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The UST VTS Project 2011


SPY ZINGER

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***REVIEW ADDED IN POST #10***

 

 

These just arrived this afternoon, the UST Mamiya VTS shafts-Red, Black, and Silver all in 6s. I am going to fit them with Callaway i-Mix connectors and play them in my RAZR Hawk i-Mix for testing. Just wanted to post some preliminary pictures of the project, and will itemize the performance of the shafts and their respective characteristics in future posts. I thought you would like to see some pictures of the shafts in addition to the ones that members have already been posting. Enjoy!

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razr1.jpg

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UST1.jpg

VTS1.jpg

VTS2.jpg

VTS3.jpg

VTS4.jpg

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The i-Mix is not available at retail, it's only available on the fitting carts, tour vans, etc. Or: If you know a guy that knows a guy. ;)

 

I am not certain what the retail price point will be for these shafts yet.

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  • 1 month later...

Just got this email, cool new program from UST Mamiya:

 

UST Mamiya Unveils TourSPX Initiative to Continue Company Legacy of Golf-Shaft Technology Innovation, Product Breakthroughs

 

(FORT WORTH, TX) – UST Mamiya – maker of the world's finest carbon fiber golf-club shafts – has opened its TourSPX™ Technology Generation Laboratory (TourSPX Lab), a one-of-a-kind research facility dedicated to the continued development of the world's most advanced, high-performance golf products.

 

Located within company headquarters in Fort Worth, TX, the TourSPX Lab is the nation's preeminent golf equipment “think tank” where every single day new products come to life and are tested by some of the best players in the world.

 

Overseen by Michael Guerrette, UST Mamiya Senior Director of Research & Development and Tour Operations, the TourSPX Lab uses state-of-the-art technology and PGA Tour player feedback to create new and exciting breakthroughs which continue to push the performance envelope.

 

“TourSPX is established to push the limits of conceptual thinking regarding golf-shaft technology,” says Gene Simpson, Chief Operating Officer of UST Mamiya. “This autonomous performance development laboratory is where new ideas are developed, tested and evaluated by the world's best players.”

 

“The goal is to apply what we learn from exhaustive research and real-world testing, then take it to the marketplace,” says Guerrette. “While not every concept generated by TourSPX team will become a product in the real world, each design does provide a valuable building block of knowledge that may very well lead to the next big thing.”

 

The TourSPX Lab is only the first phase of the concept. This summer, UST Mamiya will roll out a Certification and Competitive Analysis platform to facilitate development of a qualified TourSPX Dealer network. An in-house, Swing-Fit® Studio will soon follow along with the launch of a comprehensive Custom Shop to produce handcrafted, one-off, made-to-spec shafts exclusively for Tour players.

 

Likened to the precision of Lexus automobiles, all UST Mamiya carbon-fiber shafts are made using handcrafted, repeatable production techniques that incorporate world-class engineering and premium-selected raw materials. This combines with tight tolerances, constant taper design and low-resin content to enhance feel during the golf swing. UST Mamiya shafts have remained the top-selling aftermarket option in the United States the past four years.

 

The company produces a variety of shaft models, including the renowned ATTAS and Proforce lines, which have received significant usage on major professional tours internationally. UST Mamiya users have recorded three victories on the PGA Tour this season, as well as securing previous wins on the European, Champions, Nationwide, European Senior and Asian Tours.

 

Knowing that every golfer who installs a new shaft will also need a grip, UST Mamiya offers a line of premium offerings, with groundbreaking new models being introduced in 2011. They include the Pro DV, Comp DV and ST1 putter grips.

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REVIEW ADDED 5/25/11 (Terrible weather in Minneapolis this Spring!)

 

UST MAMIYA Velocity Torque Speed (VTS) Proforce Shafts

 

 

By now you have seen the photographs of the UST MAMIYA (UST) tour bag out on the PGA Tour stops this season surrounded by these new red and silver shafts in drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids. Those shafts are the new addition to the Proforce line from UST called VTS, Velocity, Torque, Speed. The VTS shafts were two years in the making and UST teamed with an outside agency specializing in biomechanics for this design.

