Fujikura Ventus Shafts - 2024 Forum Review

[GolfSpy_APH]

The Fujikura VENTUS driver shafts have taken the golfing world by storm, claiming to be more stable and consistent with tighter dispersion and increased ball speeds than its predecessor. The new Fujikura VENTUS shaft, powered by VELOCORE technology, has a lot to live up to.

About The Fujikura VENTUS

A premium driver shaft that has made its way into the bags of many tour professionals and amateurs alike, the Fujikura Ventus with VELOCORE has become a go-to golf shaft since its introduction in 2018. In 2024, Fujikura released a new VENTUS Blue version with VELOCORE+ technology and advanced materials to improve on what was already a very popular choice. A key change in the 2024 version is a simplified bend profile with a re-engineered multi-material bias core claiming to improve stability for more consistent strikes. Additionally, the new VELOCORE+ claims to enhance feel and the overall performance of this high-end driver shaft.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

@Preeway 

@Syks7 

@musicalmedicine 

@skraeling

[Preeway]

Who Am I:
Greetings. My name is Chris and I live in Elkhorn, a suburb west of Omaha, NE. I was born and raised in Oregon and eventually moved to the Midwest because, well, I wanted to stay married. My wife is originally from Omaha and all her family is here. After we met and got married in Seattle, WA it was clear that my days in the PNW were numbered. I’ve been a regular here on the forum since I joined over a year ago and enjoy sharing in everyone’s experiences both on and off the course.

I have three boys, triplets in fact, and all are into various sports. One is big into baseball, one into golf and the third has spina bifida and is into wheelchair sports. My son who likes to golf has benefitted greatly from all of my experiments with new equipment but he’s ready to stop accepting relatively new “hand me downs” and buy his own new equipment. He’s been looking at Takomo irons and I even had him read the reviews here on the forum for more information. Right now I think it’s between a set of Srixons and the Takomos. 

My path to golf equipment goes back 40 years from junior starter sets as a kid to the Ping Eye 2s I gamed in high school and for a couple decades as an adult. After graduating to my first full set of irons as a freshman in high school I began to dabble in building clubs with another friend. Getting fitted wasn’t really as big of a thing then but dabbling in building clubs taught me a lot about swing weight and a wide variety of shafts of both steel and graphite. At the time I wasn’t impressed with graphite shafts as they were often to “whippy” for my linking. But the graphite shafts of today are a whole different deal.

I finally got my first fitting when I decided to get new irons in 2022 and officially retire my Pings. The fitting process landed my with a set of Mizuno JPX 921 Tours. The process was so beneficial that I decided to do another fitting to get a different shaft for my driver. This led to getting a Fujikura Ventus Blue 6S for PXG Gen 4. Upon making the switch I immediately began noticing an improvement with greater distance and more fairways being hit. 

About my game: My handicap at the start of the 2023 season was around 6 and I ended the season at a 3. I attribute part of my game improvement on being fitted for new irons but also in part to an improved driving game. When I began using my new Ventus shaft last year I saw a marked difference in both distance and fairways hit. 

I was averaging 250-260 yards off the tee (my own rough estimate) and around 40% fairways hit (based on my GHIN stats) with my HZRDUS Black shaft. I crawled up to 52% fairways hit (based on GHIN stats) and 260+ off the tee (my own rough estimate) after I switched to the Ventus. When I got my new Cobra AeroJet LS this year I got another bump in distance to 275 yards and my fairways hit dropped down to 42% based on ShotScope data.

Area Of Testing Focus:

My main area of focus in testing will be in several areas using Shot Scope data and launch monitors, including range sessions with my Rapsodo MLM2. First, will be dispersion as measured by fairways hits. I will also try to use Shot Scope data to measure my distance from fairways on my misses and distance from center on my fairways hit. Second, I will measure my average distance with the Ventus and the VeloCore+. Third, but perhaps the trickiest to measure, will be to see how it performs on the course. Again, I’ll use my Shot Scope data from my rounds played this year with my Ventus and compare my performance with the VeloCore+. 

What I’m looking for: 

The overall improvement I got from moving to my current Ventus from the HZRDUS Black was very significant. While I don’t expect to see as much of a bump from my Ventus to the VeloCore+, I do want to see enough of a bump to justify the cost of the shaft for other potential buyers. As it relates to my areas of testing, I want to see my percentage of fairways hit reach or exceed 50%, my dispersion tighten up, and distance off the tee increase by 5+ yards, all being measured with Shot Scope data.

If there is anything my fellow spies would like to see from my test, please fire away. Thanks again to MGS for the opportunity to be trusted as a tester. I look forward to getting started soon!

Unboxing:

My shaft arrived while I was away in Oregon on a golf trip but the wife was kind enough to get a picture for me of the package after being delivered.

The good fortune ended there as my son who was thinking the box contained the 2-iron he asked for his birthday. After ripping the box open and throwing everything away, he texted me to ask what the shaft was for. After breaking his heart and telling him the shaft was for me, I told him to give it to his mother so she could put it away and avoid any further mishaps.

When I did get back from Oregon I was able to gather some technical information about the new shaft. At first touch, it felt like the two shaft weighed different so I brought out the scale.

The OG Ventus was in fact slightly heavier. Can't say for certain that the weight difference wasn't just the fact that the grips were different, but none the less, there was a different feel right out of the gate. I will expand more on this throughout my posts during the testing process and in my final summary.

Further visual inspection didn't lead to any further eyebrow raising points of interest.

The Cobra adapters on both shafts are identical. From a visual perspective, I really like the lighter blue color. It really pops outside compared to the OG color. 

Out of the box, I am really impressed with the look and feel of the shaft. Now, onto to the real test and data collection from use in the simulator and on the course. Make sure you are following along!

First Impressions: 15/20

My first impressions with this shaft was more on the skeptical side. It felt slightly lighter but that also could have been due to the different grip than what was on my OG Ventus. My first few shots at the range definitely felt different as well. the first thing I noticed was the ball flight was almost identical which was good to see. But the shaft felt stiffer than the OG. I tried not to put too much weight into the different feel as it could have just been my mental side wanting the shaft to feel different and after a handful of shots I didn't really notice the stiffness anymore.

The first couple of rounds played with the new shaft went very well. I found the ball flight to be extremely similar to what I was already used to and the distance off the tee was about the same as with the OG Ventus. I have noticed a slight uptick in fairways hit but the data set is pretty small yet so will wait a few more weeks to see if accuracy is in fact improved.

