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New Graphite Iron Shafts from Graphite Design


K2_2

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I asked about new shafts awhile back, and Graphite Design has delivered!

This week they just released the Tour AD 105 and 115. Supposed to be an evolution of the AD Pro, very smooth yet solid/strong (ie anything but a whip). You can also pick one of three color combos; blue stripes from the PT series, green from the Quatro-Tech, or a new black color scheme (same pattern as the others, just a black and silver/grey stripe and section towards the grip.

Although they have been `released` I don`t know if they are actually showing up in any shops yet, so I don`t know if I will get to demo them with a Roddio and the AD Pro, but I will see what I can do.

Edited by K2_2
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The links were external so K just wasn't sure if he should post them directly here... but I capped them anyway! Thanks K for the info! Damn they are pricey but I would love to have blue ones....

newtourad.jpg

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wow you mean I can actually have 13 driver shaft in one bag and I have the Blue and Green Graphite Design cord grips to match too ? well I am sure T would eventually get them. :tsg_smiley_question:

Edited by Duffer19
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wow you mean I can actually have 13 driver shaft in one bag and I have the Blue and Green Graphite Design cord grips to match too ? well I am sure T would eventually get them. :tsg_smiley_question:

Not at that price R. That is way too much... this is pretty custom as, these irons, the 105 and 115 have in fact been in existence on the Japanese pro tour.... they just want to make it "available" to the public now (^_^).

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The links were external so K just wasn't sure if he should post them directly here... but I capped them anyway! Thanks K for the info! Damn they are pricey but I would love to have blue ones....

T, you`re more than welcome, and yes, they are cool looking shafts. As you posted, these have been in play on the JPGA throughout much of the year... any idea what sets them apart (other than weight) from the AD 65-95 and AD Pro?

Cheers.

Edited by K2_2
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I've had lengthy conversions with people in the know and the AD Pro's are still the top dogs. I'm shafting a set of Srixon Pro-100's with them as we speak and should have them back today actually. Let's hope they are worth the price in gold they cost me to acquire them for this club project. I can tell you this from early shafting and frequency analysis (X-flex); they are "progressive" in everyway. CPM's are in the very soft range in the 4 and 5 iron then jump into more of a traditional stiff flex moving forward. Pretty big jumps between the 5 and 6 then again in the lower irons. This is a very traditional approach to club making but I'm still concerned with the large jump in CPM's. My guys indicate that the frequencies can be misleading due to Graphite Designs in house method of analysis (GD Flex) which is more focussed on a target number as it relates to the overall profile from Butt to tip. Whatever; the proof will be in the pudding; hopefully they will be consistant in play. I'm OK with it because I'm a low to mid spin player so the softer long irons should help my game. On a HO note; they are a sexy setup! I was torn between what irons I wanted to shaft up; thought about my Miura's but that setup is pure already with teal Tour Concepts (awesome shafts); why mess with success. Just as a footnote; my pursuite of graphite in irons is long and vast. In the early days these shafts where inconsistant to flex, poor overall tip profiles and very hard to control but they are getting much better. the best option I've found to date are the MFS 115's (relatively inexpensive all things considered) so this is what I will set the bar against. If these AD Pro's are not superior then it was truly money wasted as the 115's are far less expensive. Please keep in mind that my swing profile is smooth but aggressive and I play most of my irons with TC S3's. I'm a low handicaper looking for consistancy and a medium ball flight. I WILL NOT accept shafts that produce flyers and hinder my ability to hit greens in regulation. A 200yrd 6 iron does me zero good in this regard. My goal is to produce steel like results with the smooth refined benefits of graphite. I suffer from pain in my fingers and joints from years of banging balls in the damp cool weather in Cleveland, Ohio. These are my primary reasons for exploring the graphite iron market; hope some of you can benefit from my experience with these models as well. More to come...

Edited by BigBen
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BigBen,

Looking foward to your results with great interest. I have been starting to become interested in graphite iron shafts lately. Not ready to make the switch but like I said starting to become interested. I can agree with you on the TC's. I have one in an Epon Type-S 3 iron and I must say am very impressed. Great trajectory and feel. So content in fact as its very solidly in the bag. However, my thoughts about the graphite iron shafts stems from the long irons. Been wondering if I should play around with a graphite shaft in the 3 iron, creating a kind of a hybrid club while at the same time experimenting a bit to see if I could increase feel. Let us know how it goes.

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With the right shaft (and a very accomplished club tech) I think you might be very suprised at how much you will like them. My guess would be it wouldn't take long before the rest follow. These offerings are truly getting better and better. The long irons are the easiest to transition because the swingweights aren't as difficult to obtain and we can all benefit from a bit of ball height in the 3-5 irons right.

