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Mitsubishi Rayon launches Fubuki J shafts

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Mitsubishi Rayon’s new Fubuki J was introduced to PGA Tour players this week at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, where three players including T3 finisher Matt Every put the new shaft in play in their drivers.

The Fubuki line of shafts is best known for its use by Phil Mickelson, who played the company’s Fubuki K shaft in his Callaway X Hot 3Deep fairway wood that he used as a driver for his back-to-back wins at last year’s Scottish and British opens.

The Fubuki J shares a similar construction to the Fubuki K, using the company’s Ninja Core — a metal mesh construction that’s located in the butt section of the shaft — to prevent ovaling and improve energy transfer. It also has the company’s Modulus Differential Technology (MDT) in its tip section, a combination of different types of graphite materials that add stability and work like a hinge at impact to accelerate clubhead speed and improve launch and spin conditions.

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Above: The Fubuki J’s Ninja Core adds stability to the butt end of the shaft by merging graphite and stainless steel constructions. 

What’s new about the Fubuki J is that it is a counterbalanced shaft, which means that its balance point has been moved farther toward the shaft’s butt section. Counterbalanced shafts are nothing new in the industry, but the way in which Mitsubishi Rayon designed the Fubuki J is. Instead of adding more graphite material to the butt section of the shaft, which can alter a shaft’s feel, the company mixes about 5 grams of tungsten powder into the materials that make up the Fubuki J’s butt section. That makes it a good fit for many of today’s heavier adjustable metal wood heads, which tend to have heavier-than-normal swing weights.

According to Mitsubishi Rayon shaft representatives on site at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, the Fubuki J was launching as much as 2 degrees higher than the Fubuki K for some players while maintaining roughly the same amount of spin.

The Fubuki J is available in four different weights: 50 grams (R, S and X flexes), 60 grams (S and X flexes), 70 grams (S and X flexes) and 80 grams (X flex). It’s currently available through authorized Mitsubishi Rayon dealers and sells for about $400. Check out the gallery below for more technical information about the shaft.

*Matt Every used the Fubuki J in his Callaway Big Bertha driver (click here to see all the clubs in Every’s bag). John Peterson (60X) and Matt Bettencourt (70X) also used the Fubuki J this week in their drivers at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. 

Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the Fubuki J in our forum.

Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the Fubuki J in our forum.

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Whats in the Bag

Michael Johnson WITB 2024 (July)

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Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max (8.5 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 60 TX

3-wood: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 70 6.5

7-wood: TaylorMade Stealth (21 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 90 6.5 TX

Irons: PXG 0317 CB Raw (4-9)
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: PXG Sugar Daddy II (48-10S, 50-12S, 56-12S, 60-07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (50-60)

Putter: Odyssey Ai-One #5 DB
Grip: SuperStroke Pistol Lock 1.0

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

See more in-hand photos of Michael Johnson’s clubs here.

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New Callaway Opus, Opus Platinum wedges announced

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We spotted Callaway’s new Opus wedges on the PGA Tour in May. The design, however, in its “S6” incarnation, has been present in pros bags for much longer, game by the likes of Jon Rahm, Yuka Saso, and Xander Schauffele.

Today, Callaway is officially announcing the retail launch of its Opus and Opus Platinum wedges and pulling back the curtain on the most tour-tested, tour-validated wedge in company history in the process.

2024 Callaway Opus wedges: What’s new, key technology

Spin Gen Face Technology

Callaway engineers combine three elements for what they’re calling “Spin Gen Face Technology.” More grooves are present on the face thanks to decreasing the distance between each groove. As with previous designs, engineers also leverage offset groove-in-groove design for more spin, particularly on open-face shots. Finally, the face has been aggressively blasted with quartz to create additional roughness. The sum total of all these elements? More spin, particularly from the rough and in wet conditions, as well as lower launch.

Tour feedback

As a result of extensive testing and input from tour professionals, Opus wedges feature a higher toe peak, refined leading edge radius, and smooth hosel transition for what the company calls its “best wedge shape ever.” Owing to professional input, Callaway offers Opus wedges with a full range of grinds.

