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Miyazaki B. Asha Review - Forum Testing

Nippon Shafts
Great info Nate, the last set makes a lot more sense. Can't wait to see how it performs on the course for you.

LtEvO TaPpEd
 
J4U said:
Great info Nate, the last set makes a lot more sense. Can't wait to see how it performs on the course for you.

LtEvO TaPpEd
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I agree, that first set of numbers seemed really off considering the swing speed.
 
Got on the launch monitor this morning so I will have a full write-up later today now that I have some decent experience with this shaft.

A little interesting sidenote. I let the launch monitor/ fitter guy hit this combo and he saw a MAX of 6.2* launch angle.
 
I have a feeling there will be some additions to this thread this evening or tomorrow, A LOT of guys were quite impressed with the B Asha at the Tour Van stop and were hitting it very, very well.
 
War Eagle said:
I have a feeling there will be some additions to this thread this evening or tomorrow, A LOT of guys were quite impressed with the B Asha at the Tour Van stop and were hitting it very, very well.
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I agree Ryan, I know a lot of people at the Iowa stop wanted a shot at it.

Also, this shaft has really turned some heads. One of the random people at the store today was like where can I get that combo. It looks amazing! This combo really does look fantastic. It has to be the prettiest thing in my bag!
 
Nate that last set of numbers looked good. The launch is low so I expect you will be getting some serious roll on those TX fairways. I really enjoyed the lack of torque on the shaft or minimal torque. It really keeps the ball between the uprights. Good info in the first post!
 
Second Round On Course
Testing Table of Contents

Course: Pipestone, Dayton OH
Temperature: 45-65*
Wind: 6-8mph
Shaft Testing: B.Asha 5x
Ball Used: Bridgestone B330

I played another round today with the B.Asha at the driver helm. On the range I found some great flight and many very similar shots. Mid flight all the way with a small draw.

It wasn't hard to transition that to the course and my first three drives felt incredible. Perfect loading, easy transition into the downswing and very solid through impact. Quality distance along with a small draw on each, with mid ball flight. The next two shots were interesting. I came in a bit quick while crowding the ball a bit and created two fades. The first one was about 10 yards into the rough on the right side, and the second one was only about 5 yards into the rough.

This brings me to my first acknowledgement of these new flighting characteristics.. In previous experience, a shot that I considered a 'miss' immediately on contact was very punishing. Added side spin and height both ways were very troublesome, and something I'm not experiencing a ton of with the Classic/B.Asha. Don't get me wrong, they are absolutely misses and that is always something that will concern me, but they are not incredibly punishing.

My next two drives were fantastic. A small chirp from ddec got me laughing about aiming along the right side again and fading. He told me to 'aim at the bunker and put a small draw on it.' That ended up being exactly what I did and it was that great mid flight that I was looking for. Wind was left to right which hurt the draw a bit, but nowhere near my former gamer which launched to the sky. Following that up was a 343 yard dogleg left but it was more like 320 to the center of the green. Not expecting to be anywhere close, I hit one of the best feeling drives of the weekend, which took the corner great and ended up only about 10-15 paces in front of the green where MikeDean, JB, War, and bhillin were putting out! (Sorry guys!!)

From there, my swing deteriorated substantially due to a fun scramble we were playing. I swung out of my shoes and hit a bad draw on the next hole. Following that I dropped my shoulder and hit a high launching fade way off target. I don't think these swings were a realistic baseline for the shaft but I think they are worth noting. I have two clear misses with this shaft/head combo and while neither are consistently punishing mostly in thanks to the lower launch and lower spin versus my previous gamer, they are something I need to work on.

I hope to get back out on course/range soon to really concentrate on the shaft itself. Having had a chance to hit a couple different drivers (B.Asha 4s, AMP cell) in stiff this weekend, the one real concern I had holds very true with the 5x. It holds up in every scenario. It does not get behind in my swing, it doesn't need to 'catch up' in my transition, and there is little to no shaft shudder in most cases. It's just smooth all the way through.
 
