Falling in love with GD Tour AD DI, and out of love with Diamana

I don't know what Graphite Design is putting into the Tour AD DI shafts, but whatever it is, it's IMPRESSIVE.

I have been searching for ages for a good shaft to put into my Tour Edge Exotics XCG-3 wood to replace the 'made for' Motore Speeder.

Since the two GD Tour AD DI shafts were doing well in my two Adams hybrid, I chose a DI-7 S for the 3 wood.

Spec:

Torque 3.2, weight 73.5 - 75g Kickpoint MID

Went to the range yesterday and gave the 3 wood a good workout.

FINALLY, I found something that can keep up to the hot face of the TEE XCG3.

It loads well and accurately, releases predictably, and most of all, holds up well during impact, giving me a more controlled dispersion while still allowing me to go at it with all cylinders firing.

Which IMMEDIATELY made the Diamanas Kai'li and 'ahina feel too... subtle, delicate even, when compared to the American heft, if you know what I mean.

When I try to 'shock and awe' the Diamanas, I am not sure where the ball will end up. Talk about two-way misses!

When I gave everything I had to the GD DI, she swallowed everything, wiped her mouth, smiled and asked, "That all you got?"

I was cranking it up more and more, and the shaft just took and took ("Yes, yes, give it to me you bad boy, yeeesss!") without flinching.

No wonder the white and orange is turning up EVERYWHERE on tour.

Don't get me wrong, 'ahina and kai'li are both excellent in their class, very high quality, and within a certain swing speed and tempo, PERFECT. I used to get 250m-260m drives with the Kai'li on the course.

But recently, maybe due to the blades, the pivot has become more cohesive, and I am finding all my shafts a tad too soft. except for the wedges and putter.

The problem is, I have already spent so much on shafts alone.

got cut another 10 strokes or not?

kian wrote:

got cut another 10 strokes or not?

Looking back at my two 10-stroke-shaved rounds, round 1 I missed 9 out of 14 fairways, round 2 I missed 7 out of 14. So, I'm looking at a potential improvement of say, around 8 strokes only. My goals are humble.

Lee,
I kind of agree with you that the Tour AD shafts are pretty good in construction and are generally very stable. Had used the Tour AD EV 6s and I like it very much but at that time, found it a bit heavy for my liking. Anyway I recently also ditched my Diamana shaft on myTitlelist D2 909 to try the Project X 5.5. Mmmm... not sure what to say but it is pretty OK too but doesnt feel as remarkable compared to the Tour ADs. Maybe I should give the Tour AD DI 6.0 a tried next time I change shafts.
Cheers !

cmclee wrote:

Lee,
I kind of agree with you that the Tour AD shafts are pretty good in construction and are generally very stable. Had used the Tour AD EV 6s and I like it very much but at that time, found it a bit heavy for my liking. Anyway I recently also ditched my Diamana shaft on myTitlelist D2 909 to try the Project X 5.5. Mmmm... not sure what to say but it is pretty OK too but doesnt feel as remarkable compared to the Tour ADs. Maybe I should give the Tour AD DI 6.0 a tried next time I change shafts.
Cheers !

Bro,

iirc, I tried a demo EV 6 before, and also did not like it - found it too hefty.

Looking at the spec, the DI series fits me better because it is slightly lighter than EV, but at the same time, still meatier than the Japanese counterparts like Motore, Speeder, etc that I have tried.

The DI is lighter, kick point is mid as opposed to low-mid for the EV, and torque is a bit higher so the DI will feel smoother as well.

http://www.gdintl.com/shafts/ev/specifications

http://www.gdintl.com/shafts/tour-ad-di/tour-ad-di-specifications

Which is why I am enjoying the DI thoroughly in my 3 wood and two hybrids.

If you have a decent swing speed, and a faster than average transition, you will love the Tour AD DI.

The TEE 3wood is also reaching the bottom of the fence at my driving range, a carry of more than 200m. So I am really convinced by the Graphite Design Tour AD DI shafts now.

So much so that I just pulled the trigger on the DI 7 X-flex shaft to put into my driver. My ahina, even when tipped to the max, just cannot cope with the swing anymore. It is already just one notch below X-stiff after tipping, so I can only go for the X-flex in the new shaft.

Getting the shaft tomorrow, lets see how it performs in the Adams 9015D head.

Lee, give the fubuki k a try.

You would be pleasantly surprised.

asahi wrote:

Lee, give the fubuki k a try.

You would be pleasantly surprised.

You mean the latest K-series with ninja core technology?

I haven't tried them yet, but I bet it's good, now that the tip is further stablised. From the spec, the torque numbers indicate that these will be smooth shafts.

When I tried the previous model last year, Fubuki was too high-launching for me.

Spent too much on shafts already, if the Tour AD DI delivers in my driver the way it does in my wood and hybrids, color me satisfied....

For now....

Until and unless my swing speed gets up another notch....

Thankfully golf as a hobby is still cheaper than cars.

