SAN DIEGO, CA – January 5, 2009 – Graphite Design, maker of some of the most widely played premium shafts on the PGA TOUR, announced that it will be conducting a long drive contest at the PGA Merchandise Show Demo Day on Wednesday, January 28 at Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge in Orlando, FL.
PGA members, buyers and members of the media are all eligible to participate in the contest. Top finishers will receive a new Graphite Design shaft. Driving distances will be measured by TrackMan™, an accurate radar-based solution for analyzing the golf swing and the resulting ball flight. It delivers real-time data and graphics on club movement, ball launch, the flight and landing.
“The Demo Day offers a great opportunity for golfers to try our new shafts in an outdoor setting versus testing them in a hitting bay at the PGA Show,” said Tim Gillis, vice president, sales & marketing, Graphite Design. “Adding a long drive contest brings a little friendly competition to the experience and we hope attendees will enjoy participating.”
Graphite Design’s full line of products will displayed at the show and demo day. Attendees will have the opportunity to check out the latest products including the new AURA, YSQst, and Tour AD EV shafts. Graphite Design will be exhibiting in Meeting Room W202-A during the PGA Merchandise Show.
AURA shafts are available in four different “aura” colors based on the performance needs of both professional and amateur golfers. Options include RED for the long hitter who uses the professional tees; GOLD for the better player who tees off on the championship tees; BLUE for the shot maker hitting off the men’s tees, and GREEN for golfers hitting off the women tees. Swing speeds for each flex are displayed on the shaft.
The YSQst features a stiffer tip to launch the ball lower and create the perfect descent angle to maximize distance for the players with 90 + swing speeds. Graphite Design has incorporated ACI technology into the YSQst to enhance the feel and stability of the shaft.
The Tour AD EV has a new material technology that offers the optimum in shaft performance. The shaft has been designed using state of the art launch technology. The shaft profile is a mid launch with a stiff butt section, similar to many iron shaft designs being played by professional golfers. This design has shown a significant gain in distance by optimizing the decent angle of the golf ball.
Graphite Design International manufactures the highest quality shafts in the world for Pure Distance and Perfect Accuracy. Graphite Design shafts can be seen in play by the best professional players on the PGA, Nationwide, Champions, Japan, European and LPGA tours. Graphite Design shafts reinforced its dominance on the Japan Tour, where it has claimed 158 consecutive graphite wood shaft brand counts — an unprecedented streak which dates to 2002. On the PGA Tour, Graphite Design shafts have helped professionals earn 54 victories since 2004 and millions of dollars in prize money. A total of 8 US distributors and 5 European and Asian distributors supply Graphite Design shafts to over 1000 custom fitters around the world.
About Graphite Design
Graphite Design, established in Japan in 1989 and in the U.S. in 1997, is the industry leader in shaft technology and the preferred brand for golf professionals worldwide. One of the world’s three largest golf-club shaft manufacturers, the company made its mark manufacturing premium shafts for most of golf’s major OEMs, including the top four companies by sales volume. Graphite Design shafts continue to be preferred by top club makers the world over while the company’s mainstay YS shafts, Pershing shafts and other models are extremely popular among avid and occasional golfers.
Revolutionary technology, design and sourcing the most advanced materials are trademarks in all Graphite Design shafts, making them the highest quality performance shafts on the market. Validating the company’s “AD” logo, all of Graphite Design’s PGA Tour-proven shafts specifically promote “Accuracy and Distance” and these key competitive advantages are helping professional and amateur golfers optimize their games after switching to Graphite Design shafts. For more information about Graphite Design, call 888.707.6132, e-mail info@gdintl.com, or visit www.gdintl.com.
For media inquiries about Graphite Design please contact Tracy Nackel at 760-420-1602 / tnackel@cox.net or Vanessa Price at 714-544-6515 / readthegreens@aol.com.
Contact:
Tracy Nackel, TEN Marketing & Public Relations, tnackel@cox.net, 760-420-1602
Vanessa Price, TEN Marketing & Public Relations, readthegreens@aol.com, 714-544-6515
