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

Royal Collection introduced a new SFD Black line which focuses on distance and stability. The clubs are all marked with the words "Super Fairway Drive" which stands for the objective of the SFD Black line of getting the ball in the fairway on every shot (hence the short form SFD). While RC is usually known for its athlete models like the BBD's, Tour VS and TRC lines, the SFD line has always bridged the gap between the athlete golfer and more average golfer by providing more ease of use, higher launching type clubs.

As you may have guessed the new SFD Black utility is indeed black in finish. It features a slightly larger head size for a utility with the 3 lofts ranging from 135cc for the 19* to 125cc for the 25*. The SFD Black also uses RC's U channel or as they call it the driving cavity sole.  The sole is not only used to create less friction at impact with the ground but also for optimal CG placement. Average golfers will appreciate the SFD Black's shorter club lengths which allow for more consistent ball striking.

The SFD Black features a reasonably shallow face which allows the player to get the ball up in the air quickly from virtually any lie.  Interestingly while the head is larger and the supposedly more forgiving, I found the face firmer than the current RC New TRC UT which in fact shares the same 455 Stainless face.  Perhaps the difference in body materials, 17-4 for the TRC and SUS630 for the SFD Black, changes the overall feel. I found the TRC to be more crisp and better feeling on miss hits while the SFD Black quite firm feeling especially on hits towards the heel. Luckily the SFD Black is not difficult to hit so you can catch the sweet spot on a consistent basis.

One of the strong points of the SFD Black is that it hides its size well yet still provides confidence at address. The face is longer heel to toe and frames the ball well. While there is minimal offset, the face is slightly closed to aid average golfers in squaring up to the ball at impact and avoiding the right side.

I have to admit I was not blown away by the SFD Black. I still prefer the TRC Utility which I think has better feel and is even more versatile thanks to its twin rail cavity. The TRC is more workable with its square face angle and distance is already pretty darn good. With the SFD Black sporting shorter lengths it is reasonably easy to hit on the screws. The SFD Black is easy to launch high and actually has a pretty stable club weight which promotes better tempo and rhythm. The SFD Black comes with a special made for RC Fubuki shaft which is 58g for the R flex and 63g for the S flex. Its a mid kicking shaft and I found it quite stable with this head.

I would recommend the SFD Black to those looking for an easy to launch confidence inspiring larger UT to replace their long irons with. Those who want a deeper face and even more versatility should look at the TRC which we've reviewed here before as well. Look for the new SFD Black 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

I brought the TRC Driving Spoon 13* to the range today to try it out before I go and play a round with it.  I had my Nikon D5100 with me so I thought I would film the sound of the D/S at impact for people to hear. The F-65 Stiff shaft is actually a bit stout for me and I found my shots fading right.  Trajectory even with the 13* is quite penetrating and strong.  With the right shaft this could be a great club.  Even though its a fairway wood in disguise, the sound is probably closer to a driver. Feel is pretty good and overall soft and crisp.

I also hit my new TRC UT 20* with ATTAS T2 6 Shaft. The sound is like the previous model and higher pitched than the D/S. Very good feel.

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've always had a soft spot for Royal Collection clubs and wedges. RC compared to most brands is a very small company with only 20 employees dedicated to designing and producing golf clubs that look great and perform great. While Royal Collection is probably best know for their woods and utilities, they are no slouch when it comes to releasing quality irons and wedges.

Dent Back...

About 5 years ago the original DB Forged became quite a cult classic among enthusiast golfers. Designed and grinded by Masahiro Tomaru (now owner of Grind Studio and former creator of Fourteen's MT-28 series of wedges) the DB Forged was treasured among better players looking for premium feel, spin and a versatile grind. While Tomaru-san may no longer be involved with RC's new 2011 DB Forged, RC looks to have released another winner. DB stands for Dent Back and as you can see from the wedges cavity, there is an area of the cavity that is dented in. What this does is allows RC to move the weight and CG higher in the wedge to create a more spin heavy stronger and stable trajectory.

