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

[semarlor]

I have the BB 8X in my 3 wood and love it. I FINALLY got my TSR3 with the XC 7X  and I am in love. I've got a AD utility shaft in a U500 3 iron...safe to say I am all in on GD shafts! 

[ob1soccer]

33 minutes ago, third-times-a-charm said:

 

I finally went to hit some balls this week after a hiatus. New setup in the bag as well. By the way it's unbelievably hard to take a photo of four golf shafts with headcovers on.

 

Currently going TP 6 > IZ 7 > HD 8 > DI 85 in 1 > 3 > 5 > 4h

 

I had a really good range session with an AD DI and wanted a little flatter apex so the TP does that. I tested the IZ 7 in a different fairway head a few weeks ago and liked it so I pulled it and plugged it into a Callaway adapter and am now using it in my 3w. This is still kind of a test as I love the GP in 3 wood.

 

I went back and tested the AD HY today and even though the AD DI Hyb is tipped .5" too much it still performs better for my liking in the hybrid slot with the way I have it setup. The AD HY was just a little too active and high of a flight now that I'm using it in a 4h and not a 3h spot.

I just got my AD HY delivered yesterday and hit a few balls with it today and so far it was solid. How do u compare the DI hybrid shaft, have never tried that yet

[third-times-a-charm]

10 minutes ago, ob1soccer said:

I just got my AD HY delivered yesterday and hit a few balls with it today and so far it was solid. How do u compare the DI hybrid shaft, have never tried that yet

I posted some numbers maybe 1-3 pages back - the AD HY is about 300RPM, 1* of launch, and about 10-20ft of apex height higher than the AD DI hyb. The biggest difference is in feel where the DI Hyb is much tigher overall but still has some bend to it and much less tip action.

[ob1soccer]

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

I posted some numbers maybe 1-3 pages back - the AD HY is about 300RPM, 1* of launch, and about 10-20ft of apex height higher than the AD DI hyb. The biggest difference is in feel where the DI Hyb is much tigher overall but still has some bend to it and much less tip action.

so which shaft did u end up going with? Sounds like the DI is tighter with less bend? Do they feel the same. Im going to play today with the HY for the first full round and will report back

[third-times-a-charm]

9 hours ago, ob1soccer said:

so which shaft did u end up going with? Sounds like the DI is tighter with less bend? Do they feel the same. Im going to play today with the HY for the first full round and will report back

I put the DI back and I’m on the lookout for a new shaft that isn’t tipped as much.

[zap311]

Great insight in this thread! I'm hoping to get some advice on a 5W shaft choice for a TSR3 5 wood. I will be using this club off the turf for short par 5s and off the tee on long par 3s or short par 4s. I am leaning towards the IZ shaft, based upon the higher launch vs. DI/UB (other premium stock shafts from Titleist).

 

Does anyone have experience with the IZ 7S (72g) or 8S (82g) and what would you recommend to fit with the rest of my set? The playing length will be 41.5 inches (-0.5) I currently play a Stealth+ 3W in a Ventus Blue 7S (76g) and Stealth+ driver in Ventus Blue 6S (65g). My instinct is to go heavier, since I tend to have a quick transition, but I was not able to demo these shafts locally.

[phizzy30]

1 hour ago, zap311 said:

Great insight in this thread! I'm hoping to get some advice on a 5W shaft choice for a TSR3 5 wood. I will be using this club off the turf for short par 5s and off the tee on long par 3s or short par 4s. I am leaning towards the IZ shaft, based upon the higher launch vs. DI/UB (other premium stock shafts from Titleist).

 

Does anyone have experience with the IZ 7S (72g) or 8S (82g) and what would you recommend to fit with the rest of my set? The playing length will be 41.5 inches (-0.5) I currently play a Stealth+ 3W in a Ventus Blue 7S (76g) and Stealth+ driver in Ventus Blue 6S (65g). My instinct is to go heavier, since I tend to have a quick transition, but I was not able to demo these shafts locally.

8S for sure. 

[fatk9]

howdy all

 

ive played

 

ad di

ad tp

ad hd

ad xc

ad bb

ad iz

ad gp

 

ad iz hybrid

ad di hybrid

 

all driver shafts were in ping g425 lst 9* set to 8*

 

my preference were

 

ad tp high long low spin bombs

ad gp mid launch low spin bomb

ad bb low launch low spin

ad xc same but i struggled to hit this to firm

ad hd mid launch was long but a little soft

ad di high low spin bombs but to soft in the middle couldn't control the timing

ad iz very high goes nowhere spins to much

 

i prefered ad di 95s hybrid over ad iz 85s

 

ive been playing a ventus black 6s lately is low low  with low kick no kick feel. to hit this i gotta swing fast to get a kick.

