I've noticed a lot of the same ball flight characteristics. I haven't tried to cut a ball with my hybrid. Not yet at least. But I've seen some higher shots. I need to get this on the foresight+HMT. I want to see me peak height.
Matrix Altus Tour Hybrid Shaft
I've noticed a lot of the same ball flight characteristics. I haven't tried to cut a ball with my hybrid. Not yet at least. But I've seen some higher shots. I need to get this on the foresight+HMT. I want to see me peak height.
Yea man...I'm also interested to see what the number differences look like on a launch monitor of some type...
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I cannot express how much higher I am hitting this club than I was last season with the White Board. This ball flight is either climbing tower majestic, or snap hook left. I am not 100% sold that it is the shaft contributing to these, but I don't remember these flights last season with this club and now after 3 rounds, none of my other clubs are shaping the same way.
DB86
Active member
I know this is a long term test/review process, but I feel like I am a little behind, so I promise to provide some good content. Let’s get this thing going…
Anyone that plays golf or has been around the game has probably heard of Matrix Shafts. Matrix has been in business for almost 25 years and has gained a reputation for their quality and craftsmanship. With many companies like Taylormade, Titleist and Callaway using Matrix shafts in their clubs, it’s no secret that Matrix is a major player in the golf shaft market.
I’m sure it doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone how excited I was when I found out that I had been selected to test and review the new Matrix Ozik Altus Tour H8 hybrid shaft. According to Matrix, this shaft is often “the most used individual hybrid shaft on the PGA Tour, thanks to its highly efficient and stable mid launch design”. Now I don’t know about you, but my golf game could sure use some more stability.
The first thing I noticed about the shaft when I took it out of the box was how visually pleasing the graphics are. The mixture of red, white and silver overlaid on the matte black shaft immediately catches your eye, but not in a way that reminds you of Rickie Fowler on a Sunday evening. The design offers a nice clean and classic look with just enough pop to keep it interesting. Once I got past the graphics and worked my way over the Altus Tour H8 from one end to the other, I could really tell how well made the shaft is. Everything about the shaft feels very smooth and balanced with hints of detail everywhere. One other small detail that I really like about the shaft was the tag near the butt end of the shaft showing the CPM of the individual shaft. "Which I forgot to take a picture of"
I will be testing the Altus Tour H8 shaft in regular flex paired with a 19 degree, 2016 Taylormade M2 Rescue Hybrid. I purchased this M2 just for the new shaft testing and only hit a few balls with it prior to removing the old shaft. The club is made up of the M2 head (234 grams), the Altus Shaft (80 grams trimmed) and a Golf Pride MCC Plus 4 standard size grip (52 grams). The assembled club weighs in at 378 grams with a swing weight of D3. If I must say so myself, this combo looks amazing together.
Now that everything is assembled and dried, my initial thought is that the shaft feels very smooth and balanced. On full practice swings I am able to feel the club head just enough to know where it is, but not so much that I am overthinking it. I plan to hit up the range later this week when it quits raining, so I will add to my review as soon as I send a few balls down the range. I am very anxious to see what my ball flight is with this club compared to some of the other testers so far. Please feel free to let me know if there is anything in particular that you want me to focus on.
Anyone that plays golf or has been around the game has probably heard of Matrix Shafts. Matrix has been in business for almost 25 years and has gained a reputation for their quality and craftsmanship. With many companies like Taylormade, Titleist and Callaway using Matrix shafts in their clubs, it’s no secret that Matrix is a major player in the golf shaft market.
I’m sure it doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone how excited I was when I found out that I had been selected to test and review the new Matrix Ozik Altus Tour H8 hybrid shaft. According to Matrix, this shaft is often “the most used individual hybrid shaft on the PGA Tour, thanks to its highly efficient and stable mid launch design”. Now I don’t know about you, but my golf game could sure use some more stability.
The first thing I noticed about the shaft when I took it out of the box was how visually pleasing the graphics are. The mixture of red, white and silver overlaid on the matte black shaft immediately catches your eye, but not in a way that reminds you of Rickie Fowler on a Sunday evening. The design offers a nice clean and classic look with just enough pop to keep it interesting. Once I got past the graphics and worked my way over the Altus Tour H8 from one end to the other, I could really tell how well made the shaft is. Everything about the shaft feels very smooth and balanced with hints of detail everywhere. One other small detail that I really like about the shaft was the tag near the butt end of the shaft showing the CPM of the individual shaft. "Which I forgot to take a picture of"
I will be testing the Altus Tour H8 shaft in regular flex paired with a 19 degree, 2016 Taylormade M2 Rescue Hybrid. I purchased this M2 just for the new shaft testing and only hit a few balls with it prior to removing the old shaft. The club is made up of the M2 head (234 grams), the Altus Shaft (80 grams trimmed) and a Golf Pride MCC Plus 4 standard size grip (52 grams). The assembled club weighs in at 378 grams with a swing weight of D3. If I must say so myself, this combo looks amazing together.
