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RIP Tour Iron Shafts - Anyone Evaluate Yet?

Nippon Shafts
Yea the main problem is that finding pulls is very tough. Just not as common as if you were looking for steel. Price isn't terrible new ($40/per), but it's not something I'd ever recommend a blind buy on. Except for maybe myself. Since I did just that. LOL.
 
Hawk said:
Yea the main problem is that finding pulls is very tough. Just not as common as if you were looking for steel. Price isn't terrible new ($40/per), but it's not something I'd ever recommend a blind buy on. Except for maybe myself. Since I did just that. LOL.
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Maybe some of us will get lucky and find them in a fit cart somewhere. You're absolutely right, forty dollars per shaft is a rough thing to buy blind, especially with the costs of install and removal if it doesn't work out.
 
Tonight I'll get to work with the whole set at least. Next week I'm going to bring an MCI and a RIP Tour to compare the two directly for the hell of it. Similar heads (VRS Forged and 545), so should be a relatively good comparison. Hopefully I'll be able to let one of the college golfer freaks hit the both and get some thoughts there too. They always have a unique perspective.
 
Been procrastinating on this a little. Shaft reviews can be a little redundant to me.

Anyway - I tested out the full set last time I was able to practice. I struggle to attribute everything I see to shafts since I've been seeing some progress on couple parameters I look at for improvement prior to the switch. So, take that for what you will.

I am longer than I have been in awhile at the moment. Nothing groundbreaking, but certainly distances and ball flight I haven't seen since mid-summer last year. Launch angles have gone down a bit since putting these in, ball speed has increased a little, and spin has remained relatively constant. That's equaled both more carry and more total distance.

To give a rough example with a 7 iron:

85-87mph swing speed
110-112 ball speed
19°'ish launch angle
4750-5500 rpm back spin depending on the quality of the strike
~155-160 carry
~medium to mid high ball flight - certainly not low by my standards and in line with a general range of normal

Obviously some evidence of the early release there that plagues me, but that 19° number is pretty good for me believe it or not.

Dispersion is pretty consistent, with a rather strong high and swooping hookdraw - more pronounced with the scoring clubs. That's a me thing and was there prior to the shafts. In addition, I'll still maintain I've got my irons too upright, but that's beating a dead horse. This typically lessens after some time warming up and that was the case last week, with all but the highest lofted clubs in my bag. As an example, I'm aiming to the right fringe to hit the left-center of the target green with a PW.

Shafts felt a little stiffer to me than I recalled the first time, but again - nothing off-putting in either weight or feel. Didn't try to change anything related to the golf club at least.
 
I recently put these back in my irons, before I had them in Xhot Pros, I changed from those to a split set of Cleveland MT/TTs and 4 and 5 altitudes. When I had these in the XHP I soft stepped them based on what little data there was out there at the time. I kept them the same in the Clevelands this install also. So far so good. I can say in the altitudes they are pretty awesome! Also a definite increase in distance over the stock steel stiff Cleveland shafts. Probably the best blind purchase I've ever made for golf equipment besides my putter.
 
I like the flex, I went with the their stiff flex, and soft stepped them. They don't feel overly stiff, but not flimsy either. I can feel them loading and unloading, so far working out well. They have been the only graphite iron shafts I have liked so far, however, I have only tried a few different ones, mostly stock versions. I have got to say also, they seem very easy to flight up and down. I was worried I would get ballooning with them, but that isn't the case.
 
Just received a set of the 115 tour R flex. I am installing them this week. Due to the low torque I wen down 1 flex grade.
 
Joe.Utz said:
Just received a set of the 115 tour R flex. I am installing them this week. Due to the low torque I wen down 1 flex grade.
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Let us know how it goes. I went with the same config and had played S flex in my last graphite setup.

Having had them in the bag for a month or so now, I'm pleased with what I'm seeing.
 
First outing outside a hitting bay with these yesterday.

Nice to see a couple things that were consistent with what I saw indoors. Namely, height and distance. Nothing earth shattering as usual, but I like knowing that real life shots are similar to monitor shots. Always nice to actually see it I suppose.

Dispersion is pretty good, especially after some recent swing work. Not to say I didn't have a couple get away from me (I did), but still. Pretty tight right/left ball flight and not many of the big swoopers.

Regardless of what the CPM and torque ratings come out to be, I'll just say that I like how the shaft feels and reacts. Probably not quite that super-smoothness of the MCI that I was used to, but as for coming from steel and having a relatively seamless transition - they are as good as I've personally hit. I do think going down a flex was wise and I'd suggest that to just about anybody looking at them.
 
I appreciate the insight hawk, as these iron shaft continue to intrigue me.

Shame about the cost. I get it entirely, it's just hard to justify the demo for that kind of price.
 
Even at $40 I almost see them on the cheaper side. Compared to around $100/each for the MCI's. Almost being a big almost lol. Then of course you have the small number of them out there which limits the used market.
 
Hawk said:
First outing outside a hitting bay with these yesterday.

Nice to see a couple things that were consistent with what I saw indoors. Namely, height and distance. Nothing earth shattering as usual, but I like knowing that real life shots are similar to monitor shots. Always nice to actually see it I suppose.

Dispersion is pretty good, especially after some recent swing work. Not to say I didn't have a couple get away from me (I did), but still. Pretty tight right/left ball flight and not many of the big swoopers.

Regardless of what the CPM and torque ratings come out to be, I'll just say that I like how the shaft feels and reacts. Probably not quite that super-smoothness of the MCI that I was used to, but as for coming from steel and having a relatively seamless transition - they are as good as I've personally hit. I do think going down a flex was wise and I'd suggest that to just about anybody looking at them.
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Side bar .

Which range is open I need to get reps.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
None that I know of, but I haven't called around. I'm going to guess none though.

Saukie opened, but is a mess. Standing water in some spots and very, very soft.
 
Hawk said:
Even at $40 I almost see them on the cheaper side. Compared to around $100/each for the MCI's. Almost being a big almost lol. Then of course you have the small number of them out there which limits the used market.
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I should have referenced graphite as a whole. It's just SO much cheaper to experiment with steel (and arguably more durable).
 
No doubt. This was an uncharacteristically expensive purchase for me and I'm glad it seems to have worked out.
 
Almost pulled the trigger on a set of 115 in Stiff tonight. Was paired with the XTD irons, just went a touch more than I wanted to pay.

At some point I am going to give in, because I really want to try these. Need to find a demo.
 
I picked up a set of the 115 protos from the market place and have two rounds in with them. I have them soft stepped and can see why people have dropped a flex and say these are stout. They feel very tip stiff but have a real nice bend in the middle and upper part of the shaft. With an aggressive transition like mine I can feel the shaft loading and unloading at impact. I still get a nice high ball flight and holding greens is no issues. The shafts are longer than my previous shafts and I'm making much better contact so that is why I think I'm a little longer with these not huge gains but longer none the less.

I personally really like the feel but if your looking for that really smooth effortless graphite shaft these are probably not it.
 
Sorry for digging up an old topic, but it was the only thread I could find about these shafts. I'm very intrigued by them and the issue I am having is trying to determine flex. I'm going to get a tester to decide if they are for me, but not sure if it should be in stiff or regular. Currently using a rouge silver stiff in my driver, and my 3w and hybrid are all stiff shafts(stock shaft in the Xr16 3W and an Anamkara Hybrid in my hybrid). My irons are the stock steel reg flex that came in the RSi1 irons. I carry my 7iron roughly 165-170 (Arccos says my smart distance is 178). Do these really play that stiff to flex? I understand i'm not giving much information, but i'm just trying to make the best educated decision I can. TIA
 
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