If there is one thing that Robin Arthur, founder of Xcaliber Shafts, has never been afraid of, it is being different. In fact, I’m not sure we have seen someone so willing to dare to be different in this segment, but that is just my take. One such example of this willingness is the impending release of a new iron shaft design which Xcaliber is calling the “Rapid Taper”.
To be frank, there is nothing like this out there, and I do mean nothing. Nor have we ever seen Robin this excited.
THP was able to get a pre-release sample in to do some work with and see just how the performance stacks up.
Quick Take
No hype, no hyperbole, no fluff…just performance. A 75g iron shaft designed to fit a breadth of swing speeds that held up and then some with a unique feel. The Rapid Taper offers shockingly consistent launch, playable spin, and a jump in ball speed that was eye opening.
The Rapid Taper Design
This one is out there.
Robin Arthur has been working on this one for several years now, a concept that he developed in his mind while thinking about the way a bull-whip works for the build up and release of energy, due in no small part to the shape of the whip and the size transition from handle to tip. The uniqueness of this design really cannot be questioned. While Xcaliber started first with their “RT Spin” release, the real work and focus has been on the iron shafts as well as a wood design. To give more credence to the unique factor at play here, Robin Arthur was just granted his patent for the design.
The Rapid Taper is a build that according to Xcaliber has 2.9° torque, a 75g weight, and is playable up to 125 MPH swing speeds. Also, within this is that they are marketing them to be an option for all different swing tempo styles and a mid-high launching design. Another point to mention, THP was able to get our hands on this one early, as such, the shaft I tested is absent the final graphics and ion finish which based on teasers we have seen, will be as unique as the shape itself.
Unique Package – Unique Performance
Speaking of that unique shape, this is absolutely wild in hand. Even though I had seen the RT Spin wedge shafts in the past, I was still surprised when looking down at this one since the longer length shows off the shape more, I can only imagine how wild the wood shafts will look. As for the testing, I chose to install this one in the new Cobra Forged Tec 4-Utility which plays at 22.5° loft. The reason for this was two-fold, seeing as I had only one shaft to work with for me it made the most sense to test the claims of launch and speed in a longer club that I typically find harder to elevate, it also allowed me to use an adapter for easy install.
Right into the meat and potatoes, I did my testing on the Foresight GC2 and that data will be included in this article. To understand what is going on there I want to first touch on the claims from Xcaliber. According to the company their internal testing of swing speeds ranging from 97 to 125 MPH yielded ball speed increases from 2.5 to 5 MPH, every single person tested saw an increase. Not to mention, increased launch with the mid-high profile while not sacrificing spin numbers.
Well, as it turns out, in my testing I fall in line with pretty much all of that. In order to try to ensure a fair comparison to the stock setup of the Forged Tec 4U, I recorded two sessions, one hitting the stock setup first, and the other flipping the order. The reason here was simple, I wanted it clear in my head that warm-up/fatigue was not a contributing factor. In the first go-round I saw a 5.5 MPH average ball speed increase, the second time was a 4.2 MPH increase. Add into these, that despite different days yielding different swings as is usually the case for us mere mortals, the speed, spin, launch, peak, and descent angles were all an improvement from the stock graphite offering.
Now, to address a couple of things, yes, there was a 10g difference in shaft weight from the stock graphite offering, and that can account for some speed differences, but in my opinion not as much of a jump as was seen. While I know most will look at the speed and be as blown away by that as I was, the fact that I saw extreme playability out of a low lofted iron consistently was what stood out most to me. Not only in terms of launch and peak, but the fact that the spin and descent angles afforded me the ability to hit it into greens during testing as opposed to keeping it a tee dominant option.
Here is the reality, there is a lot of performance intrigue here for me, and while I wish we had the opportunity to work with a full set of shafts as opposed to just one club, the return of information is pretty clear to me. Another thing I want to touch on is the feel and consistency. The bullwhip analogy has a lot of merit here because through the swing I could really feel a release through transition, but I want it clear that this did not, for me, sacrifice dispersion or accuracy. In fact, the repeatability I saw stood out more than maybe even the ball speed.
By now, if you have been around THP a while and kept up with Xcaliber, you know that they march to their own beat. Robin Arthur is downright giddy about this Rapid Taper design and rightfully so, but the issue now becomes balancing the desire to offer a higher tier product lineup while also balancing keeping it accessible to golfers. Price wise, these are an unknown as that will be dealer specific, and being entirely honest this is my biggest concern when it comes to the product. Performance is there, but now there has to be an emphasis on getting it into the hands of people without pricing themselves out before they even get started.
