Equipment

Mitsubishi unveils 2015 Diamana shaft lineup

Published

12 years ago

Jun 23, 2014

Few graphite shaft makers can claim the success of Mitsubishi Rayon’s Diamana shafts, which have been used to win more than 100 events on golf’s major professional tours since 2004. That makes it a big deal when the company tests a new line of Diamana shafts, as it is doing this at the Quicken Loans National.

The most well-known of the company’s Diamana shafts are its original S-Series and D-Series models, known as a “Blue Boards” and “White Boards,” respectively, and they’re used by a staggering amount of the world’s best players.

Tiger Woods uses the original Blue Board shafts in his driver and fairway woods, while Gary Woodland plays the Diamana S+ Series shafts in his driver and fairway wood. Jordan Spieth, on the other hand, plays an original Blue Board shaft in his driver and a Diamana D+ Series shaft in his fairway wood.

The new models are the second-generation of the company’s Diamana +Plus Series that are played by Woodland and Spieth. They’re called the S+ and D+ Series, and use new technologies that make the shafts a viable option for everyone from the best golfers in the world to the weekend player.

The profiles of the first-generation and second-generation Diamana +Plus series shafts are similar, which means that they should produce close to the same launch and spin characteristics for most golfers. There are material differences between the shafts, however, which will make the second-generation shafts a better fit for many golfers.

Mitsubishi Rayon’s second-generation Diamana +Plus Series shafts have a matte gray finish, making them a better fit for many of today’s colorful driver, fairway wood and hybrid heads. The first-generation Diamana S+ and D+ shafts had matte blue and black finishes, respectively.

The second-generation Diamana +Plus shafts expand the company’s Multi-Dimensional Interlay (M.D.I.) technology throughout the length of the shaft, where it was previously only used in the tip. That allows each shaft to be made about 3-to-4 grams lighter without affecting the shaft’s bend profile, said Mark Gunther, Mitsubishi Rayon’s vice president of sales and marketing. Unlike the original Diamana shafts, it also allows Mitsubish to tune the torque of each shaft to a specific flex, giving softer-flex shafts a little more torque and stiffer-flex shafts a little less torque.

What’s also new is that the the second-generation S+ Series shafts are counterbalanced, which means that they have a higher balance point that allows today’s heavier driver, fairway wood and hybrid heads to be played at a standard length or a longer-than-standard length without a drastic affect on swing weight.

The S+ Series shafts are slated to be released in more flexes and more weight options than ever before as well, with an emphasis on going lighter. Golfers will be able to get a 52-gram S+ Series (R and S flexes) for the first time, as well as more standard-weight options: a 62-gram model (R, S, X, TX), a 72-gram model (R, S, X, TX) and an 82-gram model (X, TX).

TX-flex shafts, which are available in each 62-gram, 72-gram and 82-gram shaft model, use special 46-ton carbon fiber materials that allow the shafts to be stiffer and have less torque than X-Flex shafts.

The D+ Series, which launches lower than the S+ Series, will also be available in a 52-gram model for the first time (R, S and X flexes), as well as a 62-gram model (S, X, TX), 72-gram model (S, X, TX) and 82-gram model (X, TX). It will not be as counterbalanced as the S+ Series shafts, however, because of its target audience. Golfers who tend to be a fit for the D+ Series often want their woods to have either a shorter length, heavier swing weight or both, which generally negates the benefits of a counterbalanced shaft.

Golfers looking for an aggressively counterweighted shaft from Mitsubishi Rayon will be pleased to hear that along with the company’s recently-released Fubuki J shafts, it will release a new Diamana M+ Series shaft, which is inspired by Mitsubishi’s original Diamana M-Series “Red Board” shaft. It’s the highest-launching of the three shafts and is expected to hit the PGA Tour for testing in October. It will be available in a 52-gram model (R, S), a 62-gram model (R, S, X, TX) and 72-gram model (R, S, X, TX).

Like the rest of the line, the M+ Series will be available in limited quantities this fall and will sell for about $300.

Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the second-generation Diamana +Plus Series shafts in our forum.

