Triangular Shafts – Next Big Thing or Just a Bust?
Posted December 16, 2008 by GolfSpy X
“The round shaft doesn’t make any sense physically” (German Engineer)
A couple of years ago a German engineer by the name of Andreas Stulz introduced a new idea at the 2006 PGA Show…they actually won a “Best of Show” award for their invention. Stulz believed this idea would be the next biggest thing in golf shaft technology. The idea was for a “Triangular Golf Shaft”. Stulz, an engineer by trade from Germany had moved from his country to the US and opened up his own custom golf club fitting studio here in the states. While fitting golfers he began to realize that during a custom fitting it could take up to a few hours to fit a golfer with the absolute best golf shaft. “It took us too long to match the club shaft with the swing characteristics of the golfer,” says Stulz.
So…he rounded up all his German engineering friends which were actually in the automobile industry and asked them to take a look at this strange thing called a “golf shaft” and see what they thought they could improve on it. As you know the Germans are known for their engineering…they make some of the best automobiles in the world. So Stulzs and his friends thought, hell let’s try and apply a little “German engineering” to the graphite golf shaft.
“They looked at (a golf shaft) and said, ‘The round shaft doesn’t make any sense physically. A triangle has much better bending characteristics.’ Then we started building prototypes.” said friends
After testing was completed, what they came up with was a Triangular golf shaft that ran 11 inches up from the tip of the shaft which reduced bending dramatically at impact. So the majority of the shaft is still round but a portion of the tip is triangular. They found that this particular prototype created the most stable shaft…which in testing improved both accuracy and distance. The testing actually showed a 4 yd improvement in shot dispersion ratio…which is quite good.
So Why Have I Never Seen It Before?
Well…the shaft is actually available in both GolfSmith and GolfWorks but I feel the cost was one reason you might not have heard of it before. The shaft originally ran for $300 smackeroos for the driver shaft…and $150 for an iron shaft! That would end up being one expensive set of irons. I think the idea might catch on…but it will most likely be by a different manufacturer. Golf is hard up for some new ideas right now…so you might just be seeing a triangular shaft in your driver in the next couple years. Hey it wasn’t too long ago we had bubbles in our shafts.
What Do You Think About The Shaft?
If it could help you would you buy the shaft? Do you think it could catch on? Leave your opinion in the comment box.
P.S.
The 2009 PGA Show in Orlando is coming up soon and every year I go it simply amazes me how many new inventions get launched there. If you are someone that has never had the opportunity to go to a PGA Show…I really do suggest going at least once in your life. But if you can’t go this year don’t worry because MGS will be covering it and we will be re-creating so all of you get a chance to see what goes on.
Related Articles:
- “How Graphite Shafts Are Made”
- “You Spy-We Try Awards by MyGolfSpy.com”
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December 17th, 2008 at 5:12 am
To stay competitive, Stulz put their shaft on a Special Edition driver. After evaluation by our District Directors, the International Players Tour announced a partnership with Stulz, and the feeback from players is superb on the triangular shaft. For me personally, minimizing the dispersion of wide left and right shots has been HUGE, rarely missing a fairway as an 11 handicapper!
December 17th, 2008 at 8:55 am
What was the special edition driver you are referring to?
December 17th, 2008 at 11:21 am
http://www.ipgtour.com/stulz_golf.asp
December 17th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
It is certainly an interesting concept and I have followed its development through retailing. I would like the oportunity to test one, but the present cost puts it out of my range. Same goes for the Ozik code 6.
December 18th, 2008 at 12:10 am
I have this shaft in the Stulz head. It is amazing. My first swing on the practice range made me think I had whiffed the ball. It was that smooth and easy.
A second shot yielded the same results. Perfectly straight and smooth.
I was getting excited as this was the first time I had played in about a month!! Everything went very well that day on the course (regarding my new Stulz rig). My foursome got really jealous as I hit most every fairway that day (of course I have NO short game including putting). But, my round that day made me feel great about my new driver.