Very well designed all around...

The new DB Forged has a very nice shape with minimal offset. It was originally released as a two wedge prototype set with raw finish. These sets sold out very very quickly and RC proceeded to release a retail model, one with a nickel chrome finish and one with a black finish. All the DB Forged wedges are forged from premium S20C steel by Endo. Another key characteristic of the new DB Forged is its grind/sole. RC sought to make a very versatile grind by creating lots of toe and heel relief as well as huge trailing edge relief. This allows for the wedge to really get under the ball in all different kinds of lies and situations and allows for the wedge to be closed or opened easily for higher trajectory shots or lower pitch and runs all while aiming straight at the pin.

Milled face...

I had been using a 52 and 58 setup but I found the need for a change as my Titliest VG3 Forged PW has a very strong loft of 44*. This left me with a very big 8* gap between my PW and 52*. I found myself using the PW with 3/4 and 1/2 swings to fill in the yardage gap. I decided to go with a 50 and 56* which would create a more consistent 6* gap between my PW AW and SW.  I love a wedge with a long flowing neck, less offset and a tear drop like shape and that is what the DB Forged has. However as an average golfer, I do not necessarily have the swing speed or technique to generate as much backspin as I would like, especially with new conforming grooves. This is another reason why I looked at the DB Forged as my gamers this season as their faces are milled to add additional bite to its USGA conforming grooves.

Clean pure impact...

The DB Forged do have higher bounces ie my wedges are 50/8 and 56/13 however I'd say the bounce is just right as the sole is not overly wide or rounded. Its specs are well suited for the lush courses here in Japan and the soft sand in the bunkers. I took the DB Forged out to a neighboring short course which specializes in allowing players to practice approaches from 120y and in across its 10 holes. Two key things stood out for me, the ability for the wedge to easily get under the ball thanks to its rounded leading edge and the soft but not mushy feel.  Direction is very good and even with the high bounce, setting up the 56 for a higher flop shot or a pitch and run were easily doable thanks to its grind and narrow sole.  Spin is as good as any conforming wedge I've tried and I really love how the black head frames the ball. On full wedge shots you are not punished for missing the sweet spot though feel can suffer if you hit it too much towards the toe. The 13* bounce on the 56 was great for slicing through the powdery sand and control distance out of the bunkers.

Overall I like this wedge and look forward to gaming it this year. My only concern which I cannot measure yet is the durability of the black finish. So far so good as I wiped it off after each shot and it looked again like new unlike some black finishes where your first shot practically removes the finish. If you are the type of player that does not care for maintenance and doesn't want to worry about long term wear, you're probably better off going with the nickel chrome model. I should note my wedges came with Nippon 950GH Stiff and DG s200 is also a standard shaft. RC will do custom orders including all Nippon models like the new Modus 3 and DG shafts and graphite as well. Once again RC has put together another club that looks great, feels great and so far performs very admirably.

You can check it out here in the pro shop.

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 been known to make some of the best Fairway woods over the last 10 years or so and have been producing clubs for over 17 years. Many golf enthusiasts in the West may be familiar with their Driving Cavity design through that was borrowed by the now defunct brand Sonartec. Sonartec has long been a popular choice of many PGA and LPGA professionals for their superbly designed and super performing fairway woods and utilities, most of which were passed down from Royal Collection years after their model release in Japan. In the past however, RC focused more on the  "Athlete" golfer (what they call low handicappers or scratch golfers in Japan) or professional player but in the last few years they strayed away a bit from that path by offering clubs like the Star FD and SFD III which were very playable and offered enough forgiveness for the average golfer.

Last year they went back to their roots and offered the Tour VS line for the better and athlete golfer while at the same time still offering the SFDIII and very popular TRC Utility from 2009. This year at the 2011 Japan Golf Fair they unveiled their new 2011 TRC lineup. TRC stands for Twin Rail Cavity and describes the dual rails you see on the sole of all TRC clubs. The rails are designed to reduce friction with the turf to help maintain swing speed, and create more pure contact with the ball. This in fact is not a new design or technology and is used by many brands these days in golf. RC has been using the rail cavity and U Sole  since the early 1990's and they seem to know what they are doing. The TRC line now consists of a Driving Spoon, Fairway Wood and Utility.

