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Some great news from the Japan tour front from Keigekiku Yururi. Last weekend Eun-A Lim won the Miyagi TV Dunlop Ladies Open by holding off fellow country women In-Bee Park and Na-Ri Lee by one shot and Momoko Ueda and Rui Kitada who were 2 shots back. Eun-A is a 4th year Golf 5 pro on the JLPGA from Korea who uses Yururi Tour 52 and 58 wedges. It was an exciting finish with a lot of pressure on Eun-A who hadn't won yet this year on tour. She played some big pressure shots down the stretch including several key approach shots with her Yururi wedges which helped seal the win.

What stood out for me as I watched on TV was on the 16th hole. Eun-A had trouble in the rough off the tee, she was forced to layup with her second shot. Needing par to stay up by one shot, using her Yururi wedge from about 75  yards out she hit a low trajectory approach shot with heavy back spin that went a bit past the hole then spun back to stop for an easy par putt.  This is the spin that Yururi is famous for. Eun-A has called this her favorite shot, purposely striking the ball just below the center of gravity for a controlled heavy back spin shot at the pin.

On the 18th Par 5 hole, needing par for the win, she hit long over the green to the back bunker. Using her Yururi Tour 58* she calmly exited the bunker right with another pressure packed shot right to the pin which she promptly putted in for the win. For me this was the first time I've watched Yururi in play on tour on TV. It was pretty impressive!

Also from the tour front, Yururi has just told us that the 2010 Flat Back blade is now in stock in the Satin finish. Most of you have already seen the black raw finish which we added to the pro shop back in August. The satin was a finish option but it wasn't officially available until today. It's a very clean and beautiful iron, premium forged in Japan with a compact size and thin sole and top line made for the tour pro and better player.

To celebrate Eun-A's win on tour and the official availability of the satin blades we've got a coupon for 80.00 off a set of Yururi 3-PW Flat Back Blades in either raw or satin finish. The coupon code is YURURIFLAT80 and can be used on checkout.

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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Masayuki Sasaya is known to produce some of the best putters in the world. With the launch of Gold's Factory USA in America in the early part of 2009 he has expanded awareness of his brand to an international scale.  All 2009 series GF USA putters have sold out as we eagerly await a peak at whats to come in 2010.

We are excited to announce that we have found out from TSG sources that Master Sasaya plans to produce a total line up of products including:

J.I.S Forged ( anser putter )
J.I.S SUS303 ( anser putter same material as Cameron's GSS )
J.I.S  Squared ( center shaft similar to Cameron's Square Back )

(Prototype) Muscle Back
(Prototype) Cavity Back
(Prototype) Half Muscle

J.I.S Wedge
Elite Level Wedge

While we do not have images of all the new products we do however have the very first 2 putter models photographed in the wild minus all the crazy modifications and personal flare GF customers select on top of the base design. We believe the thought process is to offer an affordable 100% Japan made product that gives the customer the ability to customize to their own desires at the time of purchase or in the future.

The starting price of the previous models were pretty high at 1250.00 + but those came with all the bells and whistles, this time Sasaya San is offering base models that have a standard head weight of 350 grams and lots of blank space to add customizations. We are hearing that the base models will run below 700 USD before options and enhancements are selected.

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Taylormade releases a lot of new golf clubs on a regular basis. This is because their R&D department is always working away at producing new designs and trying new things. Some people say they come out with too many products too fast but this is in fact a strategy used by TM emulated from believe it or not Japanese brands. Golf brands believe golfers want to see the latest innovations and see them quick.  As Mark King CEO was quoted in BusinessWeek back in February:

Chief Executive Officer Mark King calls the company's lickety-split rollout schedule "relentless innovation." It's an idea he imported from Japan, where, during a 2000 business trip, he saw how Japanese golf-equipment manufacturers were trouncing leisurely paced American leaders by turning out new products much more often.

