Golf Shafts Blog

Aldila Golf Shafts Takes Nationwide Victory

2010-02-10T15:07:00.003-08:00

'The Hottest Shafts In Golf' continues reign as the #1 shaft on Tour by capturing both wood and hybrid shaft counts on PGA & Nationwide Tours

Feb. 8, 2010 - POWAY, Calif. - With the help of Aldila's DVS shaft, the winner of the Moonah Classic posted his first victory on the Nationwide Tour Sunday after winning on the first hole of sudden-death playoff. After opening the tournament with a course-record 62, the Ohio native finished with an 11-under 277 (62-70-75-70) and collected a first prize check for $126,000.

Led by their latest shaft the RIP® and their number one shaft the VooDoo®, Aldila maintained their status as the #1 shaft on Tour after winning the wood and hybrid shaft manufacturer counts on the PGA and Nationwide Tours at the Northern Trust Open and the Moonah Classic.

On the PGA Tour, Aldila dominated with more wood and hybrid shafts in play as well as the most driver shafts in play, according to the Darrell Survey. Aldila also won the wood and hybrid shaft counts on the Nationwide Tour with nearly twice as many hybrid shafts in play as the next leading competitor.

After a tie for 71st place at the Farmer's Insurance Open, the fifth place finisher at the Northern Trust Open switched his Driver shaft to Aldila's RIP Technology and posted his best finish of 2010. The 29-year-old Argentinean ended the tournament tied for 13th in Driving Distance with a 279.9 average.

RIP is Aldila's latest shaft technology that provides a lower torque, increased tip stability and better tip stiffness control. After very successful testing on Tour with multiple wins, the RIP will soon be introduced through leading club manufacturers.

"The world's best players consistently choose Aldila for performance they can count on and feel other shaft companies just can't touch," said Stewart Bahl, Aldila's Marketing Manager. "Aldila offers the widest range of performance shafts in the market today to fit the widest range of players."

Aldila is the leading name in graphite golf shafts: It won golf's Grand Slam in 2009, being the most used wood and hybrid shafts at every Major on the PGA Tour. For two years it has been the most played wood and hybrid shaft at every FedEx Cup Playoff event. Are you playing Aldila, or just graphite?

For more info on Aldila Golf Shafts visit www.golfshaftsasia.com

Golf Shafts Uses Formula 1 Technology

2010-02-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

Williams F1 announced today that is has entered into a unique license agreement with Williams Sports, a US golf equipment company. Williams Sports has a very successful background in the golf business, building one of the most successful golf club companies in the industry during the mid to late 2000's, while producing golf equipment that was used to win 44 times on PGA Tours worldwide. Combining Williams F1’s engineering capability with the established golf club design and production experience of the team at Williams Sports, will create a partnership that will advance golf club designs to a new level in 2010 and beyond.

The purpose of the partnership is to inject Williams F1’s Formula One technology into the design and manufacture of Williams Sports’ golfing equipment. The initial areas of technical partnership are in the aerodynamic profiling of golf club shafts, ferrules and heads, and the application of composites and alloys materials science in club design. With current limitations on modern golf club design, aerodynamics and materials are now the most important aspect of research and development for advance golf products. In addition, the rapid ‘concept to delivery’ lead times typical of Formula One will allow these progressions to reach the golf market sooner than via traditional R&D routes.

Both aerodynamics and carbon fibre composite technology are core Formula One competencies.

Aerodynamics is the key performance differentiator in Formula One. Alongside traditional experimental disciplines such as wind tunnel testing, the sport leads the aerodynamic predictive discipline of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to model the drag and downforce characteristics of their race cars. At Williams F1, a CFD model of the AT&T Williams race car contains hundreds of millions of data points, allowing the smallest change to be assessed and analysed in a virtual environment for its aerodynamic impact across the entire car geometry. Over an average season, a Formula One car will undergo more than 100 aerodynamic revisions to improve on-track competitiveness.

The sport has also pioneered the application and use of low weight, high strength carbon fibre since the 1980s, developing race cars that withstand ten annual penetration, static and dynamic crash tests to ensure driver safety while not compromising performance. Along with carbon fibre, several other materials that are critical to the performance of the race cars will be featured in the line of Williams Sports products.

The clubs will feature tungsten inserts that will be used for fine tuning of weight distribution, which is a process used in Formula One. High nickel content super alloy, used in the manufacture of the lightweight racing car exhausts, will be the featured material in the Qualifier Series of Williams Sports irons.

Initial CFD analysis has shown that the aerodynamic profiling of a top surface trip and diffuser geometry to the underside of a driver head, does, under control conditions, lend the club a smaller wake and improved pressure recovery. The net gain for the golfer is a reduced loss of swing energy in addressing the ball and a more stable head angle better enabling a clean and directional ball strike.

In simulations, the Williams Sports’ FW32 driver demonstrated 19% less drag force and an 11.5% decrease in drag coefficient as against a similarly-specified TaylorMade Burner driver.

Frank Williams, Williams F1’s Team Principal said, "We are at the start of a fascinating period of business development. We have much proprietary know-how which we are now bringing to wider consumer as well as industrial applications, and our engagement with Williams Sport is a clear example of applying our knowledge usefully in areas outside of Formula One. I have great hopes for its potential to revolutionise design in golf equipment.

"This is a very exciting partnership for my team and I," said Michael Lee of Williams Sports. "Having access to Williams F1’s extensive design and engineering know-how puts us one step ahead of every other company in the golf industry. So many limitations have been placed on golf equipment that it was just a matter of time before a golf company started looking at aerodynamics and new materials. Williams Sports is leading the way into a whole new era of club design. We are honoured and excited about what the future holds for the partnership between Williams F1 and Williams Sports."

Aldila Golf Shafts Joins OTC

2010-02-10T14:55:00.000-08:00

EW YORK, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pink OTC Markets Inc. (Pink Sheets: PINK), the leading electronic inter-dealer quotation system, trading technology and financial information provider for Over-the-Counter (OTC) securities, today announced that Aldila, Inc. (OTCQX: ALDA), an American designer and manufacturer of graphite golf shafts, is now trading on OTCQX®.

Aldila, Inc. began trading today on the OTC market's highest tier, OTCQX U.S. Premier. Investors can find current financial disclosure and real-time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcqx.com and www.pinksheets.com.

"With OTCQX, Aldila can continue to remain investor focused while trading on a respected market tier customized for smaller companies trading in the OTC marketplace," said R. Cromwell Coulson, Chairman and CEO of Pink OTC Markets. "We are pleased to welcome Aldila to OTCQX."

B. Riley & Co., LLC will serve as Aldila's Investment Bank Designated Advisor for Disclosure ("DAD") on OTCQX, responsible for providing guidance on listing requirements.

Aldila's RIP helps drive SBS Champ to season-opening victory

2010-02-07T15:29:00.000-08:00

POWAY, Calif. -- The winner of the SBS Championship started off the 2010 PGA Tour season the same way he did the 2009 season, with a victory over the "field of champions" at Kapalua using Aldila's latest technology in his driver. In '09 it was Aldila's VooDoo® shaft featuring S-core Technology™ that helped him dominate the field. This year it was Aldila's latest RIP Technology™ that was instrumental in helping him repeat as the season-opening champ.

In his seventh win on the PGA Tour, he carded a final round 67 to wrap up the tournament with a 22-under 270 (69-66-68-67). He finished tied for 16th place in driving accuracy with a 71.7 average and 19th in driving distance.

"It's great to start of the season with the winner and the second place finisher both benefiting from the superior performance of Aldila's new innovative technology in their drivers," said Stewart Bahl, Aldila's Marketing Manager. "Introduced on the Tour last season, RIP is Aldila's latest shaft technology that provides a lower torque, increased tip stability and better tip stiffness control. After very successful testing on Tour with multiple wins, the RIP will be introduced soon through leading club manufacturers."

