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Tag: Ako-san

AK Putters by Ako-san of A-GRIND

in Featured, Gear Sneak Peaks, New Equipment, Putters
02 Jan 2017
949
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AK Putters A-Grind Golf2

Ako-san of A-GRIND has formally announced his new company AK Putters.   I’ve been sitting on these putters until the new year and  now have had ample time to test them on  greens.  This particular putter in my photos is not a standard finish,  it is TSG Club Works Black Nickel Finish.  The model is called the AK01 Stealth and standard they are offered in both silver and black finishes.

CNC Milled of SUS303 this new stealth  has a deep milled face.  The head weight itself is set to 345 grams.   Available in straight shaft or W bend shaft.  4* loft with a 71* lie. Ready for my impressions?  Follow the jump please…

AK Putters A-Grind Golf3

This putter feels like a precision instrument.  I love me  good center shaft putter especially one that has the visuals to inspire creativity opening a possible new path to the hole.  The deep mill in the pic above greatly improves feel.  SUS303 tends to be firm with excellent feedback as is but the face on this does two things,  the first is helps the ball roll straighter vs thinner mill or flatter faces.  The second is it softens the feel at impact.

AK Putters A-Grind Golf4

It looks like s stealth fighter to me,  it makes me think of the word “blade” it’s a very workable putter yet it’s thick top line gives off a forgiving aesthetic.  The center shaft vs W shaft is all preference,  go dead straight if you have less of an arc or the W if you have some bend in your stroke.

Why did I refinish this?  It looks great in standard finishes but in Black Nickel it looks outrageously sexy especially with the logo in a color that matches the grip.  The shafts on these are what’s called over hosel design not the easiest thing to find but it comes with the putter and that’s all you need to get the ball rolling.

AK Putters A-Grind Golf5

Batman’s ninja star above – so most putters have a higher MOI as they position a lot of weight back deep and center  this AK01 Stealth pushes the mass outward deep and away from center.  I think that’s where the workable comes from.   It’s such a good design.

The feel off the face is just right,  the black has no glare,  it’s just a well done putter that is unique and screams Ako-san’s work.  Who?  Yusuke Ako who was the lead designer for Royal Collection from 2004 to 2013 for all their clubs including woods, irons, wedges, and utilities.  Then recently started his own label called A-Grind.  TSG has created a nice sized following for A-Grind.  They are reasonable prices the woods, irons, and wedges are killer and now with his new separate series AK Putters it completes the line up.

AK Putters A-Grind Golf6

The new AK putters will be in the TSG ProShop Shortly,  I am also shooting, testing, and writing up a blog post on the AK Blade as well.   The AK01 Stealth retails for 400 dollars and TSG can also change the finish,  specs, grip,  paint fill as well.

 

 

A-GRIND DST Utility Wood

in Fairway woods & Utilities, Featured, Gear Sneak Peaks
09 Nov 2016
1373
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A-Grind Hybrid Utility DST6

Here you have it, Ako-san’s latest creation the DST utility wood also known as the Type-D.   For those of you who are not familiar with A-Grind it is the vision of Yusuke Ako,  Ako-san has been a part of the Japan Tour for over a decade and the designer at Royal Collection from 2004 till 2013 yes and he is the man who created the majority of the fairway woods including every Original Sonartec model that went to the states.  In other words this man can design fairways and hybrids like no other and the early adopters of A-Grind’s products couldn’t agree more.  The customer feedback is most often that A-Grinds products are shaped great,  feel awesome and easier to hit that most.   The Type-D (DST) series is the most forgiving fairway and utility wood in the brands entire line up.  Ready for more?  Follow the Jump!

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A-GRIND Wedges Now Available at TSG!

in Featured, Golf News, Japan Golf Fair 2015, Wedges
24 Mar 2015
1670
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  • A-Design Golf
  • A-GRIND Wedges
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It’s A-GRIND week at TourSpecGolf!  We first highlighted A-GRIND in early February during our Japan Golf Fair coverage,  the founder and designer Yusuke Ako-san is someone I’ve been an acquaintance with for nearly a decade while he worked as the lead design guru at Royal Collection and now with his own brand we were able to do business together finally after all these years.

Ako-san has been a part of the Japan Tour for over a decade and the designer at RC from 2004 till 2013 yes and he is the man who created their fairway woods including every sonartec model as well so he’s good at what he does and now with his own company we are excited to showcase that.

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From face forward you can see it’s got a beautiful almost perfect shape,  the A-Grind wedge features conforming grooves and already has 2 JPGA tour victories in less than a couple of years.  Ako-san is busy all golf season as a Tour rep for his own brand custom grinding wedges for the players.

A-Grind Wedge Top

From Above the top profile of the wedge is clearly flawless,  it has a tear drop shape and high toe tapering to a  narrow neck transition with edges that are rounded,  the design and look from this angle is directly influenced by what pro’s request while he is working the JPGA Tour Service for A-GRIND.

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The Image above shows the 52* loft with a more pronounced trailing edge grind that allows the face to be opened,  this is usually the amount you would see on a lob wedge but with A-Grind catering to professional tastes this is a common request so the player can produce higher shots with more distance by opening up the club head.

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The 58* loft has a very aggressive grind that lets the golfer rock the face open a good amount,  it also has some major heel and toe relief to go along with the trailing edge which helps the player on a variety of lie’s from uphill to downhill making this wedge extremely versitile.

Specs & Availability

Available in only 3 lofts 50/52/56 with 2 types of 56* offset configurations,  one has no offset the other has what’s considered onsett where the leading edge extends pass the neck line allowing the ball to make contact with the face earlier.

Two finishes are also available,  Brushed RAW and Nickel Brushed Satin and sold as components in the TSG Online Store:  Click Here

TSG also offers custom finishes,  custom shaft & grip builds and custom hand stamping at an additional cost so please inquire to info@tourspecgolf.com with any custom requests


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