True Temper Interview Part 1

GolfWRX your all inclusive online golf headquarters is proud to present a chat today with True Temper Sports.

0:29 – GolfWRX: Welcome guys, welcome to an audio chat with GolfWRX. Gentlemen, we’re very grateful to have you here today, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule.

0:42 – Chad Hall: I appreciate you having us.

0:44 – GolfWRX: We’re really looking forward to spending some time with you and getting up to speed with your products. True Temper’s always been a leader in the industry with steel shafts and you guys are doing a terrific job, also with the graphite shafts. We want to go into both of those in detail. First of all guys, if you can go back and introduce yourselves and give us a little information about what your job title is and exactly what you do for the company, and maybe a little history about yourselves.

1:23 – Chad Hall: Okay, I’ll start; I’m Chad Hall, Director of Marketing. My responsibilities are really tri-fold. As far as new product development, working cross-functionally with the engineer and manufacturing groups to develop the new products across all of the brands – True Temper, Grafalloy, and the Rifle brand. Then the product marketing, consumer marketing associated with those products, so the advertising and the public relations initiatives. And then, the third element is the Tour promotion which kind of rolls up underneath marketing. And, of course, we have our Tour staff out there every week who are promoting the products with the players, but that’s a big part of what makes True Temper so successful, is our usage out on the Tours. That’s one of the things I’m responsible for as well.

2:17 – Greg Cavill: Okay, my name’s Greg Cavill, I’m manager of the steel design and I got into the golf industry back in 1997 working for Apollo Sports Technologies over in England. At the time, they were the second largest steel manufacturer in the world, second to True Temper, and in 2000, that company actually went into receivership and the assets were purchased by True Temper and I came over to True Temper in 2004 and have been here ever since. Basically, my role is to liaise with marketing and then I head up the design and sample manufacture through to talking and dealing with the OEM’s and doing testing down at our test facility in Tunica, Mississippi and also in Olive Branch, Mississippi.

3:05 – Bill Lange: Bill Lange, Regional Sales Manager. I’ve been with True Temper for about eleven years, the last few years has been mostly dealing with the aftermarket accounts from a sales perspective. Tour Concept Program is the program that I manage – I’m responsible for all those accounts and those products. And then I handle some of our OEM accounts as well.

3:32 – Don Brown: Don Brown, I’m the Product Development Manager for Grafalloy. Basically, that means I’m involved in the design of our new product from concept through material research prototyping all the way through production release. I’ve been with the company for six years.

3:49 – GolfWRX: Very good, thanks gentlemen. First question, gosh you guys are all so qualified, I’ll let you guys pick on who wants to answer this one. Can you guys describe the process of how True Temper designs shafts? This might be multiple answer since it may be different from graphite versus steel. Do you guys start out with a particular swing in mind and then begin from there?

4:16 – Chad Hall: Well, I’ll take just the first part of the question just from where does it all start, and then I’ll let the engineers talk about the other elements of the specific design. But we start with a player profile in mind. We always do that with any of our shafts, and so we look at our own product line, we look at maybe what our customer - if it’s an OEM customer – what they’re looking for, what their requirements are. If it’s a consumer branded product, we’re looking at what the consumer needs, and we identify what that is and that’s where the design process begins. Now, from a specifics of engineering and design, I’ll let those guys talk about that.

4:59 – Greg Cavill: Basically the brief will come in from marketing and as Chad alluded to, it will either be for internal design as part of our shaft line up, or it will be for an OEM specific customer and they will have pretty specific details for how they want the shaft to perform, the player profile, and also the head type that will be used. So, once we’ve got all that detail, on the steel side this is, we use our design models which are generally in-house models, although we do use general models as well, and we do FBA models to predict where we need material and the flex points along the shaft. And once we’ve got all that dialed in, drawings will be issued for sample manufacturer. Generally speaking, we’ll have a customer sign off first just to make sure they’re fully up to date with the way we’re progressing and there’s no sort of quirky step patterns, for example, which could sort of detract from their overall product, and once the sample manufacturer takes off, we’re actually doing this on production machinery, so we have to filter this into our everyday production down in Amery, Mississippi which can take some time depending on the volume going through the plant at any point. But, once we get the parts back, they are immediately durability tested and then the static analysis starts. That’s where we do all of our static analysis in Olive Branch, Mississippi we will test every characteristic of the shaft from just the static weight, raw balance point, etc., step location’s make sure everything is to drawing, all the way through durability, flex profiles from the butt to the tip, etc., and once that’s complete and it’s been signed off, it will then go to our OEM customer and they will do testing. We also will do side by side testing in Tunica, Mississippi which is where we have our MIR-5 robots, and that’s where we’ll collect all of our player information using Trackman and also we will collect robot data with known swing profiles. Then, basically we will keep going around in a loop until the customer is satisfied, or our own Tour department, if for example like Black Gold - that was designed for Tour use and better players. And therefore we get a lot of feedback from Nationwide Tour players, generally because they’re a lot more approachable, we haven’t got to deal with all of the contracts that PGA players are obviously shrouded in. That’s basically the design process in steel, so we’ll keep going around that loop until we’re 100% satisfied, and then it will be launched to the public. Over to Don for the graphite

7:52 – Don Brown: My design from start to finish follows a lot of the same steps that Greg’s does. A few of the key differences are, obviously, working with graphite we have a lot more material options available to us, we have our own model over here that predicts everything about the shaft from EI profile to torsional profile, weight, balance point, frequency. The model does about 500,000 different calculations every time we change a parameter of the shaft design. It’s a very impressive tool to use. The other main difference is speed to prototype. Whereas in making a steel prototype can take up to a month, we can have a new graphite shaft prototype done in about a day, day and a half. So for us, it’s much quicker to go ahead and make several prototypes and sample them either to our Tour Department or the OEM’s and have them test several designs at one time.

8:46 – Chad Hall: One thing I’ll add there is just a quick snapshot of the product development process, and that is once we set out and we have the design that we’re trying to meet, these guys design the products, and the very first step after it gets designed is we test that shaft statically to make sure it meets all those parameters. If it doesn’t do that, we immediately go back and start over. If at that point, it does meet statically what we’re looking for, we got to the next phase which is durability testing. If for some reason a shaft doesn’t meet a specific durability requirement that we have, and we have two different parameters for steel and graphite, then we go back and we start over again. If it does meet, then we got to the next step which is robotic testing. The robot will tell us very specifically if it meets the playability now, that we’re talking about. If it does not do that, we go back to the very beginning. If it passes what we’re looking for on the robot, then we got to the next step which is player testing, and that is really where the rubber meets the road, because the robot can’t give you all of the subjective data which is the feel, and which is a lot of those things which are the reality to players. It can perform exactly like we want it to, but if, for some reason, there’s something wrong with the feel, it doesn’t quite feel right, well then we go right back. And at any point in that process, we will never bring a product to market that has not met all of those checkpoints. And at any point, regardless of our timeline, we will go back to the beginning if necessary.

10:18 – GolfWRX: Guys, absolutely fantastic detailed information. What I wanted to do is take it a step farther with the Tour players. Typically, how long does it take a Tour player, or how long do they use a shaft before they give you feedback and you make an adjustment?

10:37 – Chad Hall: Well, what we’ll typically do as far as our tour testing – we’ll do 95% of all our testing on the Nationwide Tour – and there’s a reason for that. One is, it’s just easier to do from a participation standpoint and the player profiles are exactly the same. The difference between a player on the Nationwide Tour and the PGA Tour, the line is so thin, it’s indistinguishable. So, we get all of our test data, for the most part, out there. And when we do that, we rarely give shafts to those players for them to play with for a while and then give us feedback. What we’ll typically do is we’ll target a week and go out there and work with a group of players for three days in a row during the practice rounds and then if we have to, we’ll come back two weeks later or whatever we do in the process. It’s never – because a lot of times, and it’s a good example, our Epic testing that we did, we had several players throughout that process say, “Let me keep this shaft, please let me keep it, please let me keep it.” And we just don’t let them do that. We just don’t let them keep prototype shafts until we bring the product out in its finished form.

11:54 – Greg Cavill: And a lot of the times, just like in the car industry where you have mules, these are the same. These are basically blacked out shafts, it’s a blind test that we try to do, certainly with the graphite stuff it’s very easy to coat everything in just matte black paint. They really don’t know what they’re testing, it’s purely a feel and performance figures we’re really after. So, we did the same with Black Gold and stuff like that, we made it look very, very similar to a standard product, a standard tapered product that is. It was really getting a true representation of the performance of that part.

12:34 – GolfWRX: Greg, how’s the Epic doing on the Tour right now?

12:40 – Chad Hall: It’s doing very well, it’s been out for about four weeks now, and we just got the hybrid shafts out there within the last week. So, now we’ve kind of got the full arsenal of driver shafts, fairway shafts, and hybrid shafts available for those guys to have. Seeing increased usage every week and probably the most favorable feedback or validation, if you will, is that we just haven’t had players switch out of it. The players who have switched into it, to this point anyway, haven’t switched out, and that’s of course likely to happen because we all know how we are as golfers, but it’s going very, very well and we’re expecting very big things in the coming weeks.

13:32 – GolfWRX: Congratulations guys. When can we expect to see this in the retail world?

13:37 – Chad Hall: Now. Yeah, it shipped last week. We actually beat our deliver day. We were looking for a mid-March delivery, but we got it out there in some limited capacities last week. So, it’s really starting to hit the market right now.

13:56 – GolfWRX: Now, let’s visit the Tour players. Is there a difference in the type of shafts they play compared to the type of shafts we play? Specifically Epic, is there a, for lack of a better term, a Tour issued shaft they’re playing, a better grade shaft than we would get?

14:19 – Chad Hall: There is a Tour, we call it the T-75, there is actually a Tour version of Epic which is actually available through our Tour Concept network. That is where that shaft will be available, but we’ve also got shafts, but the fairway wood and the hybrid shaft, where the same version those guys are using out there is the exact same version consumers will be buying and several of the players who are playing Epic in their driver are using the 68g consumer version. So, to answer your question – I guess yes and no. There’s not a specific Epic version that we only use on Tour and the other consumer version is radically different, it’s the same shaft. We just have a Tour 75 version that’s a little bit heavier than the consumer version, a little more tip stiff for that player profile available through our Tour Concept group. The 68g version is available to the masses and that is a shaft that’s being used out on Tour also.

15:19 – Greg Cavill: On the steel side, what you see the players use is exactly what we manufacture and what the general public can purchase. For example, Dynamic Gold being the leader out on Tour, there’s no tricked out designs of Dynamic Gold, it is purely – the number one player in teh world plays it, and it is no different from what you or I could purchase. There are very, very few designs out there, I can think of one which is a Hump shaft which is tricked a little bit for one particular player, but all of our stuff from True Temper is actually standard issue.

