*Graphite Design Lovers Anonymous* Tour AD UB vs IZ vs XC and NOW vs TP! ...and HD....and VR

[phizzy30]

Just now, sadclevelandsports said:

After some testing between IZ 6x and 7x, will be keeping the 7. Has all the great things about the 6, but I feel a bit more in control of the swing. Cant really appreciate a weight difference. Same flight and spin, just more confidence.

 

Since I re-stumbled on this thread a month ago, have gone from owning no GD to purchasing and testing 4 GD shafts, two are now cemented in the bag for the time being. My wife absolutely loves seeing golf packages. Thanks guys.

 

Now if someone will sell me a DI or a TP 8x, the circle will be complete.

My wife likes to see golf packages as much as she likes to see my dogs have one of their "accidents" on the carpet, lol.  The IZ is such an underrated shaft.  If Nelly didn't have one in her driver before she made the swtich over to TM, nobody would've ever heard of it let along have one in their bag.  It plays like a slightly higher launching and more stable DI, IMO. 

[dwboston]

5 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

The IZ is such an underrated shaft.  If Nelly didn't have one in her driver before she made the swtich over to TM, nobody would've ever heard of it let along have one in their bag.  

 

Wait, what?  Nobody would have heard of the IZ if Nelly Korda didn't play it?  A shaft that came out years ago and got a lot of attention here when Jordan Spieth played it at the time?  Makes sense.

[phizzy30]

Just now, dwboston said:

 

Wait, what?  Nobody would have heard of the IZ if Nelly Korda didn't play it?  A shaft that came out years ago and got a lot of attention here when Jordan Spieth played it at the time?  Makes sense.

Didn't he play it very briefly in driver? 

[Rpete33]

Finally getting the tour ad di 10x shafted up in a pxg gen 5 7 wood, super pumped about this build! Should be done by the end of the week. Still want to experiment with the IZ in my 3 wood 

[Adam B]

On 2/26/2023 at 11:53 PM, R_Swanson said:

Anyone that plays a BB/XC in their driver, what GD shaft pairs well for a fairway wood?  I'm building up a 5 wood and would prefer something that launches a little higher.  I can look at the charts, but was curious what others actually prefer.

 

In my 3 wood I'm actually playing an old Matrix Rul 70.  Can't seem to get that shaft out of my bag.  It’s mid spin / mid launch.

Late to the party here but I still game the 915f 5 wood and I recently put an IZ 8x into it. Very happy so far as it launches high and stops. 

[third-times-a-charm]

Two more demo builds for me coming up.
 

Finally found a tour issue epic max 3 wood head so that’s being shafted with a spare AD GP 7 I had laying around and thanks to a fellow member here I have an AD HD 8 on the way for a new 5/6 wood build since I found a new tour issue epic flash bonded head for cheap.

 

Going to build the AD HD 8 up short - maybe 41.5” or so. 
 

My spare AD GP is tipped 1” (stupid taylormade) and my main gamer is .5” so we’ll see what difference that makes.

Edited March 22, 2023 by third-times-a-charm

[sadclevelandsports]

On 3/21/2023 at 7:26 AM, sadclevelandsports said:

After some testing between IZ 6x and 7x, will be keeping the 7. Has all the great things about the 6, but I feel a bit more in control of the swing. Cant really appreciate a weight difference. Same flight and spin, just more confidence.

 

Since I re-stumbled on this thread a month ago, have gone from owning no GD to purchasing and testing 4 GD shafts, two are now cemented in the bag for the time being. My wife absolutely loves seeing golf packages. Thanks guys.

 

Now if someone will sell me a DI or a TP 8x, the circle will be complete.

Been a wild 24 hours, couldn't find a 8x TP or DI at the length I wanted, so found and purchased a killer deal for a Tensei Blue 8TX (which @Valtiel and @third-times-a-charm helped verify as the genuine item), but while rereading this thread, the devil tempted me again with someone posting a TP 8x on BST, so I accidentally purchased it. More boxes for my wife to find. I love these forums.

[ob1soccer]

17 hours ago, third-times-a-charm said:

Two more demo builds for me coming up.
 

Finally found a tour issue epic max 3 wood head so that’s being shafted with a spare AD GP 7 I had laying around and thanks to a fellow member here I have an AD HD 8 on the way for a new 5/6 wood build since I found a new tour issue epic flash bonded head for cheap.

 

Going to build the AD HD 8 up short - maybe 41.5” or so. 
 

My spare AD GP is tipped 1” (stupid taylormade) and my main gamer is .5” so we’ll see what difference that makes.

how many spares do u have?

[third-times-a-charm]

15 minutes ago, ob1soccer said:

how many spares do u have?

Of GD shafts? Not many surprisingly - I sold most off late last year around the holidays. I buy the black edition GP shafts when I find them under $100 and some 5R2 models for my wife around the same price range.