My first SIM session also showed a little better dispersion and slightly more distance with the Velocore+ compared to the OG.

Overall, I really like the Velocore+ more than the OG, but it is a pretty small difference.

The data from my first SIM session shows a slighter tighter dispersion for the Velocore+ which is shown in the orange dots. It also shows a slightly longer average distance than the OG. Again, this difference is small so we will see how these numbers play out over time. I will also get in a second SIM session before my final review to see how the data looks after I get really comfortable with the shaft. But for now, I am impressed with the Velocore+.

Aesthetics (20/20) 

Out of the box, I was really impressed with the color and lettering. I know this seems like a minor detail but I didn’t realize just how underwhelmed I was with the look of the OG Ventus. The Fujikura color scheme is fairly mundane to start with having only a red, blue or black color but the new finishes are really sharp and stand out well in my opinion. For me, this is an upgrade to the OG. For my own personal preference, I don’t want my shaft to distract me visually at address or take my eyes away from the ball/driver head at address. In this regard, it’s a win/win. Sharper look while refraining from being ostentatious in appearance. 

On-Course Performance (15/20)

I was modestly impressed with the performance of the Velocore+ over the OG Ventus. While my average distance off the tee wasn’t significantly different, it was slightly more consistent in terms of keeping the ball in the fairway. For my game, and the way I play, one to two additional fairways hit leads to better scoring than an extra 5-10 yards. Using my ShotScope data, I was averaging 46% fairways hit with my OG Ventus and I was 51% with the Velocore+. 

The biggest issue for me with the OG Ventus and the Velocore+ was my increased tendency to hit a fade/slice with the Velocore+ compared to the OG Ventus. Granted, it wasn’t a huge difference but the tendency to miss right has taken a little getting used to. 

Final Performance Comments:

According to my data, the shaft didn’t deliver longer drives but it did result in a better dispersion. While the dispersion wasn’t a huge improvement, better is always a good thing. I still think I need the rest of the season to evaluate just how much better the Velocore+ is compared to the OG and I will continue to share my thoughts and exploits through the fall. 

The Good, the bad, the in between (15/20)

The Good-

Consistency is the benchmark for this shaft. If you are looking for a shaft that will yield tight dispersion and consistent launch numbers, this is the shaft for you. I would also say distance off the tee is big deal with this shaft. Admittedly, I’m a bit biased here as a current OG Ventus user but comparing Ventus shafts to other shafts have shown them to be better in every metric for me. 

The Bad-

The price point is definitely a bit on the steep side and you really have to determine the degree to which you are chasing peak performance for your game. The Ventus series will all outperform the stock options that come with any driver but the extent of the improvement will depend heavily on a proper fitting. So again, you have to determine how much improvement do you expect for $350. 

The In Between-  

Some people like flashy design and/or colors but I more of a less is more kind of person. I really like the simplicity in the design and the color scheme to me really pops, even if it is fairly simple. In the end, I’m not spending money on a shaft to look cool. I want some bang for my buck. Literally. And this shaft certainly has some bang. 

Play it or Trade it? (10/20)

I will definitely keep playing the Velocore+. I’m also not totally convinced it’s better than the OG model I also have. I know I’ve spoken highly about the tighter dispersion but I can’t say I’d spend $350 to replace my current Ventus just to hit an additional fairway each round. If I gained 15-20 yards AND would hit a couple more fairways then I’d be willing to consider the purchase. So, for all those wondering how the Velocore+ performs compared to the OG, I can say it does in fact perform better. But the gains are minimal in relation to the cost. Or at least they’ve been minimal for me. 

Conclusion-

The TLDR version is this…  The shaft delivers in every aspect as advertised.  It’s very stable and delivers a consistent ball flight. Everything an aspiring golfer seeks. Having said that, there is no such thing as one shaft that works best for everyone. But this shaft should definitely be at the top of your list of shafts to test when getting fitted. I will continue to play this shaft for the time being and will know for certain if it concretes itself into my driver in the future. If you already play previous generations of the Ventus shaft, give the Velocore+ a test drive before you make the purchase. The differences in performance may not justify the price.

Final Score (75/100)

Edited August 10 by Preeway
Final Review Update

[Syks7]

[Ventus Velocore+ ] – Official MGS Forum Review in progress by [Syks7/Jonathan Gilliam]

 

INTRO

About me

Here we go again!  I’m always honored to do a test for MGS and this one should be interesting.  I’m still a 41 year old architect in Southern California and as of this moment am riding an absurd wave of good play that has seen me drop from an 11.3 to an 8.3 as of today!  A lot of that improvement has been finding some consistency with my driver  -- PGX Gen5 0311 9º with a Tensei CK Pro Orange shaft).  The Velocore+ is really going to have to perform to unseat it.    

At home I have two dogs, a 4 year old little girl who sometimes is occasionally interested in golf (until I offer some instruction) and an awesome wife who works with me on a “fluid” golf budget while also doing her level best to ignore the endless parade of golf related boxes arriving at the door.  Those boxes fuel a lot of time spent tinkering with my equipment – maybe too much.....  All the tinkering has taught me a lot about how different shafts, weights, and hosel settings can really affect what you are trying to get out of a club and I have a very good time trying different things out and can often be found out in my training facility (garage) -- building, practicing, and learning.   

About my game

I’m in a surprisingly great spot with my game.  There was a lot of toil, frustration, and bouncing around the 10.5 line before breaking through and I now find a fair bit of consistency throughout the bag.  Putter, Wedges, & irons are all pretty reasonable and driver, once a weakness, has now become somewhat of a strong suit.  That said, my performance on the course is heavily tied to my performance off the tee and any jump in consistency will help improve the other three areas.  As my driver play has improved, I’ve gained a lot of insight into strokes gained and I’ve become a big believer in the statistic.  I’ve mostly stopped laying up on Par 5s and I pull driver on short par 4s anymore because of it – and barring a complete mishit it seems to bear a lot of fruit (birdies) if I get to have a wedge in hand for my approach into the green.  I’m really excited to see if Velocore+ can get me closer to the hole and keep me in the fairway more often.  There’s got to be something to so many pros playing a version of the Ventus!     

