Month: October 2025

Date Posted:

Hello, this is tK, your blog correspondent.

This article is about 【New Irons】!
Just hearing these words is enough to generate excitement.
I am confident that all JUCIE fans share this sentiment.

―― The keyword is 'Reiwa Ikemen' (Handsome Man of the Reiwa Era).
It appears JUCIE is advancing the development of new irons!
As a fan, I can no longer keep silent. I want to share this with everyone!
However, much of the detail remains shrouded in secrecy.
Nevertheless, I was able to glean a small 'keyword' from Mr. Matsuyoshi this time,
and using that as a catalyst, I wish to write a little about what I personally felt and the expectations that have spontaneously grown within me.

First, regarding the current model, the 'tQ Iron'

The tQ Iron is renowned for its exquisite trajectory and the unparalleled sensation when the impact point perfectly aligns with the clubface and shaft axis. I believe few clubs convey such a profound sense of 'capturing the ball squarely on the face'.
Clubs 8-iron and below feature a pure muscle-back design. They offer the joy of ball manipulation, while 7-iron and above consistently propel the ball to significant distances.

The satisfaction of a well-struck shot is exceptional, and the sheer act of hitting them progressively enhances enjoyment.
However, conversely, there is little sense of the club providing significant assistance.

Rather, it's as if the club communicates, 'If you execute properly, I will perform with precision.'
――That is the profound message one perceives from this club.

This characteristic captivates seasoned golfers who have long wielded clubs with expertise.
However, for golfers accustomed to recent clubs replete with 'assist features',
they might dismiss it with a single phrase: 'It looks difficult.'

The narrative unfolds from a single comment by a student golfer

Amidst this, an incident reportedly occurred.
Mr. Matsuyoshi had the opportunity to introduce JUCIE to a student golfer representing Japan.

Mr. Matsuyoshi approached with absolute confidence in the tQ Iron.
However, after hitting a few balls, the student reportedly stated:
“I’m not a fan of this clubhead shape. I prefer clubs that appear easier to hit.”
Mr. Matsuyoshi was reportedly quite taken aback by that remark.

The tQ irons are a legitimate model designed for golfers who have held clubs for many years and feel comfortable with them.
However, in the student's eyes, these irons were "difficult to use.


It is a matter of taste, but at that moment, a switch flipped in Matsuyoshi's mind.
I think it would be better to change the "ease of posture" that the times demand, depending on one's style of play.

New keyword: "2021 handsome men

Thus, a new keyword was born.
It is called "2021 handsome.
In the past, the individuality of each manufacturer was strongly expressed in the face (i.e., the face design at address). Nowadays, the back face design and the brand's overall world view are more influential.
Under such circumstances, JUCIE began to search for the "face of 2021.

What's more, surprisingly, the next model will have two faces within the same iron:
"2021 handsome" and "orthodox"!
Two completely different personalities coexisting in one model.
It is truly amazing to see how easily they go beyond our imagination.

Deep design thinking to the point of perversity

When talking with Mr. Matsuyoshi, his design talk goes deeper and deeper, sometimes to the point of insanity....
Just when you think you finally understand one level, there are three more levels of deep thinking beyond that.
I get the impression that he is a man who is traveling in a world that no one else can enter.

Even so, the man himself is always soft-spoken and always willing to answer any questions you may have in a polite manner.
In an appearance on a program just the other day, he was described by his co-star as "perverted" (laughs).
In this industry, I think that is one of the biggest compliments you can get.

Finally.

The full details of the new irons have not yet been revealed.
However, the key word is "2021 handsome.
It is certain that we are about to create a club that makes you feel "now" the moment you put it in your stance.
What do you feel from these words?
What kind of "face" will JUCIE show us?
As a fan of JUCIE, I look forward to that moment with great anticipation.
Please look forward to further news.

Date Posted:

Is it time to reset conventional wisdom regarding wedge selection? -Part 2-

In the last issue, we talked about how you should focus not on absolute spin performance, but on "does it always produce the spin you expect?" I would like to talk about another uncomfortable point: "It is a waste of time to choose a wedge by giving priority to the value of the angle of the stance.
This time, I would like to talk about another uncomfortable point, which is that it is a waste of time to select wedges by giving priority to the value of the angle of the stance.

Is low-vance wedge difficult?

