LAGolf Shafts OLYSS Drive Shaft Review

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LAGolf OLYSS 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

LAGolf Shafts is taking a new approach to the golf shaft business. Professional Golf playing partners participate in the design of their golf shafts. LAGolf is committed to being a different shaft company. The shafts will be designed in with playing partners and made in the USA. The LAGolf Olyss profile was what I had expected. It is labeled as John Oldenburg Signature Series. John was the head of design at Aldila. The Green paint fill on LA tells the story, lets look at the profile.

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Russ

Diamama Red Golf Shaft Review

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Mitsubishi Diamana R – Third Generation

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

Diamana3Gen_R_Image

The last of the third Generation Mitsubshi Diamana driver shafts released in September 2014. The Diamana ilima, the second generation Diamana Red Board has long been my favorite fairway shafts. The expression, ‘if its not broken don’t fix it, applies the the third generation Diamana R. It changes very little over the second generation design. The butt stiffness is a little softer, allowing for a little more load at the start of the downswing. New material, high modulus 80 ton fiber is use in the hoop wraps in the shaft. In the butt, the hoop strength increases while the stiffness decreases. We are seeing more creative designs in carbon fiber golf shafts. Design is limited by the creativity of the shaft engineer and by the willingness of the golfing public to embrace these new products at ever increasing costs. At $400, the Diamana R, one of the greatest fairway shafts I know of, is beyond the typical $300 price of the off the rack fairway. You get what you pay for, and in this case, in the 70 and 80 gram models, you are paying for tip torque low enough to control the weight of a 3 wood head.

This is a high launch shaft. For those who hit their woods off the turf, where a downward angle of attack is all that is possible, a high launch shaft is a good thing. With a driver, and an upward angle of attack we would seek a lower launching design. But with a fairway, this is my design of choice.

MRC_DiamanaR_TbGr3gMDI

I checked 10 shafts, one of each weight and flex, the average radial consistency was 99.6% with a standard deviation of 0.2%. That is an example of the made in Japan tradition of excellence we have historically seen from Mitsubishi Rayon. This is the first shaft I know of to use 80 ton material. It is too stiff to be used in the linear and bias plies. It is used to create hoop strength. Because it is thin and has no open space like multi axis weaves it creates high hoop strength while leaving the shaft designer the space inside the multi layered wall to achieve the linear and torsional strengths he is seeking to achieve. All while creating a smooth lose of stiffness down the shaft and the unique Mitsubishi feel.

New to third generation Diamana R series are 50 gram shafts. The line between the ultra light driver shafts and light weight versions of standard shafts is getting blurry. The Diamana R series extends the profiles consistently into the 50 gram versions. Those with slower drive swing speeds that need launch and spin can get it without having to accept a high torque tip.

Now that the third generation Diamana release is complete, lets compare the three designs by looking at the 60 gram version of each shaft.

Diamana3Gen_60_RWBThese shafts are not as different as they once were. At least in the 60 gram versions. The Diamana B series was reviewed earlier as was the Diamana W. The profile of the Diamana W changes significantly in the 70 and 80 gram versions. But as you can see here, in the 60 gram version is it just a little higher launching than the Diamana W. The Diamana R is a different shaft. Softer handle, quicker loss of stiffness from mid to tip. All three shafts get stiffer as they approach the tip. If I want a stiffer shaft, I will always simply change to the next step on the stiffness progression, either getting the heavier of the stiffer model before I would consider tipping these shafts.

Graphite Design Tour AD SuperLite Driver Shaft Review

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Graphite Design Tour AD SLII Driver Shaft

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

GD_TourAD_SLII_ImageGraphite Design added a light weight shaft to the popular Tour AD Line in 2014. This shaft, like many others in the light weight category, ranges from 50g to 60g, with stiffness corresponding to weight. In this weight range, we see higher torques, but not so high that I would be concerned about head stability. These shafts are designed for swing speeds in the 60 to 85 mile per hour range. The 60g SR flex extends to the 90 mph range. My swing speed in in the high 90’s with the occasional 102 showing up and I am playing an ultra premium 59g shaft. Light weight driver shafts, made out of high quality carbon fiber are the future of golf for many of us. That couple of grams I lost in my latest shaft change has given me a new range of control and feeling without any increase in dispersion. In fact, I am hitting more fairways than I ever have now that I changed to a sub 60g shaft.
GD_TourAD_SLII_EiTBGjFsHpTbRadial integrity of the Graphite Design Tour AD SLII is exceptional, the review samples averaged 98.5% with a 0.4% standard deviation. The hoop strength is high for this weight range, and distinctly different in the 4 vs 5 models. This measurement is new for my knowledge base.