Now that everything is assembled and dried, my initial thought is that the shaft feels very smooth and balanced. On full practice swings I am able to feel the club head just enough to know where it is, but not so much that I am overthinking it. I plan to hit up the range later this week when it quits raining, so I will add to my review as soon as I send a few balls down the range. I am very anxious to see what my ball flight is with this club compared to some of the other testers so far. Please feel free to let me know if there is anything in particular that you want me to focus on.
DB86
Active member
---UPDATE---
After all of the drooling over how good this set up looks, now for the fun part. I finally got to test this thing out. Just a little bit about myself first, I am a 16-19 handicap depending on the time of year, 6 feet tall, and “healthy”. I play golf casually a few times per month and hit the range and chipping green a few times a week. My driver swing speed is in the 93/94 mph range with what I would consider a deliberate tempo. I tend to hit the ball with a mid trajectory that is mostly straight with a slight fade and my major mishit is a slice, but it usually isn’t so bad that it puts me out of play. For all of my testing I will be using a combination of launch monitor, on the course play and range time.
Today I was able to stop by our local Big Box store on my way home and hit a few balls. The guys there were generous enough to let me sneak into the hitting bay and turn on the launch monitor. Before I get into the numbers I want to give you a few of my initial thoughts about the shaft.
First off I will say again this shaft looks really nice at address. Probably my favorite shaft in the bag just going by looks. The guys at the store were really complimenting how nice the graphics looked and how smooth the club felt overall. I started out by hitting some balls without any info just to warm up and get loose. The first thing I noticed is that the shaft loads up nicely for me and I can really feel the head through the swing which keeps my tempo in check. The shaft gives good feedback at impact and I was able to tell immediately how I was striking the ball. I hit a few shots thin and a few shots fat and I felt like the shaft soaked those up well and saved my hands and fingers. “I was hitting all of the shots off the deck”
After the warm up was over and I felt loose, I let it fly. I will throw out the disclaimer that I was NOT hitting the ball very well at all today. I was striking everything towards the heel for some reason. Not a shank shot, but not in the middle either. Due to this, I am going to go back another day. The guy running the monitor said my numbers were good, but I know I can do better. So here are some of the numbers from 25 shots that we picked out. We threw out a few shots that were extremely bad "fat/thin" and three that were really good…. "unusually good…”more on that later.
Club Head Speed = 87.8 MPH
Ball Speed = 114.7 MPH
Smash Factor = 1.31
Launch Angle = 15.2 deg
Total Spin = 4376 rpm
Total Carry = 174.8 yds
Total Distance = 190.2 yds
As I was saying, I was not striking the ball very well on any of these shots, so some were thrown out to try and show an accurate average based on how I was swinging today. Despite being a little on the heel side today, all of the shots had a fairly consistent distance and a very tight dispersion. I forgot to record the dispersion yardage, but I can tell you that it was very tight for a hack like me. I would attribute this to the shaft being very stable. The entire time I was hitting balls I felt like I was in complete control of the club face. Not completely satisfied with my performance in the hitting bay at the store, I decided to come home and launch a few balls into wild blue yonder out back. Also being somewhat of a launch monitor skeptic and reading some fellow THP’er reviews about a very high trajectory I was dying to actually lay my eyes on the ball flight. I found a good place in the yard where I can see about 2/3 of the balls flight and hit 5 balls. All of these shots were struck relatively close to the middle of the face, so I felt a lot better about them. The shots in the yard confirmed what I was seeing on the launch monitor. The trajectory of each shot was slightly higher than mid and all of them went very straight with a few having my signature fade at the end. Once again the shaft gave great feedback on the shots that were struck well.
Sorry for getting long winded here, I am just excited to share this with everyone. The last thing that I want to mention is the three very good shots that I hit on the launch monitor. The average of the three was right at 230 yards with a club head speed a tick over 90. These were honestly the most amazing three shots that I have ever hit. I have never hit a hybrid this distance before; we are getting into my 3 wood range here. This is the main reason that I removed these shots from the average, because they were very different and I wasn’t 100 percent sure if I could trust the numbers.
Now I have no idea what hybrid numbers should look like on the launch monitor other than I assume my smash factor should be higher. I would like to have some input from you guys about that. I plan to go the range Friday to get some more testing under my belt before I head out to the course this weekend.