Testing Methodology

For testing I’ll be using the same head ( PXG Gen5 0311  9º) and putting together a direct comparison to my current shaft (Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange) using a combination of oncourse performance and simulator data using a GC4 (Unfortunately not mine).  On course I’m going to focus on the basics using a base of data I’ve already been collecting for my own purposes --  Fairways in Regulation, Right and left fairways misses that still have a look at the green, Right and left misses that are in jail, and total distance.  I’ll probably just shift to using the Velocore+ on course since I already have a good data base, but I’m planning to get out for some solo twilight rounds with my club wrench to do some hot swap head to head testing.  In the Sim I’ll obviously be able to collect more direct data and the first order of business is going to be getting the Velocore+ dialed by spending a couple hours playing with the weights and hosel settings.  After that I’ll do some direct data collection with both shafts along with my previous AV Tensei raw blue.  I’ll probably throw some of the shorter shafts into just to see what data I can get, but they’re all 3 woodish length so it may not be relevant data.

What I’m looking for:

I want to see if that 2-3mph jump in club head speed is real.  I also want to see if all the fuss about dispersion is real.  I know my current driver shaft really well, it’s consistent enough that I pretty much have a one way miss.  My dispersion cone goes about 10 yards left of center and 30 yards right (with the occasional way right) and I aim accordingly.  I’m hoping to see the velocore+ narrow that up a bit or at the very least put a lot more shots towards the center of that cone.   Really excited to see how it goes.   Thanks to MGS for trusting me with this one.

OG Blue during fitting

Final Testing Methodology

My testing methodology shifted based on something I read.  It got me thinking about how personal shaft fitting is and how one thing that may work for one person may not work for another.  One shaft that I think is terrible could be perfect for someone else and vice versa.  It’s highly subjective.   For this reason, I shifted my review toward the data and characteristics of the shaft that I would find helpful if I was reading a shaft review.  In the end, I kept the data collection from the simulator & on course & dropped the direct comparison to competing shafts.  The goal being to focus on what the shaft had done for me and why I think it had done so.  Hopefully this will provide you with a reasoned look at the Velocore+ Blue.

First Impressions & Aesthetics

Aesthetics (9/10)

Its sharp, and it’s sharper than I expected it to be after looking at it on the Fujikara website.  It looks exactly like I’d expect a high end product to look – simple, refined, and flashy without being over the top.  The best comparison I can make is that it reminds me of something like a BMW M5.  It’s a very high end daily driver with some serious tech and juice under the hood that isn’t over the top looking like a Lambo. 

Color wise, after reviewing the photos on Fujikara’s website, I thought I was in for a baby blue color.  That isn't the case.  Its by no means dark, but it isn’t baby blue.  It’s definitely lighter than the the OG Ventus Blue or TR Blue, but not drastically so.  A lot of the lightness comes from the pearlescent finish which somehow manages to be both shiny and flat.  Its pretty clean.  There’s no glare from it, and it isn’t distracting over the ball.  I was a little apprehensive about how the finish would hold up in the bag, but after 12 rounds it looks no worse for wear.

The one knock I’ll give it is that if you don’t like the finish or color there’s no getting away from it.  The finish makes it loud without being obnoxious and while it isn’t distracting it’s noticeable over the ball in a way that the deeper tone of the OG Ventus & TR Ventus shafts are not.  

First Impressions -- General first swings (8/10)

My first swings came in the simulator and right off the bat I noticed that the Velocore+ Blue felt stiffer than the OG Ventus Blue I was fit into (feeling a lot to me like the OG Ventus black 6s).  I had a hard time finding the center of the face initially, but started to improve as I made adjustments to the hosel & weights.  Ball speed was initially down 3 MPH from the CK Orange, but started to come in line as I made adjustments.  The last 10 were within 1 MPH of the CK Orange average.  All in all, it was a solid first outing considering I was consistently using using one of the least hot parts of the face (high heel).  It was incredibly consistent and short of a couple swings I used the same 1” x 1” part of the high heel side part of the face for 23 swings. 

 

First Impressions – On course (8/10)

On course, my first round was mediocre.  The Velocore+ Blue had the same feel as I had in the simulator and I still wasn’t finding the center of the face.  Despite that, I hit the same amount of fairways as with the CK orange and my average distance was within a yard of the CK Orange baseline.   The only reason it wasn’t a better day was that I could not hit a green in regulation to save my life.  The one thing of note for the day was the lack of catastrophic misses off the tee.  I’m usually good for one ‘oh no’ drive per round, but I wasn’t that day.   I know my driver well enough to know the feel and result of mishits off of certain parts of the face and while the face contact was the same for mishits the result was not.   It was far more muted than I was expecting when I looked up to track the ball.

The numbers 9/10

Over 12 rounds and two bookending sim sessions I did see a positive change in my numbers.  First off, on course, I saw a about a 4.5 yard jump in average driving distance.  Going from 251.4 with the Tensei Orange to 255.9 with the Velocore+ Blue.  Correspondingly, the sim numbers show a jump in average ball speed of about two mph which tracks exactly with the 4.5 yard jump in distance.  Interestingly, the ball speed jump is not coming from an increase in clubhead speed.  That has remained almost the same despite the ½” longer shaft length.  There has been no 2-3 mph clubhead speed increase as was advertised by Fujikara.  The added ball speed is coming from better efficiency, contact, launch conditions, and lower spin.   I’m down from 15 launch with the Orange to 12 with the Velocore+ blue and I’ve also seen my spin drop into the 2200 range vs. 2500.   Not drastic changes, but 4 yards closer to the pin on average isn’t nothing and it will tip the needle in my favor slightly in regards to strokes gained.  This is doubly true when there’s a lot of room to improve since I’m hovering at the bottom end of the swing speed for this stiffness and shaft weight.

On course, I’ve seen a jump of about 6% in Fairways in regulation with another 5-10% of what I would call ‘almost’ fairway in regulation -- Clean look at the green with a decent lie.  That’s good enough for 1 more fairway per 18 and 1-2 more looks at the green per round. Again, while it’s a marginal improvement it’s definitely not nothing.

The only major frustration with the numbers is that I have not translated the better looks into better scores(yet) – though I did shoot a 79 and one magical twilight practice session I played 16 holes at even par (two balls for 8 holes).  Otherwise, I’m averaging the same number of strokes north of par as I was before (+9.5ish).  Truth be told, I think it has nothing to do with the Velocore + and everything to do with me getting more greedy when I’m closer to the hole…

On Course 18/20

On course is where this shaft really shines for me.  Its just rock solid stable for me wherever I it on the face. So long as my path and face orientation aren’t way out of whack it usually generates a playable ball for me.  I don’t have big spinny misses with it beyond those that come from a truly atrocious swing.  Don’t get me wrong, I can still pull it or push it like the mediocre striker that I am, but I’m no longer snap hooking or banana slicing it into oblivion.

