Pros Playing "lesser" known OEM's

[gators78]

[quote name='PabloDiablo14' post='2023647' date='Oct 24 2009, 03:19 AM'][quote name='timcrane78' post='2022470' date='Oct 23 2009, 12:36 PM']I think it was James Driscoll who played the Feel Blades.[/quote]
That's cool because he's a Boston boy like me, and those Feel blades look $mon$y!
[/quote]

So what has been the reputation of these irons? I've never heard of them (not saying they're bad) but after going on the website and seeing this "reverse tapered" grip I more or less wrote them off. If I'm wrong someone please let me know.

[bma725]

[quote name='gators77' post='2024770' date='Oct 24 2009, 08:30 PM'][quote name='PabloDiablo14' post='2023647' date='Oct 24 2009, 03:19 AM'][quote name='timcrane78' post='2022470' date='Oct 23 2009, 12:36 PM']I think it was James Driscoll who played the Feel Blades.[/quote]
That's cool because he's a Boston boy like me, and those Feel blades look $mon$y!
[/quote]

So what has been the reputation of these irons? I've never heard of them (not saying they're bad) but after going on the website and seeing this "reverse tapered" grip I more or less wrote them off. If I'm wrong someone please let me know.
[/quote]

The irons are actually a decade old, and back before the tour club craze were one of the hot items that every golf forum follower thought they needed. The guy that designed them used to be a clubmaker for a lot of the top players back in the 1980s and 1990s before starting his equipment company. In the early days of golf forums a decade ago, he was a sponsor of a couple different places and got a lot of people to try his equipment. Reviews were almost universally positive, and the blades became one of the hot items for the golf forum follower in that era, along with Blade Golf and Traditional Golf.

Then, almost by accident, he came up with the reverse taper grip and pretty much gave up on club design to focus on the grip business. They do almost no marketing of the rest of the equipment, but the quality is still pretty good.

[ava08]

Zoomed through this thread so I don't know if this came up, but years back when Mickelson was inbetween Titleist and Callaway he actually played KZG irons for a little while. Around the same time a club pro I used to work with was also a master club maker and owned his own shop, spoke with some Euro guys at a Buick event in CT and they either were playing or had played KZG, and really liked them.

[307golf]

Ryan Moore - Scratch

[Boise59]

When I marshalled at the PGA Senior Champ Woosie was playing Titleist AP 2 irons

[joshvoigt]

The Feel blades and wedges feel pretty solid. They used to make them in different colors and my buddy had a set that were yellow and some blue and red wedges. They were like 1200 retail, but you can find them pretty cheap. It would be a good practice set for sure.

[ProjectX]

Ryo Ishikawa is the new poster boy for Yonex, they could come back in a big way if he pans out.

[gators78]

[quote name='joshvoigt' post='2026673' date='Oct 26 2009, 10:31 AM']The Feel blades and wedges feel pretty solid. They used to make them in different colors and my buddy had a set that were yellow and some blue and red wedges. They were like 1200 retail, but you can find them pretty cheap. It would be a good practice set for sure.[/quote]

They're only $600 on the website.

[ahl3bomber]

the thing is though, there is a reason that these guys use real oems, THEY MAKE BETTER CLUBS!!!!

[oregongolf]

[quote name='ecccgolfpro' post='2027375' date='Oct 26 2009, 02:29 PM']the thing is though, there is a reason that these guys use real oems, THEY MAKE BETTER CLUBS!!!![/quote]


Or they just pay better. Nice try though.

[topshank]

Phillip Archer endorses John Letters gear but has none in his bag - he has just put a set of Vega irons in the bag.

[mkverde]

Bill Glasson is playing the feel release grips on the Champions Tour or is getting paid to say he is, a press release came out late last year.

[gators78]

Does anybody know if the feel grips are any good? I've been trying to find reverse taper and apparently most aren't very good.

[MichaelAndrewBrown]

Nickent has been out of business for a while now.

[golfNashTN]

[quote name='mizguy' timestamp='1256329851' post='2022842']
I believe Steve Flesch used eidolon wedges at this years Masters for a top six finish.
[/quote]

That would be a negative here ^. He plays Cleveland clubs and a Scotty putter. Definitely did not use eidolon wedges.

[PMAC]

[quote name='ava08' timestamp='1256494965' post='2025525']
Zoomed through this thread so I don't know if this came up, but years back when Mickelson was inbetween Titleist and Callaway he actually played KZG irons for a little while. Around the same time a club pro I used to work with was also a master club maker and owned his own shop, spoke with some Euro guys at a Buick event in CT and they either were playing or had played KZG, and really liked them.
[/quote]

I have a great piece of land in Florida for sale for anyone believing this. I am not saying that KZG is good bad or ugly but without any proof this is a farce.

[KamiKazeBomber]

These is a BAD Word not allowed guy hitting balls over mountains that plays THE HAMMER, pretty amazing zolex technololgy. Think his name is Jack Hamm

 

 

[brucestats]

Chalmers plays a Bobby Grace Putter and Phil had played Yonex when he was turning pro

[ava08]

[quote name='PMAC' timestamp='1296538715' post='2942063']
[quote name='ava08' timestamp='1256494965' post='2025525']
Zoomed through this thread so I don't know if this came up, but years back when Mickelson was inbetween Titleist and Callaway he actually played KZG irons for a little while. Around the same time a club pro I used to work with was also a master club maker and owned his own shop, spoke with some Euro guys at a Buick event in CT and they either were playing or had played KZG, and really liked them.
[/quote]

I have a great piece of land in Florida for sale for anyone believing this. I am not saying that KZG is good bad or ugly but without any proof this is a farce.
[/quote]

And I have a bridge in Brooklyn. The fact is it may not be true, but we all know most of these guys won't move on equipment unless there is a price attached. Look at all the Taylor sposored guys they basically only have to carry the bag and ware the hat. Also I know that besides the major companies that have tour presence everything else is inferior and just junk...right?