 

just bought a ad gp 6s to try again!

 

[third-times-a-charm]

On 6/6/2023 at 2:32 PM, zap311 said:

Great insight in this thread! I'm hoping to get some advice on a 5W shaft choice for a TSR3 5 wood. I will be using this club off the turf for short par 5s and off the tee on long par 3s or short par 4s. I am leaning towards the IZ shaft, based upon the higher launch vs. DI/UB (other premium stock shafts from Titleist).

 

Does anyone have experience with the IZ 7S (72g) or 8S (82g) and what would you recommend to fit with the rest of my set? The playing length will be 41.5 inches (-0.5) I currently play a Stealth+ 3W in a Ventus Blue 7S (76g) and Stealth+ driver in Ventus Blue 6S (65g). My instinct is to go heavier, since I tend to have a quick transition, but I was not able to demo these shafts locally.

I would go 8S as well in 5w if you're in 7S in the 3w - especially at 41.5"

[SC-TX 88]

Some of the best golf I played was back in 2016/17 with a Tour AD GP 7X in a OG M1 and a GP 8X in a tour issue M2 fairway. Moved into a TP 8X in a M2 Tour T3 and then got away from GD shafts for Mitsubishi for awhile and then Fuji. Going to try out the following and test against my all Ventus gamers:

 

Stealth 2 Plus with Tour AD XC 6x 45.5”

Stealth Plus 3W with Tour AD TP 8x 43”

Stealth Plus 5W with Tour AD HD 9TX 41.5”

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by SC-TX 88

[bvanlieu]

Great thread which I have read and its both a blessing and a curse as I am now going down the rat hole of better fitting my driver shaft.

 

Here's my quandary.

 

I am a tweener in speed, bit aggressive transition 105ish smooth, 108-110 when I get on it which I am trying to do more with training/confidence. 

 

Working with my teaching pro, my swing is getting better with less early release. Last year a good independent club fitter helped put me into an Evenflow Black 7X to help with tip droop and delivery with my existing GD IZ 6S.

 

I'm now seeing the EF just being a bit too low launching for my taste and the slower swings don't feel right. When I go after it, the EF is very stable, but the controlled 104-105ish swings for me are meh. 

 

So like a good Ho, what an I do to dial in a shaft combo to help with my adjusted swing!

 

First I dusted off my IZ 6S (strait in, no tipping per GD) and wow, the IZ is a good feeling shaft. Easier to elevate for me on smooth swings. Will handle the aggressive swings but it does feel just a smidge looser, bit left at times. On course plus Mevo+ data backs this up with launch numbers over the EF. 

 

Which brings me to back to this thread, and @third-times-a-charm many tests and better memes. I'm down with the clown until I'm in the ground and all, but I can't try that many shafts. Want to, but wife has rectangular box radar  🙂

 

Easy button is to snag an IZ 6X, plenty of folks have commented about this in my speed range as well, however the good comments on TP has me wondering about that as well. The TP should have a bit stiffer tip but the profile still has feel and isn't as stout as the EF Black in the lower 3rd of the shaft. Looking at the EI's from Russ's site  these profiles are so so so similar. TP gets less love out there in general but still a good offering and if it was a mid vs. high launching for me, that's not a bad thing either..

 

Curious of others opinions who have BTDT with these. 

 

 

 

 

 

[phizzy30]

I found through testing that the TP was a little bit more stable and lower launching than the IZ.  If you really like the feeling of the IZ and it's in your ideal launch window but need more stability, I would just recommend going with X flex. 

Edited June 14, 2023 by phizzy30

[third-times-a-charm]

3 hours ago, phizzy30 said:

I found through testing that the TP was a little bit more stable and lower launching than the IZ.  If you really like the feeling of the IZ and it's in your ideal launch window but need more stability, I would just recommend going with X flex. 

Agree

 

TP -> Updated DI

IZ -> More linear + softer tip DI

HD -> More linear + tip stiff IZ

 

I would go into an X in GD shafts for @bvanlieu especially since people call them 'a bit soft to flex' due to their smooth mid-bend profiles.

 

[third-times-a-charm]

On 6/4/2023 at 10:55 AM, ob1soccer said:

so which shaft did u end up going with? Sounds like the DI is tighter with less bend? Do they feel the same. Im going to play today with the HY for the first full round and will report back

Did you like the HY?