15:58 – GolfWRX: Well Greg, what are the Tour players playing, is there a big showing in the Black Gold department. I know Dynamic Gold is still the leader, but what’s getting into play, is the Black Gold, the Tour Concept, the different Project X’s, or what?

16:16 – Greg Cavill: Project X is definitely a great success story out there. Players like that because of the constant weight design, but also because it’s extremely stiff in the tip. The stronger players who are obviously out on Tour like that feeling because you’ve got a two and a half inch tip section throughout the range, it’s not like a Dynamic Gold. So, you’ve got two totally different shafts, they’re both constant weight, one varies in the tip length, and the other one is actually standard in the tip length and varies in the taper region instead; so both of those, Dynamic Gold and Project X, are big leaders out there. Obviously there is a descending weight following out there with the standard Rifle and Rifle Flighted and then you’ve got Black Gold as well, which was designed initially to actually compete head on with Rifle, obviously until we purchased some of the drawing and machinery from Precision when they went under. Generally speaking, they’re the main shafts. You’ve also got players playing the Superlight versions, and also the TCI, that’s done well for us in a number of players hands.

17:29 – Chad Hall: If you had to break it down by percentages, rough percentages, you would say that 45% of players every week are playing Dynamic Gold, and probably you can say 16-18% are playing Project X, and those are certainly the two largest shafts in play on Tour.

17:52 – GolfWRX: How has Black Gold been doing? Has that been creeping up in percentages, or has that been pretty constant?

18:00 – Chad Hall: Yeah, well it’s still relative to those two, kind of gaining, kind of finding it’s way. Any given week, we’ll have somewhere between upwards of potentially half a dozen players playing it. And the one thing to consider there, and it’s a blessing and a curse I guess at the same time, players are much more resistant to changing their iron shafts out at that level than they are their wood shafts. They’ll go out and try a driver shaft – you could put one in their hands and they’d hit it and maybe even switch them into it after maybe a couple of days of working with it. With iron shafts, it’s just kind of like your favorite pillow; you just don’t want to change it. And so, when we were competing against the Rifle brand, that was a good thing because of our leadership position. But, it’s one of those things, when we introduce new products; it takes a little bit more time versus a wood shaft introduction. When we’re introducing an iron version to get those guys to kind of come and switch into it, which again is a good thing and kind of a frustration at the same time.

19:09 – GolfWRX: Well, interesting that you bring this up, because on a lot of the different boards we’re on, Black Gold is the buzz. And the reason why we like Black Gold better than Project X is strictly because of the feel. We feel, for lack of the better term, that you get a lot more feel with the Black Gold where as Project X is a very muted feel. And we’re kind of surprised that that hasn’t – the type of change we’ve seen on our boards from Black Gold to Project X hasn’t reflected the same on the Tour.

19:54 – Greg Cavill: Well, I think the other thing to remember is a lot of people make this comparison from Project X to Black Gold. Project X is to say a constant weight design, where Black Gold is a descending weight design, and hence they have totally, totally different feels. Where Black Gold actually originated is we set out – when it was RP against True Temper – we set out to conquer and destroy the Rifle. And we threw everything at it, 18 months of R&D work on it to dial in the specifics of the shaft in terms of feel, frequency, and everything else, and also have the changeability where if you broke a shaft, on say a 7-iron, you could put a find another 7-iron, put it straight in, and it will match 100% just like Dynamic Gold, and hence the Gold series name to it. We control very tightly the wall, the material distribution, hence the balance point, weight, and therefore on top of that, you get this consistency of feel throughout the set, which you don’t get if you’re trimming to a number. So, we have a very, very strong product there, it’s just, as Chad says, if a person’s been playing a constant weight set, then this big switch to a descending weight product, and it’s certainly on Tour where they’re very, very feel sensitive, that change can be a little bit too dramatic to start of with, certainly mid-season. Hopefully, we see a general increase in the off-season and the beginning of the new season.

21:39 – GolfWRX: Well, Greg, I think you answered a question for me, because I think we were kind of wondering, is Black Gold descending from short iron to long iron, or long iron to short iron? In other words, if you cut the iron to length, does Black Gold become more constant weighted?

21:55 – Greg Cavill: Sorry, can you repeat that again?

22:00 – GolfWRX: Okay, no problem. Black Gold, the Black Gold shaft, you said it’s descending, is it descending from long iron to short iron, or short iron to long iron? In other words, when the lengths are cut for the set, do they become more weight constant?

22:23 – Greg Cavill: They basically drop off by round about 2 grams, basically 1.75 grams per length. So as you go from 3-iron to pitching wedge, they will become slightly lighter. What we have is through the set, the longer – I noticed some players saying it might feel a little stiff in the longer irons – that is part of the design. The reason we do that is we want to generate a ball flight with the longer irons which just kicks it up a little bit. We can change the stiffness profile from the butt to the tip, or that ration, we can effectively get the tip to work a little bit more in the longer irons and in the shorter irons, where generally speaking, our frequencies are a little bit lower than frequency matched set, for example on the FCM shafts, we ended up doing more of the work in the grip section rather than the tip and that’s what’s giving you a slightly more aggressive ball flight. And also, with player feedback, the harshness and everything, that’s all dispelled using that method as well, it’s the best of both worlds.

23:37 – GolfWRX: Got it. Also, could you just give us a general plug for a conversion table, if I were to start off with Dynamic Gold and rate the flex: X, stiff, regular. Where would you match Rifle for the X, stiff, and regular?

23:57 – Greg Cavill: Rifle, I’d say 5.5 on the FCM chart would be S3 and 6.5 is the X-100. The actual gradient of the FCM shaft compared to the gradient the Black Gold fits on, Black Gold is a flatter gradient. That then goes back to my original point where we play a little stiffer in the grip section, remember that it’s merely a frequency at the clamp exit, so we’re a little bit stiffer in the grip in the longer irons, and then we cross over at the five iron, and after that we play a little bit softer.

Golf Shafts Asia Re-Launches New Website

BANGKOK (December 28, 2009) - Forging ahead with its online marketing strategy,Golf Shafts Asia Sdn. Bhd today announced the re-launch of it’s website www.golfshaftsasia.com. The website showcases the company’s premier line of golf shafts available to Asia’s golf retailers, green grass pro shops and golf stores, and includes a blog featuring the latest news and product releases from its golf shaft brands.

Visitors to golfshaftsasia.com can now see the companies’ full range of products online including golf shafts from Fujikura, True Temper, Aldila, Grafalloy, Project X, Graphite Design and Miyazaki. Golf Shaft and online social networking enthusiasts can also connect with Golf Shafts on Twitter at http://twitter.com/golfshaftsasia and become a fan of Golf Shafts Asia on Facebook.

"This is just the first step in the implementation of a full-scale online marketing campaign." said Tony Huxtable, Managing Director of Golf Shafts Asia. "We’ve enjoyed triple-digit growth over the last two years and with the re-design of golfshaftsasia.com we expect that trend to continue and support our growth plans well into the future."

Golf Shaft Asia expects the website to become the leading source of information, news, happening and events regarding golf shafts throughout Asia and has just launched an aggressive online marketing campaign to promote the site over the upcoming months.
"Our commitment to web-based business and internet marketing is one of the things that separates us from other golf shaft distributors in Asia" said Anne Huxtable, Co-Owner of Golf Shafts Asia based in Malaysia. "We are very pleased with the design and functionality of the new website but will continue to add features based on user feedback".

Golfshaftsasia.com is one of several websites planned by the company as part of their expansion throughout Asia over the next three years. For additional information on golfshaftsasia.com please contact Tony Huxtable or visit www.golfshaftsasia.com.

About Golf Shafts Asia Sdn Bhd
Golf Shafts Asia was started in January 2005 with a mission to Give Clubmakers, Golf Shop Operators and Golf Professionals easy access to a large range of shafts, heads, grips and clubmaking accessories. We have a strategic location in Ipoh, Malaysia and offer Pricing in Malaysian Ringgit, Singapore Dollars, US Dollars, Australian Dollars and Thai Baht. A free delivery service is done to Singapore (2) times a week and Indonesian clients can have their orders sent to their Singapore Door to Door Forwarder also.

Contact:
Tony Huxtable, Managing Director
Golf Shafts Asia
+66 8 5355 8289
http://www.golfshaftsasia.com
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Fujikura Golf Shafts Asia

Fujikura Speeder golf shafts from Golf Shafts Asia have been one of the most successful golf shafts on the PGA Tour in the last decade. Fujikura Golf Shafts Asia has taken this overwhelming success and given it to the weekend golfer offering a number of models sure to fit your game and swing. Here's a few reasons why the Speeder shaft is so popular and how it might help you increase the distance in your drive.

Fujikura's proprietary Triax technology is at the middle of the Speeder Series shafts. Triax is a carbon fiber woven in honeycomb structure giving the shaft extraordinary capabilities. The end result is a golf shaft better able to withstand the forces of twisting experienced during the swing. This provides much more consistency, better vibration dampening and an incredible enhancement of energy transfer at impact. The Triax technology is what made the Speeder series such a highly touted shaft over recent years.


What makes the Speeder series so successful with the recreational player is the diversity Fujikura has offered. The Speeder Series is now available in five different models identified by desired weight, spin, launch and bend points. These models include the Fujikura Speeder 569, 586, 652, 686, and 757 models.

The Fujikura 569 and 586 Speeder shafts are the lightest of the Speeder series, ranging from 56 to 61 grams. Designed for the better than average player looking for higher spin, higher launch and a low to mid bend point.

The Fujikura 652 and 686 Speeder shafts are slightly heavier than the 569 and 586 shafts coming in at 65 to 70 grams. Designed for the better player and slightly faster swing speeds seeking mid spin, mid launch and a mid bend point.

The Fujikura 757 Speeder shaft is the flagship of the Speeder series. This shaft is what made the Speeder what it is today, a highly popular shaft designed primarily for the better player. The 757 is the heaviest Speeder coming in at 77 to 82 grams. Designed for the accomplished player seeking a low, penetrating ball flight with low spin and low to mid launch with a mid to high bend point. The 757 Speeder is truly a shaft for the most discernible golfer.

The Fujikura Speeder has a very large following and is responsible for much of the success Fujikura has experienced over the years. The Triax technology has pushed this shaft to a level of success experienced by few shaft makers. The wider range of Speeder shafts now makes it accessible for more golfers to experience the great Speeder shaft. If you plan on upgrading shafts in the near future, put the Speeder shaft on your short list. Buy Fujikura golf shafts from Golf Shafts Asia - Asia's leading supplier of premium golf shafts.

