EMAIL

Today was the first day of the 2011 Japan Golf Fair.  As always, Tourspecgolfer (Chris), Tourspecgirl (Jacquelyn) and myself showed up prior to the 10am start to formulate our plan for tackling the worlds most fun golf show. It was already evident first thing this morning that we were in store for a crowded day as it seemed like more people than usual showed up early to register. Our hunch was right as this was one of the busiest opening days yet making it hard to capture the footage and pictures we wanted but we still tried our best!

I'll be posting up the images I took while Chris works on his awesome videos. I'll try and focus brand by brand and maybe even update pictures tomorrow for brands I already post if I'm not happy with the images. We walked our usual route through the show which started with the west wing. We had expected to see Taylormade Japan in their usual position as the first main booth however, it was now Ping Japan who occupied that position.

Ping Japan had a medium to smaller sized both but a lot of hitting nets for club fitting and putter fitting. Equipment wise, all the new global products were there such as the S56, K15, G15 and Tour S wedges. They are still promoting the Anser Forged as it was probably one of the best selling irons of 2010.

On the 2011 release front the had the limited Kartsten 1959 putters as well as the "new" conforming grooves Ping Eye2 XG wedges on hand. They also showcased some all new Japan only shafts that Griffin. I was hoping to see a replacement for the very popular Rapture V2 Japan model but there was none to be seen.

I'll drop by Ping again tomorrow to see if there was anything we missed and speak to the Ping reps about possible up coming releases.

Click on the album below to see the rest of the Ping Golf Fair pictures!

Ping Japan Golf Fair 2011

32 Photos

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

 EMAIL

Golf Digest Online Japan has a few new videos up for our viewing pleasure. Respected tester and former Japan tour player Taichiro Kanatani tests both the Ping Anser Forged and Taylormade Japan R9 Tp Forged Irons.

Kanatani Pro finds both irons on the soft side with the Anser Forged rather forgiving even for a supposed players cavity. He calls the R9 TP Forged a true athlete golfers iron, with pure feel and control.

You can check out both videos below which as usual are in Japanese but it's the visuals that we all want to see! Windows Media player or plugin required.

Simply click on the one of the images below to watch the videos! (this will open a pop up window with the video)

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'm happy to report that Epon has agreed on letting the AF-502 take part in our forged cavity back shootout in June. I'm looking forward to see how it stacks up especially against the Ping Anser Forged which has a similar size and design with a cavity that absorbs vibrations and creates feel. Should be a great shootout as I await the arrival of the other contenders!

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

Japan is known to get some of the best forged irons in the world, especially Japanese domestic models (JDM) that nobody else in the world gets. Being an online retailer, we rarely stock test or demo irons on hand but I still frequently get a lot of inquires about comparing a certain iron to another. Being able to test a lot of these irons one at a time as they are released, I can give advice and my opinion on certain models but I thought why not do a shoot out like the way the magazines do it and actually test a whole bunch of irons side by side? This seems like what everyone wants to see after all.

So I sent out some emails about getting some of the newest forged Japanese models together for a photo shoot and test session.   None of the models I requested are small compact irons aimed at the athlete/pro golfer and most are probably mid sized or between mid and small size thus appealing to a large range of golfers. I did this intentionally as pro spec irons are only playable by a very small handful of golfers while mid level cavity backs can be played by single digit golfers wanting forgiveness all the way up to improving average golfers who want a challenge. Some of the irons began arriving at my house today including Ping's Anser Forged Iron, Sri Sports' XXIO Forged and Tourstage's X-Blade 703 Forged. Next week we should see Taylormade's R9 Forged as well as Burner Forged, Nike's Machspeed Forged, Yamaha's Inpres X V Forged and whoever else can send me a demo... (^_^) Here is a teaser pic of the first thee participants of TSG's first ever Forged iron shootout!

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 Ping Tour-S wedges made their debut last week at the Players Championship giving Ping staffers first shot at using the new Tour-S wedge in an event.

The New Ping Tour-S wedge is made of 8620 stainless steel which is softer than previous ping wedges. Produced using a finish that reduces wear but even more interestingly will wear with time and use.  Currently PING uses 1704 SS in wedges and those are a bit more durable compared to 8620.

Ping incorporated a longer hosel in the Tour-S design moving the CG closer to the heel which should give the player a flatter more accurate trajectory. The bottom or first groove is parallel with the leading wedge and painted weight to help the golfer align the club to the ball easier.

Behind the face the Tour-S wedge features that polymer insert to soften impact like the S-57 and Tour-W wedges have. These are only available with the new 2010 USGA conforming grooves and are expected to go on sale in the U.S this summer.

(Original Story and Pictures by David Dusek @ Golf.com)

 EMAIL

We were lucky enough to get a chance to try the new Ping Anser Forged iron at the Japan Golf Fair yesterday. The Anser Forged is slated for an April release here in Japan and features a sharp toe and straighter toe matched with a premium forged 8620 Carbon Steel body (this is a correction as I mistakenly said S25C earlier, 8620 Carbon is used in Adams Idea Pro Forged irons for example) and Tungsten Sole.

Ping fans are surely excited about a forged offering and they have every right to be as we hit the forged Anser and it is soft and easy to hit. The sole of the cavity which is hollow allows the weight to be pushed low with the heavy tungsten sole making for an easy and forgiving launch.  The Anser Forged back cavity features a thicker sweet spot area for a pure feel. Look for the Ping Anser Forged to be available soon for pre -order at TSG!

