Equipment

Q&A: Aerotech Golf President Chris Hilleary

Published

12 years ago

Apr 4, 2014

The best-case scenario for a small golf equipment company is essentially what has happened for Aerotech Golf in the last six years.

Matt Kuchar began using a set of the company’s SteelFiber composite shafts in his irons in 2008. Since the switch, he’s won five times on the PGA Tour, and along the way he convinced friend and fellow top-ranked golfer Brandt Snedeker to try the shafts. Snedeker liked them so much that he put the same model in his irons, and has used them in route to four PGA Tour wins as well as the 2012 FedEx Cup.

The success of Kuchar and Snedeker has led to several other PGA Tour winners using the shafts, but what seems like an overnight success actually began 17 years ago.

Aerotech Golf President Chris Hilleary joined Aerotech Sports in 1997 as the director of its golf division. The company’s main focus was the production of composite hockey sticks, however, which allowed Hilleary to purchase the golf division in October 2005.

Since that time, Hilleary has grown the Bellingham, Wash., company to an enviable spot in the industry. SteelFiber is the No. 1 graphite iron shaft on the PGA Tour, and its popularity with golfers has led to it becoming a custom iron shaft option for nearly every major equipment manufacturer.

Hilleary took the time to chat with GolfWRX Managing Editor Zak Kozuchowski about the SteelFiber shaft, his company’s success and what the future holds for Aerotech.

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ZK: Chris, you said that you strapped yourself financially to purchase Aerotech Golf in 2005. What was it that made you do that?

CH: I worked for Aerotech Sports (Aerotech Golf’s parent company) for nine years and ran its golf division. During that time, I designed the SteelFiber technology and I knew that this shaft had the potential to revolutionize the iron shaft category. When the opportunity to purchase the golf division came along, I actually had to compete against one of the largest shaft manufacturers in the world to purchase the brand. I initially looked for investors, but I decided to leverage everything I owned and was able to outbid the competition. In retrospect, it was one of the smartest decision I’ve ever made.

ZK: Tell me about the SteelFiber shaft specifically. Where did the idea come from, and why do you think that it has been so successful?

CH: Before I began designing the SteelFiber shaft, I saw a void in the market as composite shafts had not been embraced in the iron category. Over 95 percent of all drivers and fairway woods used graphite at the time and I was confident iron shafts would get there, but I needed to overcome some performance hurdles first. That’s when I set out to create a graphite iron shaft that had all the control and consistency of steel but had all the benefits of graphite as well. The SteelFiber shaft was actually an evolution of several designs over time. Early on in the development I realized that I needed to add a higher density (heavier) material into the structure to achieve the performance enhancements I was looking for. After several attempts co-mingling different materials with the graphite the real breakthrough came when I discovered the micro-thin steel fiber and applied it to the entire surface of the shaft. The unique combination of the graphite core with the full layer of steel has created an iron shaft that outperforms steel shafts that has ultimately accounted for its success.

ZK: What do golfers need to know about SteelFiber shafts if they’re considering purchasing a set? I’ve been told by top custom fitters that the shafts tend to play on the stiff side and that they have a higher balance point than a lot of iron shafts.

CH: First of all, golfers should understand that this is a composite shaft so it has all the vibration-dampening characteristic of a 100 percent graphite shaft. This lowers the risk of injury, aggravation of existing injuries and reduces the fatigue associated with swinging heavier, harsher steel shafts. Secondly, we have designed this shaft with a very stable lower quadrant and tight torque values. Combine that with the full layer of steel and it results in an extremely controllable shaft even as the butt frequencies get lower (softer). Therefore, the shaft plays on the firm side of flex as you mentioned. This is evidenced by that fact that over 80 percent of all the shafts being played on the PGA and Champions tours are our standard stiff flex. Our balance points run about 50 percent (middle of the shaft), which is not necessarily high but when using lighter weight shafts with standard head weights (designed for building steel shafted irons) a club builder may need to add a tip weight or make a slight length adjustment to hit target swing weights.

ZK: When an iron shaft becomes successful on tour, it tends to be successful for a long time. For example, True Temper’s Dynamic Gold steel shafts have been the most played iron shafts on the PGA Tour for decades. Do you think SteelFiber has that kind of staying power?

CH: The Dynamic Gold has been the benchmark in iron shafts for more than 70 years and we can only dream that the SteelFiber shaft has that kind of staying power. With that said, the Dynamic Gold shaft replaced the hickory shaft because of the performance benefits it exhibited over its predecessor. The SteelFiber has now taken iron shaft performance to the next level by adding performance characteristics that the steel shaft could not achieve. If history repeats itself, you never know, the SteelFiber shaft has a chance to become the new “gold standard.”

ZK: Some large golf equipment manufacturers have expressed their frustration with USGA rules that they say have limited innovation. Do shaft manufacturers face similar obstacles, or is there still a lot of room to innovate in the shaft space?

CH: I think the golf shaft is one area that can continue to stretch the boundaries of performance and make the game more enjoyable for everyone. As material science, manufacturing processes and the understanding of shaft performance improves, we will continue to create new innovative designs.

ZK: Tell me what’s next for Aerotech Golf.

CH: Our main focus has been managing the growth that we’ve been experiencing during the past few years and especially in the last 24 months. With that said, we continue to research new materials and expand our knowledge of shaft performance and will be adding to our product line soon. Our next product launch will be a comprehensive line of SteelFiber hybrid shafts. We have been getting several hybrid shafts in play each week out on tour and it’s time to share those designs with the golfing public.

ZK: Thanks for your time, Chris.

Whats in the Bag

Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)

Published

11 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100

Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400

Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.

Equipment

TaylorMade MySpider Tour and Tour X: More customizable build options now available

Published

11 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.

The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.

One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.

Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.

See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:

MySpider Tour

MySpider Tour X

Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

14 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.