A few years ago they came out with MWT or Moveable Weight Technology and this year in the R9 series FCT or Flight Control Technology. What many golfers don't know is that these technologies did not just happen overnight. Taylormade has been working on them for a very long time and have in fact developed many prototypes over the years that have not made it to the retail market or tour scene at all. These are the true prototypes of Taylormade.

The work of Mr. Toulon and Mr. Vincent

A big part of Taylormade's club evolution is Sean Toulon, EVP of Innovation, Global Product and Brand Creation. Mr. Toulon was a former Taylormade sales representative who founded Zevo Golf, a cutting edge brand that included Zevo Shot control an adjustable driver, before coming back  to TM and heading up equipment marketing before being promoted to his current position. Golf Today in Japan recently featured Mr. Toulon and another Taylormade visionary, Benoit Vincent, Chief Technology Officer and their prototype and development work for creating the new R9 Series. Mr. Toulon along with Mr. Vincent, have brought Taylormade to new heights of innovation over the past decade with MWT and FCT. Lets peek into the history of some of Taylormade's innovative prototypes of years past.

Flight Control Technology

First lets take a look at Flight Control Technology. The first FCT style "sleeve" first appeared in 2001 with the 360Ti driver. This sleeve which was built as a part of the driver allowed shafts to be changed in and out. In 2006 Taylormade placed a "Select Fit System" sleeve on the Burner Iron. In 2007 the makings of an R9 sleeve began with a prototype in the r7 425.  Between 2007 and 2008, Taylorade used a r7 CGB Prototype which featured a very close to production FCT sleeve and sole screw for attachment. In 2009 the R9 Series with Flight Control Technology was officially born!

Moveable Weight Technology

Taylormade first began playing with the idea of changing weight on a driver back in1993 with its M27 Prototype which was a catridge type removable plate in the back of the head.

In 2002 they utilized a 3 weight variation system in an R500 Series Prototype. This was a smaller catridge system with smaller weights inserted into the back bottom sole.

In 2002 and 2003 they the first MWT Prototype was born utilizing three head screw weights in the toe heel and back of the driver.

This prototype evolved into the R510 MWT Prototype which actually used 4 weight ports, one in the toe and one in the heel and two in the back sole.

MWT can now be found in drivers and fairway woods and utilities and even Taylormade putters. Being able to change your ball flight has helped make Taylormade not only the number one driver on tour but also one of the best selling brands worldwide.

The introduction of Flight Control Technology has helped them gain even more market share as it allows even the average golfer to adjust loft, lie, face angle and change shafts on the fly. This has allowed different swing type players to purchase the exact same driver and configure it for their own type of shot.

So what does the future have in store for Taylormade? Most likely more innovation and busy rollout schedule to satisfy every golfer's needs.

Get your FCT fix in the pro shop with the XR FCT, R9 Max and R9 Max Type E!

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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Masayuki Sasaya has worked hard at being the premium custom putter maker in Japan and while many hardcore enthusiasts know and love his work, Gold's Factory has long been a boutique/niche brand with a smaller high end clientele. That may have all changed with Octobers issue of Golf Digest here in Japan.

Gold's Factory's Sasaya-san is featured as the master of hand crafted putter making and customizations in a 10 page article that talks about putters in Japan today. Gold's Factory is talked about along with IPT Yamada Putters as really being the two only custom crafted putter makers in Japan today and Sasaya-san's ability to craft putters of his own as well as modify other existing putter brands

In the last few years in Japan, with the demise of Gauge Design Japan/G-Field (where Sasaya-san was in fact the Chief of their Tour Division), golfers have longed for a Japanese brand that stood out against all the big overseas putter brands like Odyssey and Scotty Cameron. Many of you who know TSG have followed Sasaya-san's work on his blog as well as our site and know the fine detail and amazing feel and performance that his putters give.

