Equipment
Matrix Velox shafts optimize speed through curvature
Matrix’s new line of Velox shafts are designed to help golfers maximize clubhead speed, regardless of what type of driver setup they play.
In the past, better golfers gravitated toward drivers built to shorter lengths, which offered them more control and consistency than longer clubs. But the creation of larger, more forgiving club heads has led to the use of longer clubs by many golfers, as the wider arc that longer clubs create during the swing can help them generate additional club head speed and thus more distance.
Wider swing arcs have another possible benefit as well. They can help golfers improve their swing path, because wider arcs increase the chance that a golfer will swing the club on an in-to-out path, as well as with an upward angle of attack; a key ingredient to maximizing distance off the tee.
One of the problems with longer-length drivers, however, is that their extended length moves the balance point of the club closer to the club head. That issue is exacerbated by the fact that today’s adjustable driver heads are heavier than past models, tipping the balance point even farther toward the head. The movement of the balance point toward the head is called an increased “swing weight,” which makes the club feel heavier to a golfer.
For golfers who wish to take advantage of longer-length drivers but want to maintain a traditional swing weight, Matrix designed the Velox Sp shafts. The Sp shafts are counterbalanced, which means they have more weight in the butt section of the shaft to balance out the extra length, extra head weight, or both.
The Velox shafts, which also come in a non-counterbalanced St model, were created with much more than proper weight distribution in mind, however.
Tom DeShiell, director of research and development at Matrix Shafts, said his team designed the Velox shafts to help golfers maximize the amount of energy they could transfer into the ball. They did so with deformation of energy (DE) analysis, a study of the curvature of a shaft during the swing and how it affects energy transfer.
“We wanted to optimize that curvature for golfers with different swing speeds,” DeShiell said.
Instead of the traditional R, S and X flexes, the Velox Sp and St shafts are categorized with numbers that relate to a golfer’s swing speed: 85, 95, 105 and 115. The 85 model will work best for golfers with a swing speed around 85 mph, the 95 will work best for golfers with a swing speed around 95 mph, and so on.
“Every different player has a different response to a shaft,” DeShiell said. “So, that’s where we tried to just concentrate on their swing speed.”
According to DeShiell, all golf shafts have a decrease in stiffness from the butt section to the tip section. But the rate at which that stiffness changes has to vary for golfers to get the most energy transfer from a shaft. For that reason, the Velox shafts for golfers with slower swing speeds have a rate of stiffness that decreases more rapidly, while the models for golfers with faster swing speeds decrease in stiffness more slowly.
The Velox shafts are currently being tested on the PGA Tour, and will be available at retail on Nov. 1. The Sp shafts (offered in weights of 50, 60, 70 and 80 grams) will retail for $275, while the St shafts (offered in weights of 60, 70 and 80 grams) will sell for $375.
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Product Reviews
UST Mamiya Dart V iron shaft review – Club Junkie Reviews
Recently, graphite iron shafts have grown in popularity as technology has taken giant leaps forward. The old thoughts of graphite being too soft, too high launching, or too inconsistent have gone by the wayside. This new batch of graphite iron shafts has been played by all levels of golfers, from players who do need help with launch and spin to professionals who are looking for added control.
Today, we’re taking a look at one of these “new graphite iron shafts.” UST Mamiya Dart V irons shafts come out of the company’s TSPX Lab that creates the most cutting-edge designs and uses the latest materials.
Check out the full review on YouTube below or on any podcast platform.
UST Mamiya’s Dart V shafts are designed around Dual Action Recoil Technology that makes sure the entire shaft flexes consistently for much tighter shot dispersion. The Dart V shafts are offered in 90, 105, and 120-gram weight options to fit a wide range of golfers. UST Mamiya also has very tight tolerances and quality control to ensure that every shaft is the same in the set. Utilizing Torray M40X carbon fiber gives the engineers a material that is 30% better tensile strength and gives the shafts better feel with less harsh vibration.