The Driving Spoon is a driver replacement and available in 11.5 and 13* lofts. It's a cross between a strong 3 wood and a mini driver and is designed to perform somewhere in between. For those who have trouble hitting a driver and prefer a shorter club (D/S is 43.75" long) or need a club off the tee that will provide a penetrating trajectory and more control but with minimal distance loss, the Driving Spoon fills those roles.  I thought I would bring in the ever popular PRGR egg Spoon once again as it is a benchmark for fairway wood distance and used by many for the same reason as the D/S is meant for, a driver replacement which produces driver like distance. One complaint I have had from users who have the egg Spoon is that the face is too shallow making it very scary to tee off with. As you can see from the picture I took above this is very true though the deep face of the TRC D/S most likely exaggerates the shallow face of the egg.  One will certainly be more confident teeing it up with the deep face of the TRC D/S.

The TRC D/S and the egg Spoon are also night and day when it comes to their looks at address.  Even though the TRC D/S (both 11.5 and 13*) is a whopping 224cc in volume, it looks very very traditional at address. The 165cc egg on the other hand is very high tech with its lack of a crown and body.  If the egg were not next to the D/S you'd be hard pressed to think it was a big head as the shape looks very compact. RC did well to hid 224cc. The egg Spoon sports a square face angle while the TRC D/S is also spec'ed as square, it apears almost open. Better players looking for a club to hit into the wind or narrow fairways will appreciate the look of the TRC D/S when teeing up.

Looking at the side view of both clubs is very shocking. This is probably the most tell tale sign of the clubs performance. The taller crown of the TRC D/S allow for the CG to be placed higher in the head while the egg Spoon pretty much is right down along the ground with all its weight pushed towards the sole. These two different designs create very different ball flights. The TRC D/S is a workable penetrating trajectory. Tee it up for piercing bullets. The egg on the other hand is meant to launch it high and far though will most likely struggle more in the wind.  Where the egg does have the advantage though is hitting it off the fairway/ground. The shallow face and low CG make it very easy to get the ball up in the air while the D/S simply is not easy to hit off the ground.  The deep face and more importantly long 43.75" of the TRC D/S was a huge struggle for me to square up and get airborne with a good launch angle.  However for those with no problems striking a deep face fairway wood and longer club off the deck, the TRC D/S will provide a bullet trajectory with monster run.  Feel wise, the TRC feels awesome. It has the solid feel of a fairway wood matched somehow with the crisp pop of a driver.  I might like the feel more than the new egg.

As hard as it was for me to hit off the deck, I could not resist and get a D/S 13* anyway for teeing of on bad driver days and windy days.  I felt more confident swinging the TRC D/S off the tee than I do with some big head 460cc drivers whose faces are simply "too big" if you know what I mean. The difficulty of hitting the D/S off the deck was certainly NOT an oversight by RC. It's purpose is after all as a Driving Spoon or driver replacement. The hitting off the deck job belongs to the much more compact TRC Fairway Woods.

The new TRC Fairway Woods feature the same Twin Rail Cavity and pretty much looks like the D/S except much smaller. It comes in 14 15 and 17* lofts.  Royal Collection sent me the TRC 5 Wood which is a very small 137cc head with a mid deep square face with a square face angle. At 41.75" in length it was considerably easier to hit, and maybe even easier to hit than the 43" egg Spoon but with a different type of trajectory. The 5 wood has the same solid but crisp pop at impact and while it may not excel in distance it is very well rounded in that it offers very good feel and control and is not hard to hit.  If you comapare the 17* 5W to PRGR's 17* egg Spoon (165cc) the RC looks more compact and traditional.