About Miyzaki Golf Shafts

ORIGINS OF MIYAZAKI
Miyazaki Golf Shafts is a new, exclusive, graphite golf shaft brand forget from over 20 years of graphite shaft innovation and development for Japan's #1 Metalwood brand. Our advanced manufacturing facility has designed and produced more ultra-premium graphite shafts than any other facility in Japan in the past decade. Though our advanced performance designs and technologies have previously only been offered within Asia, the launch of Miyazaki will make these precisely constructed designs available to disceming golfers everywhere.

Aaron Watkins, Cameron Percy, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Jerry Kelly, Joe Durant, Kent Jones, Kevin Stadler, Kevin Streelman, Roland Thatcher, Skip Kandall, Steve Flesch, Tag Kelly, Vijay Singh, etc...

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
Miyazaki Golf Shafts is driven by the science and artistry of the golf swing. The shafts is the delivery vehicle of the modern golf club and Miyazaki Shafts places the highest premiums on performance, consistency, and effective fitting. Without optimized and consistent delivery of the clubhead to the ball, significant performance potential is lost with every impact. Miyazaki Shafts designs and specifies shafts using a superior approach to quantifying the actual bending and torsional flex profile of each shaft. Miyazaki Shafts has designed a proprietary International Flex Code fitting system which replaces the archaic specifications of frequency, kick point, and torque to give professional fitters and golfers alike a more derailed insight into the specific of their current shaft and each Miyazaki Shafts design. Miyazaki Shafts utilize the highest grade carbon-fiber materials available to produce innovative bending and torsional profiles geared toward specific player types. Each shaft is precisely constructed to some of the industry's tightest tolerances to ensure consistent delivery characteristics on each and every shot.

Aldila reports readying to launch new En Fuego shaft series

POWAY, Calif. -- After undergoing successful Tour testing Aldila, the #1 shaft on Tour and makers of "The Hottest Shafts In Golf," will begin shipping their new En Fuego™ Series Oct. 1.

The En Fuego™ Series features three innovative shaft designs each with a higher center of gravity geared toward today's modern club head designs. Each shaft in the series promotes a different ball flight, Serrano™ - a low to mid launch shaft, Wasabi™ - a mid launch shaft and Habanero™ - a mid to high launch shaft. Each model will be available in Regular, Stiff and X-stiff flexes.

"The three unique new shaft designs feature balance, weight, torque and flex properties which are all designed to maximize the energy of your swing," said Mike Rossi, Aldila's Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "The innovative high center of gravity of each shaft increases the performance of today's modern clubs."

Each En Fuego™ shaft will feature Aldila's revolutionary Micro Laminate Technology®, first offered in the Aldila NV™, which provides players enhanced power, consistent flex and precise feel. The dampening advantages of the Micro Laminate Technology have eliminated distracting and destructive "shock" for superior feel and playability.

"Aldila's En Fuego™ Series is currently being launched through leading club manufacturers in new product launches worldwide," said Rossi.

Each model in the En Fuego™ Series has a suggested retail price of $99 and will be available for purchase through leading distributors and through the Aldila store at www.aldilastore.com.

Aldila remains the #1 shaft on Tour with more wood shafts in play and nearly two times as many hybrid shafts in play than any other shaft manufacturer, according to the Darrell Survey.

Aldila isn't just a golf company; it's a materials-science think tank that's constantly researching the potential of physical and chemical compounds. They discover them first so you don't have to wait until tomorrow to improve your game. Are you playing Aldila or just graphite?

ABOUT ALDILA
Aldila is publicly traded on NASDAQ with the symbol ALDA. Aldila was the leading graphite shaft manufacturer for new drivers, fairway woods and hybrid clubs for 2007 according to the Darrell Survey U.S. National Consumer Survey. For more information on the VooDoo®, DVS™, MOI Proto™, VS Proto™, and NV® shafts, visit their Web site at www.aldila.com. Follow what's new on Facebook.com Aldila Golf Inc.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Mike Leonard
Golf Marketing Services 407-347-7244
mike@golfmarketinginc.com

Also buy Aldila Golf Shafts from Golf Shafts Asia

Aldila reports readying to launch new En Fuego shaft series

POWAY, Calif. -- After undergoing successful Tour testing Aldila, the #1 shaft on Tour and makers of "The Hottest Shafts In Golf," will begin shipping their new En Fuego™ Series Oct. 1.

The En Fuego™ Series features three innovative shaft designs each with a higher center of gravity geared toward today's modern club head designs. Each shaft in the series promotes a different ball flight, Serrano™ - a low to mid launch shaft, Wasabi™ - a mid launch shaft and Habanero™ - a mid to high launch shaft. Each model will be available in Regular, Stiff and X-stiff flexes.

"The three unique new shaft designs feature balance, weight, torque and flex properties which are all designed to maximize the energy of your swing," said Mike Rossi, Aldila's Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "The innovative high center of gravity of each shaft increases the performance of today's modern clubs."

Each En Fuego™ shaft will feature Aldila's revolutionary Micro Laminate Technology®, first offered in the Aldila NV™, which provides players enhanced power, consistent flex and precise feel. The dampening advantages of the Micro Laminate Technology have eliminated distracting and destructive "shock" for superior feel and playability.

"Aldila's En Fuego™ Series is currently being launched through leading club manufacturers in new product launches worldwide," said Rossi.

Each model in the En Fuego™ Series has a suggested retail price of $99 and will be available for purchase through leading distributors and through the Aldila store at www.aldilastore.com.

Aldila remains the #1 shaft on Tour with more wood shafts in play and nearly two times as many hybrid shafts in play than any other shaft manufacturer, according to the Darrell Survey.

Aldila isn't just a golf company; it's a materials-science think tank that's constantly researching the potential of physical and chemical compounds. They discover them first so you don't have to wait until tomorrow to improve your game. Are you playing Aldila or just graphite?

ABOUT ALDILA
Aldila is publicly traded on NASDAQ with the symbol ALDA. Aldila was the leading graphite shaft manufacturer for new drivers, fairway woods and hybrid clubs for 2007 according to the Darrell Survey U.S. National Consumer Survey. For more information on the VooDoo®, DVS™, MOI Proto™, VS Proto™, and NV® shafts, visit their Web site at www.aldila.com. Follow what's new on Facebook.com Aldila Golf Inc.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Mike Leonard
Golf Marketing Services 407-347-7244
mike@golfmarketinginc.com

Also buy Aldila Golf Shafts from Golf Shafts Asia

True Temper Completes Restructuring

True Temper Sports, Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of golf shafts and performance sports equipment, announced today that it has completed its financial restructuring plan, originally announced on September 30th. The plan, which was approved by the Company's lenders in September, was formally confirmed by the U.S. Court in Delaware on November 30th, and brings to a close the Company's debt restructuring under the court's oversight.

The resulting new capital structure represents a substantial improvement in True Temper's balance sheet, as a group of investors led by Newport Global Advisors and Providence Equity Partners have joined together to acquire a majority equity interest in the Company. The significant new capital investment and resulting loan repayments, combined with the overall debt restructuring, resulted in eliminating over 80% of the Company's indebtedness. In addition to the debt reduction, True Temper has also obtained a new revolving credit facility led by GE Capital.

Commenting on the new capital structure, Scott Hennessy, President and CEO noted, "This is an extremely positive outcome for our Company, and the completion of our financial restructuring certainly marks the beginning of a new day for True Temper Sports. We are very well positioned for the future, with a supportive new ownership group dedicated to the long-term success of the Company, and a capital structure that will now enable us to accelerate our global growth initiatives. We are also pleased that our plan was fully implemented with no impact to our employees, customers, or suppliers; and that our underlying operations remained unaffected by this balance sheet restructuring." Golf Shafts Asia is also pleased with these news being the leading distributor of Golf Shafts throughout Asia.

Looking to the future, Mr. Hennessy noted, "With this financial restructuring now behind us, we can once again put our full focus on the design and manufacture of the world's best golf shafts and performance sports equipment. It has certainly been a challenging year for the entire industry, but we are now seeing clear signs of recovery in our business. The current level of demand is requiring us to increase our production output and recall a number of our furloughed manufacturing employees, as we expect this trend to continue. We are budgeting for a double digit rebound in sales revenue over the next few months, and substantial improvement throughout 2010. The overall growth for next year should be driven by favorable economic and industry factors, in addition to our own new product line-up, which is arguably the most robust in our Company's history. We believe True Temper is more than ready to not only maintain but to grow our leadership position for years to come."

Grafalloy Epic Golf Shafts

As it’s winter time, what else is there to do than try out new equipment.

While the Epic shaft from Grafalloy is not exactly brand new, it is still one of the newer shafts on the block. Bag Chatter got the opportunity to trial the standard Driver shaft, the Tour Driver shaft (available for Tour Concept dealers) and the Fairway wood shaft.

Grafalloy Golf Shafts Asia are one of the best known and most respected shaft manufacturers with a healthy representation on Tour, mostly with their Prolite, Blue and Prolaunch shafts. The Epic, released to the public in a blaze of publicity in March 2007, is their latest shaft aimed at the higher end of the market. An area that may be more commonly associated with products from the likes of Diamana and Ozik. The Epic shaft got a fair bit of notice when pictures of Tiger Woods trialling it made their way onto the web and when he used it for a driver swing lesson in a major magazine (GolfWRX partner Golf Digest).

The Epic then quickly picked up 2 wins on the Senior Tour, the Regions Charity Classic and the Senior US Open, quickly followed by a victory on the European PGA at the Alfred Dunhill Classic. This was part of Grafalloy’s impressive 2007 resume of 5 wins on the US PGA, 6 wins on the Senior Tour and 9 wins on the Nationwide Tour where incidentally 7 of the 25 players that graduated to the main tour play Grafalloy shafts. So far so good, but the real question is what is the Epic like?

Appearance

Exceptionally good looking. The brushed silvery metallic look with calligraphy-like lines covering the top half of the shaft and the reversible EPIC logo, finished off with inkish blue-violet highlights. It fact I might go as far as to say that they are possibly the best looking shafts currently available, more attractive than an ion finish Diamana even. The finish feels slick and tough and not easily damaged presumably from the large amount of metal in the shaft (and yes, you can stick a magnet to it) unlike some other ‘fancy’ shafts. Looking down the raw shaft, you can see that the shaft is not made from one material as there are 2 separate regions to this shaft – an inner black ring surrounded by an equal thickness of a shiny more metal-like outer ring – highlighting the fact that this shaft is made from two materials. Once installed, the graphics on the shaft aren’t distracting at all and the metal finish does not reflect any glare.

