The Japan Golf Fair is of course a place for brands to show case their newest products and while many larger brands use the show as a huge marketing launch for the year’s new product line, smaller and unknown brands take the opportunity to be discovered. To be totally honest, this can be the most exciting thing about the show. Every year when we cover the show at TSG, we go into the show pretty much knowing already what the big names will be doing and releasing so its most fun to “discover” the new brand on the block and meet the new people involved in creating these new brands.
We spent a bit of time at the Modart booth as we were immediately drawn in by the very nice looking clubs on display. Speaking together with the president and founder, Mitsuru Suda, I was able to learn more about what Modart is and its background in the golf industry and its vision moving ahead with its products. Modart was created by Suda-san last year and is really only picking up steam now. All the clubs offered by Modart are made completely in Japan featuring a full line up of woods and irons and wedges and putters. Follow the read more to find out more!
Suda-san having spent more than 10 years in the golf industry had long had a dream of making his own brand. He spent years honing his grinding and club design skills at Fourteen Golf where under the guidance of Grind Studio master and former top Fourteen grinder Masahiro Tomaru. When Tomaru-san left, Suda-san became the top grinder and focused on grinding Fourteen wedges for top Japanese pros on tour. Besides grinding for tour pros, Suda-san was also in charge of up and coming releases which include the very popular MT-28 V5 wedge in his portfolio.
Finally last year, Suda-san decided the time was right to start his own brand so he tried to envision what he wanted his brand to be. The final concept and brand name was decided to be MODART. Modart stands for Modern + Art. Should golf clubs focus on the evolution of performance or the visual and aesthetic. Suda-san decided it would be both and thus Modart was born.
So what makes Modart stand out from other smaller boutique brands. The first thing that caught our eyes was the quality. The clubs all look amazing, from design, to workmanship and finish. Modart clubs have a very premium aura to them. There are a lot of small brands in Japan and many of them cannot match this level of quality. Suda-san chose carefully in not only design, materials but also in manufacturing in deciding that the clubs would be made in Japan (shafts and grips too!). The two drivers, the deep head MA01D and the shallow head MA01S feature beautiful IP black finishes and classy lines. Suda-san told me that these drivers are different from many drivers in Japan in that unlike most drivers which are anti slice, the Modart drivers are more anti hook. He designed their CG placement so that players would not fear the left side. Both drivers feature forged Ti cup faces and are available with stock shafts made by Fujikura or custom made with any shaft available in Japan.
The one biggest difference in Modart is when it comes to their irons and wedges. They use S25C soft carbon steel BUT they are not forged. Each head is CNC MACHINED from the block!!! Suda-san explained that this creates the most pure iron when it comes to materials. The pressure and heat from a forging press can create inconsistancies in the steel including cracking and weakening of the material ultimately degrading he feel. With each Modart iron and wedge being milled straight from the block, there is no contamination of the steel and you get S25C in its original pure form.
Suda-san himself will also grind custom wedges similar to the one you see above. Custom grind, shape, offset, engravings and finish are all included. He is currently grinding custom sets of muscle backs which we will feature very soon. Overall we were impressed with not only the products but also with Suda-san’s passion and abilities. Like Buchi and Gold’s Factory, knowing there is a highly skilled master behind the works you receive make those works even more attractive and in demand.
Over the next few weeks TSG will work with Modart at introducing more of their products and more about Suda-san’s background and abilities. As the International Dealer for Modart we will soon start offering Modart products through the pro shop as well as via custom order. So stay tuned and we hope you are as excited about Modart as we are!
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