Equipment

Penley returns to shaft market with Quasar ET3

Published

9 years ago

Feb 20, 2017

Carter Penley and Penley Golf Shafts are returning to the marketplace with the continuation of the handcrafted ET line. The Quasar ET3 shaft builds on the fundamentals of the ET2 shaft, including Penley’s proprietary TBAR (Tip to Butt Aspect Ratio) algorithm.

The Quasar ET3 is premised on Penley’s early 2000s work with the ETA shaft (played by Phil Mickelson). With the ETA, Penley introduced the aforementioned TBAR algorithm. With Penley’s return to the marketplace a decade later with ET2 shaft, he set out to develop a shaft that would hold up against major manufacturers’ offerings and gain traction on Tour.

Penley’s ET3 (top and bottom views).

Mr. Penley told us the algorithm is intended to offer more forgiveness and tighter dispersion on mishits, as well as a softer feel overall. “The ET2 has great distance and accuracy, but it’s basically for the harder swingers,” Penley said. “We’re opening this to the everyday players with the ET3.”

“I’ve developed a shaft with…a lot of control in the tip section. My job is to try to correct mis-hits. I had the opportunity to work with Lanny Wadkins years ago when he was going from steel to carbon fiber and he said, ‘No matter how good a player is, all he wants is the club that gives him the best mis-hit.’ I put that in the back of my head.”

Penley stressed the attention to detail and tolerances in his hand-built offerings.

“I’m going to hand build these shafts. I’m going to grind and sand these things right in the center of the range. And I don’t make 10,000 shafts. The biggest lot I’ll make is 100. In long drive, I make only 10 at a time. I hand grind those guys to a perfect TBAR. And I can move it up and down a bit with Zone Flex Characterization.”

“I want to go back to the way it was when Bobby Jones was playing golf. Hand making wooden shafts. Sanding and grinding, that’s what they did. Carbon fiber is just a composite…and so is wood.”

The Quasar ET3 is scheduled for release in late February 2017 and will be available in R, S, and X flexes with a retail price of $249.

Related Topics:shafts

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Ben Alberstadt

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

8 Comments

TC

Feb 28, 2017 at 12:12 am

I play Penley Steath in my irons, LOVE THEM, still perfect after 7+ years of playing. I play the Penley Platinum in a BB 3 wood, best 3 wood EVER, it s 20 yards longer than ANY other shaft and much more accurate and consistent. I play the ET2 in a SLDR 460 head, it too, is the longest and straightest shaft I’ve ever hit and I’ve tried them ALL! I haven’t tried the new Quasar but being it’s a Penley, i’m sure it will outperform anything you put it up against!

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Don

Feb 24, 2017 at 4:08 pm

Mr. Penley is awesome and very accommodating to work with and his line of shafts rival the big dogs for a fraction of the price. I replaced a HZRDUS black with an ET2 in my M2 driver and haven’t looked back.

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Johnnylongballz

Feb 21, 2017 at 4:00 am

My 905R that had a Penley in it, may have been the best driver I ever owned. Looking forward to trying this new line! Great shafts

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IDC

Feb 21, 2017 at 2:40 am

Specs look good. Nice graphics

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Bro Squad ?

Feb 20, 2017 at 9:49 pm

Please bring back the Stealth 60 and 70!!! (Matte Black and Yellow! #Elcajon

Reply Report comment
John Muir

Feb 20, 2017 at 7:00 pm

Penley shafts are fantastic.

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moses

Feb 20, 2017 at 6:43 pm

I used to play Penley shafts back in the day. They were awesome. Glad to see they’re back.

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Jim

Feb 20, 2017 at 10:13 am

For those who weren’t heavy into this from 85 – 05, Penley were the first shafts that incorporated both lower torque & feel….I used custom XXX driver shafts and the IMS iron shafts from him for years until the explosion in shaft tech that started in 2005….since 2007 shaft technology has expanded every year – far beyond the ‘tech’ in the heads…

Penley always gave great service (no problem with returns for breakage) quick custom order filling and produced excellent, consistent shafts…Welcome Back, Good Luck

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Equipment

Slab city on the Korn Ferry Tour — Lead Tape Report

Published

7 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

This week, we have our Tour Photographer, Greg Moore, on the ground at the OccuNet Classic at Tascosa Golf Club in Amarillo, Texas, for the 14th event of the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season. With that, we see some great things in the Lead Tape Report as we roll into Amarillo.

Joel Thelen

Monday Qualifier, Joel Thelen is in the field this week. He has played on the Korn Ferry Tour for a full season in 2023, and he is back in action this week. A couple of clubs caught my eye this week in his bag.

First off: His trusted Titleist 816 H2 hybrid. This club came out in October of 2015, and it still remains strong in the bag. Also, take a look at this Odyssey White Hot OG 7, putting a capital S in the 7S model. This custom neck has some impressive lean for an arm-lock-style putter. The bottom of the putter is covered in tape for optimal weighting.

Mitchell Meissner

Taking a look at Mitchell Meissner’s bag this week, we have some great lead tape coverage. Top to bottom working from fairway metals, irons, and wedges. We can see on the short irons and wedges that there is tape at the base of the grip, adding a little counterbalance. Along with that, some tape on the short irons and wedges as well. Moving to his putter, he rolls the Odyssey 7 Bird putter. Meissner putts left-handed and strikes the ball right-handed.

Whats in the Bag

Bud Cauley WITB 2026 (June)

Published

7 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Will Schube

Bud Cauley had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.

Driver: Titleist GTS2 (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: Titleist GTS3 (15 degrees, B1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 70 TX

7-wood: Titleist GTS3 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 80 TX

Irons: Titleist U505 (3), Titleist 620 MB (4-9)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 8 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putters: Scotty Cameron Tour Prototype, Scotty Cameron GOLO 6.3 Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

See more in-hand photos of Bud Cauley’s clubs here.

Equipment

Name every set of irons you’ve owned – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

7 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user has offered up a prompt for the true sickos, inviting fellow forum members to share every set of irons they’ve ever owned. As to be expected, this is a lengthy forum topic.

@Lamosteve began:

Can you name every set of irons you’ve owned? Here’s mine

Spalding Dots
Spalding Eclipse
Ram Lazer FX
Lynx Parallax
Mizuno EZ Comp
Ben Hogans
Cleveland CG Red
Taylor Made R9s
PING i20
PING iE1
Taylor Made M6

Our members in the forum have been offering up their own collections. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

macedan: “Started with a hand-me-down Golden Bear set from my brother when I was in high school, never really played more than once a year or got into the game until about summer of 2017. First purchased a set of Cleveland CG4’s (I actually really miss this set sometimes, soft & not terribly large for a GI iron), moved into Nike Vapor Fly’s by the end of the year. Those lasted until spring of 18 when I decided I wanted new, so I traded them in for TM Rbladez. Honestly, although I liked the Rbladez, poor decision on my part, I think this was really about the only time so far that after a week or two I was kicking myself for not staying with what I had. Rbladez stayed with me until late last summer when I switched to P790’s and (knock on wood) I am hoping this will be my longest lasting set.”
JimmyC59: “MacGregor Jack Nicklaus Triple Crown. Palmer The Standard. Still play these.”
jgrzask: “Tommy Armour 845u
Mizuno MP-32
Mizuno MP-33 (2 sets)
Bridgestone J33cb – still own
Srixon i-302 (2 sets) – still own
Tourstage X-Blades – still own
Mizuno Hot Metal – still own
Nike Forged Blades – still own
Titleist 714 AP1 – still own
Cobra Forged SS – still own”

Entire Thread: “Name every set of irons you’ve owned.”