My personal favorite though has been the stability on drop kicks.  I’m someone that has a propensity for getting stuck on my back foot and that can lead to heavy contact.  Previously, this kind of miss had a tendency to upset the face orientation and it was dealers’ choice as to whether I was headed left or right with a lot of spin.  With the Ventus Velocore+ Blue the face seems to either re-square because of the stiffer tip section(guessing?) or not have be upset at all.  It contacts the ball square and while I lose some clubhead speed I generally end up in the center of the fairway with a reasonable return on distance.  The last round I played I hit a drive that all my playing partners laughed out loud about.  No joke, I hit 8” behind the ball with what I can only assume was a 0 degree attack angle and skipped the club off the ground into the ball – resulting in a drive that still made it out to 220, was perfectly straight, and dead center in the fairway. The stability has added a layer of forgiveness off the tee that has me muttering, “better lucky than good” a lot and shaking my head. 

Dispersion wise my entire cone has narrowed vertically and horizontally.  I see a consistent carry and my right left bias has migrated from right with no left back toward the target line with about 10-15 yards of left and slightly more right.  Overall, this is good, but truthfully it’s been a bit frustrating because I’m not quite as confident with my aim.  I’ve been playing the right bias for so long that I’m having a hard time visualizing my dispersion and overriding the desire and confidence of aiming down the left side with zero worries.  It’s enough a problem for me that I’m mulling the idea of opening up the face a bit by going up ½ a degree in loft and adjusting the weights to add more fade bias to bring it back to a right miss only.  I’ll play a couple more as is and see if I can get used to it.

Overall, I’ve been very happy with the Velocore+ on course and I think it has been a solid performer for me.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE IN-BETWEEN (15/20)

THE GOOD

Its stable and consistent for me.  I can’t stress that enough.  Those two factors are more than enough for me to work with.  I’ve been on a big quest to find or build equipment that’s easy for me to hit without thinking about mechanics.  The Ventus Velocore+ blue in combination with the PXG 0311gen 5 does that in spades.  It isn’t the longest combination I’ve ever put together but it is exceedingly easy for me to hit with a repeatable positive result.  

THE BAD

Its pricey.  $350 isn’t cheap by itself, but throw in a driver head, fitting, and build costs and you could easily be into a single club for four figures.  That’s a tough ask even if you’re a serious player or a giant golf nerd like me.   It’s an even tougher sell when you consider that there’s a lot of older premium aftermarket shafts available for a lot cheaper that have similar performance characteristics (though not quite as good for me) as the Ventus Velocore+ Blue. 

THE IN BETWEEN

Shaft fitting is an incredibly variable process that I’ve only dipped my toes in enough to have a good idea of what is going to work for me.  Even then, every fitting I’ve done has taught me how little I know.  I’m constantly surprised when a fitter puts something in my hands that just works despite everything, I’ve learned about bend profiles, kick points, etc. to the contrary.  Fortunately for me the Ventus Velocore+ Blue is right in my wheelhouse, but that doesn’t mean its going to work for everyone.  It isn’t a magic bullet that’s suddenly going to cure swing flaws or lack of consistency.  I caution that while the Velocore+ Blue profile is designed for broad appeal that doesn’t guarantee that it will work for you.  If you’re going to spend the coin on this don’t take a flyer, get fit and make sure you get the right one.  I was fit into the OG Blue 6s since they didn’t have a velocore+ available at the time, and I still occasionally think that the Velocore+6s is a tad stiff for me.  I half wonder if I would not be seeing better performance with a 5S.  Make sure you are fit on the Velocore+ if you are interested.

Lastly, it’s tough to say whether it’s a worthwhile upgrade if you’re already playing a premium shaft.  There’s been a lot of people asking if its worth upgrading from the OG Blue to the Velo+ Blue.  I don’t have a great answer to that, but I can speak to whether or not its worth an upgrade from a CK Orange.  The truth is that it’s still a little nebulous.  Have my numbers improved?  Absolutely.  Have they improved a lot?  Kind of?   Its small gains, but there’s potential that it could be worth a couple strokes – a solid gain if you’re working your way down single strokes.  However, if I was just looking at it on paper I’d hard time justifying the expense.  I’d probably be looking to see if there was low hanging fruit that would be a cheaper option to save me a couple strokes first.  That doesn’t mean that I don’t think its worth an upgrade, it just means that I think you’re going to have to ask yourself a question like this and make a judgement call on whether the potential gains are worth the cost to you.  It’s a question that only you can answer.

PLAY IT OR TRADE IT (20/20)

Its in the bag without question.  The combination of stability, consistency, and dispersion is pretty much all I need to be sold on.  I’ve seen jumps in average distance, distance and dispersion on mishits, and fairways in regulation along with a shrinking dispersion circle.  Marginal they may be at the moment, those metrics are going to be worth some strokes eventually.  It does exactly what I want it to do right now and I get the feeling that there’s a lot of space for me to grow into it.   I haven’t even remotely  come to a point where I felt like I was hitting the edge of the Velocore+ Blue’s stability and I’ve tried.  There’s a lot more performance I can find in this shaft and its worth continuing to play it on that basis alone.

CONCLUSION

Bottom line, I really like the Velocore+ blue.  It is a solid piece of equipment.  It’s easy to see why the Ventus line in general is so popular on tour.  Anything that can help bring consistency to an marginally consistent 8.7’s swing must be a nice sharp tool to have in the bag for a pro that’s trying to reduce variables.  I think it has great potential for it to help your game if you fit into it, have a consistent swing, and are realistic about the performance increases you can achieve.   There’s plenty of upside and I firmly believe that it’s a great option for finding some of the consistency and gains you need to make your way further into single digit or + territory.  Is it worthwhile to a higher handicapper?  Probably not.  Like I said earlier it isn’t magic and if your swing lacks consistency or is flawed it isn’t going to do a ton for you other than lighten your wallet.  However, if you think its going to help you, regardless of index, don’t let my review stop you.  Try it out at a fitting and see if there’s an improvement.   The only question I think everyone should ask is whether the potential upside outweighs the cost.  For me the answer is unequivocally yes.

FINAL SCORE 87/100

 

Edited August 13 by Syks7

[musicalmedicine]

Hello spies!

Thanks for stopping by my introduction post for the Fujikura Ventus Blue Velocore+ test.

     First, I would like to start off by thanking the MGS staff for selecting me for this test. The testing opportunities on this forum are a unique way of allowing everyday golfers to test gear and share their experience without having a marketing twist to it. I’m very excited to get things started and hopefully provide some of my fellow spies with some insights on my experience with the Ventus Blue.

