Equipment

The story behind the mysterious “Monstar Full Titanium” driver shaft spotted on the PGA Tour

Published

3 years ago

Jun 28, 2023

Update 6/28 2 p.m.: GolfWRX spoke with Tony Krampel, the North American distributor for Monstar shafts, which are manufactured in South Korea. According to Krampel, there are around 40 players on the LPGA of Korea Tour using the shafts currently, and Natthakritta Vongtaveelap nearly won using it recently. He also said Tom Gillis and numerous top juniors have tested and played the shafts.

According to Krampel, the 67 (S-flex), 68 (X-flex), and 69 (XX-Flex) gram versions have been adjusted for American markets after testing with various players and fitters. They’re now built to have thicker handles and stiffer tip sections than the Korean versions. Monstar also has a range of options including 50-gram and ladies shafts.

The shafts indeed have titanium rods that run from the butt-end to the tip section in order to reduce weight while increasing stability. They’re designed to produce a high-launch, low-spin ball flight.

Krampel said he expects the company’s new website to go live within the next week, where American customers will be able to purchase shafts.

On Tuesday at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, GolfWRX.com spotted a “Monstar Full Titanium” shaft in Brandon Matthews’ new Srixon ZX7 Mk II driver.

I quickly checked out the photos of the shaft, but I was equally stumped.

“Monstar? Is that like the Monstars from Space Jam?”

Whenever I don’t know something about a golf product – whatever it is – my first text is always to GolfWRX.com equipment expert, and Club Junkie podcast host, Brian Knudson. Not much gets past him in the world of golf equipment, especially when it comes to shafts.

“Never heard of them,” he replied.

Hm. That’s weird.

The alarm bells were officially ringing in my head, so I started asking around to some of the tour reps who were on site at Detroit Golf Club for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Every single person I asked, though, had no idea what the shaft was.

Time to get Googling.

My Google search for “Monstar full titanium golf shaft” returned an oddly scarce amount of results.

“Alright, what the heck is going on with this Monstar shaft? What IS IT?!”

I then tracked down Matthews, who helped shed some light on how the shaft ended up in his bag, but not much by way of design or technology.

Here’s what Matthews had to say:

“I got it a couple years ago from a guy I know. I guess it’s from overseas in Asia. I think it’s similar to – I guess not similar to – but in the category of the AutoFlex. It’s not as whippy, though. My buddy had one and he was like, ‘Hey, can you try this out?’ Actually, this was the shaft I won with last year at the [2022 Astra Golf Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour]. I don’t know the ins and outs of it, but it works. It’s really sweet.”

At this point, my intrigue was off the charts.

A bit more digging helped me find a GolfWRX forum thread about the Monstar shafts, which then led me to a Korean blog called “Love Golf.”

Unfortunately, the website is in a foreign language, and the formatting of the blog wasn’t allowing me to Google translate. I found a work-around with the help of Artificial Intelligence, though, and I was able to decode what was written about the Monstar shafts.

Here’s the A.I. translation of the Love Golf blog, which provides seemingly reliable design details:

“Hello. This is Love Golf. Today, we’re going to talk about the full titanium Monstar shaft, which is made with an inserted titanium wire. What’s good about having titanium inserted – its resilience is overwhelmingly good. Of course, good resilience would greatly help with direction and distance.

“This Monstar shaft is available in our store. It is Made in Japan. From the Japanese Arute Corp., a company with a 30-year tradition and boasting an overwhelming production share in carbon-pole shafts. With their unique carbon manufacturing technology and the expertise accumulated over the years, they have finally launched a new product, the 2018 Full Titanium Reinforced Monstar shaft.

“The inner diameter of the Full Reinforced Shaft uses a mix of 60T carbon, which has a strength more than twice that of steel, and an elasticity rate more than five times. During a swing, it supports the force, maintains Low Torque at impact, significantly suppresses twisting, and is significantly smoother than a shaft with the same stiffness CPM. Even though it is lightweight, it outperforms a shaft of the same weight in terms of resilience.

“The Monstar Full Titanium shaft is also the first in the industry to reinforce from the tip start point to the butt end with Titanium Wire, delivering power from the start of the swing impact to the end of the follow through at the butt end, delivering energy so that the ball can fly to the end with impact.

“The Monstar shaft, with the insertion of Full Titanium Wire, has the advantage of being more than 10g lighter, allowing for easier head speed increase when swinging. As a result, it is the ultimate carbon shaft that allows all players to significantly increase their distance and tolerance by solely relying on the shaft.

“In the past, Honma came out with a full titanium shaft. I remember being surprised when sparks flew while cutting the shaft for fitting, even though it was carbon…That Monstar shaft will probably also have sparks flying.”

Some additional research also led me to a YouTube video from Tour Experience Golf (TXG), where the expert fitters tested out the shaft. In the video, they compare the Monstar shaft to the popular pink AutoFlex shaft, which is known for its uniquely whippy construction. As described in the video, however, the AutoFlex X-Flex measures about 210 CPM (cycles per minute), while the Monstar X-Flex measures a more standard 280 CPM.

Matthews himself plays a Monstar Full Titanium XX-Flex shaft, which measures 69 grams, based on the shaft label.

It’s extremely important to keep in mind here that Matthews is currently ranked No. 2 in Driving Distance on the PGA Tour in 2022-2023, averaging 321.8 yards per drive.

To me, that means two things:

Brandon Matthews is a different kind of beast (a mon-ster, if you will), and,
The Monstar Full Titanium shaft, with its “titanium wire,” is clearly stable enough to withstand Matthews’ other-worldly speed. Surely it can also withstand the speeds of other fellow pros and amateurs, too.

I reached out to the company for further information, but I’ve yet to hear back at the time of publishing. I’ll be sure to update this story should more details become available, and hopefully I’ll be able to test out the shaft for myself in the future and report back. From the sounds of it, this shaft won’t be easy to get my hands on. Hopefully, Matthews’ buddy has another one on deck…

Until then, check out the photos of Matthews’ Monstar shaft here

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Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

5 Comments

Guy Sykes

Jun 28, 2023 at 12:25 pm

Interesting read and surprised to see titanium coming back to shafts. In the late 80’s/early 90’s there were all titanium shafts available made by Sandvik Titanium in Richland, Wa. Called TI Shafts they were very lightweight in different flexes (not auto flex) and at the time pretty expensive. I ran a golf club repair business and had a set in both woods and irons and they played extremely well. Very lightweight through the set. Sandvik is still in business but no longer makes shafts.

Reply Report comment
- F
  
  Jul 2, 2023 at 12:54 pm
  
  I had one in one of my Taylormade Burner metal drivers in 1991. It was really good
  
  Reply Report comment
J14

Jun 28, 2023 at 11:20 am

I had Titanium iron shafts 20 + or so years ago. Stiff and much lighter than steel.

Very accurate — Very expensive.

Reply Report comment
Www

Jun 28, 2023 at 11:08 am

http://miraigolf-mk.com/newsr/gew-2-2/

You’re welcome

Reply Report comment
Jimbo88

Jun 28, 2023 at 9:16 am

Tursky: Did you speak with James Chang (the Korean writer/golfer who contributes to GolfWRX: https://www.golfwrx.com/author/james-chang/), to see whether he can share insights w.r.t. Monstar shafts? (given its likely Korean origin… and given that James has been exploring these lightweight shafts e.g. AutoFlex and FreeFlex? https://www.golfwrx.com/704393/

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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.