Well made it back from Ohio today 52 grams heavier :D. I can't thank JB enough for the opportunity to be another tester of this shaft. I'll be putting in the 4s this week into my R11S. Ordered the adapter sleeve and a grip which should be in by mid next week. While it wasn't the best conditions at the range yesterday and I'm not a huge fan of the RAZR driver heads the 4s shaft felt great and know it'll be a great combo with my R11S. I'll post more in the coming days to give you a little background about my game when I'm not completely exhausted from a great weekend.
 
Good stuff Canadan. I'm glad you hit some bombs with it this weekend. When you say that your misses aren't as punishing, what kind of flight characteristics do you see? Is there just less movement, does the ball seem to die before it goes too far, etc? I am seeing similar things and I'm curious to see if we're experiencing the same thing. I'll expand more on mine in my writeup from today's round.
 
Damaikis said:
Good stuff Canadan. I'm glad you hit some bombs with it this weekend. When you say that your misses aren't as punishing, what kind of flight characteristics do you see? Is there just less movement, does the ball seem to die before it goes too far, etc? I am seeing similar things and I'm curious to see if we're experiencing the same thing. I'll expand more on mine in my writeup from today's round.
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There are two. A higher launching fade, and an over draw when I hit the outside of the clubhead.

The higher launching fade was a disaster with my former gamer. I would say based on the change in flight, I am seeing about 40% less distance to the right with the B.Asha 5x vs a typical S that I would normally play.

The over draw is a reduction to about 80-85% distance and just turning too much. This happens when I make contact too far outside on the clubface, and something I've struggled with. This weekend, on this particular course, it only hurt me twice, and I felt like I did it a fair bit. With my former gamer it was a legit hook, and with the Adams Fast 12 LS that I gamed briefly earlier this summer, it was an enormous shaft shudder on contact and a big ol' sweeping draw/hook.
 
StanTheCaddy said:
Well made it back from Ohio today 52 grams heavier :D. I can't thank JB enough for the opportunity to be another tester of this shaft. I'll be putting in the 4s this week into my R11S. Ordered the adapter sleeve and a grip which should be in by mid next week. While it wasn't the best conditions at the range yesterday and I'm not a huge fan of the RAZR driver heads the 4s shaft felt great and know it'll be a great combo with my R11S. I'll post more in the coming days to give you a little background about my game when I'm not completely exhausted from a great weekend.
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I think it's great you're adding it to an r11s buddy, and I think it's going to be a great comparison to the RIP 60. Very much looking forward to seeing how it transforms your driver game and the feeling you get from it.
 
Miyazaki B. Asha Review

Miyazaki B. Asha Review

Date - 10/21/2012
Course - Frog Hollow GC Middletown, DE
Club Tested - Miyazaki B. Asha shaft
Ball Used - TM Penta

Finally got out today with the new B. Asha Anser combo but before I get into that I wanted to first get into some pictures. So, B. Asha flavored Ping Anser.

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I picked up the new combo this past Friday and being it was on my way home from work I did not have time to get on a launch monitor. Im not a high speed, long knocking golfer anyway so Im not sure there is much demand for my very non internet swing real life swing. Many here on the forums know my game or lack thereof but for those that do not I'll give some background. Ive played the game for about half my life, picking up and playing golf starting in my 20's. As I first started to learn the game I struggled mightily with a big slice and consistency with my irons. I could always putt and chip pretty well. As I started to take lessons right about the same time I found THP a few years ago Id been a pretty good ball striker but still very bad with the driver. For the last couple seasons Ive struggle with high short fades with some mixed in decent driving days here and there. Lessons did help and going into this season I was working hard during the winter to hopefully bring the game up a notch. Then I had what I was told was a very minor and easy to recover from hand surgery. This was back in February and my hand seems worse now but my game is just feeling better. Im hitting the driver better then I can remember and the irons are finally starting to come around. Putting we wont talk about as it shows that Ive worked less on that then the full swing. As far as a HCP goes Ive been right around 15-17. As far as the driver goes if I hit it 250 Im more then happy. If it goes 280 I need a moment alone.