Yup. That's the one.

From the numbers generated on trackman, vis a vis with my current setup, launch angle is lower (12-13 degrees) and spin down a lot (2800-3100).

Very stable transition and 1 piece feel.

Hence I am getting it.

Have you tried the DJ. Personally I like it better than the DI and I used to used a whiteboard.

asahi wrote:

Yup. That's the one.

From the numbers generated on trackman, vis a vis with my current setup, launch angle is lower (12-13 degrees) and spin down a lot (2800-3100).

Very stable transition and 1 piece feel.

Hence I am getting it.

Yikes, you used the words that melts my poison-shield like hot knife through butter - stable transition, lowered launch angle and lowered spin.

For comparison, what are the launch and spin numbers of your current shaft and what shaft is it may I ask?

shamusan wrote:

Have you tried the DJ. Personally I like it better than the DI and I used to used a whiteboard.

Interesting.

No, I haven't tried the DJ before. I understand that it launches higher from what I'm told. Looking at the spec from the GD website, the DI is marked as low ball spin while the DJ is mid ball spin.

How does the DJ compare w the DI for you?

+1 for the Tour AD-DI

i run a DI 6 in SR in my backup cobra S2 driver.... sweet.

Good feel, plenty of roll!

Am playing the DJ now. Am a fan for Tour AD over the Diamana family. I had played most of the new shafts from Diamana eg Kaili, Fubuki Alpha and also the earlier blueboard on my driver. The Dj shaft plays a tad softer than that of the DI. Playing a DJ6S now on my Supertri

DJ plays a touch softer than DI? That would explain why it is mid-spin as compared to low-spin for DI.

Interesting to note that when DJ6 is compared with DI6, say x flex, DJ is a tad heavier w a touch lower torque, yet plays softer and spins a bit more. That would seem to imply the DI would be smoother (a bit higher torque) and lighter. I guess the difference must be in the tip then.

Now I can begin to understand why a strong hitter like Shamusan would prefer the DJ - the slighter heavier weight and lower torque would offer more stability, plus Shamusan's swing is probably already low-spin to begin with.

Lee36328 wrote:

asahi wrote:

Yup. That's the one.

From the numbers generated on trackman, vis a vis with my current setup, launch angle is lower (12-13 degrees) and spin down a lot (2800-3100).

Very stable transition and 1 piece feel.

Hence I am getting it.

Yikes, you used the words that melts my poison-shield like hot knife through butter - stable transition, lowered launch angle and lowered spin.

For comparison, what are the launch and spin numbers of your current shaft and what shaft is it may I ask?

Asahi, BTW, if you're swinging around 100mph or above (and I think you are, judging from your post), those launch numbers are very very good. Something I am aspiring to.

Lee36328 wrote:

Lee36328 wrote:

asahi wrote:

Yup. That's the one.

From the numbers generated on trackman, vis a vis with my current setup, launch angle is lower (12-13 degrees) and spin down a lot (2800-3100).

Very stable transition and 1 piece feel.

Hence I am getting it.

Yikes, you used the words that melts my poison-shield like hot knife through butter - stable transition, lowered launch angle and lowered spin.

For comparison, what are the launch and spin numbers of your current shaft and what shaft is it may I ask?

Asahi, BTW, if you're swinging around 100mph or above (and I think you are, judging from your post), those launch numbers are very very good. Something I am aspiring to.

Lee, you see me too up. Max swing speed is 95. Normally 92.
Hence distance not much on the trackman or on course.

The shaft I was comparing to was the Miyazaki (14-15 degrees launch and 3200 spin rate)

asahi wrote:

Lee36328 wrote:

Lee36328 wrote:

asahi wrote:

Yup. That's the one.

From the numbers generated on trackman, vis a vis with my current setup, launch angle is lower (12-13 degrees) and spin down a lot (2800-3100).

Very stable transition and 1 piece feel.

Hence I am getting it.

Yikes, you used the words that melts my poison-shield like hot knife through butter - stable transition, lowered launch angle and lowered spin.

For comparison, what are the launch and spin numbers of your current shaft and what shaft is it may I ask?

Asahi, BTW, if you're swinging around 100mph or above (and I think you are, judging from your post), those launch numbers are very very good. Something I am aspiring to.

Lee, you see me too up. Max swing speed is 95. Normally 92.
Hence distance not much on the trackman or on course.

The shaft I was comparing to was the Miyazaki (14-15 degrees launch and 3200 spin rate)

I ran the numbers through my swing model and got these results.

When well struck, 92mph to 95mph at those excellent launch and spin numbers has the potential to carry approx 203m - 210m, so, impressive nonetheless. Makes short work of most par 4s, leaving an easy short iron approach.

Lee36328 wrote:

DJ plays a touch softer than DI? That would explain why it is mid-spin as compared to low-spin for DI.