About me:

     My name is Derek and I live in the North Phoenix/North Scottsdale area. As with most Arizonans, I am a Midwest transplant (Illinois). I grew up in the East Valley of the Phoenix Metro area and then spent nearly twelve years in Tucson, before finally making it back to Phoenix in 2021. When I left for college in 2009, I expected to be back in Phoenix within a few months of graduating, but Tucson has this weird Hotel California way of sucking people in. I love living in Arizona for many reasons, but one new reason is how readily living here fuels my recent obsession with golf.

(Me off the coast of South Carolina, April 2024)

     To bank roll my increasingly troubling golf habits I work in the healthcare industry working on integration of artificial intelligence to automate financial and clinical workstreams. It is interesting work, especially since AI has just gotten to the point of being commercially viable so I get to be on the forefront of finding solutions to complex problems.

     I’m a bit of a busy body so when I’m not working, I am generally doing something related to my ever-expanding list of hobbies/interests. For about three years now I’ve been training in Brazilian jiu jitsu two to three times a week. I have to say that this has helped my golf game more than I would have expected. I generally hit the driving range every weekend, and in weeks where I haven’t trained in BJJ as much I feel much stiffer and out of sync. I also decided to get into 3D printing about a year ago. For the 3D printing nerds (I know you’re here) I built a Voron 2.4 R2 with a 300mm built surface. I started woodworking and am hoping to find some cool ways to integrate 3D printing and woodworking to make useful functional projects. And yes, I am aware that getting into woodworking and golf in a matter of six months is one of the most stereotypical combinations a middle-class male in their 30’s could pick. The picture below has my 3D printer alongside my guitar gear. You guessed it, guitar is where the “musical” in “musicalmedicine” comes from. I’ve been playing since I was 11; few things can clear my mind as well as picking up a guitar. Just sneaking into this picture are a few of my dog's toys. I'll warn all of you now, there is more than a 50% chance that my dog makes regular appearances in my posts.

(Guitar gear and 3D printer)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whoops...that didn't take long

 

 

There he is again....seriously, I warned all of you.

 

Golf Game:

     Enough about the boring stuff, let’s talk golf. I started playing golf in my early teens. My dad and uncle would play sometimes and introduced me to it. I never got super into it, and for my first couple years of college I didn’t even have clubs with me. For the past 15 years I would go golf ever so often or head to the driving range, but I was by no means an avid golfer, but then came the bachelor party.

     In January of this year, I got to celebrate the marriage of one of my closest friends. One of the team-based events during the three-day bachelor party was an 18-hole scramble with each hole having special rules and potential bonus points. Prior to this round, I hadn’t played a full round of golf since 2020. I had such a blast that three weeks later I was getting fit for new clubs to replace the starter set I had been playing since high school.

(Jan 2024 Bachelor party golf event, I’m labeled with the red arrow…the short guy, you can’t miss me)

     Since receiving my new clubs in February, I’ve played eight full rounds and spend time at the driving range just about every weekend. As I said earlier, I’m a bit of a busy body and my friends like to joke that since I just finished a master’s degree this semester that I’m trying to find things to keep me busy. Not one to pass up an opportunity to take on a project, I recently put a hitting net in my backyard. In doing this, I 100% without question intentionally did not put structural bracing in the frame because I wanted one of those famous Phoenix microbursts to knock it down so I could put it up again.

 

(My Ping set with a little flair from L.A.B. Golf)

(Hitting net v1)

(Hitting net v1 pre-microburst)

(Hitting net v1 after microburst)

(Hitting net v2)

     On Saturday I took delivery of the Mevo+ limited edition. I’m excited to have this launch monitor accompany my sessions in the backyard and at the range so I can bring in-depth data to this test. I had been considering investing in one of these at some point, but being selected for this test pushed me to move a bit quicker on deciding what to get.

(Mevo+ Limited Edition)

     My current driver is a Ping G430 MAX 10.5° lofted down to 9° on a Ping Tour 2.0 Black 65X shaft. I am a somewhat long hitter with Arccos giving me a Smart Distance of 272 yards and a Smart Range from 255 to 294 yards with my driver. I have historically had a terrible slice that I have been working on in lessons over the past several months. Saturday was the first round that I have played where I didn’t have at least one drive that went out and then veered left forcing me to bushwhack to track down my ball. I’m still working on consistency, but I can say that my last two rounds have been the first rounds where I’ve had my driver mishit right instead of left, which is progress in my eyes.

(Arccos Driver summary)

(Ping Tour 2.0 Black 65X)

Testing Focus:

                During my testing I will compare my current shaft to the Ventus Blue Velocore+ using averages and standard deviations of quantifiable metrics such as: distance, ball speed, spin, spin axis, etc. as well as qualitative measures like look and feel. I’ve had several situations where the placement of my shot significantly hindered the distance I’m able to get with my driver. Because of this, one of the main factors that will determine if the Ventus Blue Velocore+ stays on course with me is how it impacts lateral dispersion.

     If there is anything specific that anyone has questions about, please feel free to DM or tag me in a comment in this string.

Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day!

-Derek

First Impressions and Unboxing (18 out of 20) (19-Jun-2024)

TLDR: My first impression before swinging the club made me more of a believer in there truly being something different about how these higher end shafts are made compared to stock shafts.

     I am the first to admit how impatient I am when it comes to packages, and I may or may not have intentionally worked from home on July 7th in anticipation of receiving the Ventus. Thankfully, my manager is also a golfer, so I didn’t have to fake being sick to justify not heading into the office that day. It arrived in a no-frills brown cardboard box with clear Fujikura branding on the outside.

 

     Opening the box revealed the shaft safely secured in packing paper. I was a little surprised to see it tucked so close to one side of the box instead of suspended in the middle even though there was more than enough room in the box to provide an air gap between the shaft and the walls of the box. The shaft was undamaged, but I would have liked to see a little better presentation and thought put into to packaging given that this is a premium product. Apple’s success in this department demonstrates the value this can have. (-2 points)

 

 

It still amazes me how light driver shafts are without club heads on them every time I pick one up. Along with that initial familiar amazement, there was a unique quality to the feel of this shaft in the hand without my driver head attached. For the past week I’ve been trying to find the right way to describe this quality and the closest phrase I’ve been able to think of that seems to capture the feeling is “impossibly robust” …let me try to explain.