I went with the Dart V 105 F4 (stiff) shafts as I have found more success with lighter shafts as I have gotten older. Building these shafts up with a set of Vega Mizar Tour heads was very easy and didn’t take a lot of tip weights. I think the 7-iron needed a small 2g tip weight and the rest were installed without any weight at my desired D1 swing weight at standard length with standard size grips.
Out on the course, the first thing I noticed was how tight the Dart V 105 feels. Every swing feels like the shaft is under complete control, no matter if you take a partial or went after it. Stout is a great term for the shafts as they definitely play true to flex, but they aren’t harsh feeling. While the Dart V plays stiff, it still does a good job of reducing vibration and keeping joints or injured body parts free from additional shock.
You can feel the shaft load during the transition to the downswing, but it has a stiffer feel of less flex than some other graphite shafts. Some players like this boardier feel and will get it with the Dart V. Feel at impact is similar to the loading where you are going to feel some kick at the bottom of the swing, but it won’t be as aggressive as other shafts. On center strikes the Dart V offers a very solid feel with great, soft feedback. When you mishit shots with these shafts you get immediate feedback with some additional vibration that feel players will really like. The mishits aren’t too harsh on the hands but still let the head give you the louder click that your ears will want.
Ball flight for me was lower than I expected with UST Mamiya listing the shaft as more mid-launch. I would consider my launch with the Dart V mid-low launch with a more penetrating flight. Better players will like the ability to flight shots, with any club, higher or lower in order to get the ball close to the hole. The penetrating flight helps in windy conditions as it offers a stable trajectory that doesn’t waver from your aiming point.
Shots that you mishit off the toe or heel go pretty straight and you don’t see big curvature that causes you to really miss the green. Most of those misses come off the face fairly straight and leave you with a fairly easy chip or pitch shot to the green. Distance control is consistent and repeatable as I found on the range that well-struck shots have a very tight carry distance window and I have yet to see some wildly long or short shots show up.
Overall, the UST Mamiya Dart V iron shafts are solid options for players who are very particular about performance. Like other shafts among the new breed of graphite iron shafts, the Dart V delivers the type of shots you need when you need them.
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/8/24): Scotty Cameron Art of Putting Laguna putter
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Scotty Cameron Art of Putting Laguna putter.
From the seller: (@kcsf): “Scotty Cameron Art of Putting Laguna. -I will regret this one selling for sure. It does have one small nick on the face near the toe as shown, otherwise in amazing new condition. -BOS reconditioned and received last month. Oil can finish as done new by BOS when this putter was released many moons ago. -Head cover is authentic SC and shows age. Velcro is worthless of course, but does stay closed. -Length is 34.25 inches, original shaft. -Grip is old and needs replacing. I can have my pro do it prior to shipping at an additional cost of the grip only. -$475.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Scotty Cameron Art of Putting Laguna putter
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Equipment
Mitsubishi Diamana WB: What you need to know + club build, on-course testing
GolfWRX’s Resident Club Junkie, Brian Knudson, was naturally excited to get his hands on Mitsubishi’s new Diamana WB shaft.
In this video, BK gives you a brief overview of the new WB, builds up a driver, and takes it to the course for some testing.
With the rebirth of the iconic Whiteboard profile, Mitsubishi didn’t just re-issue a classic, but rather infused all the company’s latest tech into a new shaft, paying homage to the original with its quintessentially Hawaiian-inspired stylings. A summary of that impressive roster of technology, below.
- 80-ton Dialead pitch fiber: Positioned in the handle, Dialead is designed to deliver greater ball speed via better energy transfer.
- Aerospace-grade MR70 carbon fiber adds additional strength, and 46-ton fiber in angle plies in the tip section reduce torque for tighter shot dispersion.
- Consistent Feel Design: Engineers target minimal variance across shafts (butt OD, weight, and balance point) to make the fitting process easier.
- Xlink Tech Resin System: Engineers continue to reduce resin content and increase carbon fiber volume for greater feel without sacrificing strength and durability.
