Real World Reviews
After spending over a month with their new Fujikura Ventus shafts on the course, our three test panelists are back with the final verdict. Here’s what they found.
Reader Review #1
Name: John Grajek
Handicap: 6
Driver: Callaway Epic Sub Zero
Previous Shaft: Accra TZ5
New Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 70-X
How does the Ventus feel? Good. Despite having a swing speed around 115, I don’t like a shaft that feels too harsh. However, at my swing speed it can’t be too soft otherwise I might find my ball in the wrong county. This shaft doesn’t feel feel like a piece of rebar however it kept up even on a few swings when I went all out.
Have you gained distance on the course with Ventus? Compared to my Accra it looks like I may have picked up a few yards however that wouldn’t be a reason for me to switch.
Has your accuracy improved with Ventus? Yes, I’m not sure how much of this was due to the shaft or the feel and confidence it started to build. Either way I don’t really care.
Do your real world results match what you saw in your fitting? My fitting day was not my best. I’m happy to report that my results are better than my fitting. For me there has always been a little learning curve with a new driver shaft. Happy to report we are getting along nicely.
Additional notes: I fully intend on putting a 80x Ventus black in my fairway wood when spring comes.
Will the Fujikura Ventus be your new gamer? Yes
Reader Review #2
Name: Stan Feuerberg
Handicap: 11
Driver: 2018 TaylorMade M3
Previous Shaft: Fujikura XLR8 56R
New Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6-R
How does the Ventus feel? The VENTUS has a superior feel to the stock XLR8 shaft.
Have you gained distance on the course with Ventus? Absolutely, both the Trackman data and my three (3) range sessions and one 18-hole course experience confirmed 8 – 12 additional yards gained.
Has your accuracy improved with Ventus? Absolutely, both the Trackman data and real world experiences confirmed a tighter dispersion.
Do your real world results match what you saw in your fitting? Real world results were better than the simulator/Trackman sessions. I was much more relaxed in my comfort zone on the range and on my home course (Pleasant Valley Golf Club, Chantilly, VA) and the results proved better than in the simulator.
Additional notes: Both simulator/Trackman and range/course experience confirmed better results with the VENTUS shaft. In the simulator, my SMASH FACTOR (average) increased from 1.45 to 1.48, while the maximum SMASH FACTOR increased from 1.46 to 1.49. The VENTUS performed best for me when I switched heads to my 2018 Taylormade M3 12*, both on the range and on the course. Trajectory was higher (as one might expect), and total distance increased. In the simulator/Trackman, backspin decreased from 3,800 rpm to 2,531 rpm (huge reduction). Truly impressive differences. Until this experience, I would have never guessed that there could be that much of a difference between two shafts from the same manufacturer.
Will the Fujikura Ventus be your new gamer? Definitely, until something else can be proven better.
Reader Review #3
Name: Cristian Nieto
Handicap: 12
Driver: TaylorMade M5
Previous Shaft: HZRDUS Smoke Black
New Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 5-R
How does the Ventus feel? It took some getting used to at first but now feels much better. Overall, I like the lighter weight and regular flex to it. At first it felt a little too light and whippy but once I got a few rounds in with it, I gained more confidence with it and can now swing as freely as I did with the previous shaft. The lighter shaft is better to play with through 18 holes. With my previous heaver shaft, I was pretty tired at the end and hitting that difficult 18th hole par 4 was made harder with a heavier shaft. One of my goals once I won this new Fujikara shaft and fitting was finding a lighter shaft without losing the distance–mission accomplished.
Have you gained distance on the course with Ventus? Yes and no. On days with moderate wind and humidity conditions (I play in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area), I do get more yards with this new shaft. On days with winder and more humid conditions, I feel like I get just a few yards less out of this new shaft than my old shaft. This makes sense to me since the Fujikara shaft was meant to get me a higher launch angle and ball speed than my previous shaft. Higher launch in windy conditions isn’t ideal–especially since the higher ball speed wasn’t significant enough to make a real difference in windy conditions. In windy conditions I do think my previous shaft gets me a fewer more yards. I am talking a difference of maybe 3-5 yards. It isn’t significant.
Has your accuracy improved with Ventus? Overall, yes, I believe my misses are not as severe with this new shaft as with my old. Besides the technology of the Fujikara shaft, I believe the fitting, which resulted in a lighter more flexible shaft, gave me the confidence of swinging more within myself which leads to better shots. In my previous shaft, considering its weight and flex, I felt like I had to go after it harder and faster. Thus, when I connected with the ball properly, I got a phenomenal drive out of it. However, when I was just a little bit off, my previous shaft could result in a very severe miss in either direction. With this new shaft, my misses in either direction (right or left) seemed to be on a tighter dispersion.
Do your real world results match what you saw in your fitting? Yes and no. Tough to mimic real world results in a controlled environment that is the Club Champion fitting..I do feel this new shaft is the better shaft compared to my previous shaft but it is hard to tell out on the course if I am getting the yardage the results that I saw in the trackman report. There are too many factors to consider (wind, humidity, soft ground after rain, etc) when trying to get back to the results in the fitting. In the end, I get the higher launch, my misses aren’t as severe and when I feel I put a good swing on it, I believe I get the yardage I am expecting to get out of it.
Will the Fujikura Ventus be your new gamer? Overall, yes..I am certainly going forward with the new shaft and don’t think I am going to be going back and forth with my old shaft. However, as I mentioned above, in winder/dryer conditions, I do believe my heaver/stiffer shaft may be better. I don’t believe that this is because my previous shaft is better but just the fact the Fujikara shaft that was best for me is designed to launch higher simply makes it more susceptible for the wind to affect it more. Ultimately, the Club Champion conditions are ideal–no wind and no humidity. I don’t know that you can walk out of that experience with a shaft that is ideal in all conditions that you will see on the course. But you leave the fitting going to the course knowing you have the best club for your swing, which hopefully results in more confidence during the round and that usually leads to better results in most conditions. Lastly, most of us aren’t professionals with an arsenal of equipment for different conditions and all we have to deal with new conditions is improved confidence with the equipment we have.
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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3 Comments
I’ve been gaming the Ventus 6S for about six months, replacing a Graphite Design AD MT 5S I’ve hit many toe or heel shots only to find the ball in the middle of the fairway. There’s some kind of magic to it. I did recently go back to the AD in an attempt to squeeze a few more mph. At some point I’ll get around to trying the Ventus 5S — pretty sure that’ll never come out of the bag.
I guess it’s finally possible to buy a golf game. For a “mere” $1,000 ($500 driver, $350 shaft, $150 fitting) you can have both distance and accuracy without any additional practice or skill required. Good to know, but not very helpful to those of whose idea of an expensive driver is $200.
tried the Ventus Red, Don’t wast your time!