[dtagget]

They may have looked like KZG irons but they were the 731PM irons. The long and short irons looked like the KZG's but they were a cast combo set and they only made them in left handed.

[gators78]

Totally off topic, I was at the 2000 Masters and stood right next to phil as he punched out of the trees on #14 and he had Yonex clubs but his 8-LW were green dot Ping Eye 2s, I thought it was the coolest thing ever because at the time I had Eye2s as well.

[frozenfox]

Tiger woods.....miura
Greg Norman....miura or epon
Davis love.......miura
Retief....miura
Seve.....sounder

100 other pros.....miura (however...not stamped as such)
Nick Price......royal collection

[edwelly]

[quote name='MichaelAndrewBrown' timestamp='1296501528' post='2940229']
Nickent has been out of business for a while now.
[/quote]

Really? I wasn't aware of that. Their web site is still active.

[Ereim]

[quote name='PMAC' timestamp='1296538715' post='2942063']
[quote name='ava08' timestamp='1256494965' post='2025525']
Zoomed through this thread so I don't know if this came up, but years back when Mickelson was inbetween Titleist and Callaway he actually played KZG irons for a little while. Around the same time a club pro I used to work with was also a master club maker and owned his own shop, spoke with some Euro guys at a Buick event in CT and they either were playing or had played KZG, and really liked them.
[/quote]

I have a great piece of land in Florida for sale for anyone believing this. I am not saying that KZG is good bad or ugly but without any proof this is a farce.
[/quote]

Actually Phil played KZG blades for half a season before supposedly getting into gambling debt and signing a contract with calaway.

It was a big topic a few years back because players rarely change their irons mid season.

Here is a quote from an interview with KZG right here on golfwrx [url="http://www.golfwrx.com/2007/08/29/kzg-the-best-oem-you-may-have-never-heard-of/"]LINK[/url]


[b]""Why not attack the amateur/junior/NCAA golf market instead of the professional tours and such? Maybe a program where college and high school golf coaches can make player purchases cheaper through KZG.[/b]

We are on every tour, in every category of equipment, save putters. Phil Mickelson played my blades for 9 months (without pay of course…cute story, he paid full retail and tipped the fitter $200), Nick Price plays our ZO clubs; Padraig Harrington played our RBT Driver; the list goes on and on…Michelle Wie plays our stuff, the #1 girl in Australia plays our stuff, everyone who is anyone has played our equipment. But let’s face it, when Nike comes along and offers you millions, you would be crazy not to take it. So no, I don’t chase the tours, they chase us and when they hit it big, we wish them well as they get the big endorsement.""

[Vendetta]

I'm sure many are playing "Taylomade" or "Nike" irons that are really forged by Miura or Endo.
They just say the big brand on them.

[Vendetta]

[quote name='ahl3bomber ' timestamp='1256592593' post='2027375']
the thing is though, there is a reason that these guys use real oems, THEY MAKE BETTER CLUBS!!!!
[/quote]

Did I read that correctly?
So you are saying that Taylormade, a marketing beast who is out there just to make money and mass produce thousands of clubs off-shore, are producing better and higher quality clubs than someone like Miura, Epon or Vega which have perfect quality control? The tolerances for the major brands are so broad that almost every club can make it to the market. With the smaller brands, they have to make better clubs to compete with them because the majority of golfers fall for the marketing. The smaller brands are also out there to make the best golf clubs for people.
I can guarantee you that the quality of the smaller OEM's clubs are way better than someone like Taylormade's clubs that are sold in any golf store.

Think before you talk.

[MichaelAndrewBrown]

[quote name='edwelly' timestamp='1296572866' post='2942523']
[quote name='MichaelAndrewBrown' timestamp='1296501528' post='2940229']
Nickent has been out of business for a while now.
[/quote]

Really? I wasn't aware of that. Their web site is still active.
[/quote]

Yeah if you look though it's old stuff.. I'm not sure why it's still up but the company is toast.

[cbcrews]

Ryo uses tour stage right must be mainstream in japan

[Jigga]

[quote name='Vendetta' timestamp='1296588594' post='2943248']
[quote name='ahl3bomber ' timestamp='1256592593' post='2027375']
the thing is though, there is a reason that these guys use real oems, THEY MAKE BETTER CLUBS!!!!
[/quote]

Did I read that correctly?
So you are saying that Taylormade, a marketing beast who is out there just to make money and mass produce thousands of clubs off-shore, are producing better and higher quality clubs than someone like Miura, Epon or Vega which have perfect quality control? The tolerances for the major brands are so broad that almost every club can make it to the market. With the smaller brands, they have to make better clubs to compete with them because the majority of golfers fall for the marketing. The smaller brands are also out there to make the best golf clubs for people.
I can guarantee you that the quality of the smaller OEM's clubs are way better than someone like Taylormade's clubs that are sold in any golf store.

Think before you talk.

[/quote]

How would you suggest we measure the quality?

[dtagget]

Ryo plays all Yonex clubs, hoever, Kucher and DLIII play Tour Stage irons (Owned by Bridgestone) Am I the only one who thinks Yonex is "mainstream" though? I remember Phil and Scott Hoch playing them back in the day and my Grandmother actually had a coupld ADX carbon fiber woods.


quote name='cbcrews' timestamp='1296598851' post='2943749']
Ryo uses tour stage right must be mainstream in japan
[/quote]