Old tourstage irons

[sociojeje]

Still playing my 2008 jdm callaway legacy irons. After trying multiple new tech irons, i'm now leaning back toward jdm irons back then. I can see forgiveness is slightly better but not great enough for losing the buttery feel. Back then, I really liked tourstage irons. What are the good models (today's distance players iron category; pw around 45, 7 around 31, 5 around 25) around the early 2010s? Even beyond tourstage, i would love to hear about JDM distance players irons back in the early 2010s (or the late 2000s). 

Edited September 12, 2021 by sociojeje

[ian-500]

I enjoyed the 705m. Lovely feel. I wouldn't call them a players distance iron though. 

[DMG_Golf]

2010-12 Yamaha Inpres X Forged and/or Tour Model. Known by those in the know as some of the best ever.

 

Tourstage Z101. Not sure of the exact category for these... but also known as one of the best ever.

[naj959]

Came close to buying both TS 705m's as well as a set of Yamaha Tour models. Have no experience with either but they seemed to be on a lot of JDM enthusiast short lists. I'm sure I'll cave and end up with a set at some point so I'll be keeping an eye on this thread. 

[sociojeje]

On 9/12/2021 at 3:38 PM, ian-500 said:

I enjoyed the 705m. Lovely feel. I wouldn't call them a players distance iron though. 

They are not too pricey now! I remember how much I liked the older tourstage models. 

14 hours ago, DMG_Golf said:

2010-12 Yamaha Inpres X Forged and/or Tour Model. Known by those in the know as some of the best ever.

 

Tourstage Z101. Not sure of the exact category for these... but also known as one of the best ever.

 

14 hours ago, naj959 said:

Came close to buying both TS 705m's as well as a set of Yamaha Tour models. Have no experience with either but they seemed to be on a lot of JDM enthusiast short lists. I'm sure I'll cave and end up with a set at some point so I'll be keeping an eye on this thread. 

I never seen yamaha irons in person. It seems that they have the same name but different yearly models.. I will look into them! My friend played z101 and that's how I fell in love with forged irons. I see some ebay sellers in Japan selling them and the prices seem to be reasonable. However, pics are quite bad and not sure I can trust those sellers. Back then my friend got burned by fake Romaro mc irons (one of those very small JDM brands but they make super buttery irons). Never thought people would make fake irons for those small jdm brands... 

[ian-500]

I recommend you look at Yamaha Inpres x Forged/Tourstage 701-3-5-7-9/OnOff Forged models between 2009 - 2013.

[sociojeje]

4 minutes ago, ian-500 said:

I recommend you look at Yamaha Inpres x Forged/Tourstage 701-3-5-7-9/OnOff Forged models between 2009 - 2013.

Thank you so much! Yes, I remember Daiwa OnOff. My search is on! 

[naj959]

18 minutes ago, sociojeje said:

They are not too pricey now! I remember how much I liked the older tourstage models. 

 

I never seen yamaha irons in person. It seems that they have the same name but different yearly models.. I will look into them! My friend played z101 and that's how I fell in love with forged irons. I see some ebay sellers in Japan selling them and the prices seem to be reasonable. However, pics are quite bad and not sure I can trust those sellers. Back then my friend got burned by fake Romaro mc irons (one of those very small JDM brands but they make super buttery irons). Never thought people would make fake irons for those small jdm brands... 

As far as Yamaha goes; I believe 08-12? were forged at Endo fwiw

[sociojeje]

14 minutes ago, naj959 said:

As far as Yamaha goes; I believe 08-12? were forged at Endo fwiw

I'm now eying on X V forged model for 2012 on ebay. The seller seems to be legit.... It looks a like a very deep cavity model and that's what I always feel comfortable to play... Should I pull the trigger???? hahaha. 

[naj959]

6 minutes ago, sociojeje said:

I'm now eying on X V forged model for 2012 on ebay. The seller seems to be legit.... It looks a like a very deep cavity model and that's what I always feel comfortable to play... Should I pull the trigger???? hahaha. 

Shoot if the price is right just do it! It's only money haha. I was dead set on getting a set of PtxPros but you got me browsing ebay for JDM gear so thanks for that haha. If you snag the Yammys let me know how they turn out!

