Pro Gear or PRGR as we know it better has been on a great run of releasing top performing clubs in the last few years. As part of the sports wing of Yokohama Rubber, PRGR has created clubs to meet the needs of all different levels of players. 
It was discovered late last year that PRGR would be moving most of its manufacturing involving 2010 model forged irons, wedges and drivers to Endo Manufacturing beginning with the Limited and sold out TR500 iron that we featured here last year. Endo as many of you know is the forging house that accounts for 60-70% of the forged clubs in the world including Epon, Tourstage, Yamaha, S-Yard, Fourteen, Callaway, Titleist, Cobra to name a few.
RED 505 Forged at Endo
One of the new drivers forged in Japan at Endo is the New Red 505 driver. In the past the Red and 505 line had been considered the premium line aimed at slower swingers or those wanting to maximize distance and forgiveness. The new Red 505 line blurs the lines between average golfer and mid level golfer who wants premium feel, distance and forgiveness in a high performance driver.
High Expectations…
In Choice Magazine’s recent Driver shootout comparing all new models, the Red 505 got first place in a category called Surprise Distance Performance. Many other magazines have give it top marks for distance and forgiveness so being a big PRGR fan, I got a 10.5* M-40 shaft Red 505 for testing from PRGR.
Click Read More to find out more about the Red 505 Driver!
Increase your smash factor…
The RED 505 features a design that promotes square impact resulting in increased smash factor, higher speed efficiency and more overall distance. This is done by placing the center of gravity at a different location from the actual center of the face of the driver. The CG is moved closer to the heel to increase ball speeds on contact. Opposite the CG point and on the other side of the center of the face is the maximum bend point of the face. These three points, CG, Center and Bend point create a huge sweet spot that covers the whole face of the driver.
The forged titanium face also creates a crisp higher pitched sound on impact. The audible feedback is rewarding for excellent impact and timed shots. PRGR studied 3757 amateur golfers and discovered that 67% had outside in swings, or over the top and slice swings. This produces a glancing blow reducing smash factor and resulting in a big loss of distance and accuracy. Many players do not get the type of distance their swing speeds should be producing due to poor impact angle. The RED 505 is designed to produce square straight on impact for maximum distance.
Forged VL Titanium = Soft Feel
The driver is very high end looking, the shape, emblems, and laser etching are all very Endo-esque. The face looks great and features a very high end forged VL-Titanium which is also used in all premium Callaway Japan drivers like the new Legacy. Unlike many average golfer models, the face is actually rather square, maybe 0.5* closed at most. It sets up rather nice and while is considered a shallow profile head, the 460 Red 505 does not look overly large at address. Enough to give confidence but not too big that it is distracting. The feel of the head is soft but crisp and produced a straight ball with a mid trajectory flight which was surprising for me as most drivers aimed at the average golfer go for max carry with a higher launch… or maybe this was not meant to be an average golfer only model?
Top Marks for Distance…
If I were to rank the driver, I’d give it a 10 for distance. It’s as long as any driver I have hit this year in stock form. Feel is a 9, very soft but still that crisp feedback. Forgiveness is a 9 as shots off the toe did not lose much and the heel maybe a little. These numbers bode well for the average golfer but even the mid level and quickly improving golfer who wants distance and forgiveness will appreciate this driver for its feel and straight mid trajectory.
New Mitsubishi Shaft…
The new conforming made in Japan RED 505 features a new shaft made for PRGR by Mitsubishi Rayon. The new shaft features a stiffer tip for more control and lower spin. The RED 505 is available in 10.5 11.5 and 12.5 lofts and M-37 (R2) M-40 (R) and M-43 (Stiff/Reg) flexes. These flexes are all 45.75″ driver lengths. There is also an M-35 flex at 45″ for the slower swinger under 80mph (can be considered a soft senior flex or stiff ladies flex.) The shaft probably contributes to the drivers performance as well and it has more feel than previous PRGR stock shafts of the past. Most recreational golfers could probably do just fine with the stock shaft but any harder hitters or aggressive swingers may want to consider an upgrade shaft especially since the stock club is under 290g total weight.
It’s going in the bag…
Even though I only spent a short time with the driver, hitting it at the range, and 9 holes in my backyard course, I am seriously considering this as the driver to bag for this season. Not just because I am a big PRGR fan and the Red 505 is made at Endo. The Red 505 simply performs. Its design squares to the ball quickly and the VL Ti face creates great ball speeds and pretty low spin. Yeah I think I’m putting this in the bag… it gives me everything I look for in a driver for my level of player. Top flight distance, mid trajectory with roll, a head that feels great and is easy to swing and square up. It will sure be a good partner to my Egg Spoon. It’s in the pro shop already for those interested.
Check out the pics.
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How does it compare to the new XXIO?
Both are good drivers but I liked the PRGR better. The XXIO is very shallow and very long face to back so it looks large at address but it also feels very good at impact due to the Super TiX face. The RED 505 does not have as closed a face as the XXIO looks closed more than 1*. Both are very long off the tee. The XXIO is really for the slicer and produces a higher trajectory since the CG is very deep back.
How does it compare to the SuperTri? I love my SuperTri, so I’ll forever be basing other clubs off it. Of course, with its Fubuki 73g shaft it’s a bomber. But this PRGR looks nice. I like the funky face shape from the front.
Great looking driver. Is it comparable to any of the drivers out now?
The head shape may be similar to the Supertri at address but as you noted the face is definitely different.
It’s hard to compare the driver to another one as PRGR is doing something new by focusing on a CG point, center point and bend point of the face.
It does have soft feel and surprisingly explosive distance. The soft feel somewhat masked the impact so when I looked up I was surprised to see how far it was going and kept going.
I like the way it looks at address.
Do you think it will be available for lefties?
Nice driver! Is the sole design only for aesthetics? or is there some technology behind that?
It looks bottom heavy…so does it promote higher trajectory?
At this point its not available for lefties. The sole is cut that way for strategic weight placement and for some golfers who may touch down the back end before impact, the groove at the back minimizes contact and friction resulting in lost swing speed.
I’m a weekend golfer with handicap score of 24, I’ve been using a Taylormade CGB Max for about 2 years, I love the CGB in terms of distance and espeically the sound when hit. However, since I have a slice problem whenever I forget to regulate myself for the right swing, so last week I bought the Red 505 as it claimed is specially designed for slicers. After 9 holes of trial, I found it can really minimize my slice problem, or may be I’ve alerted myself all the time for my posture. The distance is more or less the same as my CGB, the only thing I don’t like is the sound when I hit the ball, it sounds like hitting with a wooden hammer. I shall go for a 18 holes game next week, so I think I can have more time to test the driver. I’ve no knowledge about technology, my personal conclusion is that anyone who can afford to pay little more for the Red 505, it can definitely give inprovement with the slice problem, but not much benefit in distance as with my limited experience I’d imagine most of the drivers have not much difference in terms of distance.
DL once you dial in the driver I’m sure you will gain more distance. As for the sound, many of the new drivers on the market today are simply very loud. This is due to a combination of design and materials used. Keep in mind that while the 505 is loud, there are even louder drivers out there. Keep it straight and long!