When was the low-vance wedge genre established...
When wedges were commonly included in iron sets, the Sw was a helpful club that was easy to use in bunkers, and when the trend toward strong lofts began to progress and the loft of the Pw was in the 40-degree range, clubs called the Then, clubs called W, Aw, Gw, P/S, etc. appeared between Pw and Sw, and simply the performance to fill the distance difference between Pw and Sw came to be demanded. After that, I feel that the clubs gradually evolved and changed into clubs specializing in handling bad lies close to Sw and clubs specializing in approach performance that can easily carve out a pitch of distance more than Pw.
Further changes occurred, and wedges were created as a series of wedges only, and even as a series of wedges with loft notation instead of number notation, the so-called single-piece wedge as we know it today.
Until then, wedges were all clubs that specialized in helping functions, such as clubs that specialized in getting out of bunkers or clubs that specialized in rolling, as typified by chippers.
It was professional golfers who actively adopted these single-purpose wedges, and they were transformed into various types of performance to meet the demands of various players. A major element of this change was mainly in sole performance, with clubs being created to suit those who used the sole aggressively and those who preferred a sole that did not get in the way at various angles of incidence.

The high-spin wedge was the first to appear on the scene. These high-spin wedges, depending on the sharpness of the scoreline and the performance of the ball at the time, were compatible with those with a strong sole performance, so the number of models with a strong vance effect increased. The early low-vance wedges were created for professionals who did not follow this trend and preferred a model with a weak vance effect that made it easier to hit a variety of shots rather than spin performance.
And because the people who used these low-vance wedges were skilled in wedge work at the time, wedges that incorporated their opinions often had sharp performance, and as a result, the impression that low-vance wedges were difficult became firmly established.

Low Vance ≠ Smaller Vance Angle

So what does low-vance mean in the first place?
I would describe it as having a "low-vance effect". I don't simply say that the angle of the vance is small. However, it is commonly accepted that they are synonymous in the current wedge selection process.
It is a bit difficult to describe, but it is a "one dimensional" view to evaluate the strength of the Vance effect only in terms of the Vance angle. The angle is ambiguous in terms of what it is in relation to, and in the end it is judged by whether it is too much or too little. In the end, we end up judging the angle based on whether it is too much or too little. Since we cannot reach the original performance in this way, I would like you to at least imagine the cross-section of the wedge and judge its wedge-shaped condition from a "two-dimensional" perspective.
By looking at the cross section, we can determine the difference in width and thickness of the sole, whether the sole is flat or round, and whether the ground contact position is in front or behind. Furthermore, is the contact position front or back? The angle of the sole is also important. The angle, for example, you can see that the wedge angle is the same for a loft of 56 degrees with 8 degrees of advance and for a loft of 60 degrees with 12 degrees of advance.
Even though it may be difficult to understand how these performances affect the effect at first, by being aware of them, you will gradually be able to see the conditions that suit your own hitting style.


To further understand this, I think it is important to take a "three dimensional" view that takes into account the changes in shape in the toe and heel directions. If we look at the rounding of the sole in this direction and the change when the wedge is opened, we will be able to see more of the wedge's true performance.
And beyond that, I value the "4-dimensional" view in my designs. I would like to talk about this in the next issue.

Thoughts on the Juicy Wedge lineup

As I mentioned, the Juicy wedge series was created with these various performances in mind, and even just looking at the 58-degree wedges, there are five types: B, S, K, G, and T, each with its own unique performance. In particular, the B, S, and K wedges all have a 10-degree angle of incidence. If you choose them by angle, they are all the same, but S has the weakest valance effect, B is standard, and K is slightly stronger, and if you hit the ball, you will feel it immediately.
T sole has a special valance effect, which aims to increase the amount of spin at close distances in a stable manner. It has a good vance effect and a moderate vance effect when it is open.
And as for the G sole, the angle is 8 degrees, but the vance effect is about the same as the B sole, and furthermore, the roundness is adjusted slightly so that the same vance effect is exhibited as much as possible whether the wedge is used straight or open. Furthermore, when evolving the wedge as tT Wedge 2.0, we have slightly strengthened the vance effect to the same level as that of the K sole. Therefore, we hope that our customers will abandon their preconceived notions of "because it has an 8-degree angle" or "because it has a low-vance" and feel that we want them to choose not based on the numerical value of the vance angle, but rather on the index of how effectively the sole functions for the shots they want to hit.