Maruman Shuttle i4000x Fairway Wood Review

One of the things I’ve come to enjoy as a THP staff writer is the opportunity to try out equipment from companies that aren’t quite as well known to me as the major OEM’s. Some of you may already know this, but there is a whole world of quality golf equipment out there that many of us haven’t been exposed to. Maruman, a company with a rich history in Japan, is a manufacturer that I’d never heard of before they sent their Shuttle fairway wood to THP for a review. I’ve spent considerable time testing this golf club and learning as much as possible about the technology behind it. Today, I’m going to do things a bit differently than I normally would. First, I’d like to share some info on Maruman and the Shuttle i4000x fairway wood. After that, I have a video review that I’d love for you to check out.

A Little Info on Maruman
• Established in 1971, Maruman Golf is one of the world’s premium golf equipment manufacturers.
• From the beginning, Maruman has been dedicated to pioneering innovative, cutting edge Golf Equipment technology and has achieved a worldwide reputation for making superior quality products that exceed golfers’ needs and delight their senses.
• Maruman products have, in fact, been out in front of its competition in terms of technological innovation from the very beginning and Maruman continues that tradition to this day.
• Among the key golf equipment innovations produced by Maruman over the years is the introduction of the first metal wood and the first high COR drivers in the golf industry.
• Maruman also was the first company to incorporate Nano Technology into golf equipment.
• Out on Tour, Maruman golf clubs have earned over 100 PGA Tour victories world wide, including three Major Championships in the thirty-five year history of this world renowned company.

Technical Features of the Shuttle i4000x
• MOI, beyond 4000g/cm2, providing greater distance with more stability. Increased sweet spot with maximum forgiveness for off-center hits.
• Increased head volume of 230cc. With precise and strategic placement of power ribs (top-sole) within the head, to further aid in increased structural strength for absorbing impact shock, and providing a well-tune sound at impact. By shifting the center-of-gravity deep within the cavity and increasing the sweet spot, a higher trajectory, combined with lower spin rate, results in longer carry and overall distance.
• Introduction of Super Maraging Steel. Super Maraging Steel on the face of W3 and W5 for a longer distance. The Toughest Maraging 771 on the face, and Tungsten weight in the sole for W7 through W13, provides a higher trajectory for landing softly on the green. The partial, thinner face- structure provides a faster ball-speed to maximize distance (and forgiveness). Redistribution of the trimmed weight to the body allows for a larger head size.

Looks, thoughts, and explanations
Now that you’ve had a chance to read a bit about Maruman and the features of the Shuttle, let’s talk a about it without all the technical jargon. First off, the head of this club is absolutely huge looking. Part of that is because the face is very shallow, which means the head is wider and flatter, and part of that is because it actually is huge. 230cc is about 20 percent larger than the original ‘large’ drivers we saw years ago. The large, shallow face is designed to provide forgiveness and high launch. Another thing that I felt the size of the head did was give me some much needed confidence. There was something about the shallow face and expanded head that made me feel like I had a great chance at hitting the Shuttle well. There are some attractive graphics on the top of the club head, while the sole has a pretty simple design to it. The face itself is black, which adds to the stealthy look of the club. One bonus of the dark face is that I was able to easily get some visual feedback as to where I was striking the ball.

The shaft in the i4000x is proprietary to Maruman and is designed to launch the ball high. It is simply designed and doesn’t have much flair to it. Interestingly, it weighs in at 50 grams, but I never would have known that if I hadn’t read it. The swing-weight and balance of the Shuttle felt completely comfortable to me. Lastly, we all know that a THP review wouldn’t be complete without a head cover discussion. I’m happy to say that Maruman has included a very attractive and functional head cover with the Shuttle fairway.

Lastly, I wanted to touch quickly on one of the features of the Shuttle fairway that Maruman advertises: Super Maraging Steel. Maraging steel is basically created in a way that makes it extremely strong and less likely to break, which allows a thin club face that promotes faster ball speeds. It also allows weight to be redistributed to other areas to increase things like forgiveness or to alter launch conditions. It’s just another piece of technology that Maruman has added to the Shuttle to make it longer and more forgiving.

Performance
Normally, I’d write down my thoughts here, but I decided to exercise my voice instead. Here are my thoughts on how the Maruman Shuttle i4000x performed for me.

Conclusion
As you can see, I was a big fan of this golf club. I found it to have ample forgiveness, a design that made me feel like I was going to hit it well, considerable distance, and a very attractive ball flight. As I mentioned, I’ve seen other players hit it much higher than I did, so keep that in mind if you decide to pick one up. These are not exactly easy to find and they do carry a pretty hefty price tag. The Shuttle i4000x obviously isn’t for everybody, but I suspect that the folks who do pick one up will be pleased that they did so. For more information on Maruman and their products, please check out their website. As always, I appreciate you taking a moment to read this today and best of luck out on the course this year.

Ryan H.

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Ryan Hawk
Editor and writer Ryan Hawk lives in northwestern Illinois with his fiance and son. He's been a writer for The Hackers Paradise for two years and has been involved with a number of THP events.
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