While the Driving Spoons are a more specialized club, the TRC Fairways I consider to be near the top of best fairway woods in Japan. If fairway woods aren't your calling, there are also the new TRC Utilities. RC Utility clubs are used all around the world on different pro tours and for good reason. They simply perform. I've been gaming the 2009 TRC 21* UT in my bag now for almost 2 years. I get to try every new UT and none could knock out the TRC's feel or performance. The key for the TRC is its a cross between a fairway wood and iron type utility. It looks like a compressed FW and its rounded shape still gives confidence at address yet its compact head allows for solid but crisp feel and awesome trajectory and direction.  The TRC Utility is available in 17 20 and 23* lofts and is longer in club length than an iron but shorter than an FW length. This is another feature that adds to its distance yet ease of use. So far no other utility for me is able to match the TRC's feel, ease of use, distance and stability. It's truly an all around performer and a great option with its 17* for a player who would rather use a rescue than a fairway wood.

The new TRC clubs all feature new Tour AD shafts specifically designed for the TRC Series. Customers can also choose their desired weights ranging from 55 65 and 75g shafts. The stock shaft provides pretty good feel, distance and control and plays reasonably true to flex especially the heavier models which feature lower torque as well for faster and harder swingers.

Royal Collection is not a big company. They have 20 employees (yes only TWENTY!!) and are dwarfed by other huge Japanese and American golf brands. But besides this fact, they continue to make quality clubs with well thought out designs and awesome feel and performance for all levels of golfers. The TRC line is no exception, easily good enough for the better golfer and low handicapper but also forgiving enough for the improving golfer looking for premium performance in their woods and utilities. Highly recommended!

For more info on RC clubs, please check them out in the TSG Pro Shop.

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 made some really great clubs recently and 2011 looks to be no different.  They did not have a big booth at the Japan Golf Fair like many of the big brands always do however, this is reflective of their products. RC has always believed in quality over quantity and it shows in their products from this smaller but focused company.

Their all new DB Forged wedges look to be winners. Following along the lines of the original DB Forged which had a cult following among hardcore and athlete golfers, the new DB Forged is premium forged with a very versatile grind just like the original. The M style grind provides versatility in any lie and the dent back cavity brings CG higher in the head. There are two standard models, black and satin, while the raw unplated model is a prototype model with limited sales.

Their ultra popular TRC club which was a hybrid within a hybrid has been split into two models. The 2009 TRC was designed as a cross between a fairway wood and a utility. Providing the distance of an FW but the versatility of a UT. The new TRC, which stands for Twin Rail Cavity now features a dedicated TRC FW and a TRC UT.  Both clubs feature deep faces and a versatile design aimed at the better player but forgiving enough for the improving golfer.

The new UT now features an all new Tour AD UT shafts and shorter lengths than the previous TRC. On the other hand the new TRC FW features two new D/S clubs. D/S stands for Driving Spoon. The D/S clubs are available in 11.5* and 13* lofts and are made to be maximum distance Spoons or fairway woods or even as alternatives to a driver. Their 225cc size, 43.75" lengths and deep face make them ideal for teeing off with max control but a penetrating trajectory.  I cannot wait to try they and we will hopefully have a video test of them tomorrow.

Click on the album below to see more awesome Royal Collection clubs from the show!

Royal Collection Japan Golf Fair 2011

33 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

Royal Collection is probably best known for it's awesome fairway woods and utilities but they also have produced some really stellar irons. Many golf enthusiasts in the West may be familiar with their Driving Cavity design through that was borrowed by the now defunct brand Sonartec. Sonartec has long been a popular choice of many PGA and LPGA professionals for their superbly designed and super performing fairway woods and utilities, most of which were passed down from Royal Collection years after their model release in Japan.

BBD's for the better golfer...

As a smaller company here in Japan, Royal Collection puts a lot of emphasis on design and quality.  They have long taken feedback from top professionals all around Japan as well as world wide on many of the design aspects in the clubs. The new Tour VS line are premium compact clubs made for the better player and part of their BBD's athlete lineup.

S20C Forged by Endo...