To be continued……
After all of the drooling over how good this set up looks, now for the fun part. I finally got to test this thing out. Just a little bit about myself first, I am a 16-19 handicap depending on the time of year, 6 feet tall, and “healthy”. I play golf casually a few times per month and hit the range and chipping green a few times a week. My driver swing speed is in the 93/94 mph range with what I would consider a deliberate tempo. I tend to hit the ball with a mid trajectory that is mostly straight with a slight fade and my major mishit is a slice, but it usually isn’t so bad that it puts me out of play. For all of my testing I will be using a combination of launch monitor, on the course play and range time.
Today I was able to stop by our local Big Box store on my way home and hit a few balls. The guys there were generous enough to let me sneak into the hitting bay and turn on the launch monitor. Before I get into the numbers I want to give you a few of my initial thoughts about the shaft.
First off I will say again this shaft looks really nice at address. Probably my favorite shaft in the bag just going by looks. The guys at the store were really complimenting how nice the graphics looked and how smooth the club felt overall. I started out by hitting some balls without any info just to warm up and get loose. The first thing I noticed is that the shaft loads up nicely for me and I can really feel the head through the swing which keeps my tempo in check. The shaft gives good feedback at impact and I was able to tell immediately how I was striking the ball. I hit a few shots thin and a few shots fat and I felt like the shaft soaked those up well and saved my hands and fingers. “I was hitting all of the shots off the deck”
After the warm up was over and I felt loose, I let it fly. I will throw out the disclaimer that I was NOT hitting the ball very well at all today. I was striking everything towards the heel for some reason. Not a shank shot, but not in the middle either. Due to this, I am going to go back another day. The guy running the monitor said my numbers were good, but I know I can do better. So here are some of the numbers from 25 shots that we picked out. We threw out a few shots that were extremely bad "fat/thin" and three that were really good…. "unusually good…”more on that later.
Club Head Speed = 87.8 MPH
Ball Speed = 114.7 MPH
Smash Factor = 1.31
Launch Angle = 15.2 deg
Total Spin = 4376 rpm
Total Carry = 174.8 yds
Total Distance = 190.2 yds
As I was saying, I was not striking the ball very well on any of these shots, so some were thrown out to try and show an accurate average based on how I was swinging today. Despite being a little on the heel side today, all of the shots had a fairly consistent distance and a very tight dispersion. I forgot to record the dispersion yardage, but I can tell you that it was very tight for a hack like me. I would attribute this to the shaft being very stable. The entire time I was hitting balls I felt like I was in complete control of the club face. Not completely satisfied with my performance in the hitting bay at the store, I decided to come home and launch a few balls into wild blue yonder out back. Also being somewhat of a launch monitor skeptic and reading some fellow THP’er reviews about a very high trajectory I was dying to actually lay my eyes on the ball flight. I found a good place in the yard where I can see about 2/3 of the balls flight and hit 5 balls. All of these shots were struck relatively close to the middle of the face, so I felt a lot better about them. The shots in the yard confirmed what I was seeing on the launch monitor. The trajectory of each shot was slightly higher than mid and all of them went very straight with a few having my signature fade at the end. Once again the shaft gave great feedback on the shots that were struck well.
Sorry for getting long winded here, I am just excited to share this with everyone. The last thing that I want to mention is the three very good shots that I hit on the launch monitor. The average of the three was right at 230 yards with a club head speed a tick over 90. These were honestly the most amazing three shots that I have ever hit. I have never hit a hybrid this distance before; we are getting into my 3 wood range here. This is the main reason that I removed these shots from the average, because they were very different and I wasn’t 100 percent sure if I could trust the numbers.
Now I have no idea what hybrid numbers should look like on the launch monitor other than I assume my smash factor should be higher. I would like to have some input from you guys about that. I plan to go the range Friday to get some more testing under my belt before I head out to the course this weekend.
To be continued……
DB86
Active member
No range or course time for me this weekend. Perfect weather for ducks though.
Played the 1st 18 with this thing today. Initial quick hit before happy hour... REALLY impressed! Off the tee, wonderful. Off the deck, wonderful. Feel is smooth as a clean shave! More details later, but for now color me very impressed!
