Which Fuji Ventus Driver Shaft?

[funkyjudge]

7 minutes ago, bens197 said:

 

Thanks fellas...this is super helpful and the in-between definitely makes sense.

I was intrigued by several players saying that some of their best numbers did occur with Red.  It seems odd but reinforces the point that these are just a guideline...you won't know until you put them in play.

I have put two fast and aggressive (and good to excellent) golfers into Ventus TR Red shafts in their FW woods, and one local area PGA Pro into a Ventus TR Blue in his 3-wood.  All three of these guys generate between 110-113 MPH with their drivers, and all three are playing S-flex in their 70-Series Ventus TR shafts, with no more than standard tip-trimming.

Edited December 27, 2023 by funkyjudge

[michael.ortenblad]

I’ve played both the blue 6s and black 6s . Liked the blue alittle better. Hit the black lower. Blue was higher. Both good shafts. Go in for a fitting as they are expensive if you get wrong one.

[GT1885]

On 12/26/2023 at 11:52 AM, chisag said:

 

... Right there with you and the Diamana Blueboard shaft and profile fit me like a glove. Lots of current shafts play and feel similar but the Ventus Red Velo is not one of them. It has a very stiff butt and a pretty stiff tip comparatively so it has a much tighter feel. That said, I love the Ventus Red because it has excellent dispersion for my swing and while the feel is different, it isn't a night and day or as Doug said "boardy" feel at all. Most shafts I love because I can feel the kick but the Red just feels very stable without a discernible kick, at least for a smooth swinger. 

... I know you specifically inquired about a Ventus but being a shaft Ho I have to ask, have you hit any of the Graphite Design AD shafts? The AD-MT is discontinued but for me very similar to the OG Blueboard in feel and performance, as is the AD-DI and the AD-IZ another one of my personal favorite shafts. To further confuse the issue  the current Kai'li Blue is as close to a modern OG BB as I have played. I have it in my fairway woods and I won't even try another shaft. 

 

Hi Chisag. I was Tom0956 on the GEA forum back in the day.

I have always wanted to try a GD Tour ADxx but never got around to pulling the trigger. I see alot of the ladies using them and always felt if they can find one that fits them I should be able too.

I am always on the lookout for an OG Blueboard in Reg flex but have missed out on two that popped up. I even got into the Kaili line many years ago.

Have you tried or know anything about the DJ?

I've been a regular visitor to Russ Ryden's golf shaft reviews and have gleaned alot of info from there. It's too bad that his website is so difficult to peruse. I wish he'd hire someone to modernize that thing.

[chisag]

30 minutes ago, GT1885 said:

Hi Chisag. I was Tom0956 on the GEA forum back in the day.

I have always wanted to try a GD Tour ADxx but never got around to pulling the trigger. I see alot of the ladies using them and always felt if they can find one that fits them I should be able too.

I am always on the lookout for an OG Blueboard in Reg flex but have missed out on two that popped up. I even got into the Kaili line many years ago.

Have you tried or know anything about the DJ?

I've been a regular visitor to Russ Ryden's golf shaft reviews and have gleaned alot of info from there. It's too bad that his website is so difficult to peruse. I wish he'd hire someone to modernize that thing.

 

... Ola! It was a fun place back in the day before Jamie took over.   I don't do well with soft tipped shafts so never hit the AD-DJ but from everything I know I would not put it in the same carry as the OG Blueboard that has a more stable tip. Here is a little inside info from one of the best Design Engineers in the biz. I played a round of golf with him and he said if the the NV fits your swing, you will never find a better shaft. He planned on more releases of course and said if the NV/NVS is not a perfect fit there will be tweaks down the road that may provide a slight improvement in spin, trajectory or distance but they will be minor. I imagine the same can be said for the Blueboard and there are plenty of shafts based off the design but I think if the OG was a perfect fit you aren't gonna find something substantially better. 

... As a shaft Ho I just enjoy hitting and playing different shafts but with marginal swing speed around 95mph the differences are more about feel and fun than an actual performance boost. Like you the OG Blueboard was a great shaft for my swing and I have found quite a few through the years that are similar. I do think the Tensei Blue AV is as close a shaft as any out there so I would suggest hitting one and see how it works for your swing. They can be found at bargain prices too. And as stated earlier the new Kai'li Blue is a modern Blueboard with more bells and whistles but feels and performs virtually identical for me. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

12 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Ola! It was a fun place back in the day before Jamie took over.   I don't do well with soft tipped shafts so never hit the AD-DJ but from everything I know I would not put it in the same carry as the OG Blueboard that has a more stable tip. Here is a little inside info from one of the best Design Engineers in the biz. I played a round of golf with him and he said if the the NV fits your swing, you will never find a better shaft. He planned on more releases of course and said if the NV/NVS is not a perfect fit there will be tweaks down the road that may provide a slight improvement in spin, trajectory or distance but they will be minor. I imagine the same can be said for the Blueboard and there are plenty of shafts based off the design but I think if the OG was a perfect fit you aren't gonna find something substantially better. 