Related Topics:Mitsubishi Rayon shafts

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13 Comments

brett w

Nov 18, 2014 at 7:39 pm

Anyone know what the torque is going to be on the D+ White 70 TX?

Reply Report comment
DENNIS C. BURNS

Jul 1, 2014 at 12:35 pm

WHAT DOES (X5CT) ON THE SHAFT MEAN? DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND WHY.

Reply Report comment
- John Muir
  
  Aug 13, 2014 at 7:53 am
  
  Hi Dennis:
  From their FAQ page:
  
  The Mitsubishi Rayon logo is comprised of three diamonds. Diamond weight is measured in carats and there are 5 carats in one gram. Therefore these making signify the approximate shaft weight in carats. (e.g. 63 x5ct means 63 x 5 carats = 315 carats = 63 gram
  
  John Muir
  
  Reply Report comment
Mizunopure

Jun 28, 2014 at 2:22 am

I’ll take an O.G Blueboard for 90. Thank you!

Reply Report comment
billm311

Jun 26, 2014 at 9:05 am

I wish Mitsubishi would release lighter flexes in the heavier weights. My swing fits the whiteboard profile perfectly, but I usually can’t get maximum benefit from Diamana’s when it comes to weight v flex. Can I get a 60 Regular or 70 regular please?

Killing me.

Reply Report comment
Chuck

Jun 26, 2014 at 7:43 am

With all of the interest in heavier-weight shafts (including but not limited to Tiger Woods’ earlier move to a 103g Diamana), I sort of expected that if Mitsubishi was going to do anything new, that they would include such choices. Too bad that that appears not to be the case.

Reply Report comment
West

Jun 24, 2014 at 5:09 pm

The matte silver finish does look nice. But how do they stack up against the B and W series?

Reply Report comment
- Joe Golfer
  
  Jun 26, 2014 at 2:47 am
  
  I like that chrome ion plated finish that is just coming out. Not sure which version of the Diamana shafts it is though.
  If you read the FAQ’s (frequently asked questions) on the Mitsubishi Rayon website, it mentions that this particular finish has already been around in their Japanese market but hasn’t made it to America yet.
  
  @West asked how this article’s shafts stack up against the B and W series.
  I honestly can’t say, but the Mitsubishi Rayon website does discuss some of that stuff, so one can go there http://www.mitsubishirayongolf.com/product.php?cmd=thirddia&lang=en
  and look up the info and hope you can decipher all their lingo.
  Under the “products” section they list each of the types of shafts.
  Once you get to the shaft, you can read their description of what makes them different, and they provide their specs as well as an EI chart, which is their shaft bend profile from butt to tip.
  Hope that helps.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - west
    
    Jun 27, 2014 at 4:55 pm
    
    Thanks for your help, but the site doesn’t actually list these products.
    
    But after rereading, it looks like these 2nd gen shafts are really just counter balanced versions of the 1st gen shafts for the heavier, lower CG heads, and also with that MDI weave through out the shaft. Wonder how that will affect the “feel” of the shaft???
    
    Reply Report comment
Pingback: Mitsubishi unveils 2015 Diamana shaft lineup | Spacetimeandi.com
JJ

Jun 23, 2014 at 5:52 pm

Ummmmm Delish!!!!

Reply Report comment
Steve Barry

Jun 23, 2014 at 5:28 pm

I like the throwback look to the OG Blueboards and Whiteboards.

Reply Report comment
- Clemson Sucks
  
  Jun 24, 2014 at 4:24 pm
  
  +1
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

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

Published

2 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.

Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Titleist Vokey Proto Wedges 54M, 60T

Published

4 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @Putt4Dough is selling some prototype wedges from Vokey Wedgeworks. These include a 54 degree wedge with the M grind and a 60 degree wedge with a T grind.

From the listing:

(1) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 54M with a Tour Issue DGS400 shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet (logo down). Standard length, lie, and loft. BB&F ferrule. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

(2) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 60T with a KBS Tour 130X shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet. Standard length, lie, and loft. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.