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Sometimes, we don't know what we've got until its gone.

In the never ending quest for finding the best performing golf clubs, enthusiasts like you and I sometimes go through phases where we buy and sell golf clubs like no tomorrow.  We have a hard time finding that perfect driver that combines distance and accuracy and lands you in the fairway nearly every time. We search long and hard for the purest feeling irons with just the right trajectory that will hit every green.  We salivate for the latest model wedges that will spin the living crap out of the latest and greatest golf ball we just bought. Sometimes we find what we're looking for, many times we don't.

Thinking back over the last 1-2 years, I think I must have let so many good golf clubs slip away. Either the urge to try something newer with the hope that its better or just for the sake of change. Though I have to admit changing too frequently has never been much of a help to my game's consistency. The truth is now, looking at all the clubs I have let go, there are many I wish I still had and kept. Some golf clubs simply for sentimental or collectors value or some simply because they were that good. Of course we don't realize it at the time until we let that golf club go that we may have lost what we were looking for in the first place!

The true economics of it is, golf is an expensive sport. Most of us cannot afford to stockpile all the gear we've ever owned and when it comes to getting new gear, usually its goodbye old clubs. Also my better half would kill me if she saw 20 drivers, 20 sets of irons, 20 putters and so on cluttering the house.  So I am still on the quest to finding the perfect clubs but I do  realize that it is probably a never ending challenge. Something newer, more high tech, deemed to be longer, straighter and more accurate will always be coming to the market.

I do admit though that changing golf gear is very addictive and can very fun. For a golf fanatic there is nothing better than being able to try and test all the latest and greatest equipment, especially here in Japan. The temptations are enormous when it comes to new clubs and shafts and even accessories but, I still look back and there are definitely clubs I regret letting go (see picture above for a small sampling).

So here is my poll for the week to all of you GTI Readers.

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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If you liked the previous videos featuring the Yamaha drivers for 2009, you'll love this one featuring the 2009 Inpres X fariway woods and utility. Both these clubs feature Yamaha's new Fric Off Sole, a concave sole and bounce on the leading edge. The problem with many players and fairway woods is that they make too much contact with the ground before impact and this friction slows the clubhead and decreases distance and creates a far less desirable impact.

Fric Off minimizes the amount of the club that makes contact with the ground by only allowing the leading edge of the club to glance off the ground right before impact. This creates far better contact and increases club head speed through the impact zone. Because of the Fric Off design and the fact that Yamaha clubs have always been know to be great feeling and cutting edge design clubs, the Yamaha Inpres X line of fariway woods has been the number one selling FW for the average golfer in Japan for 2009. Check out Yamaha's woods and utility in the pro shop and this awesome 5 min and 34 sec video featuring the clubs and Fric Off.

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.