Played 18 on Thursday with this club. Had both my previous hybrid and Matrix in the bag (ignoring the 14 club rule lol) and used both each a few times. Again, definitely noticing a higher ball flight than the former. Really liking that aspect. Never had a chance to hit off the deck though which is the more important reason to having the higher ball flight. Looking to find more opportunities to hit this in regulation play off the turf into a few greens.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Ok, so a little more on the first outing with this. I have it paired with an Adams Tight Lies 19* head and it feels head heavier than my former hybrid (something I like). The weight promotes a nice smooth tempo and I never feel like I have to swing out of my shoes to get it a long way. In hand, the shaft feels light but really stable. At no point in my round did I lose confidence (or any balls off line). I did have one low draw but that was a function of my swing and funky lie. Off the tee, this this really shined! I was able to hit it just behind where my drives would be and consistently where I wanted to drop it. Confidence inspiring is what immediately comes to mind when thinking back on the round.
Other have commented on the flight; I felt it was slightly higher than what I would expect from my 3h, but the ball never ballooned into the wind on any shots. This will be my go-to club on shorter par 4's off the tee.
Other have commented on the flight; I felt it was slightly higher than what I would expect from my 3h, but the ball never ballooned into the wind on any shots. This will be my go-to club on shorter par 4's off the tee.
OITW
Well-known member
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I know this is a long term test/review process, but I feel like I am a little behind, so I promise to provide some good content. Let’s get this thing going…
Anyone that plays golf or has been around the game has probably heard of Matrix Shafts. Matrix has been in business for almost 25 years and has gained a reputation for their quality and craftsmanship. With many companies like Taylormade, Titleist and Callaway using Matrix shafts in their clubs, it’s no secret that Matrix is a major player in the golf shaft market.
I’m sure it doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone how excited I was when I found out that I had been selected to test and review the new Matrix Ozik Altus Tour H8 hybrid shaft. According to Matrix, this shaft is often “the most used individual hybrid shaft on the PGA Tour, thanks to its highly efficient and stable mid launch design”. Now I don’t know about you, but my golf game could sure use some more stability.
The first thing I noticed about the shaft when I took it out of the box was how visually pleasing the graphics are. The mixture of red, white and silver overlaid on the matte black shaft immediately catches your eye, but not in a way that reminds you of Rickie Fowler on a Sunday evening. The design offers a nice clean and classic look with just enough pop to keep it interesting. Once I got past the graphics and worked my way over the Altus Tour H8 from one end to the other, I could really tell how well made the shaft is. Everything about the shaft feels very smooth and balanced with hints of detail everywhere. One other small detail that I really like about the shaft was the tag near the butt end of the shaft showing the CPM of the individual shaft. "Which I forgot to take a picture of"
I will be testing the Altus Tour H8 shaft in regular flex paired with a 19 degree, 2016 Taylormade M2 Rescue Hybrid. I purchased this M2 just for the new shaft testing and only hit a few balls with it prior to removing the old shaft. The club is made up of the M2 head (234 grams), the Altus Shaft (80 grams trimmed) and a Golf Pride MCC Plus 4 standard size grip (52 grams). The assembled club weighs in at 378 grams with a swing weight of D3. If I must say so myself, this combo looks amazing together.
Now that everything is assembled and dried, my initial thought is that the shaft feels very smooth and balanced. On full practice swings I am able to feel the club head just enough to know where it is, but not so much that I am overthinking it. I plan to hit up the range later this week when it quits raining, so I will add to my review as soon as I send a few balls down the range. I am very anxious to see what my ball flight is with this club compared to some of the other testers so far. Please feel free to let me know if there is anything in particular that you want me to focus on.
You've had two fantastic write-ups dude, excited for more of your reviews.
What I want to know is how are these at holding a green from 200+ yards out? Lot of good tee talk but when you're trying to get on in two on a Par 5
I need to know if this is the club you're Pulling
I had 2 of these shots today, if the green wasn't so sloped I would have held the first (ended right on the fringe from 214 out. Second one was high and landed so soft, had very little roll and was 35ft short from 215 out.
This is absolutely the club I'm pulling!
From what I've seen, from 235, I feel like my hybrid would drop the ball out of the any like a B-17. Seems like the ball goes up and drops straight down. I haven't tried to hold a green with it yet, I'm rarely 235 out. But I'm interested to see what happens.
For the record, 235 is shorter than my 3 hybo last year.
Im working on getting mine done. I just havnt had the chance to get to drop it off. Out here in mayberry we don't have a whole lot of options
DB86
Active member
Thanks I appreciate it. As soon as it stops raining and dries out I will be going to the course. I have a few holes that line up perfectly for the club/shot at my Home course. I will do my best to give plenty of detail for you.
