VA Composites SLAY Shaft - THP Review

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The latest iteration from VA Composites boasts that ever elusive low spin high launch profile with beautiful blue graphics and another take on the dragon imagery. I'll be pairing this with the TaylorMade M1 driver and hopefully will have some early thoughts soon.

From VA Composites

The SLAY Series is the newest addition to VA Composites’ line of high performance composite golf shafts. SLAY features a multi-material design made with the industries most exotic materials from Japan. By utilizing these materials, VA Composites is able to offer the most advanced and versatile shafts in golf. SLAY’s unique design fits a wide variety of golfers and is offered in various weight and torque ranging from 55 grams to 85 grams. SLAY boasts high launch and low spin playing characteristics allowing golfers to achieve tighter dispersion and more distance.

Specs

Specifications+for+SLAY


In Hand Photos

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This is the first VA shaft I have been curious about!
 
Very curious about this shaft. Love the color! High Launch and low spin are not two words you see together very often. However if the high launch is provided by a softer tip, it wont do me any good.
 
I emailed Victor about what might fit me - 92 SS, 9-9.5 loft in Ping and Epic, 2500 spin in current Grand Bassara and TPT Golf (nice shaft that still may work)- but having dispersion issues, that I'd had success with Oban Revenge 55 and Isawa 55 - but the Isawa was stiff and tipped, and made me work a bit too hard. He said a Slay 55 in 03, possibly tipped may work - I have an appointment at Club Champion next week. Victor said the Slay Profile is overall softer than the Raijin Profile. But as you know, with his shafts as you increase the weight, he designs the shaft to modify the profile by stiffening it up. Drop him an email on his site at www.vashafts.com
 
Love the colors and graphics. The Slay 65 in S flex sounds like it may be in my wheelhouse.
 
Looking forward to the updates on this one. Such a cool looking shaft.
 
Great graphics but not a profile that I'm looking for. High launch and low spin seems so hard to actually create so let's see what these guys have done.
 
Just tipped one of these and will have some feedback for people tomorrow.
 
Just tipped one of these and will have some feedback for people tomorrow.

Testing in Epic or F7 or other?
 
I like the colors and graphics - I’m interested as it is high launch however I feel I need more spin


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Apologies on the extra time for the initial feedback. I've decided to put this into a Callaway adapter for the Epic SZ, and give AMart a chance to play it in his Epic on Friday during our round.

Should be a lot of feedback for two very different swings for the weekend.
 
Looking forward to the GC2 feedback from this past weekend.
 
Interesting Shaft, but hasn't the low spin high launch be done before? or is this the unicorn of golf shaft design?
 
Interesting Shaft, but hasn't the low spin high launch be done before? or is this the unicorn of golf shaft design?
It's been attempted lots, a TRUE high launch and LOW spin shaft though is indeed a unicorn imo.
 
It's been attempted lots, a TRUE high launch and LOW spin shaft though is indeed a unicorn imo.
Have you tried the blue even flow yet?

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Received Slay 55 03 this morning at 45 inches - Put it on Ping G400 at 9.6 degrees. Okay, it waggles in your hands, the tip seems soft, which may bother some people. But you've got to see how it plays. And frankly, I'm an outlier - an older guy with 92 or so speed who hopes to get faster.

I'm certain the 65 and 75 will play with a stiffer profile because that's what VA does with his shafts. As they get heavier, they get more useful for a player with speed. But for my needs, the Slay has some pop. No wind and 60 degrees, mid-high to high launch, really did not see any ballooning or excess spin - smooth with a good pop. This was the first time on the range; will go on Trackman in a week and see the spin numbers. Will play it next weekend. It may need a small amount of tipping, but it was enjoyable.
 
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Excited to get feedback on this one, so stay tuned tomorrow THPers as we are going to give one away.
 
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Spent some time with this shaft and wanted to share my thoughts (along with how I feel about others hitting it as well).

Starting out on looks, the blue really pops when you get the club out of the bag, and when it comes to looks I think that hits the mark on what a lot of people like. It's loud in the blue color but nothing about it is obnoxious, and it also draws the eyes into the upper portion of the shaft and the SLAY writing.

In terms of my experiences with it, I found quite a bit of an upward arc on most of my shots. The flight ended in the mid/high range which is typical, but I do think the spin is a bit more than I would prefer to play. Being that 99% of the shafts I use that are in stiff flex have more spin than I would like, I'm not surprised by it. The release is also plentiful, which I think will appeal well to those looking for that nice loading sensation on contact.

