Blown Away in Humbling Experience on Planet Vega

[scagnetti]

So I strolled into a shop here in Metro Manila, a place with scattered pro shops, most often without any pros, just women with the inventories in their brain. Most of these shops have 'other branches' somewhere else in this sprawling metropolis, and a quick phone call usually returns disappointment in asking for said inventories from said ladies...

 

Strolled in just for some stick 'em that's exorbitant, like all prices for all equipment and accessories in this country, because my hands sweat, well I could sweat in a walk-in freezer but that's another thing. Put the stick 'em on the counter and turned to go see what demo wedges they have...

 

You see, I'm finally 'putting my bag (band back) together' after moving here four years ago, and the wedges -- and hybrids -- have been the last few elements. I've been playing a wonderful set of Eye2s a new friend had in his shop. He can find Eye2s and Zings and has 10 r7 drivers, all used in his crazy-shop here. He turned me on to Cobra drivers, another buddy has got me playing W/S hybrids that are just magic, the Isopur Faith mallet I found at an odd spot, the first 'final club' I found... So all I needed now were the wedges...

 

I've been demoing a ton of stuff, at every place I know. I messed around with Clevelands and Callaways and the Ping Glides and god everything else. Never happy. Maybe I just like cheap wedges because the two that's been hanging in my bag were an Adams Watson RC-14 at 52* and Wilson Harmonized SoleGrind at 60, and those two -- easily the cheapest two (no complete sets, it's a wildcard what you find here...) -- were the only wedges worth a damn I demo'd. Simple, traditional design, grinds and appearance...

 

The stick 'em is on the counter, I see a Callaway, I see a Cleveland. Pshaw, those just doesn't feel sweet to me...

 

Then I see them... VEGA?! What the f@#k is Vega? We had an old Chevy Vega as a kid, drove another Vega, my grandma's Vega back in the day... But a golf club?! Had no idea. And I picked up the club expecting NOTHING...

 

And felt EVERYTHING.

 

It's almost as if my entire time in golf flashed in front of my eyes, straight thru my brains, into my arms and just KNEW how to swing this club. Felt right and just every time I swung that club, and hit those pretty decent demo balls (Srizon SRs) it was like... I dunno, man, just ALIEN... FOREIGN... EXQUISITE...

 

I play a pretty short irons game, the Eye2s gimme loft and accuracy and forgiveness but never distance. Never wanted it, to be honest. If I know how far, consistently, a club will go, I have faith and confidence in that club and will work around my lack of distance. The Eye2s are great for me and I know the gaps well, and I gap my wedges kinda oddly at 52* and 60*

 

The 52 is an all-star from 75 into the green. The 60 is the oh s#!t/sand club, from no more than 15 into the pin. I never full swing a wedge, an old lesson my step mom taught me, smart lady...

 

So I hit the whole series they had at the store, 52/54/56/58/60. All of them just amazing for my swing. They also reaffirmed what I've always known: that I'm just a 52/60 set up guy. The trajectories were outrageous and spin was OTHERWORLDLY. I've always known 'how to' drop a ball with back spin, but you know, never actually done it... until NOW...

 

I put the demos down and farted around the store on my phone for the next half-an-hour reading all about the company, read reviews, watched a few videos... there's not a lot. I also saw the price tag... The Philippines may be closer to Japan, but the import tariffs aren't much better than The States... I saw that price tag before I swung the damn clubs, like, "NO WAY! What is this s#!t, gold?!"

 

I read and I read: testimonials, forum threads on here, more reviews... The only other bummer about the demos I was swinging, was the grips; these sand paper Golf Pride Decades Old (my bastardized name for them.) I had never heard about these clubs before. I hated the price, hated the grips...

 

So I turned around, sidled up to the counter next to my stick 'em, and bought the VW-10s right there and then...

 

I had asked if they sold the demos. Nope. Asked if they could sell ME the demos. Nope. The finished clubs were just that, no shafts and no grips, just a few for sale with both, neither my 52 or 60. So I just said if they shaft and grip them with another grip, I would buy them only if they could knock the equivalent of $50 bucks off the pair, and waive the labor...

 

Like only how some angelic angel aliens can do, they negotiated poorly (kasi mag pogi ako), and I eventually got them for a fairly ridiculous price. My confession (to my lady) is that I just paid for two wedges that cost more than my driver and 3W, but we all know these are the money clubs. These are every golfer's scoring clubs...

 

The range confirmed everything I felt (and saw on the monitors) in the shop. Ball flight was strong, my kind of height, with tremendous spin, and simply put, I could just put the ball wherever I wanted. They were like an extension of my arms and hands... it was is if I was throwing the ball out, perfectly... BUT BETTER.

