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 One of our favorite subjects on GolfWRX is shafts. They’re very confusing to most people, but golfers who get fitted and know what works for them can get into a comfort zone on the course that can make the difference.

So far this year, we’ve covered the latest launches for for Drivers and Irons. But golfers buying new or looking to dial in their old gear need to know about the hottest shafts that are hitting stores this year. You can look HERE to see what shafts the Pros are playing in their equipment and also read through this article to find some inspiration prior to your fitting.

If you are one of those readers that are looking for a very deep dive into shaft facts we have a series of articles that are for you. One of our staff writers is Tom Wishon, a 40-year veteran of the golf equipment industry specializing in clubhead design, shaft performance analysis and clubfitting research and development. Tom served as a member of the Golf Digest Technical Advisory Panel, and has written several books on golf equipment including “The Search for the Perfect Golf Club” and “The Search for the Perfect Driver,” which were selected as back to back winners of the 2006 and 2007 Golf Book of the Year by the International Network of Golf (ING), the largest organization of golf industry media professionals in the USA. He wrote a three-part series to educate golfers about shafts:

Part 1: Taking the Guesswork out of selecting a shaft
Part 2: Taking Shaft Fitting from Guessing to Specifics
Part 3: Facts about shafts — What they do

GolfWRX takes the Editor Choice awards very seriously. We take out time to filter through all the marketing noise to give you the cream of the crop. We recognize the very best golf gear, and tested, fitted and debated to develop the list in lieu of spending countless hours in the GolfWRX forums obsessing, reading, writing, buying and selling as we and up to 1.4 million others do every month. GolfWRX is a trusted source - see how we picked the best.

Here are a few of the latest released shafts that are making us chatter more than some of the others.

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UST Recoil Graphite Iron Shafts

The Recoil Iron shafts won our “Best in Show” for 2013. Mike Guerrette, vice president of brand development and Tour operations for UST Mamiya, said the reason why graphite shafts haven’t become popular with Tour players in their irons was because of a problem with their design. Click this link to read more about the Recoil Shafts. 

According to Guerette, graphite iron shafts of the past had walls that were too thick, which decreased ovaling and resulted in poor energy transfer. That resulted in less feel and less distance — two things that never go together on Tour.

UST’s new Recoil iron shafts are made with denser graphite fibers that allowed engineers to decrease wall thickness. Because the fibers are denser, the shafts can be made as heavy as 110 to 125 grams, the weight range that is preferred on Tour.

 Read Full Review

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Graphite Design’s new Tour AD GT Shaft

Graphite Design has added to its popular line of Tour AD shafts with the Tour AD GT, a softer version of the company’s low-spin, low-launch Tour AD BB shaft. 

The GT it a good choice for golfers who like the feel and performance of the BB (Click here to read our review of it) in their driver but want a shaft that gives them more spin and a higher launch with their fairway woods. The GT is available 50-, 60-, 70- and 80 gram weights and will retail for around $380.

 Read Full Review

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Oban’s new ‘Kiyoshi White’ Shaft

Oban’s “Kiyoshi White” shaft is the latest edition to the company’s Kiyoshi family of shafts, offering a different bend profile and improved stability through a new design pattern.

Oban, a high-end golf shaft manufacturer based in Chicago, released the first member of the Kiyoshi family, the “Kiyoshi Purple,” in mid-2011. The purple-colored shaft uses Oban’s Emersion Wrapped Frequency Technology to offer golfers a product with a high-launch and low-spin in a wide weight range (45-to-85 grams and hybrid, L-X Flexes).

Oban’s “Kiyoshi Black” was released in early 2012. It uses the same technology, but the Black was designed with less torque and a stiffer butt section that gave it a medium-launch and low-spin. Like the Kiyoshi Black, the Kiyoshi White offers a mid-launch and low-spin. But a new design pattern that Oban calls “MultiPlex Design Technology” allowed it to be made with a softer butt section, which makes the shaft feel “more bendy,” especially at the top of a golfer’s swing.