The fact is when it comes to hand made attention and quality, there is NO other putter in golf like Master Sasaya's. Gold's Factory is a one man operation, every putter is milled and crafted by the master himself. There is NO mass production here.  This is something that cannot be said about the larger brands.Besides crafting the most unique and one of a kind custom putters for each individual customer he serves, Gold's Factory has opened its doors to modifying and refinishing other brands. The putter tuning market has yet to be realized here in Japan.  Most buy off the shelf putters without realizing what a customized putter fit to a players stroke can do for their game.  When it comes to putter tuning, one of the most common things Gold's Factory does is add weight to each head, tungsten weights in the sole or face increase the MOI of a putter and change the CG positioning. This helps feel and roll as well as forgiveness on the face. The added weight creates control and can help smooth out a putting stroke.

Back to the custom work that Gold's can do, Golf Digest talks about how a Gold's Factory putter is built to spec for a customer including not only the head weight but the type of neck, the type of face milling which further enhances the feel, even the type sole.  Gold's Factory can create a tour quality custom putter from scratch... a billet of carbon steel to finished masterpiece.

So now that Gold's Factory is getting the recognition it so rightfully deserves, what does this mean for Sasaya-san moving ahead? Probably much more work and greater than ever creations as we saw when Tourspecgolfer posted about the Ryu-Zen putter earlier.  TSG is always here to help as building a custom putter is not easy and the options can be overwhelming. If you want a dream putter handmade by one of the TRUE masters in the golfing world, drop us a message and we can help you design your masterpiece.

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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"RYU ZEN"
Gold's Factory USA is producing a one of a kind putter that will be featured in America's #1 golf magazine. Enter the Gold's Factory " RYU ZEN " Putter. We have an exclusive shot of the very first engravings on the sole of Japan's trademark Koi fish.  The putter's sole will also feature some stunning cherry blossoms and a complicated paint fill design done by Master Sasaya himself.

Japanese GSS?
The head will be made of SUS303 J.I.S ( Japan Industry Standard Grade ) Steel ** Also Known by Scotty Cameron as GSS ( German Stainless Steel ). This is a notch above the stainless steel American putter makers use. Often U.S putter makers claim SUS303 but what they are really using is  18-9 stainless in the US (AISI standard).  So to sum this all up the RYU ZEN putter is made of the same material scotty cameron call's GSS, it's just that Scotty has that name locked down so no one else can use.  Great marketing by scotty but it gives credit to germany instead of Japan where the material is actually sourced.

German Silver
Another step makes this putter even more unique and special, it will feature a " German Silver Insert " That's right actual silver the same material  used to produce  the most important parts of Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet high end watches. This amazing and extremely expensive material produces the most rewarding feel at impact with the only drawback being its difficult to source and it's high price.

We will keep you posted as the putter takes shape into its final form. It may not look like anything now but when it's completed you will be stunned.

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New Taylormade R9 Irons Spy Pics!

Our sources are telling us that the New 2009 Taylormade R9 Irons are coming this October to Early November.  Actually Taylormade has a full line up of new product coming around that time also. I'm talking new putters, new hybrids, a new R9 MAX Type E LONG drive among other cool and exciting releases.  We are also getting word of a Taylormade TP R9 Irons and Taylormade TP R9 Forged Iron Set in the works!  Let's start with this image of the new R9 Irons over the  today and tomorrow I will highlight images of all the new products that will be available at TourSpecGolf.com

( Taylormade R9 Irons 2009 )

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Ping G15  Update

The Ping G15 Driver and Irons have been the talk of the forum boards for a couple weeks now and although we can't get much info from Ping golf directly there are those insiders out there leaking rumors and pre release info. I wonder if this is part of Ping's strategy to produce loads of hype for the new G15 Series.