Moving on to the B. Asha testing. I picked up the B. Asha with its newly installed Ping Anser adapter from Golf Galaxy Friday on my way home from work. Since it was on my way home I had stay off the launch monitor for now. I went with a Lampkin REL 3GEN grip in red and I think it looks really good. Unfortunately since it was already late I could not get pictures until today. Saturday was a non golf day as we spent the day in NYC. As far as feel goes after I first installed the shaft into the Anser head for some reason it felt heavy. That might have just been because I was tired though. It did feel different then the stock Ping shaft I had in it before. Which brings me to another thing I wanted to touch on. I went with the 5s because I felt like this shaft was pretty close to what Ive been swinging before with the last few shafts Ive had in my drivers. Ive been swinging the driver better and better lately so I did not want to risk wrenching things up by going real light. I will say that Ive not seen the best results from the C Kua line so I was just a little worried going into this.

Today I finally get out to the course. My choice is to go to the range and risk probably not finishing or just head right to the course. I decide that after seeing the foursome that wants to tee off soon I better just go out in front of them. Nothing like taking fresh gear right to the first tee. My thought on the first tee is to not get too quick so I can avoid the driving range and OB to the left. But get too lazy and you got houses and OB to the right too. I get quick and snap the first ball over towards the range. So I tee up another and this time send one high and floating right. Cant way I was one, too surprised by either one and definitely not too happy about seeing that high and right. Well, second hole is par 5 with death on the left and OB/houses to the right. So, I aim down the left side of the fairway and swing away. Solid contact this time but the ball goes dead straight. Dreaded straight ball. Right out to where it went and it went through the fairway and to its death. Where I was parked was 240 so who knows how far that one went. What I more concerned about was trying to figure out where my drives were going and how to play the new set up. Over the next few holes I hit driver 3 more times before I had to leave. This was almost the front 9 but I ended up skipping a par 3 and when I came up to the 9th hole I jumped out and nailed one. This was my best drive of the day and seeing I was in a hurry really surprised me. I aimed down the right side and it drew back and around the corner. Ball was sitting down at the bottom of where the fairway starts going up towards the green. Id turned off the GPS but had about 50 yards or so to the green. Looked to be about 280 or so. Hitting a draw with the driver is pretty mind bottling for me at this point. And Im not sure what to make of it just yet. Unfortunately on hole #6 the gf called in a panic because the dogs had a skunk cornered in the back yard. So I had to leave with a 36 through 8 holes having skipped one par 3 and mixed up thoughts on my driver.

Shafts are very difficult for me to judge and gather my thoughts on but Im going to try and make some sense.

Looks: Simply put the shaft, graphics and color are stunning. The guys in GG were in love with it when I picked it up without ever swinging it.

Feel: This one is probably the most difficult. There was some talk about feeling the shaft kick and Im not sure I can say if I did or didnt just yet. I want to say I felt this on the last two swings because they both felt awesome. The last swing on 9 was a powerful, low screaming draw but still under control. It went exactly where I wanted it to. I need more time with it but in those few holes this shaft felt better for me then the C Kua ever did.

Performance: Only getting to play 8 holes and hitting driver on 5 of those leaves a lot to be tested but I will say by the last hole that I hit driver on I crushed it. I think this one will get more clear as I get to play the shaft more. For today I think it went how I would expect. No warm up, first swings with it lead to some missed FW's. Actually I missed all of them till the last hole I played. But how many were MISSED and how many were barely missed? First two holes were bad misses but the last 3 were either just off the FW or very playable.

To say I was upset and a little frustrated to have to leave without getting the round in would be an understatement. Its the time of year where if you work an 8-5 like me the one day I get out is almost all I get. I dont like not getting it. But duty called at home. I still came away excited to get back out. Not because I hit all the FW's and dominated the course with the B. Asha Anser combo but because I left on a good note. That last swing with it on 9 was crushed. It was on the screws and it felt amazing. It was what you look for in a good drive. And what will have me looking forward to my next time out with the B. Asha and hopefully more success with it.
 