This is a unique design, there is no close match in the database. The tip to butt ratio and the tip load and butt load deflection analysis shows it to be a high launch high spin design consistent with what Graphite Design is saying about the shaft. In the speed range it is designed for, that is what will optimize distance. Tip torque is tight. Butt torque is in the range that transmits adequate feel in light weight shafts. If your swing speed is below 90 mph and you are looking for a quality shaft this is one you should be testing.

Golf Shaft Hoop Strength

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Golf Shaft Hoop Strength

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

Hoop_MeasuringHoop strength is discussed endlessly in the marketing of golf shafts but unlike other specifications, we are given no information about actual strength of one shaft vs another. After trying a few methods to measure hoop strength I arrived at the method shown to the right. It is a text book method, place a tube on a firm surface, drop a weight on it and see how much is deforms. I built a small block, slightly higher than the guides used for EI measuring and now have a tool for quantifying hoop strength. If this is a new term for you, follow this link to the AeroTech web site for a discussion. For those readers familiar with the term, you should note that the shaft in this image has some of the highest hoop strength I have yet to measure. It is a pull out that I played many, many years ago before I developed the current passion for understanding the golf shaft. A material called triax was wrapped into the shaft to add hoop strength and eliminate ovaling during the golf swing.

My first attempts to measure hoop strength were to look for ovaling. I clamped a shaft on a deflection device, measured the diameter at different points, bent it 5″ and measured again at those points. The differences were so small I decided there was more noise in the numbers I was reading than the variance I was trying to measure. I could not find .001 inch of difference. That might just make the rest of this article a waste of time, but if you are interested in the concept read on. With the device pictured above, the shaft is compressed with 11 kg and a change in diameter is apparent. The scale on the graphics is .002 inch increments.

Hoop_GraphiteCarbon Fiber Iron Shafts

The focus of this article is iron shafts. I have not yet measured the shafts in my driver fitting system. Lets start by looking at my hoop strength measurements of some popular graphite six iron shafts that I fit with. Graphite wall thickness in heavy iron shafts creates high hoop strength. AeroTech maintains high hoop strength even as the shafts become lighter as a result of the filament winding process they uniquely use and the stainless steel wire wrapped around the shafts.

What you see looking at these charts is that heavy graphite shafts universally have high hoop strength. And even light weight graphite, the 70 gram AeroTech and the 60 gram Fujikura MCI, which also employs a metallic fiber in the shaft walls have high hoop strength.

As you look at these charts, take note that a low number, meaning very small deflection under load, indicates high hoop strength.

Hoop_SteelsSteel Iron Shafts

Now lets compare the hoop strength of some popular steel iron shafts. We immediately see less hoop strength in the butt sections of steel shafts. This is not limited to a particular brand, it is universally true.

What I found really interesting was that the hoop strength profiles were the same shape as the EI profiles. The stiffness of a steel shaft is determined by the wall thickness and the diameter of the shaft.

The material, a steel alloy, is consistent through out the shaft. In contrast, carbon fiber composite shafts material properties can change through out the shaft.

But wait a minute. I looked at both the Modus3 Tour 120 and the Modus3 Tour 130. Both have very different EI profiles. Yet, the hoop strength profiles are similar. Nippon steel has some interesting technology in their production lines.

 

 

 

Hoop_ZelosLight Weight Steel

One final image, a comparison of Ultra Light Steel to high quality light weight carbon fiber iron shafts. Do not come away with the impression that all light weight graphite shafts are going to have hoop strength like the high end shafts you see here. They do not.