Interesting to note that when DJ6 is compared with DI6, say x flex, DJ is a tad heavier w a touch lower torque, yet plays softer and spins a bit more. That would seem to imply the DI would be smoother (a bit higher torque) and lighter. I guess the difference must be in the tip then.

Now I can begin to understand why a strong hitter like Shamusan would prefer the DJ - the slighter heavier weight and lower torque would offer more stability, plus Shamusan's swing is probably already low-spin to begin with.

well, my numbers for on the trackman typically range 2500 and up for all shafts i've tried so far but after gaming the DJ7X, DI7X, whiteboard 73X, fubuki 70X, speeder 757X all on the same titleist 910 D2 head, i've found that although my numbers with the speeder and whiteboard are the best on the trackman, i'm getting a nicer ball flight, more carry and better overall distance with the DJ...

i guess i just like the feel of it and i think it would suit a person with your swing speed more... on course, my swing speed ranges from 105 to 110 although i can crank it up to the 120s... but i find the DJ works best when i swing and not hit...

i'm sorry but i dont spend too much time with a trackman so i cannot get you all the numbers... i hope this helps...

shamusan wrote:

Lee36328 wrote:

DJ plays a touch softer than DI? That would explain why it is mid-spin as compared to low-spin for DI.

Interesting to note that when DJ6 is compared with DI6, say x flex, DJ is a tad heavier w a touch lower torque, yet plays softer and spins a bit more. That would seem to imply the DI would be smoother (a bit higher torque) and lighter. I guess the difference must be in the tip then.

Now I can begin to understand why a strong hitter like Shamusan would prefer the DJ - the slighter heavier weight and lower torque would offer more stability, plus Shamusan's swing is probably already low-spin to begin with.

well, my numbers for on the trackman typically range 2500 and up for all shafts i've tried so far but after gaming the DJ7X, DI7X, whiteboard 73X, fubuki 70X, speeder 757X all on the same titleist 910 D2 head, i've found that although my numbers with the speeder and whiteboard are the best on the trackman, i'm getting a nicer ball flight, more carry and better overall distance with the DJ...

i guess i just like the feel of it and i think it would suit a person with your swing speed more... on course, my swing speed ranges from 105 to 110 although i can crank it up to the 120s... but i find the DJ works best when i swing and not hit...

i'm sorry but i dont spend too much time with a trackman so i cannot get you all the numbers... i hope this helps...

Shamusan,

The numbers certainly help; thank you for them.

Now I know where you get your reputation from. If you can reach 110 w a smooth steady swing, and keep it at 2500, that is GOLD. A carry of circa 256m is easy. Then, it's simply a matter of getting the launch angle you want.

If the 7 fits you better than the 6, you must be quite tall and beefy as well. I am only 1.75m and 83kg - if you are shorter and/or lighter, I will jump off the 3rd level of my local driving range, and after that, try to figure out what I am doing wrong.

The 7 gives you more stability at impact. For now, I am probably not at that shaft-weight range yet. Certainly I am not hitting 100s in my hybrids, unlike you. I'll give the 6 one more try. I have 7 in my wood and 8 in my hybrids.

As for DI compared with DJ, I think at your numbers, the DJ fits because it gives you higher launch, resulting in better distances. Assuming an easy smooth swing with swing speed of 110mph and smash factor 1.5, each additional angle in the launch gives you 1m to 1.5m more carry. So that's a big jump.

In my case (my swing speed, say optimistically 105mph), each additional degree of launch angle only gives me 0.5 to 0.8m carry, whereas each 100 rpm lower gives me 1m additional carry.

Based on those numbers, it makes sense for you to go for the DJ, whereas the numbers indicate the DI would fit my purpose just a bit better, although the difference is not by much.

Thanks again for your numbers; they were helpful in analyzing my decision.

yup... i'm 1.85 and 100kg so no worries... its just the size... haha

lee don't listen to sham, he only carries 180m.






























with his pw.

Reading this thread, I now realise why during this last trip and the trip before that to Bangkok in July, why there are so many DI and DJs on the golf clubs in Thaniya and in Siam Paragon shops. You can almost say that the preferred aftermarket shaft seems to be in a shade of orange. When it comes to golf equipment, looks like our Thai brethen sure know their stuff.

shamusan wrote:

yup... i'm 1.85 and 100kg so no worries... its just the size... haha

Well, you certainly got me beat there. Those are numbers I can never hope to match.

And I was wondering, what does it take to hit irons with C-taper X Plus and 105g shafts in hybrids...??? Wow, now I know. Phew!

1.85 is Tiger's height. But, at 100kg, you actually outweigh him by 16kg.

Of course, weight and height are not all there is. Technique matters a great deal. Just that, when technique is optimised, the height and weight differences start to come in. And it shows in your numbers.

Impressive sir.

eiji wrote:

lee don't listen to sham, he only carries 180m.






























with his pw.

That post did not make sense to me at all.























Until I scrolled way down.

Hope I can see that in person some day.

That's like Jamie Sadlowski getting crazy carry.... with his putter!