Technical Specs

The marketing info from Grafalloy tells us that the Epic is made from a proprietary new material called Nanofuse. Originally developed for the Defence industry, this material has expanded into the aerospace industry and is now available for commercial use such as sporting goods. The aforementioned 2 layers of this shaft are an outer layer of Nickel alloy while the inner layer is high modulus carbon fibre. While the Nanofuse bond between these two layers is quite narrow, it is exponentially stronger than steel giving the shaft extremely high levels of strength. It is interesting to note that Grafalloy tell us the this is the only shaft of the 2008 line-up to use the Nanofuse technology.

There are actually 6 versions of this shaft. Four retail versions – Driver, Fairway wood, Hybrid iron, Hybrid wood – and 2 Tour versions: Tour 75 and Tour 90. Here are the specs for extra-stiff flex versions of the shafts we trialled.

From first glance it’s pretty obvious that this shaft is reasonable heavy, even the regular flex version of the driver shaft weighs a minimum of 69g. Grafalloy tell us that this is a mid kick shaft with a stiff tip but that it is difficult measure and quantify the tip and butt stiffness of the Epic shaft because the material is unlike either graphite or steel.

Feel

The first thing that you notice is that Epic shafts do definitely feel different from graphite shafts or steel shafts. The best way to describe them would be to say that they feel like a very tight and smooth graphite shaft without any boardy qualities. Then again, that is as it should be for a high end/high cost shaft whether or not it is made from some proprietary material. The added weight means that they offer a great sense of location throughout the swing while the balance point ensures that you never feel as though you are swinging a sledge hammer even with the extra heft. As you would expect, the retail Driver shaft has the loosest, most active feel due to the softer tip but it manages this without feeling vague. The Tour 75 is smoother but also has more solidity to it with the stiffer tip section and the Fairway wood feels so right you think it might swing for you. As a general guide, they all feel excellent.

Performance

Grafalloy would have us believe that this shaft offers the strength, light weight and feel of graphite with the accuracy of steel. So does it?

Actually it does. While it is ostensibly a high launch, mid-low spin club, all versions of the Epic allowed great control over shot making. High/Low, Fade/Draw, these shafts allow you to play the shot you want at a distance you almost can’t believe and with a phenomenal sense of accuracy. For once the marketing blurb is not fluff, there is a real perceived difference in how the shaft feels and this translates into how much confidence you have in how you play your shots. The precision throughout the swing means that you are never lost and always have the sense that good swings are rewarded and bad swings can be recovered and turned into good swings. The distance is as good as anything else I have tested but what stands out here is the dispersion and control. The retail Driver shaft is easier to load than the Tour 75 version and produces a higher flight with very good dispersion but the Tour 75 has a better feel and has a better resistance to being over-powered when you swing hard and is exceptionally accurate. The higher torque of the Driver shaft does mean that there is the risk that really hard swings can generate unwanted excess spin but if you have that sort of hard loading, fast swing then you would be using the Tour 75 version anyway. The Tour 75 has a slightly lower and more penetrating trajectory compared to the standard Driver because of the stiffer tip section and it never produces an overly high trajectory, even on full out swings. The fairway version is flat out outstanding. I can’t say a single thing against it. It’s long, incredibly accurate and has a great trajectory similar to the Tour 75 but with an even greater ability to control shot shape to a degree that I thought was unthinkable. The confidence produced by this is astounding and makes a mockery of tight driving holes where it almost guarantees landing the ball on the short grass.

Overall

Firstly, hats off to Grafalloy and Golf Shafts Asia for producing a superb shaft. The Driver version is very good and the Tour 75 is pretty much everything you could ever want in a heavy driver shaft but hands down, the fairway shaft is the best shaft I have ever had in a wood, and wasn’t just me either. I managed to convince a Tour player who just happened to be practising nearby to give it a go. To say that he was impressed was an understatement. He had two 3 woods with him, one with a Diamana Blueboard 103X and one with a Matrix Ozik TP-7x. He felt that the Epic was better than either of those as it gave the same distance but with better feel and tighter dispersion. Not a bad report at all for a shaft that he picked up only a few minutes before.

All in all, the Epic is a great shaft that offers great distance with outstanding control and being part of the Callaway Optifit system for 2008 can only be a plus. Those that do give it a go will experience a real treat as this is a top class shaft and deserves serious consideration for better golfers looking for that top end shaft.

Miyazaki Golf Shafts Touring Pro Kevin Streelman

A bit about Miyzaki Golf Shafts Touring Pro Kevin Streelman: Upon graduating from Duke University in 2001, most of his friends headed for Wall Street or law school. Streelman used his mom's Nissan Altima to travel to South Dakota for the 2001 Dakotas Tour. Burned out three cars logging in more than 300,000 miles crisscrossing the country while playing various Tours.


Find out more about Miyazaki Golf Shafts with Asia's largest distributor of premium brand golf shafts www.golfshaftsasia.com

Cameron Percy Miyazaki Touring Pro

By Kin Lo, PGA TOUR Staff

MITCHELLVILLE, Md. -- After a day and a half off due to inclement weather, the skies cleared over the nation's capital on Saturday and play resumed at the Melwood Prince George's County Open. Cameron Percy of Australia is the 36-hole leader by two strokes at 12 under for the tournament. Tom Scherrer is at 10 under and Oskar Bergman of Sweden is at 9 under.

Play was suspended midway through the first round on Thursday and did not restart until Saturday morning. The day began at 7:30 a.m. with 75 players finishing their first rounds. The second round commenced at 9 a.m. and was completed at 8:50 p.m.

The field was cut after Saturday's second round to 68 players at 3 under par or better. The difference between the leader and the cut line was nine strokes. There were 19 players that made the cut on the number at 3-under-par 141.

The third and fourth rounds will be played on Sunday. To ensure completion of 36 holes, players will start on the first and 10th tees in threesomes at 7 a.m. Groupings will remain the same for both rounds.

Percy was among the golfers able to complete his first round on Thursday morning. He got off to a strong start in Saturday's second round with birdies on the first two holes.


"I came to practice this morning and felt like I lost all of my rhythm. I thought -- oh boy, here we go," he remarked about the long delay between rounds. "But I got off to a nice start which helped. I actually played well on the back too, but just didn't make any putts."

Percy finished with a 32-36 for a 4-under-par 68. He is anticipating the long day ahead of him on Sunday.

"You have to conserve energy. It's quite humid out here, so I'm going to try and rest tonight and get a good night's sleep," he said. "It's going to be a long day and you're inevitably going to hit some poor shots here and there. You just have to be patient and take advantage of your opportunities."


After a 6-under-par 66 in the first round, current Nationwide Tour money leader Michael Sim recorded a 1-under 71. He is currently tied for seventh at 7 under, five shots off the lead. Sim is looking for his third win of the season and an instant promotion to the PGA TOUR.

It was mostly cloudy Saturday morning with sunshine in the afternoon and temperatures into the high 70s. More sunny weather is expected on Sunday with light winds and temperatures in the mid 80s.

Cameron Percy plays Miyazaki Golf Shafts, available now at www.golfshaftsasia.com

Miyazaki Golf Shafts Touring Pro: Aaron Watkins

As part of the New Game, New Thinking series (click here to learn more), PGATOUR.COM freelance writer Rudy Klancnik profiles Aaron Watkins.

The best way to explain Aaron Watkins' game, according to Aaron Watkins, is by one name -- Fred Funk. Translation: Aaron is short on the long game and long on the short game. Of course, if this rookie from Mesa, Ariz., can log eight TOUR wins and carry himself with the same class as Funk, it'll be a very successful career. But first things first, Watkins must first pass the rookie litmus test and sit down with PGATOUR.COM for a grill session.

PGATOUR.COM: When PGA TOUR fans see your game, it seems safe to say that they won't mistake you for John Daly or John Rollins.

WATKINS: That's for sure. I'm often compared to Fred Funk because I'm not a long hitter off the tee. If fans come out to see the long ball, I'm not their guy. But I'm very consistent, hit a ton of fairways and can get my short game going.

PGATOUR.COM: As you enter your first season on the PGA TOUR, have you wrapped your head around the fact that you've finally made it?

WATKINS: At this point, I'm just ready to play some golf. I didn't make the field at the Sony [Open], [Bob] Hope [Classic] or in Phoenix so it'll be a little while before I jump into the deep water. But I'll be ready to go, and I'm sure a little nervous. The Nationwide Tour gets you prepared to play at a high level, so I'm just ready to go.

PGATOUR.COM: I guess the one field you're guaranteed to play in every week when you're home is the foursome with your dad's cronies.

WATKINS: Definitely. We don't get to play as much as we used to, but I'll try to get in their game every Saturday. He's retired now, and he'd play every day if he could.

PGATOUR.COM: So, do you square off with the old man or do you and he team up and scoreboard his buddies?

WATKINS: We usually play on the same team and, yes, we do pretty well. But we always have a game going between the two of us. He makes me give him at least eight strokes and even when I win, he somehow manipulates the scorecard afterward, and he ends up coming out on top.

PGATOUR.COM: As the father of a four-year-old, I'm already tugging on his shirt from behind so I can win races. I just can't let the little guy get the best of me just yet.

WATKINS: That's my dad, too. No question about it.

PGATOUR.COM: How influential was your dad in your golf career?


WATKINS: He definitely will let me know when I do something wrong, but he's never pushed me too hard to play professionally. He really helps me if I'm getting down on myself. That's his biggest and most important influence.

PGATOUR.COM: You stand 5-8 and 170 pounds (nearly a Fred Funk clone, by the way) so how will golf fans know you're coming down the fairway?

WATKINS: Well, that'll be easy. I'm wearing the same type of pants this year as Eric Axley. I've got some really funky pink, purple and even black and white checkered pants. Fans will see me coming from a mile away.

PGATOUR.COM: You'll be like a hot rod with fire painted on the hood. You'd better be able to back it up.

WATKINS: We'll soon see.

PGATOUR.COM: We know from past interviews that golfers tend to enjoy spending most of their spare time hitting range balls. Surely, you've got other interests in addition to that pastime.

WATKINS: I'm actually pretty lazy when it comes to down time. I'm a huge movie buff. I love to crash on the couch with my girlfriend and watch the latest rentals from Blockbuster.

PGATOUR.COM: Wow, you're a party animal. Please don't tell me you're into romantic comedies.

WATKINS: If I can help it, I stay away from romantic comedies. But some time I have to give in to the girlfriend, and we end up watching one of those. I usually make it 30 minutes before nodding off.

PGATOUR.COM: What's the mark of a good movie?

WATKINS: I love action movies and freaky movies like Hostel and the Saw movies. The girlfriend will see the previews of stuff like that and tell me we'll be steering clear.

PGATOUR.COM: Have you always been the laid back sort or did you used to be John McEnroe who transformed himself?

WATKINS: In high school, I was a hothead for sure. But that attitude just isn't constructive. After I lost my status on the Nationwide Tour, I hit a point where it was counterproductive to go crazy after every bad round. Now, I just take the good with the bad and keep it all in perspective.

