SAKAMOTO WEDGES OMG

[sunghokr]

HAS anyone checked these beasts out latelly, OMG!!!! do an ebay search on SACAMOTO WEDGE, you'll be going insane!!!

[pitbull808]

I edited the spelling on your title. It's SaKamoto Wedges....they seem to be "Japanese" by the name yet...I've never been able to find info on them on any of the Japanese sites. :)

 

Maybe the seller on Ebay..who's also a member here could give us more info on the background of "Sakamoto".

[Diesel]

looks like every ball you hit with that would have to be replaced soon after...

[bjackson]

look great, but no 60 and too much bounce on a 58

[Diesel]

unless you are a guy that plays a 58 for sand...

[bjackson]

54 get the most use here, the 60 only gets play in the sand for the tucked pins w/ no green to work with. : )

[smarshal75]

No doubt a ball eater. The craftsmanship looks pretty solid. Hopefully someone can post a review if they have one.

[Ducky]

Nothing like getting backspin on 10m chip shots.

 

:)

[mcbush25]

Those are nice looking, but I don't want to replace balls after each hole or after each chip.

[cmarkmyers]

They do look nice but do some research -

 

I can't find anything on SaKamoto golf on Yahoo search or Google.

The seller has lots of good feedback but look at what he is selling golf related - all gimmicky stuff

Most of his stuff selling is has a picture of a half naked girl instead of a picture of the product. Give me a break

Look for his web page and see what you get

 

I would not purchase a thing from this person.

[rge]

Sakamoto isn't the only game in town with that design. In Japan, Giga Golf, and Pride also make an identical wedge. In fact, in the U.S., you can check out the SMT wedges and you will see grooves and spiral milling that are just as deep. In fact with SMT, even their irons have milling. They definitely take the cover out of the softer balls. The one nice thing is that they can impart spin even on balls that don't normally spin as much. Even cheap Top flites all of a sudden have spin.

[choeppner]

I like the finish on them, but yeah...it does look like they would eat a ball up. Here's some of the pics from the auction. You be the jusge. Looks like a SM on steroids. LOL

 

-CHRIS-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[raehtz10]

No, I can't imagine why they are trying to change the rules on grooves.

[Leftystar]

No, I can't imagine why they are trying to change the rules on grooves.

 

Love the sarcasim - LOL

 

How do we know that these wedges are acutally legal? I know the auctions states that they are, but is there any way to confirm this? JAT

[choeppner]

I'm trying to do a search on legal wedges. Just not coming up with much right now. LOL

 

-CHRIS-

[teak]

Wonder what the rpm spin rate is on that wedge compared to others.

 

Out of interest, supposedly the Spin Doctor RI Wedge claims 11,970rpm if you use the illegal 'reverse groove' insert. Although doesn't state what it is for the USGA conforming inserts that it comes with.

[Milo]

I have a set of these on the way and will review once tested.

[Extreme Firepower]

The milling on that wedge is illegal... TM and Vokey finishes are about the max allowed

[golfware]

OMG!

 

It would be fun to play that wedge out of the rough, and actually have the ball back up from 1' high rough.

 

Man, I'd LOVE try those...

[oregongolf]

i thought the comment above about the spin doctor was refreshing. haven't seen that informercial in ages!

 

the part where they spin back a range ball in a parking lot was funny :p

[TheCapedAvenger]

I'm pretty sure extreme is correct- I don't think this face milling is subtle enough to conform to usga reglations.

[Milo]

Just received mine and they look very good indeed. The milling is robust but not quite as extreme as the pictures make it appear.

Will report when played.

[Xiphos]

Check out Eidilon wedges

[catgolfer]

I have not heard of Sakamoto before, even my golf contacts in Japan are not able to verify the existence of Sakamoto Golf, the seller could potentially be pulling a fast one here... just my $0.02

[teak]

The ebay seller makes a point that they have checked and they are conforming, but what proof they have to support that statement I don't know. Maybe just from the manufacturer or distributor, rather than the USGA/R&A.

