidence.

In Japan it comes with your choice of the Miyazaki Kusala Blue 72 or Silver 61. The 460 is available in 8.5, 9.5, and 10.5 lofts at a stock length of 45.25" while the 430cc model is only available with the Kusala Blue 72 and 8.5 or 9.5 lofts at 45" total length.

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YONEX EZONE WEDGES
Forged by the popular foundry, grind house, and finishing factory Kyoei Golf located in Himeji Japan and designed by  Miyagi Yuuji of MTI formerly the wedge designer for PRGR.  We present to you the the hand ground by Chiba-san of Zodia Golf Yonex EZONE Wedge.  I'll be honest prior to Ezone I was never a Yonex fan.  Their previous run of products catered to the mid to higher handicap and just didn't float my boat out side of the Nano V Forged cavity back irons.  The latest releases by Yonex Golf like their new 380/420/450cc drivers, Zodia Grind Muscle Backs, and especially this new Japan Forged Wedge has me singing to a different tune.  It's all designed with the better professional to mid handicap player.

When I switch wedges they usually stay in my bag for much of the season unlike the rest of the clubs in my bag. Since gaming my Crazy Prototype Wedges I really haven't considered or gave a second look to anything else.  That is until these Yonex Ezone Wedges landed in my hands last week. The shape is distinct as it features ONSET,  which is the opposite of OFFSET.  That's when the leading edge of the face start's in front of the hosel instead of slightly behind.  It's been several years since I used a wedge with ONSET, the last wedge I gamed with it was the GAS1 by Gauge Design Japan.

I have not hit these yet but will be putting them into play most likely this coming Saturday.  The Yonex Ezone wedge is available in 50/10, 52/10, 56/12, 58/12, and 60/12 loft and bounce configurations. They are Forged of S25C with a Nickel Blasted Chrome finish that gives it a dull silver look that I personally find very appealing.  Stock shaft's are pretty limited with only DGS200 and NS950 the good ol standard in Japan.  I would probably shaft them with the Crazy Wedge Shaft if I do end up loving them.

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Here at TSG we've been fans of JBEAM Drivers for a couple of years now.  Made in Japan the emphasis of the brand is in creating high quality metal woods. The first time we took notice was when Crazy Golf decided to partner with JBEAM to create 2009/2010's longest driver in Japan (for faster swing speeds) It was a combo head + shaft named the CRZ-435 head combined with the TJ-46 Crazy shaft.  It won 96 -103 mph  and 105 - 120 mph.

The lead designer and owner Sakata Kazuhiro has produced designs for top name OEM's in the past and serviced JPGA touring pro's for over 20 years. He wanted to emphasize on quality first and foremost before so he decided to create his own label JBEAM.

The JBEAM 445 HG driver is designed to perform for the low to mid handicapper. Jbeam really doesn't make high handicap drivers their main focus is on providing optimal spin rates combined with a very hot and great feeling face.  It's black IP finish extends around the club making it gorgeous and sleek, If you desire a particular head weight let us know, as you can see JBEAM can adjust head weighting and bias at their HQ in Tokyo, Japan.

The new JBEAM 445 HG features a 2 piece design the body is produced of 6A-4V+ Ti while the face is made of the DAT55G,  Same material companies like Kamui use to produce their driver faces.  It's available in 9.5 to 12* accurate lofts,  JBEAM can hand pick face angles from square to +2* closed . This driver is USGA conforming.  Keep an eye out in the TSG ProShop for the latest JBEAM drivers including the new 445HG as shown in this post.

I'm personally a big fan of their products, the driver TSG tested before this was the JBEAM 425-Tour in 10*. It had a low piercing trajectory and lots of forward kick run.  TSG club tester Tatsuro Oshimoto ended up having to have this club in his bag.  Combined with the Muziik 787 Speeder by Fujikura all he could do was hit it straight all day and everyday.

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Over the last couple of years TourSpecGolf has been in negotiations with Asahi Golf which own's a label called Kenmochi Golf.  It's official now and TSG will now be offering the product to the english speaking world through the online proshop and our new distribution channels to select accounts. Kenmochi is a popular club grinder who works for and at multiple grind factories and foundries in Himeji, Japan.

The product is priced fairly and the line up is impressive, this year at the 2011 Japan Golf Fair they announced their new adjustable driver, putter, and iron models to the public. The design philosophy is in step with the majority of our customers, manufactured in Japan with thin top lines, little offset, brushed satin finishes with Japanese stampings.

What impresses me is their subtle use of RAW grind techniques and how they keep it to certain areas on the club heads. For wedges it only appears on the lower portion of the back face as well as found on the face of the putter. Yururi Golf made the RAW style famous then later Vega applied a similar style and now Kenmochi Golf has in a different way.  Above is an image I took of the putter, it comes in a fantastic box, as does the New KD-01 adjustable driver.  For the most part it's sold as component but you may order it shafted with custom specs from us.

The total line up includes two drivers the black KD-01 is USGA conforming and the gold tinted model features an Ultra high C.O.R face.  two irons and I should disclose they are open model yet heavily adjusted to feature the favoriate attributes that a better player would request. Two wedge models one in brushed satin the other in black both feature some RAW style accents.  And a limited edition putter.  The Kenmochi KP-01L Putter is what I call OLD SKOOL in design and comes attached to a heavy weighted 160 gram steel putter shaft.

We are putting a review together for the new adjustable driver.  It comes in the box as seen above which includes its head cover and adjustable wrench Kenmochi's KD-01 driver is Made in Japan and features a high grade BT341 Titanium crown and sole.  The Black conforming model features a 6-4 Ti face with a 3.1mm thickness at its sweet spot and the maximum 0.83 COR.

The Gold non-conforming model features a high spring SP700 Ti face with a 2.7mm thickness at its sweet spot and a COR approaching 0.88.  The KD-01 features 8 different head positions and can have the face opened an additional 2.2* or closed an additional 1.5* to help with draws and fades.  The KD-01 is made for all levels of golfers looking for workability coupled with forgiveness and premium distance performance. The KD-01 features a mid shallow face and deep back head for mid to high launch matched with low spin.

The entire Kenmochi line is currently available as of April 1st 2011 and can be found in the TSG proshop by clicking here.  If you are a Golf store owner or a professional clubmaker with an actual retail store front you may apply for an account to have access to many of our brands including Kenmochi by filling out an application by clicking here: TSG Reseller Program

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YONEX EZONE 2011
Yonex is releasing 3 new drivers this march which are to debut at the 2011 Tokyo Golf Fair next week. Type 450/Type 420/ Type 380 are the three models.  Ryo Ishikawa has recently been spotted on tour using the Type 380 which is their faced players model that suites the professional athlete.  The technology behind the new Yonex drivers is called EZONE and it utilizes a proprietary  Yonex carbon composite crown.  Most other brand's drivers feature sweet spots that are not located directly in the center of the face.  You may have seen it before when Tour Issue drivers have the dot which signifies CG location, it's usually not center of the club face.

Another important aspect of its development is it's pear shaped design.  Even the Type 450 features one of the most beautiful pear shaped heads when compared to many other large headed drivers on the market, usually the pear shaped design is reserved for the professional model. All three models carry this same philosophy which was adopted to inspire confidence and satisfy the players eye.

One of the biggest selling points is that these Yonex drivers are manufactured by ENDO factory in Niigata Japan.  The Yonex production office is also located in Niigata.  Every process from the head manufacturing & paint, carbon composite crown construction, shaft production, and assembly is all done in Japan.  ENDO produces the tightest tolerance of any golf factory in the world and kudo's to Yonex for understanding that.