Canadan said:
I think it's great you're adding it to an r11s buddy, and I think it's going to be a great comparison to the RIP 60. Very much looking forward to seeing how it transforms your driver game and the feeling you get from it.
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Thanks Dan, can't wait to test this combo out. What B. Asha were you hitting at the end of the demo on Saturday? I don't know which one that was but you were crushing it!
 
StanTheCaddy said:
Thanks Dan, can't wait to test this combo out. What B. Asha were you hitting at the end of the demo on Saturday? I don't know which one that was but you were crushing it!
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I was bouncing around between my own 5x/Classic 310 combo, JRod's Nike VR Tour and 5x combo, and I am pretty sure I hit the setup you had going which i can't remember what was..

I would assume if it looked 'crushy' like it was my own combo. JRod's Nike was a little fluttery for me and was generating a decent fade, and the 's' I hit was definitely feeling fantastic, but it was not ideal in flight at all.
 
Am I reading these correctly, seems like most are seeing lower launching flights than what they were playing before?

If so I can't help but wonder if that is partly responsible for the tighter dispersion.
 
SW said:
Am I reading these correctly, seems like most are seeing lower launching flights than what they were playing before?

If so I can't help but wonder if that is partly responsible for the tighter dispersion.
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The more I see the same, the more I really wonder what this combo would do in a high lofted head like JB's 11.5. Is anyone hitting this in a 10.5 head or all 9.5's?
 
mward2002 said:
The more I see the same, the more I really wonder what this combo would do in a high lofted head like JB's 11.5. Is anyone hitting this in a 10.5 head or all 9.5's?
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JB rocks a 12. I'm actually thinking about grabbing a 11.5 Fit myself just to see. I'm mighty curious.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Jman said:
JB rocks a 12. I'm actually thinking about grabbing a 11.5 Fit myself just to see. I'm mighty curious.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Oh yeah he does have a 12 doesn't he lol. I think you should give that 11.5 idea a try.
 
SW said:
Am I reading these correctly, seems like most are seeing lower launching flights than what they were playing before?

If so I can't help but wonder if that is partly responsible for the tighter dispersion.
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I'm glad you asked. I noticed similar things and got ignored.
 
Lol, our voices shall be heard!

It has me wondering if this shaft plays a little firmer than advertised. I'd love to get ahold of a 3S and have some HAM time to test that.
 
TC have you had the chance to try the B. asha out?
 
TC said:
I'm glad you asked. I noticed similar things and got ignored.
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Sorry buddy, I didn't see your post.

I do think it plays a part myself, I also think this one is crazy stable. I've played a LOT of shafts (you know I'm a ho! Hahaha) and haven't ever experienced anything quite like this. I'm 5 rounds in on it and still am struggling a bit for words. I can say, it IS lower for me than the Black was and I can't help but wonder if that is helping dispersion, that's also why I'm on the brink of pulling the trigger on the 11.5....just to see.

I'm crazy curious.


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Did anybody go with the 7 series? Just curious because in Ohio I threw the 7x in my Razr Fit and saw some pretty good results with some mid to mid/rockets. I loved the feeling of this shaft. I just swung it like I normally do and the ball just wanted to fly. I might have reached the road a few times when I hit one really good.

Great stuff so far though guys and I am really liking following along.
 
Sub 40g shaft if you cut it down an inch or two. That'd be pretty interesting for sure. What's weird is the B.Asha 4's should be a mid to high launching shaft but JMan's not getting the higher launch numbers.
 
SW said:
Am I reading these correctly, seems like most are seeing lower launching flights than what they were playing before?

If so I can't help but wonder if that is partly responsible for the tighter dispersion.
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I believe that's a big piece of the puzzle, especially in wind, but I have not experienced the club on my home course or range to note familiar settings in shot variables.

The next time I head to the driving range I'll take my former driver (S flex HD6) with me to see what kind of gap there is in bad shots.
 
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