Equipment
VA Composites enters the premium shaft space with Raijin
There’s a new premium golf shaft company led by a familiar face in the industry: Victor Afable.
Afable has worked for several shaft companies in his career, but is best known for co-founding Oban Shafts in 2007. Early this year, however, he left the company to start a solo career as Founder and CEO of VA Composites, which is based in Pinehurst, NC.
Raijin
In Japanese mythology, Raijin is the god of thunder, lightning and storms.
This fall, Afable sent 10 VA Composite shafts he designed to the European Tour, where they were tested by several players including Alejandro Cañizares. His favorite was the company’s Raijin 64X shaft, which he used for the European Tour’s final four events of 2016. He recorded a T3 finish with the shaft at the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
Alejandro Cañizare using a VA Composites Raijin 64X shaft with early graphics.
Afable has designed a full line of Raijin shafts, which are currently available at select custom fitters in four different weights and five different flexes for metal woods. Raijin hybrid and iron shafts are also available.
“The shaft profiles are unique and the composite materials used are second to none.” Afable says. “The S and X flexes will use more of a player’s shaft profile, while the softer flexes will offer a higher launch and mid spin. It’s a shaft series that will fit a wide range of players.”
Afable says another VA Composite shaft line will be revealed in February.
Raijin Specs
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: 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...
russell platt
Jan 6, 2017 at 9:55 pm
that is for hybrids
Bob Pegram
Dec 31, 2016 at 1:08 am
How can the R/S/X iron shaft be only 42 inches long? If it is tip trimmed enough to be X-flex, it would be too short for long irons.
My irons are shafted with a shaft that started as as R/S/X flex depending on how much it is tip trimmed, but it started at 44 or 45 inches. (I forget which.)