The second place finisher at the SBS Championship benefited from the maximum distance and outstanding accuracy of the RIP in his driver finishing seventh in driving distance with a 285.3 average and tied the SBS Champ for 16th place in driving accuracy with a 71.7 average.

"The Hottest Shafts In Golf" also won the hybrid shaft manufacturer count by nearly a three-to-one margin over the next leading competitor, according to the Darrell Survey.

Aldila continues to be the leading name in graphite golf shafts. It won golf's Grand Slam in 2009 and was the most used wood and hybrid shafts at every Major on the PGA Tour. For the past two years it has also been the most played wood and hybrid shaft at every FedEx Cup Playoff event. Are you playing Aldila or just graphite?

Buy Aldila at www.golfshaftsasia.com

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.

Golf Shaft Fitting

2010-02-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

Just as there are people who still don't believe men walked on the moon (the Apollo "landings" supposedly took place on sound stages), so there are people, I'm told, who still don't believe that getting fit for golf clubs is worth the effort. They visit a retail store, perhaps inspired by a television ad, and plop down $300 to $1,200 for a set of irons without testing them.

"If these are good enough for Sergio Garcia, they're good enough for me," they tell themselves. The clubs certainly are good enough, but the reason they work so well for Mr. Garcia is that they fit him like a second skin.

I have a strong anti-complexity bias when it comes to golf. The game is meant to be fun, not a source of stress, which club fitting—daunting and incomprehensible to many—clearly can be. I also hate to nag. But if you're going to buy clubs anyway (which need not be as often as the "new and improved" storylines of most golf-equipment marketing would have you believe), you really ought to be properly fit. The process is not onerous; it's actually quite informative, and it benefits higher handicappers as much as low handicappers. Most importantly, it will make your subsequent golf less frustrating because well-fit clubs promote a more efficient swing. It's possible to hit the ball straight with poorly-fit clubs, but usually only by introducing complicating compensations that rob the swing of power and make it hard to repeat consistently.

There are, of course, degrees of being poorly fitted. Most clubs are the manufacturers' time-proven calculation of those that work well for the largest number of people. But, to put things in fashion terms, if off-the-rack clubs fit you and your swing without adjustments, you're a perfect size eight.
[golfillo] Kyle T. Webster

Even the most rudimentarily trained sales clerk at a sporting-goods store will direct golfers to models with generally appropriate characteristics, such as stiffer shafts for fast swingers and whippier shafts for slower swingers. They will also nudge higher handicap players toward irons with bigger, more forgiving clubheads and drivers that get the ball airborne easily. In more advanced sessions, the fitter will watch customers hit balls, either indoors in a hitting bay or outdoors at a range, and custom order clubs with just the right length, grip size, shaft flexibility and lie angle (the angle between the clubhead and the shaft). The cost of such basic fittings is usually deducted from the price of the clubs purchased.

"Any fitting is better than no fitting," John Screen, the director of sales for Titleist, said Wednesday at the PGA Merchandise Show in Florida. Titleist, like all the major clubmakers, provides a fitting cart, with sample heads and shafts, to teaching pros who sell its clubs and trains them in how the system works. "Getting fit outdoors is better than getting fit indoors," Mr. Screen said, because both the hitter and the fitter can observe actual ball flight patterns, as opposed to, at best, the projected computer simulations of flight patterns available indoors. An experienced fitter working outdoors can come close to identifying the ideal clubs using only the naked eye. "But fine-tuning the fit with a launch monitor can still sometimes add an additional five to 10 yards in distance with the driver," he said.

Electronic launch monitors collect and feed data about spin, ball speed and trajectory into a computer. For maximum distance with modern balls, drives by a typical male should climb quickly at between 12 degrees and 15 degrees, spin at less than 3,000 revolutions per minute, flatten out at 125 yards to 150 yards from the tee and descend at between 28 and 38 degrees. The ideal numbers vary depending on a player's ball speed and other factors, but launch monitors can help dial in the best clubhead and shaft combination for any swing. (Note: you can't rely on "stiff" and "regular" shaft designations from manufacturers, because there is no industry standard.)

Over the last few years, I've been fit for clubs many times using various methods, and had cobbled together a set that I felt fit pretty well. My irons came from a fitting at a super high-tech TaylorMade facility. My driver recommendation, the third iteration after an initial launch monitor fitting, came from an experienced fitter using his naked eye at a "demo" day at a local range. My putter was the result of personal tinkering. But in early December I put my arsenal to the ultimate test in a 3½-hour, $695 "Game Fit" session at the Hot Stix Golf outdoor facility in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Hot Stix offers "agnostic" fittings, meaning it has independently robot-analyzed clubs, shafts and balls from all the major manufacturers and recommends only those products it feels best suit an individual player's needs—including, when indicated, that a player stick with what he or she already has. After a fitting, the company will assemble and sell any of the clubs it recommends, but that's a separate deal. Fittings include a detailed printout of the results, and customers are free to buy the clubs anywhere.

My fitter, Chris Ferguson, played college golf at Arizona State and briefly on the Canadian Tour (where his roommate was PGA Tour regular Pat Perez). He knows the technology inside and out. To get a sense of my tendencies, he watched me hit balls on the range; put me through a short-game circuit on a practice green and in bunkers; machine-tested my current clubs, including checking the oscillation of the shafts; and had me try new irons and woods while monitoring the results with a TrackMan radar system.

The upshot? My driver and three wood were near perfect and he made no alternative recommendations. My two hybrids were acceptable but we found an Adams Golf hybrid model with an expensive Japanese shaft that I liked better and hope to put into my bag some day. My irons were also good, but he discovered a significant distance gap between my seven iron and six iron, which he corrected by tweaking the loft of my seven iron. The all-important loft on my putter was just right for my stroke but the shaft needed to be an inch and a half longer to improve my setup posture and help me see the line better. He advised adding an inexpensive extension beneath the grip.

The big change was in my wedges. First, the lofts and lies of my current wedges were off, possibly from getting banged around over the two years I've played them. Second, he recommended I take the seldom-used four iron out of my bag and replace it with a third sand wedge, to give me more scoring accuracy from inside 120 yards.

I offer these details not because they are relevant to anyone else's particular fitting needs, but to illustrate the types of issues a good fitting can address. "One of the main benefits we provide is peace of mind," Mr. Ferguson told me afterward. Golf, as has been often noted, is a game of confidence.

Original Article

Fujikura Introduces New Shafts for 2010

2010-02-06T21:53:00.000-08:00

Superior Technology, Designs, Materials and Tour-Proven

(Vista, CA – January 21, 2010) Fujikura, the #1 Driver Shaft Brand in professional golf for the past nine years, is proud to introduce its next generation of performance shafts for the 2010 golf season.

The new shafts demonstrate Fujikura’s commitment to superior design, technology and materials as well as its collaboration with leading Tour professionals and the world’s premier clubmakers. The new line includes:

The Motore Speeder™ is supercharged with Fujikura Quadra Axis Composite™ and Triax Woven™ material creating our 7 Axis Technology™. This uniformity throughout the shaft helps eliminate deformation yet provides the maximum amount of feel through the entire swing, increasing overall performance and stability. The new Motore Speeder shaft won the first week it was launched on Tour at the Barclays Singapore Open.

The Motore F3 is a complimentary addition to the highly successful Tour proven Motore F1. The Motore Series features Fujikura’s proprietary and proven High Inertia Tip (H.I.T.) Technology which stores more energy during the downswing and releases the energy just before impact maintaining the shaft and club’s stability. The result is greater distance and accuracy in all clubs. Motore’s "smart" shaping of the tip enables these benefits while minimizing weight, allowing the tip end to accelerate faster than conventional tips.

The FitOn Max™ Series was designed with our proprietary Swing-Sync Design Technology. This design platform gives each shaft optimal flexural rigidity. Swing-Sync provides exceptional feedback to the player in order to immediately obtain the best control. FitOn Max comes in four different weight ranges to maximize speed for all player profiles and better fit all levels of golfers.

