Shaft & Grip Reviews
Review: Graphite Design YS NanoReloaded
Pros: A high-launching shaft that feels very smooth. Available for woods (50, 60 and 70-gram models) and hybrids (70 and 80-gram models).
Cons: They’re cheaper than Graphite Design’s Tour-AD shafts, but they’re still pricy. Wood shafts have an MSRP of $269. Hybrid shafts have an MSRP of $129.
Who’s it for? These shafts could fit a wide range of golfers, but they’ll be preferred by those who enjoy the feeling of the shaft loading and unloading during the swing.
The Review
Looking into a new shaft for your driver, fairway wood or hybrid? You’re in luck, or maybe not, because the amount of shaft options available in today’s market can be head spinning, even for educated golfers.
The good news? If you’re looking for the most premium and consistent shafts on the market — which means you’re willing to pay for the best — you’ve narrowed your list to a handful of companies, and one of those companies is Graphite Design.
Graphite Design, based in Japan, has a reputation for creating shafts that perform well and have an even better feel. The company’s shafts have been No. 1 on the Japan Golf Tour for more than 10 years and are also well represented on the PGA Tour — Jordan Spieth, Martin Kaymer, Lydia Ko and Ryo Ishikawa all have at least one Graphite Design shaft in their bag.
The YS NanoReloaded shafts are the latest version of Graphite Design’s YS shaft series, which has been popular with golfers since its release in 1999 — so popular, in fact, that the company re-released the series with updated graphics under the name YS+ in 2005.
The newest models have new graphics, too, but what’s more important is their new materials. Graphite Design added the same nano-alloy material to the YS NanoReloaded shafts that it uses in its pricier Tour-AD shafts. Graphite Design calls it “DI Technology,” and it allowed the YS NanoReloaded shafts to be made more stable than their predecessors in the tip and butt sections, yet maintain the smooth feel for which the YS shafts are known.
For Gear Heads: The biggest difference between the YS NanoReloaded and Tour AD shafts? The YS NanoReloaded shafts use a 46T carbon fiber material. The Tour-AD shafts use a 50T carbon fiber material that produce slightly less torque. The 50T material is more expensive, but remember that expensive shafts do not necessarily perform better than less expensive shafts.
So how did they test? I tried the YS NanoReloaded shafts at the Launch Pad at Carl’s GolfLand in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., in the following clubs:
- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha (10 degrees) — YS NanoReloaded Six X (45.5 inches, tipped 1 inch)
- Callaway X2 Hot Pro (15 degrees) — YS NanoReloaded Seven X (43 inches, tipped 1.5 inches)
- Callaway X2 Hot Pro (18 degrees) — YS NanoReloaded 85X (40.5 inches, no tipping)
I generally play a 70X shaft in my driver, an 80X shaft in my three wood and a 90X shaft in my hybrid with the same lengths and tipping, but an 80X wood shaft and 90X hybrid shaft is not available in the YS NanoReloaded line. For that reason, I chose shaft models that were 10 grams lighter in each club.
All things being equal, lighter shafts generally create a little more spin than heavier shafts, which was a concern of mine. As a high-speed, high-spin player, I’ve relied on heavier shafts to reduce my spin rate and give me a feeling of more control over the club. To me, extra weight gives shafts more of the smooth feel that I prefer.
What’s nice about the NanoReloaded shafts is that I was able to get the smooth feel I like from a shaft that was 10 grams lighter and I didn’t lose anything in the way of performance. Both my launch angle and spin rate stayed in my desired range. You can see one of my best hits on the screenshot below.
Ideally, a properly fit shaft should create either:
- A jump in club head speed.
- An improvement in control.
When golfers see both, they know that the properties of a shaft are working with their swings instead of against it.
One of the perks of being the Managing Editor of GolfWRX is that I’ve been fit for many clubs, many times by many different fitters. It’s fair to say that my current shafts are about as dialed in as they can get. That’s why the YS NanoReloaded impressed me — I was able to maintain the club head speed that I create with my current shafts, and enjoyed the fact that they were a little easier to swing because of their lighter weight.
