Royal Collection Japan, the sister company of what we in the west know as Sonartec has long been producing high class golf clubs for the "Athlete" (what they call low handicappers or scratch golfers in Japan) of professional. Their hybrids and fairway woods have long been favorites of many pros on the Japanese and US tours. This year, RC released the ★ FD Fairway wood for the Average golfer (higher handicappers, game improvement level in Japan). At first glance the style of the sole would look similar to most RC clubs but looking at the specs, this 3W at 184cc would be one of RC's largest. After seeing the RC ★ as the number one seller on GDO (Golf Digest Japan Online), I decided to get one for testing to see what the fuss was about.

When it arrived and I pulled it out of the box, I was shocked at how big the head was... there are FW's that are larger than 184cc but this 3W had the top view of a 340cc driver!! Read More to continue this review!

The RC ★ features the same center cut sole found on all RC FW's that make cutting through the grass easy. This is further enhanced by the V shaped front leading edge of the sole. The face is VERY shallow. the head is like a flattened disc and the 184cc is spread thoughout. It does indeed look like a little discus on a stick.

This RC ★ is a strong 3W at 14* and plays at 43" with a special RC ★ shaft created by Graphit design. the shaft is lightweight in the 50g range and with a low kick point and higher torque, allowing higher handicappers to really get the ball in the air. Total club weight is 312g and has a D1 swingweight. A special Iomic Royal Collection sticky grip with in black with an RC Blue cap is used.

After getting over the initial shock of the size, I compared it to my Epon Technity 3W. My previous wood before the Epon was a G-Field 4 wood which was minature in comaprison to the RC ★. The RC ★ totally overshadowed the Epon FW and in fact looked more at home next to my Epon Technity 380cc driver! This is definitely one different looking FW.

So on to the performance. I'm not that much a fan of deep faced woods but I use the Epon for it's utlimate feel. I would say I am adequete at hitting it, with the biggest problem being able to get it higher in the air off the deck. The RC ★ had no such problems, I can see why this is made for the Game Improvement, mid-high handicap crowd, the shallow face, low low low CG coupled with soft tip shaft was made with one sole purpose... get the ball in the air and get it up high.

I am definitely an average class golfer and this Fairway suits me in the forgiveness category. The feel wasn't on par with the Epon, not even the G-Field for that matter but it became obvious ball after ball that this FW is built for ease of use. While not as nice feeling as previous FW's I used, the sound is a pleasant "ting" almost anywhere on the face you strike it which is a definite sign of forgiveness.

The club is reasonably long, especially at 43" on solid dead center hits. I would have preferred it a little shorter to increase consistency but heck every shot pretty much got out there. The shaft is a little soft to flex. I find most R flex users outside of Japan would probably opt for an SR flex.

Final notes, not the prettiest thing, BIG, flat, reasonable performance and feel, ultra forgiving for those who have trouble hitting FW's. Problems with the RC ★ include BIG, a little too shallow maybe, as teeing off with it I was practically teeing the ball on the ground for fear of coming under the ball and leaving a nasty skymark. Did I mention it's BIG? For those good with FW's the length shouldn't be a problem but at 43", it's actually slightly longer than Japan standard most likely to gain distance. It comes with an ugly or beautiful headcover depending on your personal perspective. All in all, it's not an Epon or G-Field performance wise, but on par with Tourstage ViQ and ONOFF Fairway Arms and probably more forgiving than both of them. It's always fun doing reviews, and one thing I discover is there are definitely lots of awesome clubs out there, but not every club is for every person. A typical RC user may be turned off by this club, but I think what Royal Collection is doing with this FW is they are trying to tap into a different market segment that they previously were not really catering to, the Average golfer which is the largest segment in Japan. That said, if you have troubles with FW's and the size doesn't bother you, this could work without a doubt.

Here are the pics! the bottom two pics are the RC ★ next to my Epon Technity 380cc Driver!

Those who are interested in getting an RC Star FD Fairway can find it at TSG here .