Graphite Design Tour AD XC Golf Shaft Review

Graphite Design Tour AD XC Golf 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 Graphite Design Tour AD XC is an update of the Tour AD BB design. The Tour AD BB design is still available while several other models have been discontinued. That speaks to the success of the design. One of the teaching pros I work closely with has the BB in his gamer driver. As materials evolve so must the shafts built with them. The Tour AD XC uses 50 ton ultra premium carbon fiber as was used in the BB. New is TORAYCA MX40 pre-preg and TORAYCA T1100G NANOALLOY pre-preg in the mid and tip regions for increased stability and feel.

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Russ

Graphite Design MAD Driver Shaft Review

Graphite Design MAD Driver Shaft Review

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

I have recently been reviewing driver shafts in the $350 to $750 range. I was interested to see how a $180 shaft compared to the $380 Tour AD IZ also recently released. From a profile perspective these are two entirely different designs. However this search lead me to the Graphite Design YS-Six Reloaded, a $100 shaft that from a profile perspective a dead match to the IZ. An interesting find! Back to the Maximum Accuracy and Distance, while there is not a close match from Graphite Design, the profile is very popular and successful for many.

Let’s hear Bill McPherson describe the Maximum Accuracy and Distance shaft at the 2018 PGA merchandise show. The MAD discussion starts at the 5:00 mark in the video.

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Russ

Graphite Design Tour AD Iron Shaft Review

Graphite Design Tour AD Iron Shaft Review

By Russ Ryden, Fit2Score, A Dallas Fort Worth Club Fitter & Club Maker
Golf Center at the Highlands, Carrollton TX, A Golf Digest Top 100 Club Fitting Studio

I have fit almost exclusively with steel iron shafts for many, many years. When I built EI measuring instruments I checked shaft to shaft consistency in graphite iron shafts. I would not build with what I saw. When some premium shafts came to market last year I checked set consistency and saw what I most always see in steel. consistent profiles through out the sets. Furthermore, I saw steel like stiffness and torque in much lower weight shafts. Now that I am at an age where weight matters the stiffness to weight ratio of premium carbon fiber iron shafts got my attention.

The Graphite Design Tour AD Iron shafts are not a new product. But my renewed interest in Carbon Fiber iron shafts prompted me to ask for review samples. They came, multiple shafts in 11 different weight / stuffiness models. It took quite some time to measure them. The good news, as you can see in this chart, the profiles inside the sets are consistent. They generally have the same stiffness as steel that is 20 grams heavier. These shafts are worthy of the Graphite Design Tour AD brand. Lets take a close look at the specifications.

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Russ

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

Graphite Design Tour AD VR Golf Shaft Review

Graphite Design Tour AD VR Shaft Review

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

The Graphite Design Tour AD VR driver shaft released in late 2018. Like the Tour AD IZ and the Tour AD TP its construction includes TORAYCA T1100G carbon fiber pre-preg with NANOALLOY technology in the tip section. it is quite similar to these two shafts until we get to the tip section. There it is a combination of those two designs.

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