Along with the expected lightness of this shaft, there is also a sensation in the hand while swinging it around without a driver head that the tip moves like a laser, with zero lag as follows the lead of the handle through the air. This feeling was so quickly apparent and difficult for me to wrap my head around that I did several side-by-side swings of the Ventus and my Ping Tour 2.0 Black. Both shafts are 6X variants, but I was surprised in this initial hands-on experience to feel as if the Ventus was both lighter and significantly more rigid than the Tour 2.0 Black.

Aside from the unremarkable packaging, my first impressions were very positive. Even before attaching this shaft to my driver, I was able to quickly realize that what I’m calling impossible robustness, is likely what so many golfers have experienced and appreciated about this shaft’s predecessors for the past several years.

Aesthetics (20 out of 20):

In my post on 20-June, I briefly touched on the aesthetics of the shaft. My first impressions seeing the shaft at address with the driver head on and the Arizona sun shining in the blue was very good. As noted in that posted, visual appeal is subjective, for me the Ventus Blue Velocore+ absolutely blows this out of the water with the matte blue finish. The finish looks premium, the graphic that sits just below the grip makes it apparent that it’s the Ventus immediately from a distance, but it does this without being distracting for the person wielding it. Lastly, the blue brightens up my bag a bit, without blinding me when the Arizona sun catches it with a direct hit. I’ve had this shaft for about two months now, and I still appreciate the look of it each time it comes out of the bag to join me in the tee box. For aesthetics, the Ventus Blue Velocore+ has “it” and gets a perfect score .

 

On-Course (19 out of 20):

Aesthetics are great and all, but a matte blue shaft isn’t worth $350 to me if it doesn’t help my game. One focal point for me during testing this shaft was dispersion. I’m somewhat of a fast swinger, so getting extra distance has rarely, if ever been a main goal for me when selecting gear. That said, my swing speed has come with some unpredictable and unforgiving ball flights on, to the point of being detrimental to my game at times. This is something that I started working on in lessons right around the same time that I received this shaft for testing. Between tweaks in my swing, and changes in the shaft over the past couple of months it is difficult to say what share of the improvements I’ve seen in my dispersion is attributable to gear or technique. However, I am very confident that the lateral dispersion that I saw in my first post is entirely attributable to the Ventus shaft. During that range session I saw a 13-yard tightening of lateral dispersion and a 5-yard tightening of forward dispersion with the Ventus Blue Velocore+ when compared to the Ping Tour 2.0 Black that I had been playing with. This test was back-to-back, same day and before any major changes in my swing had happened through lessons. The results from that range session stick out in my mind as being the most significant evidence in support of the value of this shaft.

 

My mishit tendency with my driver has historically been a near boomerang slice. I have lost enough TP5x balls to the county left of whatever fairway I was playing to keep TaylorMade’s factory in South Carolina busy for years to come.

 

No, this isn’t a store shelf, and no, it is not all of them…you’re welcome TaylorMade

 

I have played about six rounds with the Velocore+ as my driver shaft. The improvement in consistency that I saw that first day with the Velocore+ has translated to on-course improvement. I’ve seen a shift in percentage of misses from left and right toward fairway hits. There are a couple points I’d like to make on this before discussing the numbers. As I mentioned, I’ve been working on my swing during the Velocore+ testing so some of the changes in my on-course performance are a result of the combination of both the shaft and better mechanics. I also want to add that the Arizona summer undoubtedly does a number on golf tech; my Arccos sensors as well as my launch monitor have struggled the past month as the temperature has reached 110+ regularly. These technical difficulties have made it difficult for me to do additional A/B testing as I planned. I will likely do a supplement A/B post to this review in a couple months when it cools down and I can hit for more than 10 minutes without my launch monitor or iPad overheating and shutting down. That said, I was excited to see the tightening in dispersion being readily apparent in my Arccos data when comparing rounds before and after receiving the Velocore+.

 

Side-by-side Arccos distance data

*Notice the absence of data for the 5w, we'll touch on that in a little bit

 

 

Side-by-side Arccos fairway data (lateral dispersion)

               

There are a couple things going on here that stand out to me. The Arccos club distance data with the two different shafts appear to show a wider distribution of my drive distance with The Ping Tour 2.0 Black compared to the Velocore+.

If the distance range bars are meant to represent a flattened distribution curve, then it appears that my driving distance with the Tour 2.0 is closer to a normal distribution, with the mean of 272 falling closer to the middle of Arccos’ smart range calculations (255-294). In contrast, the Velocore+ seems to bring the lower end of distance up just a bit, but also may have a skewed distribution that tends closer to the lower end of the calculated range.

This wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, some of my misses right are due to overestimating the distance to the right edge of dogleg left holes from the tee box and having a drive on the higher end of my distance range, resulting in another $4.58 donation to TaylorMade (See shelf photo above). Although distance consistency wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing for my game, the marketing material for the Velocore+ line claims higher ball speeds, which suggests greater distance. Based on the marketing material, I would have expected the tighter dispersion that I have been getting with the Velocore+ and an increase in my average distance. None of the data I have collected to date suggests that I have gained distance with the Velocore+.

I am taking one point off the score because I have experienced a slight reduction in distance with the Ventus Blue Velocore+. On-course I give the Ventus Blue Velocore+ 19 out of 20.

 

The Good, the Bad, the in between (18 out of 20)

The Good

This is undoubtedly a high-quality shaft, that plays well and looks great. It is no surprise that the Velocore line has dominated the tour since it was first introduced several years ago.

The Bad

I feel like I don’t need to write this, but this is an expensive shaft! At $350, this shaft is more expensive than many individual clubs. For many people, putting that $350 towards a couple new wedges with fresh grooves or a few lessons would likely do more for their game than a high-end shaft on a their driver alone. (-3 points)

The in between

One additional observation that really makes me glad that the review format for MGS has an open-ended section like this one is the post hit resonance of the Ventus Blue Velocore+ in your hands. A sensation that I get when hitting with this shaft is that it is almost tuned to a musical note. In comparison, the Ping Tour 2.0 Black feels like it resonates at a lower frequency that is a little flat of where it is meant to be. This may be entirely in my head, but I will make a post if I ever figure out a way to test this with my recording equipment. For being so unexpected and surprisingly pleasant, the Velocore+ earns 1 point back that it lost for its high cost.

