By Russ Ryden, Fit2Score, A Dallas Fort Worth Club Fitter & Builder
The Highlands Performance Golf Center, Carrollton Texas
Golf Digest Certified America’s 100 Best Club Fitter
The Kai’li Dark Waves series of shafts is included in the 2025 TaylorMade Custom Shaft Options catalog as a no upcharge shaft. The Kai’li name goes back to to my early days of shaft profiling. When it was used as part of the Diamana model family I recognized as a Blue Archetype. Over the years the name was reused in 2023 with White, Blue and Red models. I have limit access to the new Dark Wave Kai’li models from the TaylorMade shaft options catalog which will be expanded as missing models arrive. Rather than posting separate reviews for each model I will cover the White, CB, Fairway and Hybrid models is this overview.
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Russ
I have seen many shafts over the years with a woven material placed in the butt of shafts. This is as an indication that shaft manufactures recognize the thin walls near the but of the shaft deform and oval under load. The ovaling of the shaft in this area can contribute to shot dispersion. The woven Kevlar® material use by Mitsubishi is the only material I have measured to date where I can see a measurable effect. Hoop deformation significantly dips in this section of the shaft. Reduced hoop deformation in the 1K weave is the same as the CK weave. Mitsubishi tells us the 1K material transmits more feel.