Equipment
Spotted: New Graphite Design Tour AD shaft, full L.A.B. Golf VZN.1i lineup
While many were slogging their way through 36 holes of U.S. Open qualifying on Monday in Dallas, those who were on-site at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson were welcomed with two new product releases on the PGA Tour: Graphite Design’s new Tour AD shafts and a full lineup of L.A.B. Golf’s VZN.1i putters, which were seen for the first time at the PGA Championship.
Starting with Graphite Design’s new Tour AD shaft, our Tour Photographer, Greg Moore, captured three versions of the shaft’s new look: LL Silver, ML Blue, and HL Red.
According to Graphite Design’s Tour Promotions Manager, Simon Wood, each shaft features a brand-new construction and an updated, modern Tour AD logo and stripes. We’ll wait to hear more on the construction, but from the eye, each color determines a launch characteristic of the shaft.
The LL Silver seems to be the lowest-launching, with ML Red a mid-launch option, and the Red HL the highest of the three. With the shafts out on the PGA Tour, they likely sit on the lower end of the spin range. On display were both the X and Tour X stiffness levels.
Of those on-site at TPC Craig Ranch, Adam Svensson, Keita Nakajima, Neal Shipley, and Max McGreevy will all likely test the shaft according to Wood.
After spotting the first L.A.B. Golf VZN.1i in the wild, being used by Adrien Saddier at the PGA Championship, the zero-torque putter company displayed plenty of color options at the Byron Nelson.
The VZN.1 is the latest L.A.B. putter to be spotted, and the company returns to a center-shafted style, after the traditional blade-style LINK.2.1 and LINK.2.2 were released on Tour, which feature a heel-shaft.
More importantly, though, L.A.B. let forum members know that the VZN.1i can be used to scoop or pick up a golf ball.
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: TaylorMade Qi4D (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 60 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D Tour (15 degrees) Shaft: Project...
