The GolfWRX Editors’ Choice Awards recognize the very best in gear. We tested, fitted and debated to develop the list in lieu of spending countless hours in the GolfWRX forums obsessing, reading, writing, buy and selling as we and up to 800,000 others do every month. See how we select the winners.

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 Best Premium Golf Shafts

Graphite Design Premium Tour AD DI – Deep Impact Shaft is 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. 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. 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. Golfers using the shaft will experience the feel of the ball leaving the club head with a lot of speed while maintaining exceptional feel and control. Players are giving it a try in their drivers and then using it in their fairway woods as well. We designed this shaft to deliver players to the next level in shaft performance and create an impressive impact on their games and we feel we have succeeded in that mission.”

 
Mitsubishi Kaili – For the player who wants the smooth and stable bend profile associated with Diamana S-Series, but can benefit from a more stable tip-section that produces lower launch and spin characteristics. Diamana Kai’li incorporates MDI Technology into the original Diamana S-Series bend profile with a slightly stiffer tip and butt section. The result is a lower torque shaft that provides the same versatility as the original smooth and stable profile, while delivering slightly lower launch and spin.

OBAN DEVOTION – The Devotion Series is our most diverse offering with various shaft weights ranging from 43 grams to 84 grams. The design pattern remains consistent throughout the Devotion Series, while kick points and torques vary depending on the weight class. Materials Ultra premium, high modulus graphite equate to better feel and performance. Structural Design High quality graphite utilized throughout shaft construction creates firm butt, mid and tip sections and provides inherent stability throughout the shaft load sequence. Performance Devotion 6,7,8 – Mid Launch. Low Spin. Responsive feel. Structural integrity throughout the swing dynamics. Ideal for the player who tends to create more load in the shaft with a quicker tempo. Devotion 4, 5 – High Launch. High Spin. This shaft favors the lower swing speed player.

Fujikura Motore Speeder 6.2 Tour Spec- The design concept was to keep the same unique feel of the VC.2 Motore Speeder but increase tip strength for lower spin plus eliminate the left with high ball speeds. The S flex design will have almost the same tip stiffness as the X flex but the butt will be 7-10 CPM’s weaker to accommodate the high swing speed player who needs the tip strength but needs the handle a bit softer for smoother transitions. We expect this shaft to accommodate the better golfer that wants to keep the spin low and not loose control of their shots. Each Motore Speeder is equipped with our Proprietary Quadra Axis Composite and Triax Woven material creating a revolutionary 7-Axis Technology. This uniformity throughout the shaft assists with eliminating deformation (ovaling) yet provides the maximum amount of feel through the entire swing increasing overall performance and stability.

PROJECT X BLACK- The new Project X Black features reduced weight from the original Project X graphite for explosive power while preserving critical tip stability and low spin performance. Featuring proprietary Dual Torsional Control, Project X Black reduces spin rates at impact for optimized peak trajectory with flatter descent angles for maximum carry and roll.

UST Mamiya Proforce VTS- Proforce VTS shaft is the first shaft ever developed that emphasizes Torque in the fitting process. Historically, most players have been fit traditionally only using weight and flex. Although this has worked well in the past, Proforce VTS with 3-D fitting technology brings shaft fitting to an entirely different level. Over the past 4 years, UST Mamiya engineers spent hundreds of hours designing shafts, and testing hundreds of golfers in order to find out what aspects of shafts are the most important to performance. The results led to the development of the Proforce VTS. UST Mamiya engineers developed a matrix of shafts of different weights (57-97 grams), and flexes (A, R, S, X) that are typically found in shaft product lines. But UST Mamiya went one step further by adding torque as the third dimension in the shaft matrix. Within a given weight and flex (e.g. 67 gram S-flex), there are 3 separate torque shafts that allow you to fine tune the shaft performance to each golfers unique Swing DNA. UST Mamiya has found that through the unique 3-D fitting process, golfers can realize an increase in ball speed of 2 mph, with some golfers seeing up to 6 mph increase in ball speed. Click here to read the full review

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Best Premium “Light Weight” Golf Shafts

Miyazaki C.Kua 40-50g–  The new C. Kua Series golf shafts will be some of the first shafts in the 40-50g weight category to feature a true Tour stiffness profile in an extremely lightweight offering. These lightweight shafts are offered as a “Tour Issue Superlite System” in which the shaft is paired with a superlite version of Lamkin’s top-selling Performance Plus grip. This Tour Issue Superlite System will give PGA Tour players and consumers the ability to increase their headspeed and distance through the use of lightweight technology on their existing clubhead model.

Aldila RIP Phenom 50g- The new Aldila RIP Phenom incorporates Aldila’s Tour proven RIP Technology with a unique shaft design to create a new and innovative flex profile for maximum distance and control.  We call this new technology the Hyberbolic Flex Zone.  It features a stiff tip section for optimal launch and spin control with a very firm butt section for an incredible stable feel, while the center section of the shaft is softer to provide unmatched kick through impact for maximum ball speed.

Mitsubishi Rayon Bassara W Series- Mitsubishi has released their all new W Series Bassara shaft. The W stands for Wyvern, a legendary reptile like creature with a dragon’s head. The Wyvern was often symbolized as a crest of power and athleticism back in Medieval times. The new W series is designed to be a premium distance shaft. With a slightly more active tip than other Bassara models, the W squares quickly at impact and creates increased ball speeds thanks to elastic titanium fibers in the tip which also increase stability.  While the tip is more active, the mid section is purposely stiffer to keep ball flight under control and added direction.  The Butt of the W Series is softer which provides more feel and allows players to easily load the shaft for maximum energy transfer.