Prototype Xcaliber Rapid Taper irons.

[Popeye64]

From time to time I get to hit some prototype shafts from Xcaliber golf. This is a shaft that has been in the works for quite awhile. A concept that Robin Arthur refused to give up on.

Think of a bull whip that's fat at the handle and skinny the rest of the way down. How when snapped, the transfer of energy is dramatic. Well he pulled that off with an iron shaft.

The 75g version has been in circulation and testing for a while and its creating a lot of buzz to anyone who has hit them. It's an oh Wow moment.. HEY,, this is different and it works. What's strange is the shaft seems to fit a very broad spectrum of hitters. From a low 90 mph swing to high 120s. Robin has never seen a shaft that works for so many different golfers in one flex.

But that's not what blew me away today. I have a 75g Rapid Taper, a Tour X 85g and a brand new 95G Rapid taper. The 95 has not been hit by anyone till today. I have them all with a Maltby PTM 6 iron.

After a brief warm up with my gamer TS-2 6 iron. I swapped over to the 95 Rapid Taper. It was a revelation. After three balls I was in sort of a shock. I had never hit such a smooth, crisp and near perfect feeling club. Launch was high but not in a ballooning way... it just soared out there. All three felt as good as the first. I dropped the 95 and wanted to see if I had that same feeling with 75.... then the 85... both great clubs and the 75 Rapid taper has just been amazing. But this 95 was blow me away good. I hit a lot of different equipment and this is something special.

The 75g has proven to pick up ball speed by 3-5 mph on every tester. It loads and releases unlike any other golf club. The technology flat out works. But this 95 is just a whole other level for me.

More samples are on thier way but Xcaliber golf has really got something in this shaft.

In two weeks I'm hoping I can get into a simulator and get some data. Previous data on the 75 has shown big gains in distance with great dispersion. Spin is also excellent. I'm dying to see the numbers on the 95. Hitting these three today I was outside at a closed range with my own shag balls. A worthy donation in discovering such a shaft. Now I'm gonna go crazy waiting for the other samples to show up.

 

The 95 has the cosmetics with the white rings. That will not be the final scheme. It was just something the shaft manufacturer was tinkering with.

 

 

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[aerospace_ray]

I have been following your reviews referencing this shaft. Very much want to purchase a couple of the 75 gram shafts and test. Have played XCaliber shafts on/off for many years(mainly FW shafts). To date have never had as much success as I had with that  classic rt spin wedge. I had a Wishon wedge/xcaliber spin wedge shaft that I wore out several years ago. Have never been able to duplicate the spin I got from that particular combo. These new iron RT models look good. 

[Popeye64]

I have been following your reviews referencing this shaft. Very much want to purchase a couple of the 75 gram shafts and test. Have played XCaliber shafts on/off for many years(mainly FW shafts). To date have never had as much success as I had with that  classic rt spin wedge. I had a Wishon wedge/xcaliber spin wedge shaft that I wore out several years ago. Have never been able to duplicate the spin I got from that particular combo. These new iron RT models look good. 

It will be sometime in June before they will reach retail.
I have been testing a 95g version that has been just as good but being more stable for a big hitter.
A stiffer version of the 95 just showed up as well as an R Flex 75g shaft. So I have a ton of testing to do next week. Anyone who has hit these is just blown away by the performance and especially the feel.
Driver shaft testing has been ongoing and its still in development. But these iron shafts will be huge.

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[aerospace_ray]

Your testing next week should be amazing. I wish I had the swing for the 95g. Today its the 75g/R flex that I am interested in. Looking forward to your testing reviews. 

[Popeye64]

I should have access to the launch monitor so hopefully I'll have plenty of data to go along with it. I can't wait.

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[jayjay0808]

This is really interesting, a Tour X for a graphite iron shaft always is of interest to me. I love the Steelfiber but they are just so expensive 

[Popeye64]

In testing I had a tour caliber player who is on staff with Taylormade hit the 95g with a Maltby 6 iron PTM. Below is a snap shot of what he was doing again and again. They were laser straight.
So I'm not sure how the stiffer version will work out. The 95 like the 75 seems to cover an extremely wide set of swing types. But a true X flex, tour swing ready version in 95 g is ready for the test gauntlet.

