kurisu

I haven't got a real handicap since I don't play on JGA rated courses because it's so damn expensive around Tokyo. I put 36.4 because I thought this was more honest than inserting what I think my hcp is. I have a fairly stable ball flight shape (baby draw except with the driver where I pull 100% of the time, which is why I don't use the driver…), and I can use the spin of the z-star around the green and they are more durable (and less expensive) than ProV1s. But yeah, agreed that I shouldn't buy any extra gear (I am all set for a while) (for the record, the Supertri is my first driver ever, so I don't have any plan to change/replace it…)

No reason, I am not replacing my Supertri. But it was a chance to try clubs that are not for sale yet, and I got a free sleeve of ProV1s for answering their questionnaire afterwards, so why not? Ball flight was the same (there were no launch monitor it was more of a "feel" type of demo), I got to try different positions on the sleeves and saw *some* changes, and sound was great. Now, If you asked me which one I'd choose if I were on the market for a new driver, I'd go with the Titleist because the sound is so nice, and recently I feel my Supertri is a bit loud. But on a pure "performance" point of view, *I* didn't see a difference that would justify the change.

Had a chance to try a 910 D2 10.5º with a Fubuki 63 in S (same shaft as in my R9 Supertri) at my driving range. Ball flight pretty much same (as others have mentioned, how different can this be anyway??) but the sound was "WOW"! Hands down the best sounding driver I've hit yet. The rep said it's one of the biggest point with this new driver, because by having a special dual sleeve hosel/adjustment system, this changes the head's acoustic properties (compared to the 909D). It is still a nice, low pitched, signature Titleist "thump", but with just a hint of higher pitch à la Taylormade mixed in. The overall sound is powerful and "elegant" (for lack of a better adjective)

For a moment I thought I was in the "Equipment" forum :) I want hot beer cart girls here in Japan! All we have is 60 years old lady caddies and I certainly wouldn't want to turn on the charm anywhere near them…

Looks a bit busy colour wise but the Del Mar with an insert, that's nice.

did I miss something?

You think so even at address? Maybe I'm the minority here but I don't stare at the back cavity of my AP1s all day long. I usually look at them when I'm about to hit them, i.e. at address, and my comments on the looks are mainly about that.

To be totally honest the first time I saw them in a magazine before release I was excited about them. When I saw them with my own eyes at the shop they looked very different and much bulkier at address, a feeling that persisted when I tried them at the driving range event. But to each his own. As I said, (and seeing those statistics from Stretch's post above) I think it's brilliant marketing from Acushnet Japan, but to my European eyes, the VG3 irons don't look "Titleist". Even the AP series at address look more classic than that.

Kazuhiroさん、 どうもはじめまして。 Well, what shaft came with the set you tried? Beyond loft (which is definitely stronger than on your Yonex set) shaft is the biggest variable when it comes to distance and accuracy. The set I got to try had the same shaft as in my AP1s (NSPro950GH in S) so I got a pretty good idea how they compare and you can definitely see they are longer with the stronger loft, all other things being equal. Sound wise they were awfully "clicky" for forged heads. To be honest, I believe this is more of a marketing move than a true "new" product. I bet the plastic insert in the back is similar to what is in the AP series. As for looks, well, not my cup of tea. They are bulky, thick and kinda square. At address the topline gives the impression you have a frypan to hit with, especially since the heads are in dark chrome colour. Sorry for the harsh words but for me Titleist implies classic looks, and this model certainly doesn't fit that description… If people want to play Titleist, the AP2s are awesome and forgiving (and forged!), and the CB are just gorgeous IMHO… Why do I see so many senior players here with super expensive forged Honma or Titleist or PRGR musclebacks that cannot break 110? I mean, talk about making the game harder than it already is! Acushnet Japan knows this all too well, and that's why they created this VG3 line. They disguised SGI irons, driver, balls (expect a line of fairway woods soon) with buzzwords like "forged", "exclusive", "飛ぶ！" and "experienced golfer". Seriously it's brilliant. (As a side note. The VG3 ball: that's a distance ball in a pretty fancy colour sold at 8,000 yen a dozen. Same as the "GranZ" line before it, which tanked completely.)

