Aldila Rogue I/O Golf Shaft Review

Aldila Rogue 110 MSI I/O Driver Shafts

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

Rogue_IO_ImageIOTipLogoThe Aldila Rogue I/O is an update the the Rogue Silver. The tip section of the shaft has a notation, RIP I/O. The tip section of the Rogue I/o is made with Aldila’s RIP technology. RIP (Reverse Interlaminar Placement) means some of the bias wraps are moved from the core of the shaft to the outer wall. Outer layers of material exert a greater influence on tube performance than inner layers. The bias (angular) wraps of material create torsional and hoop strength in a tube. Moving those layers to the exterior of the shaft generally means lower torque and higher hoop strength. In the Rogue I/O the torque and hoop strength of the original Rogue Silver shafts are matched in the Rogue Silver RIP in a 5 to 9 gram lighter shaft.

The technical discussion and measurements are available only to registered readers

- Golf Professional Notes -

Aldila 2KVX NV Golf Shaft Review

Aldila 2KVX NV Driver Shaft

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

2016NV2KXVImage

A new generation of carbon fibers, that boost the strength of the material used in the construction of golf shafts are boosting strength while reducing the weight. Applying these new material to classic designs is changing the game. Advances in head design are helping us hit the ball further, advances in shaft design are keeping those longer balls in the fairway. The Aldila 2KVX NV is the third iteration of a classic design. Who can forget the original lime green Aldila NV. Of course, it was introduce such a long time ago many younger golfers have never seen it. I looked in the 2016 GolfWorks catalog and it is still there. The official second generation design, the RIP NV was reviewed here, a few years ago. When you have a design that works, and new materials, the old designs get updated.

Aldila was one of the first shaft companies to use thinner layers of material in shaft design. It was called MLT, Micro Laminate Technology, and I believe the original NV was the first shaft to use it. We are now in an time when a lot of new high density, high strength materials are being used in golf shafts. The new fibers are thinner with the same strength. The prepreg, the sheets a shaft is made from, have more fiber and less resin. This denser material is redefining how a golf shaft can be made. A new dimension of what started as MLT is evolving. What we are seeing is torque numbers going slightly higher to restore a conventional feel to high density shafts. As you compare the torque numbers of the 2KVX NV to older designs and see larger torque numbers, do not be alarmed. It is happening everywhere high density materials are used.

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

- - -

Aldila Rogue Golf Shaft Review – Driver

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

- - -

 

Aldila Tour Blue – Aldila Tour Green Golf Shaft Review

Aldila Tour Blue and Green Driver Shafts

Golf Digest 2013 Americas 100 Best transparent.fwMeasurments By Russ Ryden, A Golf Digest America’s 100 Best Clubfitter
Fit2Score, Dallas Fort Worth, Texas

 

Testing by John Dranshak
Dead Solid Perfect Golf Clubs, Columbus Ohio

The Aldila Tour Blue and Aldila Tour Green have now been with us for about a year and this review was first published last year. It has been updated with testing by John Dranshak, a club fitter that has been using 3 point EI profiles to guide his fitting process. These shafts are noted by Aldila as being made from ultra thin carbon fiber. This technology was first introduced in the Aldila NV and was unique in its day. Most premium shafts are now made with multiple layers of thin sheets. In my memory, Aldila pioneered this technique and a look at the radial consistency of these shafts shows what can now be accomplished in the mid price range ($250) of premium golf shafts. The shaft to shaft bend profile consistency of the Aldila Tour shafts is very good. You can be confident your shaft will be a very good match to the shaft you were fit with.

Aldila Tour Blue

AldilaTourBlue_Image

The Aldila Tour Blue is an impressive classical design, soft mid in relation to tip and butt. Outstanding radial consistency, average 99.3% with a 0.5% standard deviation. This shaft is available as an option from most club companies. 

The technical discussion and measurements are available only to registered readers

Aldila Tour Green

AldilaTourGreen_ImageThe Aldila Tour Green was in play on the PGA Tour at the end of the 2013 season. I saw it often on video coverage. A low launch design created with a soft trough at 26 inches and a stiff bump at 18. Not an uncommon design but new in the Aldila lineup. The reinforcement you can see in the tip section creates flat deflection below the mid-high maximum bend point, creating a lower launch. The Aldila Tour Green is one of the stock options in the Titleist 913D2 and the Titleist 913D3 drivers and can be found in many of the Titleist fitting carts.  

The technical discussion and measurements are available only to registered readers

Simulated Deflection Loading

The new addition to the Fit2Score software renders simulated deflection under load and unload as it might happen during a golf swing. It is a very unique tool for understanding the performance of a golf shaft. The ability to model performance of a golf shaft is created by the 3 point bending shaft instrument used by reviewers on this site.

AldilaTourBlueLoad

Performance Testing by John Dranshak

Player testing was performed at Golftec (Easton) in Columbus, OH by Joe Stago PGA Professional. Joe tested the Phenom Nasty Long, RIP NV, and standard NV shafts earlier this year and is familiar with the Aldila line of shafts. The shafts were paired with Adams XTD heads including Driver, 16.5* fairway metal and 20* and 23* hybrids. 

Testing information is available only to registered readers

Aldila RIP Nasty Long Golf Shaft Review

ALDILA RIP Phenom Nasty Long

By John Dranschak
Dead Solid Perfect Golf Clubs, Columbus, Ohio

AldilaPhenomNLImageLike many designs from Aldila, the Rip Phenom Nasty Long has profiles matched fit to the anticipated use of the shaft weight. The 60 gram version is a higher launching design than the 70 gram model. The design profile is similar to the RIP line and the RIP NV,where we see a reversal of the mid stiffness, compared to the original NV. However the Nasty long takes this to a new level, with the mid stiffness staying constant or slightly increasing from about 25″  to near 15″. This gives a much stiffer mid and upper tip section before declining again as it progressed toward the tip. AldilaNLEiGjTbAldilaNLDeflectionsRadial quality is excellent and is suitable for the popular adjustable drivers. The low torques of the Tour shafts provides good tip stability for higher swing speeds.  

Performance Testing

AldilaNLRangeTestTb

The  performance of the Aldila Phenom Nasty long was conducted using a Foresight Launch Monitor. Joe Stago, a PGA Professional at Golftec (Easton) in Columbus, OH hit the 60S and 70S versions of the shaft.  Joe’s comments follow:

AldilaNLDeflectionPhenom Nasty Long 60S – This shaft really performed well with my normal swing. It felt a little stiffer than the RIP NV, which feels good,  but it certainly gave me excellent performance. I like to hit a slight draw and I was able to hit that shot with little effort and it gave me the launch and spin I was looking for.

Phenom Nasty Long 70S – This shaft performed very well, but I had to work really hard to make it perform. I can make it work but it is probably a little too heavy for me with my normal swing. I prefer lighter feeling shafts and this would not be my first choice but it performed as well as the 60S, it just took a little more effort than I prefer.