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Fujikura Ventus shaft aims at helping tour players and average golfers with distance, dispersion

February 02, 2019
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The new Fujikura Ventus shaft is the company’s latest effort to maximize driver distance for elite players while at the same time helping those who don’t hit the center of the clubface nearly as often get better results.

The interesting thing is the same technology in the Ventus shaft works for both levels of players. The Ventus uses Pitch 70 ton carbon fiber, an ultra high-modulus material that’s 150 percent stiffer than some other high-end varieties of carbon fiber. That material is used the full length of the shaft in concert with 40 Ton carbon fiber. Tabbed “VeloCore,” the goal is to produce a shaft with a stiffer tip section and a more stable overall profile for more consistency and better conversion of swing speed into clubhead velocity. By comparison, the shaft profile of Ventus shows a stiffer tip section than Fujikura’s Atmos Black combined with a slightly softer mid and butt section.

“The PGA Tour players are looking for tighter dispersion to find more fairways,” said John Hovis, Fujikura’s tour manager. “Some shafts with the softer tips don’t allow that tighter dispersion. So by creating a lower torque, stiffer tip profile, we’re able to tighten dispersion, consistently lower spin and produce faster ball speeds.”

But while tour players like the distance benefits of shots landing and rolling in fairways, the stiffer tip on Ventus also benefits average golfers and their mishits by helping the head twist less during an off-center hit. With less twisting, there’s less energy lost, less distance fall off and better dispersion, as well.

The Ventus shaft ($350) is available in 10 options ranging from a soft R2 flex at 56 grams to a beefy X flex at 86 grams. It includes multiple flex options in the Ventus 5 (high 50-gram range), Ventus 6 (mid-60 grams), Ventus 7 (mid-70 grams) and Ventus 8 (mid-80 grams).