 Read Full Review

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2013 KBS Custom Series Shafts!

In 2012, KBS Shafts launched their Custom Series, which offered three custom finishes to their popular KBS Tour line: White Pearl, Black Pearl and Silver Pearl.  This year, it looks like things will be a little different.

Here’s a sneak peek at the updated KBS Custom Series for 2013. It looks like we’re going to get a few more choices including a custom label color and laser engraving options (GolfWRX username on the shafts, anyone?). While options are increasing, the price is headed in the opposite direction. This year’s KBS Custom ‘base’ MSRP will be $40.95, down from $49.95. We’ll add more info on these as soon as we can.

 Read Full Review

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Fujikura Fuel Shafts

The Fujikura Fuel is a low-launch, low-spin shaft that uses special construction and a high kick point that the company says gives golfers a tighter dispersion and a softer feel than Fujikura’s previous low-launch, low-spin shafts.

Dustin Johnson used a 70-gram Tour Spec version of the shaft to win the PGA Tour’s season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions, giving the company tons of momentum heading into 2013.

Along with the standard Fuel shaft, which is available for $225 in a wide range of flexes and 50, 60 and 70-gram weights, the company has created a 60-gram version of the shaft Johnson used to win the Tournament of champions in stiff and x-stiff flexes.

 Read Full Review

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Project X 95 Iron shaft for the masses

No longer are True Temper’s Project X iron shafts reserved for only elite players.

The new Project X 95 Flighted iron shafts are the lightest in the Project X family, weighing only 95 grams. They are also more playable than previous Project X models — the long irons have a softer tip to help golfers hit those clubs higher, while the short irons have stiffer tips to give golfers a more consistent flight with their scoring clubs.

 Read Full Review

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Nippon New Modus iron shaft

Nippon’s latest iron shaft, the N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 130, is stiff in the butt and mid sections, but it has a softer tip section. “What that creates is a little bit of a higher, easy launch but then a lower, Tour-type spin to get the ball to go through the air in a more penetrating fashion,” Mark Pekarek, North American distributor for Nippon said.

This is the opposite construction of the company’s N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 120 shaft that debuted in 2012, which is about 10 grams lighter than the Tour 130. Usually, lighter weight shafts are designed to hit the ball higher than their heavier weight counterparts, but the Tour 120 has a stiff tip with softer mid and butt sections — a construction that actually results in a lower flight.

 Read Full Review

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Matrix Shafts

Matrix has simplified its shaft offering for 2013 with three shafts that fit into three distinct categories.

New for this year are Matrix’s X3 “White Tie” shaft, which replaces the company’s popular XCON shafts, and the company’s Q3 “Red Tie” shaft, which replaces the HD Series shafts.

Last year, Matrix released its M3 “Black Tie” shaft, which replaced the company’s M2 series. It’s the lowest-launching, lowest-spinning shaft in the Matrix Flight System — the company’s portfolio of shaft characteristics.

The White Tie is on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Black Tie, offering golfers a high-launch with mid-to-high spin. Splitting the difference is the company’s Red Tie shaft, which offers a mid launch and mid spin. All three shafts carry an MSRP of $375.

 Read Full Review

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True Temper re-releases the Grafalloy Blue shaft

Don Brown, product developed for True Temper, knows that the Grafalloy Blue shaft isn’t for all golfers. In fact, he even estimated about 80 percent of the golfers were not upset when it was discontinued in 2011.

But the 20 percent of golfers who fit into the Blue were a vocal minority. “We discontinued it a few years ago and we got inundated with phone calls, ‘I want a Blue. Where can I get a Blue?” Brown said.

Recently, True Temper decided to re-release its “cult favorite” shaft with some minor alterations. One obvious alteration is the color. It has been painted white instead of blue because of the color’s popularity, Brown said.

