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It's been a while since we posted up some Gold's Factory eye candy. Gold's is busier than ever with many many modifications, refinishes and custom created putters as well as wedges in the works. Every job is unique and for each specific customer which is why they haven't even had time to any one off models lately.  Very popular has been custom neck work on Scotty Camerons as well as refinishes, custom face milling and extra weight.

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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It's not everyday that we are lucky enough for a manufacturer to send over their entire product lineup for us to review and photo shoot but that's exactly what Keigekiku Yururi has done for us. I received a huge box from Hyogo Prefecture today, the home of Yururi and also home to some of Japan's most well established steel and forging industries. Yururi sent over every model iron as well as every wedge (in every loft I might add) which made me think that this is the perfect opportunity to show all the Yururi models side by side to help those interested in Yururi make the right choice when it comes to the model for them. Yururi's irons and wedges are playable by a wide range of golfers, from professionals all the way to average golfers. Its all about choosing the right one for your game.

Unfortunately today, its pouring rain outside so I can't do much photo taking.  I took a quick snap of all the iron models on my desk, ranging from the compact Flat Back blade in satin and raw black to the KM-0107 in black and in satin finish, and to the very fine KM-0208 and new Iwazono SY-0209 head for the more average golfer.  Hopefully the weather clears up tomorrow and I can look more closely at each model and compare them side by side for size, offset, design and intended audience!

Yururi has also introduced an all new grip. It's a very tacky multi textured cross pattern which I really like the looks and feel of. Keep your eyes on the pro shop where it will be available for purchase 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.

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Ever since Gold's Factory was featured in Golf Digest as the premier custom putter maker and modifier, Master Sasaya has had a lot of work to do. Besides creating his custom Gold's Factory wedges and putters, modification work for all kinds of other brands has picked up considerably. Center shafts and custom neck work, custom weighting, engraving, custom finishes and face milling... its all being done at Gold's. Pictures say more than words so here are some of his recent works.

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

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

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

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In 2010 the Japan Only Titleist TVD was one of our top selling wedges no doubt.  This is the new 2011 model.  What makes it so cool?  well first it's only offered to Tour players as well as on rare occasions sold in very limited numbers at Vokey Wedgeworks to the public.  The Japan TVD-R CC features a slightly different stamping but the best part is it's sold all year around.  This in my opinion is their best wedge to date.  A word that describes them that comes to mind is refinement. It's not forged or even made in Japan  It's just a solid wedge and that makes it a must for any vokey fanatics collection.

The new TVD-R features a new grind from Bob Vokey called the "R" Grind.  The R Grind is a modified TVD grind featuring a pre worn leading edge which allows for easy in and easy out clearance through the turf.  The new TVD-R features a spin milled face and C-C grooves (Condition of Competition conforming grooves).  The crescent shaped bounce surface is narrowed and cambered for shot making along with tour proven heel toe and trailing edge relief to create more pure impact. The leading edge grind is what I would call perfect.

The TVD-R is available in 8 loft/bounce options  48/8,  50/9,  52/10,  54/11,  56/12,  58/10,  60/9,  and 62/8.  The 62* sounds nice doesn't it?  You can custom order it with a variety of different shaft options and swing weights.  Graphite, KBS Tour, DGHL & SL and other NS Pro offerings.  The standard shafts are the usual S200 & NS950 and with those you can achive a D1-D3 balance but depending on what optional shaft you select it can go as high as D5.

I think the grind is standout, it's got everything I want just wish it was forged of S20C.  I have the previous TVD and it IMO isn't as sexy. Which leads me to the question and today's poll:

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

The new Titleist Japan 2011 TVD-R C-C Wedge will be part of our 12 wedge shootout soon to come. stay tuned to see which top wedge makers get honors.

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PRGR wedges are often overlooked despite being designed using the latest cutting edge technology and manufactured by Endo manufacturing of S20C.  TSG is currently doing a lot of wedge testing and and has highlighted Yamaha, Miura, and now Pro Gear (PRGR).

The all new 2011 PRGR iD Forged Wedge has a soft, pure, yet firm feel to it.  Softer than the Miura but more firm than the Yamaha recently tested.  Of the bunch it’s the most forgiving.  It’s sole is well suited for the softer turf conditions and applies itself extremely well in the rough as well as softer sand situations.

The new iD Wedge is designed for the better player with its minimal offset while still containing a lot of forgiveness.  It’s top line is what I would consider to be a bit larger than thin yet not thick by any means.  It’s got a more Japanese style neck to face/top line transition, the opposite of the Miura and closer in resemblance to the Yamaha.

When looking at it face on It stands tall with a lot of contact surface in all areas which adds to it’s ease of use.  When I look at it’s design I see bits of cavity and perimeter weighting which counters its lower sole mass to produce a trajectory even the professional player can appreciate.

It’s spin is equal to the Yamaha, more than the Yonex & Miura, and less than the Akira H2.  Of those mentioned above it’s by far the most forgiving.  Stay tuned more wedge highlights to come this coming week.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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It's been crazy here at TSG,  the amount of new JDM equipment arriving with a shortage of club testers has really brought review capacity to a crawl.  The good news is that we have a lot on deck headed your way.  Today I'm doing an overview of the Akira Tour & Prototype Wedges.    The H3 series as seen above are labelled prototype.  They feature what's called H design tapered grooves by Horie-san which are a varient of the legal V groove.  The grooves are USGA conforming and what makes these special is how aggressively they are milled putting them on the cusp of being illegal.

