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One major reason for the tremendous improvement in shaft technology
lately is the proliferation of oversized drivers. The unique demands a
460cc head places on the shaft has given designers a whole new segment
of equipment to work with. As a result, driver shafts (as well as
hybrid and iron shafts) are more advanced and of a higher quality than
ever before.
This explains why so many golfers are spending extra money to replace
their stock shafts with premium aftermarket models. Today’s shafts
simply provide superior performance to stock models, and although they
do come at a premium cost, any avid player who finds the right
aftermarket shaft for his or her game will immediately notice improved
feel and performance. In addition, most stock shafts don’t feature the
impressive array of technologies found in premium shafts, most of which
are the result of years of research, millions of dollars of investment,
and the dedication to providing golfers with superior performance.
Hot Technologies
Today’s advanced driver shafts are built with specific levels of flex,
weight and torque just like yesterday’s models. So what makes them so
much better? Basically, in the way these performance parameters
interact with one another and the inclusion of one or more of the
following hot technologies.
1. Carbon Nanotubes
By definition, carbon nanotubes are cylindrical carbon molecules. About
1/10,000th the width of a human hair, they exhibit extreme strength
(supposedly around 200 times stronger than titanium), which, along with
their other properties, give them the possibility of creating a
technological revolution in golf shafts.
Several shaft companies (notably AccuFLEX, Aldila, Grafalloy and
Harrison) employ carbon nanotechnology. Some manufacturers use the
technology to increase the surface area of the shaft material, which in
turn creates a tighter molecular structure. Others use it simply to
make a stronger shaft that’s more resilient, helping it to deform less
and recover more quickly for extra distance and greater control.
2. Reinforcement Layers
If you ever saw a shaft being built, you’d be amazed. Multiple layers
and multiple sections work alone and in unison to create greater
torsional stiffness to help golfers take advantage of large 400+cc head
designs.
3. Customized Lineups
In perusing this Guide, you’ll see that manufacturers realize that one
shaft certainly does not fit all. This is why most models are available
with varying weights, flexes, torques and flex points to help golfers
of all abilities achieve the desired high-launch, low-spin launch
parameters.
4. Advanced Materials
Any product is only as good as its parts, and several companies have
gone out of their way to employ the highest-quality materials and
processes to ensure the ultimate in performance. The strength of
Fujikura’s famed Speeder line rests in its Triax material (pictured).
The woven honeycomb structure adds resiliency, even against the forces
generated by 120+ mph swings. Graphite Design and Mitsubishi Rayon are
two other shaft manufacturers that favor materials-influenced
performance. This explains the high price, but you get what you pay for.
5. Low Torques
It used to be that only fast swingers could enjoy the extra control
allowed by low torque ratings (less twisting). But thanks to ingenious
designs and innovative midlayers, manufacturers can add torsional
stiffness while retaining a relatively soft bend profile, a combination
from which most swings can benefit.
6. Stiff Tips
The revolution of tip-stiff designs spearheaded by UST and its ProForce
line continues. Grafalloy’s Blue, for example, uses a multi-layer
Micro-Mesh tip design to better control large 400+cc clubheads and
promote a squarer face at impact.
Material Matters: Flex Points
You may have heard the terms “bend point,” flex point” and “kick
point.” Flex points have relatively little to do with launch when
compared to tip design, but they do play a role in how a shaft feels.
Shafts with low flex points tend to feel softer than do models with
high flex points. Typically, high-launch shafts will have softer tips
and lower flex points than will lower-launch shafts. A shaft designed
with a stiffer tip for lower launch is fine for certain drivers, but if
yours is a seven-degree model, this low-loft head/low-launch shaft
combination might limit your ability to get the ball airborne. The
opposite is true if your driver is a high-lofted model and you combine
it with a soft-tip, high-launch shaft—you may end up ballooning your
drives and losing distance as a result. —Mike Chwasky
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