"This new line of shafts clearly demonstrates Fujikura's commitment to superior design, materials and technology," says Dave Schnider President/COO of Fujikura. "These shafts also reflect our successful collaboration with leading Tour professionals and club makers to produce the highest performing shafts in golf."

"Fujikura’s exceptional 2009 performance across all Tours, especially our ninth consecutive year being the #1 Driver Shaft Brand on the PGA Tour, gives us confidence that our new shaft introductions will help Fujikura grow and solidify our expanding leadership position," says Schnider.

Our R&D team has worked closely with our Tour team to develop the innovative Motore Speeder shaft and evolve the Motore F series," says Alex Dee, Fujikura’s Vice President of Engineering. "These truly revolutionary shafts continue to reinforce Fujikura’s superior technology and performance."

"We’re excited to have these new shafts on Tour. A number of players have been testing and started putting them into play already," says Pat McCoy, Fujikura's Tour Manager. "As Our Barclay’s win and ongoing Tour leadership indicates, Fujikura continues to be recognized as Tour’s highest performance shaft."

Building Momentum
Fujikura is building momentum entering the 2010 golf season having the #1 Wood Shaft Brand at the SBS Championship in Hawaii. Motore was the #1 Driver Shaft Brand for all four 2009 major championships and lead the Darrell Survey National Consumer Report on new driver shaft usages for the second consecutive year.

The Fujikura shafts will be introduced in January 2010 at the PGA Show. They will be available through Fujikura’s Charter Dealers across the United States and around the world beginning in February.

Fujikura is the primary supplier to many national brand OEM’s offering both proprietary and brand product shaft designs. Fujikura products also can be custom fitted through its network of over 900 Charter Dealers. To learn more about Fujikura, visit www.fujikuragolf.com.

Dynamic Gold captures Farmers Insurance Open and Qatar Masters

2010-02-02T18:29:00.000-08:00

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Number One shaft manufacturer in the world, True Temper Sports won its second straight set of tournaments on the 2010 PGA TOUR and the European Tour this past weekend.

This week's champion at the Farmers Insurance Open earned a trip to the Masters, playing True Temper's Dynamic Gold. The newly crowned PGA winner achieved the victory by ranking first in Greens in Regulation (87.5 percent). Overall at the Farmers Insurance Open, True Temper had 139 sets of irons in play, while the nearest competitor fielded only nine sets. Meanwhile, the Qatar Masters champion scored a victory on the European Tour also playing Dynamic Gold shafts.

"The technology and design behind Dynamic Gold shafts are Tour-proven and continue to provide winning performance week after week on tours worldwide," says Scott Hennessy, president and CEO of True Temper Sports. "Dynamic Gold shafts have won more events than all other shafts combined, and it is exciting to see Dynamic Gold continue to lead in tour victories and be the number one shaft in the bags of the best players in the world."

Featuring a high-flex, tour weight design, Dynamic Gold steel shafts are the top-selling steel shaft in golf and are preferred by skilled players seeking a low, penetrating ball flight. True Temper's Project X shaft is another successful brand which is well-known a 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.

For more information on True Temper Sports or True Temper shafts, visit www.TrueTemper.com. True Temper can also be found on Facebook at facebook.truetemper.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.

Latest Golf Shafts News

2010-02-02T18:27:00.001-08:00

'The Hottest Shafts In Golf' claims woods, hybrids count victories on PGA & Nationwide Tours

RIP coming 2010Feb. 1, 2010 - POWAY, Calif. -"The Hottest Shafts In Golf" were on fire this week across the globe as the winner of the European Tour's Commercialbank Qatar Masters won using Aldila's RIP in his driver. In the U.S., Aldila was the most sought after woods and hybrids shaft manufacturer on the PGA and Nationwide Tours as they won both counts, according to the Darrell Survey.

Aldila capped off the week's success with both the longest driver and most accurate driver on the PGA Tour playing their shafts.

Using Aldila's latest shaft, the RIP®, in his driver the winner of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters captured his first victory since becoming the first Swede to win the Harry Vardon Trophy and be recognized as Europe's Number One in 2008. Using Aldila's RIP he averaged 295.9 yards in Driving Distance to finish in 14th place. He was 31st in Driving Accuracy finishing the week with a 57.15 average.

Led by their number one shaft the VooDoo® and their latest shaft the RIP, Aldila captured the woods and hybrids shaft manufacturer counts on the PGA and Nationwide Tours.

The VooDoo, featuring Aldila's patent pending S-core Technology™ is the primary reason that Aldila was the #1 wood and hybrid shaft manufacturer on 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.

Prior to the Farmers Insurance Open, the longest driver made the switch to the VooDoo in his driver. He finished the tournament with an average of 307 yards, which was 32 yards longer than the field average. The most accurate driver played Aldila's NV® in his driver and led the field in Driving Accuracy finishing the Farmers with a 78.57 percent compared the field's 55.22 percent.

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.

"The VooDoo's S-Core Technology increases the shaft's hoop strength/stiffness so much that it's 80 percent greater than conventional graphite, and up to 60 percent greater than competitors' attempts at cross sectional stabilization," said Stewart Bahl, Aldila's Marketing Manager. "The VooDoo simply helps generate consistently straight and long shots - with feel competitor shafts can't match."

Aldila is the leading name in graphite golf shafts: It won golf's Grand Slam in 2009, being the most used wood and hybrid shafts at every Major on the PGA Tour. For two years it has been the most played wood and hybrid shaft at every FedEx Cup Playoff event.

Graphite Design Golf Shafts at PGA

2010-01-28T05:39:00.000-08:00

SAN DIEGO -- Graphite Design, maker of some of the most widely played premium shafts on the PGA TOUR, announced that it will be participating in the PGA Merchandise Show on January 28 - 30 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. The company will also be participating in the Demo Day on Wednesday, January 27 at Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge.
Graphite Design's full line of products will be displayed at the Equipment Test Center in Hitting Bay #3 in the Orange County Convention Center and on the driving range at the demo day. Attendees will have the opportunity to check out the latest products including the new Tour AD DI shafts and the popular AURA, Tour AD YSQ ST, and Tour AD YSQ shafts.

Designed to provide more power and stability, the Tour AD DI shaft, manufactured exclusively at Graphite Design Japan, has been integrated with Toray Company's new Nanotechnology material in the tip section of the shaft. This unique tip technology creates optimal launch and spin conditions to produce increased accuracy and distance. The shaft made its debut on the major Tours in the fall of 2009 and has already been put in play in competition by numerous professional golfers. Tour players have been impressed by the fact that when using the Tour AD DI shaft they can increase ball speed and accuracy without giving up distance.

AURA shafts are available in four different "aura" colors based on the performance needs of both professional and amateur golfers. Options include RED for the long hitter who uses the professional tees; GOLD for the better player who tees off on the championship tees; BLUE for the shot maker hitting off the men's tees, and GREEN for golfers hitting off the women tees. Swing speeds for each flex are displayed on the shaft.

The Tour AD YSQ ST features a 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 Tour AD YSQ ST to enhance the feel and stability of the shaft.

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.

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 64 victories since 2004 and millions of dollars in prize money. A total of 8 US distributors and 5 European and Asian distributors supply Graphite Design shafts to over 1000 custom fitters around the world.

About Graphite Design
Graphite Design, established in Japan in 1989 and in the U.S. in 1997, is the industry leader in shaft technology and the preferred brand for golf professionals worldwide. One of the world's three largest golf-club shaft manufacturers, the company made its mark manufacturing premium shafts for most of golf's major OEMs, including the top four companies by sales volume. Graphite Design shafts continue to be preferred by top club makers the world over while the company's mainstay YS shafts, Pershing shafts and other models are extremely popular among avid and occasional golfers.

