I'm officially in love... TM 08' TP Forged

[longoffthetees]

Best irons I've ever swung

Wasn't really looking for any new irons as I was happy with my J36 combo with KBS X flex (was even more happy with my AR-1's I sold a couple weeks ago, but extenuating circumstance led to that sale).

I was just browsing the bay last week and happened to fall on a set of TM 08 TP Irons with KBS shafts in them. They looked nice, so I thought I would give them a go.

After 2 range sessions and 1 round (probably 500 balls combined), I can say they are the best irons I've ever hit.

If the new Japan R9 TP forged is any better, then buy as many sets as you can.

The 08 TP Irons Review:

Looks - I'm not crazy about the horizontal lining in the cavity, but other than that, very clean and smooth look.

Offset - basically zero offset from the 7-P and very minimal in the 4-6... definitely no reverse off-set here

Grind - Not sure what kind of grind these irons have on them, but they never dig (you can tell they have some type of leading edge grind)

Faces - nice milled faces that remind me of the Miura TM RAC's from years ago... I would venture to say these are Miura forged as well but I'm not 100% sure.

Feel - If not the best feeling irons I've hit, they're right up there at the top with Scratch Irons (AR-1 and SB-1)

Performance - (First of all, I think stepping down to a stiff flex in the KBS was a good move on my part. They can handle any swing I throw at them and I don't feel like I've lost any control over the X flex) These irons produce a naturally high ball flight. I had no problems hitting knockdowns as well. Very workable and off-center hits still stayed on line with very minimal loss of distance. I've gained about 1/2 distance on my J36's which may be attributed to the shafts.

I'll give you best indication I can of the playability of these irons with 2 shots I hit yesterday.

First shot - had 163 to the front and 171 to the flag on a short par 5. Drive was in the first cut but the pin was blocked by a tree basically about 100 yards from the flag. I hit a big hook around the tree with a 7 iron that had to hook about 30 yards. I ended up with a 12' eagle putt (we won't discuss the putt going 3/4 of the way in the hole and deciding it would pop back out)

Next, I had 135 into par 4. A somewhat strong 9 for me, but I wanted to jump on one and see what I could do with it on the course so I pulled 9. I hit the ball almost on the hosel (no kidding... grass mark was 1/4" from being on the hosel) but the shot still felt good and I ended up with a 9' birdie putt that I made. When I looked at the face as I was walking back to the cart, I couldn't believe I had hit the ball on the heel and still got the distance and feel that I did... I showed it to my buddy and he couldn't believe it either.

On the range, toe hits felt like that heel hit. Still very solid and no real loss of distance.

I have no clue why TM never marketed these irons in the US, as they would have been a big seller (much like the Japan R9 forged would be). Just a fantastic set of irons that combine great playability, good distance and a generous amount of forgiveness all wrapped into a players cavity back iron.

One more mention of how solid these bad boys are... my buddy (who still games old original RAC irons) offered me double what I payed for the clubs after hitting 6 balls. This is the same guy that takes his dates to Krystal's' for dinner because he is so frugal... (meaning CHEAP). Dude makes close to 6 figures and still gripes about paying $40 for a really nice course and he's a bachelor. That was all the verification I needed to know I had gotten my hands on a great set of irons.

[Viking Golfer]

Wasn't really looking for any new irons as I was happy with my J36 combo with KBS X flex (was even more happy with my AR-1's I sold a couple weeks ago, but extenuating circumstance led to that sale).

 

I was just browsing the bay last week and happened to fall on a set of TM 08 TP Irons with KBS shafts in them. They looked nice, so I thought I would give them a go.

 

After 2 range sessions and 1 round (probably 500 balls combined), I can say they are the best irons I've ever hit.

 

If the new Japan R9 TP forged is any better, then buy as many sets as you can.

 

The 08 TP Irons Review:

 

Looks - I'm not crazy about the horizontal lining in the cavity, but other than that, very clean and smooth look.

 

Offset - basically zero offset from the 7-P and very minimal in the 4-6... definitely no reverse off-set here

 

Grind - Not sure what kind of grind these irons have on them, but they never dig (you can tell they have some type of leading edge grind)

 

Faces - nice milled faces that remind me of the Miura TM RAC's from years ago... I would venture to say these are Miura forged as well but I'm not 100% sure.

 

Feel - If not the best feeling irons I've hit, they're right up there at the top with Scratch Irons (AR-1 and SB-1)

 

Performance - (First of all, I think stepping down to a stiff flex in the KBS was a good move on my part. They can handle any swing I throw at them and I don't feel like I've lost any control over the X flex) These irons produce a naturally high ball flight. I had no problems hitting knockdowns as well. Very workable and off-center hits still stayed on line with very minimal loss of distance. I've gained about 1/2 distance on my J36's which may be attributed to the shafts.

 

I'll give you best indication I can of the playability of these irons with 2 shots I hit yesterday.