PGATOUR.COM: Sounds like a good plan for any rookie who's about to experience places like Pebble Beach and Torrey Pines in tournament conditions.

WATKINS: In any conditions, it'll be my first time at Pebble, so that will be great. In fact, I haven't played most of the course on the TOUR, so this will be a big-time learning curve. The good news is that I've got friends who've played these courses. I'll need to play some practice rounds with those guys so I can soak up their experiences.

PGATOUR.COM: What type of course seems to fit your game?

WATKINS: The types in which low scores aren't easy to come by. I do best at the toughest courses. The courses that give up really low scores are a bit tougher for my game.

PGATOUR.COM: Sounds like we should watch for you at the U.S. Open. Other than winning the Open and maybe a couple of dozen other tournaments this year, what are your first-year goals?

WATKINS: I hear a lot of guys answer that question by saying they want to finish in the top 125, which of course makes sense for them to keep their card for another year. I'm planning on shooting for a higher mark. At the player orientation, they mentioned what making it to Atlanta means to all TOUR members. That's my main goal, to play well enough to get into the [final playoff event for the] FedExCup. My lowest goal would be a top-125 finish.

Aaron Watkins is a Miyazaki Golf Shafts Touring Pro. Buy Miyazaki Golf Shafts at Golf Shafts Asia

True Temper Takes Q-School

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — After scoring more than 40 PGA Tour victories and sweeping of all four PGA majors this year, shafts designed and manufactured by True Temper Sports were played by all Top 25 finishers at the 2009 PGA Tour ‘Q-School.’
True Temper’s Dynamic Gold and Project X brands were clearly the shafts of choice among all of the Q-School competitors. Out of 170 qualifiers, True Temper shafts were in the bags of 162 Q-school competitors while the next closest shaft company’s count was five sets in play.

“True Temper continues to demonstrate true leadership on the pro tours around the world, and the 100 percent usage among the Q-School Top 25 is a perfect example of how players turn to True Temper shafts when shot performance makes all the difference,” says Bob Montgomery, manager of tour operations for True Temper. “Dynamic Gold and Project X shafts have set a very high standard for superior performance and advanced engineering on professional tours worldwide and within the industry.”


Dynamic Gold shafts are the top-selling shaft in golf and feature a high-flex, tour weight design. Project X is another successful brand which is well-known for providing a dedicated constant taper rate per inch for each shaft in the set. Longer taper rate results in more energy transfer to the ball and the ball gets up faster and flattens out for a penetrating trajectory. Dynamic Gold shafts are available in tapered and parallel irons and parallel woods, while Project X steel shafts are available in tapered and parallel irons. Graphite Project X wood and hybrid shafts were introduced and made available this year.

www.golfshaftsasia.com is an authorised distributor of True Temper Golf Shafts

Aldila Golf Shafts Take Q-School

Dec. 8, 2009 - POWAY, Calif. -- When the final stage of the PGA Tour National Qualifying Tournament, or Q-School, began there were more players trusting the outstanding accuracy, reliability and increased distance of Aldila's shafts in their wood and hybrid clubs than any other shaft manufacturer, according to the Darrell Survey.

More than 150 golfers battled over six days on the courses at the Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. vying for their PGA Tour cards for 2010.

Led by their top shaft the VooDoo®, featuring S-Core Technology™, Aldila dominated the wood and hybrid shaft counts on the PGA Tour for 2009 with more than twice the number of hybrid shafts in play as the next leading shaft manufacturer, according to the Darrell Survey. "The Hottest Shafts In Golf" won the wood and hybrid shaft manufacturer counts at all four major championships in 2009 and has been the most played wood and hybrid shaft at every FedEx Cup Playoff Event for the past two years.


"The VooDoo's stabilized core is designed to maximize distance and provide outstanding accuracy," said Stewart Bahl, Aldila's Marketing Manager. "It has a one-piece high modulus carbon stabilization rib running the length of the shaft to keep it more concentric, preventing shaft ovaling, deformation and wasted energy during the golf swing. Because the shaft's symmetry is maintained throughout the swing, it loads and unloads more consistently, enabling players to more reliably deliver the club head to the ball every swing."

Aldila has the unique ability to fuse high-end design with cutting edge technology. They are continually on the leading edge of the golf world through their relentless pursuit of the next best innovation. Are you playing Aldila or just graphite?

Visit www.golfshaftsasia.com for more information and to buy Aldila Golf Shafts

Project X Golf Shafts Asia

Project X shafts from Golf Shafts Asia have been one of the most successful golf shafts on the PGA Tour. Because of this, it probably doesn't do that well with the majority of golfers - after all, not everyone has a tour caliber swing. However since 2006, Rifle announced two other Project X versions, Flighted and High Launch, that may be a better fit. Let's review arguably the most technologically advanced steel golf shaft ever made.


First, the original Project X shaft with its patented Frequency Matching, Stepless Design and Rifling - a very complex shaft that took more than 2 years in the making to develop. The shaft was designed with a constant taper - definitely geared for the advanced player. The constant taper tips result in a higher kick point. A higher kick point equates to a lower ball trajectory which gives the advanced player more control and a penetrating ball flight. Advanced player is the keyword here. After all, a higher kick point is also known to be harder to launch if not in the hands of the right player. At a minimum, a good deal of club head speed must be present for the player to take full advantage of this shaft.

In 2006, Royal Precision launched a new golf shaft called the Project X Flighted. In typical Royal Precision fashion, it stayed low on the radar screen. After all, Project X was only for "the better player" right? Well not exactly. This shaft had flighted technology - the shaft would embody the original Project X with an added feature. Royal Precision designed the shaft with a kick point that "adjusts" to the iron. That is, the shorter iron had a higher kick point for a lower launch and control while the longer irons had a lower kick point for an easier and higher launch.

Royal Precision did not rest on their laurels - the Project X High Launch also made its debut in 2006. Project X is the only steel golf shaft to incorporate four technologies, frequency matching, stepless design, rifling, and flighted technology. And now in all its glory, Rifle introduced a shaft that would incorporate a longer tip parallel section and reduced weight to allow greater transfer at ball impact and a higher launch. Mission accomplished - Rifle Project X shaft was now available for the higher handicapper as well as the tour caliber player.

The Project X is without a doubt one of the most technologically advanced iron golf shaft ever made. And now the Project X is geared for most any type of swing. Whether it is the Project X, Project X Flighted or Project X High Launch shaft, you owe it to yourself to check out the Rifle Project X from Golf www.golfshaftsasia.com

True Temper continues its Tour leadership throughout the world

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Shafts designed and manufactured by True Temper continue to show true dominance on professional tours worldwide. The new Project X graphite shafts and Dynamic Gold steel shafts combined to win the Dunlop Phoenix on the Japan Tour and the Omega Mission Hills World Cup on the European Tour over the past two weekends.

In Japan, the Italian champion won the Dunlop Phoenix playing the new Project X graphite shafts in his driver, 3-wood, 5-wood and hybrid clubs, and he relied upon True Temper's Dynamic Gold steel shafts in his irons. This past weekend, he and his brother then teamed up to win the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, once again playing True Temper.

"The Dunlop Phoenix and World Cup are terrific wins and are great examples of how Project X and Dynamic Gold shafts continue to lead the industry in every shaft category," says Scott Hennessy, president and CEO of True Temper Sports. "True Temper shafts are used by top Tour players throughout the world, and we're very excited by how strongly our new Project X graphite shafts have exploded out of the gate with victory after victory."

Dynamic Gold shafts have won more events in PGA TOUR history than all other shaft brands combined, and they remain the most popular shaft in the world today. Dynamic Gold shafts are also the top-selling shaft in golf and feature a high-flex, tour weight design and are available in tapered and parallel irons and parallel woods.

The new high-performance Project X design is available in a graphite driver and hybrid shaft. By combining a stable butt section with a constant taper bend profile and reinforcing the tip with two additional wraps of super high modulus graphite in the lower third of the golf shaft, Project X reduces spin by up to 500 RPM over other competitors' low spin Tour shaft models.

For more information about True Temper, visit www.truetemper.com or find True Temper on Facebook at www.facebook.truetemper.com. For more information about Project X shafts, visit www.PXshaft.com or find Project X on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ProjectXGolf and Facebook at www.facebook.pxshaft.com.

The leading manufacturer of golf shafts in the world, True Temper Sports is consistently the number one shaft on all professional tours globally. The company markets a complete line of shafts under the True Temper®, Grafalloy® and Project X® shaft brands, and sells these brands in more than 30 countries throughout the world. True Temper Sports is proudly represented by more than 800 individuals in ten facilities located in the United States, Europe, Japan, China and Australia. For more information, visit www.truetemper.com.

Miyazaki Golf Shafts

Adam Barr The Golf Channel

I was there. I saw it.

Practice range. Riviera. The Wednesday afternoon before the 2008 Northern Trust Open. A grown man is swinging a golf club, talking to a laptop computer on a folding chair. Swinging. Adjusting. Talking again.

From a distance, you couldn't hear anything but the man, Jerry Kelly, addressing the hardware in the most earnest tones. Once you got closer, though, it all became clear.

Kelly was taking a lesson.

The teacher was Jim Schuman, men's golf coach for Kelly's beloved Wisconsin Badgers, and also Jerry's brother-in-law. (Think about it: Do you take advice from your brother-in-law?) Schuman's head appeared on the screen, watching intently through the Internet camera. Swing. Talk. Correction. More work. All from 1,900 miles away.

Kelly laughed when I asked him about it.

"Can't find anyone here who will work with me," he kidded. But the episode said more about the usually cheerful Kelly's work ethic than about his fun side.

Bottom line is, Kelly has worked for his three PGA Tour victories. And he has never stopped, even through a seven-year wait for this last one at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Kelly, who is a favorite among golf journalists for his dry wit and willingness to discuss all things hockey, can often be found on the range, working with or without laptop, comfortable in his relative obscurity. Stars downrange may tow around a dozen notebook scribblers and photographers, the modern emblems of sports success. Kelly looks up, toes another ball into place with an iron, and keeps working.

Rarely does he grind so hard, though, that he won't tell you what he's up to. The answers are often memorable.

"I’m a poster boy for spin," he once told me, looking ruefully at the head of his driver. "This should help keep me from spinning my tee ball too much." He teed up another ball and stroked it with the club, which at that time was the first incarnation of Cleveland Golf's HiBore driver. (Kelly has been a Cleveland stalwart for nearly a dozen years.) The ball sailed upward in a powerful arc.

"Looks pretty good to me," I said.

"Well, y’know, it’s OK," he said. "But did you see how it was beginning to balloon, sorta?"

"Um. I guess so."