Part of this new lineup is the compact cavity Tour VS Forged iron. Forged from premium S20C steel by Endo, the Tour VS is made for feel and control for the lower handicap player. The Tour VS is a muscular more boxy looking iron with a thin undercut/pocket cavity. The cavity helps increase forgiveness by reducing distance and lost accuracy on off center strikes.  Typically, pocket cavities can be associated with a change in sound and feel at impact ie a click when the ball strikes the face of the iron. I did not notice much of a click if any at all and the iron as as soft as most I have tested.  This is probably due to depth and width of the pocket which as you can see is very small.

V-Cut Sole...

One of the key aspects of the new Tour VS line, in all the clubs in this line, is the new V-cut Sole. Yes that is what VS stands for. This V-cut sole has been incorporated into all the Tour VS woods and probably has the largest impact on the Tour VS iron. This sole is very forgiving and is made to move through any lie cleanly thanks to it's blunt leading edge, cut away toe and heel portions and trailing edge relief. The sole design aids in creating more pure impact with the ball as a player is able to get cleanly "under" the ball as the sole clears through the turf with less friction and resistance.  The below video demonstrates the sole in action:

Sets up well with nice lines...

The Tour VS has great lines. It's a bit boxy but the sharp lines are probably preferred by the better player. Some people may not like the large RC on the back part of the sole edge cavity but I think it's better than having Royal Collection engraved on their which is much longer and busier. It's lines translates into a nice setup at address with it's thinner top line and less offset very eye appealing for the good ball striker. The face is not long, as a matter of a fact the score line area is barely larger than the diameter of a golf ball. So this makes you only have one place to hit the ball and that's right on the sweet spot for that butter soft feel. The most surprising thing for me was, this iron was easier to hit than I expected. Some say forgiveness is all in the mind. Looking down at the iron at address, I can most likely say that I concentrated more on striking the ball cleanly as the face is smaller than what I'm used to. Well hit balls are rewarded with awesome sound and feel.

Performance and recommendation...

Trajectory is mid to high and the iron is very accurate. Lofts are more on the traditional side as the Tour VS focuses on feel and control, not distance. Spin is rather good from the conforming grooves much in part due to the irons ability to catch the ball very cleaning resulting in optimal spin produced. This is a wonderful iron for the player 10 handicap and under but those good ball strikers and mid handicap players looking for a challenging iron to get to the next level should not shy away from this iron as it provides some very forgiving features and is surprisingly easier to hit than one would expect. I was actually testing this side by side with the much larger Tourstage GR Forged and I found I could hit it just as well as the Tourstage.

The Tour VS is beautifully finished in satin and has that great muscular look I mentioned earlier thanks to the muscular cavity and head shape. The Tour VS is available with S200, 950GH Stiff or Regular, and 1050GH Stiff.  Custom orders are also available directly from Royal Collection.  As always if you need help with specs or information, feel free to contact me through the blog.  This is probably one of Royal Collections best cavity backs to date and I highly recommend 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

The all new Royal Collection BBD's Tour VS line is now available in the TSG pro shop so I thought I'd take the time to test out some Tour VS demos sent over by Royal Collection.

Always a leader for fairway woods....

Royal Collection has been known to make some of the best Fairway woods over the last 10 years or so and have been producing clubs for over 17 years. Many golf enthusiasts in the West may be familiar with their Driving Cavity design through that was borrowed by the now defunct brand Sonartec. Sonartec has long been a popular choice of many PGA and LPGA professionals for their superbly designed and super performing fairway woods and utilities, most of which were passed down from Royal Collection years after their model release in Japan. In the past however, RC focused more on the  "Athlete" golfer (what they call low handicappers or scratch golfers in Japan) or professional player but in the last few years they strayed away a bit from that path by offering clubs like the Star FD and SFD III which were very playable and offered enough forgiveness for the average golfer.

Tour VS, typical RC for the Athlete golfer...

