Japanese Domestic Market products ? Yea or Nay ??

[Redhill]

I recently bought a SLDR with a AD Tour MT shaft in it and have been well pleased with the performance.  When I found it in a Dicks on sale for $169 and with some discounts it was down to $149, which for the shaft alone is a steal.  I noticed that it was packaged differently and had the instruction manual in Japanese as well as some of the labels on the club being bilingual.  I know that many of the USA products are made in Japan but this club appears to be targeted for the Japanese domestic market.  

Some of indicated that these products are subjected to tougher QC screening as the cultural demands of that market are more targeted for quality rather than cost.  I can tell no difference in the apparent QC from my untrained eye but wondered about others experiences.  I know that some of the Japanese foundries have fantastic reputations when dealing with the forged iron club heads but didn't know if that extended to other clubs, like this driver.

I first used it on the course and used it off the tee on 13 times and had 11 solid hits with it that were very long and very high and in the fairway, the other two "misses" were due to my swing errors but overall very pleased with making this my gamer in the bag.

[WUTiger]

I've had conversations with golf reps familiar with the Japanese market, and read a couple of blog items on the topic. Evidently, the Japanese really appreciate the craftsmanship of the forged golf club heads. The multi-step hammering and shaping process for forged clubheads (irons) has similarities to the multistep process for shaping and tempering the blade of a samurai sword. So, the forged clubheads have a major cultural aesthetics hook with the Japanese.

With big name golf clubs, I don't know that the Japanese-forged heads get materially better QC checks; it's just that forged go through more overall production steps than cast heads.

Another thing about Japanese items. USA golfers in the over-50 group might be interested in Japanese items for lighter weight, more flexible shafts. Also, more innovative shaft models often find the Asian market first.

I got my X20 Tours from Callaway Pre-owned at Christmas 2009; they were "like new" condition, heck, they were new!  The country-of-origin tags on the irons listed:
            head - China / shafts - China / assembly - China.
These were stock clubs with the Project X 5.0 Rifle flighted shafts. In golf shops, the X20 Tours all had PX 5.5 Rifle-flighted or stiffer, non-flighted PX, or had DG S300s.

So, given the actual assembly in China and the lighter PX 5.0 flex, I suspect these were made for the Japanese or Asian market and ended up in USA after the X20T went out of production. 

[JapanDave]

WUTiger, sorry to say that your sources really don't know much. 99% of people playing golf in Japan have no clue what the difference between forged and not forged is, except maybe that they are harder to hit. And the only people I know who use them are scratch or close to golfers and pro's and they only do so for the properties when they are hit. What you just said is like saying Australians have a cultural link to boomerang shaped clubs, b/c the aborigines where fond of the boomerang for hunting. 

 

Edited October 18, 2015 by JapanDave

[WUTiger]

WUTiger, sorry to say that your sources really don't know much. ...

... What you just said is like saying Australians have a cultural link to boomerang shaped clubs, b/c the aborigines where fond of the boomerang for hunting. 

Your boomerang analogy is a stretch. In marketing, Japanese club makers Miura and Vega really do tout their ties to foundries associated with forging samurai swords. 

http://www.miuragolf.com/about.asp

http://vega-golf.com/aboutvega/

In a 2011 blog item, USA club designer Tom Wishon discusses the mystique surrounding clubheads forged in Japan. He acknowledges that Japan has quality forges, but argues that their superiority in golf clubs is overrated.
http://wishongolf.com/forged-irons-from-japan-vs-us-or-china-the-facts/

[newtogolf]

It was probably surplus inventory Taylor Made had and offered it to Dick's at a steep discount just to get it off their shelves.  You got a great deal and if you hit it well it's even a better deal.

[JapanDave]

Your boomerang analogy is a stretch. In marketing, Japanese club makers Miura and Vega really do tout their ties to foundries associated with forging samurai swords. 

http://www.miuragolf.com/about.asp

http://vega-golf.com/aboutvega/

In a 2011 blog item, USA club designer Tom Wishon discusses the mystique surrounding clubheads forged in Japan. He acknowledges that Japan has quality forges, but argues that their superiority in golf clubs is overrated.
http://wishongolf.com/forged-irons-from-japan-vs-us-or-china-the-facts/

Both of those web pages are directed towards Americans, not Japanese and they are using the "Japanese culture in regards to Samurai swords" as a sales tool towards Americans. If they tried that in Japan, they would be called out instantly.

This is their Japanese web page, http://www.miuragiken.com/company/index.html

It has nothing on the company profile or forging process pages about their connection with forging and the Samurai sword. Also, this company is relatively unknown in golf circles here. Most people stick to the main brands. And I am not saying Japanese don't appreciate good quality, b/c they do, more so than any population I know.

Vega golf does not even have a web page that I can find in Japanese, but I did find some clubs that look like theirs.

 

Again with Tom Watson, this is all American bias, in Japan 99% of the population would have have a hard time making the connection between forged golf clubs and a forged Samurai sword, b/c there is none.

 

In Japan, it is the same, except the shoe is on the other foot. Like how you get asked if everyone eats McDonald's, or does every one walk around with guns stuffed in their pants in America. It is all a stereotype that is created by movies, and not everyone thinks this way here, but you get asked enough times that the amount of people who really do think this is substantial.

Edited October 19, 2015 by JapanDave

[WUTiger]

Both of those web pages are directed towards Americans, not Japanese and they are using the "Japanese culture in regards to Samurai swords" as a sales tool towards Americans. If they tried that in Japan, they would be called out instantly.

This makes sense, a sales tool for Americans. Thanks for the heads up. 

[JapanDave]

This makes sense, a sales tool for Americans. Thanks for the heads up. 

No problem at all. It does not mean that the clubs are lesser quality, b/c Japanese "handmade" workmanship is top quality. That is where I think Tom Watson was saying about the big companies and their quality compared to America. Still, Japanese quality control is second to none IMO.

[WUTiger]

JD,

Since you're in Japan, do you get to play much? "The Word" we get here in USA is that Japan has lots of golfers and a few very expensive courses, so most golfers only manage to play a few rounds a year. Also, practice ranges are almost a sport in themselves.

What have you observed?

(P.S. Tom Wishon - not Watson - made the comments about forged clubs.)

[JapanDave]

JD,

Since you're in Japan, do you get to play much? "The Word" we get here in USA is that Japan has lots of golfers and a few very expensive courses, so most golfers only manage to play a few rounds a year. Also, practice ranges are almost a sport in themselves.

What have you observed?

(P.S. Tom Wishon - not Watson - made the comments about forged clubs.)

I have played about 40 or there abouts times thus far ,this year. Usually once a week, sometimes twice. There are plenty of golf coarse's once you get out of the big cites. The average cost for a round where I tend to go is about $160-$200 lunch included. Some of the expensive places are well over $300 lunch included.  But, that said ,there are some coarse these days that you can get on for about $70-$80. But the quality is not good and they are usually very short.

Yeah, golf ranges are a sport in its self, not every one can afford to go to a coarse every week.

Sorry my bad, I read it and just thought Tom Watson.