 

Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20)

 100% play it! I have become very comfortable with this shaft and feel very confident with it on my driver at address. It looks great, and I have seen significant improvements in dispersion which was a critical factor for me. Remember in the on-course section when I said to take note of the absence of 5w data? Here is where that foreshadowing becomes relevant. I have been really struggling with my 5w to the point that I haven’t taken it out of the bag on course since early/mid June. Even when I’ve had a nice lie in the middle of the fairway with plenty of distance to the green I’ve shuttered when even looking at my 5w, and have either reached for the 4H or 5i when the 5w would have likely been a more ideal club. I have enjoyed hitting my driver so much with the Velocore+ that there is a greater than 0% chance that I will attempt to resuscitate my 5w with some focused lessons as well as an upgrade to a Velocore+ shaft.

 

Conclusion

In summary, the Ventus Blue Velocore+ has noticeably high build quality, great aesthetics, and was able to deliver on its marketing claim about improving dispersion. In my testing, I saw a significant tightening of the dispersion with my driver. Although I did see a slight drop in overall distance, the consistency gained with the Ventus Blue Velocore+ outweighs the slight drop in overall distance for me. Overall, the Fujikura Ventus Blue Velocore+ earned 95 out of 100 points during my review. This shaft is undoubtedly a premium product, but it will not have you driving like Rory overnight. However, for the golfer who has money to burn and is looking to refine an already established game, I would recommend testing a shaft from the Ventus Blue Velocore+ line.

 

 

One last thing, you didn’t think I would finish my review without one more gratuitous picture of my dog…did you?

Edited August 10 by musicalmedicine

[skraeling]

Who Am I:

An above average dork, with a below average golf game.... I think.  I am a terrible writer.  I think mostly due to me not dealing with people day in and day out.  I occasionally forget how to human.  Spending 8hrs a day in a genetics lab... yeah.  It warps ya. 

I also work with some questionable people...

I digress.  I love golf.  Like absolutely love it.  Ive played for a long time but never seriously.  The usual once a year maybe a couple times a year typical player.  Then I got involved with a golf league and truely began to love the sport.  Bonus I get to play with my dad once a week.  I consider myself very fortunate.

Me kicking his ass in Hawaii.

I brew I dont know... semi professionally?  I do this at home, but occasionally help a friend who does do is professionally. so... semi pro it is haha.  I mean what else is a damn microbiologist supposed to do for a hobby right?

I also have a cat that prevents practice... a lot, so improving can be difficult some days.

I love filming storms when im not dodging them on the golf course.  Ah the missouri in the midwest... gateway to repeated hail,flooding,tornadoes... oh my.

 

Overall im a complete dork with a warped sense of humor.  Two goals this year were to shoot at or below par (so far not so good), and hit a 300yd drive (which ive gotten close and missed that by 13yds).

Area Of Testing Focus:

Dispersion.... Im hoping this can really tighten up my left miss.  If my tempo isnt great that day my current shaft really punishes me and starts hooking like im in the red light district.  Barf.  Distance isnt bad for me.

What I’m looking for: 

Something to keep me more in the middle (arnt we all?).

Hey... can ANYONE TELL WHERE MY MISS IS?!?!.... blah!  Is my shaft too whippy? maybe.  Can I make it work?... well sure.

I do think im ready to try something new though..  Ive been doing speed training and I can sometimes if im not in perfect form over match my current shaft.

How it started vs how its going:

 

Overall Im really looking forward to giving this shaft a try.  I do much prefer lighter weight shafts and my testing choice will hopefully represent a close analog in metrics vs my current one (as much as possible).  Can I get stability and BOMBS?... we shall see.  Ill be running arccos as per usual so the metrics will make themselves readily apparent.

I look forward to providing you with a joe average impact of this shaft on my game.

Cheers.

 

UNBOXING: I got a shaft in a box yo.

Well now that I only feel slightly less like death warmed over.  Finally get unboxing up.  It showed up and this thing had clearly seen some s*** on the way to my house:

But it was in good shape so the box did its job.  This forum I swear... no matter what I want to do it wants to show this upside down... SO BE IT!

Its just fractionally shorter than mine which is what I was expecting so kudos to Fujikura for absolutely crushing the prep on this thing.

 

Well.... apparently this is a TOUR adapter that some of my fellow reviewers did some epic Dick Tracy s*** on to figure out and its mostly the same.  Besides... im so crap will .5* make a difference?  Somehow I had been playing with what I thought was a 9* setting... HAHAHAHA no.  I had my og setup set to 8.5*... whatever itll be fine.

Initial impressions are.... well im still trying to figure this out.  Overall I cant wait to get out again with this when im not clearly sick and back to 100%.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE FINAL REVIEW and my Thoughts.

First Impressions  (20 out of 20)

The shaft looks good, it feels... I dont know... professional?  Just overall a very clean design.  Could it be too simple?  Yeah, sure it is just a shaft though.  Its not as eye catching as say the Autoflex shafts are, but I wont hold it against it
 

Aesthetics (20 out of 20) 

Great matte blue coloring and its not crazy shiny overall looks really good.  Its typical fujikura quality (meaning high).  It could be considered too understated.  None of my playing partners even noticed I had put it in to my driver setup.  Now this may be good for some people they dont want attention and just want the shaft to work.

This shaft is not an attention grabber by any means.  Does this hurt it at all?  No.  For the price though?  You almost kind of want this to be in your face.  Personally I dont really pay attention to the looks.  In fact I dont mind that its subtle.  It really doesnt affect how I look at the ball or anything else really.

On-Course (18 out of 20)

On course I really did like this shaft.  When I was hitting my driver well this shaft was quite a bit farther even on average than my stock gamer shaft.  I didnt get to the sim for a head 2 head comparison of actual data (just too damn busy) but I do have some basic arccos analysis I did on my rounds pre / post shaft.

Its far.  Like it really does send it farther on a good hit.

Heres where the numbers broke down for me:

Overall between my stock shaft and my gamer shaft, the Velocore was only 10 yards wider dispersion.  26yds vs 17yds.  The distance though?   It put for me about 15% more of my shots over 250 yards compared to my regular shaft.  35.2% of my shots with the ventus were 250yards or more.  My gamer shaft only 20% of my shots were 250yds or more.  The shaft REALLY makes the ball jump off the club.

Now... as far as helping my hook?  It didnt really solve that for me.  This isnt on the shaft its a mechanical issue of my own making.  I had over the same shots between both shafts about 10% more going left than my gamer.  Less went center and right.

The shaft DOES feel quite stable.  So if you are a hard swinger?  Might be worth giving it a go.  Its not that it doesnt flex (wherever I put that waggle video) shows it.  However its flex profile is different to where it just feels stiffer.  You might or might not like that.

