By now we all know that putters are seemingly the wild west of shaft design with everyone trying to get a piece of the growing segment. Well, some are definitely putting more heart and effort into it than others, and one who is arguably putting the most technology into theirs is KINETIXX.
Last year I was able to spend time reviewing their original foray into putter shafts, the TUNED, of which the article can be found here. In terms of pure performance, it stood tall, but the design was almost too outside the box with the butt end of the shaft itself being the round grip and a very hefty overall weight.
Fast forward to now, and KINETIXX has heard the feedback, and are out to prove they can keep all of the top tier performance of their first putter shaft but put it into a more traditionally accepted overall package. Did they succeed? Read on to find out.
Quick Take
The most stable putter shaft on the planet in the opinion of this reviewer. Practically no torque, but with a traditional weight and more acceptable shape as well as the ability to install a putter grip means one of the absolute most connected and precise putter shaft experiences out there. KINETIXX doesn’t do anything halfway.
KINETIXX TUNED – ZERO TRQ
While I don’t want this to turn into a one versus the other type of review, we really do need to dive deeper into the differences of the new TUNED ZERO TRQ compared to the TUNED Red and TUNED Blue options.
First and foremost, the shape is indescribably more traditional. It is still a bit thicker than a traditional steel putter shaft, but installed and in use it catches the eye comfortably, and beyond obviously being graphite, it looks normal. A big part of that is the change from the shaft itself being the grip, which was simply hard for some to overcome, no matter how much sense it made design wise (and it did). Now, any traditional putter grip can be installed onto the shaft.
The grip capability also means that the weight is different, where the TUNED has a 215g uncut weight, the ZERO TRQ version comes in at 118g making for a much more traditional install method. On that topic though, the ZERO TRQ is available in a .370 straight shaft only, and it will only install into inner-hosel designs. One exciting difference for me personally is that this one comes in at 34” raw compared to the TUNED at 33”, which means for golfers like me it’s much easier to hit playing lengths.
Aesthetically, the similarities other than a smaller size are striking, and that is a good thing in my opinion. Again, the trademark KINETIXX filament wound vacuum cured weave is there on the deep black finish and in hand it’s just a very cool look.
On the Greens
What matters most is performance, right? Well before I get into that, I wanted to mention that this shaft was installed into an Odyssey White Hot OG #1 putter for this review, and it was paired with a red Odyssey Winn AVS putter grip that quite frankly made for an absolutely jaw dropping and coordinated aesthetic between the head, shaft, and grip. Install was no different than a traditional putter shaft and the nice thing about the 34” raw length is that I could build it out to my preferred 35.5” with no issues. Worth noting too is that there was no problem installing the shaft logo down for a clean address look.
While I don’t have any crazy SAM Lab data to give you on this one, I can speak on my experiences of having reviewed almost every aftermarket putter shaft out there. Candidly, this is unlike any of those. The TUNED ZERO TRQ shaft actually has only 0.2° of torque, you read that correctly, it has almost no torque. This is something that needs to be shouted because the shaft also keeps a traditional weight, something other putter shaft companies have not been able to do. That torque combined with a super high CPM rating meant for me that it was by far the most stable and connected putter shaft I have ever experienced.
Through the stroke the stability on this one actually stands out where for others it has been something I feel like is mentally noted more than physically. Best of all, in the stroke there is nothing abstract or unfamiliar to it, I knew how unique it was, but it didn’t affect my mentality on the greens, and for me that meant a notably impressive proximity on putts. The other aspect which I felt was improved from the TUNED is that with the TUNED ZERO TRQ not having to rely on the end cap for vibration filtering, its audible and tactile feedback is super traditional and thus, comfortable.
This is a fantastic putter shaft option for those looking to upgrade, although as is the case with all graphite putter shaft options, the designs which they can be installed into are limited to straight shaft and inner-hosel designs. But, seeing as a plumber’s neck is the most popular straight shaft style out there, it won’t be a concern for most. The KINETIXX TUNED ZERO TRQ putter shaft is hitting fitting centers now and will be available very soon.
Are you ready to jump into the upgraded putter shaft world? Plan on giving the new KINETIXX design a go? Be sure to let us know your thoughts either way either on the THP Community or in the comments below!
Always during any putter review my guy! The misses are as important as the solid strikes
No real feedback or feel change.
This is the most stable putter shaft I’ve ever reviewed, and the only one that when someone takes the putter to try draws an “oh wow, what the heck” reaction through the stroke.
This is unlike ANY other putter shaft out there.
It’s everything I could ask for in a putter shaft, and it’s so good it almost makes me want to play a plumbers neck just to be able to game one full time.
hahaha I was reading the article and thinking the exact same thing to myself.
It’s such a curious thing.
Sort of a different avenue here with shafts being the focus on a few of these lately, and I love it.
Have you ever used an aftermarket putter shaft?
Off the top of my head, I don’t think so.
I ponder the Ozik’s back in the day (because they looked awesome) but never went in on them.
Not sure why – I think this is absolutely something that should make sense.
It may or may not, with that said, while the stroke is small, a miss is amplified.
I haven’t either I always think A) they are too expensive or B) they look really weird and its just a putter shaft could it really benefit me that much? That being said I really thought this one was different and it looks awesome in hand.
meanwhile, every other shaft in the bag is grossly overthought hahahaha
We’re strange creatures.
True story
Should be in that same realm, we aren’t for certain just yet but maybe @JB knows more since the time I wrote this one.
This one is a truly unique beast.
Waiting on confirmation, but should have it soon.
Thank you JB!
Lol. I play DGX100, and I get great results with my daughter’s Cleveland Launcher UHX irons with Miyazaki ladies flex. The same goes with her 40 gram Quaranta shaft in her driver, nothing but high bombs right down the middle.
Strange, strange creatures.
Imagine what you could do with Kinetixx shafts..
I think I saw somewhere that 1 degree is the difference between making or missing a putt at 8 feet. So, even a small amount of deflection could result in a big miss at 15 or 20 feet. Putters have always been such a subjective thing with sight, feel, etc. I think people are finally figuring out that technology can help them make more putts, rather than just picking one you like the look of.
Not to mention, putter weights keep getting heavier but the shafts haven’t changed, it’s something that companies are finally seeking to address
Lots of really fun options out there!
My point being, Paderson must be doing similar things to make golf shafts, and craftsmanship involved is fun to watch.
Having seen this in person it is mind blowingly cool.
I’ve worked in aerospace composites for 15 years and this stuff still gets me excited.
Me too. I’ve limited experience with composites, I’m a mechanical engineer by day. That translates into total hobby equipment geek during off hours.
It’s a done deal here as soon as I can find them on sale.
It’s fun, right? Cool concept, doing it a unique way – It’s great.
I couldn’t agree more.
Yup. I’d LOVE to have it in that head shape, but alas…. ?
Upside….that’d be a fun option
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Its going into a Black Seemore for sure.
Enjoy. It’s brilliant. Truly.
I wish more than anything it was possible for them to engineer one for a non inner-hosel putter neck type.
Legitimately the one I enjoyed the most of all the putter shafts over reviewed so far.