The best feedback the shaft provided was off the swing of AMart, who I thought it would suit very well before it arrived based on the flight and what he needs. Previous to this, he was playing the Oban Hashimoto in stiff, which I felt was a bit too penetrating and kind of plummeted out of the air on him which I thought punished his total distance a bit. Moving into the the SLAY, his flight immediately improved. For a low launching hitter, he was moving into the mid (or mid/high in his world) flight that elevated naturally until peak, and then continued forward with a totally reasonable descent angle. I'd argue it's doing exactly what he needs (good launch without excessive spin), and the feedback is just right for his tempo/speed.

I'm hoping to have more data specific update next time, however the weather hasn't really cooperated and I'm not running around with a GC2 in rain haha. Rest assured I'll have that data before the full review is complete, and I look forward to the additional thoughts from THPers!
 
Will be interested to hear more about this shaft. Perfect profile for me and at a reasonable price. I've been looking for a 3 wood shaft replacement, this could be a contender.
 
Spent some time with this shaft and wanted to share my thoughts (along with how I feel about others hitting it as well).

Starting out on looks, the blue really pops when you get the club out of the bag, and when it comes to looks I think that hits the mark on what a lot of people like. It's loud in the blue color but nothing about it is obnoxious, and it also draws the eyes into the upper portion of the shaft and the SLAY writing.

In terms of my experiences with it, I found quite a bit of an upward arc on most of my shots. The flight ended in the mid/high range which is typical, but I do think the spin is a bit more than I would prefer to play. Being that 99% of the shafts I use that are in stiff flex have more spin than I would like, I'm not surprised by it. The release is also plentiful, which I think will appeal well to those looking for that nice loading sensation on contact.

The best feedback the shaft provided was off the swing of AMart, who I thought it would suit very well before it arrived based on the flight and what he needs. Previous to this, he was playing the Oban Hashimoto in stiff, which I felt was a bit too penetrating and kind of plummeted out of the air on him which I thought punished his total distance a bit. Moving into the the SLAY, his flight immediately improved. For a low launching hitter, he was moving into the mid (or mid/high in his world) flight that elevated naturally until peak, and then continued forward with a totally reasonable descent angle. I'd argue it's doing exactly what he needs (good launch without excessive spin), and the feedback is just right for his tempo/speed.

I'm hoping to have more data specific update next time, however the weather hasn't really cooperated and I'm not running around with a GC2 in rain haha. Rest assured I'll have that data before the full review is complete, and I look forward to the additional thoughts from THPers!
This is some excellent feedback buddy, thank you! Knowing me and my game like you do, do you think it'd benefit me off the tee possibly?
 
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This is some excellent feedback buddy, thank you! Knowing me and my game like you do, do you think it'd benefit me off the tee possibly?

Tough call. I would imagine you'd need to spend some time with the FIVE rather than the FOUR. I'm finding it a bit softer than any of the stiff profiles I'd game personally, but AMart seems to really like the load and release it provides.

I'm still far from calling it a low spin head, however I did find it much more enjoyable in the Sub Zero head than the regular Epic. Got a few really nice, not ballooning forward descending shots last time out.
 
Played this shaft yesterday and have to say I love the look of it, like the feel of it, but not sure anything else. I want to preface this by saying that I dont mean that positively or negatively, just couldn't make a lot of sense of it. A quick shaft change had me hitting the ball a little longer, but I was seeing about 500 more rpms of spin from this on average to a few others I have been working with.

I think in the right hands this could be a really solid option, like a few others, but I am not sure I am the right guy.
 
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  • #25
The review for the SLAY is complete and will be on the homepage soon.

My takeaway is more in the mid-high launch with mid spin realm of the spectrum, with Raijin being the more appropriate shaft for those looking for greater stability through the swing and lower spin overall. I think with the right driver pairing, the launch will align well with what people are seeking in the mid spectrum. More importantly, I had AMart using this a fair bit, and it truly helped as he is a golfer who needs some extra spin and some extra launch to be successful. After playing much of the year with a Hashimoto, it's unlikely that SLAY will be leaving his 12.5 degree Epic setup any time soon, as the launch was so much better. It got to a mid to mid-high flight (for him) in a great line, and then had a great descent in the mid 30s which will almost always promote forward roll.

Overall I believe SLAY will fit a lot of golfers, and the softer tip section provides plenty of feedback through the swing.
 
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