There is always a lot going on at a major championship. Fortunately, amidst the chaos, we were able to track down some new gear out on the range. This week we spotted a few different prototype shafts out at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. We don’t have any official details on most of the shafts, but we can speculate on a few details.

Mitsubishi Diamana BB (Blue Board)

We got the sixth-generation Diamana White Board a little while ago and now we get our first look at the Blue Board. The BB will be the mid-launch option in the latest Diamana lineup as its sibling the White Board is designed for low launch. Mitsubishi informed us that this new BB will mix the current Diamana GT and the slightly older Diamana BF shaft. This new Diamana BB should incorporate the firmer handle of the GT and the smooth feel of the BF for a high-performance shaft that feels great. Surprisingly, the Diamana BB is matte black like the WB, but with a blue “surfboard” — I think most of us expected a matte blue shaft! The new Diamana BB will include Mitsubishi’s latest shaft technology, like its Xlink Resin System.

UST Mamiya Lin-Q 2353OWv2

This looks to have very similar graphics to the current Lin-Q M40X White that is in the lineup. There are additional markings below the graphics that say, “PROTO 2353OWv2,” but I don’t think that really helps anyone outside of UST Mamiya. High tensile modulus M40X fiber is being used in the shaft, but I don’t see any TSPX Concept markings on the shaft, so I wonder if that material is being used in the full length of the shaft or just in strategic parts. The current Lin-Q M40X White is a low/mid-launch and spin shaft and a 6F5 (X-stiff) model comes in at 67 grams.

Graphite Design Tour AD GC

Graphite Design might have one of the most robust shaft lineups of any company out there, and some of the models it makes don’t even make it to the U.S. market. We don’t have anything official on the shaft but there was a tour rep at the Suntory Ladies Open who told the media the Tour AD GC was similar to the Tour AD PT and the Tour AD TP models. The tour rep mentioned it was a little “tighter” than both of those shafts. Now the PT model isn’t currently available here but it is a mid-launch shaft and the TP is mid/high launching with low/mid spin. We spotted a GC in 8 TX flex, meaning it is in the 80-gram weight range, so I think the shaft will be offered in the full range of 40-80 grams like most Graphite Design Tour AD shafts.

Newton Motion “6.5 Dot”

Newton is a newer player in the graphite shaft market but is experiencing success on professional tours. We spotted their Motion shaft out at Pinehurst N0. 2 this week with an interesting marking on it. Newton designates flex by the number of dots on the shaft, from one to six dots, and those correspond with the recommended swing speed. The current lineup has five-dot shafts for swing speeds around 105-115 mph and a six-dot flex for swings over 115 mph. The shaft we saw has seven dots, but the last one is not filled in. We can’t be sure what this represents as none of the other flexes seem to have any empty dots on them. Newton Motion shafts are hand-built with no spine for extreme consistency and accuracy. They also play a little softer for generating ball speed.

• Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 U.S. Open