My JDM Story

By bdub allstars

The way I was introduced to JDM equipment was actually by complete accident. A friend of mine was re-gripping some clubs when I walked in and started digging through his bag since he changes sets almost every month. A very cool logo with an M was noticed as I pulled the pitching wedge out of his bag. “What are these?” I asked with great curiosity. “Those are irons made by Miura in Japan.” He replied. He then began to tell me how they forge Tigers clubs and most of the clubs for players on the PGA Tour. Instantly I had to know more, so I began doing research on them as soon as I got home that night. I very much liked what I saw.

A week later a client of mine and I got into a geeked out discussion on clubs since I was looking at replacing my old Titleist 804’s. The next thing I know Bill informs me that he plays the Japan forged Taylor Made RAC 300’s, just ordered a set of the new R7’s and Eric plays a set of Tour Stage irons and loves them. Hold on… what’s going on? I thought I was one of the first to hear about the greatness of Japan forged irons. Was I actually the one in the dark? Was there a golf club cult I was unworthy of being a part of? If so, I desperately wanted to know how to get in! Being the great guy Bill is he told me to go to www.tourspecgolf.com and they would have the answers to all of my questions. Once I logged on I was instantly hooked. My wife even began thinking I was looking at girly web-sites. To her pleasure it was www.tourspecgolf.com instead. The forum, threads, advice… all of it was more than I could have imagined.

The hours of research were turning my thoughts of getting new irons into a certainty. Thanks to the patience and help of gocchin, yourpressed and NakedDave in dealing with all of my questions I decided to test the JDM waters with a set of Tour Stage 202 irons that I got at a great price. After a little tweaking on the lie board and some new grips I can honestly say I will never look at United States made equipment the same again. The set up is more appealing. The feel is unmatched. The distance and shot making ability is something I thought I would never have. I love these things. Pretty soon I will be looking into wedges and I can only imagine how soft the putters are. Even though the driver and irons in my bag are not terribly old, they are always atop my research list on JDM equipment.

When conversations arise about my clubs some people do not know what to think about clubs from Japan. Once I put an iron in their hand and have them hit a few balls they understand exactly what I have been talking about. I continue to ask myself how more people do not know about these unbelievable clubs. However, I also like being the only person in my group that has a set.