I went to the range today and the local pro at my range had a few clubs he wanted to sell. His brother is a golf pro in Japan so lots of equipment gets sent his way which isn't readily available anywhere else.

So he asks me to try out his driver. It was a Grand Prix 9* driver (couldn't get the exact model) with an X-flex shaft I had never seen before. That thing was carrying at least 25-30 yards longer than my 983K 8.5 loft with Stiff Titleist Speeder. I was floored. It was also my first ever experience with an X-flex shaft, i thought i could never load it, but i'm thinking of trying X-flex a little more so i can make up my mind to change from S to X. My point is, I've never heard of Grand Prix golf equipment, can't even find something on the internet about them.

Then the pro asks me to try a 16* wood made by a company called Royal Precision. It has an X flex Fujikura Vista Pro 80 gram shaft installed. Same thing, long as can be. I've never hit my 15* 3-wood that long either. Never heard of a company called Royal Precision either.

I play Mizuno MP-33s, and I think there is none better, so I'm no stranger to Japanese equipment, but have any of you ever tried the two brands above, or even heard about them? Why don't these clubs get more attention? They felt better than most of the regular OEM equipment I have tried, and were defintely longer as well. What other golf secrets do the Japanese keep from us?

Rao.

Hi mate, never heard of Grand Prix golf but 25 yards is a long way!

Bear in mind that a lot of specs and tolerances are different in Japan and an X-flex over there could well be different to one elsewhere.

Royal Precision is Sonartec! Same company and similar products. Luke Donalds Sonartec 3 wood is technically a Royal Precision.

There's a link somewhere with some great info about Japanese manufacturers, i'll find it and get back to you.

In fact, just do a search for Japanese Clubs and you'll find endless information. I've just done the search and it's far too much to transfer over.

There's also another site which seems to be dedicated to Japanese equipment. It's like an Aladdin's cave of golf clubs that you haven't seen or heard of before. Thing is, i'm sure it's not a problem but I don't know what the rules are on giving out the site name?

Anyone know if it's o.k?

It's given out all the time on this forum, that's how I found out about it and it was sick website. I'll throw Beruo a line and check if it's okay

I think you have Royal Precision wrong; it's probably Royal Collection. If so, this is indeed the JDM version of Sonartec. Higher end with more expensive components. Awesome fairway woods and hybrids.

Thanks mate. Just wanted to check if it's o.k.



You're right, Royal Collection is Sonartec (I haven't had enough coffee yet)

Royal Precision make Rifle shafts. Although I think they've been bought out by True Temper.

That's correct, Royal Precision have been bought by TT

Sorry! Meant Royal Collection. Awesome woods. Feel very "high end". I have heard rumours that Grand Prix equipment is made to order for Japanese Pros only. The driver this guy was using and the one I hit really well was worth about $700 in Japan! Can't imagine what it would cost if imported to the US. All in all, I'm a Japenese equipment fan for life now.

Any other comments about their equipment would help.

Thanks!

BTW- this was my first real post on this website, and I'm very impressed with the turn around time to my question! Great site.

Rao.

Yeah, this site's pretty cool, until OCD kicks in

OCD? ohh lol , im a genius HAHA

try www.tourspecgolf.com another great forum but just for japanese gear.
Japanese gear is awesome, love the stuff pity it costs so much $$$$

Thanks for posting the website dav

http://www.tourspecgolf.com/

I think a couple of reasons is that the general public never sees it in the shops and on the TV. So why talk about it. The pros arnt pushing it, and the media doesnt either. I might see 500 ads from Callaway to 1 of a Japanesse OEM.

Tourspecgolf does a great job bring the quality closer for all of us.

RaoMizuno, what are you still doing here? Get on the website and be prepared to be dazzled with the wonders of the far east oooOOOHHH, aaaAAAHHH (did I make it sound sexy?)

Make sure you come back though!

First off, it's because of sites like this and Tourspec that I was even introduced to JDM (Japan Domestic Market) gear (most other adjectives are found offensive by many Japanese Americans) . If you look, you'll find plenty of info here on JDM gear (and even a few experts on it as well)---Tourspec is almost entirely dedicated to JDM gear--and for good reason. Japanese equipment (as a broad generalization) is much better than US equipment--and not longer, or more forgiving (although it might be)....