 

I finally got a properly tipped DI Hybrid in and glued it up last night. Will be playing it tipped 1" instead of 1.5" in a 21-22* hybrid and do some testing hopefully this weekend.

[third-times-a-charm]

And in other GD news - I picked up an AD UB 4R2 for my wife to test against her GP 4R2 in driver. Trying to bring her launch and spin up a bit. Even at 11-12* in driver - with the GP - her flight is a little low. Now that's great for rollout and all but her carry isn't great. She can nut one with the GP 2-3 times a round and itll go past mine from 2 tees forward but that isnt every time and she has trouble with that low launch/spin at times.

 

By the way if anyone has ANY questions on GD shafts Alvin @ Pro Choice aka GD USA is AMAZING. There isnt much info out there on R2 flex shafts and they have different profiles than the R/S/X flexes and Alvin personally calls me back each time I email him to walk me through the aspects of each shaft in question. Just phenomenal service for little ol' end users like us. Other companies would never do such a thing.

 

Alvin confirmed the AD UB with the slightly stiffer handle would provide a more mid-high/mid profile in the R2 flex as opposed to the high/low profile of the GP in R2 but which actually comes out as more of a low/low due to the bend profile.

[R_Swanson]

On 4/15/2023 at 4:18 PM, R_Swanson said:

How does the XC compare to a Ventus blue? 

 

I'm playing a XC-6s in my driver, really need to move to an X for dispersion sake.  Was playing with the idea of trying out a ventus blue instead of the XC in an X... Or maybe getting both and selling the one I like less.  Any insight on how they compare? 

 

 

I play DI 7x's in my fairway woods. 

 

Circling back on this - bought the Ventus Blue in 6x.  A little too stiff in the handle for me.  Honestly if I was swinging a little more consistently I think I'd like it, as it would keep me honest, but for right now I need a little more feel.  Flight was lower than my XC in stiff, but plenty fine.

 

Bought a UB in 6x, hoping that I get a little more feel out of it than the Ventus Blue.  Thoughts from anyone in here?

[dwboston]

2 hours ago, R_Swanson said:

 

Circling back on this - bought the Ventus Blue in 6x.  A little too stiff in the handle for me.  Honestly if I was swinging a little more consistently I think I'd like it, as it would keep me honest, but for right now I need a little more feel.  Flight was lower than my XC in stiff, but plenty fine.

 

Bought a UB in 6x, hoping that I get a little more feel out of it than the Ventus Blue.  Thoughts from anyone in here?

 

How about the BB?  Soft handle with stiff mid-section and firm in the tip section.  Still really smooth feeling. 

 

UB will likely be fine for what you're looking for.

Edited June 19, 2023 by dwboston

[R_Swanson]

52 minutes ago, dwboston said:

 

How about the BB?  Soft handle with stiff mid-section and firm in the tip section.  Still really smooth feeling. 

 

UB will likely be fine for what you're looking for.

My XC is an updated BB, so I'm very familiar with that. 

 

I'll probably pick up an XC in X to mess with as well, but since I'm having so much luck with the DI's I thought an updated one that's slightly more linear and tip stiff might fit the bill. 

Edited June 20, 2023 by R_Swanson

[third-times-a-charm]

I think someone posted this way back in this thread when the Paradym line was released but Callaway is doing the AD BB and AD TP in 6/7/8 weights for only a $125 upcharge instead of $250 (50% off) - so with the current 2x bonus points on trades I got a 5w with an 80g AD TP for 'free' after trades. The 80g shafts are harder to come by on ebay and etc and $150 was pretty much the lowest I've seen them for so it was actually cheaper. Solid deal.

[phizzy30]

14 hours ago, R_Swanson said:

 

Circling back on this - bought the Ventus Blue in 6x.  A little too stiff in the handle for me.  Honestly if I was swinging a little more consistently I think I'd like it, as it would keep me honest, but for right now I need a little more feel.  Flight was lower than my XC in stiff, but plenty fine.

 

Bought a UB in 6x, hoping that I get a little more feel out of it than the Ventus Blue.  Thoughts from anyone in here?

I had the both the Ventus Blue 8x and UB 7TX.  UB has more feel to it IMO.  Launched a touch lower and spin was similar to the Ventus Blue.  UB felt more linear to me although the EI profile suggests otherwise. 