Tried those a couple of weeks ago at a "new releases" event at my practice range (not only Titleist). Clearly those irons are targeted at the "okane mochi" (i.e. rich) senior salaryman; I mean, the 5 iron is lofted 24º, and the default shaft is a Motore 6.0i. If anything, these are made to go farther. Even the 710 AP1s that I play are less strongly lofted, and the AP1s are as close to "game improvement" as Titleist can make them. The shaft selection is pathetic: Motore 6.0i / DG S200 / NSPro950GH. I like the NSPro950, which I have in my AP1s, but you'd think they would at least give a few more options especially in graphite, for the market they target. Fitting is non-existant for Titleist here in Japan, unless you are really lucky and can attend the very rare demo events they organise once every blue moon in one of those very exclusive golf courses that you cannot enter unless you over 40 years old. (sorry I realise this starts to turn into a Acushnet rant…) Back on topic, the only reason that Acushnet Japan released those irons is that senior Japanese golfers are obsessed with distance (see the concept for the VG3 driver) and they are obsessed with forged *anything*. And it looks good to be the only guy playing Titleist clubs when you're out entertaining clients. I think it is brilliant marketing, but these irons are nothing to write home about when it comes to performance.

No. But are you sure you are using the correct torque wrench? There used to be two types, but since 2 years ago there's only the grey/white one that can tighten the screws with 40 inch pounds of torque and that works on the R7/R9 and later models (not only drivers, but it works on all products with FCT and MWT).

Apparently the guy is not a 36, he said in another thread that he put 36 on purpose in his profile… I put 36 in my profile (Not a real handicap, I haven't had the chance to play enough on rated courses since it's so expensive here in Japan) and I hit my 3 iron fine, and I am musing getting a 2 iron for kicks and fun. (before you jump at me, I hit the 3 iron fine but I can't hit my 4 wood or my driver to save my life. And no, I am not a long hitter either, 3 iron goes 195~200 yds ttl but it feels hella good on impact and that's why I stick with it –I take very regular lessons, though.)

We measured from the bottom of the club (i.e. from the heel of the club, where the shaft and the sole would meet) to the butt of the grip, so that's the correctly measured length. Attachment 2437

To illustrate: Riding the local success of the VG3 driver, Titleist will introduce "Japan only" VG3 irons : http://www.golfdigest.co.jp/magazine...002058401.html (sorry, Japanese only) Thick topline, but "forged". Lofts stronger than the AP1 (VG3 5i = 24º / AP1 = 25º) Clearly aimed at the rich retired salaryman (retail apparently will be 113,400 yen for 5~P set). Hits the shelves in end of September. Looks fugly if you ask me… But it says "forged" on the club so people will by them. (more pics here: http://www5.nikkansports.com/sports/.../07/vg3_1.html )

…I had it all figured out: off the rack (well, I was fitted for that loft and shaft anyway), the shafts in the Taylormade R9 Supertri sold in Japan are 45.25 inches (that is what the stickers say and that is what their website says ) and the swingweight is about D2.5/D3 Since I choke down about an inch every time I swing with it, I decided to have it cut. Reading and learning a lot in these forums, I found out: *shaft -0.75 inch (to 44.5) = -4.5 sw point *grip -6 grams (original 53g, Golf Pride MC =47g) = +1 sw *remove 1g x 2 and replace with 4g x 2 = +6g = +3.75 sw and I would be with about the same flex and about the same swing weight as before. Well, I went to my repair shop, told the guy what I wanted to do, and he went to start measuring the shaft… well, from the bottom point of the heel to the butt end, we got 44.75 inches! and balance was closer to D1.5 than D3. Since that doesn't change the fact that I choke down, I proceeded anyway and now my driver is 44 inches, SW is D2. I went to a golf shop close to the office and checked another Supertri: sticker says 45.25, but measured exactly 113.5cm= 44.68 inches. Checked a Calloway driver, sticker and measurement matched. Not sure what's going on, but could that be another great marketing trick from Taylormade? They say longer shaft=longer drive but actually it's shorter to help produce better contact?