Revolutionary technology, design and sourcing the most advanced materials are trademarks in all Graphite Design shafts, making them the highest quality performance shafts on the market. Validating the company's "AD" logo, all of Graphite Design's PGA Tour-proven shafts specifically promote "Accuracy and Distance" and these key competitive advantages are helping professional and amateur golfers optimize their games after switching to Graphite Design shafts.

Kelly Works Tech Side for Win for Miyazaki Golf Shafts

2010-01-27T22:34:00.000-08:00

Posted: April 27, 2009 on thegolfchannel.com

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 and getting ready to hit his Miyazaki Golf Shafts

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 and try out his new Miyazaki golf shafts

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.

Fujikura Takes Getting Fit For Shafts to Next Level

2010-01-27T21:29:00.000-08:00

By John Torsiello, publinksgolfer.net

A simple question: Would you buy a high-priced sports car just because it looks good? Won't you also look under the hood and check out the engine? Of course you will. Well, why don't more golfers take the time to "look under the hoods" of those sleek, pricey new drivers that are constantly coming onto the market and consider what really makes the club work….the shaft? Fujikura, one of the leading shaft makers in the world and the number one metal wood shaft brand on the PGA Tour for eight years, is doing its best to inform the consumer on the vital importance of being fit for the right shaft in order to maximize on-course performance.

What PGA Tour pros and serious amateurs have known for so long average players are becoming aware of: The shaft is perhaps the single most important tool in optimizing the playing potential of any club. To that end, Fujikura early this year launched what it calls the Fujikura Fit-On Academy at its California facility. Golfers can schedule a visit to the Academy where they will be put through a comprehensive fitting experience that will produce a wealth of detailed information that will allow the participant to determine what shaft is right for his or her particular swing. If you can't make it to the Fit-On Academy don't worry.

Fujikura has developed an extensive list of custom clubmakers all over the country that have access to testing procedures and information direct from Fujikura via the Internet. When customers call or visit the Fit-On Academy at the company's website, www.fujikuragolf.com, he or she will receive a list of dealers in their area and contact information. Simply set up a meeting with the dealer and get fitted. "We used fitting technology from Japan and put a U.S. spin on it," said Fujikura president, David Schnider. "We developed our own software and opened the fitting center to educate our OEMs, sales, technical and customer service people how it all works. Then we set up an extensive network of clubmakers that are Fujikura dealers. We passed our information about clubfitting along to our dealers so they can use it effectively."

Those who choose to visit the Fit-On Academy in person enjoy a unique experience similar to that of a Tour pro who wants to refine his or her game, said Schnider. "There is so much information that we produce. The fitting takes about four hours--an hour just for the driver--and it's a true fitting experience. We aren't in the business of selling Fujikura shafts. Rather we give our customers information and recommendations and they can choose to use it as they see fit. They can buy through an OEM dealer or visit a clubmaker, who will look at the numbers and perhaps tweak things a bit and make his own recommendations."

Well known and appreciated by Tour players for years, Fujikura has in recent years made a determined effort to get quality shafts into the hands of players of all levels. "We have always started at the top of the pyramid of influence with PGA Tour players," said Schnider. "We have a Tour Series line of shafts that are a little more expensive and made with high grade materials that are for the stronger players. We launched a line that we call the Essential Series that has shafts ranging from a shaft for women and a player with a slow swing speed right on up to professional players. I think we have increased awareness of the importance of the shaft, and we believe the average player can benefit greatly from geeing fit properly." He added, "The average golfer sees a new driver on a television commercial and thinks that's the one for him. He buys it off the shelf and hits it pretty well. But he may not be maximizing his performance because he might not have the proper shaft for his swing.

It's amazing when people come to the Fit-On Academy. We haven't had anyone who hasn't had better ball performance by going through the fitting lab. On an average, people are getting 15 to 20 yards more distance with a driver." Think of buying a golf club as you would a new suit, said Schnider. "You can go in and buy something off the rack and look pretty good. Or you can have your exact measurements taken and then have something custom made. You are going to look 100 percent better and feel better about the suit having it custom made." Schnider said feedback from those who have visited the Fit-On Academy or the network of Fujikura clubmakers and dealers has been "absolutely tremendous. "Usually, people follow up if they have had a bad experience and sometimes no news is good news. But in this instance we have had an overwhelming number of people call back and say "Wow, this really works for me.'" While perhaps not as unique as a visit to the Fit-On Academy, Schnider said getting fit at one of the clubmakers in the Fujikura system is a detailed process. "Don't worry if you can't come out to California. We have people at Fujikura talking to our dealers every day helping them understand how our fitting works.

The dealers have access to an online calculator and they are plugging the same numbers in and coming up with recommendations on shafts. Maybe they have their own techniques, but you are getting a similar fitting." Schnider believes golfers are taking heed and finally grasping the importance of the shaft when it comes to the overall performance of a club, whether it is the driver or a set of irons. "The young guys really get it and they are always switching shafts and experimenting. We have aimed some of our focus on the plus-35-year-old golfer, the weekend players who may be 15 handicappers but want to improve their games. Those are the people that our Essential Series can help and the word is getting out. You don't have to be a Tour player to benefit from technology and that's especially true when it comes to the shaft." For more information about Fujikura and the Fit-On Academy visit the Fujikura Golf Shafts website.

To buy Fujikura golf shafts in Asia contact www.golfshaftsasia.com

An Inside Look at Fujikura's Fit-On Academy

2010-01-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

From Golfwrx.com
By Apryl DeLancey, on September 23rd, 2008

The Fujikura Fit-On Academy gives the everyday golfer a fitting experience that is fit for a pro. Using proprietary software, Fujikura compiles measurements of every club and all aspects of a swing in order to recommend the perfect shaft. The Academy is headed by Pat McCoy, a PGA of America member with years of experience fitting tour pros. McCoy and his staff find the "unique, one-of-a-kind thumbprint for a swing" that every golfer has.

Depending on the fitting package chosen, your experience can include a tour of the R&D Facility. During this time, you may hear something like when we visited McCoy and his intern Marshall Thompson:

"We at Fujikura needed a place where we could quickly test shafts and evaluate product quickly and easily for all of our customers and tour professionals. We test inside with Trackman and have an additional facility where we can test performance outdoors. Ultimately we also wanted to be able to bring in the consumer to see how we fit tour professionals and give them the experience and information to improve their game. We have many different heads to try out, nearly every one on the market and just about every golf ball so that we can fit any golfer. The common denominator with all of that is, of course, the shaft. We can fit for so many different swings with so many different shafts and wanted to show the customer that differences in shaft, loft, lie, weight, etc. can make a difference in their game. For example, one manufacturer with several head models enables us to offer 987 different fitting combinations.

We have a proprietary software program that we are able to put in all of a player's information and have access to it everywhere we travel. In addition, the software is able to help other fitters with finding a player's ideal fit since there are so many possible combinations."

Part of the experience of the Fujikura Fit-On Academy is a complete measurement of your current bag. At this point, the loft, lie, etc. are carefully measured and recorded. A golfer will learn whether there is the right amount of loft between irons, both numerically and with graphical representation among other things (like lie and face angle).

McCoy went on to explain the engineering processes and machinery in a tour of the facility, which included a sneak peek at some soon-to-be released technology and a bit of the Facility's history:

"The EI Machine is a new prototype that Fujikura will be selling to the industry in the future. This can measure the EI or flex curvature of a shaft in less than 2 minutes and can even measure an assembled golf club. Basically the shaft is measured by how well it retains it's flex throughout when it is deflected. The machine bends the shaft and measures the entire length via laser and records the outside diameter and inside diameter while it is being flexed. It is a unique technology to the industry due to the speed and the fact that it can measure an entire club. In the past it would take over 10 minutes to measure a shaft and you could never measure an entire club.