[bvanlieu]

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

I think someone posted this way back in this thread when the Paradym line was released but Callaway is doing the AD BB and AD TP in 6/7/8 weights for only a $125 upcharge instead of $250 (50% off) - so with the current 2x bonus points on trades I got a 5w with an 80g AD TP for 'free' after trades. The 80g shafts are harder to come by on ebay and etc and $150 was pretty much the lowest I've seen them for so it was actually cheaper. Solid deal.

 

Hmm...so instead of hunting for a 6X shaft, I can use the 2x bonus to trade two cally heads and shafts in and get a TP6 for a reasonable amount. If so, do I go 6S or 6X..hmm. I do like my IZ but hey, good price. IZ is not 125 unfortunately. 

 

Only at GolfWRX would someone buy a driver head to get a cheap shaft....thank you @third-times-a-charm for another gem 😄 

 

Seriously I need to get some numbers on the P vs. my RST-LS, the initial testing with the Triple D had me going wow, this is better club then I thought it would be (I was on the its ugly and meh band wagon on release....I've been wrong before)

 

Got 9 days to decide...

[third-times-a-charm]

General Update: I've been doing some shaft comparisons at the range on my crappy MEVO after finally getting some time back on the course.

 

.. and I've decided to chase a few more weights/flexes I havent tested yet for my 3w. Have a UB 7 and HD 7 on the way to put into my 3w head. Heres some numbers between the AD GP and AD IZ from today;

 

IZ - 17* launch, 4100 spin, 99ft peak hight

GP - 17* launch, 3600 spin, 95 peak height

 

I still love the GP as it gives me the best numbers but I like the feel of some of the other shafts better hence the HD and UB on the way. We'll see how they perform. I use my 3w as a '2 wood' tee club mostly for tighter holes and etc so the lower spin and little bit tighter shaft is ok with me but I'm kinda obsessed with the feel of the AD HD right now in that regard.

 

The AD HD 8 in my 5w is a real sleeper and I have it setup as a real high spinner at around 5300 off the deck to hold greens. I have an AD TP coming in a new Paradym 5 wood this week to test vs the AD HD in a Rogue ST Max D only because the 2x trade-in points were a no brainer.

 

Still waffling between the Di and TP in my driver still. Numbers from today;

 

DI - 19* launch, 3300 spin, 119 height

TP - 18* launch, 3300 spin, 111 peak height 

 

I lose the DI left more which = death on my home course with water ALWAYS left, but the numbers are a little better with the DI overall. It's so close tbh. I'll probably keep the TP in for now.

 

In hybrid I did find a properly tipped AD DI Hybrid to put into my 4h;

 

17* launch, 4000 spin, 89 peak height

 

Fairly ideal numbers for me in a hybrid/low flight spot in the bag. Prob not going to change this one.

 

 

 

 

[drscott266]

On 6/6/2023 at 2:32 PM, zap311 said:

Great insight in this thread! I'm hoping to get some advice on a 5W shaft choice for a TSR3 5 wood. I will be using this club off the turf for short par 5s and off the tee on long par 3s or short par 4s. I am leaning towards the IZ shaft, based upon the higher launch vs. DI/UB (other premium stock shafts from Titleist).

 

Does anyone have experience with the IZ 7S (72g) or 8S (82g) and what would you recommend to fit with the rest of my set? The playing length will be 41.5 inches (-0.5) I currently play a Stealth+ 3W in a Ventus Blue 7S (76g) and Stealth+ driver in Ventus Blue 6S (65g). My instinct is to go heavier, since I tend to have a quick transition, but I was not able to demo these shafts locally.

I play 7S DI in my 3 wood and the 7S IZ in my 5 wood, albeit at standard length.  I think you could go either way, I will say 8s should feel firmer as well as heavier but that more or may not affect you.  

[semarlor]

Finally got my TSR3 9° with the XC 7X...I've had BB 8X in a Stealth 2 Plus 3 wood for a couple of months. Since then I added the U500 3 iron with AD utility 95X. And finally, arriving last week...the BB 9X that will be going into a yet to be acquired TSR2 7 wood. I'm beyond hooked. 

[BTP]

I've had the most success playing GD in fairway woods and hybrids not so much in driver.

Favorite FW shaft is the TP with DI close second, as well as the better hybrid option.

I've played the DI, BB, TP, XC in driver and all (excluding the XC) in fairways with better performance.

 

Off the tee, these shafts play too loose. I've hit some of my better drives with them all but never seemed to dial them in. Most consistency I got was out of a DI7x but even that I had to play a 20 yrd cut to know what it was going to do.

Best combo for me right now, and probably ever to date, is a cobra f9 tour 4/5 17.5* with TP8x. I even dropped my 3W with DI8x all together because the TP is such a lethal match with this clubhead.

