Aldila Synergy Blue Golf Shaft Review

Leave a reply

Aldila Synergy Blue Driver Shaft Review

By Russ Ryden, Fit2Score, A Dallas Fort Worth Club Fitter & Club Maker
The Highlands Performance Golf Center, Carrollton Texas 
Golf Digest Certified America’s 100 Best Club Fitter

The 2018 Aldila Synergy is the first golf shaft I know of to incorporate Graphene. What exactly does this material, that is one atom thick bring, to golf shafts. I looked it up at Wikipedia and learned that it earned its early researchers a Nobel Prize in 2010. Golf is not the first sports application, Head put in into tennis rackets in 2015. They are played by the worlds best tennis players. The racket reviews tell us that they bring new levels of stability to the racket frame. 

To continue reading this section of the review, you must be registered at a higher level membership.
Russ

Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei AV Blue Driver Shaft Review

Leave a reply

Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei AV Blue Driver Shaft Review

By Russ Ryden, Fit2Score, A Dallas Fort Worth Club Fitter & Club Maker
The Highlands Performance Golf Center, Carrollton Texas 
Golf Digest Certified America’s 100 Best Club Fitter

The Tensei AV is the successor to the Tensei CK. There were two versions of the Mitsubishi Tensei golf shaft, now there are three. My understanding is that the AV series will replace the CK series. The Tensei CK, like the Tensei Pro CK has a Carbon Fiber/DuPont™ Kevlar® (CK) weave just below the grip. This material dramatically reduces hoop deformation in the critical section of the what were wall thickness is thin. The Pro CK version has three times the length of this woven material as the OEM, CK version. Measurements and hitting experience shot a dramatic shot dispersion from stabilizing this section of the shaft with the long woven section of the Pro version. The shot dispersion effect from the 4″ section in the OEM version is not as dramatic.

The Tensei AV changes this. The woven section is the same length as we see in the Tensei Pro. The woven material is different. This video was cut out of a longer interview. The second camera was out of focus, but the explanation of the AV technology was to good to ignore.

To continue reading this section of the review, you must be registered at a higher level membership.
Russ

Nippon 123 Driver Fitting System Review

Leave a reply

Nippon 123 Driver Fitting System Review

By Russ Ryden, Fit2Score, A Dallas Fort Worth Club Fitter & Club Maker
The Highlands Performance Golf Center, Carrollton Texas 
Golf Digest Certified America’s 100 Best Club Fitter

Most reviews here are focused on a single shaft model. The Nippon 123 system is three shafts brought to market as a fitting system. There are three profiles, each with an array of stiffness and weight. This is a fitting system that will soon be accompanied by documentation to guide the fitter using it. Mark Pekarek has been fitting over 35 years. Much of that time his company, Shaftology has been the distributor for Nippon shafts in the US. When I started with Nippon, Shaftology was the only source for Nippon shafts in America. Their distributors were regionally placed and had to demonstrate their golf competence as representative of the Nippon brand. Before you look at the data I recommend you watch this video shot at the 2019 PGA Merchandise show where the system was announced to the golf business.

This is the first time, to my knowledge, that a set of shafts has been designed and presented as a fitting system. Those of us with ample fitting experience have put together our own mix of fitting shafts. It takes years of experience and access to a comprehensive database of shaft properties to outfit a fitting cart for systematic fitting. As Mark said, the profiles in this system are different enough to make a difference to the average golfer. 

To continue reading this section of the review, you must be registered at a higher level membership.
Russ

Mitsubishi Tensei Pro Red Golf Shaft Review

Leave a reply

Mitsubishi Tensei Pro Red Golf Shaft Review

By Russ Ryden, Fit2Score, A Dallas Fort Worth Club Fitter & Club Maker
Highlands Performance Golf Center, Carrollton Texas

The last profile added to the Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei Pro family of driver shafts is the Tensei Pro Red. Like the other Tensei Pro driver shafts it has a carbon Fiber Kevlar woven material place just below the hands. As you can see in the chart, this material substantially  increases hoop strength in this area of the shaft. Hoop deformation in carbon fiber golf shafts is a function of wall thickness. The wall thickness in the butt end of a golf shaft is thin. Therefore the shaft deforms more. This has classical be called ovaling. Ovaling is thought to create dispersion. I have seen various materials use in this area to stabilize driver shafts. I have never seen as dramatic an effect on hoop deformation as I see in the Tensei Pros. Take note, the OEM shafts have only 4″ of this material which is little more than cosmetics. The Tensei Pro models have 11+” and the hoop deformation profiles are dramatically lower in this area.

To continue reading this section of the review, you must be registered at a higher level membership.
Russ

Aldila XTorsion Golf Shaft Review

Leave a reply

Aldila XTorsion Copper & XTorsion Green  Shaft Review

By Russ Ryden, Fit2Score, A Dallas Fort Worth Club Fitter & Club Maker
The Highlands Performance Golf Center, Carrollton Texas 
Golf Digest Certified America’s 100 Best Club Fitter

The Aldila Xtorsion driver shaft have a clearly visible woven material in the lower half of the shafts. Aldila calls the material, MAMBA, Multi-Axial Material Bias Angle technology. It is woven at a 45 degree angle which provides torsional stability to the lower half of the shaft where it is most important. This can be seen in the GJ or torsional profile of the shafts. The GJ profile tips downward from the mid section to the tip. I also see high and stable hoop strength resulting from the woven material. This is similar to the woven section of the Mitsubishi Tensei Pro shafts that is located just below the grip. When I look at the Xtorsion Copper EI profile I am reminded of the very popular EI profile of the Nippon Modus 120’s.

To continue reading this section of the review, you must be registered at a higher level membership.
Russ