I since have played several rounds with the Stulz rig and one thing I discovered is; do not try to go after the ball with a strong transition or a really aggressive swing. It likes smooth and easy and it’ll put the ball out there where you always wanted to be.
December 18th, 2008 at 12:31 am
Here is a post on a triangular golf shaft DESIGN patent:
http://golf-patents.com/2008/06/04/interesting-golf-shaft-design-patent-issues-would-you-use-a-triangular-shaft.aspx
December 18th, 2008 at 1:50 am
Its a interesting concept but with the price range it’s in it’s a limited market. Esp given that it’s a “different” product. If it were a lower a pricepoint I could see more people giving it a try.
December 18th, 2008 at 4:42 am
I may be confused. Is $219 still too high a price for most folks? Our players think that’s a pretty good deal. Thanks for comments, folk. they’ve been helpful.
Bill
December 18th, 2008 at 7:37 am
this sounds like the shaft on the hammer driver ,almost works the same way
December 18th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Well it is similar in the fact that it is not round but a totally different concept. The AeroSpeed shaft has no triangular shape at all…and the basis for it is aerodynamics. But it is unique I give you that.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
You can get Stulz shafts on eBay for less than $75. I saw one with no reserve go for $36 today.
December 19th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Thanks for the heads up Andy…I am sure some guys will like that much better then $149.
December 19th, 2008 at 9:37 am
I would definently give this shaft a try. I’m fairly long off the tee (300+). The problem is the shot dispertion. If I could tighten that up, my golf buddies would really hate me!! I’m no stranger to triing “different” looking equipment(you should see some of the putters I’ve triied). Do any manufactures offer this shaft as one of their custom shafts? I’d love to try one at a demo day.
December 19th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Not that we know of. I would try to get one of EBAY first…seem to be going for good prices there. And get a clubmaker to slap one into a driver…let us know if you do…we would love to hear some feedback.
December 19th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
if you are hitting the ball 300+ off the tee and having trouble with dispersion, I would recommend seeing a clubfitting pro who has no ties to any one brand. They could suggest a better shaft for your swing and the shaft would improve your dispersion. Another idea would be to swing at 85% and watch the ball stay in the fairway. A third idea would be to see a local pro to see if there is something in your swing that causes the dispersion problem.
Please note that Tiger has the same problem as you. He just has the best short game and mental game that overcome this issue. When you are hitting the ball at the speed you must be achieving to hit 300+, it does not take much to cause shots to miss the fairway.
Lastly, try a stulz nano arrow, if you must.
Just my random thoughts.
Have a blast and best of luck with straightening the ball.
December 19th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
What about its USGA conformity? I think that the conforming rule requires that a shaft have no differences in bending in different directions. Now, with the advent of spining and floing and what have you, this rule is only “enforced” with a wink. I think that the USGA allows spining and floing because while shafts do have a spine in them, they were not designed to have a spine. Some of the modern manufacturing processes make shafts that have very weak spines, so even this hole in the rule may becomes closed just by better manufacturing.
However, I find it very hard to believe that a triangular shaft doesn’t have different bend properties in different directions, and the triangular shape very clearly indicates that it is designed to do exactly that.
From page 129 of the 2008 Rules of Golf
b. Bending and Twisting Properties
At any point along its length, the shaft must:
(i) bend in such a way that the deflection
is the same regardless of how
the shaft is rotated about its
longitudinal axis; and
(ii) twist the same amount in
both directions.
Maybe I am wrong, but a triangular shaft doesn’t seem like it is USGA conforming. Maybe someone who knows more can comment?
December 20th, 2008 at 6:49 am
Good Day to all and thank you for taking the time to discuss our product.
My name is Santiago Mari and I am the R & D Director for Stulz Golf Technologies.
To answer your question on rules conformity,
The Stulz Tri- Edge Nano Arrow Shaft is conforming to both USGA and R&A rules of golf. It is conforming because thanks to its design the shaft achieves perfect symmetrical bending in all directions. It features a small triangular section with equal sides which increases stability without sacrificing flex and feel, at the same time it can be oriented in any position and the bending will remain the same.