Would I make the change? In the driver and three wood, definitely. The smoothness of the shaft gave me confidence to lighten my grip pressure and swing a little easier than I otherwise would, and I saw no performance drop in the numbers.
The hybrid — not so much. It has a similar feel to the wood shafts, but I found that it was noticeably higher spinning. Golfers who like their hybrid shafts to feel and perform like heavier, more traditional steel shafts probably won’t like it, but the YS NanoReloaded Hybrid shafts could be a good fit for golfers who are looking for a higher flight.
The Bottom Line
My testing showed that even high-speed, high-spin players can get great performance from the YS NanoReloaded, which means they’ll fit a wide variety of players. The smooth feel and added stability to the shafts make them an attractive alternative to Graphite Design’s higher-priced Tour AD models, which have an MSRP of about $500, as well as other premium, high-launching shafts on the market.
If shaft feel is important to you, you’ll want to find a way to test these.
[wrx_buy_now oemlink=”http://proschoicegolfshafts.com/ys-nanoreloaded-hybrid-shafts/” oemtext=”Learn more from Graphite Design” amazonlink=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PJSEMJI/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00PJSEMJI&linkCode=as2&tag=golfwrxcom-20&linkId=OTVOTNPFXPBEIN2G”]
- LIKE47
- LEGIT4
- WOW3
- LOL0
- IDHT1
- FLOP1
- OB0
- SHANK0
Equipment
Here’s why Jordan Spieth switched into a new Fujikura Ventus TR Blue shaft at Pebble Beach
When Fujikura’s new Ventus TR Blue shaft launched in January 2022, we learned all about the updated construction and potential performance benefits compared to the original Ventus Blue. It was unclear at the time, however, exactly who would make the switch into the new TR design on the PGA Tour.
Well, we’re starting to get some answers.
Jordan Spieth, who’s been relatively slow to change into new products throughout his career, is among a handful of names making the change. Spieth conducted recent testing with a Ventus Blue TR 7 X shaft in his Titleist TS2 15-degree fairway wood, and he put it in play this week at the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Titleist Tour representative J.J. Van Wezenbeeck, who works closely with Spieth on his equipment, said that Spieth came to the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) on Friday before the 2022 Pebble Beach Pro-Am for a check-up on his equipment. Since Spieth was previously playing Ventus Blue shafts in his Titleist metalwoods, he was intrigued by the new TR version.
As it turned out, Spieth found the new shaft to help with his transition and directional control.
“Coming from Ventus Blue, anytime they update a shaft you’re just intrigued on that, and he liked how [the Ventus TR Blue] loaded compared to the original Ventus Blue for him,” Van Wezenbeeck told GolfWRX on Tuesday. “He felt like when he mishit it, there was a little more control. So that was a good option for him…we did a little bit of internal work on the head to make sure there’s enough spin, because want to make sure his 3 wood doesn’t have too low of spin. He liked how the TR reacted on mishits where the spin didn’t drop, and it had more consistent spin from swing to swing.”
Due to a new Spread Tow fabric in the butt-end section, which is essentially a checkerboard pattern of woven material, the torque on the TR version is 10 percent stiffer in the mid-to-grip end of the shaft. As a result, Fujikura says the TR shaft is designed to improve stability and consistency compared to the original Ventus Blue.
Based on Spieth’s results with the TR shaft during testing, it seems Fujikura’s case holds water.
Pat McCoy, Director of Tour Operations at Fujikura, spoke with GolfWRX about the new shaft, and what players are seeing in their testing out on Tour.
“Compared to the original Ventus Blue, the TR has a stiffer mid-section and lower torque,” McCoy said. “Basically what the shaft does is it eliminates some of the dynamic loft. It eliminates some of the rotation. Obviously, the Ventus Blue was a very stable shaft and one of the best launching shafts we’ve ever had. And we just made it better.