 

I felt like I had been transported to the golf Planet Vega. And learned that I belong there... or that the natives are friendly to me, one or the other.

 

This other world known as Vega, a distant planet, took 40 years to find, but I did.

 

That other world has everything... in a wedge.

[Tcann32]

I've been after some vega wedges for quite a while.. I've had scratch, yururi, mizzy, callaway, cleveland, titleist, and probably some other ones. Being a lefty makes the search for used JDM stuff even more difficult.

 

I game miura wedges and as bad as I want to complete my set with the wedges, I find myself wanting Vega's even more. They're beautiful. Some of their irons just look like works of art.

 

I just have a hard time shelling out that kinda money for wedges. They will wear down faster than any other club in my bag but I've assumed it'll be worth it. I did find a sand wedge on the bay but they won't ship to the US. I had no interest in the shaft and offered to pay the same price for head only, but they still wouldn't go for it.

[gussie]

Vega vw10 i have set of 52/56/60 in raw finish fitted with shimada shafts

Super looks and feel on these wedges

One of golfs little secrets is the vega brand

Vega is owned by a english company pge.

Kyeoi does the forging in japan

[thegoomba]

The vw 06 wedges are phenomenal, the extra heel grind makes them so versatile from any lie.

[thegoomba]

Have you tried the irons?

[scagnetti]

Have you tried the irons?

 

have not tried the irons. I've got my feet stuck in the cement of Ping Red Eye2s that work perfectly for me. I think those will be the last clubs out of the bag, the hardest to replace.

 

what's the big pull of their irons?

[thegoomba]

All I'll say is I sold my Miuras and mizuno irons and replaced them with a set of vdc 01 satin and vc 01 raw and never looked back, also a raw set of vw 06 wedges.

[scagnetti]

those RAW wedges look amazing, but the grind on the VW-06 weren't perfect for me. I work better with a more traditional heel grind, which the VW-10 has. I demo'd all the VWs, and the 10s just felt nicer, just the right amount of bounce on the 60* and the leading edge is nice and sharply curved...

 

really quality clubs. My first forged blades.

[van868]

Where did you pick up these wedges? Is it in Progear Makati?

[scagnetti]

Where did you pick up these wedges? Is it in Progear Makati?

 

No it was actually in Alabang. A callaway store in CommerCenter, across the street from Acacia Hotel.

[Hack1]

I play the Vega VW-10 60.

Definitely know the feeling you speak of.

[scagnetti]

Where did you pick up these wedges? Is it in Progear Makati?

 

I also saw some Vega wedges and irons at Custom Clubmaker on the 3F (2nd level) of the Makati Golf Club (Driving Range Center)

 

FYI

[95124hacker]

I love my VW-04 60* LW

[bluefin222]

playing both VDC-1 RAW, VM-02 irons with VW-10 RAW wedges,

also have the RAD-04 driver, 5w,and hybrids.

I'm a happy VEGA user!

[Bigmean]

I have had 2 sets of vegas. Currently rhe vm02 ride passenger to my small blades, but vega/kyoei is the real deal Holyfield. I didn't think it was that much of a secret but maybe it is. Frankly I wish that between vega and zestiam they could make some more appealing heads because their softness is unmatched.

[puregolfCEO]

Vega is amazing. I've tried them all and they are as good as anything on the market.

[moonbin77]

Vega is nice. Few years ago I had chance to hit some balls with VEGA irons and felt pretty good. I was going to purchase iron sets between Vega and Fourteen. I end up with fourteen coz, the club felt little better than VEGA.

[scagnetti]

gotta say everybody, I think the aliens are attacking....

 

I've played half a dozen rounds with the Vegas, and I am really struggling to control my ball striking. I'm really digging with the 52* and skulling with the 60*

 

That used to happen occasionally with my old cheaper wedges, so I am definitely ascribing to the indian not the arrow theory here, but I have started to miss my old Adams Watson Wedges...

 

I know, right?!

 

Not giving up yet. Not this Indian.

[JDLA]

Had Vega raw irons and should have never let them go. Quality irons.

[Noodler]

I've been a Mizuno guy for some time now, but I needed new wedges and in my research on JDM offerings discovered Vega. I recently picked up a VW-02 54 and a VW-06 58. So far they've exceed even my high expectations. Now I'm on the hunt for a VW-02 50* (Gap Wedge) or possibly a VW-08 or VW-10 50*.

 

The new Mizuno T7 wedges look interesting, but I doubt I'll jump off the Vega wedge train for a while.

[bruinduke]

Thanks OP. Your description about the shopping experience is just like my few visits back home. Miss Manila and I hope to make it back soon.