 Read Full Review

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Nunchuk’s xi graphite iron shaft

Nunchuk’s wood and hybrid shafts have already found the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour.

nVentix hopes to have the same success with its new graphite iron shaft, the Nunchuk xi, which debuted at the 2013 PGA Merchandise Show. The shaft has the same design theory has the company’s driver/fairway and hybrid shafts, as well as the same weight — about 104 grams. It’s available in both 0.355-inch and 0.370-inch models and will retail for $75 per shaft.

 Read Full Review

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9 Comments

1. 

   Matt

   April 7, 2013 at 1:56 pm

   Any feedback from wrx ers about the fuji fuel??

   Reply
2. 

   Greer

   April 25, 2013 at 9:55 pm

   i have Hit all the above shafts.
   KBS Tour best iron shaft for me, but very surprised the UST line did not show up for woods.
   It might not be the high dollar shaft that golfers for some reason want to pay for, but the ProForce V2 out performed all the other big name shafts I have hit this years.
   Sorry a 400.00+ shaft might work for the Jones’ but the ProForce V2 is just fine for use common scratch golfers.

   Reply
3. 

   Benz Petprasert

   April 28, 2013 at 10:36 am

   how come Accra shafts are not on the list?

   Reply
   • 

     GolfWRX

     May 9, 2013 at 2:39 pm

     I cant remember seeing them as a possibility during the tally.
     FYI… There is a real world objective process. The 6 clubfitters that fit over 500 players a month each have weighed in and formed an opinion that lead to the “Best of”. You can see how and who voted…

     http://www.golfwrx.com/reviews/best-of-awards-and-the-inside-scoop/

     Reply
     • 

       Joe Moravick

       May 15, 2013 at 9:51 pm

       you claim that each of these clubfitters fit 500 players each in one months time. For me that is hard to believe. That mean each of these 6 clubfitters do 16.6 fittings per day for 30 days. If they are doing fittings that quick I would not go to these fitters.
       Just my opinion

       Reply
4. 

   Richie Burke

   May 8, 2013 at 12:13 pm

   I see all the expensive shafts you have here, but how do they expect the reg. player to spend $300 for a driver with a bad stock shaft to then upgrade & buy a $200 or $300 shaft. Then in 2 years go to trade it in because there have 4 new modlels od that driver out which offer longer distane & straigther drives & get a $75 buy back on that outdated club.
   Maybe you will find this amusing was at the range & a guy was testing the new R1 with 3 different shafts all priced about $200 -$300 each he was writing a review on the club & give the driver & 3 shafts for free for his review, well I watched him hit 30 balls with all different setting & all three shafts then I asked him to try mine a Ping G15 with UST v2 shaft no settings a shaft I installed my self for a cost of $60 & he hit it as well or better than all the fancy & $$$$ costly stuff he had Took 2 looks at my shaft & said “Boy this is a great setup you got a winner here” So the bottom line for us working stiffs who can’t pay $500 or $600 for a driver & shaft how about you do a review using what the average player can afford.
   thanks
   richie

   Reply
5. 

   Lee

   May 9, 2013 at 4:26 am

   Totally agree with Richie how about a review of shafts that are in the price range of the masses and frankly in performance are not greatly different in the majority of hands. I play a 2012 Rocketballz 9 degree Tour driver with the standard stiff shaft cut to 44.5 inches after an hour with the fitter on the flight scope etc his conclusion was that I wasn’t going to get much better without sourcing a $1000+ Japanese Tour shaft, decision made.

   Reply
6. 

   justin

   May 19, 2013 at 11:29 am

   They posted a review on the “best” shafts on the market, not the review for the best performance for your money. I understand where you guys are coming from though.

   Reply
7. 

   Dugan

   May 20, 2013 at 6:34 pm

   I hope golfwrx dont go the same route as golf digest, only test the big name equip. Then throw one or two lesser known companies in. Agree with richie, you guys should do a test on shafts from $50- $150. That would be great!

   Reply