50 Words or Less
The Breakthrough Golf RedZNE wedge shaft delivers on its bold promises of improved accuracy and spin. Softens impact feel. Three weights to fit most players.
Introduction
For the last seven years, Breakthrough Golf Technology has been one of the leaders in advancing the putter shaft with their Stability line [check out my gamer, the Stability One Tour HERE]. They’ve also branched into the long game with their Brava wood shafts [review HERE].
As good as all those products are, their biggest innovation may be the ZNE wedge shaft [review HERE]. Among true gear heads, ZNE was a sensation for its ability to tighten dispersion. Never ones to rest, BGT is back with a new version, the RedZNE wedge shaft, and I tested it to see if it’s even better than the original.
Looks
The most obvious change from the original ZNE to the Breakthrough Golf RedZNE wedge shaft is the look. The RedZNE has one consistent color scheme throughout each of the three weights where the ZNE changed color to indicate the weight.
Appropriately, the RedZNE features bold red branding on a glossy black background. The black carbon fiber upper transitions to a thinner, matte black section about halfway down the shaft. While this is an unusual look, I didn’t find it distracting at address as the transition is quite far from the ball.
Feel
There are a lot of feel similarities between the new Breakthrough Golf RedZNE wedge shaft, the original ZNE wedge shaft, and BGT’s Stability putter shafts. At impact, the feel is softer and “cleaner.” I say this to mean that I can more clearly sense where the ball met the face without any excess vibrations. The shaft enhances the feedback.
Breakthrough Golf states that the RedZNE is even stiffer than the original ZNE, so it’s no surprise that it has the same stout, one-piece feel. It’s not harsh, but you shouldn’t expect any kind of kick or action through impact. Players currently gaming a shaft like Dynamic Gold will make the transition easily.
Finally, the new Breakthrough Golf RedZNE wedge shaft features a carbon fiber tip, which has changed the balance of the shaft. Per BGT, “We redistributed the weighting of the shaft to create a slightly higher balance point.” This higher balance point allows players to achieve “normal” swing weights while playing their wedges longer or using heavier heads. As someone who plays all his wedges at 36″, this is a great change for me.
Performance
In addition to changing the tip section from steel to carbon fiber, the new Breakthrough Golf RedZNE wedge shaft has a “Stiffness Stack” that’s 54% stiffer than the original, per BGT (the Stiffness Stack is the section above the taper). In their testing, they found that this makes the RedZNE launch lower and spin higher than the ZNE. Against steel shafts, BGT states that the RedZNE has “92% better distance control” and “10% tighter dispersion.”
For my testing, I gathered data on pitches, half shots, and full shots with a 53 degree Edison 2.0 wedge [review HERE] with a steel shaft. Then I pulled the steel shaft, installed the Breakthrough Golf RedZNE, built the club to the same specs, and hit the same series of shots.
Find out how RedZNE fared in Golf Myths Unplugged HERE
The results I saw from the RedZNE were just as impressive as those from the ZNE test. My launch angle dropped about 1 degree and spin went up 500 RPM. More importantly, my left-right dispersion was minute. From pitches to full shots, having the ball end up more than a couple yards off the target line was a surprise.
Looking at distance dispersion, I saw improvements in my full swing but not my short shots. The RedZNE and the steel shaft were peers on distance control for touch shots. When I made a full swing, however, the RedZNE cut the distance from my shortest to my longest shot almost in half.
The Breakthrough Golf RedZNE wedge shaft comes in three weights – 90, 115, and 130 grams. Unlike the original ZNE, all three weights feature a carbon fiber tip .355 section. The butt section is slightly larger than average in the heavier weights – .610 at 115 grams and .615 at 130 grams – versus .600 at 90 grams. Finally, as the weight increases, the frequency goes up (430 to 500 to 530 CPM) and the torque goes down (2.3 to 1.6 to 1.5 degrees).
Conclusion
At $199 each (including installation), the Breakthrough Golf RedZNE wedge shaft is not cheap, but it does back up its strong claims. This shaft gave me lower launch, higher spin, and a significant improvement in dispersion. If you want to see more of your wedge shots end up next to the pin, consider getting fit for RedZNE wedge shafts.
Visit Breakthrough Golf HERE
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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5 Comments
Big fan of the BGT product lines. Been playing the BGT Stability Tour shaft in my putter for a few years now with great results.
I put the 115g BGT RED ZNE shaft in my sand wedge when it was first introduced to complete my set. I already had the original ZNE 115g in my gap wedge and the 130g ZNE in my lob wedge. Just love them.
Tried the Brava shaft also and should have ordered the stiff flex instead of the x-stiff because it is too stout for me.
Did you compare it to the Aldila Lobster shaft from the past? Is this just a remake using someone else’s technology?
David,
No, I’m not familiar with the Aldila Lobster.
Best,
Matt
Matt,
Any concern with the tip section now being graphite instead of steel? I bought the original ZNE shafts because of the steel tip section because of the frequency of changing wedge heads out due to wear and tear. The graphite tip in the RedZNE has me worried you can’t swap it out easy or longevity.
James,
If a good builder is doing the pulling and rebuilding, it shouldn’t be an issue. Also, how often are you changing your wedge heads?
-Matt