We also have a fatigue machine that OEMs have purchased from us. What we do with this is bend the shaft while it is turning. This finds out where the shaft might fail. The machine goes up and down the shaft while it spins in tension. We run a computer program with this that tells us where the shaft failed and how long it took to fail. For example, the program will apply a certain amount of pressure for a specific time period, say two days, and tell us when that shaft failed. This machine will be a Fujikura-branded machine that will be manufactured and sold in the future.

When I first started eight years ago, Fujikura had a manufacturing facility with a staff of about 400 employees here in Vista, CA. Because of rising costs, we shut our facility down. In order to still support the major golf club manufacturers with top quality designs, we opened the Fujikura R&D facility. This facility has the same machinery and production capability of our factories overseas but at a much smaller scale. This has enabled Fujikura to design rapid prototype shafts and then easily transition these designs to our overseas facilities for mass production. The Fit-On Academy was created to use this prototyping capability to test and help design new and improved shafts designs for all level of players."

The Making of A Shaft
McCoy takes us through the making of a shaft: "What makes our shafts as good as they are is the material that we have in the shafts. One material is the TRIAX which is in our Speeder, the go-to shaft. Triax enables the shaft to return to its straight shape more quickly than conventional graphite shafts. It almost acts like a spring or a whip through the hitting area for increased clubhead speed. We have several other materials that are patented that only Fujikura uses in the golf shaft industry. Depending upon whether we are putting together the Speeder, Rombax, or next generation shaft s, all our shafts use the highest technology materials in the shaft industry." During this time one sees the different sheets of the materials that will eventually become the shaft. The components are cut into the constituent parts and carefully layered. McCoy explains that there can be from about 5 plies of material up to 15 depending on the weight and flex of the shaft. The overall goal is always to make the shaft as round, or circular, as possible. The engineers at the facility have taken out all matter of chance in making the shafts as all specs are pre-determined. This means that it is known how each shaft will turn out (tip and butt flex, EI, weight, torque) before it is even made. There are machines that cut all of the materials and rolling presses in order to keep the integrity of the measurements, leaving nothing to chance. This makes reproducible, predictable results of a high quality. The process includes checkpoints that assure the quality of the shafts before they are cured. After shafts are cured they are meticulously examined for any flaws. The flex is checked digitally after the process is complete. There are machines that check the flex of the shafts with weights that some of the OEMs use to also check the specs in a more old-fashioned method. There is no "standard" for the shaft industry – most manufacturers have their own set of measurements that they consider to be ideal. In addition, measurements are not always taken from the same part of the shaft, further differentiating specs between different manufacturers.

The Fitting
Fujikura did not want to be in the dark about any club and wanted to be the source for knowing everything about a club. The first thing that happens with all of the products used in the fittings is meticulous measurements. When you see the drawers full of heads and other club pieces, each has a sticker that tells exactly what its measurements are (loft, lie, bulge, roll, etc.). They know everything about a club before putting it into a golfer's hands. Everyone knows that a club that says 8.5 is not always an 8.5, after all. This is the case for the heads as well as the shafts (length, weight, etc.). In fact, Fujikura teaches other fitters to have different lengths, kickpoints, and other metrics in order to have more options to do a proper fitting. Indeed, the Fit-On Academy is quite thorough.

Trackman, the software, the screen…it's all there…your measurements are meticulously recorded. Your clubs, your swing, everything. You don't realize just how thorough your fitting was until about a week later. There you are, still euphoric over the entire experience when you check your mail. In your mailbox is a large manila envelope from Pat McCoy and his staff. You open it to find a folder with measurements of your club (or entire bag, depending on which fitting you opt for). The club, head, shaft, grip, loft, lie, and length are all recorded in a table. Next, if you have your entire bag measured will be graphs of length, loft, lie, swing weight, and weight. This is to show any gaps in your current system. Finally, a recommendation page with specs for what you have been fitted for. In addition, for each club that you are fitted for will be shot-by-shot Trackman details with averages, a graph of dispersion, and a trajectory graph are included. You'll find these for both your club and the recommended club. Finally, a DVD (if included in your fitting package) shows your swing and includes lines for you to see your swing plane. When you come back down to Earth, you'll realize that you have extremely valuable information that can only serve to improve your game. Now, you must act on it.

A Word From The President
Newly-minted President of Fujikura, Dave Schnider, has been with the company for nine years and at his current post since April 2008. Prior to his tenure with the company he was with Grafalloy, True Temper, and a college golfer at San Diego State University. We found out from Schnider that the Fit-On Academy is a big part of Fujikura's plan here in the States. The company has done fittings in Japan for nearly ten years and they have more recently made this available to the US market. The company has learned so much about fitting from Japan and tour pro fittings that they now offer the everyday golfer this exceptional experience to improve their game. Being tied in to the R&D facility also gives them the ability stay in touch with all golfers' needs. Fitting remains a top priority for the company.

The new shaft line – the ATL, or Academy Tour Limited – will soon be available. This line is designed for the PGA Tour and better players out there. In fact, the shafts will first be seen on Tour in late November/early December. Even so, the company is interested in being accessible to all golfers. The Fit-On Academy is to give the rest of us that Tour fitting experience that used to only be available to the pros. "The Tour player gets such a benefit from being properly fit. We wanted to bring this to more golfers", says Schneider. The future of shafts at Fujikura will expand to fit mid-handicap and more players. Essentially, the E Series will already suit a large majority of golfers.

And By The Way
Everyone we met at the facility is an exceptional golfer in their own right. McCoy claims that he's "not that great at only about a 4 or 5 handicap", intern Thompson is a scratch golfer, and Schneider is a +2.

Fujikura Builds Momentum Entering 2010 Golf Season

2010-01-27T20:49:00.000-08:00

2010 Recap for Fujikura
On January 05, 2010 - By Brandon de la Cruz

(Vista, CA – January 5, 2010) Fujikura is building momentum entering the 2010 golf season based on these 2009 accomplishments:

* #1 Driver Shaft Brand on the PGA Tour for nine straight years.
* Leading the Darrell Survey National Consumer Report on new driver shaft usages for the second consecutive year.
* Motore was the #1 Driver Shaft Brand for all four major championships.
* The new Motore Speeder shaft won the first week it was launched on Tour at the Barclays Singapore Open.

"These accomplishments build great momentum for Fujikura entering 2010, and continue to demonstrate the superior design, technology and materials of our shafts. The new Motore Speeder winning the first week it was launched on Tour was especially impressive and encouraging for the coming season," says David Schnider, President/COO of Fujikura.

"As always, we're proud of our strong partnerships with OEM partners that allow us to create and produce superior performance products. Fujikura is also excited to introduce new innovative shafts and fitting technology at the upcoming PGA Show," says Schnider.

Fujikura is the primary supplier to many national brand OEM's offering both proprietary and brand product shaft designs. Fujikura products also can be custom fitted through its network of over 900 Charter Dealers. To learn more about Fujikura, visit www.fujikuragolf.com or to purchase Fujikura Golf Shafts throughout Asia visit www.golfshaftsasia.com

Graphite Design Tour AD DI

2010-01-26T17:53:00.001-08:00

New for 2010 from Golf Shafts Asia, Graphite Design introduces the Tour AD DI - DEEP IMPACT shaft designed to provide more power and stability. The Tour AD DI manufactured exclusively at Graphite Design Japan has been integrated with Toray Company’s new Nanomaterial technology in the tip section of the shaft.

This unique technology allows the player to create an epic IMPACT on ball speed while still providing exceptional feel and control. The mid bend profile of the Tour AD DI allows the player to load the shaft properly, yet maintains a firm enough tip section through IMPACT producing optimal spin and launch conditions.

Result, the Graphite Design Tour AD DI will deliver players to the next level in shaft performance and impress an epic IMPACT on your game! The Tour AD DI shaft carries the Tour AD moniker which stands for Tour Accuracy and Distance and has long been known for high quality and superior performance. This is represented by the company’s success that 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 seven years.

Fully Loaded Will a shaft upgrade buy you distance?