Testing the G15 & i15

We are also hearing that their were indeed two drivers produced, the Ping G15 and the i15, a insider from golfwrx  noted that the professional golfers that are testing both the G15 & i15 prefer the G15 driver.   Again we can't confirm either but based on some images surfacing of Knock Off G15 Irons from china that usually closely resemble the retail product I will go out on a limb and say the Ping G15 is the next release and will most likley make its U.S PGA Tour debut at the 2009  British Open. Don't quote me on that...:roll: 

Where is PING made?

It makes us wonder where PING actually produces their golf clubs if Chinese companies often get a hold of similar to retail release looking knock off's far before any announcement and even before actual images are spotted on Tour. Does Ping really make it's golf clubs in the USA or do they only assemble it in the states? Im not going to get into this touchy subject but you can figure it out for yourself.

Ping G15 & i15 release date? we can only guess but based on past Ping Tour releases around the time of the british open that U.S retail release will be early to mid October.

We have compiled all the images we could to give our readers the most info possible, we would like to thank some of our sources from various forum boards like GolfWRX, BombSquadGolf and Golf-Patents.com.

Click Keep Reading to see the patent images of the G15 or i15 Driver and the G15 or i15 Driving Hybrid....
  

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Tourspecgolfer broke the word on the new  Bassara Griffin series earlier but with its official launch in 3 days, I thought I'd share some more information now that the shaft has been added to TSG's offerings. But let's take a step back to last year first where it all started.

A New Focus on Elasticity for Mitsubishi results in the Kai'li

Mitsubishi,  has in the last year, changed some of its manufacturing processes to focus on new technologies and materials and making better shafts than ever by controlling elasticity and energy. This started with the Ali'islei Special Edition shaft which is no longer available. Some of us feel that the Ali'islei was more of a trial venture into this new direction as it was a mixed bag of performance and in a way it is good that it was limited. Diamana learned from the Ali'islei and followed up with the Kai'li which to this point may be Diamana's greatest shaft ever. A lower torque control shaft that is called the new and improved Blue Board, the Kai'li maintains amazing accuracy but still provides wonderful feel, with low launch and low spin.  Because of this, Diamana's popularity in Japan has grown considerably this year. I've noticed more and more pros on the Japanese tour moving to the Kai'li. Sales of Kai'li are at the top or near the top every month since its release.

The Longest Bassara Ever

As for the new Griffin, the Bassara line has always filled the gap for Mitsubishi when it comes to lightweight and ultra light shafts.

The new Griffin Series not only looks good with its all new stunning graphics (a Royal Emblem featuring a Lion with Eagles Wings on a Yellow/Gold shaft) but for the first time, Mitsubishi has released a mainstream shaft with more flexes to meet the needs of a wider range of players who want a lighter performance shaft.

The Griffin is a sub 60g shaft that is designed to create a overwhelming sense of acceleration on the downswing, creating increased swing speeds and ball speeds with the end result being more distance. The Griffin features a new Super Elastic Fiber tip which accelerates the head to meet the ball at proper loft and impact. The Griffin creates a low spin trajectory for big carry and roll out. Mitsubishi considers this their longest lightweight carbon shaft ever.

The Super Elastic Fiber features a special titanium alloy which has a property that allows the shaft to return to its original shape immediately after being loaded (flexed) with energy. What this translates into is a high rebound release with no loss of that stored energy on the downswing.

The Griffin with its strong kick and performance still emphasizes control. With mid range torque numbers that translate into feel NOT loss of accuracy, the Griffin has a stiffer butt than the Falcon and Hawk which equal more control. Overall profile is shown in the chart below with a tip flex between Falcon and Hawk, a softer mid section which produces that distance and kick and feel, and the stiffer but for control.

The Griffin is available in two ranges, the G53 and G43 and for the first time as far as I can remember they actually have a Stiff/Regular flex to fill in the void many golfers fall into between Regular and Stiff flex.  The G53 also features a Tour Spec flex instead of an X-Flex made for those more agressive or faster swingers which Stiff just won't be enough.

I have a Griffin going into my driver and Egg Spoon. I cannot wait to try them out and report back.

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.