37 replies to this topic

[SoonerChris]

Can someone please enlighten me on the differences of the three?  The Aldila site doesn't expand much.

[ke0016]

Gamma - high launch, high spin
Alpha - lower launch, lower spin
Beta - lowest launch, lowest spin

[10of14]

I am not an expert but the Alpha is a low spin, low launch; Beta is a bit more spin, mid launch and Gamma is a higher launch shaft.  I have hit all but the Beta and though very popular shafts, found them to be very overrated.  I think Adams did a mis-service by making these their stock shaft in the 9064.  In fact, I am seeing a lot of discussion on here about this driver but with aftermarket shafts in them.  I hope one of them works for you though.

[minhjn]

ke0016, on 12 February 2011 - 09:47 PM, said:

Gamma - high launch, high spin
Alpha - lower launch, lower spin
Beta - lowest launch, lowest spin

that is wrong

i know that the beta is higher launch than the alpha and the gamma. i don't know how the gamma and alpha compare

[CP_Circa62]

Alpha is the lowest launching and spinning shaft
beta is a higher launch and spin than the alpha
gama is the highest launching highest spin shaft
btw great shafts plus they look kool

[10of14]

http://www.golfclubb...showtopic=15924

As I stated...hope this helps.

[Puppetmaster]

Based on the Aldila site, minhjn might be the only one correct here.

http://www.aldila.com/rip.php

The Gamma is listed as low-mid launch, like the Alpha, while the Beta is mid. The Gamma also has higher weight and CPM ratings (for what it's worth) than the Alpha, but higher torque ratings (once again, for what it's worth). I was like all you before, thinking the Gamma was highest launch and spin of the three, but the Aldila site seems to say otherwise. I sent markheardjr a message and he said he'd try to clarify it with his Aldila sources if the opportunity arises.

[Puppetmaster]

10of14, on 12 February 2011 - 10:02 PM, said:

http://www.golfclubb...showtopic=15924

As I stated...hope this helps.

Thanks, very interesting.

Quote

The original RIP Alpha is a tip-stiff, low-to-mid launch with low spin. The Beta version has a slightly softer tip flex for mid launch, The Gamma has the same launch characteristics as the original Alpha with a higher balance point for use with heavier heads to achieve a conventional swing weight.

[sheldonjhacker]

which one is the RIP "60" which is standard on the new Titleist 910 ?   alpha, gamma, or beta ?

[Puppetmaster]

sheldonjhacker, on 12 February 2011 - 10:14 PM, said:

which one is the RIP "60" which is standard on the new Titleist 910 ?   alpha, gamma, or beta ?

Alpha - look at the skull, if it has red eyes it is the Alpha, green - Beta, and yellow - Gamma.

There is also a Greek symbol just above the weight/torque/flex that will designate that.

See example below of the hybrid shaft, you can see the Alpha on the left:

Edited by Puppetmaster, 12 February 2011 - 10:23 PM.

[ke0016]

minhjn, on 12 February 2011 - 09:53 PM, said:

ke0016, on 12 February 2011 - 09:47 PM, said:

Gamma - high launch, high spin
Alpha - lower launch, lower spin
Beta - lowest launch, lowest spin

that is wrong

i know that the beta is higher launch than the alpha and the gamma. i don't know how the gamma and alpha compare

Thanks for the clarification.

[ajg223]

I had wondered this as well.  Thank you.

[SweetTeaGolfer]

The RIP Beta has a slightly softer tip flex for mid launch, while the  Gamma has the same launch characteristics as the original Alpha but  with a higher balance point for use with heavier heads to achieve a  conventional swing weight. All three RIPs feature Aldila's  patent-pending RIP Technology™ (Reverse Interlaminar Placement) which  features lower torque, increased tip stability and better tip stiffness  control.

[SteveL1]

Is there much of a feel difference between them? I have a Alpha 70 stiff and although I hit it well, it feels like I'm hitting with a 2x4. Love the consistency and dispersion but like the feel of a Fubuki or Blueboard better. Wondering if the Beta or Gamma would give me that? I can afford a little higher launch but would hate to give up the starightness.

[Sean25rp]

SteveL1, on 08 October 2011 - 04:12 PM, said:

Is there much of a feel difference between them? I have a Alpha 70 stiff and although I hit it well, it feels like I'm hitting with a 2x4. Love the consistency and dispersion but like the feel of a Fubuki or Blueboard better. Wondering if the Beta or Gamma would give me that? I can afford a little higher launch but would hate to give up the starightness.

Bump for this.

