The New Premium Red series has lightweight specifications in order to make them easy to swing. However, this is not their only feature. As with the driver, they are designed so that the weight of the head can be substantially felt during the swing.

After Mr. Kanai got close to the green with his second shot on a par 5 using a 3 wood, he had this to say:
"It's about 30 grams lighter compared to my own club. With a club this light you would expect that it would be easy to end up topping the ball because the turn of your body itself is ahead of its normal rotation, but I was able to swing this club with the same timing as my own and hit the ball cleanly. In addition, the feel of the speed of the head is excellent, so the ball will really stretch out and carry for you.

The entire MB shaft includes fullerene, which is typically only used on the end section of the shaft. This not only increases strength, but also provides natural whip return action. The club naturally returns to the desired impact point. In addition, the club has a 30-gram grip specially designed for a lightweight club so that the weight of the head of the club can be substantially felt even though the overall weight is low.

This specialized grip greatly improves grip strength through utilizing unique groove structure technology developed by Yokohama Tire. This is one reason why a stable swing is possible even with a light grip.

From the left side of the fairway, Shoto Mitamura was mulling over a shot in which the lie was below the feet.

"The ball is below my feet and my left leg is lowered. I'm not good at shots with this kind of lie. I either top the ball or I slice. Based on distance, I want to use a 3 wood, but I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't push it and just use a 5 wood…"

Mr. Kanai offered a bit of advice.

"The 5 wood is a good choice because it's safe, but we are testing out the clubs in this round. Why not take a chance with the 3 wood?"

Hearing that, Mr. Mitamura pulled out the 3 wood for the shot.

And he hit the shot great!

There was no slice at all. The ball flew straight and landed on a pathway just before the green.

"I felt it when I addressed the ball, but it was really easy to aim and I was able to set the club up easily. In addition, the sole of the club smoothly slid on the top of the turf. The fact that I was able to use a 3 wood from that lie is great."

As he was saying this, he flipped the club over and took a good look at the sole area. That's where the secret to the club is located.

The centre of the sole is risen and the sole smoothly slants away to the front, back, left, and right. Golf courses demand that you make a number of shots from different lies. The all-condition sole is designed so that, except for extreme lies, the club can accommodate most any type of lie. The stability that Mr. Mitamura felt when he addressed the ball comes from the stability of the head even when addressing a ball in a lie that is below the feet. In addition, the excellent slide of the sole and the great feel on the follow-through of the swing are a result of the shape of the sole.

Ease in handling the club was also considered in the design of the New Premium Red fairway woods. The 3 wood is set at 42.5 inches. These various development concepts are what contributed to Mr. Mitamura's great shot.

Yasuo Shimada's second shot on a par 5 was from the right rough. The first shot with the New Premium Red driver landed in the fairway, but the ball rolled further than expected down a right slope and ended up just barely in the rough. The ball was completely sunk in the grass.

"I can't really hit the ball unless I use an 8 or a 9 here…"

Here, too, Mr. Kanai gave a little advice.

"As long as we're seeing what the clubs can do, why not try a short wood?"

Heeding this advice, Mr. Shimada pulled out a 7 wood. He was able to follow through easily, and the ball had a high trajectory and flew onto the fairway.

"You can really get balls out of the rough cleanly. If I try to dig the ball out it flies straight up, and if I use a full swing the rough stops the ball from getting good distance. This is what I was thinking, but I didn't feel any resistance from the long rough at all and I was able to swing through. The ball also rose more than I expected it to and there was plenty of carry on the ball. With this club, it seems like you can aim for the green even from the rough."

The New Premium Red fairway woods have a shallow head design, a single-piece titanium hosel, face, and crown structure, and a stainless-steel sole. This means that a low centre of gravity makes the ball easy to lift. The complete combination of ease in handling, swinging, and hitting the club as well as elevating the ball make these clubs ones that everyone should be happy to use. (Continued)