The Details
Availability: Summer/Fall 2020
Price: Dealer Set
Flex: L, A, R, S
Weight: 75g
How efficient these shaft are at transferring energy has been something I have noticed since day one. Unlike many other shaft and head combinations I have seen great results with an easy swing. It’s not to say that they cannot be swung with force or really gone after. But an easy swing is just very efficient.
As for knowing where I am striking the ball on the face of the club. To me that is a very vital part of any club head/shaft combination. The picture below is the latest snap shot of ball contact with an RTi 95/ Hogan PTx Pro head. It speaks volumes about having shaft length and lie dialed in just right. View attachment 9016178
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The driver shaft program is being revisited now. There are some prototypes out in play that people love. But it didn’t work for everyone. So the drivers are being reworked.
If I tried to take back one of the prototypes from a local player I would have a serious fight on my hands.
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Well thats a loaded question. A lot of my golf swing is based on feel. Specifically how the ball feels on contact. I like that marshmallow, I just crushed it feel. Just one look at that photo tells me how well the ball was struck. Part of that equation is getting the swing weight right. Length of club, lie angle, club path, am i keeping enough lag… it all adds up to how well I’m swinging.
That photo shows how well that ball has been compressed. It lets me know that I’ve got everything just right for how I play.
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Usually once some one discovers Xcaliber they become customers for a long time. Value and performance just speak for themselves.
The Rapid Tapers will be going to National fitting centers very soon so a lot more people will discover them.
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The cheaper shaft clamps that are simply rubber are not small enough to grip the shaft if that’s what he is talking about…. beside that the butt end is just the same as any shaft made today.
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Also a major You Tune channel has the Rapid Tapers on the way for testing and review.
Lots of things happening fast. Callaway coming onboard was huge. Set a bunch of stuff in motion.
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95 and 105 still intrigue me. What demos do you have available currently, anything in 85/95 regular flex? I’d like to get my dad to try them.
I get home Wed and a pile of demos will be returned. I’m sure I have what ever you need.
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Cool. I’ll hit my dad up and make sure he is willing to give them a try soon.
McGolf did a review of the Rapid Tapers.
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On a par 3, I hit two balls. One with a PTM 7i with an Avalon i9 shaft and one with a Hogan PTX Pro 7i with a Rapid Taper 95. The Hogan is 2° weaker. With virtually the same swing between the two the Hogan actually went a foot further and spun back the exact same distance. The mechanical advantage of the geometry with the Rapid Tapers is real. They work. The feeling of release through the vallnis addictive and keep my fade biased swing at bay.
I cant wait for the TXG review as early word is they are having a blast with the shafts. View attachment 9021714View attachment 9021715
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I cant tell you how many big players have asked for a 105g version.
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Would be great to see the option for shorter irons
Sorry I missed this.
Yes I have 3 shafts made up in iron heads. I’ve collected data and aside from a higher force to swing the club the number were near identical.
Super smooth feel through the ball, stable and lots of control. I personally will game some in my short irons and morph into the 95, 85s as I go.
10 more samples of the prototype 105 shafts are in the way to spread out for testing.
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He made up some Kirkland wedges with the Spin Wedge shafts and absolutely loves them.
Mike is the club builder/engineer at TXG. So his endorsement and making up a set of Rapid Tapers for his gamers is huge. He has access to any shaft available.
TXG at some point will do a video review of the Rapid Tapers. Can’t wait for that.
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What is the weight of the spin wedge shafts?
The Spin Wedge has two weights. One is 85g in regular. 100g is stiff. Since they are fairly short all ready when trimmed they retain a lot of weight.
A 115g version will be added to compliment the new 105g RTi model.
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Great info as always. ? A 115g sounds like it would be fun to test.
Hit them in every opportunity I had.
Laser straight is what comes to mind. The spin I was getting stopped the ball dead every time. To the point of it being just inches from the ball marks. This was on Frost delay greens that were pretty hard. Truly impressive.
I only hit one bad shot out of over 20. Feel was excellent even in the cold. The playing group gave quite a few.. wow.. nice shot… or… thats gonna hit the flag.
Nearly had a hole in one with the 7 iron too.
On a day where I really struggled with my Hogan PTx Pros the Maltby TS-1s were amazing. It’s shocking how much better the forgiveness/playability is when head to head.