2024 Callaway Opus wedges: Additional model details

Opus Platinum wedges

In addition to the standard Opus wedge, Callaway is also unveiling premium MiM (metal injection molded) Opus Platinum wedges. The wedges feature 17 grams of tungsten bonded high in the topline of the club for lower launch with more spin as well as a proprietary blend of metals in the body of the club for optimum feel and performance.

What Callaway says

On the name…Paul Winterhalter – Product Manager: There is an art to the game, and we really felt this quote summarized what this product really meant: where the art meets science. So, with that, introducing the new name for our franchise of wedges is Opus. In general, the name has an air of elegance to it. There’s a sense of beauty, and especially as you look at the product and we get these in your hands, you’ll see that there really is just a new look, just a beautiful sense to them. They’re quite elegant…for us, there was a ton of time and effort put into this product, and we really felt that the product was befitting of the name Opus.

On the different design mentality…Brian Herr – R&D Manager, Wedges: “We started with a different mentality this time. We didn’t design a wedge and then bring it out and see what they thought. We started from the ground up, we started with shaping. We had multiple different shapes that we brought out and showed, we got their feedback, we iterated, we got their feedback, we iterated again. So, we really let the Tour players design this product to a shape they wanted. And then after we got a shape that we loved, we started on the sole grind. So, there’s notes here all over of what Dean tested and what he built and how he went about making products for players and getting their feedback. But really, it was 18 months in the making of going and testing and then iterating and then going back out, getting as many players as feedback as we could and helping them to have them help us design it.”

On the available grinds…Paul Winterhalter: “Looking at the grind offerings, as wedges go, this is crucial for us. On the right-hand side, we have the S and W grinds where we do the lion’s share of sales. The S is our standard everyday grind with a standard sole, while the W has a wider, more forgiving full sole…We also wanted to create a product that’s a better fit for better players, so we introduced the T grind, which is new, and the C grind.

Brian Herr: The T grind is narrow and sits low to the ground, incredible for open-faced shots, particularly for players who pick the ball cleanly without taking a divot. On the other hand, the C grind is a departure from what we’ve done before, designed to keep the leading edge low when opening the face, suitable for versatile shot-making from various lies. The wider sole in the C grind provides better feedback through the turf compared to the T grind. Both grinds cater to skilled players who want to make any shot around the green.

On the Opus Platinum wedge design…Paul Winterhalter: The Opus Platinum looks super premium with MIM (Metal Injection Molding) lines in the back and elevated curb appeal. As a quick elevator pitch, we have the Spin Gen face technology as with Opus and Tour-validated shaping so those are kind of baked into the product. But what we’re doing to take it up another level is that trajectory control using tungsten. And then that unique MIM construction. We’ve talked about this already but through a large amount of tungsten being bonded into that topline to help the CG placement…and the next piece of that is the Metal Injection Molding – it’s not caste, it’s not forged, it’s kind of something new for us.

Brian Herr: MiM is a different way to manufacture, it’s more precise, and it also provides better feel. We’ve done extensive testing on MIM versus other manufacturing methods. MIM dampens better than other materials even the same material in different methods. MIM is a better dampener, so you’re going to notice a premium good, soft feel.

Pricing, specs, and availability

  • Price: Opus ($179.99), Opus Plantium ($229.99)
  • Pre-sale: 7/19
  • At retail: 7/26
  • Opus finishes: Brushed chrome, black shadow
  • Opus Platinum finishes: Blue, chrome
  • Stock shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold MID 115 grams (steel), UST Recoil DART HDC 65 grams (graphite)
  • Stock grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet +2 Gray

Full Callaway Opus specs

Callaway Opus

Callaway Opus Platinum 

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (7/15/24): TaylorMade MySpider X L-Neck putter

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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 TaylorMade MySpider X L-Neck putter.

From the seller: (@Need4spd): “TaylorMade MySpider X L-Neck. Asking $315 • Plays 33.5” • Dead mint condition • SuperStroke Pistol Tour (used for four rounds) – It’s the black and white one, pic won’t upload for some reason. • New and unused MySpider headcover included.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: TaylorMade MySpider X L-Neck 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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