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WRX Spotted: LA Golf Shafts “Rebar” wedge shaft

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la golf shafts rebar wedge shaft

Regarding a golf shaft: “It feels like a piece of rebar” is one of those phrases in the golf vernacular. In the case of LA Golf Shafts and its newest prototype being tested on tour, “being as stiff as a piece of rebar” is exactly what the company is going for.

To get the inside information on the new Rebar prototype, we reached out LA Golf Shafts Chief Product Officer John Oldenberg to find the out about the origin and development of the shaft

“The word “rebar” says it all. Our team did some testing with Bryson about a month back in San Diego with the Cobra folks on iron and wedges. At the time Bryson asked if we could make him a graphite shaft that was stiffer than the Dynamic Gold X7 that has been gaming. The answer to him was absolutely!”

Bryson DeChambeau's LA Golf Shafts Rebar wedge shaft

Bryson DeChambeau’s LA Golf Shafts Rebar wedge shaft

This is the biggest misconception that many consumers still have about graphite—it’s not as strong or as stiff as steel, since when it was originally introduced the shafts were targeted as a softer, lighter alternative to steel.

Back to John

“I told Bryson that with graphite, I could make the shaft as stiff as rebar. He was intrigued and ask that we make him shafts to test that were as stiff as we possibly could. So that’s what we did, hence the working name ‘Rebar’.  He tested a ‘Rebar’ 7 iron shaft at Cobra about 2 weeks ago and really liked it, and asked for some wedges to test. 

“The shafts that he is testing now  (that we spotted at the Safeway) are the ‘Rebar’ wedge shafts.  They are at least a full flex stiffer than his X7’s and are a whole lot stiffer in the tip, while also being a bit lower in torque.  So far the response from him has been very positive.  Last I heard he had re-shafted his three wedges with the “Rebar” and was taking them out on the course for a practice round.

“If these shafts work, the plan is to work him into a full set of graphite by the end of the year.”

This is certainly an interesting development since currently there isn’t a single player in the top 20 in the Official World Golf Rankings who plays graphite iron shafts—and the only one in the top 50 right now (based on current bags) is Matt Kuchar. Designers have said for years graphite can be made stiffer and even more reliable than steel, and now we are slowly seeing these product developments make their way to the PGA Tour.

 

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Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. Longus Hitterus

    Sep 27, 2019 at 5:08 pm

    I need this in a Driver. Thanks

    Big Dawg

  2. Fred

    Sep 25, 2019 at 6:13 pm

    Bryson is a brilliant idiot who will soon think himself out of golf.

    • Brent

      Sep 26, 2019 at 12:13 am

      Really Fred? He got to be a top 10 player on earth with multiple wins on the PGA tour, doing and thinking exactly how he does. But please, enlighten us what he should do differently with his equipment.

    • Scott

      Sep 26, 2019 at 6:51 am

      Says the guy who can’t break 80 from the forward tees.

    • Chris P. Bacon

      Sep 26, 2019 at 7:32 am

      Fred is the type of guy who uses iron covers.

  3. James Awad

    Sep 25, 2019 at 3:36 pm

    About 25 yrs ago, when graphite shaft innovations were finally yielding some good breakthroughs, one of my students, an engineer (of course) brought me an 8 page print out of all the computations he did and ‘proved’ rebar would be better than any steel or graphite shaft…(as long as you’re Iron Byron)

    Kinda been done with wedges – see ‘Lobster Shaft’…

    I’m in favor of really stiff wedge shafts, but very little tech is required for that 🙂

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Equipment

Spotted: Tony Finau’s driver shaft change at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open

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Tony Finau has always been known as one of the longest players on the PGA Tour, but he has recently been working on adding a little more distance. Last year, Finau averaged 118.3 mph club head speed and 178.08 mph ball speed, all while playing a Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX driver shaft. This year, he has increased his club head speed to 123.93 mph and his ball speed to 183.32 mph.

However, Finau’s overall distance has decreased by two yards in that time. From a fitting perspective, something was amiss. We asked Tony about the shaft change at the Texas Children’s Hospital Open.

“[I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin. My driver’s been a little high spin for me over the last month or so, and so I just figured it was time to probably check out the equipment,” Finau said. “And it definitely showed me that I was using a shaft that’s maybe a little too tip-stiff for me, the way I load the club now. [I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin.”

Finau switched from the Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX into the Diamana GT 70 TX. The newer Diamana GT has a slightly different profile than the D+ Limited with the stiffest handle section in the Diamana lineup. The mid sections between the two are similar stiffness but the tip is just slightly stiffer in the Diamana GT. Both shafts are within one gram of each other in the 70 TX. The torque rating on the GT is 0.1 higher than the D+Limited’s 2.7 measurement.

Mitsubishi lists the Diamana GT as a shaft between the mid-launching Diamana TB and the new low-launch Diamana WB shafts. For most players, it would be considered a mid/low launch and low-spin shaft option. Mitsubishi’s Xlink Tech Resin System makes sure the maximum carbon fiber content is there for smooth feel without reducing the strength of the shaft. MR70 carbon fiber is used for reinforcing the shaft and boron is used in the tip for its high strength and compression properties.

Finau is still using his trusty Ping G430 LST driver in 9 degrees and has the adjustable hosel set to -1 degree of loft (standard lie angle). Finau’s long-time favorite Lamkin UTX Green grip is installed. He definitely has a few extra wraps of tape under that grip as you can see the bulge down where the grip meets the shaft.

One final note: Per Ping’s PGA Tour rep Kenton Oates, Finau’s driver is also adjusted to play with an additional degree of loft to help dial in his desired launch.

We’ll see how he fares with the new setup this week in Houston!

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Whats in the Bag

Zac Blair WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Titleist TSR2 (10 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Red 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade M5 Rocket 3 (14 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 757 Evolution V1 X

Utility: Titleist U510 (3)
Shaft: Aldila Tour Blue 85 X

Irons: Ping i210 (4-6), Miura MB-001 (7-9)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46-10F, 58-08M @57, 60 @61), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (52-M)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 105 X

Putter: Scotty Cameron prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

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Whats in the Bag

Martin Trainer WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Wilson Staff Staff Model (6.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kai’li Blue 70 TX

3-wood: Wilson Staff WLabs Prototype (13 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange 80 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Staff Model (2, 4-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Wilson Staff Staff Model (52, 56, 60)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Putter: Bobby Grace Greg Chalmers Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

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