[sociojeje]

9 minutes ago, naj959 said:

Shoot if the price is right just do it! It's only money haha. I was dead set on getting a set of PtxPros but you got me browsing ebay for JDM gear so thanks for that haha. If you snag the Yammys let me know how they turn out!

Man.. for the past year, i have been on a journey to buy new tech hollow irons. After trying some, I was leaning onto new forged cb models as the tech irons just don't feel right... They are very good for sure and I love the smaller footprint with more forgiveness. T200 and Apex Pro were just beautiful at address. But... I felt like something was lacking... Then I thought I just get new and forgiving CB irons just like my legacy. Then, how much can you do with one piece forged irons? A bit of tungsten around the toe? Perimeter weighting? How much difference can they make? Are they worth $1000? For example, are new xforged cb or zx7 clearly better than old JDM one-piece forged irons? Well, then I started looking at old JDMs when they were good (beyond golf clubs, it seems that Japan as a whole doesn't look the same). BTW, i demoed ptx pro and icon from Hogan and they are very good. Icon feels very buttery but it was too much for me. ptx is very good but the tech feel... Also,  I just didn't like their shaft offerings. KBS shafts never suit my swing and s300 is just too heavy. 

 

Anyway, I'm sure I will make a decision in a couple of hours (Why suddenly ebay is offering 5% cashback now? hahaha). If I get it, I will post pics here! 

[ian-500]

1 hour ago, sociojeje said:

I'm now eying on X V forged model for 2012 on ebay. The seller seems to be legit.... It looks a like a very deep cavity model and that's what I always feel comfortable to play... Should I pull the trigger???? hahaha. 

 

In a lot of peoples eyes, the 2012 Yamaha forged were the best.

[stickfish]

 

Have played two sets of the Z101s, a set of the X Blades and another I cannot recall and now game these.   Plenty of tech in an older JDM offering.  The 701g has been by far the easiest for me to hit, never seemed to received much fanfare.  

Edited September 13, 2021 by stickfish

[sociojeje]

10 minutes ago, stickfish said:

 

Have played two sets of the Z101s, a set of the X Blades and another I cannot recall and now game these.   Plenty of tech in an older JDM offering.  The 701g has been by far the easiest for me to hit, never seemed to received much fanfare.  

Wow, looking awfully good and very forgiving. Irons like them makes me wonder how much new ways of weighting can make a difference. Cut cavity, perimeter weighting... And I'm sure TS did something more inside the cut. Super! 

[sociojeje]

1 hour ago, naj959 said:

Shoot if the price is right just do it! It's only money haha. I was dead set on getting a set of PtxPros but you got me browsing ebay for JDM gear so thanks for that haha. If you snag the Yammys let me know how they turn out!

 

24 minutes ago, ian-500 said:

 

In a lot of peoples eyes, the 2012 Yamaha forged were the best.

 

Man I just pulled the trigger... yamaha 2012 inpres x v forged. Thanks for everyone's help! I was in between ts 705 and inpres. 705 looks good but the s type seems to be a bit less forgiving and I found out that the forgiving m type isn't one piece forged for more tech... Anyway, x v forged seems like a perfect set for low-mid handicapper like me! And I can certainly play ns950 stiff though it flies a bit high.  International shipping here we go!!! Well, if i don't like it, I can always put it on bst here 🙂  

[naj959]

@sociojeje Congrats on the purchase! I love the compact look and v sole of the Ptx pros but they have a touch more offset then I like and they aren't buttery soft. The only reason I haven't bought a set of older JDM is because I wasn't sure if they'd be conforming with older grooves. Hope to play some local comps in the near future and I'm not sure how strict the equipment rules are. I think the TS 905CB conform but not sure about the 705 and various Yammys. I need a primary set before I grab another backup.

