While inheriting the flow of the Fourteen's wedges, the "RM-4" has a new world view and refined performance. We asked Mr. Hiroyuki Suzuki, who is in charge of development, about all the "newness" injected into this wedge.
The FOURTEEN Development Department Manager Hiroyuki Suzuki
Approximately 20 years ago, the "MT-28" achieved overwhelming spin performance, and at that time it won the first place in the usage rate on the Japan tour, and FOURTEEN's wedge gained solid trust. In that era, new functions have been shaped, and the fact that wedges from other manufacturers have modeled the technology to chase Fourteen has symbolized that advanced development capabilities are the very capabilities of Fourteen. And in the new work "RM-4", released January 2021 throughout North America.
"Step Blade" that changes the wall thickness over the toe heel of the back face that has never been seen is newly adopted, and the wedge that is one step ahead we arrived at the world view of. We were able to go there because there was an unyielding desire of Mr. Suzuki, who is in charge of development, to make a wedge that can be used not only in Japan but also in the world.
It doesn't work with the concept of Japan
"In the current gear market, I think Japanese manufacturers' products are inferior. With the PGA Tour being the center of information that symbolizes performance, there is a gap in the existence of products from overseas brands and Japanese brands. It is also true that we, FOURTEEN, have been evaluated as difficult to pass in performance considered with an emphasis on the "Japanese field" through the support of the PGA Tour for more than 10 years.
In order to take the value of "Wedge Fourteen" built in Japan one step further, the United States had to be added as one of the test fields. Not only the PGA Tour, but also the competition college golfers actively cooperated and repeated many tests. And I was able to come up with the concept of two soles that are familiar to the world golf scene, as well as a new shape of "step blade"."
The first thing Suzuki worked on was to add volume to the sole, which is the key to wedge performance. The benefit of incorporating volume is that the curved surfaces of various soles can be expressed more effectively, and the goodness of pulling out can be functionalized regardless of the turf situation. However, in order to properly design the head weight of the wedge, it was necessary to acquire excess weight in order to increase the volume of the sole. Precision machining is applied to the center of the back face in a strip shape to try to make it the thinnest, which can be said to be unusual. Using the surplus weight created there, in addition to the conventional reverse taper blade design with a change in wall thickness in the vertical direction, the toe heel We have realized a "step blade" design with a change in wall thickness in the direction. With the success of weight acquisition, as additional functions, we were able to improve the head operability and hitting feeling for each count.
S Sole
A sole that has a volume as a whole and is rounded with a gentle ridge line. Since there is a round apex from the center of the sole, all the sole surface is functional, and it is a standard sole of "RM-4" that makes it easy to pick up the ball on any lie.
H Sole
The entire sole surface is slightly rounded in the toe-heel direction, while the rear is boldly cut in a crescent shape. It adapts even more effectively to the opening and closing of the face and provides the optimum bounce effect for all level of technique.
Reliable choices without hesitation, advanced feeling and accuracy
"The sole is a voluminous sole that contributes to stable behavior, and it corresponds to the technique of opening and closing the face by boldly cutting the back in a crescent shape while giving a round feeling to the toe heel." There are two types of "H sole". Nowadays, a wide variety of soles are available in the lineup, but the "RM-4" is particular about expressing usability in an easy-to-understand manner, and we are sure to select the most suitable sole without hesitation for golfers who can pick it up. We are particular about the ease of understanding that you can get.
In addition, the back face "step blade" that changes the volume in the toe-heel direction corresponds to the consciousness of hitting the ball that moves to the toe-heel on the low loft, high loft and face surfaces, and the response and feeling can be further refined. FOURTEEN wedges have a reputation for spin performance, but instead of just pursuing high spin, it is also possible to functionalize the spin performance required for each count with the combination of "step blade" and reverse taper blade. .. We were able to dramatically improve the accuracy of making the distance to be hit more successful.
New STEP BLADE center of gravity design
New technology step blade design with steps on the left and right sides of the back face surface. The low loft (46-54 degrees) used for full shots has more volume than the toe for stability of head behavior, and the high loft (56-60 degrees) used for various techniques with a small swing width has more volume than the heel. The operability is emphasized.
New lineup of middleweight heavy shafts
In order to realize weight matching for many golfers who adopt 90g iron shafts representing N.S.PRO 950GH, we have a lineup of 111g "TS-101w" jointly developed with Nippon Shaft. Together with the 125-gram "TS-114w", the "RM-4" is also particular about optimizing the specifications. Custom shaft and grip options are also available.
Golf clubs are in an era where not only the feeling of hitting but also the beauty of modeling linked to performance is required more as part of the function. This is because it is an eye catch that arouses the interest and motivation of golfers.
Exactly 10 years ago, while the wedges were regulated by square grooves, Fourteen was the first to shape the "reverse taper blade" that made the top blade thicker, and emphasized the stable behavior in the variation of the vertical hitting point of the head. This secures a stable spin. Our technological capabilities were symbolized by the fact that many manufacturers all modeled it. Ten years in the making, THE ALL NEW, "RM-4" was born with "Step Blade", which is one step higher as a completed wedge.
Available now across North America, the new RM-4 wedge brings full circle the legacy of cutting edge design and a world view to performance standards.
Learn more about the science behind "Wedge Fourteen."