The reason we went with a triangular section is mainly due to structural analysis and twisting capabilities. A triangular structure compared to a round or circular structure has less rotation or twisting when a force is applied at both ends in opposite directions.
Our research found that golfers testing their own drivers compared to the same head with our STulz Tri-Edge shaft decreased dispersion some by up to 50% with the Stulz Shaft. When they tested their driver compared to our Stulz Special Edition Driver they increased distance and accuracy dramatically. Most people after hitting our shaft find that they have an increase in their distance with time, as slowly they start feeling more and more comfortable with their swing and begin to swing with confidence resulting in added distance down the fairway.
I hope this answers your question but feel free to contact us with any other that come to mind.
A great day to all
Santiago
December 20th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
OK, well then color me impressed that you were able to design and manufacture a shaft that obeys a rule about symmetry with such an inherently non-symmetrical shaft. The manufacturing process must be very precise. Since it is USGA conforming, it definitely has peaked my interest and it shall be a goal of the new year to give one a try. Thanks for responding Santiago.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
The shaft is conforming. I do not know all the technicalities but it’s totally legal. It’s a great shaft too
January 16th, 2009 at 3:09 am
I have played golf for nearly 40 years now and played and tried many drivers. I am an avid Cleveland man and use their irons and woods (XLS range). But a month ago I acquired the Special Edition drive with the Stulz Nano shaft from a UK PGA golf pro linked with Stulz Golf. As one person in the previous comments referred: you don’t need to smash the ball but swing smoothly . .and that is i=the advice here. I play on a links course, high winds, sea lashing, but the 9 degree head gave a great ball flight. Other golfers have suggested that the ball cannot be shaped too much, but straight is what we all aim for. My natural shape is a draw and it is still there, but I can fade the club too. All in all I am amazed at how the ball flies, with effortless swings, it is worth the purchase. As back up I am having the haft inserted into my ClevelandXLS driver.
February 22nd, 2009 at 11:47 am
Hi,
I fitted the regular flex Stulz tri-edge shaft to a Taylor Made R7 460 TP head (10.5 deg). What an improvement. I am hitting it at least 20 yards further than my R7 Superquad. The flight is much more controlled (slight draw) and the dispersion tightened up considerably. It does fly a little high suggesting that 9.5 deg might just be the optimum loft for this particular combination. In addition I can feel the shaft and clubhead throughout the downswing, something I’ve only heard others talk about in the past. Long time from I’ve been this excited about getting out onto the course again. Cheers Billy
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:41 am
We will have to get this thing on a launch monitor…see if it really works.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:47 am
To mygolfspy, I have had it on launch monitor at Nevada Bob’s. I was hitting Ping G10 and Titleist D2 between 235 yds and 250yds. Drives with Stulz in R7 460 TP head produced 471 yds 478 yds 475 yds, all on fairway. I couldn’t get the club off the assistant after that. His first drive went 308 yds and I left him to it after that. Also, the spin-rate was around 3,400. Cheers, Billy
February 24th, 2009 at 6:46 am
Dear Billy
Great information provided, you are one of many who have benefited from our Tri-Edge Technology.
If you or any member of this blog need any information or help you can contact me at santiago@stulzgolf.com
Santiago Mari
R & D Manager
Stulz Golf Technologies LLC
February 24th, 2009 at 7:22 am
So……..you are saying the shaft gave you over a 200 yard increase in distance?? Come on now.
February 24th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Sorry Sorry Sorry. Typo. The distances with the Stulz were 271yds, 278yds and 275yds. Only a 20+ increase. Haha. Cheers, Billy (I can’t even blame the drink for that error).
June 8th, 2010 at 9:49 am
I have been playing some mini tour stuff with this shaft in my 905r head for about a year now. Love the shaft, awesome dispersion, feels good during swing….Keeps more balls in the fairway for me which means more money