Equipment
Breakthrough Golf Technology’s new Stability putter shafts, from CEO Barney Adams
The new wave of putters have trended larger and heavier in order to create more forgiveness and stability of the putter head at impact. But what about the putter shaft?
According to Breakthrough Golf Technology (BGT) — founded by golf equipment legend and former GolfWRX contributor Barney Adams — the current steel putter shafts are not stable or strong enough to keep the heavier putter heads from oscillating or twisting at impact. BGT also says the strongest part of most steel putter shafts is just below the hands, “…where it does the least good.”
BGT’s new “Stability” shaft uses multi-material designs and geometries in order to create a more solid feel and reduce the “wobble,” as Barney Adams puts it, throughout the stroke.
Related: We first spotted Stability shafts on K.J. Choi’s putter at the Valero
“When I first learned about the product I knew that it could be significant,” Adams said in a press release. “It’s a step forward in golf equipment technology. What has been rewarding for me is that the Stability Shaft works better for amateurs. Pros are great putters and while the shaft does help them, it’s the inconsistency of the amateur that it corrects most.”
The Stability shafts have four main technological components, according to the company.
- Eight layers of high-modulus carbon fiber with a no-taper design in order to reduce torque
- A 22-gram aluminum insert for reinforcement
- A 7075 aluminum “connector” allows attachment to any tip diameter regardless of bend profile
- The stainless steel tips are made to have “extremely consistent wall thickness,” for greater strength, and they have a “smoke PVD finish to add protection from corrosion and rusting”
The shafts are designed to deliver the face more squarely than putters with standard steel putter shafts, and a “lower launch for a predictable roll, resulting in better distance control,” according to the company.
Here’s how it works, according to BGT:
The Stability Shaft is currently available for $199.99 at golf retailers in the U.S. and Canada.
See what GolfWRX members are saying about the Stability putter shafts
From the desk of Barney Adams:
In 2011, Adams Golf acquired YES putters. The employee who came with the acquisition was Blair Philip. Although I had no functional affiliation with Adams Golf, I stopped in periodically to visit.
During one of my stops, I was introduced to Blair. I wasted no time in telling him that my putter experience went back to the early 70’s and my association with Dave Pelz. It was fodder for some good-natured ribbing and that was the extent of our relationship.
About 5-years later, Adams Golf had been acquired by TaylorMade and when I saw Blair he said he passed on the opportunity to be involved in the acquisition.
Rather, he wanted to start his own putter business. He went on to tell me that his putter line was unique in that his research had uncovered a basic flaw in steel shafts. He described the flaw as the excessive weights of heads vs. shafts. Specifically, that they responded with oscillation during the stroke. Because of this ‘wobble’ the head didn’t return to the ball in a perfectly square position and the ability to achieve a consistent roll.
His improved shaft was heavier, stiffer and wider in the tip. He thought it was a success; he had eliminated the “wobble.” I told him essentially “nice try” but no chance. The adjustment errors caused by a much heavier shaft with a wider OD exceeded the initial problem he was trying to fix. The only way he stood a chance was to come up with a shaft that fixed the oscillation problem and required absolutely no adjustment by the player. Today, I’ve been playing with a prototype for a while and I can honestly say, that although the shaft isn’t magic, I have been putting remarkably well. What I especially like that in every instance the feedback was pristine.
Blair and I have formalized our love of the game and have become partners in what is now Breakthrough Golf and the Stability shaft for putters. And now you know how it all started.
See what GolfWRX members are saying about the Stability putter shafts
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- Max Homa what’s in the bag accurate as of the Masters.
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6 X
3-wood: Titleist TSR2+ (14.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Red 80 TX
5-wood: Titleist TSR2 (21 degrees @19.25, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 9 TX
Irons: Titleist T100S (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 620 (6-9)
Shafts: KBS $ Taper 130 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46-10F, 50-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60)
Shafts: KBS $ Taper 130 (46) KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 135 X (50, 56), KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 125 X (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5.5 Proto
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
More photos of Max Homa’s WITB in the forums.