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[PMookie]

From time to time I get to hit some prototype shafts from Xcaliber golf. This is a shaft that has been in the works for quite awhile. A concept that Robin Arthur refused to give up on.
Think of a bull whip that's fat at the handle and skinny the rest of the way down. How when snapped, the transfer of energy is dramatic. Well he pulled that off with an iron shaft.
The 75g version has been in circulation and testing for a while and its creating a lot of buzz to anyone who has hit them. It's an oh Wow moment.. HEY,, this is different and it works. What's strange is the shaft seems to fit a very broad spectrum of hitters. From a low 90 mph swing to high 120s. Robin has never seen a shaft that works for so many different golfers in one flex.
But that's not what blew me away today. I have a 75g Rapid Taper, a Tour X 85g and a brand new 95G Rapid taper. The 95 has not been hit by anyone till today. I have them all with a Maltby PTM 6 iron.
After a brief warm up with my gamer TS-2 6 iron. I swapped over to the 95 Rapid Taper. It was a revelation. After three balls I was in sort of a shock. I had never hit such a smooth, crisp and near perfect feeling club. Launch was high but not in a ballooning way... it just soared out there. All three felt as good as the first. I dropped the 95 and wanted to see if I had that same feeling with 75.... then the 85... both great clubs and the 75 Rapid taper has just been amazing. But this 95 was blow me away good. I hit a lot of different equipment and this is something special.
The 75g has proven to pick up ball speed by 3-5 mph on every tester. It loads and releases unlike any other golf club. The technology flat out works. But this 95 is just a whole other level for me.
More samples are on thier way but Xcaliber golf has really got something in this shaft.
In two weeks I'm hoping I can get into a simulator and get some data. Previous data on the 75 has shown big gains in distance with great dispersion. Spin is also excellent. I'm dying to see the numbers on the 95. Hitting these three today I was outside at a closed range with my own shag balls. A worthy donation in discovering such a shaft. Now I'm gonna go crazy waiting for the other samples to show up.
 
The 95 has the cosmetics with the white rings. That will not be the final scheme. It was just something the shaft manufacturer was tinkering with.
 

 
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Nothing for irons and low trajectory, correct?

[jayjay0808]

9 hours ago, Popeye64 said:

In testing I had a tour caliber player who is on staff with Taylormade hit the 95g with a Maltby 6 iron PTM. Below is a snap shot of what he was doing again and again. They were laser straight.
So I'm not sure how the stiffer version will work out. The 95 like the 75 seems to cover an extremely wide set of swing types. But a true X flex, tour swing ready version in 95 g is ready for the test gauntlet.

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Those numbers are just gross to look at at

[Popeye64]

Those numbers are just gross to look at at

You should see this guy in person. Its impressive because its done so casually and he isn't a huge guy either.

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[Popeye64]

Nothing for irons and low trajectory, correct?

From what I've seen in testing these will not be a low flying setup. With that said there may be some true x flexs down the road and with the driver shafts the stiffer flex really knock down spin numbers. So maybe that will translate into some of the heavier versions of irons. Oncourse testing everyone has stated how perfect the flight is. It doesn't balloon, seems to go right through the wind and they still come down soft. To the vast majority they will not be looking for a lower flight. With this geometry and how they react through the ball a low flight just might not be possible. I have hit knockdowns with good results. But I'm not sure I could hit a stinger.
From the fairway I have been specifically hitting the 4 iron as much as possible. Its turned into a club I can almost walk out and place it where it would land. In that aspect watching the way the ball flies,, its a thing of beauty.
With testing next week I should have full use of the flightscope. So maybe I'll be able to post full data on whats going on. Worst case ill take the Skytrack outdoors and crunch the numbers.
For the players that have hit them.. they are going crazy having to wait for a full set to be put in play.

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[PMookie]

From what I've seen in testing these will not be a low flying setup. With that said there may be some true x flexs down the road and with the driver shafts the stiffer flex really knock down spin numbers. So maybe that will translate into some of the heavier versions of irons. Oncourse testing everyone has stated how perfect the flight is. It doesn't balloon, seems to go right through the wind and they still come down soft. To the vast majority they will not be looking for a lower flight. With this geometry and how they react through the ball a low flight just might not be possible. I have hit knockdowns with good results. But I'm not sure I could hit a stinger.
From the fairway I have been specifically hitting the 4 iron as much as possible. Its turned into a club I can almost walk out and place it where it would land. In that aspect watching the way the ball flies,, its a thing of beauty.
With testing next week I should have full use of the flightscope. So maybe I'll be able to post full data on whats going on. Worst case ill take the Skytrack outdoors and crunch the numbers.
For the players that have hit them.. they are going crazy having to wait for a full set to be put in play.

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Thanks for the info. I’m definitely not in the majority, so that’s why I asked if he has anything for irons to hit a lower trajectory, not referring to these ones. I’m a high ball hitter, so I don’t need additional help with that.
Thanks again.


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[Popeye64]

Thanks for the info. I’m definitely not in the majority, so that’s why I asked if he has anything for irons to hit a lower trajectory, not referring to these ones. I’m a high ball hitter, so I don’t need additional help with that.

Thanks again.

 

 

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The Pro X which is an upgraded Tour X I would call a mid-high flight. By nature few if any graphite can be built for a lower flight. I would assume you like the Dynamic Golds in an X100? Or some of the more robust KBS shafts?

