Golf Shafts
AUGUSTA, Ga. – The evolution of graphite shafts is one of the most important developments in modern golf equipment.
As technology and materials improve, graphite shafts continue to get lighter and stronger. Just a few years ago, most PGA Tour players wouldn’t even look at graphite driver shafts in the 60-gram range. Mostly they cited durability concerns.
That has changed. Robert Karlsson, for example, played a 64-gram driver shaft in the Masters (Graphite Design Tour AD DI-6TX).
A closer look at the Miyazaki shaft
James Achenbach chats about the Miyazaki shaft, a lightweight alternative gaining traction on tour.
LISTEN TO THIS MIYAZAKI GOLF SHAFT PODCAST
This doesn’t mean all Tour players are sold on the benefits of lighter shafts. At the Masters, Ryo Ishikawa played the same shaft model as Karlsson but used an 88-gram version.
A weight differential of 24 grams might not sound like much, but to avid golfers there is a night-and-day distinction. A heavier shaft can feel like a sledge hammer compared to a lighter one.
The movement toward lighter shafts continues. Mitsubishi Rayon’s 43-gram Bassara shaft has been a hit in Japan and the United States, and Miyazaki is about to crack the 40-gram barrier with a 38-gram shaft.
Many trends in modern golf seem to start in Japan and migrate to the U.S., and shafts are no exception. Japanese shaft brands such as Mitsubishi Rayon, Fujikura, Graphite Design and UST Mamiya are known to many American golfers. Miyazaki, a product of Sumitomo Rubber, is new to the U.S.
With history as our guide, it is fascinating to note the progression from 120- or 130-gram steel shafts to graphite shafts that weigh half as much.
Even heavyweight golfers such as Tiger Woods have gotten the lightweight message.
For the past several years, Woods has used an 83-gram Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana White Board driver shaft. At the Masters, he played with a 75-gram Graphite Design Tour AD DI-7X shaft. That’s a 10 percent weight reduction for the world No. 1.
Check out more about golf shafts from golfshaftsasia.com
As technology and materials improve, graphite shafts continue to get lighter and stronger. Just a few years ago, most PGA Tour players wouldn’t even look at graphite driver shafts in the 60-gram range. Mostly they cited durability concerns.
That has changed. Robert Karlsson, for example, played a 64-gram driver shaft in the Masters (Graphite Design Tour AD DI-6TX).
A closer look at the Miyazaki shaft
James Achenbach chats about the Miyazaki shaft, a lightweight alternative gaining traction on tour.
LISTEN TO THIS MIYAZAKI GOLF SHAFT PODCAST
This doesn’t mean all Tour players are sold on the benefits of lighter shafts. At the Masters, Ryo Ishikawa played the same shaft model as Karlsson but used an 88-gram version.
A weight differential of 24 grams might not sound like much, but to avid golfers there is a night-and-day distinction. A heavier shaft can feel like a sledge hammer compared to a lighter one.
The movement toward lighter shafts continues. Mitsubishi Rayon’s 43-gram Bassara shaft has been a hit in Japan and the United States, and Miyazaki is about to crack the 40-gram barrier with a 38-gram shaft.
Many trends in modern golf seem to start in Japan and migrate to the U.S., and shafts are no exception. Japanese shaft brands such as Mitsubishi Rayon, Fujikura, Graphite Design and UST Mamiya are known to many American golfers. Miyazaki, a product of Sumitomo Rubber, is new to the U.S.
With history as our guide, it is fascinating to note the progression from 120- or 130-gram steel shafts to graphite shafts that weigh half as much.
Even heavyweight golfers such as Tiger Woods have gotten the lightweight message.
For the past several years, Woods has used an 83-gram Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana White Board driver shaft. At the Masters, he played with a 75-gram Graphite Design Tour AD DI-7X shaft. That’s a 10 percent weight reduction for the world No. 1.
Check out more about golf shafts from golfshaftsasia.com
posted by chinagolf at
6:29 PM
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