[Super Tuna]

SteveL1, on 08 October 2011 - 04:12 PM, said:

Is there much of a feel difference between them? I have a Alpha 70 stiff and although I hit it well, it feels like I'm hitting with a 2x4. Love the consistency and dispersion but like the feel of a Fubuki or Blueboard better. Wondering if the Beta or Gamma would give me that? I can afford a little higher launch but would hate to give up the starightness.

Nope. The RIP is an excellent performing shaft but if you don't like the feel, that's going to apply across the board. The Beta is nicer then the Gamma or Alpha (which feel exactly the same) but it doesn't come within touching distance of the nice feelings shafts like the Blue's, Fubuki's and DI's. It doesn't even come close to a Voodoo. For a similair flight as the Alpha with a bit better feel maybe look at the Kusala Black or a Rombax X series. If you can go a bit higher then perhaps the Motore F3 or a DI.

[SteveL1]

Thanks but I wish you would have replied a littler earlier as I pulled the trigger on a white Beta that should be here by the end of the week. Oh well, if I don't end up liking it, there's always the for sale forum here. As a matter of fact I should have a few to move in a week or two once I figure out which is best for me. Will report back as soon as I get a chance to try it out.

[RJRJRJ]

SteveL1, on 10 October 2011 - 10:01 PM, said:

Thanks but I wish you would have replied a littler earlier as I pulled the trigger on a white Beta that should be here by the end of the week. Oh well, if I don't end up liking it, there's always the for sale forum here. As a matter of fact I should have a few to move in a week or two once I figure out which is best for me. Will report back as soon as I get a chance to try it out.

Ive got a white Beta, and I dont like the feeling.  Its dead and feels like a 2 x 4.

[Super Tuna]

SteveL1, on 10 October 2011 - 10:01 PM, said:

Thanks but I wish you would have replied a littler earlier as I pulled the trigger on a white Beta that should be here by the end of the week. Oh well, if I don't end up liking it, there's always the for sale forum here. As a matter of fact I should have a few to move in a week or two once I figure out which is best for me. Will report back as soon as I get a chance to try it out.

Sorry mate. Shouldn't be a hard shaft to flip if it turns out you don't like it as it's fairly popular and if you do then sweet. Looking forward to hearing how you get on with it

[Johnny T]

I tried a RIP alpha 70 when then first came out and hated it!  It was like I was swinging a 4x4 post. Fast forward to now, I  just bought a RIP Beta 60 to try out in my Supertri.  I currently play an Oban Devotion 6 and love the shaft...you can go after it and not have to worry about the ball ending up in the next zip code.  The Devotion can feel a little boardy at times, but it isn't anything horrible.  Anyway, I gave the RIP Beta some range time this weekend and then went and played yesterday.  At first I wasn't sure I liked it - seemed a little more whippy than the Devotion (but nothing bad).  After a while I got used to the feeling of it and starting really hitting it well.  My ball flight was a little higher than that with the Devotion but I was getting about the same distance, or so it appeared on the range.  On course results were much more definitive - I had about the same number of fairways hit, but I was closer to the green on almost every hole (nothing huge, ~5-10 yds).  And even though I felt it was a little more whippy than the Devotion, my dispersion was really good all day...I could step on it and not have to worry about it going off into the wild.  I'm going to test it a few more times to make sure it just wasn't a good day or whatnot, but it may become the gamer shaft.  Bottom line, I was impressed with it and it works a lot better for me than the RIP alpha did.

[Puppetmaster]

SteveL1, on 08 October 2011 - 04:12 PM, said:

Is there much of a feel difference between them? I have a Alpha 70 stiff and although I hit it well, it feels like I'm hitting with a 2x4. Love the consistency and dispersion but like the feel of a Fubuki or Blueboard better. Wondering if the Beta or Gamma would give me that? I can afford a little higher launch but would hate to give up the starightness.

Assuming you're in the correct flex and that the profile fits your swing, the Beta is a tad smoother the Alpha because the tip is a little more active. That being said, as posted above, it isn't going to be as smooth as a Fubuki or BB. The RIP is a solid performer if it fits, so it may be worth sacrificing some of that good feel if it helps your game. I actually really liked the Alpha profile in my FW and hybrid.

