Equipment
The inside scoop on Rickie Fowler’s oddly unique “black” Diamana driver shaft
Rickie Fowler is likely switching into a black-on-black Mitsubishi Diamana driver shaft this week that few people have ever seen before. New prototype shafts are common on the PGA Tour, so it being “unseen” isn’t a crazy phenomenon, but this one is actually around 9 years old.
If it’s nearly a decade old, then, how has no one seen it before?
Let me explain…
Fowler has been using a Cobra King F9 driver with a Mitsubishi Diamana White Board 73X shaft recently (the above photo is from a WITB we shot at the 2022 American Express). Fowler is no stranger to the shaft model, since he’s played it off-and-on since his college and early professional days. Check out his WITB from the 2014 Humana Challenge, where he was using the same shaft.
There’s been newer versions of the Diamana White Board released since the one that Fowler uses, but he’s using the original iteration. It came out in 2006, and around that time it was played by another golfer you may know: Tiger Woods.
Flash forward to the 2022 Valero Texas Open, and Fowler wanted to switch into the new Cobra King LTDx LS 9-degree driver head equipped with an original Mitsubishi Diamana White Board 73X shaft that he’s used for years. According to Mitsubishi representatives, Fowler recently switched back into the old model because he wanted something that he’s comfortable with and has brought him success in the past.
The only problem was, Mitsubishi didn’t have any stock of that particular shaft with the original graphics. They did, however, have a few old prototypes laying around from back in the day.
Fowler’s particular blacked-out Diamana White Board shaft was from a batch of shafts that Mitsubishi experimented on in 2013. The company had just acquired Aldila, and they were testing out a new laser etching machine using raw Diamana White Board shafts.
That means that the driver shaft Fowler is set to use this week is a black, laser-etched, original Mitsubishi Diamana White Board 73 X. I guess it’s not so “white” of a White Board, is it?
His version plays at a short 44.5 inches, and it’s tipped one inch.
Click here to see what GolfWRX members are saying about the shaft.
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- Rasmus Højgaard what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Callaway Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Callaway Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Prototype (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Utility: Callaway Apex UW (21 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw White 85 TX
Irons: Callaway Apex Pro (3), Callaway X Forged (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS $-Taper 130
Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (52-10S, 56-10S, 60-06C)
Shafts: KBS Tour 130 X
Putter: Odyssey Ai One Milled Eight T DB
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Hojgaard in the forums.
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- Rory McIlroy what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 X
Irons: TaylorMade Proto (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9)
Shaft: Project X 7.0 (4-9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58-K @59)
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X3
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour
Ball: 2024 TaylorMade TP5x
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Rory McIlroy’s WITB in the forums.
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Ping PLD putters have been a very common site on profesional tours. Pros seem to gravitate toward the PLD line’s custom options and precision milling. We have seen the PLD line expanded over the years, but we haven’t seen too many, if any, large mallets.
This week we spotted a PLD putter in Nate Lashley’s bag that has a similar look to the old Ping Wolverine head shape. This putter is a large mallet with the famous “claws” on the outside and oval center that housed the alignment aid.
Nick’s putter has the PLD logo on the back but also looks like it might have an insert installed on the face. It is hard to tell but at the address picture, it looks like the face is a lighter material than the rest of the putters. The putter is center-shafted and should be face-balanced with a high MOI for stability and forgiveness on mishits. The sole is completely milled and has no markings of name or technologies that might be present in the head. A single white site line is on the top of the putter for alignment.
Nick’s putter is finished off with a chrome steel shaft and a Super Stroke Zenergy Flatso 2.0 grip in black and white.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic
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Rasmus Højgaard WITB 2024 (April)
Rasmus Højgaard what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic. Driver: Callaway Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees)...
Rory McIlroy WITB 2024 (April)
Rory McIlroy what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic. Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus...
Sam Burns WITB 2024 (April)
Sam Burns’ what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond S (9 degrees...
Will Zalatoris WITB 2024 (April)
Will Zalatoris’ what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Titleist TSR2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)...
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19th Hole2 weeks agoDave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
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19th Hole2 weeks agoTiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
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19th Hole2 days agoJustin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
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19th Hole2 days ago‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
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19th Hole3 weeks agoReport: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
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19th Hole1 week agoTwo star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
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Jacoby Ellsbury
Apr 7, 2022 at 3:32 pm
My backup is a PX Blue 6A4 from like 2009 and I’m never getting rid of it. I’m still not sure my Tensei White 1k or Ventus Black are actually any better on the course.
jgpl001
Apr 1, 2022 at 3:59 am
Unfortunately an unusual black driver shaft is the least of Rickie’s worries
Jon
Mar 30, 2022 at 11:03 am
Black shafts matter.
colin
Apr 1, 2022 at 10:02 am
BAHAHAHAHAHAA