 

First shot - had 163 to the front and 171 to the flag on a short par 5. Drive was in the first cut but the pin was blocked by a tree basically about 100 yards from the flag. I hit a big hook around the tree with a 7 iron that had to hook about 30 yards. I ended up with a 12' eagle putt (we won't discuss the putt going 3/4 of the way in the hole and deciding it would pop back out)

 

Next, I had 135 into par 4. A somewhat strong 9 for me, but I wanted to jump on one and see what I could do with it on the course so I pulled 9. I hit the ball almost on the hosel (no kidding... grass mark was 1/4" from being on the hosel) but the shot still felt good and I ended up with a 9' birdie putt that I made. When I looked at the face as I was walking back to the cart, I couldn't believe I had hit the ball on the heel and still got the distance and feel that I did... I showed it to my buddy and he couldn't believe it either.

 

On the range, toe hits felt like that heel hit. Still very solid and no real loss of distance.

 

I have no clue why TM never marketed these irons in the US, as they would have been a big seller (much like the Japan R9 forged would be). Just a fantastic set of irons that combine great playability, good distance and a generous amount of forgiveness all wrapped into a players cavity back iron.

 

One more mention of how solid these bad boys are... my buddy (who still games old original RAC irons) offered me double what I payed for the clubs after hitting 6 balls. This is the same guy that takes his dates to Krystal's' for dinner because he is so frugal... (meaning CHEAP). Dude makes close to 6 figures and still gripes about paying $40 for a really nice course and he's a bachelor. That was all the verification I needed to know I had gotten my hands on a great set of irons.

 

Nice first 'honeymoon' review of a set of irons

 

Return back to this thread in 2-3 months time and see if you still like these irons as much as you do now

[18th Legion]

I certainly agree that TM would benefit by releasing the TP Forged sticks in the U.S.

Could you verify for certain that your speaking of the 2008s and not 2009s? Biggest difference is that the 09s have considerably less offset and sound more of what you are describing. If these are the 2008s I would have to disagree that there is minimal offset. I need GI help so this works for me, but it has more than typical Players Irons. The 2008 sits between the 2009 TP and the regular R9. I attached the FOP numbers, higher the number the less the offset. By the way, Reverse Offset doesn't exist, it was due to people confusing Face Progression Numbers with Offset. These are not miura produced.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but find a Japanese speaking friend and send in the serial numbers to TM Japan for verification. There was and is still about every month counterfeit 2008 TP Forged on eBay. I noticed recently a couple people who purchased originally off eBay were reselling. One misconception is that if the hosel is .370 instead of .355 it is counterfeit. TM Japan actually produced this iron with both hosel sizes. When I asked my friend to communicate with TM Japan to verify my serial number, that is what they confirmed. I asked him to ask the dates each was produced but he forgot.

Until I had mine confirmed it caused me a great deal of stress. So much so that for my next purchase (Either Burner Forged or R9 Forged) I am going to TourSpecGolf and paying the premium.

[Scott@84]

I have a set of the 08's and they are fantastic irons. I love the look and feel of these, really solid clubs.

[Foreleft]

They are indeed great irons. I have a set with KB tours that were kwok'd just sitting in the basement in a backup bag. Don't know why I don't play them more, as they feel great and are forgiving.

Just too many other sets. Ho'ing is hard work.

[iscarter69]

Your experience with the limited TM Japanese forged offerings is not all that uncommon for people looking for a really soft feeling forged player cavity. I had a similar reaction when I started playing my set of R7 Forged a few years ago -- they are still in the bag.

Have fun with them.

[longoffthetees]

[quote name='18th Legion' date='13 April 2010 - 02:17 PM' timestamp='1271182665' post='2377575']
I certainly agree that TM would benefit by releasing the TP Forged sticks in the U.S.

Could you verify for certain that your speaking of the 2008s and not 2009s? Biggest difference is that the 09s have considerably less offset and sound more of what you are describing. If these are the 2008s I would have to disagree that there is minimal offset. I need GI help so this works for me, but it has more than typical Players Irons. The 2008 sits between the 2009 TP and the regular R9. I attached the FOP numbers, higher the number the less the offset. By the way, Reverse Offset doesn't exist, it was due to people confusing Face Progression Numbers with Offset. These are not miura produced.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but find a Japanese speaking friend and send in the serial numbers to TM Japan for verification. There was and is still about every month counterfeit 2008 TP Forged on eBay. I noticed recently a couple people who purchased originally off eBay were reselling. One misconception is that if the hosel is .370 instead of .355 it is counterfeit. TM Japan actually produced this iron with both hosel sizes. When I asked my friend to communicate with TM Japan to verify my serial number, that is what they confirmed. I asked him to ask the dates each was produced but he forgot.

Until I had mine confirmed it caused me a great deal of stress. So much so that for my next purchase (Either Burner Forged or R9 Forged) I am going to TourSpecGolf and paying the premium.
[/quote]

Thanks for the info, these came with a spec sheet written in Japanese so I'm not too concerned with the counterfeit issue.

[Milo]

Certainly more reassuring than one in Chinese.

Good luck with the irons. I was fortunate enough to bag the original Japan Limited for a few months and loved them.