... As a shaft Ho I just enjoy hitting and playing different shafts but with marginal swing speed around 95mph the differences are more about feel and fun than an actual performance boost. Like you the OG Blueboard was a great shaft for my swing and I have found quite a few through the years that are similar. I do think the Tensei Blue AV is as close a shaft as any out there so I would suggest hitting one and see how it works for your swing. They can be found at bargain prices too. And as stated earlier the new Kai'li Blue is a modern Blueboard with more bells and whistles but feels and performs virtually identical for me. 

You talking about me

[GT1885]

43 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Ola! It was a fun place back in the day before Jamie took over.   I don't do well with soft tipped shafts so never hit the AD-DJ but from everything I know I would not put it in the same carry as the OG Blueboard that has a more stable tip. Here is a little inside info from one of the best Design Engineers in the biz. I played a round of golf with him and he said if the the NV fits your swing, you will never find a better shaft. He planned on more releases of course and said if the NV/NVS is not a perfect fit there will be tweaks down the road that may provide a slight improvement in spin, trajectory or distance but they will be minor. I imagine the same can be said for the Blueboard and there are plenty of shafts based off the design but I think if the OG was a perfect fit you aren't gonna find something substantially better. 

... As a shaft Ho I just enjoy hitting and playing different shafts but with marginal swing speed around 95mph the differences are more about feel and fun than an actual performance boost. Like you the OG Blueboard was a great shaft for my swing and I have found quite a few through the years that are similar. I do think the Tensei Blue AV is as close a shaft as any out there so I would suggest hitting one and see how it works for your swing. They can be found at bargain prices too. And as stated earlier the new Kai'li Blue is a modern Blueboard with more bells and whistles but feels and performs virtually identical for me. 

Thanks, man. Happy NewYear.

The NVS truly works just fine for me. And I just got a MIzuno St-Z 220 with that Tensei shaft in it. Have only hit it once on the course so far. SO far it played well with my swing

Edited December 28, 2023 by GT1885

[Javs]

On 12/26/2023 at 5:33 PM, funkyjudge said:

I have been a Fujikura Charter Dealer and Fitter for more than 15 years, and I've tried and fitted with every Fujikura shaft model that has been available over that time.  Although there have been a few Speeder models that I liked and played myself (primarily the various 661 Speeders, particularly the Gen V and VI versions, the original Ventus and Ventus TR shafts have become my overall favorites.

The Ventus Red would PROBABLY be your best bet, based on the information that you have provided. Don't get the impression that the Red profile -- either in the original Ventus Red or the TR Red -- are super-soft in the tip, or that they play like wet noodles.  The original Ventus Red has the softest tip section of any Ventus model, and the Ventus TR Red still has a medium-soft tip, but both of them still offer excellent control and mid-low spin but without a hint of a "boardy" feel, thanks to the proprietary VeloCore material in the mid and tip sections of those shafts. The Ventus Red models in a 70-Series have been the most popular fairway wood shafts for my fitting customers, including some hard swingers, and the Ventus TR red is excellent in both drivers and fairway woods (the original Ventus Red with VeloCore is fine in the driver for most golfers, too).

Your observations regarding the number of Ventus Red shafts that are in use on the Champions Tour (LPGA Tour, too).  There's a good reason (actually, lots of good reasons) for this, and control with great feel and decent launch and spin numbers for more "normal" clubhead speeds are among those reasons.

I have been playing the Project X HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 6.0 Stiff 60 in my drivers and Project X HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 6.5 XStiff in my 3 wood. I play the Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black in my Hybrids. Love the counterbalance of the yellow in the driver and 3 wood. However, this post has me wondering about experimenting with the Ventus TR Black shaft for the driver and 3 wood.

[BStheTech]

Saw this today. Same player, same head, red Ventus vs. red Velocore. Very similar results.

 

YouTube shaft Vid.

[NM01]

51 minutes ago, BStheTech said:

Saw this today. Same player, same head, red Ventus vs. red Velocore. Very similar results.

 

YouTube shaft Vid.

Dispersion was worse with the stock shaft. The key thing on there was the difference in feel and how it was affecting contact and the result of that.

Also his path changed which is where the change in dispersion came from.

This is why we say feel of the shaft or shaft/head combo can have an influence on the swing and if it’s enough of a factor it can affect the swing and the results.