 

According to UST, torque has been underrated and overlooked for years and the VTS is designed to change the way torque is perceived. The VTS looks at a players swing “DNA” and pairs it with their “linear torque profile” which according to UST is the relationship between shaft weight, flex, and torque as well as the players individual swing. Basically, they are measuring torque across the entire shaft and fitting it based on your specific swing mechanics. UST believes a player's swing mechanics (Velocity) transfers energy through the shaft creating rotational forces (Torque) which translates into distance ball (Speed).

 

Conventional wisdom generally put torque in a box, and the predominate guidance has been the higher your swing speed, the lower the torque. Better players have strayed from higher torque shafts because the profile across the entire shaft tended to be weaker.

 

At present, UST has three options available Black, Silver, and Red. These shafts have the same profile, but differ in torque which is 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5, respectively. I had the opportunity to test the three profiles in 6s. I fitted them with new Callaway i-Mix connectors and went to work in a Callaway Golf FT-9 Tour head at 10.5*. For the better part of the last two years, this driver has been in the bag, and is usually paired with the UST ATTAS T2 6s shaft.

 

Aesthetically, the VTS continues in the UST tradition with having a multi-color paint scheme with a predominate color in the top half of the shaft fading into a predominate color into the bottom half. The VTS features a vibrant red into silver paint scheme with a unique yet subtle fiberoptic-like graphics scheme. A white circle designates the weight and flex, while the block letters VTS are either black, silver, or red, which designates the torque profile.

 

This spring, I had the opportunity to test them both on a launch monitor and on course. The results really shaped the way I composed this preview which is designed to discuss the concept of the VTS rather than focus on performance results, and I will explain why that is in a moment. I believe this approach really is in the spirit of what UST has intended for this offering. My findings and results were as unconventional as the shafts themselves.

 

The VTS Black has the lowest torque rating at 2.5. However, I found it to have the highest launch, and most spin with the least amount of ‘feel' throughout the swing. At the opposite end of the spectrum was the VTS Red with the highest torque rating at 4.5, launched the lowest, with the least spin, but had the most ‘feel' or perception of smooth. The VTS Silver with a torque of 3.5, provided results right in the middle of the Black and Red with respect to launch and spin. These results were perplexing to me so I sent an email to UST in an attempt to either validate my findings or shed light on the findings. Their response was simple, “it depends.”

 

UST's general results have been the RED works best for higher swing speed players, while the Black works best for slower swing players. Have you ever seen Phil Mickelson's, Secrets of the Short Game? He's got a quote in there addressing locking your wrists while chipping, that fit's perfectly with UST's response: “What? That's crazy!” That's what came to mind when I read this. But with an average swing speed right at 105 MPH, it made sense that the Silver fit my swing profile the best out of the three with respect to launch, spin, ball speed, and feel.

 

Many professional clubmakers will agree, it's better to get fit than try to “self fit” yourself from an equipment forum. I can't say that I disagree with that. But, I can appreciate the guy that just wants to go it alone so to speak, and do the research on their own through trial and error. UST has just enhanced the fitting process by taking fitting a step further with their VTS line. It's the unique of concept of fitting the shaft profile to the player while fitting the players swing profile to the shaft that sets this VTS line apart from anything we've seen in the industry to date.

 

So how does this shaft perform? Well, you've really got to hit it yourself. You have got to go into a fitting without predispositions or expectations, and let the results guide your selection. This makes the timing of the UST TourSPX program, perfect. For the first time, UST will offer the same shafts available to players on the professional tours, to the general public through select UST dealers. Shafts through the TourSPX program have much tighter tolerances and are laser etched with a serial number unique to specifications of that exact shaft. The VTS will be available in this program in R, S, SX, X, and TX flexes.

 

The retail release of the Proforce VTS shafts is tentatively scheduled for Fall, 2011.

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