Equipment

Spotted: Nippon “Graphite On Steel Technology” hybrid prototype shafts

Published

8 years ago

May 14, 2018

Steel vs. graphite shafts, which is better for your game? It’s a question as old as the invention of graphite shafts for golf clubs.

Well, it appears that Nippon is combining steel and graphite with its new hybrid prototype shaft, with technology called “Graphite On Steel.” Based on the nomenclature and the photos we captured at the 2018 AT&T Byron Nelson on Monday, it seems that there is a layer of graphite surrounding a steel hybrid shaft.

And for what purpose? GolfWRX Members are guessing that the design could be for reduced vibration, or for great stability, but we’re yet to know for sure.

We’ve reached out to Nippon representatives and will update this story with more information as it becomes available. For now, click here for more photos and discussion.

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17 Comments

Dave Bryce

May 19, 2018 at 1:52 pm

In the 90s I reshafted the bimatrix shaft for many customers. That shaft incorporated the same principles and proved to be more hype then substance! With that shaft I found the swingweights to be too high!

Reply Report comment
KenW

May 16, 2018 at 9:56 pm

I too have a set of the Aerotech SteelFiber shafts which have steel thread wrapped around a graphite core and they were great, but a couple years ago I put Fujikura’s Metal Composite shafts (MCI) on my Calloway Apex irons and Wow! they are terrific shafts. Like the Nippon shafts, they have a graphite sleeve over a steel core shaft. Don’t know there’s a ton of difference but the Fujikura seem to have the perfect Flex and torque for my swing.

Reply Report comment
~j~

May 16, 2018 at 12:43 pm

A side from perhaps the steelfibers (never tried), has anyone even had much success intertwining steel and graphite?? Would think the extra labor/technology involved would largely go unnoticed by many and likely to be not worth the production cost.

Reply Report comment
Buck Futter

May 16, 2018 at 12:22 pm

Graphite Hybrid On Steel Technology or GHOST for short
Should make them in white

Reply Report comment
Really Big Mike

May 16, 2018 at 12:00 pm

This technology looks to be very similar to Aerotech Steelfiber, who advertises that their shafts are longer and straighter with less effort and they avoid injury or aggravating previous injury.

Reply Report comment
cinch bugs

May 15, 2018 at 8:34 am

Don’t knock it till you’e tried it…. just kidding knock away!

Reply Report comment
Deadpool

May 15, 2018 at 2:21 am

Lets just go back to hickory. I like wood. My wood is good.

Reply Report comment
- steve
  
  May 15, 2018 at 3:53 pm
  
  so yer regressing back to woodies and abandoning stiff steel and floppy graphite?
  
  Reply Report comment
steve

May 14, 2018 at 6:08 pm

SteelFiber shafts have filament-wound steel fibers over and internal graphite shaft… and now Nippon is putting the graphite over the steel shafting. Why are they doing this expensive solution to compensate for the failings of plain graphite shafts with floppy soggy tips with a sloppy dynamic response going through final release and impact?
For SteelFiber: https://aerotechgolfshafts.com/

Reply Report comment
- steve
  
  May 14, 2018 at 6:15 pm
  
  Furthermore.. most graphite shafts are oven-cured to harden the epoxy mix holding the graphite fibers. Not with Seven Dreamers graphite shafts which are autoclave cured that sucks out the excess epoxy plastic that causes the tip instability of other graphite shafts.
  Seven Dreamers: http://www.golfwrx.com/489200/a-qa-with-seven-dreamers-about-its-1200-shafts/
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Deadpool
    
    May 15, 2018 at 2:22 am
    
    Yeah I am so intelligent and knowledgeable too, that Google lets me know everything too, steve
    
    Reply Report comment
    - steve
      
      May 15, 2018 at 3:50 pm
      
      go back to the main WRX forum with all the gearheadbaters…
      
      Reply Report comment
    - steve
      
      May 15, 2018 at 10:01 pm
      
      Yer the Google gearheadbater who can only tap twitter-sized blurts from yer shrunken brainlet.. so sooo obvious …. ????
      
      Reply Report comment
  - Dan
    
    May 15, 2018 at 3:59 pm
    
    Does this guy just copy paste this app the time?
    
    Reply Report comment
    - steve
      
      May 15, 2018 at 10:00 pm
      
      I remember all that scientific stuff because my smart brain is not ruined with a twitter blurting mentality…. just go to the main WRX forum and look at the juvenile comments in less than 140 characters… sooo pa thetic…
      
      Reply Report comment
      - Not Steve
        
        May 15, 2018 at 11:14 pm
        
        Your smart brain and scientist stuff is on the wrong site for that you will incurred a stroke penalty and another for slow play
        
        Reply Report comment
- Josh
  
  May 14, 2018 at 11:29 pm
  
  Steelfiber convert here… I agree why put the graphite on top of the steel? Doesn’t make as much sense as the steel-fiber-weave wrapped around a traditional graphite shaft…
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Slab city on the Korn Ferry Tour — Lead Tape Report

Published

15 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

15 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

15 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.”