 

I take that back. One of the best driver combos I played for quite a while was a DI6s tipped well over an 1" because my brother originally snapped the tip. I was able to salvage it and game it myself with great results in a 910D2. I went away from it because I was afraid it wouldn't hold up having been broken before. That was precisely my excuse to try a new one!

Edited June 27, 2023 by BTP

[third-times-a-charm]

Another neat day of testing for me today. Solid 150-ball day.

 

I received my correctly spec'd retail Paradym 5w w/ AD TP 8 to put up against my TC Rogue ST Max D 5w w/ AD HD 8 I built up a few weeks ago.

 

Also glued up an AD HD 7 for my 3 wood to put against my AD GP numbers.

 

3 wood first; I love the feel of the AD HD in my 5w in the 8-series so I decided to try a 7 in this same head. This is pretty much a tee-only club for me almost like a 2 wood. The head is spec'd @ ~ 14.5*. On the right:

 

 

Numbers (launch/spin/smash/height)

 

GP 

17.1

3670

1.4

95.9

 

HD

17.5

3780

1.39

97.8

 

Fairly similar numbers for me and the carry is +-3yds between them (GP longer), but the feel of the HD is much better than the GP and with the eye test the dispersion is better with the HD . The IZ in my previous test post above in this setup was just too loose for me and the HD solves that with my tempo and swing. Really underrated fairway shaft tbh.

 

So onto the 5 woods...

 

 

These are both pretty hot clubs and I'm playing them almost -1". Both tipped recommended 1" and same length/SW/etc.

 

(launch/spin/smash/height)

 

AD TP Paradym off the tee: 

16.9

4320

1.37

92

 

AD HD Rogue ST off the tee:

18.2

4138

1.37

94.8

 

AD TP Paradym off the fairway:

19.5

4131

1.34

99.9

 

AD HD Rogue ST off the fairway:

17.6

3826

1.35

92

 

----

 

EDIT: I took out 2 more outliers from each set of shots from my swings off the deck with these, and...

 

AD TP Paradym off the fairway:

19.6

3841

1.37

103.2

 

AD HD Rogue ST off the fairway:

17.6

3724

1.35

92.1

 

Peak height with the TP went up even higher but the spin came down (meaning I removed some thin shots low on the face, it seems). HD numbers stayed virtually the same. Seems like the HD setup was much more consistent but then again my swing is the opposite of consistent.

----

 

Weird numbers...one is higher/lower in most metrics than the other but in opposite tee/fairway shots. Im sure it has something to do with the heads themselves and the MOI and etc. I could do the feel of either the TP or the HD in my 5 wood. Both really solid shafts in the 8 series. 

 

I guess I could go either way and it comes down to which is more reliable and has better dispersion or which works better on the back 9 when I'm tired than the other. My last 5 shots or so with the AD HD and Rogue ST were just straight and high bombs towards the end of the session 100-balls in. The Paradym with AD TP was getting fade-y and a little harder to control.

 

I'm going to focus less on numbers with these two now that I have them and take them out for a practice hole(s) and go from there. Winner TBD.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 1, 2023 by third-times-a-charm

[urjc22]

I am playing the CQ-6S in a Stealth 2 driver and loving it. It has great feel and a similar profile to a Ventus TR red. 

[third-times-a-charm]

13 minutes ago, urjc22 said:

I am playing the CQ-6S in a Stealth 2 driver and loving it. It has great feel and a similar profile to a Ventus TR red. 

Is it like a TR Red? I thought it was more high launch and spin - like an updated AD MJ?

[urjc22]

I have found it to be mid launch and mid spin. The ad di was launching higher and had more spin in the same head for me. I also have a 3 degree angle of attack so I am not imparting a ton of spin on ball from hitting down on it.  I am currently playing CQ in driver, red Tr 6s in 3 wood and Ventus red 7s original in 7 wood.  I don’t  have a ton of experience with the MJ but from others I have talked to, some feel this sits between an MJ and a TP (I am certainly no expert in this stuff and just going by feel and numbers on track man.)

[phizzy30]

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

Is it like a TR Red? I thought it was more high launch and spin - like an updated AD MJ?

I've tested the CQ and it's mid/mid.  It feels softer than the TR Red with a touch more kick though but very similar launch and spin numbers for me.  It's really good for fairway metals but too spinny and loose for driver.  You should give it a go since your a GD fiend, lol. 

Edited July 1, 2023 by phizzy30