JDM gear is subject to MUCH higher standards, quality assurance, and craftsmanship---not to mention materials and processes. If you buy just about any JDM club and it's says 9.5 w/65g shaft---you can be it's 9.5 and 65g's---every time. I promise you, no US manufacturer is even close to the acceptable tolerances that JDM clubs are subject to. I've built up a number of JDM iron sets---and NONE of them had tip weights and all SW to an exact number. You won't get that Q/A from any US gear. I could go on an on....but I think you get the point.


Bottom line:

If you're curious and can save a little extra $---go ahead and pick up some JDM gear. You won't be disappointed in the quality and craftsmanship.

Wow! That's a great reply. I get it now. To be clear though, I don't live in the US and I'm not American. I do visit the US every 6 months or so for business, and my parents live in Toronto. So I can get JDM cheaper than most in the US. Just wanted to know if the JDM was "good" equipment or not. Initially, the Pro showed the driver to me, and I was like "Never heard of that name before, may be it's a fake/knockoff". But the pro is ranked 2nd in the country, so when I came back to my senses i decided to try and hit it first. I'm going to try a Ping G5 tomorrow with an Aldila NV 65 S shaft tomorrow morning. I'm sure lots of people agree that the G5 is a long driver. We'll see how the JDM compares to one of the most famous OEMs tomorrow!

Rao.

No,I drive a Dodge and my wife a Mercury.As you may imagine I live in Detroit.Look,I have no problem with the original poster of this threads comments or likes.I probably over reacted just a tad.I just get kind of tired of the fawning over some of the Japanesse equipment.I am sure its very nice.

Being from australia and I would be quite happy to send my money to Japan for some of the equipment they have. Id probably happily give my left one to get some of those japanese irons...

Also I would imagine that there is the odd maker of golf equipment that is sold in the U.S that isnt owned by American interests

Where abouts do you live RaoMizuno?

Check out Maruman (used to be big and they're starting to make a come back). Beautiful irons and a new driver that i've heard is an absolute cannon.

Katana is a company that doesn't get much attention as well. I've got a few friends who play on the European Tour and at one time or another they've all put a Katana driver in tournament play.

Villa, I can get this guy to get me anything as long as its available in Japan. For your reference, I live in Pakistan, no we don't play golf with sticks and stones!

I'm going to check out Katana for sure, and I have heard many good things about Maruman. I've only just begun to realize that the shaft is more important than any good head you put it in. I could defintely try some nice new shafts too. I also love anything with Mizuno written across it, as I'm sure you can guess.

Rao.

wow, they have some sick gear. even have mizuno golf balls. me wanty!

Give me credit, I know you're more civilised than that. You play with steel rods and stones right?

Sounds like a good contact to have! What's golf like over there mate? Is it easy to get equipment in general?


P.S Forget to give you a proper welcome to the greatest (and clearly most diverse) site in the world!

Since I work for a Japanese manufacturer here in the United States I guess I will throw my 2 cents in on the topic. The reason the Japanese products and US products are different is that the driving market forces of the two markets are different. The US market is price driven, where as the Japanese market is quailty/performance driven. SO take a company like Srixon. In Japan they create the highest quality/technologically advanced driver they can....and they charge $800-$1000 for a driver to pay for those R&D and quality costs. Then when it comes to the US product offerings they generally start with something similar to the Japanese offering but cut it back until it reaches a price point that it can be offered in the US.


From personal experience I have found that the desparity between Drivers/Fairway woods between JDM and OEM in the states is greater then the desparity in irons. Thats why my drivers (Srixon 505 and ZR600) and 3 wood (Z-Steel) are JDM...I hit the crap out of them.

Golf in Pakistan- Not as competitive as anywhere in the developed world. It is picking up though, like it is everywhere else in the world. Equipment is next to impossible to find. So you find something that costs three times as much as it does in the US, and happily pay for it, otherwise you're left with fakes to choose from. I have built a reasonable set however, I do want to swap my driver and 3 wood some time this year. Here's what I play for now:

Titleist 983K 8.5 Stock Titleist Speeder Stiff
Cobra SZ 15* Stock Aldila Stiff
Nike Pro Combo Forged Driving Iron 18* Stock Stiff shaft
Mizuno MP-33s DG S300 3-PW
Titleist Vokey Spin Milled 54/10
Cleveland CG11 60* 14 bounce
Odyssey White Hot #4
Bridgestone B330s

So while its not a very outdated bag, the woods need to be replaced primarily because I'm sick of the stock shafts. No fitting, no launch monitors, no chances to try new clubs before you buy- welcome to Pakistan.

