Can a putter shaft make a difference in performance?
Breakthrough Golf Technology (BGT) thinks so as they introduce a new putter shaft called the Stability Shaft.
The new shaft is brought to you by legendary golf equipment innovator and BGT founder Barney Adams (of Adams Golf fame) and former Yes! Golf Product Development Manager Blair Phillip.
Adams and Phillip met in 2011 when Adams Golf acquired YES! putters. Phillip’s research had uncovered a basic flaw in steel shafts. Over the years, putter head designs have become increasingly heavier. Traditional steel putter shafts have remained unchanged resulting in shafts that are not strong enough to keep these heavier putter heads from oscillating, twisting and turning during the stroke. Because of this “wobble” effect, the head doesn’t return to the ball in a perfectly square position and the ability to achieve a consistent roll. Ultimately, Adams and Phillip came up with a shaft that fixed the oscillation problem and requires no adjustment by the player.
There are four parts of the Stability Shaft that work together to improve putting performance. BGT calls this “Advanced Materials Integration”: 1) stainless-steel tips have consistent wall thicknesses for increased strength and are coated with a smoke PVD finish to add protection from corrosion and rusting; 2) a 7075-aluminum connector that helps to stiffen and reinforce. This design allows attachment to nearly any putter tip diameter; 3) Eight layers of high modulus carbon fiber layered, wrapped and widened, with a no-taper design to reduce torque; 4) a lightweight 22g aluminum insert was developed and precisely located to reinforce flexural rigidity – this part was designed using “Finite Element Analysis”, a scientific method for predicting how a part reacts to real-world forces, vibration, and other physical effects. The Stability Shaft is designed to work on all modern putters with various tip sizes and straight and double bend designs.
Observations
At first glance, the Stability Shaft reminded us of the UST Frequency Filtered Putter Shaft that was designed in 2005 with the assistance of Balance Certified Golf, the pioneers in counter balance shaft weighting technology. The UST shaft is focused on improved feel through filtering out unwanted vibrations. The Stability Shaft is slightly heavier, stiffer, and has a lower torque leading to a more stable putter head at impact resulting in more consistent rolls. We recently added the Stability Shaft to one of our favorite putters and took it to the practice green and course. We saw an immediate improvement in consistency without having to adjust our putting stroke. Clearly the low torque and weight offered in this shaft reduces the ability of the putter head to rotate at impact. This alone alone will improve many putting strokes regardless of putter type or specific putting stroke. With the present day focus and emphasis on equipment fitting, it seems odd that the putter shaft is rarely ever considered when optimizing you bag makeup. The bottom line is that the Stability Shaft will make your current putter feel more solid at impact.
GolfClubSpec
The Stability Shaft has a minimum advertised price of $199.99 and is available online from Breakthrough Golf Technology and golf retailers across the United States and Canada.
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