That kind of perfectionism led Kelly to a reputation for occasional hot-headedness when things went awry on the golf course. But in recent years, he seems more in control, more willing to plow through adversity.

Kelly today is a modern guy, taking laptop lessons and looking at swing video on his iPod. But he is also substantially old school, always willing to put in the work with the support staff in the Cleveland tech trailer. And the day after his win in the Big Easy, the tech guys, already in Charlotte for the Quail Hollow event, were all smiles.

"I've been at this for four years, but some of us have been with Jerry for seven years, since his last win," said Michael Jolly, one of the Cleveland tour techs. "We know how much work went into getting him back here. It was a day-to-day, week-to-week process."

There was a lot of experimenting and changing. Kelly even plucked a Cleveland putter from a Nevada Bob's and put it in his bag. He dutifully worked new irons and other clubs into his bag when Cleveland updated its line. And last week came the final piece of the puzzle.

"The shaft he had [in his driver], he had a couple complaints about it," Jolly said. "He wanted it to do some things better. What he felt in his hands wasn't what he wanted. And he was looking for a ball flight that would let him go at it without going left."



Aha. The famous death move to the left. It's not uncommon. For example, Vijay Singh has it too, and has also conquered it. In Kelly's case, it took some experimenting with shafts. The hard work paid off last week, just before the New Orleans event began, when Kelly settled on a Miyazaki graphite model. The new shaft is stiff flex, 72 grams, low torque – but without that "board-y" hand feedback that so many anti-twist shafts seem to have. It was a perfect feel-player solution.

"Jerry's very easy-going to work with, but he knows what he wants to feel," Jolly said. "He can't always quantify it, so there's a translation process. But he knows definitely what he's looking for."

It helped the translation process that Cleveland is now owned by SRI Sports of Japan, the same company that owns equipment company Srixon. The Miyazaki shaft is an SRI project. With an extremely low-lofted driver – 7.5 degrees – and an inch trimmed off the tip, Kelly's driver started singing to his hands.

And the satisfying feel at impact led to some good stats – Kelly hit nearly 80 percent of his greens-in-regulation for the week. And that led to an even better feel in his hands…

A trophy. Not bad for a guy who talks to computers.

Aldila Takes Dubai World Championship

Europe’s new #1 golfer trusted the accuracy, reliability and increased distance of Aldila’s #1 shaft, the VooDoo®, in his Driver to help him lock up the Dubai World Championship title by six strokes Sunday. In the final round, he shot a course record 8-under 64 to finish with a 23-under 265 total. His 31st victory of his career helped him secure the European Tour’s first Race to Dubai title. He had won the title of Europe’s Top Golfer in 2000 when it was known as the European Order of Merit.


He ranks 2nd in Total Driving Average on the European Tour and finished 9th in Driving Distance with an average of 299.8 yards. His longest drive of the year was 363 yards. He ranks 53rd in Driving Accuracy with a 64.3% average. In 2009, he played 26 events on the European Tour finishing five times in the Top 10 including wins at the Portugal Masters and the Dubai World Championship. “We are pleased that players continue to show their confidence in Aldila’s shaft technology to consistently perform in these world-class events,” said Stewart Bahl Aldila’s Marketing Manager. “It’s exciting to see more and more VooDoo shafts in play week in and week out on all the Tours as the pros continue to rely on the patent-pending S-core Technology™ in Aldila’s VooDoo shaft.

S-core, or stabilized, core is designed to maximize distance and provide outstanding accuracy. The VooDoo has a one-piece high modulus carbon stabilization rib running the length of the shaft. This innovative rib structure keeps the shaft more concentric, preventing shaft ovaling, deformation and wasted energy during the golf swing. Because the shaft’s symmetry is maintained throughout the swing, it loads and unloads more consistently, enabling players to more reliably deliver the club head to the ball every swing.

Golf Shafts Asia carries a large selection of Aldila Golf Shafts available to Asia's leading golf retailers

Nike Set to Release Victory Red Tour Drivers

Paul Casey spilled the beans about Nike's Victory Red drivers on his Twitter page back on September 15. However, the company has now officially released both versions of the club and revealed more details about their design.

The Nike Victory Red STR8-Fit Tour driver has a traditional headshape that varies in size between 440cc to 460cc based on the loft. The stock shaft is an Aldila Voodoo, but the first thing that golfers will notice about the club is the orange Compression Channel running along the bottom of the club.

According to Nike, the channel allows the lower portion of the driver's head to bend slightly when shots are hit lower in the face. Tom Stites, Nike director of product innovation, says that's a good thing.


"High-handicap players usually miss high on the toe of their driver," he told me, "while better players tend to miss low and on the heel. So we wanted to make a driver that is more forgiving low in the face."

Nike-Victory-Red-Driver-Toe Stites says hitting the ball low in the face usually adds spin and reduces ball speed, but flex created by the channel in the Victory Red driver reduces that effect. "Balls hit low in the face of this club will come off with a little more ball speed, a little less spin and on a slightly higher launch angle," Stites says.

Nike also enhanced its STR8-Fit head-positioning system. Using a torque wrench, the original version allowed golfers to set the club into one of eight different settings to help create the desired ball flight—the updated STR8-Fit system has 32 positions.


Fifteen settings promote a right to left ball flight, 15 help you work the ball from left to right, and the two neutral settings should help maximize overall playability. A torque wrench comes with the driver.

Nike is also releasing the 400cc Victory Red Tour driver, which does not feature the company's STR8-Fit technology. The head of this driver is glued into place before shipping, and the stock shaft will be the Project X Graphite.

Both clubs should be in pro shops by Feb. 1, 2010 with a suggest retail price of $479.

Read more: http://blogs.golf.com/equipment/2009/12/nike-set-to-release-victory-red-tour-drivers.html#ixzz0YfpkNkHG

Golf Shaft Info

When e-buying clubs, watch out for the shaft
THE OLYMPIAN

It's a scary story, a cautionary tale, and unfortunately it's not all that rare.

For the many of us who haven’t bought a club at a brick-and-mortar golf store or pro shop in years, it might just be the price of doing business in the online side streets of the golf equipment industry.

Eventually, in these times and this volatile marketplace, you’ll get bit.

The story came from Craig Foster, who is the wrong guy to try to fool when it comes to golf clubs. It began when a customer came in for a fitting for a set of new irons he’d just bought.


They were fresh out of the wrapper, TaylorMade R9 irons with Rifle Project X Flighted shafts, purchased on eBay for $550. They looked good. They looked real.

“The average person would not be able to tell the difference, but they were fake all the way,” e-mailed Foster, whose Craig’s Custom Clubs deals in golf club adjustments, repairs and customizing.

There was a serial number etched into the hosel of the 7-iron, which, for a start, looked legit enough to Foster. On closer inspection, he began finding small flaws, enough to raise his eyebrows.


First of all, whoever made the clubs used the cheapest “stepless” shafts, which cost about $2.60 each. Foster calls them “driving range shafts.”

“Real Project X Flighted shafts cost me about $35 each,” he wrote.

The bands on the shafts were printed up and stuck on the wrong side, which for this brand means on the top rather than the bottom.

The ends of the shafts were cut off, crudely, with what was probably a pipe cutter. End cuts are clean when shafts come from the real factory.

There was no etching on the shafts to identify what model shaft it was. And the grips were all loose – Foster could turn them, and underneath he found cheap tape.

Tiny irregularities. Could have fooled me. Fooled the customer.

“Visually, I don’t know who would tell the difference,” Foster said.

The customer played with the clubs once before bringing them to Foster.

“He thought they felt pretty good,” Foster said. “It’s difficult to tell just by hitting them.”

The least expensive clubs Foster can make for somebody, using those driving range shafts, don’t even feel too bad.

“It’s not a night and day thing that you’ll notice.”


Finally, Foster started measuring the “frequency” of the suspect shafts, which means vibrating the clubs to determine their flex characteristics. There should have been a logical progression in frequency through the shafts, shortest clubs to longest.

“The numbers just didn’t match up,” Foster said.

By now, Foster knew he had counterfeits on his hands.

He broke the news to his customer, a local guy and a good player. As you would expect, he was surprised and disappointed.

“He called the seller,” Foster said, “and the seller told him, ‘Oh geez, I didn’t know.’ ”

The seller first offered a partial refund, and the customer could keep the clubheads. The heads might have been the only legitimate TaylorMade component in the set, according to Foster, but they could as easily have been fake, too, copied in a foundry.

The customer was not interested in keeping any part of the set. Foster, who didn’t share the customer’s identity, doesn’t know whether he made use of any of eBay’s remedies, such as negative feedback for the seller.

“Once you’re dealing with somebody who’s lying to you,” Foster said, “you just want to be clear of them.”

The seller is, finally, giving the guy a full refund.

“If the seller didn’t actually know, he should have known,” Foster said. “Actually, sellers do know, and they just pretend they were fooled.”

These are not the first counterfeit clubs Foster has seen.

“Someone brought in a TaylorMade Burner three-wood, Fujikura shaft, TaylorMade head cover, the whole deal, and it looked perfect except the club swing-weighted at G5!” Foster wrote. “Only about 30 swing-weights too high. Also an eBay deal.”

No need to get into a discussion of swing-weights here – it’s enough to say the club, to Foster, was an obvious fake.

Every golf manufacturer’s Web site warns of counterfeit clubs.

There are successful prosecutions of counterfeiters, with severe consequences for the convicted.

And still it goes on.

(Note: Feel free to e-mail to the address below your own stories of deception, misrepresentation and bad dealings in the online golf equipment universe. I’ve got one; I’d like to hear yours.)

Part of the problem, in Foster’s mind, is the quantity of new golf clubs flooding the market. Last year’s $400 driver is this year’s $149 driver – there are, in fact, good and legitimate deals to be had.

But offers that look too good to be true might just be.

“I don’t think that part of it’s gonna change,” Foster said. “That’s just the way modern merchandising works.”

Foster has a standing offer to examine any club, for free, for anyone who has doubts.

“People need to buy locally,” he said. “Buy from people they trust.”

Aldila wins shaft counts at Children's Miracle Network Classic

POWAY, Calif. -- Led by their number one shaft on the PGA Tour, Aldila's VooDoo® featuring S-core Technology™, "The Hottest Shafts In Golf" wrapped up the Fall Series of the PGA Tour continuing where they had left off in the regular season, dominating the woods and hybrids shaft manufacturer counts. This week at the Children's Miracle Network Classic was no different as they won both the woods and hybrids counts and dominated the hybrids count by having shafts in play by more than a 2 to 1 margin over the next leading shaft competitor, according to the Darrell Survey.