With the new BBD's Tour VS line, RC goes back to its bread and butter which is premium compact clubs made for the better player. As a smaller company here in Japan, Royal Collection puts a lot of emphasis on design and quality. Like TSG, they are small enough to care and big enough to deliver. They have long taken feedback from top professionals all around Japan as well as world wide on many of the design aspects in the clubs.

The new Tour VS is no different, with the driver and fairway woods sporting the very familiar channeled center sole coupled with a newly designed V cut outer sole. As desired by the better player and pro, both driver and fairway wood are very compact and traditionally pear shaped. Also noticeable right away is the deep face of both heads. Both these clubs are aimed at control and workability. The deeper faces sport a higher center of gravity resulting in a much more penetrating trajectory c0mpared to many drivers and fairway woods on the market that focus on high trajectory with super low CG points.

Designed for the faster swinger...

Both the driver and fairway wood are geared towards the faster swinger, the feel of the driver is solid and and higher swing speeds will reap the benefits of great distance and run.  The head is 425cc and looks it or even smaller and the face angle while spec'ed as square, could pass for being up to 1* open.  The Fairway Wood is crisp at impact thanks to a special high rally 455 stainless face matched with it's soft sus630 body. The tester I had was a 5 wood and at the driving range, several onlookers commented on how small the 5 wood was and how it made their fairway wood look huge. The Tour VS FW is not tiny volume wise, in fact it's bigger than the previous Pro TP when it comes to CC's at 152cc for the 5 wood but because of it's deep face and high back head, at address it could pass for 130cc's.  The deep face, high back design and square to open face angle of the fairway wood makes it easily workable with draw and fades at will. Many automatic fairway woods these days are made to go straight as possible or draw but this one will go either way with some forgiveness as well. The channeled sole and V Cut sole outer edges help reduce friction with the ground to make cleaner impact. The sole features are really helpful benefits especially with the FW's deeper face.

Penetrating ball flight from 425cc's...

While RC is best known for fairway woods, their drivers are no pushovers. The Tour VS driver is spec'ed at 45" in length and comes with stock Tour AD RC graphite that plays true to flex. This 60g shaft in stiff flex features 4.1* of torque so has good feel to it and matched with the head produces really penetrating flight.  The shaft itself is mid kicking and while it contributes somewhat to the trajectory, the biggest impact is the shorter and higher CG on the Tour VS which is natural for a high back compact head.

See the driver in action...

Feedback from many testers and publications have pointed out the low spin and low trajectory. Tester Kanetani pro over at GDO recently did a video review of the driver which you can watch here, and he notes the low trajectory and stresses the compact nature of the driver.  (clicking on the image below will open the movie in another window and media player is required - video in Japanese but as always you can see the driver in action).

Tour performance and quality from the Tour VS...

I really liked the compact shape of both the new Tour VS driver and fairway wood myself. They are aimed at the better player who likes a deep face and wants woods that focus on stability and control coupled with good feel. while the Tour VS line is available with R flex shafts, I'd recommend the driver to those with over 95mph swing speeds and I believe the driver will best excel at 105mph and above based on its design and face feel. The fairway wood can be played by the better player who wants a deep face which is also great off the tee. The FW's are on the heavier side which don't benefit the slower swinger.  As an example, the PRGR egg Spoon is comfortably under 310g for it's 15* club while the Tour VS 3 wood is right around 330g. If the stock shafts don't work for you, custom orders as always are available from Royal Collection with many of the top shafts in Japan today. Traditional shape heads, solid feel, penetrating and workable trajectory all packaged in a pretty good design and look. Athlete golfers will be pleased.

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

Yesterday I posted the History of Royal Collection Fairway Woods and Today were all about the new Tour VS  Irons just released by RC.

Tour VS Forged Iron
It's all about the Forging with this one.  S20C produced by Endo, That's right and as far as I know this is the first Iron I recall from RC that is being produced by Japan's top forging house.  It's a two piece construction pocket cavity or what I like to call a cavity undercut, they did this to make the face even more forgiving with hotter distance.