2010-01-25T04:47:00.000-08:00

By Max Adler
Edited By Mike Stachura
July 2009

Golf Digest Article - Original Article Link

The thin plies of graphite fiber lining a driver shaft react, however subtly, to each little herk and jerk of your swing, but the only moment that matters is right before impact. Here, in a perfect world, the shaft tip is bent back from the mass of the lagging head, and then straightens the instant the ball is hit. This is how to transfer the greatest amount of energy. But look at flash photographs of tour pros, and you'll find a lot have the opposite going on at this dynamic moment. The driver head is actually leading the tip, causing the shaft to bow away from the target. For the head to lag, the swing must be constantly accelerating. Because the driver is a sweeping motion to an extreme forward ball position (unlike with irons), even the best players in the world don't typically accelerate all the way to impact.

Average golfers tend to release the club (unhinge the wrists) earlier in the downswing than the pros do. Therefore, many believe that average golfers have no need for fancy custom shafts because any energy stored in the shaft is wasted before they hit the ball.
‘The shaft makes a difference even if you come over the top.’

But John Oldenburg, vice president of engineering at Aldila, disagrees. "The shaft makes a difference for all golfers," he says. "Even if you come over the top and release early, the shaft is still doing something at impact. Deceleration is just negative acceleration -- it still causes the shaft to flex."

The goal is to find a shaft that -- after reacting to the sum of all forces applied to it (swing path, release point, upper-body sway, etc.) -- ideally bends and unbends on the way to impact. "If a stock shaft happens to fit the player's loading profile, he doesn't need to look any further," Oldenburg says. A shaft sold as standard (stock) is designed to flex to fit the majority of players. Custom shafts offer variety and more options to match a swing or launch conditions. In a sample of 15,000 fittings by GolfTec, a national instruction and fitting center, only 10 percent resulted in a shaft-upgrade recommendation, although some were for players worse than a 10-handicap.

So what's the difference? Ping design engineer Marty Jertson, who helped develop the company's stock TFC 129D shaft played by staff player Hunter Mahan, says regardless of the fibers, a shaft weighs a certain amount and bends a certain amount. "These mass properties drive the show," he says. "The exotic materials and production techniques of upgrade shafts might make a feel difference post-impact, damping vibration."

Shaft torque is the issue, Oldenburg says. "It's the most expensive parameter to control, especially in light shafts," he says. "Faster swingers trend toward upgrades because the low torque helps them keep the ball straight. Slower swingers, on the other hand, benefit from more torque because it helps them square the face at impact and avoid the rights."

1 DIAMANA
Available in 60-, 70- and 80-gram weights, the Kai'li is engineered to give aggressive swingers a lower spinning shot ($380, mitsubishirayongolf.com).

2 FUJIKURA
The Motore F1 employs the company's "high-inertia-tip" technology -- a flared taper in the wall thickness to increase ball speed ($250, fujikuragolf.com).

3 GRAFALLOY
The ProLaunch Axis Red features six cross-linked fiber axes and is for golfers seeking a boring trajectory ($100, grafalloy.com).

4 GRAPHITE DESIGN
The more active tip in the Tour AD Aura Blue is designed for golfers seeking a higher trajectory with additional spin ($50, gdintl.com).

5 OBAN
The lightweight Devotion 6 ranges from 64 to 66 grams and is made for players who have a quick transition at the top of their swing ($150, obanshafts.com).

6 UST MAMIYA
The four-axis weave in the ProForce AXIVCore Tour Red is designed to aid shaft recovery. The stiff-tip profile is for a firm feel ($140, ustmamiya.com).

WHAT YOU ALWAYS WONDERED

Can a shaft wear out?
Not likely. The kind of composites used to make golf shafts have outstanding fatigue properties. Some initial "micro-cracking" between the fibers and adhesive can occur the first few times a shaft is ever hit but will then level off.

What does kickpoint mean?
Absolutely nothing. A shaft doesn't "kick" forward like a whip. Think instead about "bend profile" because a shaft has different degrees of flexibility in the butt, center and the tip. Generally, the more flexible a shaft is toward the tip, the higher it will launch a ball.

Is every R-flex the same?
No. Almost all companies measure flex as how fast a shaft vibrates when one part is clamped and one part is flicked, but there is no industry standard for running this test. So any letter you see on a shaft (L, A, R, S, X) is only relative to that company. It's possible one company's R-flex might be stiffer than another brand's S-flex.

Fujikura Golf, Vicon and Bentley 3 form strategic partnership

2010-01-23T20:48:00.000-08:00

VISTA, Calif. -- Fujikura Golf has formed a strategic partnership with Academy-Award winning motion tracking systems company Vicon Motion Systems and accomplished biomechanical sports performance company Bentley 3 to produce breakthrough and proprietary 3D golf clubfitting technologies to be introduced at the upcoming PGA Show in Orlando, January 28-30.

" Vicon and Bentley 3's technologies and expertise will allow Fujikura to take custom fitting and golf shaft design to a level that has never been seen before," David Schnider, President and COO of Fujikura. "This breakthrough technology will be a game changer in improving the performance of golfers of all skill levels."

"With their established success in golf industry and experts in fitting technologies, Fujikura and Bentley are exceptional partners to introduce Vicon's 3-D motion capture technology to the golf industry, says Douglas Reinke, CEO and President of Vicon. "We're excited to join these innovators in bringing Vicon's leading technology and innovations to a new and important market for our company."
"Leveraging Vicon technology and Fujikura shaft and fitting technologies, Bentley can provide proven swing and fitting solutions to golfers and PGA professionals to help them improve their performance and avoid injuries," says Michael Bentley, President of Bentley 3. "These partners perfectly match our competencies and experience in creating golf specific training and performance enhancement technologies."

Fujikura is the primary supplier to many national brand OEM's offering both proprietary and brand product shaft designs. Fujikura products also can be custom fitted through its network of over 900 Charter Dealers. To learn more about Fujikura, visit www.fujikuragolf.com.

Academy Award®-winning Vicon is the world's preeminent developer of precision technologies and software focusing on human movement analysis combined with CG imaging. For over 25 years, Vicon has provided innovative solutions for customers in Biomechanics, Sports Performance and Engineering as well as the Film, Visual Effects and Games markets. F0r more information, visit www.vicon.com

Bentley 3 LLC, headquartered in Encinitas, CA, is a company which specializes in developing and designing technology and educational training programs to enhance biomechanical performance and sports specific skills. B3's initial focus on golf has revolutionized the swing through the first complete motion capture and analysis system. Visit www.bentleythree.com for more information.

This strategic partnership will introduce its innovative clubfitting technologies at room 205A at the PGA Merchandise Show January 28-3o. The room will be open for media and customer demonstrations of the new technologies.

True Temper shafts help capture victory at SBS Championship

2010-01-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Shafts designed and manufactured by True Temper kicked off the 2010 season with a victory at the SBS Championship at The Plantation Course at Kapalua. The new SBS champion played Rifle shafts in his irons to best the unique field of approximately 28 PGA TOUR professionals and to win a $1.2 million paycheck.

Last season, True Temper led the PGA TOUR with more than 40 victories and a clean sweep of all four PGA majors. This weekend, True Temper's Dynamic Gold and Project X brands were the overwhelming favorites among players, with 24 sets in play while the closest competitor only had two sets in play. Additionally, nine players finishing in the Top 10 trusted True Temper shafts for the ultimate performance and 24 players in the field played True Temper shafts with the closest

"The SBS Championship consists of champions from the 2009 PGA TOUR season, so it's a highly competitive tournament with some of the best players in the world," says Scott Hennessy, president and CEO of True Temper Sports. "True Temper has led the golf industry for more than 70 years, and we remain dedicated to producing shafts which deliver unparalleled performance on tours worldwide."

The Number One shaft manufacturer in the world, True Temper Sports has delivered hundreds of professional tour victories around the world, and True Temper shafts, such as Dynamic Gold and Project X, continue to dominate the PGA TOUR week after week. 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. True Temper's Project X shaft is another successful brand which is well-known a 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.

