Is the next new driver shaft craze on the way from Aldila?

Aldila’s new X-Torsion Black Mamba and X-Torsion Green Mamba shafts have a new design and use a “MAMBA” (Multi-Axial Material Bias Angle) material that’s designed for extremely low torque and spin — lower than any other shaft in the company’s stable, according to John Oldenburg, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Aldila. And PGA Tour players are already taking notice.

At the 2016 RSM Classic, George McNeil and Charles Howell III used the Black Mamba shafts (designed for very low spin and launch), while Anirbahn Lahiri, Lucas Glover and Tad Ridings used Green Mambas (designed with a slightly softer tip, but still low spin and torque).

For many golfers with fast swing speeds, it’s beneficial to have a golf shaft that reduces twisting through impact, according to Oldenburg, because it allows the shaft to “recover” faster. Less torque and more torsional stability allows stronger golfers to “go at the ball” without worrying about the ball ballooning or spinning too much. Therefore, the goal, especially for Tour players with high swing speeds, is to design a shaft that has very high torsional stability. And Aldila’s new Mamba shafts have the highest torsional stability currently available from the company.

Both the X-Torsion Black Mamba and X-Torsion Green Mamba shafts use what Aldila calls a “flat-weave” construction in its tip section (the bottom part of the shaft), which is where the majority of shaft twisting occurs during a golf swing. The construction method weaves together individual fibers that are positioned in opposing 45-degree angles in an over-under structure that creates a thin, strong and highly consistent woven graphite fabric.

Aldila says its woven technology is superior because it’s used on both the interior and exterior of the shaft, which enhances stability. Most weaves are placed on the interior of the shaft to protect the weaves from abrasion, but Aldila’s unique “lay-up and sanding process” protect the integrity of its flat weave, allowing it to be used on the outside of the shaft as well.

The flat-weave construction is also novel because of it spreads and flattens the graphite fibers used to create the shaft, allowing them to be thinner and thus improving the precision of the weave. Those graphite fibers are also are stronger than typical graphite weave materials. They use intermediate modulus materials that measure 44 MSI, according to Aldila, 33 percent stiffer than 33 MSI fibers typically used. That further enhances stability.

So how does Aldila show off all that technology in a shaft named Mamba? A snake-skin-esque exterior, of course. See what GolfWRX members are saying about the shafts in our forums.