Golf club technology has come a long way in recent years. Club fitting and proper shaft fitting are as crucial or more crucial then choosing the right club head to put them in. But when it comes to shaft technology many of us are left in the dark. Torque, kick point, flexes, and so many other technical specs make it hard for many golfers to figure it out. The other side of darkness for golfers when choosing a shaft is price point. Many of us have a hard time buying a new club only to realize that we will have to add XX amount of dollars if we want a shaft that fits our game. Well Graphite Design may have solved all of our problems with the launch of their newest shaft line. THE AURA!
Graphite Design has long been known by golfers on both the professional and amateur levels. They have made some of the best shafts on the market and when we were asked by our readers to reach out to them and find out what is new, we were happy to oblige. The first thing I want to say is that Graphite Design has some of the best customer service I have ever worked with. From a local representative all the way up the ladder, everybody is courteous and eager to explain and talk about their products. It displays a passion for their gear that is so rare with some of the larger companies. When we spoke with them they gave us a bunch of info about the new line of shafts they were launching called “Aura”.
This line of shafts was something we were eager to try out and after waiting less than 3-4 days, a box arrived and we had Graphite Design in our offices. The entire line of Aura was sent and we looked forward to trying out all four versions or colors of them. We took some of our sample driver heads and went to work and had an Aura shaft in each driver.
Aura shafts feature red for the long hitter who uses the professional tees; gold for the better player who tees off on the championship tees; blue for the shot maker hitting off the men’s tees, and green for golfers hitting off the women tees. Swing speeds for each flex are displayed on the shaft. By color coding them this way, it can take the guess work and fear out of newer players to find the right shaft for them. Like I mentioned previously, many amateurs out there stay away from shaft technology solely based on confusion. This line is so nice when it comes to that because it can act as some education as well.
The red shaft represents power and energy. The shaft has been designed for the highest swing speeds, 100 MPH and above. The low torque and stiff tip are attributes designed to optimize launch angle and spin rates to ensure the ideal descent angle to maximize roll and total distance. This shaft was taken for a trial run by two local players that both hit the ball a long way. We did not discuss anything about the shafts before they starting hitting and afterward when we discussed the shaft and price point (more on that later) they were absolutely astonished. The feedback from them was that the shaft held up to their 105-115 swing speeds and gave a nice penetrating ball flight which is what they were after.
The gold shaft is for the accomplished player and represents strength and concentration. The championship tees are ideal for this player profile. The AURA gold is a stiff tip shaft designed to bring ball trajectory down. If you think you hit the ball too high, gold is for you. I tested this one out with two other golfers and they really enjoyed the low trajectory it gave. Personally, this shaft did not work for me. It has the feel of the Aldilla Voodoo that many like right now, without the price tag though. I like something with a little bit higher launch, but that is a preference. The other two players like to keep the ball low and the roll they got was outstanding.
Blue is the color for balance and consistency. The shaft is designed with an action tip to launch the ball higher. This ensures pure distance and perfect accuracy. This shaft is the ideal design for golfers looking for higher launch conditions and additional spin. Myself and four other golfers were able to test out this shaft. We all loved it. This shaft has some play in the tip and I was able to get the ball a little higher up in the air. I have always said that for balance in shafts, that my UST V2 was as good as it gets. I actually preferred this shaft to the UST for ball flight, and found the shaft overall a little more forgiving for my pushes. All of us raved about this shaft at the end.
Green is the color for truth and harmony. This is a high launch shaft designed for women golfers. The weight and torque are perfect for maximizing performance in larger driver heads. We had two helpful women test this shaft out and one of them really liked it and the other one did not. The golfer that did not like it, felt as though it got the ball in the air a little too fast and she felt like she was losing distance. The female that did like it, felt as though it got up fast and stayed up and she got a good role.
Overall we were so pleased with the Graphite Design shaft offerings that we almost forgot why we liked them so much. There are three reasons that stick out in my head that why THP recommends these shafts to all of our readers.
1. They take the guess work out of it. Any player beginner or advanced can find the right shaft for them.
2. The shafts look great and work even better. I felt as though I had a $200 aftermarket shaft on the driver I was hitting.
3. The price. Are you ready for this? The price on the entire Aura line is $50. That is right, $50!
Anybody that has never tinkered around with club fitting and shaft fitting, needs to take a strong look at these. You can find the driver head that you would like regardless of what shaft it comes with and swap it out for one of these for very little money. We love bargains at THP and I have yet to find anything that has this kind of performance and costs this much less than the competition. You can read all about the Aura Line and everything else that Graphite Design makes at their website.
Till Next Time
Josh B.
