This shaft has taken the PGA Tour Champions by storm. Can it also work for you?

Welcome to I Tried It, a GOLF.com series on golf gear (apparel, equipment, accessories, etc.) that we recently tried out. We’re here to give our honest, no-nonsense take on the latest and greatest golf or golf-related items. So scroll down to read what we like about golf’s latest (or new to us) products.

Most golfers are aware that investing in a full, professional club fitting can make a huge difference to their game, but shafts – and the idea of ​​switching them on or off at will, with the same club head – seem to be on their own level of intimidating. I think it’s only the most seasoned gearheads who are willing to attempt making a shaft shifter themselves.

Needless to say, tinkering with the shaft isn’t something I’ve ever bothered with for my own playing. I consider myself a loyalist when it comes to my gear. I kept the same Ping putter in my bag for twenty years. After fittings – and I’ve only had a few – I order my prescribed equipment and don’t really think about the components of my clubs. To me, shafts are a package deal with the club heads, and not something to be considered as an individual product.

But last year I heard talk about Newton shafts. The name is a nod to Sir Isaac Newton and the company’s commitment to using the power of physics to revolutionize golf equipment design. Newton founder and Chief Technology Officer Aki Yorihiro first entered the golf market with premium putters and shafts in 2018. In 2022, Newton opened a dedicated shaft manufacturing facility in St. Joseph, Missouri. When Newton’s shafts launched in November 2023, they were an instant hit, especially on the PGA Tour Champions, where more than twenty players are currently using them.

I was intrigued to try one, but I didn’t trust my playing enough to make a proper comparison. So I called up my husband, Paul, a club pro and plus-handicap, to try the shaft and report back.

How do you know which flex is right for you? Newton makes it easy to decide by using a point system based on swing speed. You can also complete a short online survey to help determine which point level is right for you. There is a choice of two shafts: Motion and Fast Motion. Fast Motion shafts are 10 grams lighter than the Motion shafts. Each axis comes with an adapter for your driver so you can install it yourself. You can choose your adapter from eight major club manufacturers.

Paul eventually went with the 4-Dot Fast Motion driveshaft with a Callaway adapter. One of his assistant pros also had a 5-Dot, so he had a chance to compare both flexes. Surprisingly, the 5-Dot ended up being a better fit for him.

“My spin rate was too high with the 4-Dot,” said Paul. “The 5-Dot made a big difference and got my spin rate back to where it should be, getting the right distance and spread I needed, while the 4-Dot spun too much, causing me to lose distance.”

Paul also said the shaft felt different than anything he had used before.

“Generally speaking, for anyone who uses it, the shaft has a more penetrating ball flight,” he said. “Swing speed and ball speed are higher because it’s a lighter shaft. But it’s still very stable, so for most people they hit the ball longer and straighter because, with the more penetrating ball flight and less spin, it also means less left and right spin, so the dispersion is smaller.”

That’s exactly what founder Aki Yorohiro wanted to do.

“Very simply put, you can hit it straighter, longer and with less effort,” Yorohiro said of Newton’s appeal. “If you don’t deliver, we have failed you.”

If, like Paul, you find that a different flex might work better for you, Newton also has an easy exchange process.

“We want you to be very happy, because happiness is contagious,” Yorohiro said. “And other people will look at it and say, ‘Oh, maybe I should try a new shaft.’ If you want stiffer or softer, that is possible.”

To see if a Fast Motion driver shaft can help your game, order yours now via the link below.

Newton Fast Motion drive shaft

Motion shafts allow the energy created during your swing to be stored more efficiently and then released in a more controlled, stable manner.