“As far as ball speed and launch and spin, I’m not going to say it’s faster, but we have seen players who have achieved faster speeds with it. It provides more consistency and the ability to turn swing speed into ball speed better. And that’s it. It’s a little stiffer than the original Blue, and it’s a little bit weaker than the [Ventus Black]. It’s a ‘tweener. It gives you something in the middle, and depending upon loft and impact location, you get a better fit.”
The fairway wood shaft wasn’t the only potential change that Spieth will make in 2022, though.
In addition to putting the new Titleist Vokey SM9 wedges in the bag, Spieth is also considering adding another option to the top end of his bag.
Typically, Spieth changes between a hybrid and long irons, depending on course conditions. During the recent session at TPI, though, Spieth took a liking to Titleist’s U-505 wide-bodied driving iron. Ahead of the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Spieth took a U-505 2-iron (Graphite Design AD-DI 105X shaft) out onto the course for testing.
“He’s experimenting with a U-505 this week (ahead of the event at Pebble Beach),” Van Wezenbeeck told GolfWRX. “He’s always gone between a hybrid and either a 2 iron, or a hybrid and 3 iron, and we brought out a 505 as kind of a third option on a week where he isn’t sure whether he should play an iron or a hybrid. The 505 being a wide body iron is kind of a blend between the two. And he was really intrigued with how high it launched on a standard shot, and he could flight it more off the tee, where as with a hybrid he can’t do.
“So on weeks he feels like there’s a lot of irons off the tee, he likes to play the iron. On weeks where there are a lot of shots into par 5s, he likes the hybrid. On weeks where there’s a little of both…he felt the 505 might be an option, so he was taking it on the golf course [on Tuesday] to see how it would react.”
While it’s unclear exactly when Spieth will break out the new U-505, it seems like it’ll certainly be in the rotation going forward. The Ventus TR Blue shaft, on the other hand, has already earned a starting spot in the bag this week.
These changes may seem minor to some, but it shows Spieth’s willingness to find small equipment tweaks to improve his game. For amateur golfers, use this as a lesson when gearing up for the new season. Go through your bag, test some of the new shaft and head options, and see where you can make improvements. Now is the perfect time to take inventory and get prepared.
- LIKE65
- LEGIT11
- WOW3
- LOL1
- IDHT0
- FLOP2
- OB0
- SHANK6
Shaft & Grip Reviews
MRC Shaft Shootout: Tensei CK Pro White, Kuro Kage XT and Diamana BF-Series
The Tensei CK Pro White is the latest release from Mitsubishi Rayon Composites (MRC), a low-launch, low-spin shaft with a multi-material design that the company says improves the performance and feel of the shaft. Whereas most golf shafts use between 3-6 different materials in their construction, the Tensei CK Pro White is made from 11 different materials, giving MRC engineers greater precision in the shaft’s design.
Like MRC’s Tensei CK Pro Blue shafts, which produce a slightly higher-launching, higher-spinning ball flight, the CK Pro White uses MRC’s Carbon Fiber DuPont Kevlar Weave in the handle section of the shaft. The company says it increases the strength and stability of that part of the shaft, leading to better feedback.
On the other end of the shaft, the tip section, MRC uses a boron-reinforced fiber. All low-launch, low-spin shafts have stiff-tip designs, but the addition of boron puts the Tensei CK Pro White in a class of its own when it comes to lowering launch angle and spin rate. The boron fiber also reduces torque, which can offer better energy transfer, more accuracy and better feedback — especially for skilled, high-swing-speed golfers.
Connecting and reinforcing those areas of the shafts is MRC’s low-resin content (LRC) prepreg. Prepreg is carbon fiber that’s been reinforced or “pre-impregnated” with resin, a glue that holds the material together when it’s formed into sheets and rolled into the form of a shaft. MRC says that its LRC has 15 percent more carbon fiber and 13 percent less resin than traditional prepregs, which allows MRC to make the Tensei CK Pro White stronger without adding extra weight to the shaft. MRC also uses high-modulus, 40-ton prepreg in the Tensei CK Pro White’s design, which like LRC is thinner, stronger and lighter than traditional prepregs.