[dajo]

Johnny T, on 11 October 2011 - 07:23 AM, said:

I tried a RIP alpha 70 when then first came out and hated it!  It was like I was swinging a 4x4 post. Fast forward to now, I  just bought a RIP Beta 60 to try out in my Supertri.  I currently play an Oban Devotion 6 and love the shaft...you can go after it and not have to worry about the ball ending up in the next zip code.  The Devotion can feel a little boardy at times, but it isn't anything horrible.  Anyway, I gave the RIP Beta some range time this weekend and then went and played yesterday.  At first I wasn't sure I liked it - seemed a little more whippy than the Devotion (but nothing bad).  After a while I got used to the feeling of it and starting really hitting it well.  My ball flight was a little higher than that with the Devotion but I was getting about the same distance, or so it appeared on the range.  On course results were much more definitive - I had about the same number of fairways hit, but I was closer to the green on almost every hole (nothing huge, ~5-10 yds).  And even though I felt it was a little more whippy than the Devotion, my dispersion was really good all day...I could step on it and not have to worry about it going off into the wild.  I'm going to test it a few more times to make sure it just wasn't a good day or whatnot, but it may become the gamer shaft.  Bottom line, I was impressed with it and it works a lot better for me than the RIP alpha did.

Can you comment a but more on why the beta worked better than the alpha? How big was the difference I terms of launch and spin between the two?

[dbogeyguy75]

dajo, on 19 April 2012 - 10:25 AM, said:

Johnny T, on 11 October 2011 - 07:23 AM, said:

I tried a RIP alpha 70 when then first came out and hated it!  It was like I was swinging a 4x4 post. Fast forward to now, I  just bought a RIP Beta 60 to try out in my Supertri.  I currently play an Oban Devotion 6 and love the shaft...you can go after it and not have to worry about the ball ending up in the next zip code.  The Devotion can feel a little boardy at times, but it isn't anything horrible.  Anyway, I gave the RIP Beta some range time this weekend and then went and played yesterday.  At first I wasn't sure I liked it - seemed a little more whippy than the Devotion (but nothing bad).  After a while I got used to the feeling of it and starting really hitting it well.  My ball flight was a little higher than that with the Devotion but I was getting about the same distance, or so it appeared on the range.  On course results were much more definitive - I had about the same number of fairways hit, but I was closer to the green on almost every hole (nothing huge, ~5-10 yds).  And even though I felt it was a little more whippy than the Devotion, my dispersion was really good all day...I could step on it and not have to worry about it going off into the wild.  I'm going to test it a few more times to make sure it just wasn't a good day or whatnot, but it may become the gamer shaft.  Bottom line, I was impressed with it and it works a lot better for me than the RIP alpha did.

Can you comment a but more on why the beta worked better than the alpha? How big was the difference I terms of launch and spin between the two?

From my personal experience, the RIP Alpha 60 is incredibly stiff (like rebar) but lightweight at 60 grams.  I have mentioned this in a few posts in various topics the last few days.  It just wants to go straight and resist movement.  Pretty wild for such a low weight shaft.  It's actually a cool shaft for really high swing speed players who can load it and have sufficient launch and spin numbers that they don't need the shaft to "assist" getting the ball in the air, or keeping it in the air.  It is ULTRA low spin.  Lower than you expect.  Consider yourself forewarned.  Unfortunately, this tour player profile doesn't describe me.  Others have reported that it "feels" at least one flex stiffer than it is labeled, though it CPMs out as normal.  The Beta has a softer tip and it increases launch and spin, but feels comparatively the same I am told (i.e. more "normal" compared to OEM shaft options on the market, but still directionally very stable.)  The new Phenon (which I have on the way) could be considered a lighter 50 gram redesigned Beta for 2012.  I think it is also directed towards the mainstream better player.  I will post a review of this shaft when I get the club.

Edited by dcallan, 19 April 2012 - 10:53 AM.

[taygolf52]

I have an alpha in my driver and love it. Went with a Sigma in my 3 wood and it is great as well. I felt the alpha was to low launching for my 3 wood especially off the deck.

From my understanding her is how these shafts stack up

alpha - low launch low spin
beta - higher launch and spin
gamma is a high torque version of the alpha so it launches lower than the beta and about the same as the alpha
Sigma is a higher torque version of the beta and launches about the same as the beta and higher than the gamma and alpha

Please someone correct me if this is wrong. There is a lot of stuff out there saying gamma launches higher than the beta and then you will also find what I just said.

