Royal Collection JP104FW Fairway Wood Review

While covering the 2011 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL this past January I was introduced to Royal Collection. Other THP staff members had a level of familiarity with RC but to me it was a whole new experience. By the time we had run across the RC booth we had literally covered every corner of that enormous showroom floor. I had seen just about everything there was to see, yet immediately seeing the clubs on display at their booth really impressed me. They’re gorgeous, simple as that. Beautiful golf equipment is one thing; but combining those looks with performance will put a company into a whole different category. I was very excited to be able to put the Royal Collection JP104FW to the test to see if this club was more than just another pretty face.

For the THP readers who might be unfamiliar with Royal Collection here is a little company introduction from their website:

“Since its debut in 1992, Royal Collection has been a proven brand for advanced players and Tour Professionals.

Royal Collection is especially known for the “Driving Cavity”, which refers to the horseshoe shaped cavity seen on the soles of Royal Collection fairway woods and hybrids.

Royal Collection has helped Tour Players capture several PGA and European Tour victories in the late 90s as well as the Open Championships in 2000 and 2004. In Japan, Royal Collection has been ranked #1 fairway wood and hybrids category for the past 7 consecutive years according to the Darrell Survey.

With the introduction of the RC FD series, Royal Collection continues to produce tour caliber golf equipment along with high quality equipment for the everyday player.

Our motivation and dedication remains relentless. Royal Collection strives to make the game more playable, more enjoyable and more rewarding for all golfers.”

Looks, Feel, Sound
As I said earlier, the golf clubs Royal Collection puts out are gorgeous and this 3 wood is no different. The spotless chrome sole is so neat to look at that you already get a sense of confidence before you ever even even hit it. At address the first thing you’ll notice is a lack of alignment aids, but just a simple clean looking all black finish. The clubface is not as deep as some fairway wood offerings out there and that to me is a really good thing. The shape is nothing radical or distracting so all in all the looks really do a great job of making you want to like this club immediately. All of this just helps add to the overall clean look of the JP104 Fairway Wood..

In the past I have used shallower faced fairway woods that seemed to lack that pop, or solid feel, that I really look for in my metal woods. The JP104FW does not lack that pop nor and has a very solid feel to it. The ball seems to come off the face very well regardless of whether it’s off the fairway or teed up at the tee box. Solid and consistent feel was something that continued to stick with me throughout the testing period.

The sound that the JP104FW puts off is unique from most any others I’ve tested recently. It’s not an obnoxious loud bang, but it is a little louder and slightly higher pitched. You’re greeted with that solid louder sound on shots struck right in the sweet spot. Off-center hits don’t sound as good and for understandable reasons, but still a pretty good sounding club regardless of where the ball comes in contact with the clubface. The last thing I’ll touch on in this area is the head cover. It’s a nice looking leather head cover with the usual “sock” that goes on to protect the shaft. The colors are mainly white and black with a red trim.

Before I talk about performance, here are a few things Royal Collection themselves have to say about the club.

“The JP104 FW ensures very strong trajectory with just the right amount of spin for those who are able to hit their fairway woods well. “

“Moreover, slightly shallower and wider profile provides playability and forgiveness.”

More about the Driving Cavity Design

TOE & HEEL BALANCE

  • Head forgiving to miss-hits
  • Wider sweet spot

STRONG/RIGID SOLE

  • Better transfer of energy to ball, stronger ball flight
  • Better sound and impact feel

DESIGN

  • Widens sole surface, easier to achieve lower CG
  • Gives more freedom/latitude in design
  • Ease of setting CG for various target
  • Head sits better on turf and comfortable setting up
  • Less sole contact surface, superior turf interaction
  • Unique to Royal Collection

Testing

The day this club arrived I was not able to get to the driving range with it immediately like I usually like to do. Instead I did something I almost never do under any circumstances and that was immediately put it in the bag for an individual stroke play tournament that I was playing in. Typically I like at least a couple of driving range sessions in with a club before it goes in the bag for weekly Men’s Club play or in this case a tournament. Something about the looks and feel I got while swinging this around in my living room just made me think that I’d be able to throw it right into the fire. Besides, there wasn’t time for a driving range session and I really wanted to hit this thing! I ended up using the club twice that round, once off the fairway from 255 yards out on a par 5 and another off the tee. I didn’t quite get home in two with that first shot, but I was right online just short of the green. Off the tee that day I was able to successfully get myself in the fairway on a hole that has been known to cause me trouble in the past. I would definitely say that the first day with the JP104FW in the bag was a success.

After that first day I have been able to put this 3 wood through the regular realm of testing that I’ll typically go though. Several trips to the driving range and multiple rounds of golf have helped me get quite familiar with it’s performance. I feel it is a very easy to hit fairway wood, largely due to the size of the club head. If there’s anything that I find rather distracting about some fairway woods today is that it feels like you’re swinging a smaller driver with how deep the faces are getting, and I am pleased to say this was not the case in the slightest here. I was able to hit a nice high trajectory shot, especially off the tee, as well as off the fairway or in the light rough. I had no issues with manipulating that trajectory either. That’s usually the extent of my working the golf ball so I can’t say fades or draws were easy or not, but a good straight ball always works for me.

Last I’d like to talk about the shaft and the grip. RC didn’t just throw some mass produced made for shaft into the JP104, oh no. They did what I wish more OEMs would get a hint and do; put a quality shaft in a club as a stock offering. They went with a 65g Fubuki shaft and it really seems to bring it all together perfectly from the looks of the shaft to the performance. Good going Royal Collection! The grip is a RC branded Tour Velvet type grip that I had absolutely no issues with at all. Seems like a pretty good fit from both the shaft and the grip to me.

Overall
I have to say that the Royal Collection JP104FW continued to deliver for me each and every time it was called upon. Distance wise I think it is a little shorter than some of the fairway woods I’ve seen, but then again some of those fairway woods, to me, are almost like another driver in the bag. I’ll gladly trade a little less distance for a fairway wood that I can hit well from both the tee box and the fairways. Accuracy is definitely a strong point for this 3 wood so if you’re looking for a club that can help you find the fairways on those tight holes or one that can be counted on when going for the green on a par 5, then this an absolute must fairway wood to consider. If you’re seeking another club that you can bomb out there 300 yards then this might not be something that you’ll lean towards. I love that RC paired such a good shaft in this FW and I think that other golfers will also appreciate this as well. The JP104 Fairway Wood is available in 3 (14 & 15 degrees), 5 wood and 7 wood and have an MSRP of $250. To find a dealer near in your town you can visit their website here.

-Jason K.

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Jason Kunze
Jason is a busy husband and father of 2 daughters who are both just starting to take up the game that he has loved for years. Golf is his passion, when Jason is not playing golf and testing equipment he's hanging out with all his friends on the THP forum discussing every aspect of this great game.
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