[DMG_Golf]

On 9/14/2021 at 7:37 AM, sociojeje said:

 

 

Man I just pulled the trigger... yamaha 2012 inpres x v forged. Thanks for everyone's help! I was in between ts 705 and inpres. 705 looks good but the s type seems to be a bit less forgiving and I found out that the forgiving m type isn't one piece forged for more tech... Anyway, x v forged seems like a perfect set for low-mid handicapper like me! And I can certainly play ns950 stiff though it flies a bit high.  International shipping here we go!!! Well, if i don't like it, I can always put it on bst here 🙂  

 

Congrats! You won't regret it. I have the 2012 Inpres X Tour Model, and they are amazing. Be sure to post pics and keep us updated once they arrive.

[sociojeje]

1 minute ago, DMG_Golf said:

 

Congrats! You won't regret it. I have the 2012 Inpres X Tour Model, and they are amazing. Be sure to post pics and keep us updated once they arrive.

 

I heard great things about the tour model but my golf isn't just there and it won't be there. Also, since I've been playing "jacked up" irons for more than a decade, tour models would create a huge gap hahaha. 

 

Yes for sure! I will make it shiny and post the pic here! It seems that the seller was either on vacation or holiday. It will be shipped tomorrow and hopefully I can get it next week! The seller said usually it takes 4 biz days but who know what happens nowadays (my DHL international shipment from italy was lost a few months ago). If it meets my expectation, I may even reshaft them as I found elevate tour shafts fit my swing very well. 

[nitram]

On 9/13/2021 at 5:07 PM, sociojeje said:

 

 

Man I just pulled the trigger... yamaha 2012 inpres x v forged. Thanks for everyone's help! I was in between ts 705 and inpres. 705 looks good but the s type seems to be a bit less forgiving and I found out that the forgiving m type isn't one piece forged for more tech... Anyway, x v forged seems like a perfect set for low-mid handicapper like me! And I can certainly play ns950 stiff though it flies a bit high.  International shipping here we go!!! Well, if i don't like it, I can always put it on bst here 🙂  

Let us know how you get along with your new "Yamahammas". FWIW the Z101's are the best irons Tourstage/Bridgestone ever thought about making. The J40 CB was a very close 1st cousin but never was quite the same.

[DMG_Golf]

4 hours ago, nitram said:

Let us know how you get along with your new "Yamahammas". FWIW the Z101's are the best irons Tourstage/Bridgestone ever thought about making. The J40 CB was a very close 1st cousin but never was quite the same.

 

I have the Z101's and the J40 DPC's. This reminds me that I must to a comparison at some stage!

[sociojeje]

Just received the set. I would say 8/10 condition. Very nice. Has a lot more player's look than I thought. It's been too busy and I could only play once in two weeks. Hopefully, I can give these a whirl this weekend! The last pic is 7 iron (just about the right amount of offset!). I had a bit of buyer's remorse after putting an order (it was very impulsive haha) but I am quite excited! 

[DMG_Golf]

Wait until you feel that first center strike! You will have no regrets or remorse after that. 🙂

[sociojeje]

4 minutes ago, DMG_Golf said:

Wait until you feel that first center strike! You will have no regrets or remorse after that. 🙂

That means every time i hit it! It looks like the original owner hardly played with them. The grips are old and heads have many dings but the face is very very clean. I guess $350 well spent!! Getting a bit sentimental as I'm putting legacies in my storage.... Played them more than 10 years... 

[GSRswapandslow]

i had a set of Z101.....very very good irons, and very much regret selling them. 

[sociojeje]

3 hours ago, GSRswapandslow said:

i had a set of Z101.....very very good irons, and very much regret selling them. 

z101 will be my next target! Yamaha xv forged has been so good. The feel is incredible that it makes hard range golf balls feel soft... Many used club sellers in Japan still sell z101 and the price is often quite reasonable. Well, most shafts are either OG DG or NS PRO 950gh.... I may end up buying a shaft puller after all... 

[ian-500]

Anyone game the 709mc?

[GSRswapandslow]

On 10/1/2021 at 3:29 PM, sociojeje said:

z101 will be my next target! Yamaha xv forged has been so good. The feel is incredible that it makes hard range golf balls feel soft... Many used club sellers in Japan still sell z101 and the price is often quite reasonable. Well, most shafts are either OG DG or NS PRO 950gh.... I may end up buying a shaft puller after all... 

 

i bought mine for $100....in very good shape.  got them so cheap because it was 3-PW...but missing a 4i