It's got minimal offset and is targeted to the better amateur player however we do expect to see these in the bags of top RC JPGA tour players as well as the Tour VS becomes the flagship cavity back model of Royal Collection.

Another important feature is the Royal Collection Tour VS V-Cut sole which was designed with a similar purpose in mind as other brands like TourStage and Srixon. It reduces drag and allows the sole to enter and exit the turf with stable and consistent results.  As usual RC has a pretty extensive line up of shaft options, the one in particular I am looking to try is the Fubuki Iron Series i425 Stiff Flex.

The Tour VS line up consists of a new Driver, Iron as seen in this post, Fairway Wood and Utility Club.  Stay tuned they are expected to be in the TSG ProShop by next week.

 EMAIL

Royal Collection Golf has been producing fairway woods for about 17 years.  From the very first RC-1 where the popular dented sole design appeared until the latest TOUR VS FW that also features a variation of that very same concept.  It's amazing how far they have advanced in 17 years.

I consider their transformation a natural evolution of product design. Royal Collection Golf knew they were on to something amazing and very little deviation has taken place since the very beginning.

Below I have a chart to take you through the years of amazing product RC has produced over almost 2 decades...

 EMAIL

Royal Collection has always excelled as one of Japan's top producers of athlete and better player fairway woods with tour presence all around the world with their various utilities and woods.  Their recognizable channeled sole is a design borrowed and imitated by many. Their previous generation 304T, 304F and limited 304P were top sellers among pros to single digit handicappers and any player looking for a compact pear shaped fairway wood with premium feel and a penetrating workable trajectory.

RC is proud to introduce their all new BBD's Tour VS Fairway wood. In addition the the channeled sole, this new FW also features a V-cut Sole, hence the VS which takes the wood's versatility up another notch. The new VS is compact and features a mid to deep face and a pear shape at address with a neutral 0* face angle.

It has a 2.2mm high replusion custom 455 Steel face matched with soft SUS630 body. As always it is available in 14* which is its strong 3 wood and a standard 15 18 and 20* lineup.  The VS is made for the stronger and faster swinger with static club weight nearing 330g for the 3 woods up to 340g for the 7w and that's with the stock shaft. The VS is available from RC as well with many of Japan's top performing shafts at an additional charge.  Upgrades include Tour AD's DI, EV and SF series as well as Fubuki and ilima and ATTAS T2 and Motore  Speeder VC.1 .

The face height of the new VS is 32.8mm and the CG point on the face actually higher up at 20.9mm. This creates a penetrating trajectory that better players will prefer. The VS in fact has a similar shape at address to the now sold out limited 304P which is a nice pear shape.

Pre order for the new clubs will begin in the coming weeks for a September 12th release from Royal Collection.

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 been known to make some of the best Fairway woods over the last 10 years or so. Many golf enthusiasts in the West may be familiar with their Driving Cavity design through that was borrowed by the now defunct brand Sonartec. Sonartec has long been a popular choice of many PGA and LPGA professionals for their superbly designed and super performing fairway woods and utilities, most of which were passed down from Royal Collection years after their model release in Japan. In the past however, RC focused more on the  "Athlete" golfer (what they call low handicappers or scratch golfers in Japan) or professional. In 2008, RC released the ★ FD Fairway wood and in 2009 the FD Utility for the Average golfer. I played the FD Fairway wood for a few months and while I really liked the sole design and feel, I found the head a bit too large and the club length a bit too long.

For 2010, Royal Collection once again introduces an average golfer line of clubs, the SFD III. The new SFD III fairway wood has the typical RC channeled sole but is a mid sized wood with shallow face like the FD was. I was excited about trying the SFD III also because the shaft is slightly shorter than other fairway woods making it easier to make consistent contact for the average golfer, some of which struggle with low lofted fairway woods. The 3W is about a 0.25" shorter than most average 3 W's while the 5W is almost 0.75" shorter than most 5W and a whole inch shorter than the 3W.  I received a strong 14* 3W for testing and I was excited to see how this would perform both off the deck and tee'ed up.