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Driver: Krank Formula Fire Pro (6 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 75g 6.5
Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver (11.5 degrees @10)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 75g 6.5
- Unconfirmed. We are working to gather details.
5-wood: Krank Formula Fire
- Unconfirmed. We are working to gather details.
Irons: Avoda Prototype (5-PW)
Shafts: LA Golf Prototype
Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 (46-12S @45, 50-12S, 56, 60)
Shafts: LA Golf Prototype
Putter: SIK Pro C-Series Armlock/LA Golf Proto
Shaft: LA Golf C2L-180
Grip: JumboMax JumboFlat 17
Grips: JumboMax UltraLight XL
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash
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Accra Golf shafts have long been synonymous with fitting, and the new GX line of driver, fairway, and hybrid shafts continues that legacy.
Since 2004, Accra has been making high-end performance golf shafts that use the latest in materials and design philosophy. Their group of around 350 fitters are some of the best and most highly ranked in the world. While you might see other brands on professional tours more often, there are plenty of touring pros using Accra products and winning.
Accra’s new GX line of shafts is designed to offer a consistent and accurate shaft to a wide range of players. The GX line consists of 3 different shafts in driver, fairway, and hybrid designs.
The Accra GX shafts are designed for fitters to dial in golfers to the perfect shaft for their swing. Accra included a ton of technology into the GX line including their S3 profiling, DyMatch, and Constant Flex technology. DyMatch has been Accra’s quest to ensure that all shafts in a family feel and perform similar from driver to hybrid or iron shaft. Typically shafts get stiffer as they go up in weight, but Accra’s Constant Flex keeps the flex of the shafts consistent so fitters and golfers can dial in the weight that the golfer need without have to work around a stiffer or softer flex. Accra worked with Cool Clubs to build out its S3 Shaft Profiling system that not only allows a quick and easy EI profile of any shaft, it helps with quality control to ensure shafts come out of production exactly as they were designed.
Accra GX Red 300 Series
GX Red is lowest launching and spinning option in the GX line. Driver shafts have fewer options with just the 360 and 370 models that come in at 63 and 71 grams. The GX Red is made for faster swinging, or stronger, players who require a stiff (M4) or x-stiff (M5) shaft for their swing. Fairway and hybrid models are also on the higher weight side with the fairway clocking in at 80g and 90g for the hybrid. Accra designed this series with one of the stiffest tip sections of any Accra shaft in the current line, and while it is built to control launch and spin, the Red 300 Series will still offer that smooth feel.
Accra GX Green 100 Series
If your swing usually works best with mid-launch and spin, then the GX Green 200 series might be the right shaft for you. Offered in more weight and flex options, you can get a GX Green in 52 grams and all the way up to 70 grams in regular, stiff, and x-stiff flexes. GX Green will give the player a smooth feel and transition from the handle down to the tip section while still providing great stability and consistency. Accra also focused on the energy transfer of this shaft, and golfers can see some increased ball speed compared to other shafts.
Accra GX Blue 200 Series
While the GX Blue 100 Series is the highest launching and spinning option in the GX lineup, it will still give golfers the control and consistency they need. Starting off at 40g, the GX Blue series puts an emphasis on lighter weight to allow players to swing the club faster, promoting more distance. Accra touts the stability of the GX 140 Blue driver shaft by stating that some long driver competitors have put it in play to try and gain every MPH they can. Matching fairway and hybrid shafts are both on the lighter side at around 60g for the fairway and 65g for the hybrid depending on the flex.
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Max Homa what’s in the bag accurate as of the Masters. Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees, D1 SureFit setting) Shaft:...
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Pingback: Club Junkie: Review of Breakthrough Golf Technology’s ZNE wedge shaft – GolfWRX
Darrell
Aug 25, 2018 at 4:46 pm
Do these guys still have a website? All the ones I see are no longer used.
ogo
May 14, 2018 at 7:15 pm
WOTTA BUNCH OF LIES FOR THE NEUROTIC GOLPER !!