And back to the topic at hand, while yes, some stuff available here could find a market in the US with the Sand Trap crowd (i.e. not your average golfer), the majority of "Japan only" clubs would certainly not please your eyes or your swing. The Titleist VG3 driver comes to mind. Or the Tourstage V-iQ woods series, which marketing concept is "Feel you can do a nice shot already at setup, the driver does the work for you" (not so loose translation of the description on their site : http://www.tourstage.com/v/v-iq/products/viq_driver/ ) Tourstage's "exe" irons is following the same marketing concept "Strong. High. Beautiful. Premium flight" ( http://www.tourstage.com/exe/exe-series/products/iron/ ) I am not making that stuff up. It goes the same way USA->Japan. I really wanted to try a Titleist 909D Comp. Well, it's not sold here. Cannot find Srixon Trispeed Tour balls here either. Or a decent fitting center unless you want to pay 200 bucks to Taylormade that are not put forth the purchase of clubs.

Fair enough. But I doubt Honma or Daiwa (who is selling under the name "OnOff" around these parts), or PRGR have the same financial muscle as Bridgestone. We got a Honma shop next to our offices. Price of an iron set is, get ready for this, 800,000 yen. I'll let you guys convert that in dollars because my head is already spinning... They have trouble selling here, they only can reach the retired salarymen with money under their mattress.

I can vouch for that. Playing golf here on an ok course is a minimum of 13,000 yen, about 150 bucks. Add the fact that you have to drive a minimum of 1 hour to/from the course, wake up at 4 in the morning to avoid traffic and pay a ridiculous amount of money for the compulsory lunch between the two halves and you get the explanation to my empty pockets. Still love the game, though. As for the clubs, well, I don't think Bridgestone or Yamaha or any of the domestic brands want to invest too much in international distribution for now. The current crazy yen/dollar exchange rate makes it not worth it anyways.

I haven't putted enough with it yet, but it feels really light. Too light. Thanks for the links! I've also seen nice shafts from Nippon, but am trying to restore it as close as original as possible. One other question, anyone knows what grip came standard with that series? (yes, I may be a little too anal about this thing… :-p)

Hello folks, I found a '97 Teryllium Newport 2 on a local auction here at a great price and in great condition so I jumped on it. Attachment 2352 Attachment 2353 Attachment 2354 Apparently the previous owner cut the shaft at 33" and now the swing weight is measured at B-3 (!! !!) and so I want to restore it to its original specs. Since it's quite costly and cumbersome to send this putter to Scotty's Custom Shop from Japan, I am planning to have it reshafted and regripped here in Tokyo. My question is, what kind of shaft (brand/model/weight) is standard in this Tel3 ? I looked on Scotty's website and apart from the original length (35"), there's not much more information. Can some of you guys give me some clues? Much appreciated in advance Christopher

"Feel" is what impact feels in your hands/arms and how it sounds. You cannot really shape a shot like you can with a blade, but they do allow trajectory control to a certain extent. But that also depends a lot on what shaft you get. They are the most forgiving Titleist irons made. I certainly know I love mine.

I like them too. This means I can go to a store, be fitted for a shaft, and if i want to adjust the lie angle a few degrees upright, i can immediately do it and play, no need to do a special order and pay top dollars in the process. However, a majority of people here prefer a complete fit, i.e. you get/order exactly what the fitter recommends and finito. I'm certainly not as good as the guys who prefer that, so I won't comment further because I didn't enjoy the beating last time this subject came up

If your friend is Japanese, she can use rakuten.co.jp But keep in mind that standard measurements in Japan are not the same as standard measurements in the US. A standard #6 iron shaft here is 37 inches long, i.e. half an inch shorter than a standard #6 iron in the US, and has a lie angle of 61º, i.e. 1 to 2 degrees flatter than the US counterpart.

The current JPY KRW exchange rate most certainly doesn't help

In the same line, i.e. Nanov SD, an iron set (#5~#9 + PW) seems to start at 52,000 yen with a NS Pro 950 GH shaft. I'm not a Yonex fan though so I assume this is the GI line by looking at the specs. The "Nanov forged" set is starting at 82,000 yen. Again this is pretty much in line with other brands here. I got my 710 AP1 (the #5~#9+PW) for 60,000 yen back when they were released in Nov. 2009.