HAYDEN, Idaho – Henry-Griffitts-a 27-year-old custom-clubfitting company owned by aboutGolf, the world leader in indoor golf simulator technology-introduces the Stripe-It shaft, a breakthrough, proprietary, filament-wound graphite shaft produced exclusively for H-G by Neo-Fiber Industrial Company Ltd.
Neo-Fiber, which produces H-G’s graphite shafts, spent 25 years trying to produce a filament-wound shaft with a maximum bending stiffness that equaled the bending stiffness in tape-rolled-or flag-wrapped-graphite shafts, which comprise the vast majority of the golf industry’s graphite shafts because they are relatively easier and less expensive to produce than filament-wound shafts.
The result of Neo-Fiber’s research is a filament-wound shaft-H-G’s Stripe-It-with a bending stiffness equivalent to tape-rolled shafts.
“We chose to partner with Neo-Fiber shafts for a number of reasons, including outstanding quality and attention to detail,” says Randall Henry, Henry-Griffitts’ President. “We found Neo-Fiber’s R & D team to be superb. When we gave them a design concept that other manufacturers wouldn’t consider, they found a way to achieve a solution. And they did it quickly. Their quality control, customer service and product guarantees go above and beyond those we found from others. Simply put, they are the best filament-winding company and produce the highest-quality graphite shafts on the planet. That’s exactly what H-G wants and what our customers need.”
The once superior bending stiffness of tape-rolled shafts was the only performance disadvantage of filament-wound shafts, on which ribbons of graphite are wrapped around a mandrel instead of flag-wrapped shafts, on which flag-shaped sheets of graphite are rolled onto a mandrel. Neo-Fiber successfully countered the bending-stiffness problem by taking full advantage of filament-winding’s benefits:
• Fiber Continuity leads to a smooth, efficient transfer of power.
• Wall Thickness Consistency leads to more consistent flex.
• Fiber Angle and Lay-up Repeatability leads to quality consistency.
• Fiber Symmetry leads to the shaft’s uniform physical properties.
Additionally, Neo-Fiber uses 90-degree orientation carbon fiber in H-G shafts. This provides maximum hoop strength, which minimizes/eliminates cross sectional deformation when the shaft is loaded during the swing. Shafts from Neo-Fiber and H-G with the 90-degree hoop winding from butt to tip create the anti-ovalizating characteristic allowing power transfer from the grip to the clubhead, with minimal loss from deformation. This leads to higher power efficiency, higher initial ball velocity, and greater club stability by eliminating the shaft’s deformation and recovery transition.
Lightweight graphite shafts keep getting lighter, as lighter shafts allow for longer clubs and lower overall weights that, for some golfers, can influence swing speed and longer ball flight. But at one point, lighter-weight graphite shafts could only be produced by the tape-rolled method. Lighter weight means less wall thickness. Less wall thickness means less strength, especially bending strength. Tape-rolled shafts could be produced with maximized bending stiffness because some of the flags could be laid at zero degrees. Neo-Fiber uses three inter-related methods to counter the problem.
1. Proprietary hardware enhancements to get the low-angle fiber to approach zero degrees.
2. Optimized programming and production technology allowing for a winding pattern that minimizes irregular surfaces. This reduces grinding, which keeps most of the fiber intact and eliminates weak spots.
3. Control of resin content to very tight specification to avoid dry fiber.
This all translates into a top-quality shaft. H-G/Neo-Fiber shafts bend consistently to the same position when rotated throughout a full 360-degrees. The ovulating that is seen on the tip end of other graphite shafts is virtually gone with Stripe-It shafts.
This quality has been confirmed several times by Dick Weiss, the founder of SST PURE. One part of the PUREing process is determining the shaft’s symmetry by rotating it through 360 degrees under a specified load. SST puts an arbitrary grade to the measured shafts, ranging from A (the best) to C (not-so-good).
“Dick told us several times he can’t believe how many A-grade shafts we get from our suppliers,” Henry says. “Apparently, that doesn’t happen throughout the industry!”
H-G has pioneered another inroad to the fitting process, working with Neo-Fiber to produce shafts with consistent frequency gaps between the flexes. H-G also has matched up those flex differences with its steel product.
“Testing and comparing flexes from graphite shaft to graphite shaft, from graphite shaft to steel shaft, and from flex to flex has just gotten easier and more accurate,” Henry adds. “And wait until you see our absolutely spectacular new cosmetics.”
About Henry-Griffitts
Henry-Griffitts is the pioneer of dynamic club fitting and originator of the lie board, interchangeable heads and dynamic fitting, as well as the club-fitting cart. Dedicated to the symbiotic relationship between swing and equipment, Henry-Griffitts custom fits clubs through its national network of HG-Certified Teachers and then hand assembles those clubs to the tightest industry specifications. Henry-Griffitts was founded in 1983 by Randy Henry and Jim Griffitts, a pair of golf professionals who recognized that custom-fit golf clubs consistently enhance golfer performance.
About aboutGolf
aboutGolf is a 20-year-old Maumee, Ohio-based company that has been dedicated to golf for its entire history. aboutGolf is the world leader in indoor golf simulator technology, producing PGA TOUR Simulators, 3Trak launch monitors and Henry-Griffitts Custom Fitting. Historically, aboutGolf also produced Microsoft Golf, Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf and World Tours, which is the world’s most-widely-distributed golf simulation. aboutGolf® is a registered trademark of aboutGolf Limited, Maumee, Ohio.
Contact:
Mary Beth Lacy
760-346-6942
email: mb@mblacy.com
AboutGolf Ltd.
352 Tomahawk Drive
Maumee, OH 43537
Phone: 419-482-9095