For more information on True Temper shafts visit www.truetemper.com and http://facebook.truetemper.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 reports unveiling new Performance Fitting Centers

2010-01-23T20:42:00.000-08:00

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The world's No. 1 shaft manufacturer, True Temper is proud to introduce its new Performance Fitting Center (PFC) Program. Through the all-new elite dealer program dealers can receive first-to-market opportunities, exclusive access to True Temper products, members-only use of ShaftFit Pro, True Temper's new online fitting system, and many other special benefits.

Available only through True Temper, the Performance Fitting Center (PFC) Program is a comprehensive network which works to grow, promote and develop certified professionals, who provide excellence in the golf retail and custom fitting industry. Managed by Swing Science of Indianapolis, Ind., the Performance Fitting Centers consolidate True Temper's Tour Concepts, Certified Rifle Centers and Gold Certified programs under one cohesive network for enhanced efficiency, increased brand awareness and greater resources and benefits for dealers.

"We are excited to announce our Performance Fitting Center program with never-before-offered marketing opportunities and support for our dealers," says Bill Lange, global distribution sales manager. "This program is far more comprehensive than anything we've previously offered, and we can now provide our dealers with more valuable resources such as our newly designed ShaftFit Pro, an online fitting system which will enhance the custom fitting experience."

A special seminar outlining details of the PFC program will be held during the 2010 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. The seminar will be held in Room 202C at 1 p.m. on January 29, 2010. All current and prospective dealers are invited to attend, and should RSVP by January 22, 2010 to pfc@truetemper.com, subject "PGA Show Seminar," or call 901.746.2000.

To become a Performance Fitting Center and enjoy all of the program benefits, dealers may also attend workshops held at Swing Science's locations in Orlando or Indianapolis. Workshops in Orlando will be held in conjunction with the 2010 PGA Merchandise Show on January 25, 27, 28 and 29. To reserve a spot in one of the workshops, contact Swing Science at 1-800-783-0196 or visit www.swingscience.net/PFC .

With manufacturing facilities located throughout the country and offices around the world, True Temper retains the largest market share globally in golf shafts. While True Temper offers several brands with many unique models, the Dynamic Gold and Project X brands dominate many of the headlines from the world tours. The two lines have combined to win more than 40 wins on the PGA TOUR during the 2009 season alone, plus all four the PGA TOUR major events.

For more information on True Temper Sports or True Temper shafts, visit www.TrueTemper.com . True Temper can also be found on Facebook at facebook.truetemper.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 Announces Partnership with AJGA

2010-01-20T03:57:00.000-08:00

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — True Temper®, the world's No. 1 shaft manufacturer, announces its sponsorship of the American Junior Golf Association. True Temper signed a multi-year partnership agreement through the 2011 season, which creates a unique ambassador program that will bring True Temper’s expertise to the AJGA members with a direct focus on equipment education and player/sponsor interaction. “True Temper is happy to work with and sponsor the AJGA and its mission,” says Ray Lucas, vice president of sales and marketing for True Temper Sports. “We believe in supporting the best players at all levels of the game and feel this partnership allows us to do just that at the junior level.” In addition to the ambassador program, True Temper will be featured in the AJGA's online magazine, The AJGA Insider and will work with the AJGA to provide players with educational content about custom fitting.

“We appreciate True Temper's support of the AJGA,” said Jason Etzen, AJGA chief business officer. “True Temper has been a leader in the golf industry for over 70 years and we are excited for the opportunities this partnership will create.” The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf.

The AJGA, the largest Association of its kind, has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of more than 5,000 junior golfers from 50 states and 30 foreign countries.

For more information, please contact Katie Wilson (kwilson@ajga.org) in the AJGA Sponsorship Department at (678) 425-1743 or visit the AJGA Web site at ajga.org.

With manufacturing facilities located throughout the country and offices around the world, True Temper globally retains the largest market share in golf shafts. While True Temper offers several brands with many unique models, the Dynamic Gold and Project X brands dominate many of the headlines from the world tours. The two lines combined to win more than 40 wins on the PGA TOUR in the 2009 season alone, plus all four the PGA TOUR major events. For more information about True Temper, visit www.truetemper.com or find True Temper on Facebook at 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 facebook.pxshaft.com

Or if you're a golf shop in Asia wanting to buy premium True Temper golf shafts, visit 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 MEDIA CONTACT: John Meng Meng & Associates Inc. P. 512.331.8600 F. 512.331.8601 john@mengassociates.com

ALDILA, INC. TO MOVE ITS STOCK LISTING TO OTCQX

2010-01-19T03:19:00.000-08:00

Poway, CA, January 19, 2010 – ALDILA, INC. (NASDAQ:GM:ALDA) (the "Company") today announced that its Board of Directors unanimously approved a plan to voluntarily delist its common stock from the NASDAQ Stock Market ("NASDAQ") and to move its common stock listing to OTCQX U.S. Premier (“OTCQX”) over-the-counter market, operated by Pink OTC Markets Inc. The Board of Directors also approved the appointment of B. Riley & Co., LLC (“B. Riley”) as the Company’s designated advisor for disclosure, a requirement of the OTCQX. The Company also intends to subsequently deregister its common stock with the SEC and suspend its reporting obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act").

The Company expects that its shares will continue to trade under the "ALDA" ticker symbol (OTCQX: ALDA). The move to list on the OTCQX is consistent with the Company’s ongoing efforts to reduce expenses and improve financial results. The Company has worked hard to reduce its selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) and continues to focus its efforts to control costs. Pink OTC Markets reports that small companies typically save $500,000 to $750,000 annually by moving their listing from a national exchange and deregistering under the Exchange Act. Aldila anticipates realizing annual savings at the low end of this range. The Company also expects that this change will free up considerable time for management to focus on Aldila’s strategy and operating performance.

In light of this change, the Company will review the composition of its Board of Directors in the near future given the different requirements for listing on the OTCQX. Following deregistration, the Company will no longer bear the significant financial burden of complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which would otherwise be increasing in the current fiscal year. Current regulations now require smaller reporting companies to obtain auditor attestation on the effectiveness of the company's internal controls for fiscal years ending after June 15, 2010. Notwithstanding the estimated impact on costs, the Company will continue to maintain a strong system of internal controls over financial reporting to ensure the continuing accuracy and reliability of results of operations reported to our stakeholders.

The Company also expects significant savings related to legal and auditor reviews of SEC disclosures, as well as accounting and other administrative fees related to the Company's NASDAQ listing and SEC reporting requirements. The Company chose the OTCQX marketplace because it will provide shareholders a liquid market and requires member companies to adhere to a rigorous set of financial disclosures. Specifically, OTCQX-listed issuers are required to publicly disclose annual audited financial statements, unaudited quarterly financial statements and current information pertaining to material events. The Company believes that these disclosures, which will be reviewed by B. Riley, will provide its shareholders with the ability to monitor the Company's progress and make informed investment decisions.

The Company currently intends to continue to hold annual shareholders’ meetings. "Aldila has been looking closely at all aspects of its operations over the past year, and has made many changes to create the most efficient business possible during these difficult economic times. We have reduced our SG&A by 24% during the nine months ended September 30, 2009 as compared to 2008, we have announced the closure of our Mexico manufacturing facility and have completed that during the fourth quarter of 2009. Although 2009 has been challenging, we are encouraged that our facilities in Vietnam and China are running at near capacity and that our ending backlog for 2009 is 23% higher compared to ending backlog of 2008,” commented Peter R. Mathewson, Chairman of the Board and CEO. "We're taking this important step with our shareholders' interests in mind.