Thanks for the forum welcome, mate!

Rao.

Bag looks good to me mate, solid setup.

If you've got a paypal account and some sort of disposable income or credit card then you're going to solve any equipment problems right here .

Let us know how you get on with the G5 tomorrow and what decisions you make on Japanese clubs.

Will do. Who is that HOTTIE in your avatar????

Rao.

http://www.annarawson.com/

Check it out. She makes Gulbis & Creamer look like swamp donkeys.

Welcome Rao, if it would be possible I'd love to see some pictures of a course that you play. I'm curious to see other designs.

Another Welcome Rao here. I agree with pretty much everything said about JDM equipment above. If you have any questions about JDM, feel free to PM me. You can also click my WITB photo link in my signature. You'll see I have a few JDM stuff in my WITB thread.

In Singapore and other South East Asian Countries, there's always a choice between US spec or Jap spec for major OEMs like Nike, Titleist and Callaway. Most of the diff is the different shaft choices, length of the clubs and the grip sizes.

Katana, Maruman are pretty popular there. There was also S-Yard by Seiko which were selling like Hotcakes back in the 90s. Yamaha's On/Off, Tourstage, JDM Macgregor, Pro Gear (PRGR) and Honma are all pretty hot selling. Fourteen is making some sort of cult following too. The surprising thing is that Muira is not that well known tho!

Need no mentioning will be that Mizuno is still the most popular JDM club but even that comes with both US or Jap Spec.

Hi Rao,

Welcome to the forum . Its great to hear about golf from around the world, and to have members from all over. Also, if you have questions, as stated above, just post away or drop us a pm.

I don't think it is offending. Me and my friends are not as strong, although some shoot long!
Younger generations have better nutrition and they are strong now.

I'm not trying to diss on asian guys - please don't misinterpret what I'm trying to say guys.

It's a fact that flexes in JDM plays much softer than US or Euro flexes does. All I'm saying is that a Euro guy that plays with stiff flex should go one flex up in JDM gear and play with X-stiff. Please DO NOT turn this into another discussion, guys.

Would I have a Miura logo in my avatar, If I didn't have the upmost respect for JDM gear and Asian golf gear ?

EDIT: The first line in this post might sound strange, but a couple of posts earlier in this thread has been deleted by a Marshall or GXGolfer to keep this thread ON topic and not OFF Topic - I'm thankful for that

Sorry about getting off topic before, although the post has been deleted so i guess it's a moot point.

The differences in flex may have to do more with differences in height (a statistically verifiable fact) rather than strength (which is very debatable). The difference in average height and arm/leg/torso length probably mean that asian market shafts are meant to trimmed shorter, effectively raising the stiffness. If you tried to play the shaft at a trimmed length equal to US standards (slightly longer than the intended trimmed length), the shafts would probably play softer.

Also, it could be a cultural difference. There's definitely a certain American machismo that makes us all want to see a low loft on our drivers and a stiff flex on our shafts. Perhaps the Japanese aren't so inclined?

Edit: Btw, I didn't mean to imply that your were dissing on asian guys, it's just that i hate to see misconceptions like that perpetuated

I didn't know. Good info, Miura.

I have JDM Callaway Great Big Bertha irons. They look and feel so good they tossed the Fusions from my bag.

I agree with Claus. JDM iron and wood shafts have softer flexes than USDM models. In fact some of the large consumer brands' shafts are quite a bit softer. But their high-end stuff, is absolutely the best there is. In driver shafts, iron heads, wedges they have no equal. I'm on my 3rd set of Japanese forgings, I can't say enough about them; I'm a fan for life.

Just curious, do you happen to know if that driver you hit 25 yards over your Titleist was USGA conforming? I know there are a lot of Asian market offerings that aren't conforming and are held to a 0.860 COR limit vs. the USGA 0.830, which might have some part in the extra distance?

Good post....I keep reading the comments regarding softer flexes...this is pretty much true on their normal retail/game improvement equipment. On the "player" end items like Tourstage, G Field, Beres, XXIO/Srixon, ONOFF, Mizuno, I've found that the shafts are pretty much in line with the US. Usually you'll find that their stock offerings are the custom offerings from the US OEM's. I don't think anyone can tell me a Roddio shaft on an ONOFF drifver was made for a weak swinging lightweight.