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

Mr. David Dusek from Golf.com caught first sight of the all new Ping Tour Van at Liberty National.  Why the new Tour Van when the old one was just as good, well just days before the Masters the previous tour van was totaled when a timber truck hit it.

Tour vans in general house a basic club making area where Ping staff help pro's by building their clubs at the event and most often the same day. For those who havent been in a tour van these monsters carry a ton heads, shafts, and club making equipment while on the road. This is where we often see those hand picked or pre release heads before they hit retail.

Five months after the timber truck collision Ping pulled up to the driving range at liberty national and I bet the staff was quite proud of their new toy.  Mr. Dusek reports that the tour van is taller and four feet longer than the previous one and features a large expandable area to increase its inside space capacity, pretty much like a top notch RV some of us see on the road.

 EMAIL

Ping G15 Hybrid Review by Tatz
Total Score = 22/30 Possible Points!

** This Review is based on the Driving Iron Style G15 not the Hybrid Wood model **

Feel: 4/5 points
The G15 Hybrid had a very interesting and pleasing vibration at impact. It was different but felt very good so no faults at all there. The toe shots were a bit numb but the result was worth it.  This felt like more of a hollow titanium driving iron than your typlical hybrid wood style club feel.

Forgiveness: 3.75/5 Points
Very forgiving especially out on the toe, Tatz says that it felt like something was behind the mass of the toe making it fairly straight and accurate when missing out on the end.  Heel shots were user friendly as well and the sweet spot appeared to cover a large zone. A decent swing should put up a good result most of the time. Keep in mind it is a driving iron style club  that is less forgiving than a hybrid wood style but a lot more forgiving than a traditional long iron.

Accuracy 4.5/5 Points
The G15 Hybrid excelled in this category. Mostly because it is a driving iron and used to produce lower more accurate shots than a traditional hybrid wood style but it was an all around straight shooter even with a what we would call a medium to med/high trajectory. The standard build of the club, its shaft, and specs should work well in a good players hands as well as the average golfer. Tatsuro can hit just about any club  straight so he may not be the best judge this one.

Distance & Workability 4/5 Points
Compared to the Epon AF901 with a standard graphite shaft the G15 didnt compare in terms of distance or feel but this club was longer than just about every other driving hybrid iron he has ever tested.  It was fairly easy to work but Tatz noticed that when hitting a high draw the tendency of his swing combined with the design and original setup made his ball turn early when compared to others on the market. hitting low to high soft landing fades worked out perfectly for his swing.

Aesthetics: 2.75/5 Points
Pretty Ugly he says, its got a goose neck and looks like a driving iron that was mated with a hybrid wood.  I  have not seen it in person but from various angles posted online can understand what he's saying. I would like to add that the entire G15 series sole design reminds me of an autobot for some reason.  But hey some people cant look past that and let the club shine for what its supposed to do... Provide Results!

Overall: 4/5 Points:
Good club but would Tatsuro dethrone his AF901 for it? Nope he likes it but again he wants something with almost no offset, a lower trajectory and provides a bit more mishit feedback. This G15 Hyrbid is a great clubs for the average golfer and can solve some big problems that many players have like hitting long irons, sub 5 wood distances with a soft landing onto the green or give them some lift options for the longer club. Available in  five lofts: 17 degrees, 20, 23, 27 and 31. The Japanese versions are set to have different standard shafts than the U.S offerings.

 EMAIL

We'll say this for the guy, he made it an absolutely exciting battle.  Even though Hunter Mahan wasn't paired with Tiger Woods for the final round of the AT&T National Tournament at the Congressional Country Club, he certainly gave him a run for his money and forced Tiger to keep completely on top of his game to end up one tiny stroke ahead for his first ever victory at the tournament he has hosted for the past three years.  Impressive, yes, but so was Hunter Mahan, and it got us wondering exactly what clubs he used to play such great golf.

Mahan Ties Course Record But Gets Runner-Up

Great golf might be an understatement, as Mahan actually tied the course record that Anthony Kim had set on Thursday to get himself into the final round pairing with Tiger.  That's right, Mahan shot a 62 on Sunday to come within one stroke of upsetting Tiger.  Nevertheless, what clubs did he use to do it?  Looks like he's clearly a Ping man, with a little Titleist thrown in for good measure when it comes to wedges, and yes, the golf ball.  Here are the clubs, according to Golf.com, Mahan used in his near-upset:

DRIVER: Ping Rapture V2 (10.5°) with a Ping prototype 824 X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Ping G10 (15.5°) with a Fujikura ZCom 84 X shaft
HYBRID: Ping Rapture V2 (17°) with a UST V2 89 X Hybrid shaft
IRONS: Ping S-57 (3-PW) with True Temper X-100 shafts
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design (54°), Ping Eye2 (59°) with True Temper S-300 shafts
PUTTER: Ping IWI D66
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

Momentum into the British Open?

All we can say is, well played Hunter.  You provided a nail-biting finish, and considering you weren't even IN Tiger Wood's group, that's an impressive feat.  How will both Tiger and Hunter perform at the British Open coming up next week?  Guess we'll see, but after this win, I wouldn't be surprised to see Tiger steamroll through it.  Hang on tight.