With the ventus it felt that my even real mishits still kinda managed to squeek out there far enough.  I did play my regular shaft the last two rounds to sanity check my thoughts.  While I did hit nearer the middle slightly more and I do mean only slightly.  I found myself missing that extra distance.  Wasnt every time, but knowing it could really poke one out there left me wanting to go back to the Velocore.

I do plan to eventually get some "lab" data on the two shafts, but I need to sort out what has happened to my driver swing first haha.  Not sure I can really hit any driver at the moment regardless of shaft somewhat competently (one of those seasonal dips we all experience).

Final Performance Comments:

Overall I felt that the shaft DID deliver for distance.  Did it help with dispersion as much as I had hoped or expected?  No.  Though maybe thats a function of it going farther.  The farther out you can send a ball the better the chance it could end up finishing offline.  I dont really know what they could do to this model to really gain any new benefits to the design.  I think it really is as good as you can get it.  Would I like to see perhaps a more eye catching design on a 350.00 shaft?  Yeah, kinda.

 

The Good, the bad, the inbetween 18 out of 20)

The good?  Distance and ball speed.  The shaft is without a doubt a rocket launcher.  If the only thing you care about is distance?  This will do it.  Im not a particularly far hitter and this shaft for me holds 5 or more of my top10 drives for distance.

The bad?  The price.... sweet tap dancing raptor jesus the price on this thing.  That alone makes it hard to recommend.  As a routinely 18-20ish handicap.... I dont know if I can regularly take advantage of what this shaft offers.  Im so inconsistent that if I had to pay this much for the shaft id be pissed at myself for spending that kind of money.  If money is no object and you fit into this shaft though (please please please actually hit it a lot if you get fitted with it) go for it.

The middle bit?  The design.  You will either love the fact its subtle with only some badging on close up inspection to let you know this things a crazy extra expensive option or hate the fact that you have a 350.00 shaft that no one will really notice unless they are equipment junkies.

Play it or Trade it? (10 out of 20)

Ill probably keep playing it to see that if once I solve my mechanical issues it truly is the shaft I think it can be.  Ill be gaming it off and on the rest of the year.  In fact I think I might just play out the rest of this season with it and save the simulator testing for when winter inevitably puts its cold crushing grip on us around dec/jan/feb.

It really is a good shaft. I need to test more however.  We lost several rounds this year due to weather

 

Conclusion

For those looking for a TLDR:  The shaft while expensive as all hell, does what it says.  Its quite stable and gave me some of the farthest drives ive ever hit.  Now... if you value nothing else other than smacking the heck out of the ball, give it a try.  It could give you some crazy fun drives.  For the rest of us I think there are better options out there that do not cost what this does.  If you are a low handicapper?  Try it.  For us mid to high ones... Im not sure its worth it to spend the money on this instead of a lesson instead (or several for that price).  That said I do really enjoy swinging it and will game it out the rest of the year.
 

 

Final Score (84 out of 100)
 

 

Edited August 8 by skraeling

[GolfSpy_APH]

Congrats all on your selection! This is a big test and will have a lot of people watching. No pressure!

[Northern Monkey]

Congrats guys

[Gazhass]

Well done, enjoy.

[sirchunksalot]

Congratulations everyone!

[Knight017]

Congratulations to the selected spy's. Iooking forward to trying it at my upcoming driver fitting. 

[Cfhandyman]

Congratulations to a very nice group of well chosen testers. Needless to say, there will be a great deal of interest in how the new Ventus shafts perform. Are you guys up for the challenge?  I know you are. Have fun. 

[Hoyoymac]

Congratulations everyone.

[Josh Parker]

Congrats Testers!

Having played the old blue version, I am interested to see how the new one performs and if there are any differences.

[Jean D]

Congratulations to all of you! Welcome to the testing community!!

[David Njoroge]

Congratulations guys

 

[JAYER38]

Congrats to the testers! Cant wait to see how this goes and opinions of it

[Bad Golfer]

Congratulations Testers! I'll be checking out your results to see how your long game improves with a high end shaft.

[Willie T]

13 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

The Fujikura VENTUS driver shafts have taken the golfing world by storm, claiming to be more stable and consistent with tighter dispersion and increased ball speeds than its predecessor. The new Fujikura VENTUS shaft, powered by VELOCORE technology, has a lot to live up to.

About The Fujikura VENTUS

A premium driver shaft that has made its way into the bags of many tour professionals and amateurs alike, the Fujikura Ventus with VELOCORE has become a go-to golf shaft since its introduction in 2018. In 2024, Fujikura released a new VENTUS Blue version with VELOCORE+ technology and advanced materials to improve on what was already a very popular choice. A key change in the 2024 version is a simplified bend profile with a re-engineered multi-material bias core claiming to improve stability for more consistent strikes. Additionally, the new VELOCORE+ claims to enhance feel and the overall performance of this high-end driver shaft.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

@Preeway 

@Syks7 

@musicalmedicine 

@skraeling

Congrats to the testing crew chosen - do is proud as you “swing for the fences” (ooops, wrong sport ).  Looking forward to hearing how the new shafts compare out.

Edited May 14 by Willie T

[crisJ]

Congratulations testers.  Should be a good one

[Preeway]

Super excited to be chosen as one of the testers for this shaft. I currently play an OG Ventus Blue and will be comparing old tech and new tech head-to-head as part of this test. Going to be fun putting this thing through some rigorous testing which all of you would expect. Intro will be up later this week, if not sooner. 

[bens197]

Congrats!

Looking forward to your experience with this one

[TJ Hall]

Congratulations testers!  Looking forward to reading your thoughts and experience with these shafts.

[scotter032]

Congrats to the chosen ones!! I currently game TR BLUE in all my woods and has changed the long game for me completely. Hopefully it does the same for you... 

[ZJeb67]

This sounds like a great opportunity!
Really interested in seeing the testing 

[skraeling]

Looking forward to hopefully providing some good content on this one.  Know the bar will be much higher so Ill enjoy the challenge of delivering.

[russtopherb]

Solid group right here, congrats all!

[Parshooter36]

Congrats to the the testers, I look forward to following this one.

[ChitownM2]

Congrats testers!  Looking forward to hearing how these perform for everyone.

[rkj427]

Congratulations to this group of testers. Looking forward to the comments and reviews,

Especially @Preeway to compare the + model to the original model.

[IndyBonzo]

Congratulations testers!  Very eager to read these reviews.  Good luck all!