Thanks, All, for the great welcome. This is very quickly becoming my favorite forum.

"Wow! That's a great reply. I get it now. To be clear though, I don't live in the US and I'm not American. I do visit the US every 6 months or so for business, and my parents live in Toronto. So I can get JDM cheaper than most in the US. Just wanted to know if the JDM was "good" equipment or not. Initially, the Pro showed the driver to me, and I was like "Never heard of that name before, may be it's a fake/knockoff". But the pro is ranked 2nd in the country, so when I came back to my senses i decided to try and hit it first. I'm going to try a Ping G5 tomorrow with an Aldila NV 65 S shaft tomorrow morning. I'm sure lots of people agree that the G5 is a long driver. We'll see how the JDM compares to one of the most famous OEMs tomorrow!"


So I tried the G5 today with the Aldila NV 65 Stiff this morning. I got to say I was utterly disappointed. I also had the chance to try a G2 with the same shaft and hit it so much better. The G5 was a 9 degree head, and the G2 was a 10 degree head, I currently play a 983K with a 8.5 degree head. I hit my 983K longer than the G5, and the G2 about the same distance as my current Titleist. I'm looking for all of your ho'ing experience, why did this happen? Very weird.

My Titleist 983K 8.5 has a stiff Titleist Speeder shaft. Nobody i know likes that shaft, but I love it! Anyone here know which shaft plays like a Titleist Speeder? Please bear in mind that the Titleist heads are of a bore thru design, hence play stiffer than other non-bore thru heads. (But i'm sure you all already knew that).

I'm glad you like it in here - welcome aboard
It's the best golf forum in the world - and believe me, I've tried them all and is still a member of 6 other golfforums - this is the best of the best

Sure does look like it is the best.

Having said that, does anyone have answers to my last queries?

Thanks,
Rao.

Hi mate. It's a really difficult one to answer especially as you don't have any launch monitor facilities.

The reason (as far as I know) that the G5 was made was to create less spin than the G2 so it should launch lower. Couple that with the fact that you were using a lower lofted G5 than G2 and you'll start to see very different launch characteristics. If there wasn't much room for the G5 to run out then you probably wouldn't have seen the best results. The G2 might've carried further.

Having said all that, you're using an 8.5* 983K so launch obviously isn't an issue (however you've probably adapted a little to this club and that counts for a lot).

Shaft that plays closest to the Titleist Speeder? Fujikura Speeder?

Villa,
You've been my saviour so far.

Your explanation about the Ping issue makes sense. I didn't know the G5 was a low spin head. Funny thing is that my misses were way far right than they usually are with the 983k. Low spin shouldn't do that, should it? I don't know, but i have a feeling that Aldila NV shaft does me no good.

I'm in looking into a 905R purchase, is the 905R supposed to be low spin also? Also, if i were to get an 8.5 loft in the R, would it play similar to 8.5 loft of the 983K? I think I've heard somewhere that it would play lower, cannot be sure though.

Thanks again, mate.

Rao.

The G5 isn't a low spin head, just lower than the G2. Either way, neither that nor the shaft should make it go right. I would definately recommend a 905R but I wouldn't recommend sticking with 8.5. I don't know all the technical details but a 9.5 will probably play similar to what you've got now. Plus you can get it with the Titleist Speeder which you already like!

905R 9.5 loft with Stiff Titleist Speeder it is then!

Cheers,
Rao.

JDM still uses .86 COR max in their drivers, right?

most of this years model's came in .83 but they have both. if your buying from tourspec, most of the descriptions say what the core is, if it doesn't just pm chris (tourspecgolfer) and he will let you know.

Did you plop down the cash and buy them?

OK, my 2 cents:

Americans are obsessed with being bigger, faster, longer, etc. without any regard on how they get there. If someone put out a club that advertised hitting the ball dead strait and longer then they'd ever experianced, they would sell like hot cakes. The Perfect club just as one example. Why work on your game when you can buy it. Now the thing with OEM's and why they constantly sell a bizillion $'s worth of equipment over the Japanese releases is just as the example states: longer, faster, more precision, etc. When you hear about Japanese brands it's about quality instead, "from 50 generations of a family with ties to forging a Samurai's finest swords...", not "more forgiving then a nun with a guilty conscience".

I for one am happy that the Japanese market is not so big here, if it was quality would probably suffer tremendously.