Equipment
Spotted: Nippon “Graphite On Steel Technology” hybrid prototype shafts
Steel vs. graphite shafts, which is better for your game? It’s a question as old as the invention of graphite shafts for golf clubs.
Well, it appears that Nippon is combining steel and graphite with its new hybrid prototype shaft, with technology called “Graphite On Steel.” Based on the nomenclature and the photos we captured at the 2018 AT&T Byron Nelson on Monday, it seems that there is a layer of graphite surrounding a steel hybrid shaft.
And for what purpose? GolfWRX Members are guessing that the design could be for reduced vibration, or for great stability, but we’re yet to know for sure.
We’ve reached out to Nippon representatives and will update this story with more information as it becomes available. For now, click here for more photos and discussion.
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
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
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Photos from the 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
CJ Cup Byron Nelson Tour Report: Koepka and Kim’s newest putters finally get hot
Charles Schwab Challenge Tour Report: MacIntyre, Åberg and Spaun all switch putters, TaylorMade launches new Spider
Details on J.J. Spaun’s surprise putter switch
GolfWRX Launch Report: 2026 Titleist GTS drivers
Photos from the 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
PGA Championship Tour Report: Fitzpatrick, Koepka among big-name putter switches for Aronimink
Photos from the ShopRite LPGA
Maria Torres WITB 2026 (June)
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...
Eric Cole WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: PXG Lightning Tour Max (9 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (15 degrees) Shaft:...
Si Woo Kim WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond (8.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X Mini driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Mini...
Wyndham Clark’s winning WITB: 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 60 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D Tour (15 degrees) Shaft: Project...
Dave Bryce
May 19, 2018 at 1:52 pm
In the 90s I reshafted the bimatrix shaft for many customers. That shaft incorporated the same principles and proved to be more hype then substance! With that shaft I found the swingweights to be too high!
KenW
May 16, 2018 at 9:56 pm
I too have a set of the Aerotech SteelFiber shafts which have steel thread wrapped around a graphite core and they were great, but a couple years ago I put Fujikura’s Metal Composite shafts (MCI) on my Calloway Apex irons and Wow! they are terrific shafts. Like the Nippon shafts, they have a graphite sleeve over a steel core shaft. Don’t know there’s a ton of difference but the Fujikura seem to have the perfect Flex and torque for my swing.
~j~
May 16, 2018 at 12:43 pm
A side from perhaps the steelfibers (never tried), has anyone even had much success intertwining steel and graphite?? Would think the extra labor/technology involved would largely go unnoticed by many and likely to be not worth the production cost.
Buck Futter
May 16, 2018 at 12:22 pm
Graphite Hybrid On Steel Technology or GHOST for short
Should make them in white
Really Big Mike
May 16, 2018 at 12:00 pm
This technology looks to be very similar to Aerotech Steelfiber, who advertises that their shafts are longer and straighter with less effort and they avoid injury or aggravating previous injury.
cinch bugs
May 15, 2018 at 8:34 am
Don’t knock it till you’e tried it…. just kidding knock away!
Deadpool
May 15, 2018 at 2:21 am
Lets just go back to hickory. I like wood. My wood is good.
steve
May 15, 2018 at 3:53 pm
so yer regressing back to woodies and abandoning stiff steel and floppy graphite?
steve
May 14, 2018 at 6:08 pm
SteelFiber shafts have filament-wound steel fibers over and internal graphite shaft… and now Nippon is putting the graphite over the steel shafting. Why are they doing this expensive solution to compensate for the failings of plain graphite shafts with floppy soggy tips with a sloppy dynamic response going through final release and impact?
For SteelFiber: https://aerotechgolfshafts.com/
steve
May 14, 2018 at 6:15 pm
Furthermore.. most graphite shafts are oven-cured to harden the epoxy mix holding the graphite fibers. Not with Seven Dreamers graphite shafts which are autoclave cured that sucks out the excess epoxy plastic that causes the tip instability of other graphite shafts.
Seven Dreamers: http://www.golfwrx.com/489200/a-qa-with-seven-dreamers-about-its-1200-shafts/
Deadpool
May 15, 2018 at 2:22 am
Yeah I am so intelligent and knowledgeable too, that Google lets me know everything too, steve
steve
May 15, 2018 at 3:50 pm
go back to the main WRX forum with all the gearheadbaters…
steve
May 15, 2018 at 10:01 pm
Yer the Google gearheadbater who can only tap twitter-sized blurts from yer shrunken brainlet.. so sooo obvious …. ????
Dan
May 15, 2018 at 3:59 pm
Does this guy just copy paste this app the time?
steve
May 15, 2018 at 10:00 pm
I remember all that scientific stuff because my smart brain is not ruined with a twitter blurting mentality…. just go to the main WRX forum and look at the juvenile comments in less than 140 characters… sooo pa thetic…
Not Steve
May 15, 2018 at 11:14 pm
Your smart brain and scientist stuff is on the wrong site for that you will incurred a stroke penalty and another for slow play
Josh
May 14, 2018 at 11:29 pm
Steelfiber convert here… I agree why put the graphite on top of the steel? Doesn’t make as much sense as the steel-fiber-weave wrapped around a traditional graphite shaft…