[third-times-a-charm]

And after taking the new 3w to the range wow it's spicy. 🤯

 

AD GP 7 tipped an inch instead of half inch with this shallower spinnier head is a crazy good combo. Point and shoot. The peak height is a little high IMO but I can tune that with the dual-weight system on the head which for some reason Callaway stopped doing.

 

The higher face height of the Mavrik Max along with the larger size of 200cc (30cc more) was a bomber off the tee like a 2w but off the fairway it was so-so. The shallower Epic Max is much easier to elevate off the deck.

[dmeeksDC]

Can one of the Graphite Design experts such as @phizzy30 help with which of these shafts profiles most similar to the Aldila Tour Blue? I know they are all “blue” profiles and am looking for guidance on which is closest. The Aldila shaft is not nearly as premium but it’s always been a shaft I can throw into any head and it works. Thanks. 

[ob1soccer]

1 hour ago, dmeeksDC said:

Can one of the Graphite Design experts such as @phizzy30 help with which of these shafts profiles most similar to the Aldila Tour Blue? I know they are all “blue” profiles and am looking for guidance on which is closest. The Aldila shaft is not nearly as premium but it’s always been a shaft I can throw into any head and it works. Thanks. 

i have an original Aldila tour blue in my hybrid and its still awesome. What happened to Aldila?

[dmeeksDC]

13 minutes ago, ob1soccer said:

i have an original Aldila tour blue in my hybrid and its still awesome. What happened to Aldila?

Also playing one in a 22 degree Mav Pro hybrid. I was having issues dialing in this club but  changed the shaft to a Tour Blue and solved it. Smooth and stable. I have a lot more confidence in my control with this club. 
 

Aldila got bought by Mitsubishi Chemical a few years ago but they’re still around. I don’t know that Mitsubishi has made Aldila a priority relative to its other brands as I don’t follow it that closely.
 

Aldila Tour Blue (and Green, still played by Rahm) have a cult following so I was just wondering if the golfwrx Graphite Design shaft experts had thoughts on which shaft in the Tour AD line would be the most similar to the Tour Blue. Can still get Tour Blues and they are affordable but they aren’t made with the same premium materials as the GD shafts. If there is one just like it I’d probably try it. 

[gioguy21]

adding to this thread - the HD is a phenomenal shaft in fairway woods. i have it in my paradym td 5w and for me it's ideal. 

i really liked the XC when i demo'd it for the driver tho...if the kai'li gets wonky i might let my mind/wallet wander to pick one up. 

[phizzy30]

30 minutes ago, gioguy21 said:

adding to this thread - the HD is a phenomenal shaft in fairway woods. i have it in my paradym td 5w and for me it's ideal. 

i really liked the XC when i demo'd it for the driver tho...if the kai'li gets wonky i might let my mind/wallet wander to pick one up. 

I agree, the HD is underrated.  Had one in driver for a minute and was more prone to the lefts compared to the UB which I also had in the bag at the same time.  I can see how it would be really good in fairways as I feel it's more suited to a smoother transition. 

[phizzy30]

2 hours ago, dmeeksDC said:

Can one of the Graphite Design experts such as @phizzy30 help with which of these shafts profiles most similar to the Aldila Tour Blue? I know they are all “blue” profiles and am looking for guidance on which is closest. The Aldila shaft is not nearly as premium but it’s always been a shaft I can throw into any head and it works. Thanks. 

I would have to say TP or HD.  Tour Blue was a mid/mid-low shaft for me if I remember correctly and had a hint of kick to it.  Stable for smoother transition like the TP or HD but could go left in a hurry when I got too quick. 

[B.Easy]

4 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

I would have to say TP or HD.  Tour Blue was a mid/mid-low shaft for me if I remember correctly and had a hint of kick to it.  Stable for smoother transition like the TP or HD but could go left in a hurry when I got too quick. 

 

Had the tour blue in my 3 wood for years and would say it's similar to the HD, which I now have in my current 3 wood.  I agree with the Phiz.

[third-times-a-charm]

13 hours ago, gioguy21 said:

adding to this thread - the HD is a phenomenal shaft in fairway woods. i have it in my paradym td 5w and for me it's ideal. 

i really liked the XC when i demo'd it for the driver tho...if the kai'li gets wonky i might let my mind/wallet wander to pick one up. 

Cant wait for my HD 8 to build up this 5w next week. I like to play fantasy in my head that I'm about to build the perfect gap club in that spot with a nice flat flight that can also hold greens.

[Wardonation]

UB is it "hooky"? Sorry have not read through whole thread but I got the 7x UB in my 16.5 fw. I have played it once and it seemed when I really went after it, I would hook the "sh#$" out of it. Love the feel though...

[gioguy21]

6 minutes ago, Wardonation said:

UB is it "hooky"? Sorry have not read through whole thread but I got the 7x UB in my 16.5 fw. I have played it once and it seemed when I really went after it, I would hook the "sh#$" out of it. Love the feel though...

the UB for me liked going left...agree with this. 