In the EI chart below, you can see how the Tensei CK Pro White’s bend profile compares to the CK Pro Blue. The main differences are its slightly stiffer tip and mid sections, as well as its slightly softer butt section. That gives the CK Pro White a higher “kick point” than the CK Pro Blue. Generally, the higher the kick point of a shaft, the lower its launch conditions. That’s why the Tensei CK Pro White is a lower-launching, lower-spinning shaft than the Tensei CK Pro Blue.
The Shootout
Just how much lower launching and lower spinning is the Tensei CK Pro White than MRC’s latest premium driver shafts? I put it to the test against the company’s Kuro Kage XT and Diamana BF-Series, which like the CK Pro White are PGA Tour-quality shafts that sell for about $400 each. All three shafts tested were built to my spec: 70TX, tipped 1 inch at a finished length of 45.5 inches.
I tested the three shafts on Trackman 4 at the Launch Pad at Carl’s Golfland in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. After warming up, I hit 10 drives with each shaft, and whittled my shots down to the most similar five to help illustrate the differences. Premium balls were used for the test, and results were normalized.
As expected, the Tensei CK Pro White was the lowest-launching, lowest-spinning shaft in the test. That’s impressive in its own right, but what will really excite golfers when they try a Tensei CK Pro White is the shaft’s feel. It’s noticeably smoother than the MRC White Board shafts I’ve played in the past. You could likely duplicate the launch conditions of the Tensei CK Pro White with similar products from other premium shaft makers, but I’m not sure its smoothness can be replicated in the category. It’s something special, and I expect a lot of serious golfers with above average club head speeds will be willing to pay a premium for it.
MRC’s Kuro Kage XT uses a stouter iteration of the company’s famed “Blue Board” bend profile, and in that regard it’s quite similar to the Diamana BF-Series. That’s what makes the shafts a little higher launching and higher spinning than the Tensei CK Pro White. The Kuro Kage XT has a much different feel than both, however, due to its use of an elastic wire made of Titanium and Nickel that MRC calls “TiNi” wire.
Related: Learn more about the Kuro Kage XT
In the Kuro Kage XT, the TiNi wire is added to the bottom 13 inches of the shaft, where it adds stability, but it also serves another purpose. Its elasticity allows the bottom end of the shaft to better load and unload during the downswing to help improve energy transfer. That’s what gives the Kuro Kage XT its more active feel, at least compared to the boron-infused tip section of the Tensei CK Pro White, which by design offer no elasticity.
The Diamana BF-Series also uses boron in its tip section, and its combined with a new, aerospace-grade fiber called MR-70 to create what MRC says is a first-of-its-kind hybrid prepreg. MR-70, which is manufactured by parent company Mitsubishi Chemical, is 20 percent stronger and has 10 percent more modulus than similar fibers, MRC says. The handle section of the BF-Series is reinforced with MRC’s Pitch Fiber, which functions to boost energy transfer like the CK Pro White’s Carbon Fiber DuPont Kevlar Weave.
Related: Learn more about the Diamana BF-Series shafts
In terms of launch conditions, the best fit for me was the Diamana BF-Series. It launched the ball a little higher than the Tensei CK Pro White, and added a little spin to help keep my drives in the air. It was also easier to swing than the Tensei CK Pro White, helping me more easily hit a draw while offering an even smoother feel due to its less rigid tip and mid sections.
To recap, if you need to lower your launch conditions, the Tensei CK Pro White is one of the most intriguing new MRC options to help you do so. Need a higher ball flight? Try the Diamana BF-Series. And if you want a radically different feel, give the Kuro Kage XT a try.
Have a question? Let me know in the comments section below and I’ll do my best to answer as many as I can.
Weights and Flexes
- Tensei CK Pro White: 60 (R, S, TX), 70 (S, TX), 80 (TX)
- Kuro Kage XT: 50 (R, S, X, TX), 60 (R, S, X, TX), 70 (S, X, TX), 80 (S, X, TX)
- Diamana BF-Series: 50 (R, S, X), 60 (R, S, X, TX), 70 (S, X, TX), 80 (S, X, TX)
Related: GolfWRX Members review the Tensei CK Pro White
- LIKE132
- LEGIT15
- WOW3
- LOL5
- IDHT5
- FLOP3
- OB4
- SHANK8
Reviews
Review: KBS Tour FLT Shafts
Pros: FLT shafts use a flighted design, which helps golfers launch their long irons higher and with more spin. The FLT short-iron shafts provide a more penetrating trajectory for more control.