Got out for another 18 yesterday and my swing was NOT there. So it was good to see this thing perform when my game was off. My tempo was a bit quick and I was losing it to the right (fade), but not off the planet as I would have with my previous hybrid. These stayed within a reasonable margin of error and didn't put me out of play. I found that swinging this got my tempo a bit back into rhythm (probably due to the weight) and produced some nice shots. Thinking on this a bit more, I'm curious to see what his shaft would feel like if I had the club built to a different swing weight, would it have the same smooth profile and desired ball flight or would it be a completely different monster?
As a traditionally low ball flight guy, this (even at 19*) is producing a nice gradual climbing trajectory and then dropping off with just a little bit of roll out in most instances. I played a course yesterday with really hard and fast greens (turtle shell and were cut and rolled that am) and was still able to hold the 2 that I went for with this club. I would say after a couple rounds that the word that best describes this at the moment is "predictable" and that's not a bad thing in my book!
Should have a range session tomorrow or Thursday and there's a possibility of getting another round in before heading home. Let me know if there are any questions or things to look out for...
As a traditionally low ball flight guy, this (even at 19*) is producing a nice gradual climbing trajectory and then dropping off with just a little bit of roll out in most instances. I played a course yesterday with really hard and fast greens (turtle shell and were cut and rolled that am) and was still able to hold the 2 that I went for with this club. I would say after a couple rounds that the word that best describes this at the moment is "predictable" and that's not a bad thing in my book!
Should have a range session tomorrow or Thursday and there's a possibility of getting another round in before heading home. Let me know if there are any questions or things to look out for...
DB86
Active member
Do you know what the swing weight is. Just curious.
This is definitely a club I want to pull more often on par-5's. Haven't had the chance to though since I've put it in my bag solely based on yardage and where my ball has ended up. But THATS exactly what I'm looking to improve on with this new shaft compared to my old. Getting a higher ball flight is crucial.
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I'm apparently "that guy". I do not love this shaft right now.
I played 9 today. Managed to lay way up on a par 5 and a long par 3. Course was empty so I played 4 balls into each green. I managed to hit and hold 1 green. Good news, I can make the ball go left and right. Sometimes without trying.
I played 9 today. Managed to lay way up on a par 5 and a long par 3. Course was empty so I played 4 balls into each green. I managed to hit and hold 1 green. Good news, I can make the ball go left and right. Sometimes without trying.
League night tonight. Hit the hybrid a few times. I am seeing so much more action on my ball than I did last year. A draw really turns over. A fade really stays up and spins. It's a crazy thing. I can understand why tour guys love this shaft. Really feels like a more gooder player could make the ball do some things.
Quick update; I've pulled my 5w from my bag and now go Driver, this, 22* Ben Hogan Ft Worth Hi iron and 4i. This will make sure I use it for everything over 210yds. Hope to get a range session in tomorrow morning before I leave the country club I've been staying at, otherwise I won't be able to hit it again until next week.
DB86
Active member
Quick update here: played 18 this evening and had the opportunity to hit the hybrid a few times. I teed off with it on hole one just for fun. The shot was very straight but was very high. I would guess this was more due to me than the club. I had no warm up just went out and played. The second time I hit this club was on a long par 5 that I had no chance of making the green in two, I just wanted to give the club a workout. Hit a nice draw on this shot and came up really close to where I was aiming. On this shot the trajectory was my normal mid flight. The third time I hit the club was on a reachable par 5. I should have pulled the 3W for this shot, but I figured what the heck and went with the 3H. I came up slightly short of the green, but based on the flight and everything else I'm sure it would have held the green.
I was hoping to give the club more of a workout today, but the course was holding a tournament and most all of the tees were in odd locations causing the holes to play different,
so I wasn't able to use it as much as I would have liked. More to come.
I was hoping to give the club more of a workout today, but the course was holding a tournament and most all of the tees were in odd locations causing the holes to play different,
so I wasn't able to use it as much as I would have liked. More to come.
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Really enjoying these updates guys.
This will be getting a 72 hole workout this weekend with some THP'ers in Buffalo! I'm going to encourage some of the guys to hit it on the range for some additional thoughts. Should have some good content on this shaft by Monday, so stay tuned!
I hit my hybrid, and thus this shaft, 4 times in league tonight. 4 drastically different shot shapes. None of those shapes were intentional.
I can see why slower and smoother swinger like this shaft. It's reactive and definitely easy to load. I can't say I'm in love or confident yet with this combination.
I'm not saying the shaft is making the ball flights. I'm just not feeling this shaft yet.
I can see why slower and smoother swinger like this shaft. It's reactive and definitely easy to load. I can't say I'm in love or confident yet with this combination.
I'm not saying the shaft is making the ball flights. I'm just not feeling this shaft yet.
re: "slower and smoother" - are you used to playing wth a different flex that what you are testing?