It's made of 8620 mild carbon but feels very soft compared to other wedges produced of the same material.  It's very similar to the Tour Wedges also seen in this post except the H3 has a little less bounce and a more rounded leading edge.  These are direct from Akira Japan's Tour Department and will be sold at TSG until they are used up by the tour players.  The H3 wedges come in at around 298 grams and are available in 54/8, 58/10, and 60/10 lofts.  It's available in two finishes a dark PVD black or a brushed satin.  Both of the finishes have a double plating of Cu (Copper) and NiCr (NickelChrome) which is why they feel superb.

The new Akira Tour Wedge is based on the H1 Prototypes above and features a compact tear drop shaped head with a long straight neck and versatile M style grind which provides trailing edge and heel toe relief.  The Tour wedge's tear drop shape features a higher toe profile allowing for more control and direction especially when the head is opened up.  While bounce is on the higher side, the thin sole still plays well even on firmer turf while the bounce really comes into play with softer conditions and deep rough and sand.

TSG is offering a limited number of head only Tour Wedges directly from Akira's Tour Department.  The Tour Heads are approximately 298g in weight and available in 50/10 52/10 54/10 56/12 58/14 lofts.  Click here to check out the product listing.  Only a few Akira products listed now, but many more to coming this and next week.

That sums up the H3 and Tour series of Akira wedges,  there is also the H1 and H2 series that we are still waiting for testing and evaluation samples to arrive.  Of the H1, H2, and H3 the H2 is the most compact and straight neck.  It's most popular on the JPGA tour and was designed for Kenichi Kuboya who just qualified for the U.S open.  Another good way to look at it is the H2 is similar to a Tour Vokey in size and it's boxier leading edge while the H3 is somewhat like a Cleveland 588.  Both the Tour and H3 Prototype wedges are now available in the TSG ProShop as head's only.

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Lots of news on the Crazy front. Crazy shafts which began a few years ago as a very underground boutique type shaft brand made for hardcore enthusiasts and long drivers has grown considerably in the last 2 years. With more and more exposure across Japan including top golfing publications and golfing events across the country, more and more mainstream golfers are coming to recognize the Crazy brand as one of the best shaft offerings.

Crazy officially launched their Tour Van (they call it a tour bus) last month which supports not only pro long drivers and tour players in Japan but at many promotional events that Crazy is now holding monthly to allow players across Japan to test their shafts. I'll be heading out to one of their events next month for pictures of their new van and to cover one of their fitting events which are always very interesting thanks to some of the ultra fast swingers and hard hitters who always seem to come out.

On the product front, Crazy is about to release their VERY LIMITED Toyoshima Special Wedge. Toyoshima Daiki has taken years of tour and grinding experience to personally hand grind these new wedges for Crazy. He worked hard over the last few weeks to grind 50 sets of 52 and 58* wedges which will be made available with Crazy Black high modulus carbon shafts. Crazy has decided to release 2 types of heads, a face milled model and a non milled face model.  Because of the shafts that come with the wedges, the costs per set are quite high. We'll have the non milled face set at 950.00 a pair and the milled face set at 1150.00 a set (estimated pricing).  Remember only 50 sets are made and this is for all of Japan so I estimate we may only get access to a handful.

Crazy has also released their new model iron shafts, the Crazy Black series. There are 3 models including the very crazy price wise CBI-80 Limited which are 80t full carbon sheet iron shafts. These perform like graphite but with the dispersion of 130g steel. They do cost a fortune though so are not for everyone (probably for very few people at that). They've also released more down to earth CBI-01 and CBI-02 shafts which are 50t and great for those moving from heavy steel to slightly lighter graphite who still want heavy steel dispersion.

The new Royal Decoration shafts are also out for slower and more average swingers wanting crazy distance from an ultra light high modulus carbon shaft. Released at the same time is a new TJ-46 HK for High Kick model which helps bring ball flight down for those who hit the ball too high. Also a new fairway wood shaft the FW-50 Sigma has been released. The FW-50 is a control shaft for those how want a heavier FW shaft that produces a more penetrating ball flight and stability.  There are also new head covers on the way as shown in the image below.

Be sure to check out all the new products 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.

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

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

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

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We've got some exciting news from Titleist Japan, we're going to be able to get our hands on a few very limited Ryuji Imada tour wedge sets! The Vokey Design wedges are exactly the same models, designs and specs that Ryuji uses on the PGA tour.  The three wedge replica set will consist of:

49* Vokey 200 Series Wedge (48.06)
53* Vokey Prototype Wedge (53.12)
61.5* Vokey Prototype Wedge (61-T)

All three wedges are shafted with DG Tour Issue S400 shafts and have the same grinds and stampings as the wedges in Ryuji's bag and are of course with conforming grooves.

The bad news is they are SUPER limited and cost 990.00 a set (which works out to 330.00 a wedge - I guess that doesn't sound too bad).

They begin shipping at the end of April and we cannot guarantee the exact number of sets we will get.  If you are interested please contact us to reserve your set.

UPDATE April 8th: Allocation of 2 sets! SOLD OUT!! - We are trying to get more.

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.