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OK; my first experience was today at the range (25+ mph winds) and it was a real test. My primary concerns with graphite iron shafts is usually build related; consistancy and swingweight. Well; they turned out very nice. The swingweight fell in the D2 range (good) and the shafts matched up quite well. The proof was truly in the pudding; they felt wonderful and had zero issues with spin/ballooning. I was able to control ballflight and distance with no problem and thats impressive considering the kind of wind I was dealing with. Even my buddy (high spin guy) on the Nationwide Tour was impressed. The feel is truly to die for; I'm now very excited about my match in the morning. I will give you my final impressions after they spend a while in the bag but early signs are positive. It's amazing how far the graphite iron shaft market has progressed. I feel the shaft Co.'s miss the boat in regards to the better players because they are stuck in the "nobody will pay the upcharge" routine. Trust me I hear this every single time I speak with one of the shaft guys. WHEN PROPERLY FIT it is my feeling that more golfers could take advantage of the many benefits these shafts have to offer there games including increased clubhead speed and launch which typically means improved distance and scoring.

Edited by BigBen
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OK; my first experience was today at the range (25+ mph winds) and it was a real test. My primary concerns with graphite iron shafts is usually build related; consistancy and swingweight. Well; they turned out very nice. The swingweight fell in the D2 range (good) and the shafts matched up quite well. The proof was truly in the pudding; they felt wonderful and had zero issues with spin/ballooning. I was able to control ballflight and distance with no problem and thats impressive considering the kind of wind I was dealing with. Even my buddy (high spin guy) on the Nationwide Tour was impressed. The feel is truly to die for; I'm now very excited about my match in the morning. I will give you my final impressions after they spend a while in the bag but early signs are positive. It's amazing how far the graphite iron shaft market has progressed. I feel the shaft Co.'s miss the boat in regards to the better players because they are stuck in the "nobody will pay the upcharge" routine. Trust me I hear this every single time I speak with one of the shaft guys. WHEN PROPERLY FIT it is my feeling that more golfers could take advantage of the many benefits these shafts have to offer there games including increased clubhead speed and launch which typically means improved distance and scoring.

Is this review by you on the same new GD shaft(s) as mentioned above by K2 2 and Gocchin? They are already in Cleveland?

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Great feedback BigBen, it's the same reasons I love graphite in irons. Great performance and unbeatable feel. My irons are so smooth. I will not go back to steel... especially now with all the quality graphite out there...

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Amen to graphite irons!

I tried out a few sets yesterday (separate post to follow), and although the Nippon and PRGR steel shafts were impressive, the best feeling set-up had a Tour AD installed.

Ben, thank you for the feedback, I`m glad that your initial results have been promissing, and I hope that the shafts work out well, especially in competition!

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  • 9 months later...
OK; my first experience was today at the range (25+ mph winds) and it was a real test. My primary concerns with graphite iron shafts is usually build related; consistancy and swingweight. Well; they turned out very nice. The swingweight fell in the D2 range (good) and the shafts matched up quite well. The proof was truly in the pudding; they felt wonderful and had zero issues with spin/ballooning. I was able to control ballflight and distance with no problem and thats impressive considering the kind of wind I was dealing with. Even my buddy (high spin guy) on the Nationwide Tour was impressed. The feel is truly to die for; I'm now very excited about my match in the morning. I will give you my final impressions after they spend a while in the bag but early signs are positive. It's amazing how far the graphite iron shaft market has progressed. I feel the shaft Co.'s miss the boat in regards to the better players because they are stuck in the "nobody will pay the upcharge" routine. Trust me I hear this every single time I speak with one of the shaft guys. WHEN PROPERLY FIT it is my feeling that more golfers could take advantage of the many benefits these shafts have to offer there games including increased clubhead speed and launch which typically means improved distance and scoring.

Ben,

Are you still playing the AD-Pro's? Any updates?

Has anyone put the AD-105 or 115's in play or had the opportunity to test?

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Ascending weight shaft.

 AD-PRO #2 100 1.6 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 S 15,750

 AD-PRO #3 102 1.6 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 S 15,750

 AD-PRO #4 104 1.6 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 S 15,750

 AD-PRO #5 107 1.5 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 S 15,750

 AD-PRO #6 110 1.5 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 S 15,750

 AD-PRO #7 113 1.5 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 S 15,750

 AD-PRO #8 114 1.5 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 S 15,750

 AD-PRO #9 116 1.5 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 S 15,750

 AD-PRO #10 118 1.5 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 S 15,750

 AD-PRO #2 100 1.6 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 X 15,750

 AD-PRO #3 102 1.6 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 X 15,750

 AD-PRO #4 104 1.6 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 X 15,750

 AD-PRO #5 107 1.5 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 X 15,750

 AD-PRO #6 110 1.5 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 X 15,750

 AD-PRO #7 113 1.5 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 X 15,750

 AD-PRO #8 114 1.5 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 X 15,750

 AD-PRO #9 116 1.5 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 X 15,750

 AD-PRO #10 118 1.5 9.10/50 15.24 中調子 X 15,750

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  • 3 weeks later...

Anyone else demo or put into play the AD Pro's or the AD115's?

Considering a AF501 set with one of these shafts. Experimenting now the UST Proforce 115's, I like the weight and feel but one problem I'm having is that occassionly ball gets up in the air and "drops"....I assume too much spin. Could the AD Pros or heavier GD's help with this problem?

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