With more PGA players making the switch from graphite to Aldila's premium VooDoo shaft, "The Hottest Shafts In Golf" continues to have players finishing in the Top 10. In fact, at the Children's Miracle Network Classic this past weekend, four of the top seven finishers were playing VooDoo shafts including the second place finisher who tied his best finish of the 2009 season using the VooDoo in his Driver. In all a total of 23 VooDoo shafts made their way on to the Disney courses at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.


"What sets the VooDoo apart is its patent-pending S-core Technology™ (stabilized core) designed to maximize distance and provide outstanding accuracy," said Stewart Bahl Aldila's Marketing manager. "The secret is the high modulus carbon stabilization rib running the length of the shaft. The innovative rib structure keeps the shaft more concentric, preventing shaft ovaling, deformation and wasted energy during the golf swing. Because the shaft's symmetry is maintained throughout the swing, it loads and unloads more consistently, enabling players to more reliably deliver the club head to the ball every swing."

Aldila has the unique ability to fuse high-end design with cutting edge technology. They are continually on the leading edge of the golf world through their relentless pursuit of the next best innovation.

ABOUT ALDILA
Aldila is publicly traded on NASDAQ with the symbol ALDA. For more information on the VooDoo®, DVS™, MOI Proto™, VS Proto™, and NV® shafts, visit their Web site at www.aldila.com. Follow what's new on Facebook.com Aldila Golf Inc or buy Aldila Golf Shafts from www.golfshaftsasia.com

More Golf Shafts Asia News

Dayton, OH Back 9 GOLF has just signed Vega Golf to offer a line of premier golf irons and wedges to the area. Kyoei Japan is proud to introduce Vega, iron heads proudly forged and crafted in Japan by the master craftsmen at Kyoei Golf. With more than 50 years of experience in forging, Kyoei has built a reputation for producing the finest golf clubs in the world using a true, one piece forging technique for the purest feel and most solid performance.

Owner Mark Holderfield says that this line will fill out his premier product line already having Tom Wishon Golf Technology and Maltby designs to offer golfers all levels of playability & price ranges. We are excited to offer these truly quality forged clubs that will be built to order right here in our shop. These clubs will be like owning a Ferrari, with the true craftsmanship and quality you deserve. We test a lot of heads coming from China and the quality and playability just isn't there. The Japanese quality is the finest in the world.

Custom fit/custom built clubs offer better playability and value over mass-produced standard built clubs and our customers will tell you that. Winter is a great time to test and get fit for a new custom set whether you are a scratch golfer or shoot over 90; custom fit/custom built is a better value and investment for your game. We also provide upgrade services to enable you to upgrade the shaft technology to your existing clubs; club refinishing to bring back that new look and feel to your old set and the best repair center in the area. Back 9 GOLF is the areas only Tom Wishon club builder, True Temper Tour Concept Center and now the only Vega Golf builder in the area. I personally invite golfers to come in and see what a golf shop has to offer over a box retailer.

Tiger: I am far short of perfect. - Golf Video | Golf Channel

Tiger: I am far short of perfect. - Golf Video | Golf Channel

Graphite Design Golf Shaft News

SAN DIEGO, CA – December 1, 2009 – Graphite Design, maker of some of the most widely played premium shafts on the PGA TOUR, announced that the winner of the McDonald’s LPGA Championship Presented by Rolex played Graphite Design’s Tour AD YS+ shaft in her 3-wood.

“The winner has had a very successful year on the LPGA Tour and we are pleased that she has chosen to use our Tour AD shaft during her first career major victory,” said Mr. Tak Yamada, VP of Sales & Marketing, Graphite Design. “Our Tour AD YS+ shafts have historically been a popular choice for LPGA Tour Players and with the launch of both the Tour AD YSQ in 2008 and the Tour AD YSQst in 2009, we have seen the interest in our shafts increase significantly on all the professional Tours.”

The Tour AD YS+ series maintains its leadership in the golf market. The universal performance characteristics of the YS+ series have made it one of the most widely used shaft brands worldwide. It continues to be used on the various professional tours worldwide.


Tour AD YSQ shafts were first introduced in 2008. The family of shafts incorporates an exclusive technology called AXIAL COMPOSITE INTERLACE (ACI) technology. Graphite Design engineers have discovered that strategic orientation of fibers in multiple angles gives the golfer ultimate performance. The ACI technology stabilizes the club eliminating shaft deformation to enhance the playability of today’s larger club heads. The enhancement leads to superior distance and unmatched accuracy in every shot.

The Tour AD YSQst Stabilized Tip shaft features a more stable and stiffer tip to launch the ball lower and create the perfect descent angle to maximize distance for the players with 90 + swing speeds. Graphite Design has incorporated ACI technology into the YSQst to enhance the feel and stability of the shaft.

The company's Tour AD logo is featured on all of Graphite Design's PGA Tour-proven shafts to specifically promote "Accuracy and Distance" and is a moniker that has long been known for high quality and superior performance. This is represented by the company’s success which has been documented by professionals and amateurs alike. Graphite Design is the most dominant shaft on the JPGA tour and has been for the past six years.

Graphite Design International manufactures the highest quality shafts in the world for Pure Distance and Perfect Accuracy. Graphite Design shafts can be seen in play by the best professional players on the PGA, Nationwide, Champions, Japan, European and LPGA tours. Graphite Design shafts reinforced its dominance on the Japan Tour, where it has claimed 163 consecutive graphite wood shaft brand counts -- an unprecedented streak which dates to 2003. On the PGA Tour, Graphite Design shafts have helped professionals earn 65 victories since 2004 and millions of dollars in prize money. A total of 18 US distributors and 14 international distributors supply Graphite Design shafts to over 1000 custom fitters around the world.

Aldila Reports Financial Results for Third Quarter 2009

Marketwire
November 12, 2009: 04:15 PM ET

ALDILA, INC. (NASDAQ: ALDA) announced today net sales of $10.7 million and a net loss of $571,000 ($0.11 loss per share) for the three months ended September 30, 2009. Included in the loss was an income tax charge of $744,000 ($0.14 per share) related to the shutdown of the Company's facility in Mexico. The income tax is on the repatriation of earnings from Mexico, which the Company did not previously pay income tax on in the United States. In the comparable 2008 third quarter, the Company had net sales of $11.8 million and a net loss of $1.1 million ($0.21 loss per share). For the nine months ended September 30, 2009, net sales were $35.0 million and a net loss of $1.2 million ($0.24 loss per share) as compared to net sales of $42.1 million and a net loss of $1.2 million ($0.22 loss per share) for the nine month period ended September 30, 2008. As noted above, included in the 2009 period is an income tax charge of $744,000 ($0.14 per share). Important in these challenging economic times, our cash position remains strong at the end of the quarter due to positive cash flow of $4.5 million generated from operations through the nine months ended September 30, 2009. We have remained focused on controlling costs during this time, with our SG&A down 24% for the nine months ended September 30, 2009, compared to the comparable period in 2008.

"The weak retail environment for discretionary consumer products continued to impact our sales and unit volumes during the quarter. We have announced the closing of our Mexico factory and expect to have the majority of the costs associated with the closing expensed this year. We have had 19 years of successful operation in Mexico; however, the timing is right for us to move all of our shaft production to Asia. Our China and Vietnam factories are fully capable to handle all of our shaft models and provide adequate capacity to cover our foreseeable needs," said Mr. Peter R. Mathewson, Chairman of the Board and CEO.

"Our golf sales declined by 13% in the third quarter of 2009 versus the third quarter of 2008. Our average sales price of our golf shafts increased by 1% on a 15% decrease in unit sales in the third quarter of 2009 versus the third quarter of 2008. Although we experienced a decrease in units during the quarter, our mix of shafts sold improved during the third quarter of 2009 versus the third quarter of 2008. The mix change coupled with increased manufacturing efficiencies and lower manufacturing costs were factors that drove our increases in gross profit and gross margin during the third quarter ended 2009 versus the third quarter of 2008. Our backlog as of September 30, 2009 was $10.1 million, which represents a 47% increase over our second quarter of 2009 backlog and a 4% increase versus the third quarter of 2008 backlog," said Mr. Mathewson.

"Although 2009 has been a difficult year, it has been one of the best years ever for Aldila on the professional tours. Players using Aldila shafts in their drivers won over $38 million dollars on the PGA Tour, to date. Aldila won the Grand Slam of Shafts by winning the wood and hybrid shaft count at every major championship. In addition, Aldila was also the most popular wood and hybrid shaft at every FedEx Cup Playoff event. Aldila also had more total wood shafts in play, according to the Darrell Survey Company, than any other graphite shaft manufacturer and nearly twice as many hybrid shafts in play than any other graphite shaft manufacturer. Players using Aldila shafts won 13 events on the PGA Tour through the Turning Stone Resort Championship, which started play on October 9th. On the Nationwide Tour, Aldila again was the leading manufacturer of wood and hybrid shafts with more total shafts in play than any other graphite shaft manufacturer. In hybrids, Aldila again had nearly twice as many shafts in play than any other graphite shaft competitor. Players using Aldila shafts won 15 events on the Nationwide Tour in 2009; more than half of all the events this year on the Nationwide Tour. In addition to Tour success, Aldila was the shaft of choice at the PGA Club Professional National Championship. Leading amateurs also preferred Aldila, as the majority of players at the United States Amateur Championship played Aldila high performance shafts. Our NV®, VS Proto(TM) and DVS® shafts continue to be very popular on Tour as well as our latest offering, VooDoo®, which continues to be among the top shafts in play each week. The new Aldila RIP scheduled to be released in 2010, is receiving very positive reviews through preliminary trials on Tour, to date, with very strong favorable feedback," Mr. Mathewson said.

"After successful testing on Tour, we have added the new NV VooDoo® to our 2010 product line. The NV VooDoo® has the same flex profile as the original NV® shaft with our patent-pending S-core Technology for even better performance while still maintaining the precise feel that made the NV® so successful. In addition, we have also begun shipping our En Fuego Series of shafts to major manufacturers and distributors. The En Fuego Series is a collection of 3 unique shaft designs all with a higher center of gravity to work best with modern club head designs. Each shaft features a unique flex profile to optimize launch and spin. All shafts in the En Fuego Series also incorporate our Micro Laminate Technology® for maximum performance and improved feel," said Mr. Mathewson.

"Our Composite Materials business began to show signs of recovery as new accounts have been added, which drove an increase in sales of 22% versus the third quarter of 2008 and an increase of 8% from the second quarter of 2009. We are involved with numerous qualification efforts in non-recreational markets and expect to see continuing improvement in our sales as these efforts result in new business in the future quarters," Mr. Mathewson said.