 

When I had a look for Sakamoto Golf on the net, I did find the odd reference to S.M.G. which is stamped on the wedge, but nothing that useful. For example like an SMG putter on a Japanese retailer's website. Wasn't there a suggestion earlier in the thread that there were several similar wedges in Japan (Giga Golf, Pride)? Maybe from the same OEM manufacturer under different brand names?

 

On a related topic about questionable face milling, what about the Gauge Design GAS1 SQBT?

 

I'd really love to see a big magazine roundup of all these high-spin wedges, with some launch monitor numbers (ideally robot testing included), if the likes of Golf Magazine, Golf Digest or Today's Golfer are reading. Both full and partial shots, comparing the likes of the RAC TP, Vokey Spin Milled, X-Tours, Nike SVs, CG12s, SMT Durometer, Tom Wishon CX Micro, Eidolon V-Sole, Solus 4.1/7.1, Sonartec t35, Scratch Golf JLM, Fourteen Golf MT-28V3/J.SPEC, Adams Puglielli, MD Golf wedges, Gauge Design GAS1 SQBT, Sakamoto, etc. Finally settle the ongoing debate in golf forums as to which current wedge spins the most. OK, spin is only one aspect of a wedge's performance that should be considered but seems to be the most talked about especially with the recent CG12 release.

[Milo]

I have not heard of Sakamoto before, even my golf contacts in Japan are not able to verify the existence of Sakamoto Golf, the seller could potentially be pulling a fast one here... just my $0.02

 

 

I ordered my wedges late last week and they arrived this morning, ahead of schedule and beautifully packed. They look great; better than advertised in fact. They have been shafted this afternoon and will be played tomorrow morning. I will provide a review.

 

Be very careful about accusing a fellow WRX'er of "pulling a fast one" when you have absolutely nothing to substantiate that assumption other than your "contact" not knowing Sakamoto. I've never heard of them either but bad-mouthing the chap selling these heads could hurt his reputation and he would be perfectly justified in feeling pretty p#ssed off.

[golfasaurus]

No worries on being pi**ed off. It would take quite a lot to do that

To do some clarification.

When I first saw the wedges, I thought they were illegal too. So I had them checked out by a local custom fitting shop with the right measuring equipment. They turn out to be legal. And yes, they are to the max allowed.

And yes, got it off from a Japanese pro and he did get it from Japan.

Happy golfing

[Milo]

Too hot to play this morning so I hit them off the mat (hate mats but no alternative).

Feel is very good (big surprise to me), grinds work well even when opened up and they certainly spin range balls quite considerably.

 

Basically they spin at least as much as Vokey SM but have a much nicer forged feel. Firm and meaty with nice feed back.

 

Shafted with PX to match new set of R7 forged I have arriving tomorrow. Will post further when tried on course. So far, so good. Very pleased I bought them and the seller gave a first class service.

[sergizmo]

From the USGA rules, 5b regarding clubface finish;

 

When dealing with the surface roughness of a club face (not including putters, see Design of Clubs, Section 5f), the claims made by the manufacturer must be taken into account — especially if there is a claim that the roughness of the face influences the movement of the ball. In the absence of such claims, the ruling would be made purely on the amount of roughness in the impact area. Sandblasting or other treatments of roughness greater than 180 micro inches are not permitted. Additionally, milling is not permitted if the crest to trough depth exceeds 0.001 inches (0.025 mm). A reasonable toleranceis allowed for both of these measurements. Non-conforming sandblasting or milling usually feels rough to the touch.

 

This can be found by following this; Link

and then going to "Clubface" on the left menu followed by "Impact area Roughness and material"

 

There is some leeway to the .001" max depth as it states "A reasonable tolerance is allowed", however much that is. Is reasonable; .0011", .0015", what?

 

I work as a machinist and just looking at the pics I would guess that these would be non-conforming. However, in the trade we strive to achieve the smoothest possible finish, so I haven't ever milled something with a finish this rough. And it's tough to tell from pics. I could very well be wrong.

 

To measure roughness a surface finish measuring tool/system would be used, such as this;

Surface Measurement

[P3R3]

Any word on these wedges?