Click read more to continue the review, see more pics and watch video of the live club in action!

The new SFDIII is typical Royal Collection design. Even though its mid sized it still has a rather tradtional shape at address which is great considering the head is pretty flat with its shallow face. It does not look huge, but at the same time its not tiny like the Pro TP model which was sub 145cc. The 3W is in fact 177cc which is bordering on big but RC does well to hide its size. The SFDIII has Royal Collection's signature driving cavity channel which makes it very versatile in any lie and actually minimizes contact with the ground which reduces friction. Less contact and less friction mean more head speed and better contact. In my hands the SFDIII felt very balanced and easy to swing.

Great Shape...

At address it has that very nice pear shaped which could appeal to any level golfer really. The face angle is also 0* square which I think is a good thing for a shorter shafted fairway woods that could easily be pulled or hooked if the face angle was closed.  This seems to be a new trend as in the past, many average golfer fairway woods had closed faces like drivers as the thought was to help average golfers who sliced the ball.  I'm an average golfer and my bad driver shot is a slice but I found that I could square the club much better with a shorter fairway wood than a driver which resulted in my bad shoot becoming a pull or hook. Even average models like the PRGR GN502 Hit came out with square to open faces for the average golfer. There is no alignment mark which I really like. For me an alignment mark is just a distraction.

Shallow face...

Another trend that is evident in many average golfer model fairway woods is the shallow face. This helps get the ball up in the air and allows for the CG to e pushed further back creating that higher trajectory with more forgiveness towards the toe and heel of the club. Some players have found many of these shallow faces to be almost too shallow leading to strikes too high on the face or even coming under the ball. The SFDIII does have one of those shallower faces but the sole at the center line of the face is more like a V shape, creating more height in the face where the sweet spot is and actually allowing for better ball striking on uneven lies.

Automatic and great feel...

So how does this club feel and perform? After a test session at the range I have to say I really like this club. I have been looking for a 7W to complement my irreplaceable EGG Spoon and I think I may have found the club. The SFDII has a soft SUS630 body matched with a 455 high maraging face which feels awesome. It features that soft but crisp feel that we all have come to love and has a great sound to it at impact. The club is ultra easy to get the ball in the air, even with a 14* 3 wood.  Trajectory starts low and strong and then climbs high and comes down rather soft. The club is rather straight and draw and fade is doable even with the shallow face. Off the tee you do need to tee it a bit lower but its definitely long. There is minimal distance loss on off center hits towards the toe and heel as the face is pretty long heel to toe.  While the swing weight is D1, some might feel that the 3W is a bit on the light side at around 310g. The shorter FW's are heavier with the 11w topping out at 330g at 40.25" (this would be a very good average golfer 5 iron replacement and probably easier than some equivalent 24* utilities).  Moving over to the grass range I could really tell how well the channeled V shaped sole cuts through the grass minimizing friction. Pure contact was quite easy to make and yes I love the feel! It is as long as any FW I have hit except for the PRGR EGG Spoon which is an unexplained phenomenon.

An Average golfer model for everyone

The SFDIII is an average golfer model aimed at players with a 15-25 handicap. This is not to say that those with single digit handicaps could not play this club cause really anyone wanting a versatile and forgiving fairway wood would love the SFDIII.  Faster and more aggressive swingers should most likely opt for a heavier shaft upgrade as the 50g range stock Motore shaft may be too light and soft. The SFDIII is a great choice with its square face, great looks and wonderful feel and performance. The average golfer will love its ease of use and versatile sole. Those who have a hard time with fairway woods will appreciate the shorter lengths and shallow face.

Once again we have a Golf Digest video with Kanatani pro doing testing of the club so you can see video as well as hear sound at impact and Japanese only comments... (we should make videos like this!). Windows Media player or plugin required.

Simply click on the image below to watch! (this will open a pop up window with the video)

The Royal Collection SFDIII is available now in the TSG Pro Shop with stock shaft as well as custom order shafts directly from RC. Check out some of the other pictures I took below!

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.