Aldila will host a conference call at 5 P.M. Eastern Time, on Thursday, November 12, 2009, with Peter R. Mathewson, Chairman & CEO, Robert J. Cierzan, Senior Vice President, Composite Materials and Scott M. Bier, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, to review Aldila's 2009 third quarter financial results. For telephone access to the conference call dial 1-888-221-3894 or 1-913-312-1477 for international calls and request connection to the Aldila conference call, Participant Passcode: 3500714. A live webcast of the conference call can be accessed on the Aldila website at http://www.aldila.com. An archive of the webcast will be available through our website for 90 days following the conference call.

Buy Aldila Golf shafts at www.golfshaftsasia.com

Aldila Voodoo Golf Shaft News

Aldila's VooDoo drives Dubai World Championship winner to 31st career victory and helps him secure Europe's #1 golfer status

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Aldila Golf Shaft News

VooDoo helps Aldila maintain #1 Shaft on Tour status by winning woods, hybrids shaft counts at Children's Miracle Network Classic

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Miyazaki Golf Shafts into USA

SRI Sports, the Japan-based parent compay of Cleveland Golf and Srixon Golf, is introducing the Miyazaki brand of golf shafts. SRI Sports’ shaft designs and technologies have previously only been offered within Asia, but the launch of the Miyazaki shafts brand expands availability into North America beginning Dec. 1.

Each Miyazaki shaft, according to SRI, is designed with a proprietary International Flex Code fitting system that replaces the traditional specifications of frequency, kick point, and torque to give professional fitters and golfers alike a more detailed insight into the specifics of their current shaft. SRI says Miyazaki shafts utilize the highest grade carbon-fiber materials available to produce innovative bending and torsional profiles geared toward specific player types. Each shaft, according to SRI, is precisely constructed to some of the industry’s tightest tolerances to ensure consistent delivery characteristics on each shot.


Miyazaki shafts were introduced on the PGA Tour this past May. Jerry Kelly won the Zurich Classic and John Rollins won the Reno-Tahoe Open with the shafts.

The Miyazaki series golf shafts are currently offered in up to three weight options in three unique flex profiles that are available in R, S and X flex designs. Low-trajectory Black, mid-trajectory Blue, and high-trajectory Silver profiles are available in each flex with a standard 0.335” tip diameter.

Miyazaki golf shafts are now available at www.golfshaftsasia.com

Miyazaki Golf Shafts

SRI Sports, the parent company of the Cleveland Golf and Srixon Golf brands, has been making premium graphite shafts in Japan for the Asian markets for decades. Now the company is offering its shafts to golfers in North America with the launch the Miyazaki Kusala series.


The Miyazaki Kusala series graphite shafts offer unique bending and torsional flex profiles and are geared toward ball speed and launch condition optimization for different types of swings. At launch, the Kusala series shafts will come in three weight options; in low-trajectory Black, mid-trajectory Blue and high-trajectory Silver profiles; each in R, S and X flexes and each with a standard 0.335” tip diameter.

Miyazaki Kusala shafts were introduced to the professional tours in May 2009, with Vijay Singh, Jerry Kelly, John Rollins and Steve Flesch among those touring pros making the switch. The MSRP for the Miyazaki Kusala shafts is $399 at the time of launch. For more info, visit miyazakigolfshafts.com. or order now from www.golfshaftsasia.com

Project X Delivers Win at WGC-HSBC Champions

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Project X shafts delivered a No. 1 finish at the World Golf Champions - HSBC Champions held at Shanghai Sheshan International Golf Club this weekend. The No. 2 ranked player in the world played Project X steel shafts in his irons to clinch his second World Golf Championship.

“Project X continues to be among the most popular shaft designs on the professional tours,” says Scott Hennessey, president and CEO of True Temper Sports. “Designed on tour to help players achieve greater distance and accuracy, Project X steel shafts incorporate a constant taper design that transfers more energy to the ball at impact. This is just one of Project X’s several performance benefits that we have incorporated in our just launched Project X graphite series. Now a golfer can have these benefits throughout the set, in steel for irons and in graphite for woods and hybrids.”


The Project X and other shafts designed and manufactured by True Temper Sports have collected 40 wins on the PGA Tour this year as well as numerous victories on the European, Champions, LPGA, Nationwide and Japan Tours.

Project X steel shafts feature Stepless Design Technology through which each individual shaft in the set possesses a specific and constant taper length. This unique design characteristic optimizes the flex distribution and energy transfer without sacrificing control. Stepless Design Technology provides tip stiffness for stronger players, producing greater accuracy with a smooth yet solid feel at impact and optimum trajectory and spin control.

The new Project X shaft delivers similar bend and stiffness profiles as Project X irons, with the added benefits of graphite. The Project X driver features a firm tip design that yields a penetrating launch and low spin, and its low torque and reinforced cross section provide the most stable shaft performance on tour. The Project X hybrid delivers bend profile and stability enhancements which reduce both directional and distance dispersion, while the design’s weight provides a perfect transition from iron to wood shafts.

Buy Project X Golf Shafts at Golf Shafts Asia

New Graphite Project X Debuts with Win at Volvo World Match Play

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The all-new graphite Project X shaft knows how to make an entrance. On the very day it became available for consumers worldwide, the Project X driver shaft delivered an inspiring victory at the highly revered Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesin GC in Spain.

With the new Project X shaft in his driver, the Volvo World Match Play champion played 126 holes in four days and was crowned as the youngest winner in the event’s prestigious 45-year history. The win boosts the champion to a career-best 17th in the World Rankings.

“The new Project X shaft is precision engineered to deliver exceptional distance and pinpoint accuracy, and we could not have asked for a stronger debut than a great victory at the Volvo World Match Play,” says Bob Montgomery, manager of tour operations for True Temper. “Building on the overwhelming success of Project X irons, our engineers have spent the past two years developing the new Project X shaft. The result is superior cross-sectional stability and a spin-reducing tip that delivers longer carry, increased rollout and an exact trajectory.”

The new high-performance Project X design is available in a driver and hybrid shaft that incorporates eight different premium composite materials and five of the most advanced fiber types in the world. The shaft has already created a buzz on the pro tours worldwide with multiple victories.

The graphite Project X shaft features Zonal Design Theory (ZDT) with three distinct zones utilizing unique and separate technologies to optimize performance in the butt, mid and tip sections. In addition, the new graphite Project X shaft provides optimized launch profiles by matching frequency to specific weight, torque and ball flight for maximum player performance.

For more information on Rifle-branded steel shafts, visit www.www.golfshaftsasia.com.

The leading manufacturer of golf shafts in the world, True Temper Sports is consistently the number one shaft on all professional tours globally. The company markets a complete line of shafts under the True Temper®, Grafalloy® and Project X® shaft brands, and sells these brands in more than 30 countries throughout the world. True Temper Sports is proudly represented by more than 800 individuals in ten facilities located in the United States, Europe, Japan, China and Australia. For more information, visit www.truetemper.com.

True Temper Wraps PGA Season with 42 Victories

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shafts designed and manufactured by True Temper Sports captured an arresting win at the Disney Classic this weekend in Florida. After winning an astounding 42 PGA TOUR victories this season, it is no surprise True Temper brands were the shafts of choice for the new champion as well as all of the Top 10 money positions at the event.

The Children’s Miracle Network Classic champion played Dynamic Gold shafts in his irons and won in an exciting two-hole playoff. Meanwhile, half-way across the world the JBWhere Masters champion also relied on Dynamic Gold shafts in his irons to clench his victory in Australia.

“This season, True Temper continued our 100-year winning legacy with a staggering 42 wins on the PGA TOUR, including all four majors,” says Scott Hennessy, president and CEO of True Temper Sports. “The best players in the world trust True Temper brands to deliver winning results, which has been evident week after week throughout this year as more than 90 percent of the players at each and every event played True Temper shafts.”

Dynamic Gold shafts have won more events in PGA TOUR history than all other shaft brands combined, and they remain the most popular shaft in the world today. Dynamic Gold shafts are also the top-selling shaft in golf and feature a high-flex, tour weight design and are available in tapered and parallel irons and parallel woods.

For more information on True Temper Sports and Dynamic Gold shafts, visit www.golfshaftsasia.com

True Temper Gets 40th at Frys.com Open

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — True Temper Sports chalked up its 40th PGA TOUR season win this weekend with its legendary Dynamic Gold shafts. In addition to the victory, every player in the Top 10 money positions over the weekend played shafts manufactured by True Temper.

Playing Dynamic Gold shafts in his irons, the Frys.com Open champion scored 21 birdies and an 83.3 GIR percentage (Greens in Regulation) to capture his second PGA TOUR title. Dynamic Gold shafts have won more events in PGA TOUR history than all other shaft brands combined, and they remain the most popular shaft in the world today.

“As the number one shaft manufacturer in the world, True Temper shafts are known for scoring victories on pro tours worldwide,” says Scott Hennessy, president and CEO of True Temper Sports. “High-performance True Temper shafts continue to set the industry standard for distance, accuracy and control. We are deeply committed to our leadership role in innovation and performance, and we will continue to push the envelope so that every golfer — regardless of skill level — can play their absolute best game.”

Dynamic Gold shafts are the top-selling shaft in golf and feature a high-flex, tour weight design. Dynamic Gold shafts are available in tapered and parallel irons and parallel woods.

True Temper Shafts Shine on European and Nationwide Tours

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Demonstrating dominance on professional tours around the globe, True Temper’s Dynamic Gold and Project X shafts grabbed victories on the European and Nationwide Tours this weekend, winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the Soboba Classic in San Jacinto, Calif.

On the European Tour, the English-born champion played Dynamic Gold SL shafts in his irons to score a three stroke victory and his second European win of the year.

Meanwhile on the Nationwide Tour, True Temper shafts claimed their 25th victory of the 2009 season, an unprecedented win percentage of 96 percent. The winner captured his first Nationwide Tour victory playing Dynamic Gold shafts in his irons and the new Project X graphite shaft in his hybrid club and five-wood.

"Time and time again this season, we have seen champions on the Nationwide and European Tours trust True Temper products to deliver consistency and accuracy," said Craig Nichols, tour representative for True Temper. "True Temper is dedicated to providing professional players with the best equipment and technology on tour. Dynamic Gold continues to dominate the bags of the top ten players each week while the popularity of our new Project X graphite shaft has really exploded since its introduction earlier this season."

True Temper has led the golf industry as the number one shaft manufacturer in the world for more than 100 years, and Dynamic Gold shafts have won more events than all other shafts combined. Featuring a high-flex, tour weight design, Dynamic Gold steel shafts are the top-selling shaft in golf and are preferred by skilled players seeking a low, penetrating ball flight. The all-new graphite Project X shaft delivers superior cross-sectional stability and maintains the designed performance characteristics throughout the swing for consistent shot patterns. In addition, the new Project X shaft provides optimized launch profiles by matching frequency to specific weight, torque and ball flight for maximum player performance.