Equipment
Penley returns to shaft market with Quasar ET3
Carter Penley and Penley Golf Shafts are returning to the marketplace with the continuation of the handcrafted ET line. The Quasar ET3 shaft builds on the fundamentals of the ET2 shaft, including Penley’s proprietary TBAR (Tip to Butt Aspect Ratio) algorithm.
The Quasar ET3 is premised on Penley’s early 2000s work with the ETA shaft (played by Phil Mickelson). With the ETA, Penley introduced the aforementioned TBAR algorithm. With Penley’s return to the marketplace a decade later with ET2 shaft, he set out to develop a shaft that would hold up against major manufacturers’ offerings and gain traction on Tour.
Penley’s ET3 (top and bottom views).
Mr. Penley told us the algorithm is intended to offer more forgiveness and tighter dispersion on mishits, as well as a softer feel overall. “The ET2 has great distance and accuracy, but it’s basically for the harder swingers,” Penley said. “We’re opening this to the everyday players with the ET3.”
“I’ve developed a shaft with…a lot of control in the tip section. My job is to try to correct mis-hits. I had the opportunity to work with Lanny Wadkins years ago when he was going from steel to carbon fiber and he said, ‘No matter how good a player is, all he wants is the club that gives him the best mis-hit.’ I put that in the back of my head.”
Penley stressed the attention to detail and tolerances in his hand-built offerings.
“I’m going to hand build these shafts. I’m going to grind and sand these things right in the center of the range. And I don’t make 10,000 shafts. The biggest lot I’ll make is 100. In long drive, I make only 10 at a time. I hand grind those guys to a perfect TBAR. And I can move it up and down a bit with Zone Flex Characterization.”
“I want to go back to the way it was when Bobby Jones was playing golf. Hand making wooden shafts. Sanding and grinding, that’s what they did. Carbon fiber is just a composite…and so is wood.”
The Quasar ET3 is scheduled for release in late February 2017 and will be available in R, S, and X flexes with a retail price of $249.
Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.
“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.
From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4
3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
Shaft: Oban Isawa Red Hybrid Shaft 04 Flex 70 Gms
Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i80
Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50-MID, 54-FULL, 58-MID)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105
Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
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Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4 3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4 5-wood: Ping G440...
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Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 60 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D Tour (15 degrees) Shaft: Project...
TC
Feb 28, 2017 at 12:12 am
I play Penley Steath in my irons, LOVE THEM, still perfect after 7+ years of playing. I play the Penley Platinum in a BB 3 wood, best 3 wood EVER, it s 20 yards longer than ANY other shaft and much more accurate and consistent. I play the ET2 in a SLDR 460 head, it too, is the longest and straightest shaft I’ve ever hit and I’ve tried them ALL! I haven’t tried the new Quasar but being it’s a Penley, i’m sure it will outperform anything you put it up against!
Don
Feb 24, 2017 at 4:08 pm
Mr. Penley is awesome and very accommodating to work with and his line of shafts rival the big dogs for a fraction of the price. I replaced a HZRDUS black with an ET2 in my M2 driver and haven’t looked back.
Johnnylongballz
Feb 21, 2017 at 4:00 am
My 905R that had a Penley in it, may have been the best driver I ever owned. Looking forward to trying this new line! Great shafts
IDC
Feb 21, 2017 at 2:40 am
Specs look good. Nice graphics
Bro Squad ?
Feb 20, 2017 at 9:49 pm
Please bring back the Stealth 60 and 70!!! (Matte Black and Yellow! #Elcajon
John Muir
Feb 20, 2017 at 7:00 pm
Penley shafts are fantastic.
moses
Feb 20, 2017 at 6:43 pm
I used to play Penley shafts back in the day. They were awesome. Glad to see they’re back.
Jim
Feb 20, 2017 at 10:13 am
For those who weren’t heavy into this from 85 – 05, Penley were the first shafts that incorporated both lower torque & feel….I used custom XXX driver shafts and the IMS iron shafts from him for years until the explosion in shaft tech that started in 2005….since 2007 shaft technology has expanded every year – far beyond the ‘tech’ in the heads…
Penley always gave great service (no problem with returns for breakage) quick custom order filling and produced excellent, consistent shafts…Welcome Back, Good Luck