Most golfers aren’t tuned in to shaft news on a daily basis, and I have to admit that most of the press releases I get pertaining to golf shafts have a tendency to go in one ear and out the other, but when a top-ranked golfer wins with a new shaft nobody’s heard of, people start noticing. What I’m trying to say is, TPT Golf is starting to get noticed in a big way.
This small Swiss company that started out specializing in composites used in yacht racing, Formula One and satellites recently made quite a splash when Justin Rose, the number six ranked golfer in the world, won 3 times in 10 events with 10 top ten finishes to close out 2017 season playing the TPT 15LKP-LT-LW shaft in his driver. The buzz continued into early 2018 with the official launch of TPT Golf at the PGA Merchandise Show, and just this past weekend Jason Day used TPT Golf shafts in his driver and fairway woods to capture the Farmer’s Insurance Open at Torrey Pines near San Diego, California.
What Makes TPT Golf Shafts Special?
Nearly every golf shaft on the market today is made using a process called roll wrapping. This entails rolling multiple “flags” of material around a steel mandrel. The layers overlap each other creating a seam and a spine in the shaft. This spine must then be aligned by the club maker to achieve the best playability. On the course, this can lead to inconsistent twist and torque which means bigger shot dispersions and poor feel.
By contrast, TPT Golf shafts are manufactured using their proprietary Thin Ply Technology, lightweight prepreg plies, and a patented technology known as the “Thin Ply Winding” method. The result of these processes, according to the company, is a perfectly concentric and near-homogeneous shaft. What this means for the golfer is a more consistent shaft that delivers tighter shot dispersion and more consistency from swing to swing.
What’s The Catch?
Touring Pros like to hear words like “tighter dispersion” and “consistency” when looking for a new driver shaft. Despite many of them being multi-millionaires, professional golfers at the highest levels don’t pay for their equipment, so money is no object when it comes to performance. Unfortunately for amateur golfers, most of us have to pay for our stuff, and that’s the catch. When it comes to the premium golf shafts offered by TPT Golf, there is good news and bad news. The good news: TPT Golf shafts used to be sold for $699, but they’ve lowered the price! The bad news: TPT Golf shafts are still priced beyond the reach of most golfers at $499 each.
Indeed, a $500 price point for a single shaft is way beyond what most golfers are willing (or able) to spend, but for those whose budget allows it, they are almost always going to go through a high-end fitting for the shaft. Anyone that is ready to spend $500 on a shaft will be visiting an advanced fitting studio like True Spec Golf to get the most out of that shaft.
Does TPT Golf Deliver?
I’ve only just begun testing the TPT 15LKP-LT-LW shaft in my Ping G400 LST Driver. I have it going up against the Ping Tour 75x shaft that came with the club and another brand’s new driver shaft that we’ll be reviewing later. I’m using the very cool new FlightScope MEVO launch monitor to gather data from the shots I hit, as well as playing several rounds with each shaft to see the real world results because the reality is that we swing differently on the course than we do on the driving range where nothing is at stake.
With the limited data I’ve gathered thus far, I’m seeing an increase in ball speeds with the TPT shaft, but I won’t know for sure what the difference is until I complete my testing. I’ll update this post as soon as that is complete, and we’ll see what the TPT 15LKP-LT-LW shaft can do.
The Specs
TPT Golf’s shafts come sin various weights and kick points, designed to fit the majority of golfers depending on your swing speed and desired ball flight and spin. This is why we make such a big deal out of custom fitting, because investing $500 on a shaft makes no sense if you are guessing at what shaft may be best for your swing. After a session on the Trackman with a good fitting professional, you may be surprised to find out that the shaft you thought you should use turns out to be something completely different…
| Model | Swing Speed Range (mph.) | Kickpoint | Torque | Torque (deg) | Flex (cpmc) | Weight (gm) | Length (inch) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 LKP/MT/SW | 105 – 120 | Low | Mid | 3.7 | 266 | 73 | 46″ |
| 15 MKP/MT/SW | 105 -120 | Mid | Mid | 3.3 | 268 | 73 | 46″ |
| 16 LKP/MT/SW | 90 – 105 | Low | Mid | 4.1 | 254 | 68 | 46″ |
| 16 MKP/MT/SW | 90 – 105 | Mid | Mid | 3.8 | 254 | 68 | 46″ |
| 17 LKP/MT/SW | 80 – 90 | Low | Mid | 5.5 | 248 | 62 | 46″ |
| 17 MKP/MT/SW | 80 – 90 | Mid | Mid | 4.8 | 244 | 63 | 46″ |
| 18 LKP/MT/SW | 70 – 80 | Low | Mid | 6.7 | 230 | 53 | 46″ |
| 18 MKP/MT/SW | 70 – 80 | Mid | Mid | 5.8 | 230 | 56 | 46″ |
| 19 LKP/MT/SW | 60 – 70 | Low | Mid | 7.5 | 217 | 52 | 46″ |
| 19 MKP/MT/SW | 60 – 70 | Mid | Mid | 6.4 | 217 | 50 | 46″ |
