Equipment
Fujikura Ventus TR Blue Shaft review – Club Junkie Reviews
Fujikura’s Ventus TR line of shafts weren’t built to replace the wildly popular original Ventus but as additional profiles to fit even more golfers. Fujikura used their Enso high-speed camera system to analyze how their shafts were performing and found that they could further enhance stability. So, the Ventus TR was born, and the main difference is that Fujikura added a lightweight Spread Tow carbon fiber near the handle section for more reinforcement.
Ventus TR offers three profiles, just like the original, and the Ventus TR Blue offers mid-launch with low spin.
Fujikura Ventus TR Blue Shaft review
Fujikura added a little flair to the Ventus TR Blue graphics with a slightly lighter and more metallic blue paint. While the metal flake isn’t bass boat heavy, I love the added shimmer from the paint in the sunlight. The silver Ventus graphic near the handle is unchanged, as is the VeloCore near the tip, but under that, you get to see the weave of the Spread Tow fabric as the shaft fades into black. The only other difference would be the gold “TR” logo next to the Ventus text on the underside of the shaft. Installation is very straightforward, and no tipping is required for drivers, just prep the tip and glue on your adapter.
I am lucky enough to have this shaft in my driver as well as my 7-wood and the shaft performs great in both applications. The TR Blue has a much different feel than the original Ventus Blue, even though they are both mid-launch options. Ventus TR Blue has a stouter, more stiff feel and a tightness I was never able to feel with Ventus Blue. I have a quicker tempo swing, that I am trying to fix — it is a little over the top with a shut face. So my miss is typically a hook and a ball that starts left of target. As you take TR Blue back you can immediately feel that reinforced handle section as the shaft has less give to it. As you start the downswing the TR Blue loads with a little more effort but you can still feel the sensation easily.
At impact, the shaft kicks well and it feels like most of that is coming from the midsection of the shaft. This shaft gives you a mid/low launch that is a little flatter and more boring. Even though Fujikura lists the TR Blue as mid-launch, for my swing it launches just a little lower than that. The stiffer profile also makes it a little harder to turn over and takes a little draw out of the shot compared to Original Blue. Ventus TR Blue still is easy to square up and will allow those draw players the ability to do that still. For players like me who are looking for a mid-launch shaft that takes some of the left out of the equation, I think the TR Blue fits that bill nicely.
The shaft also has really good stability when you don’t hit the center of the face. The driver head doesn’t feel like it is twisting much when your strike is out on the toe or down on the heel. Toe shots will still have some curve to them but stay in play and the low spin seems to help keep some distance on those shots. For me, the TR Blue is a low spinning shaft as I routinely see my driver spin rates around 2,500-2,600 RPM.
Overall the Fujikura Ventus TR Blue has been a great addition to my bag and has been my gamer shaft for most of this year. I found that the combination of control, distance, and mid-launch have really helped my driving game. If you are looking for a mid-launch shaft with low spin and great accuracy, then the Ventus TR Blue is definitely worth talking to your fitter about.
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Equipment
Rory McIlroy spotted testing a new TaylorMade “PROTO” 4-iron at the 2024 Valero Texas Open
Update, 5:30 p.m.: Regarding his prototype iron, McIlroy offered this in his pre-tournament press conference:
“Yeah, I went out, spent a couple of days with the TaylorMade guys at the Kingdom. Yeah, they just produced these couple of proto, I guess like are they the MC replacements maybe…
“They performed really well. It’s just as fast as the 760 that I was using. Launch is a little higher actually, which was surprising, and it’s just sometimes I felt like when I hit my 5-iron in the blade and then the 4-iron in the 760 it was such a different feel. To go from a 5-iron now to that 4-iron, it feels a little closer to what I feel in the 5-iron. So just a little bit more responsive, but didn’t lose any performance from it, which is great. Yeah, it will be in the bag this week.”
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Now just what do we have here?
On Wednesday at the 2024 Valero Texas Open, GolfWRX.com spotted Rory McIlroy testing a new, mysterious TaylorMade “PROTO” 4-iron.
Clearly, the 4-iron is a prototype, but since it doesn’t say “Rors Proto” or “RM” on it, then maybe it’s a prototype for an upcoming iron release from TaylorMade. Or, maybe it’s an upgrade for a previous or existing iron model from the company.
For reference, the photo below shows what McIlroy’s previous P760 4-iron looks like…
If the new prototype was an upgrade on the former P760 design, that would certainly be a large design departure, aesthetically speaking. It’s not impossible, but the new proto definitely looks significantly different.
McIlroy’s new proto – aesthetically, at least – looks more similar to TaylorMade’s P7MC irons, a model that Collin Morikawa uses for his 5 and 6-irons, as pictured below.
The new proto is also reminiscent of TaylorMade’s old P750 and P770 irons:
So what could McIlroy’s new TaylorMade “Proto” be? Is it a one-off prototype for McIlroy? Is it a re-design of an older model? Is it a harbinger of a bigger release in the future?
What is it?!
Unfortunately, TaylorMade hasn’t yet commented publicly on the prototype iron, so for now, we wait. And enjoy the photos of McIlroy testing it on Wednesday in San Antonio.
Here’s what it looks like from address…
And here’s what McIlroy’s numbers looked like while testing it on the range…
Uhh, yeah. Those are pretty good 4-iron numbers.
Will McIlroy make the switch into the new prototype 4-iron this week? That remains to be seen, but it should be noted that it was the only 4-iron in his bag on Wednesday.
*We’ll update this post as further information becomes available
See what GolfWRX members are saying about the TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron here, plus more photos!
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Whats in the Bag
Raul Pereda WITB 2024 (April)
- Raul Pereda what’s in the bag accurate as of the Texas Children’s Houston Open. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist TSR2 (10 degrees, B2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 5 X
3-wood: Titleist TSR3 (15 degrees, B1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 7 X
7-wood: Ping G430 Max (21 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4), Titleist T100 (5-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46-10F, 50-08F, 54-08M, 60-08M)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Odyssey 2-Ball Ten Tour Lined
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy
Grips: Golf Pride ZGrip Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x+
Check out more in-hand photos of Raul Pereda’s clubs here.
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Whats in the Bag
Rickie Fowler WITB 2024 (April)
- Rickie Fowler what’s in the bag accurate as of the Valero Texas Open. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Cobra Darkspeed X (9 degrees @7)
Shaft: Project X Denali Black 70 TX
3-wood: Cobra Aerojet LS (14.5 degrees @13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila Tour Green 75 TX
5-wood: Cobra LTDx LS (17.5 degrees @18.5)
Shaft: UST Mamiya LIN-Q White M40X 8F5
Irons: Cobra King Tour (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper 125 S+
Wedges: Cobra Snakebite (54, 56, 58 degrees)
Shafts: KBS Tour 610
Putter: Odyssey Versa Jailbird
Grip: SuperStroke Tour 3.0 17-inch
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Tack
Ball: TaylorMade TP5
Check out more in-hand photos of Rickie Fowler’s clubs here.
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Bob
Oct 25, 2023 at 3:44 pm
How about a comparison between the Black, Blue, and Red?
Brian Knudson
Oct 26, 2023 at 9:30 am
I will work on something around that. Thanks