Cons: FLT shaft flexes correspond with weight, so golfers may not be able to match their desired shaft weight with their desired flex.
Who They’re For: Golfers who need more spin or more launch from their long irons to optimize their trajectory. Everyone from beginners to PGA Tour players can use the shafts effectively, but they’ll be most popular with golfers with moderate-to-slow swing speeds, or any golfer who generates low-spin launch conditions.
Overview
Selecting the proper iron shafts is one of the most important equipment decisions golfers make. It’s an issue of quantity. Most golfers carry about 7-8 irons in their bag, so if they choose the wrong iron shaft, they’ve made the game harder than it needs to be with half or more of their clubs.
The good news is that there’s a wider selection of quality iron shafts than there has ever been, with recent growth in models that are designed to help golfers hit their iron shots higher and farther, while still maintaining PGA Tour-quality consistency and feel.
KBS is one of the leading steel shaft manufacturers, and already offered a wide variety of models prior to its newest shaft launch. Company representatives felt KBS was lacking a product for a particular segment of golfers, however, so it developed its new FLT shafts.
FLT shafts ($31.95 each) have a flighted design, which helps certain golfers optimize the performance of each iron their bag. The long irons shafts have progressively softer tip sections, which helps golfers increase their launch angle and spin rates with those clubs. For the right golfer, the design will help them hit their iron shots farther, and stop shots on the green more quickly. In the short irons, where height and spin are easier for golfers to generate, the FLT shafts are stiffer, which creates the flatter trajectory most golfers prefer with their scoring clubs. The crossover point between the higher-launching long irons and lower-launching short irons is the 7 iron.
Like all KBS shafts, FLT models have a constant weight, which means that long iron shafts and short iron shafts will be roughly the same weight through the set. Shaft weight is dependent on flex, however, as softer-flex models are lighter than stiffer-flex models. So if you’re looking for a really heavy, regular-flex shaft or a really light, extra-stiff-flex shaft, these aren’t for you.
FLT Specs
Keep in mind that KBS shafts do not have reinforced tip sections like many other iron shafts, which gives them a slightly higher balance point and can decrease swing weight by 1-2 points. I personally like the feel of KBS shafts and their slightly higher balance point, but some golfers won’t.
The Test
For this review, I tested the new FLT shafts head to head against KBS Tour shafts of the same flex and weight (130X) in 4 irons, 6 irons and pitching wedges. Each of the shafts were installed in Callaway’s Apex Pro ’16 irons, and were built to my specifications (standard grips, standard length, 1-degree strong lofts, 1-degree flat lie angles).
I performed my testing at the Launch Pad at Carl’s Golfland in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., where I hit the 4 irons, 6 irons and pitching wedges on Trackman IV with premium golf balls. I hit 3-6 solid shots with each iron, and then removed the outliers from the final data in an attempt to compare only the most similar strikes. Results were normalized.
As you can see from the data, there was a significant difference in the flight of the 4 irons with the two different shafts, but less of a difference with the 6 irons and pitching wedges.
As expected, the FLT shafts caused 4 iron shots to launch higher (0.8 degrees) and with more spin (729 rpm) than the KBS Tour shafts. I’m not a low-spin player, which is one of the target audiences for this shaft, so the added launch and spin of the FLT shafts caused my 4 iron shots to fly shorter. Golfers who launch their irons too low or with too little spin, however, will likely see a distance increase when using the FLT shafts.
As I moved closer to the short end of the set, the two shafts started to perform more similarly. Theoretically, the 6 iron shots with the FLT shafts should have launched slightly higher and spun more than 6 iron shots with the KBS Tour shafts, but I actually saw a slightly lower launch angle (0.5 degrees) with the FLT. The spin was higher, though, by 211 rpm. With the pitching wedges, the results were again quite similar. The FLT launched 0.9 degrees higher, but actually spun 271 rpm less than the KBS Tour shafts.