It is consistent with our past decisions of generating returns to our shareholders via dividends or stock buyback programs. Although the Company terminated its quarterly dividends in 2008 due to the challenging economic times, the Company has paid dividends in the past totaling $9.10 per share from 2004 – 2008. The burden of reporting under the Exchange Act and in recent years the added burden of Sarbanes- Oxley has become too expensive for many small companies such as Aldila. After careful consideration, the Company believes that by moving its stock listing to OTCQX, it can re-invest significant resources to help drive growth and profitability.

This move is consistent with the Company’s history of attempting to maximize returns for its shareholders. We believe that by utilizing the OTCQX platform, material savings can be achieved while still providing reliable information to our shareholders,” said Mr. Mathewson. PROCEDURAL DETAILS The Company intends to file a Form 25 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on or about January 29, 2010, to effect the voluntary delisting of its common stock from the NASDAQ Global Market, with the delisting of its common stock taking effect no earlier than 10 days thereafter, on February 08, 2010. As a result, the Company expects that the last day of trading of its common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market will be on or about February 05, 2010.

The Company is currently taking the necessary steps so that the common stock may be listed on the OTCQX, and expects to be listed on or about February 08, 2010. Following the effectiveness of the Form 25 filing, the Company's common stock will not be eligible for trading on any national exchange or the OTC Bulletin Board, although the Company intends to comply with rules permitting its common stock to be quoted on OTCQX immediately upon delisting from NASDAQ. These rules require at least one market maker to quote the Company's common stock after complying with certain filing and disclosure rules or by complying with the unsolicited customer order rule. Currently the Company has multiple market makers for its common stock that are active on Pink OTC Markets trading platform.

In addition, OTCQX requires companies to engage an approved dedicated advisor for disclosure, to advise them on proper disclosure under the OTCQX Alternate Reporting Standard, and to certify that listing and disclosure requirements have been met. To this end, the Board of Directors has approved the Company and the Company has engaged B. Riley as its designated advisor for disclosure. Given that the Company is in good standing with NASDAQ and current in all its filings, it does not anticipate any difficulties in meeting all requirements to list its common stock on OTCQX, although there can be no assurances that it will be able to do so. Additionally, after the Form 25 becomes effective, the Company intends to file a Form 15 with the SEC to voluntarily deregister its common stock and suspend its reporting obligations under the Exchange Act.

As a result of the filing of the Form 15, the Company's obligation to file reports and forms with the SEC, including Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, will be suspended immediately and will terminate when the deregistration becomes effective 90 days after the Form 15 is filed. The Company intends to immediately begin reporting under OTCQX requirements, including annual audited financial statements, unaudited quarterly financial statements and current information. The Company is eligible to deregister its common stock under the Exchange Act because it has fewer than 300 stockholders of record.

As of December 31, 2009 the Company had 293 registered shareholders, 55 of whom held restricted shares under the Company’s 2009 Equity Incentive Plan. The unanimous decision by the Company's Board of Directors to voluntarily delist and deregister its common stock is a cost savings step that will significantly reduce annual expenses associated with the Company's NASDAQ listing and compliance with SEC reporting requirements, which include legal, accounting and other administrative fees, and compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Given the limited public trading volume and liquidity of the Company's common stock, the Company does not believe the benefits of having its common stock listed on a national exchange and registered under the Exchange Act outweigh the associated annual costs. The Board of Directors believe that the Company's stockholders will be better served if the Company spends more of its financial resources and management's time on the Company's business without the substantial cost and time associated with having to comply with NASDAQ rules and SEC reporting obligations.

The Board determined to delist, deregister and suspend public reporting obligations after extensive deliberations, and careful consideration of the advice of the Company's legal counsel and other outside advisors, the advantages and disadvantages of no longer being a public reporting company. The Board of Directors and management believe that the expense reductions inherent in delisting and deregistering the common stock will benefit the Company and its stockholders, and ultimately will serve to maximize the value of the Company. The Board of Directors do not believe that delisting from NASDAQ and deregistering under the Exchange Act will materially impact the Company's current operations, current relationships with employees, customers or suppliers, or its existing financing arrangements. This press release contains forward-looking statements based on our expectations as of the date of this press release.

These statements necessarily reflect assumptions that we make in evaluating our expectations as to the future. Forward-looking statements are necessarily subject to risks and uncertainties. Our actual future performance and results could differ from that contained in or suggested by these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors. Our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission present a detailed discussion of the principal risks and uncertainties related to our future operations, in particular our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, under “Business Risks” in Part I, Item 1, and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation” in Part I, Item 7 of the Form 10-K, and reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K, all of which can be obtained at www.sec.gov.

To buy Aldila Golf Shafts visit www.golfshaftsasia.com/aldila.php

Miyazaki Golf Shafts

2010-01-05T00:15:00.000-08:00

If you are planning on becoming the next Tiger Woods the first thing you might consider is getting some new golf clubs fitted with miyazaki golf shafts. Choosing the right golf clubs can make the difference between spending your time on the fairways and greens and spending your time in the rough. Although famed golfer Ben Hogan once said, "The only thing a golfer needs is more daylight", for my money, having the right set of golf clubs runs this a close second.

Lets assume you aren't a pro. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't be here; you'd be out perfecting that already outstanding golf swing. For the amateur golfer, choosing the right golf clubs hinges on two factors - distance and accuracy - and, of these, accuracy is the more important. The ability to hit the ball half-way across town may sound great, but if you can't keep it on the fairway, out of the bunkers, and heading for the flag, then all the distance in the world isn't going to help your game. So, the starting point for all of us needs to be accuracy. Once the ball starts going just where we want it to go with reasonable consistency we can start working on building distance.

Of course, cost can be a big issue when choosing a new set of clubs fitted with Miyazaki golf shatfs, but since that's a personal conversation between you your wallet - and maybe your spouse - we won't cover it here. Don't forget though that you don't need to buy tailor-made golf clubs and that a good starting point may well be one of the many outlets for discount golf equipment. Another good starting point is to look at pre-owned golf clubs.

Begin by analyzing what's going to best fit your needs. The primary set of clubs in every golfer's bag is the irons, so that's what I'm going to concentrate on here. Irons have several characteristics to consider when you're choosing golf clubs.

The first thing to look at is the method of manufacture. Irons are normally made either by casting or forging. For the novice golfer cast irons are generally better because they have a bigger sweet spot on the club face. The sweet spot is the area on the club face that you want to contact the ball and, as a general rule, the larger the sweet spot the greater the room for error in your swing. In other words, with a large sweet spot you can miss hitting the ball directly on the center of the club face and still end up with a decent shot. Forged irons are better for more advanced golfers because they allow for better control of trajectory, allowing you to hit the ball at a desired angle to get the height necessary for the result you want.

The next thing to consider is the size of the head. As a novice golfer, you'll find a definite trade-off here. A bigger head equals a bigger sweet spot and more tolerance of miss-hits. However, at the same time, a bigger head is also a little harder to control. You'll probably want to start with a set of irons with medium-sized heads. They're easier to control than the oversized-heads, but they still have a bigger sweet spot than the traditional, smaller heads.

Bet you didn't know there were this many factors to choosing the right set of golf clubs! Well, I'm not quite done yet.

Another factor to think about when choosing golf clubs is what the head is made of - cast iron, stainless steel, or titanium. Titanium heads are best for novice golfers as this light material allows for a bigger head, without making the club too heavy. Bigger head equals bigger sweet spot! If the cost of titanium heads is beyond your wallet's reach, then consider cast iron rather than steel. They're durable and the harder material can help improve both accuracy and consistency.

Swing speed is also important in deciding upon the right golf clubs fitted with Miyazaki Golf Shafts. Golfers with lower swing speeds can benefit from more flexible graphite shafts that are a bit longer and lighter. With a higher swing speed, it's more likely you want to focus on accuracy, so stiffer and heavier steel shafts can help you develop that accurate ball placement that gets your name on the leader board.

Buy Miyazaki golf shafts at www.golfshaftsasia.com

True Temper Interview Part 1

2009-12-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-17T14:02:00.001-08:00

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.