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Stan
Jan 6, 2015 at 9:31 pm
Does anyone have any know what the rated swing speed for volex t49 is?
My swing speed for a driver is 88, will the volex 49 match up for me?
hoganman1
Apr 28, 2014 at 6:48 pm
I didn’t see any info about the Matrix Velox T 49. I know it weighs about 50 grams, but is it a high launch shaft? I’ve been using the Aldila NVS 55R. How does the T 49 compare with the NVS?
Joe Golfer
Oct 14, 2013 at 1:22 am
The swing speed idea sounds like a good one.
Every company has a different idea of what an R flex is or an S flex is, and torque also plays a factor in how stiff a shaft feels.
One company’s S flex actually feels like an S flex, while another company’s S flex may feel more like an R flex.
That said, I agree with most of those who posted: $275 is too much to pay for a golf shaft. Even if the company has to pay for R&D, employee salaries, healthcare for employees, advertising, etc…, it is still way too expensive. It wasn’t that long ago that shafts cost way way less than that, and companies still had the same expenses as they do now. It just caters to those who think they have to have the very best, latest and greatest thing, and those people who equate cost with quality of fit to their game.
Don jan
Oct 10, 2013 at 2:24 pm
Graphite shafts only cost 5.00 / 8.00 to produce per shaft, yes it’s a rip, thank you
Anser
Oct 10, 2013 at 2:43 pm
Don,
Do you know per shaft cost?
Do you have any idea how things like R&D, advertising, shipping, health insurance, and countless many other things all go into the cost?
Xreb
Oct 11, 2013 at 2:56 pm
Are you saying these costs don’t apply to a high end electronic item which ends up costing up costing than a Matrix TP6HD ? Surely you are not going to say the chip manufacturing technology involves less R&D !!
Hacked90
Oct 14, 2013 at 3:37 pm
The difference is volume; and therefore, the economies of scale of the business. These shafts might sell in the thousands, whereas iPads, and many “chips” for high end electronic items sell in the multi-millions. $100k in R&D may be $10 per shaft or the equivalent of $100MM in R&D for an iPad.
Xreb
Oct 19, 2013 at 12:07 pm
A well thought out response and you pretty much summed it up, which only goes to prove the case that there isn’t the dollar value worth of technology in these shafts that manufacturers claim there is. The price is simply a reflection of the low volume of sales.
TJ
Oct 14, 2013 at 1:25 pm
I work for a manufacture in a different field and its not the raw material that makes the product cost a lot of money. R&D is a huge expense at least it is in my field as well as the expenses of running a profitable business.
Don jan
Oct 10, 2013 at 2:23 pm
Graphite shafts only cost 5.00 / 8.00 to produce per shaft, yes a
Andy
Oct 10, 2013 at 2:34 am
Cause an iPad is so much harder to fit into a club head?
Xreb
Oct 10, 2013 at 8:28 am
Good one !
J
Oct 9, 2013 at 9:07 pm
Overpriced.
Xreb
Oct 10, 2013 at 1:46 am
So is every shaft on the market. I would like someone to explain how any of these premium shafts cost more than an ipad ?
Mark
Oct 9, 2013 at 3:29 pm
couldn’t a golfer just put in a tour lock weight in the butt to achieve a very similar result?
Bama68
Oct 9, 2013 at 11:57 am
What will the total raw shaft length be for these shafts.
Big_5_Hole
Oct 9, 2013 at 11:02 am
“Instead of the traditional R, S and X flexes, the Velox Sp and St shafts are categorized with numbers that relate to a golfer’s swing speed: 85, 95, 105 and 155.:
Is 155 supposed to read 115 or 125? Or is that last one made of re-bar and only for use as a chin-up bar?
Zak Kozuchowski
Oct 9, 2013 at 11:56 am
Thanks for the catch. It has been corrected to say 115. And you’re right. If it were 155, it would be one heck of a chin-up bar.
– Zak