Fourteen Golf On The Rise

Fourteen Golf, a Japanese golf club manufacturer, established itself in 1981 as a golf equipment design company. The highly successful venture developed exclusive designs for Titleist, Yamaha, Srixon (formerly Dunlop Japan), Wilson, PRGR, and many more. The original team was credited with developing the first hybrid iron and the highly popular “Citation” cavity iron by Power Bilt which was one of the most popular irons of the 1980s. In the year 2000, the business transitioned into a branded design and manufacturing company, known now as Fourteen Golf.

You may not have heard of them in the USA or Europe yet, but they make very high quality golf clubs, and they are on the rise! So far they are well known in Asia for very playable forged irons and wedges, and their most popular wedge design (MT-28 V5) has really caught on with the professional tours all over the world. The MT-28 V5 wedge features a classic design which features its signature Fourteen “reverse taper design” but has been improved by adding a groove strategically located in between the club sole and blade portion of the wedge. This structural change allowed the engineers to move the CG to a higher more stabilizing position for more precise shots.

In preparation for the new groove policy on the professional tours such as the PGA and LPGA, the company spent years engineering a new head and groove combination for the MT-28 V5 that would be in compliance with the USGA’s requirements and yet maintained the ultimate spin rate. The company not only met that objective but exceeded their expectations.

According to a recent press release, for spin and control the unique trapezoidal shaped groove works in unison with the MT-28 V5’s highly engineered head. This combination was tested in a variety of conditions and it outperformed the older MT-28 V4 in wet soggy conditions and maintained the same spin rate in dry conditions. The trapezoidal groove also undergoes a mirror-face milling process that precisely and carefully mills each groove for optimal spin.

According to an independent equipment survey, the Fourteen Golf TC-910 Forged Irons continue to dominate the Asian Tour with the number #1 ranked iron model played. At the Queens Cup in Thailand, Fourteen Golf had almost twice as many TC-910 Irons in play as compared to Srixon, Titleist, and TaylorMade and three times more than Ping and Callaway.

According to Fourteen Golf COO Marcy Kamoda, “We are proud that the professionals on the Asian Tour use our TC-910 irons weekly. It helps the company on many levels. First, it exposes our product to the golfing fans or spectators who attend the tournaments and it also brings a level of credibility to the performance of our products.”

These traditionally shaped irons are manufactured with soft Forged S20C steel and are slightly offset. The CG moves progressively higher as the clubs get shorter, creating optimal spin rates for each club. Initially these irons were designed specifically for the professional, so fittingly they look like a “Players Irons.” They are designed with a clean muscle-cavity back iron head that produces a classic forged feel.

“In addition to receiving praise and support from the professionals, our TC-910 Forged Irons were included in the highly coveted 2010 Golf Digest ‘Hot List’. The judges graded them with four and half stars for performance as well as in the look/sound/ feel category,” added Kamoda.

In addition to the success Fourteen Golf and their TC-910 Forged irons are enjoying on the Asian Tour, the company has been credited with many tour victories and Top-10 finishes.

Fourteen Golf Victories:
Including the recent victory at the Bentonville Open at Lost Springs Golf & Athletic club, Fourteen Golf has celebrated seven professional tour victories during the 2010 golf season; The South Georgia Classic on the Nationwide Tour, The Maybank Malaysian from the European Tour, the Carolina Series on the Hooters Tour, the Cyber Agent Cup on the LPGA, the Ladies Titan Tire Challenge and the Teva Championship on the Duramed Futures Tour.

Fourteen Golf Top-10 Finishes:
Fourteen Golf has received recognition for Thirty-six Top-10 finishes this year, they are as follows:
(8) PGA Tour: (1) Verizon Heritage, (1) Shell Houston Open, (1) PLAYERS Championship, (2) at the HP Byron Nelson, (1) The Memorial Tournament Presented by Morgan Stanley, (1) St. Jude Classic and (1) another at the US Open.

(4) Nationwide Tour: (1) BMW Pro-Am, (2) at the Stadion Athens Classic at UGA, and (1) Fort Smith Classic on the Nationwide Tour.

(24) LPGA Tour: (3) Top-10 finishes were captured at the HSBC Women’s Champions, (2) clinched at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, (2) from the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand, (3) at the Kia Classic Presented by J Golf, (1) secured at the Mojo Jamaican Invitational, (1) at the Tres Maria Championship, (1) from the Bell South LPGA Classic, (6) impressive Top-10s at the Sybase Match Play Championship and (3) at the LPGA State Farm Classic and (2) from the Shop Rite LPGA Classic.

Tour success usually equates to retail success, so we are eager to see how this record helps sales. Fourteen makes very high quality clubs, but they are priced in the ultra premium price range. The TC-910 Forged Iron set is offered in three through pitching wedge. They are finished with a Nickel chrome satin finish and are built with a tour weighted Dynamic Gold Steel Shaft. They began shipping in the early spring and suggested retail is $1,199.00.

Keep a lookout for Fourteen golf. If you are looking for top of the line clubs and something a little different, these will be a must hit!

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