[Wardonation]

Just now, gioguy21 said:

the UB for me liked going left...agree with this. 

I play the Kai'li 65tx white in my driver coming from a Vblue. I am a picker and 3wood is the hardest club to hit for me. Value your opinion Gio, what do you think I should give a try? Always like GD feeling shafts but seem to always be able to hook em. I was hoping the UB my help that plus I had $700 book money from the Idaho Open I needed to burn.🤣... The best fw shaft I ever had was the  Aldila Green 85x (but can never find them anymore at least the exact model)... Any help would be much appreciated...

[gioguy21]

1 minute ago, Wardonation said:

I play the Kai'li 65tx white in my driver coming from a Vblue. I am a picker and 3wood is the hardest club to hit for me. Value your opinion Gio, what do you think I should give a try? Always like GD feeling shafts but seem to always be able to hook em. I was hoping the UB my help that plus I had $700 book money from the Idaho Open I needed to burn.🤣... The best fw shaft I ever had was the  Aldila Green 85x (but can never find them anymore at least the exact model)... Any help would be much appreciated...

to be truthful i'm not a picker. i think to negate the hook you'd want something extremely stable, but a byproduct of that might be too little spin for you -- so it's a catch 22. 

do you find you get enough spin with very stable shafts? ie my signature? you could always go heavier but your launch may suffer (heavier brings your dispersion to the right which i'm sure you know). 

i had a good laugh at money to burn -- lol my tax return flipped my bag haha

the aldila green - if you really loved it...there might be an ATX green around somewhere and i found them to be extremely similar. let me look for you and see what i can find. if i can find any i'll PM you the links. 

[phizzy30]

Just now, Wardonation said:

I play the Kai'li 65tx white in my driver coming from a Vblue. I am a picker and 3wood is the hardest club to hit for me. Value your opinion Gio, what do you think I should give a try? Always like GD feeling shafts but seem to always be able to hook em. I was hoping the UB my help that plus I had $700 book money from the Idaho Open I needed to burn.🤣... The best fw shaft I ever had was the  Aldila Green 85x (but can never find them anymore at least the exact model)... Any help would be much appreciated...

Have you tried the Diamana GT?  My miss is a big hook and it's still in the bag because now I'm able to curb the quacker into a 5-10 yard draw even when I go after one.  I can also hit a fade with it which I was never able to do with my 3 metal.

[B.Easy]

The UB is anti-left for me in the driver.  Because the handle of the UB is very stiff feeling and linear overall, some people have problems releasing it early and turning it over.  I'm fairly shallow with my 3 and 5 wood and play the HD 8TX in my TSi 3 wood and the IZ 8TX in my 5 wood. In fairness, 3 wood has always been one of the best clubs in my bag.

[B.Easy]

3 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

Have you tried the Diamana GT?  My miss is a big hook and it's still in the bag because now I'm able to curb the quacker into a 5-10 yard draw even when I go after one.  I can also hit a fade with it which I was never able to do with my 3 metal.

The ZF and GT are such great shafts. A shaft I can always feel the head and not fear the lefts.

[gioguy21]

10 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

Have you tried the Diamana GT?  My miss is a big hook and it's still in the bag because now I'm able to curb the quacker into a 5-10 yard draw even when I go after one.  I can also hit a fade with it which I was never able to do with my 3 metal.

i actually second the GT for wardo -- good call. 

 

[ob1soccer]

UB didnt work for me at all, not even close. Same for IZ, but so far loving the DI and HD. Definitely need to try out the Diamana GT and the AD. CQ as i need more launch

[Hoyoymac]

The AD DI tamed the hook in my 3 wood but was too fade biased in my driver.

 

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by Hoyoymac

[Wardonation]

21 hours ago, gioguy21 said:

to be truthful i'm not a picker. i think to negate the hook you'd want something extremely stable, but a byproduct of that might be too little spin for you -- so it's a catch 22. 

do you find you get enough spin with very stable shafts? ie my signature? you could always go heavier but your launch may suffer (heavier brings your dispersion to the right which i'm sure you know). 

i had a good laugh at money to burn -- lol my tax return flipped my bag haha

the aldila green - if you really loved it...there might be an ATX green around somewhere and i found them to be extremely similar. let me look for you and see what i can find. if i can find any i'll PM you the links. 

Thanks GIO all great points about weight etc.. I do not want too little spin or the ole block shot... Sometimes I feel that is worse than the hook

[Wardonation]

21 hours ago, phizzy30 said:

Have you tried the Diamana GT?  My miss is a big hook and it's still in the bag because now I'm able to curb the quacker into a 5-10 yard draw even when I go after one.  I can also hit a fade with it which I was never able to do with my 3 metal.

I have not but thought about that shaft for sure. How is launch with it?