Gary
May 19, 2018 at 7:22 pm
Hear today that Tom Watson had one in the Masters par 3 tournament and had 8 putts in 9 holes and won.
DJ Morris
May 4, 2018 at 6:21 am
This looks very similar to the UST shaft, BUT 7 times the price… WTF?!?! https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ust-Mamiya-Frequency-Filtered-Straight-370-Tip-Putter-Shaft-Part-13474/202236936308
Someone
May 4, 2018 at 2:32 pm
my thoughts exactly. there’s gotta be some type of patent or copyright infringement going on.
Michael
May 4, 2018 at 4:21 am
Dear Mr. Adams,
what’s the difference between your new design and the UST Frequency Filtered Putter shafts?
Cheers,
Michael
Barney Adams
May 4, 2018 at 8:00 pm
I had to look that shaft up. Basically no similarity although some visual. Our shaft is specifically designed to House an internal spacer at the point where the oscillation occutrrs ( thanks to a loan of a special camera operating at 100,000 frames per sec.) ( that’s not a misprint ) This stops face wobble and guarantees a face square to the intended line UST does not reference shaft oscillation and the mitigation process. We are very familiar with the shafts mentioned in Wrx comments and literally dozens more: tested all of them against our specs. Took 3+ years to develop the product just introduced. Yes it’s a shaft but a VERY complex product
steve
May 14, 2018 at 7:11 pm
So now we must consider putter shaft oscillations that appear at 100,000 fpm ??!!! 😮
Face wobble only occurs on bad miss-hits and misaligned putter head path due to bad putting form. So you’re telling us that your shaft can self-correct to save bad golfers?
steve
May 14, 2018 at 7:12 pm
ooops … that’s “100,000 cps” …. 😀
Barney Adams
May 3, 2018 at 10:48 pm
I think one of the great values the shaft provides is in practice. Your feedback is 100% pristine.
kourt
May 3, 2018 at 5:06 pm
Haha first you needed a bigger grip on your putter, then you needed a high moi mallet putter head, then you needed the revolutionary sight lines, now you need to top it off with a $200 putter shaft because the shaft wobbles too much? marketing at its finest.
Barney Adams
May 3, 2018 at 4:48 pm
There was no bigger skeptic than me early on. But you can’t refute data and by that I mean thousands of putts. Also in the back of my mind a stat I never understood; the significant difference in make percent outside 3-4’ on Tour. As for the $199 price, I’d love it to be $49 but Technology isn’t cheap.
ViagrGolfer
May 3, 2018 at 12:17 pm
My Scotty feels so inadequate impotent now that I know it’s cause it’s got a wobbly steel shaft. I’m gonna get one of these fantastic Stability shafts which I know will stiffen my putter and get the most out of my Scotty head. 😀
acew/7iron
May 3, 2018 at 10:21 am
Johnjohn is right…I looked up the HOG putters on Ebay and there it was:
“This putter has the upgraded HOG Graphite FAT Shaft”
So like all things under the Sun…This is not a new idea
john33nink
May 3, 2018 at 12:53 am
continuously i used to read smaller content which also clear their motive, and that is also happening with this paragraph which I am reading at this time.
ned
May 2, 2018 at 11:55 pm
Soooo …. putter head design is in confusion and now the putter shaft is dubious!!!
It’s a wonder anybody can putt with those $399 phony anser ripoff boutique design putters…. which shows that golffers are suckers for new toys.
Johnjohn
May 2, 2018 at 9:57 pm
Look at the old HOG putters, they were promoting the thicker, more stable shafts them. Had one in their putter. Which btw was made by machine putters, beautiful milling
cinch bugs
May 2, 2018 at 2:21 pm
Tipping instructions for the big dogs at WRX who will need to make it more stout due to SS…
Johnny Penso
May 4, 2018 at 11:12 am
Comment of the day right there…lol.
alexdub
May 2, 2018 at 2:10 pm
If they want the GolfWRX crowd interested, they better offer it in X flex.
DB
May 3, 2018 at 1:45 pm
Look at the torque numbers – 1.0, it’s basically an XX.
GolfWRX is sold.