Graphite Design Tour AD MT Golf Shaft Review

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GRAPHITE DESIGNS TourAD MT DRIVER SHAFT

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

GD AD MT Image

The Graphite Design Tour AD line continues in 2014 with another variation on the theme.  The Tour AD MT has the familiar Graphite Design look. The profile follows the same basic design, stiff butt, rapidly losing stiffness toward the tip, and then sharply gaining stiffness into the tip. The difference in the Tour AD models is the mid section. Starting with the 2011 Tour AD DJ, a mid shaft stiffness bump was added. The placement and degree of this bump sets the launch propensity of the shaft.

In the Tour AD BB, the ‘bump’ is subtle and in the low mid region of the shaft. In the Tour AD GT, it moved back and was more pronounced. The mid section ‘bump’ in the Tour AD MT falls in about the same region as the Tour AD GT, it is followed by a rapid loss of stiffness to 16″ then the shaft quickly gains stiffness toward the tip.

What does that all mean to the golfer. This is a highly successful design that is in use by a number of marquee players.  I see a mid launch, mid spin design that is a good mate for the low launch heads and balls we will see in the 2014 models.

The technical discussion and measurements are available only to registered readers

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Russ

Graphite Design Tour AD GT Golf Shaft Review

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GRAPHITE DESIGNS TourAD GT DRIVER SHAFT
RANGE TESTS OF THE TourAD DI, DJ, BB, GT

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

GD TourADGT Image
GD AD BBvsGT EIReleased in 2013, the Tour AD GT is intended as a higher launching design than the Tour AD BB released in 2012. That was confirmed in our range testing when the proper weight and flex were used. The torque measurements were right between the Tour AD DJ and the Tour AD BB.  The bend profiles are consistent from shaft to shaft. The Tour AD GT like the Tour AD DJ have slightly stiffer midsections as the increase in weight and stiffness.  This is different from the Tour AD BB which maintain exactly the same profile from weight to weight, and flex to flex.

The technical discussion, measurements and range tests are available only to registered readers

This video is Mark’s comments on the feeling from the 8 shafts we tested.

Graphite Design Tour AD DJ Golf Shaft Review

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GRAPHITE DESIGNS TOUR AD DJ DRIVER SHAFT

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

GD TourADDJ Image

The Graphite Design Tour AD DJ was the second shaft released in the current Tour AD series. It followed the original Tour AD-DI and was designed to promote a lower launch by stiffening the tip. GD AD DIvDJ EI.fw

The technical discussion and measurements are available only to registered readers

Graphite Design YS Hybrid Golf Shaft Review

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Graphite Design S Hybrid Golf Shafts

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

Hybrid GDYS imageThe Graphite Design YS-Hybrid was a shaft I discovered through customer trials. Almost every time I sent a fitting client out with a few hybrids to compare, they came back and asked for the YS-Hybrid shaft. Torque of the S flex was 2.5, about average for hybrid shafts. The design resembles the Nippon Modus3 iron shaft. A quick loss of stiffness in the mid section, with a long stiff tip. The closest hybird shaft I have seen since is the UST ATTAS.

The technical discussion and measurements are available only to registered readers

Graphite Design Series G Golf Shaft Review

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GRAPHITE DESIGN SERIES G

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

GraphiteDesign_2013_G_Image

The Graphite Design G Series of shafts was introduced in 2011. A large bundle of them arrived recently for review.  The measurements got my attention.  I would put this shaft into the same design group that I see with the Mitsubishi Diamana Blue, the Miyazaki JDL and the Matrix Ozik Xcon.  A soft mid in relation to the tip and butt.  This fit is generally suitable for the golfer with a quick, aggressive transition.  We can see this by looking at the average EI and GJ profiles of the Graphite Design G Series.

The technical discussion and measurements are available only to registered readers

The key to the radial quality and respectable torque numbers of this shaft may be due to the attention paid to fiber orientation in this shaft.  I lifted this illustration from the Graphite Design website.

GraphiteDesign_2013_G_XDirectional

There are 6 different fiber orientations used in this shaft.  The bias plies are at different angles and sandwiched in between the tip to butt, linear fiber plies.  Not all plies extend the full length of the shaft, But from a measurement perspective, the layup works.  With radial quality numbers like these, this shaft, even in the light weight models, is suitable for the rotating hosels in todays current generation of driver and fairway designs.  Looks like were are going to have to take some of these to the range and see what they feel like, stay tuned.