 

What does it all mean to your game. I cannot say with certainty at this point how hoop strength manifests itself in shaft stability and dispersion control. Or if it can create kick velocity. Nor can I give you direction on what amount of hoop strength is appropriate for your loading patterns. You are looking at these charts within a week of creation of this addition to my knowledge base. But, at least now we have a measurement platform to begin the discovery process.

Mitsubishi KuroKage Tour Edition TINI Driver Shaft Review

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Mitsubishi KuroKage Proto TINI Driver

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

MRC_KuroKage_Tour

The KuroKage Proto TiNi is available only through selected Mitsubishi dealers. I briefly covered this shaft in an earlier review and did not give it the attention it deserves. It is currently in the driver of the #1 player on the PGA tour. His shaft is a custom made version, beyond the 7-XX available to Mistubishi dealers. My friend Biv Wadden has me continuously building drivers for his students with this shaft. When you have as many shafts as I do in my fitting system, some go unnoticed as I tend to fit what I know. Biv’s praise of this shaft got me to take a closer look and start testing the shaft myself.

“For the past year, I’ve been putting most of my competitive students into the KuroKage prototype tour edition shaft with its nickel-titanium tip – in both drivers and 3-woods. It consistently produces higher ball speeds and lower dispersion than any other premium shaft I use.”
Biv Wadden

The result, the Diamana ilima’s, which have had a 3 year run in my fairways have been replaced with KuroKage Proto’s. With a $400 price tag this is not likely to become a best seller. Unless of course you try it and it fits your swing. Here is a look at the shaft measurements from the latest version of the Fit2Score knowledge-base.

MRC__KuroKageProto_EiTBTbRadial integrity of the samples was 99.5% with a 0.3% standard deviation, excellent. Hoop strength was a little lower on the handle end of the 60 gram shafts. The balance is high like most driver shafts now being produced. The profile shows a soft handle, moderate mid, stiff tip design, with a maximum bend in the 14″ region. The lower 12″ of the shaft is wrapped with Titanium Nickel Wire touted by Mitsubishi as able to stretch then immediately regain its original shape. This material is used in the KuroKage Silver, but the Proto has a longer section of the impregnated with the TiNi wire. While both shafts incorporate the TiNi wire, the profiles are about as different as MRC profiles get.

The KuroKage Proto was the first of the heavier shafts to incorporate the TiNi wire that had been used in UltraLight Bassara series of shafts. It was also the first to use 40 ton fiber. Mitsubishi Rayon is now using 80 ton fiber in the hoop layers of the third generation Diamana’s. The Bassara UltraLite Phoenix, released in 2014 is a light weight version of this profile. It adds the lighter weights not offered in the KuroKage Tour Edition shaft.

The profile is very similar to the Diamana ilima. The butt a little stiffer the tip a little softer. It launched much the same for my swing with a little less spin, creating a more boring flight. The 70-XX in the hands of the +110 kids is delivering tight dispersion, with good trajectory and a little lower spin than would be expected for the launch. And that combination, as Biv tells me, equates to distance.

 

Ping CFS Iron Shaft Review

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PING CFS Iron Shafts

PingCFS_S_Image

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

As a club fitter it is important to know what your are fitting with and the makeup of my customers existing clubs clubs. I did a reshaft of a set of Ping irons recently and had a chance to profile the pull outs. Here is what I measured:

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


PingCFS_S_EIDfTbFor comparison with other shafts on this site, the 6 iron butt stiffness was 12.9 lbs. Tip to butt ratio was 56%, indicating a mid launch. This is a parallel shaft with a .370 tip. That can be seen in the descending weight as the shafts get shorter. To some degree, the tip stiffness compresses through out the set. This can be seen by looking at the range of mid shaft stiffness compared to tip and butt stiffness range. This is typical in sets made from the same shaft that have the tip section shortened to create additional stiffness as the club heads in the heads get heavier.

What I have seen in measuring other sets of Ping irons was that they achieved both swing weight matches and were very close to MOI matches. I regret not having measured this set before I pulled it apart. The descending weight caused a fairly substantial change in the shafts contribution to the total MOI of the club. Perhaps this is why I have seen swing weight and MOI matched sets of Ping irons.[\resrict]