In the first picture you see the size difference of the two six irons. Proof POS I need to forget the tiny heads.
Also side by side is a 95g and the 105g. Notice how the taper is further down on the 105g. That is where the added weight comes from. Really can’t wait to build out a whole set. I’ll probably go 95g 4 and 5 iron. View attachment 9042512View attachment 9042513View attachment 9042514
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I would say you need to be in the 100 mph Swing Speed at a minimum. With a good strong full swing you are really rewarded with that load and release unique feeling.
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That is what I thought. I top out at about 95 in my rapidly advancing years…
You might struggle too much with those S flex shafts.
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BLACKFRIDAY15
One time use coupon. Will go until Tuesday I believe.
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Long story short they were amazing for my short game. The distance control was instinctual. Effortless to dial in a distance and let it go. Stability rivaled anything I have ever swung.
I tried a 105g in a hybrid and it was WAY too heavy for me. Had to try. For hybrids I’ll stay with the 85g or 75g shafts.
As for where I would play them in my setup… I would definitely not go higher than a 6 iron and with that said I’ll probably stop at a 7.
I have 95g shafts in 4-6 TS-2 heads and they are the best long irons I’ve hit. Love em.
Speaking of that 4 iron…. the last photo is what my buddy the Pro was doing with it. 250+. He added that he wished his own set felt that good. View attachment 9052421View attachment 9052422View attachment 9052427
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Those have the 95g shafts at standard S flex. The range session went very well. Very happy with the launch of the ball. Baby fade and repeatable. Spin numbers were great as well.
I concentrate on the carry numbers and not over all. Not too shabby though.
These snap shots are of the 6 and 4. As you can see the numbers are very close. View attachment 9052647View attachment 9052648View attachment 9052649View attachment 9052650View attachment 9052651
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@Popeye first off – appreciate you continuing to consistently provide feedback on these shafts! I’ve been a bit out of the loop for the past few months so it’s glad to still see updates to this thread. I’ve still got a couple 95 gram RT shafts installed (6 iron and 19* hybrid) that I haven’t used in a while. I felt the 6-iron was a bit too light for me, so the 105 gram shafts definitely seem like they’d be a better overall weight.
Also, I may have missed this, but is the all-black color scheme a proto thing? Or will that be the standard color for the 105 models? That was probably my only actual complaint on the 95s was the red graphic on the taper section of the shaft.
Looking to ditch the red stripes. Actually looking at a complete change. The black is just a sample. Though I have a silver, matte black and a gold.
I like the gold and black. I’m losing the war on no rings. So some sort of rings need to hilight the taper. View attachment 9052689View attachment 9052690View attachment 9052691
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Then again if the performance is there, then it can still do well (Autoflex).
The gold color is quite unique. Not sure I’ve seen something like that outside of maybe UST ProForce shafts, but I feel like that’s a slightly different color.
I’m partial to the all black look, with graphics on the underside of the shaft, if consumer feedback matters at all
I had a set of 95g shafts made in all black without rings and minimal graphics. If it was me I would include the decals to be installed… or not… by the consumer. Make the shafts all Matte Black and run with it. The performance of the shafts speak for themselves with out any rings.
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Right there with you on the matte black + stickers for decals. Always liked how KBS does the stickers instead of printed graphics.
When I did find some Grass to actually play from I loved how the 105 shafted clubs felt. Great feel through the ball and a very straight flight. As the round went on I had to really make sure I struck down into the ball first. The clubs continued to respond well.
Where these really shined, repeating what is saw in the simulator, is in 1/2 or 3/4 shots. Two hop and stop performance with great feel and feedback. Distance control was spot on. Leaving short putts all day long…. BUT I DIDNT SINK A THING TODAY…. Irons were great, putting was atrocious!!!
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I’m obviously biased as I’ve been hitting and testing these since their inception.
The new 105 version is going to open people’s eyes. It’s everything that the 95s are to another level.
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Discount code FEBTHP.
$13 off on all shafts, minimum quantity of 7. Can order multiple weights.
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TCB’s or T100S?
Does anyone know if there’s a dealer in the northeast where you can demo them? I’ve spent time with other graphite shafts this winter and think this one might have more of the feel I’ve been looking for…
T100s would look sick! [emoji106]
Leaning that way hard, with some FUN ferrules
Yeah … some cool looking ferrules to make it Pop
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