How Tourspecgolf and JDM equipment have opened my eyes to a whole new side of the golf industry

By PGAPro

I can remember the first day I found Tourspecgolf. I was searching on Google for Iomic grips and stumbled upon Tourspecgolf. The website immediately attracted my attention and it has since opened up my eyes to a whole new world of golf equipment and the golf industry in general on a world wide level. Please keep in mind that I’m in the PGA so I know quite a bit about golf and the golf industry as it pertains to the United States market.

I began by looking the Pro Shop at TSG on my initial visit to the website. I was amazed at how great some of the products looked. This was sort of strange to me in the fact that I hadn’t heard of nearly half the brands at TSG. Being in the golf business for a living I instantly noticed that the prices seemed higher than average US equipment. This peeked my interest a great deal so I began my quest for more knowledge.

I googled more Japanese related websites regarding equipment. As I learned more about the better brands in Japan it wasn’t hard to notice that Tourspecgolf was carrying almost all or nearly all of the upper-echelon JDM equipment. I have had a few issues buying equipment on line so my first goal was to test out TSG to see if they were reliable. I ordered an Adidas Climacool Glove and received it one week later all the way in Houston, Texas. Now that TSG took the first step in gaining my trust, it was time for me to take things to the next level.

My next step was joining the posting forum. Once I started chatting with others about equipment and looking at the WITB (What’s in the bag) forum I had to get something JDM related. For the past seven years since I have been in the golf industry I have received all free equipment. That is one of the perks to being a golf professional. In order for me to pay for equipment, it would have to be something that I didn’t have access to here in the United States.

After do much research on JDM equipment I decided I would start out by ordering a Mach Line Tour shaft for my driver. This worked out quite well as I received it rather quickly and was extremely impressed with the quality of the shaft. The Mach Line shaft was quite possibly the longest hitting shaft I have ever owned in a driver. I then went to purchase an Axiv-V shaft which is another great shaft with tremendous feel. The further along I got in my search for the best JDM equipment, it was inevitable that I had to get a Roddio shaft for my driver.

I did the necessary research on the Roddio shafts and after going back and forth with Chris we decide that the 7WA in stiff flex was the shaft for me. I am quite possibly the most difficult person in the world to please when it comes to specs of my equipment and I’m sure I was quite the headache for Chris and TSG staff. My Roddio shaft came in and it wasn’t exactly the right CPM’s for me so I immediately contacted Chris. After we talked about our goal for my CPM’s we figured out that that shaft was just a bit off and he told me to send my driver back to him and he would look into things. Just a short while later I received a brand new Roddio shaft fit to the exact specs and CPM’s that we discussed. I couldn’t be happier with the quality of service that Tourspecgolf has shown me and with the products they have provided. I will forever be a TSG customer because of the way that Chris has handled my unique situation.

The most useful knowledge that I have gained from JDM equipment is the quality of the products. It is evident to me that the craftsmanship involved with JDM equipment is better than that of the majority of American products. I’m not sure what the reason is for that just yet, but I’m trying to figure it out. At this point, it is my feeling that the major OEM’s in the States just mass produce everything and are more concerned about quantity than quality. The biggest factor when coming to this realization was when I started comparing the JDM wedges to the ones we have in the states. In my opinion a wedge is an easy club to determine the level craftsmanship involved from the groove patters, the milling, the grind, the designs, etc.

Being from the United States and never having been to many other countries I also didn’t realize how serious others take golf. I now know how huge golf really is in Japan, Korea and other countries. Tourspecgolf and JDM have both opened my eyes to a whole new side of the golf industry and for that I am forever thankful.