Oban ISAWA Golf Shaft Review

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By Russ Ryden, A Golf Digest America’s 100 Best Clubfitter
Fit2Score, Dallas Fort Worth, Texas

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Oban ISAWA RED Driver Shaft

A box of the new Oban ISAWA shafts arrived and as I was preparing them for measurement I was wondering just where Oban would go with a new design. They already have 5 shafts in the premium Kiyoshi family covering a wide range of profiles . They have the the Devotion in the in the high mid price range and the Revenge in the lower mid price range. Just what was the ISAWA going to bring to the party. The first thing I noticed was the MSRP, $199. Putting it in the same price range as the Devotion and the Revenge. It is a different profile from all the other Oban shafts.

The technical discussion and measurements are available only to registered readers

This profile is a classic low launch design. I do not do comparisons between brands here. But, I know this profile. It is new for Oban, but it is not new in the business. This is a great addition to the design matrix offered by Oban fitters.

Aldila Rogue Golf Shaft Review – Driver

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Aldila Rogue Driver Shafts

By Russ Ryden, A Golf Digest America’s 100 Best Clubfitter
Fit2Score, Dallas Fort Worth, Texas

I first heard about the Rogue at the PGA Merchandise show in 2014. At that time is was a tour only shaft, made exclusively at Aldila’s California facility. Aldila has always had a huge presence on the PGA Tour. That presence became more visible when Jordan Spieth won the 2015 Masters with the Aldila Rogue in his bag. Lets start with a look at the numbers:

The technical discussion and measurements are available only to registered readers

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Mitsubishi KuroKage XT Shaft Review

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Mitsubishi KuroKage XT

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

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The first version of this review was of a single shaft, others have arrived, prompting this update. There has been some buzz about the KuroKage XT. It quickly became popular on the PGA tour. Mitsubishi’s dealers have been snapping them up as soon as the shipments arrive.

TiNiThe KuroKage XT is another of the Mitsubishi shafts to incorporate highly elastic Titanium Nickel wire into the tip section of the shaft. The wire, shown here, is embedded into the prepreg and rolled into the tips section much like any other flag of prepreg would be.

In looking for a profile match, only Mitsubishi shafts were close. An interesting phenomena I never see. It hovers around the Diamana ‘ahina and the first generation Diamana white. The third generation Diamana White has moved on to a different design, which departs from the original profile. I see a variation on the ‘ahina. The flavor is there, the rough edges softened a bit, but if you were a fan of the original Diamana White Board or the second generation ‘ahina, you are going to like the KuroKage XT. The brittle hardness of the Diamana White and the ‘ahina have been softened by increasing the torque of the shafts. Yes, you heard that right, the overall GJ torque profile has been progressively increasing from the White to the ‘ahina and now to the KuroKage XT.

This video was shot at the 2015 PGA merchandise show. Meet Tsutomu Ibuki, the genius behind the Mitsubishi golf shafts. As we talk about this shaft late in the interview the feel of KuroKage XT design is discussed.

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

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

Matrix Driver Shaft Review – REIGH & TIE Fitting System

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Matrix REIGH Driver Shaft &
Matrix White Tie, Red Tie, Black Tie Driver Fitting System

By Russ Ryden, A Golf Digest America’s 100 Best Clubfitter
Fit2Score, Dallas Fort Worth, Texas

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The Matrix REIGN shaft is distributed exclusively through Matrix authorized club fitters. It is an elegant looking shaft with a laser etched logo and serial number. It comes in four structures, MCG, MTX1, MTX2 and HDZ. The MGC is the light weight game improvement design, mid to high ball flight and spin for lower swing speeds. MTX1 is slightly counter weighted for heavier heads or longer builds, the flighting and spin are mid range. The MTX2 series is traditionally weighted, and has a stiffer mid and tip section. The HDZ is premium Matrix, employing Boron and Zylon materials for feel and launch control. It is a unique profile emerging in a number of brands. A rapid loss of stiffness high in the shaft with a long stiff tip.

The technical discussion, measurements and testing results are available only to registered readers

The review samples are a subset of the REIGN line. But they are part of a new approach to golf club shaft fitting. Matrix created a 38 shaft system for Matrix Shaft fitters. They provide the fitting shafts and a software package to guide the fitter through the process of using their products of optimize launch and spin. I discussed this system with Tom DeShill, Director of R&D at Matrix Shafts during the 2015 PGA Merchandise show.

MatrixFittingGridThis fitting system also uses the Matrix Black, Red and White Tie shafts review earlier. The fitter finds the best fit in the Matrix Ozik Red Tie, then based on the optimizations target, continues testing with the proper weight and flex selected from the different design profiles to move the launch and spin toward the target.

My kit arrived and is being fitted with Club Conex UniFit tips. It will head to the range for fitting and testing, stay tuned.

Fujikura Pro Driver Golf Shaft Review

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Fujikura Pro Driver Shaft

Kirk James & Mark Vallier,  MK Golf Technologies,San Antonio, Texas

Measurements: By Russ Ryden, Fit2Score, A Dallas Fort Worth Club Fitter & Club Maker
The Golf Center at the Highlands, Carrollton Texas

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The 2014 Fujikura Pro driver shaft has an interesting look. Like the iron shaft, it ts two color. On one side the upper color fills the label, on the other side, the lower color. Going beyond cosmetics, the Fujikura Pro and the Tour Spec versions are very different shafts. The Pro is a mid soft shaft. This term only has meaning in the relationship of the mid section of the shaft to the butt and tip. The stiffness of the tip relative to the mid section provides stability and lower than average spin, while the butt section has been designed to provide a smooth feel in a player’s hands. In our testing and fitting of these shafts, we have found Fujikura’s marketing literature to be fairly accurate. These Pro shafts provide the player mid launch, mid to low spin, and a great feel in the hands. The higher carbon fiber content of these shafts enhance both the stability and smooth feel provided by the bend profile. These shafts are an outstanding value at their price point for the player looking for a mid launching shaft.

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

Again, we are extremely impressed with these Pro Tour Spec shafts, and feel that they are an outstanding value for someone looking for a low to mid launching shaft with low spin characteristics.

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