 

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[Popeye64]

Today i put together a 2 FDI hybrid with 75g Rapid Taper. Man I cannot believe how well I can hit it. A 19° iron style hybrid is something I usually can't get along with. I was hiting this with ease.
I let 4 others hit it at the ramge and they all said how great the feel was. 19° is an aggressive club, but they all seemed to do quite well with it.. But how this shaft works on a fat shot is just weird. Whether its fat or crisply hit it doeant seem to matter. The ball just gets launched. I can't explain how this shaft can get away with it but it does. Its not just me either. I watched the other players and poor contact produced nearly the same results.
Wasn't sure i was going to like this club.. but I do!

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[Popeye64]

I have been working with other Rapid Taper designs and the latest star is the Rapid Taper driver shaft. It took a ton of different variations of trimming to find a good balance of feel and performance.
Like the iron shafts, it loads and releases in a truly pleasing type of way. Mis-hits do surprisingly well. I can tell just where the head is at all times. As the prototypes have more and more tip trimming the spin numbers were dropping quickly but you would lose feel.
This version is a 52" blank tip trimmed 3". I have it in a Taylormade Sim 9.0 head and have to say it's been the most consistent driver I've had in a long time. Being a 9.0 is not a driver loft i would usually turn to. A 10.5 is my number but this launches quite well.
I have another player who is an X flex guy and he loves the 52-4" version.
Dispersion has been a true strong point. At the range the spead of shots has been impressive. I have many combinations of driver head and shaft at the house and can't find anything that comes close. I put it up against 3 other brands of shaft and every combination of KE4 TC and ISO-T I have. Dispersion and distance could not be matched.
These specs are being used for a High Modulus carbon fiber version being built now. That will reduce the weight. Most prototypes came in at high 60-70g weight. But with this design you don't feel the weight. It will be very interesting to see what a 50 g version will do.


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[aerospace_ray]

I just ordered  one of my all time favorite wedge shafts ( Classic RT Spin Wedge Golf Shaft ) today but didn't see any of the new RT-75's proto-type shafts available  . Maybe they'll be on the Xcaliber site soon. Getting jealous reading all these post  . 

[Popeye64]

I just ordered  one of my all time favorite wedge shafts ( Classic RT Spin Wedge Golf Shaft ) today but didn't see any of the new RT-75's proto-type shafts available  . Maybe they'll be on the Xcaliber site soon. Getting jealous reading all these post  . 

Since you enjoy the Spin Wedge you should really enjoy the Rt-75 irons shafts. I was testing the 75s with a mid 80 mph swing and the performance was pretty surprising. Smash factor was nearly 1.4.
Shafts are being produced now, schedule is way behind at the factory.

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[aerospace_ray]

Since you enjoy the Spin Wedge you should really enjoy the Rt-75 irons shafts. I was testing the 75s with a mid 80 mph swing and the performance was pretty surprising. Smash factor was nearly 1.4.
Shafts are being produced now, schedule is way behind at the factory.

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Thank you

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[Popeye64]

If anyone wants a set they are now available in 95g and 75g.

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[Popeye64]

I have built out a few sets of these already and the customers are smitten with them. They just can't stop talking about how they feel.
My personal set has been something I have wanted to do for quite a while. A multi weighted set.
Using all stiff shafts and Hogan PTX PROs 4-PW. I have the 95g weighted shafts in the PW-9. The 85g in the 8-6. The 75g in the 5-4.
What this has done is allow the clubs to sort of work in different classes. The CPM of all three flexs are identical and the consistency out of the factory has exceeded specs.
The 75g in the long irons are easy to launch. An easy, fluid swing produces these epic shots that really go a long way. The 4 iron out of the tee box is simply majestic. Its a higher shot but does not balloon. I am routinely getting 220 yards from it.
The 85g in the 8-6 produces a slightly more boring flight. A little more stability with the added weight. It allows me to have added distance yet still maintain a tight control. Spin rates are higher but far from being too spinny. These truly bite.
The 95g are control freaks. They have been exceptional with knock down shots or full swings. That needed lower flight that short irons demand for control. Spin that just dances on the green but doesn't suck back off the front. Knock downs that bounce forward twice and stop dead.
Then there is that always present feeling of load and release that makes these shafts feel so unique. Its addictive in the best way possible.
Getting to know these clubs has been the most fun I've had in golf in a long time. They just keep getting better the more I discover on what they like.
A long easy swing is something these clubs love. Yet when you get after them they just respond in a way that is wildly pleasing.
This set has multiple personalities yet they all seamlessly blend together. As some of you may know I hit a lot of different gear. Now... I may have found my perfect recipe for a set make up and I've tried everything under the sun.
So much fun.
The all black ones are my personal set. The others are all 95g S in PTM chromes.

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