Takeaways
Stepping back from the numbers, I was impressed with how similar the feel was between the KBS Tour and FLT shafts. Yes, I could feel that the FLT shafts were more active in the tip with the 4 irons, but they felt nearly the same in the 6 irons. By the time I got to the pitching wedges, the two shafts were indistinguishable. The KBS Tour is considered one of the better-feeling iron shafts currently available, so KBS’ ability to replicate that feel in the FLT will be a plus for the majority of interested golfers.
Looking more broadly, trends in shaft design tends to go hand-in-hand with trends in club head design, and the FLT shafts are no exception. Equipment manufacturers continue to strengthen the lofts of their distance irons; they have to in order balance the launch equation, as their faster ball speeds create a higher launch angle and more spin.
While the improvements to iron design have allowed golfers to hit their mid and short irons farther, many golfers continue to struggle to hit their long irons high enough or consistently enough for them to be effective. And based on my testing results, it’s clear that the FLT shafts can make long irons more playable for certain golfers, and maybe even keep long irons in a golfer’s bag that might otherwise be kicked out for higher-flying hybrids or fairway woods.
As always, I recommend that golfers get properly fit for iron shafts, which means visiting a reputable club fitter in your area. So if you’re in the market for new irons or iron shafts, you can get started by going through KBS’ Online Fit System, which upon completion lists KBS-certified dealers in your area.
- LIKE100
- LEGIT12
- WOW6
- LOL6
- IDHT3
- FLOP3
- OB4
- SHANK22
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
Justin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
-
19th Hole3 weeks ago
Brandel Chamblee has ‘no doubt’ who started the McIlroy/LIV rumor and why
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
LET pro gives detailed financial breakdown of first week on tour…and the net result may shock you
-
19th Hole6 days ago
Gary Player claims this is what ‘completely ruined’ Tiger Woods’ career
-
Whats in the Bag1 week ago
Team McIlowry (Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry) winning WITBs: 2024 Zurich Classic
-
19th Hole3 weeks ago
TaylorMade signs 15-year-old AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year to an NIL contract
-
19th Hole9 hours ago
Report: LIV star turns down PGA Championship invite due to ‘personal commitments’
AleciaRolph
Dec 11, 2014 at 4:46 pm
Everyone loves what you guys are up too. Such clever work and exposure! Keep up the awesome works guys I’ve included you guys to blogroll.
AdelaidWhitcomb
Dec 7, 2014 at 1:04 pm
I know this web page presents quality based posts and additional material, is there any other web site which provides such information in quality?
JeanFVIzhuwfsg
Dec 6, 2014 at 2:34 am
However I never discovered anything unhealthy about Hostgator yet.
William
Dec 5, 2014 at 11:13 pm
I’ve played the the YS6 for years. It seems to work for me. I’m thinking about switching out my 910D3 for the new 915D3. I hear the new 915 is off the charts. Any thought on the new Graphite Design reload shafts in place of the YS6 for the 915?
Zak Kozuchowski
Dec 6, 2014 at 12:05 am
The only way to know is to try. I prefer both the new D3 and the new YS over their predecessors.
gvogel
Dec 4, 2014 at 10:13 pm
A fitter at Titleist told me that if I wanted to try something different than the stock Diamana S+, the new YS shaft might be an option.
Thanks for the review.
Minh Nguyen
Dec 4, 2014 at 1:03 pm
Zac, assuming you’ve hit the aforementioned AD DI shafts. If you did a blind test, would you be able to tell a difference between the two shafts? For a golfer looking to save money, is the YS Reloaded a good alternative to an AD DI? Thanks buddy, great review and one hell of a good swing you highlighted.
Zak Kozuchowski
Dec 4, 2014 at 1:59 pm
Thanks Minh. I think most golfers will feel a difference, but it’s not that big of a difference.