Aldila ATX Tour Green Wood Shaft Review

 

ATX Tour GreenAldila recently released their ATX Tour Green and Tour Blue wood shafts to the marketplace after extensive tour testing in 2013.  The Tour Green is the lower launching of the two shafts.  We recently tested two different shaft setups in the 65 and 75 gram categories.  Overall, our testers rated the Tour Green 4.5 out of 5 based on the following:

Appearance:  Very nice looking shaft with clean graphics and crisp colors.  The matte finish should not show quite as much bag rash.

Flexes Available:   R,S,TS,X and TX in both the 65 and 75 gram.

MSRP:  $349.00 USD

Availability:  Directly from Aldila, or from a variety of fitters and some retail golf stores.

Weight Consistency:  4.5 out of 5

Butt Stiffness (CPM):  Consistent increase in CPM from R through X.  TX tests the same as X so only difference is torque.  Consistency is 4.5 out of 5.

Tip Stiffness:  Mid

Mid Stiffness:  Mid-Stiff

Balance Point:  Will yield a slightly higher swing weight.

Torque:  Good transition of higher torque in R flex to lowest torque in TX flex.  Mid torque rating on average:

SQI (Shaft Quality Index):  93.4 out of 100  (Above Average)

Trajectory:  Launch angle is mid.  Tested against other low to mid launch shafts, the Tour Green was .5 to 1.5 degrees higher launch.

Spin:  Mid to low mid.  We were all a bit surprised that the spin rate was lower than we expected.

Feel:  Solid feel for all testers.  Feels like a one-piece shaft with steady load throughout the swing.  Good feel at impact.

General:  All four raters liked the solid feel of the Tour Green.   Raters had driver swing speeds from 79 mph to 110 mph and had shafts that  were matched to their swings.  For those players that are playing a very low spin driver, this shaft may be the ticket!  While this may not replace my Elements 70 MK very soon, it is a definite contender.