WATCH: How this golfer can easily get 15 more yards without having to swing faster
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Which Fujikura shaft is best for you? Inside Fujikura’s full product catalog
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Clement: Don’t overlook this if you want to find the center of the face
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Tursky: I tested Titleist’s new 2023 T-Series irons (including the new T150 and T350). Here’s what happened…
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Knudson gets fit into Fujikura Axiom iron shafts
This week we analyze another one of our Patreon member’s driver setups to see how we can help Dan gain some yardage off the tee with his driver! See how we can optimize his launch conditions including launch angle, spin rate and swing delivery to gain more distance without swinging any faster.
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- Ruixin Liu what’s in the bag accurate as of the Walmart NW Arkansas LPGA Championship.
Driver: Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero (9 degrees @8)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana
3-wood: Titleist TSR1 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw White 55 S
Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 75 R
Hybrid: Ping G430 (22 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 75 R
Hybrid: Ping G430 (26 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 75 R
Irons: Titleist T200 (6-PW), Titleist T150 (7-PW)
Shafts: AeroTech SteelFiber i95
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (48-10F), WedgeWorks Proto (54-M), Miura MG-R01 (58)
Shafts: AeroTech SteelFiber i95 cw (48, 54), UST Mamiya Recoil 95 (58)
Grips: Golf Pride MCC, Grip Master
More photos of Ruixin Liu’s WITB in the forums.
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- Will McGirt what’s in the bag accurate as of the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond (8.5 degrees @9.5)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Red 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 X
3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 X
5-wood: Ping G430 Max (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X
Irons: Srixon ZX5 Mk II (4, 5), Srixon ZX7 Mk II (6-PW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: Cleveland RTX6 Tour Rack (50-10 Mid, 54-12 Full, 58-09 Full)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 125 Wedge
Putter: Scotty Cameron prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Victory Cord
More photos of Will McGirt’s WITB in the forums.
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Graphite Design has been a legendary brand in the world of premium golf shafts since the company was founded in 1989. Graphite Design has had some popular shafts over the years, but they are probably most well known for the Tour AD DI that was released in 2010. Today we are talking about the newest shaft in the Graphite Design lineup, the new VF. The letters do stand for something, Victory Force, and according to Graphite Design every victory requires force! For a more in-depth review, please check out the Club Junkie podcast below or on any streaming platform. Just search “GolfWRX Radio.”
Out of the box, the VF has a very familiar look with a red handle section and a black tip section that are separated with the traditional 10 silver rings. The color combination is definitely more subtle than some of the other Tour AD shaft combinations. Graphite Design doesn’t make too many low-launching shafts, so the VF is filling that need. The VF will suit players looking for low/,id launch and low spin shaft to put in their driver or fairway wood.
The shaft profile is a firm+ handle section, it matches the stiffest handles Graphite Design shafts, with a stiff midsection, and finally a very stiff tip. Exotic materials are used along with MSI Design to maintain stability and consistency. Graphite Design uses Torayca M40X carbon fiber in the handle section to make it stiffer and enhance control of the shaft. Ultra-high modulus Torayca T1100G is used in the middle and tip section for added stability without losing that smooth feel.
I built up the VF shaft using a universal tip system that allows me to use the shaft in any driver head. The building went extremely smoothly as every Graphite Design shaft I have ever installed has a consistent tip diameter and I have never had any issues with a sloppy fit. Once the VF was cut to length and installed, the shaft has a great look that doesn’t jump out as distracting or eye-catching. If you are playing a TaylorMade Stealth 2, then the shaft blends in naturally and they look to visually be great partners!
You would expect a smooth and responsive feel from any Graphite Design shaft and you will get just that with the VF. For me the shaft was exactly as Graphite Design describes, being mid/low launch and offering a very penetrating ball flight. The Tour AD XC might launch a touch lower, but I like the feel and consistency I get from the VF just a little bit more. No matter what driver head I used, the VF seemed to offer ball flight in a similar window, slightly lower than the Fujikura Ventus TR Blue I was using. Even shots into the wind showed no real signs of rising or ballooning. Spin was also lower than I expected with the VF shaft. On the course, I noticed a penetrating, boring flight no matter where I hit the ball on the driver face. Shots struck low on the face held a good amount of distance and even the low heel strike seemed to launch lower and carry further.
I even took a couple of driver heads out to the range with a launch monitor and noticed that I rarely saw a spin number with a “3” in front of it. Almost every shot, good and not so good, seemed to spin around that 2,600 RPM number. With many fittings and shaft tinkering, that is usually on the lower end of what I find with my swing. As I said with the shaft being mid/low launch I was seeing an average of around 11 degrees while using a couple of 10.5-degree driver heads. On course, the VF was very straight and consistent and while it seemed easier to square up than I expected, it did not want to go left as easily as some other shafts. I would consider the flight just slightly fade biased but if you release the club properly you will be rewarded with a straight shot down the fairway.
Overall, the Graphite Design Tour AD VF is a really solid mid/low launch and low spin option with a smooth feel. It is starting to gain some traction on the professional tours and could be a great shaft for your swing as well.
Graphite Design Tour AD VF Specs
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garry
Jan 5, 2019 at 8:56 pm
Want to quickly get 15 more yards? Tee up at the forward (ladies) blue tee box… simple….
larrybud
Jan 6, 2019 at 10:04 am
and if he gets fit right, he would add 30. What’s your point? Some people play competitions where you all play from the same tee boxes. An extra 15 on the table is important.
Skip
Jan 8, 2019 at 3:27 pm
Wrong. His clubs are perfectly fine. He needs to deliver with a positive AoA to maximize distance.
stevek
Jan 4, 2019 at 8:38 pm
Dan is an older gentleman and his body type is short and stocky with a smallish belly. He would be clas sified as a “W” or Width swinger with a flatter swing path according to “LAWs of the Golf Swing” book. The remedies suggested are not applicable to his physique.
stevek
Jan 4, 2019 at 8:44 pm
Regardless of his D-plane ball flight data, you must consider his 87 mph driver head speed will fall down to perhaps 77 mph towards the end of 4 hours of play due to fatigue. Trying to jig his ball data backwards into his body is very wrong and misleading. Also he is playing a 12º driver which will match his dropping club speed towards the end of the round.
stevek
Jan 4, 2019 at 8:51 pm
Dan’s physical capabilities are limited by his obvious core inflexibility with virtually no X-factor between his hips and shoulders going from the top to impact. To suggest a backward spinal tilt will destabilize his whole swing pattern, and create a reverse weight shift. He will injure his lower spine for sure trying to do this as well as messing up his ball flight. He has a stable swing and has likely peaked at his age. His only option is a longer shaft but even that will upset his consistency. Stay with what you got, Dan, because it’s all downhill from here.
larrybud
Jan 6, 2019 at 10:05 am
x-factor is bunk. Even MacLean has said so since “inventing” it.
geohogan
Jan 11, 2019 at 1:24 pm
restricting hip turn, in order to achieve the nonsensical X Factor
will do more to damage the lower back than any other method.
I understand that there is a theory in golf today that the hips shouldn’t turn on the backswing. The idea seems to be that the less you turn your hips, while still turning your shoulders, the more leverage you’ll generate.
It’s hogwash, and here’s why.
Stand erect with your arms at your sides and keep them there. Now hold your hips still and turn your shoulders.
Impossible, right? Even the slightest shoulder turn forces some hip turn. And the more the shoulders turn, the more the hips are forced to turn, right?
… unless he’s incredibly supple or some kind of contortionist.
Thus you should never try to restrict your hip turn if you want to hit the ball a long way. “Golf My Way”, Jack Nicklaus 1974