Based on the above being true and my driver and 3 wood shaft selection. I am thinking of putting a beta in my 2 hybrid. The Sigma is harder to find than the beta but I think the launch would be good. Right now I have an oban devotion in it and the launch is to low. I also have the oban in my 4 hybrid and I love the launch in it. I was also thinking about a oban revenge hybrid shaft. What do yall think

T

[Johnny T]

dajo, on 19 April 2012 - 10:25 AM, said:

Johnny T, on 11 October 2011 - 07:23 AM, said:

I tried a RIP alpha 70 when then first came out and hated it!  It was like I was swinging a 4x4 post. Fast forward to now, I  just bought a RIP Beta 60 to try out in my Supertri.  I currently play an Oban Devotion 6 and love the shaft...you can go after it and not have to worry about the ball ending up in the next zip code.  The Devotion can feel a little boardy at times, but it isn't anything horrible.  Anyway, I gave the RIP Beta some range time this weekend and then went and played yesterday.  At first I wasn't sure I liked it - seemed a little more whippy than the Devotion (but nothing bad).  After a while I got used to the feeling of it and starting really hitting it well.  My ball flight was a little higher than that with the Devotion but I was getting about the same distance, or so it appeared on the range.  On course results were much more definitive - I had about the same number of fairways hit, but I was closer to the green on almost every hole (nothing huge, ~5-10 yds).  And even though I felt it was a little more whippy than the Devotion, my dispersion was really good all day...I could step on it and not have to worry about it going off into the wild.  I'm going to test it a few more times to make sure it just wasn't a good day or whatnot, but it may become the gamer shaft.  Bottom line, I was impressed with it and it works a lot better for me than the RIP alpha did.

Can you comment a but more on why the beta worked better than the alpha? How big was the difference I terms of launch and spin between the two?

I think a lot of it has to do with how I like a shaft to feel.  I like to feel the shaft load and kick.  The alpha just felt boardy...didn't feel like I loaded it well and the kick was hard to distinguish.  I had decent results with it but the feel just wasn't for me.  I never got on a launch monitor with the alpha (or the beta for that matter), but the alpha seemed to be vey low launch and very low spin.  The beta was more of a mid/mid shaft.  I prefer a high ball flight too so the beta gave me the flight I wanted.  In hindsight, I wish I had of tried an alpha 60 instead of the 70 because I know now that I just don't agree with most 70g shafts in a driver.  Still, the feel of the alpha let something to be desired for me.

[taygolf52]

bumping my question below. Any opinions on this guys would be great

Thanks

T

taygolf52, on 19 April 2012 - 10:50 AM, said:

I have an alpha in my driver and love it. Went with a Sigma in my 3 wood and it is great as well. I felt the alpha was to low launching for my 3 wood especially off the deck.

From my understanding her is how these shafts stack up

alpha - low launch low spin
beta - higher launch and spin
gamma is a high torque version of the alpha so it launches lower than the beta and about the same as the alpha
Sigma is a higher torque version of the beta and launches about the same as the beta and higher than the gamma and alpha

Please someone correct me if this is wrong. There is a lot of stuff out there saying gamma launches higher than the beta and then you will also find what I just said.

Based on the above being true and my driver and 3 wood shaft selection. I am thinking of putting a beta in my 2 hybrid. The Sigma is harder to find than the beta but I think the launch would be good. Right now I have an oban devotion in it and the launch is to low. I also have the oban in my 4 hybrid and I love the launch in it. I was also thinking about a oban revenge hybrid shaft. What do yall think

T

[kellygreen]

10of14, on 12 February 2011 - 09:51 PM, said:

I have hit all but the Beta and though very popular shafts, found them to be very overrated.  

Disagree.

The RIP shafts...particularly the Alpha...is simply designed for a particular type of player.  One who loads the shaft quite a bit on the downswing, and is looking for a shaft that will provide the necessary stability and resistance-to-twisting that will keep that player's golf ball in play.

I have RIP 80a shafts in my woods (Titleist 910)...and they some of the longest, straightest graphite shafts I've ever had the pleasure of playing.   Despite coming in at a hefty 88gms.

[AChapa8807]

Sorry to bring the thread up again... BUT!


I am curious if the Beta would be a good choice for a fairway wood shaft, I just prefer a mid/mid since I'm not a high spin player.
My SS is about 110 on average. I used to play the alpha 60 in stiff and did not find it as stiff as people say.

Edited by AChapa8807, 03 February 2013 - 12:18 PM.

[OUZO Power]

ke0016, on 12 February 2011 - 09:47 PM, said:

Gamma - high launch, high spin
Alpha - lower launch, lower spin
Beta - lowest launch, lowest spin

thats not right.

Beta - mid launch, mid spin
Alpha - lowest launch, lowest spin

Edited by OUZO Power, 03 February 2013 - 12:51 PM.

[dlamb83]

Do these shafts play true to flex? I see I fit into a regular with speeds of 96 to 98,but have a hard transition. Was looking at the beta,as I want higher launch. I hit the alpha in stiff,and it felt good,just too low launch. I'm thinking stiff in beta,but flex numbers on their website say I'm a regular.

Trying to stay clear of tip trimming since it says not to tip trim as it can alter shaft characteristics.

Edited by dlamb83, 03 February 2013 - 01:01 PM.