True Temper Black Gold

Utilizing True Temper's proprietary manufacturing processes, Black Gold's critical shaft parameters are held to exacting standards, resulting in a "frequency tuned" product that combines a stepless design with the unmatched quality and consistency that is the essence of True Temper's "gold" heritage.

The consistency of the raw blank is held to within +/- 1.5 grams and the raw requency is controlled to within +/- 2 cycles per minute.

Feel: These shafts just feel like butter. Nice and smooth (even for an agressive swinger) and extremely consistent from one iron to another, which is a quite a difference from the PX shafts that seem to frequency all over the place.

Trajectory: These hit the ball a little bit higher than the DGS300, but not as high as PX's. Honestly, this is the perfect inbetween shaft for those lookin for a slightly higher ball flight than the standard DGS. The ball flight however is similar to the PX's, in that, the ball seems to just soar to it's peak and hang up in the air (flatten out).

Distance: As much as I can tell with range balls, I seem to be getting about of a half club longer with these shafts.

All in all I think TT has hit a home run with these. They will definetly win back alot of players who converted to Rifles. Are these a direct competitor to the PX shaft? I think so, as I have both and can already say for certain the PX's are history. For $50-70 cheaper for the set and better tolerances, there is very little reason to even consider PX shafts IMHO.

Great shaft.

Be careful because the stock flexes run at least 1/2 higher flex than stated.

Specs are the most accurate I have seen in the shaft industry. I just frequency matched a set in my MP32s and they can out on the number ever time.

LB

i have just taken del of mp 60 fitted with rifle flighted 5.5 shafts = they are superb up to 6 but 5/4/3 feel far to stiff - cannot figure this out as i have 5.5 rifles in 2 other sets and have no probs= anyway if any of you guys have feed back on black gold i am thinking of fitting regulars to the mp 60s soon has available..

Mizuno has one of the best custom fitting operations of all the OEM's and would be surprised if they are flat out saying these shafts are not available. sometimes the field rep's don't have the best info. i play black gold in mp32's and they are a great fit.

Question about your black golds.

Does the Black gold stiff flex feel stiffer than the DGS300s or about the same to you?

I went from S300 in DG to R3 in Black Gold because i was told the butt stiffness was greater on Black Gold and I have a slower tempo. I think I made the right choice.

I also heard Mizuno is currently testing Black Gold and that they do not add new custom offerings until later in the year. I bet if they get enough requests, that date may be earlier.

just ordered a set of black gold in regular to go in the mp 60,s - interestingly enough i fitted the pulled rifles into a set of x tours - they feel great - i also have 5.5 rifles in a set of fusions - they are also very good =

the search goes on though for the perfect set up !! :golfer:

Please let us know what you think of the MP-60s with the BGs. This setup is on my shortlist for this season.

thanks a bucnh :golfer:

Please let us know what you think of the MP-60s with the BGs. This setup is on my shortlist for this season.

 

thanks a bucnh :golfer:

played 9 holes yesterday with them after a 300 mile drive (by car)= black gold reg in mp 60s = felt superb from the 1st swing - smooth and really kicked = i have tried lots of shafts this year rifles-nippons -graphites-dynamics= but these feel far and away the best so far... i am in love- hope the honeymoon period continues= bit windy so length would be subjective but feel they would be a club longer than my flighted rifles .. will report back after a few more games (cool)

Please let us know what you think of the MP-60s with the BGs. This setup is on my shortlist for this season.

 

thanks a bucnh :)

 

played 9 holes yesterday with them after a 300 mile drive (by car)= black gold reg in mp 60s = felt superb from the 1st swing - smooth and really kicked = i have tried lots of shafts this year rifles-nippons -graphites-dynamics= but these feel far and away the best so far... i am in love- hope the honeymoon period continues= bit windy so length would be subjective but feel they would be a club longer than my flighted rifles .. will report back after a few more games :crazy:

Bump for an update, I want to put BG in my MP-60's

I don't know about Mizunos but I have some in my Satin Nike Blades and I really like them.... it seems like the ball just soars.... I hit them higher than DGs... I think they are easier to work both ways also!!

Please let us know what you think of the MP-60s with the BGs. This setup is on my shortlist for this season.

 

thanks a bucnh :)

 

played 9 holes yesterday with them after a 300 mile drive (by car)= black gold reg in mp 60s = felt superb from the 1st swing - smooth and really kicked = i have tried lots of shafts this year rifles-nippons -graphites-dynamics= but these feel far and away the best so far... i am in love- hope the honeymoon period continues= bit windy so length would be subjective but feel they would be a club longer than my flighted rifles .. will report back after a few more games :crazy:

 

 

Bump for an update, I want to put BG in my MP-60's

still in love with the bg,s and 2 of my pals who have tried my clubs have had them fitted into their bats and they are both very happy with the shafts - they really kick - my set up is standard size - regs sw @ d1

I just ordered some Titleist 695MBs 2-PW (I thought I'd get a 2 iron to look like a badass...) with Stiff Black Golds in them. They'll be here in 3-4 weeks. I'll give you guys an update.

Anyone know the equivalence of the shaft flex of black gold stiff compared to PX or Dynamic Gold?

tks!

Just received my irons (Ping I5's) back from my clubmaker friend and I thought I'd post some initial thoughts on the new shaft.

First a little background on the shafts I've played in my irons.

MP30's with S400. - Nice shaft and clubhead. Good consistent ball flight, but difficulty launching the long irons consistently.

MP32's with TT S300 - Sweet clubs and sticks. Great trajectory with both long and short irons good control. I only moved on from these due to the consistency factor. When I was on song they were perfect :secret: . Slightly off and Golf was not fun anymore. :D

Ping I5 with zz65. - Nice clubs with (for me) a very high trajectory . Shorter irons in particular, launch high. Playing in the UK with typically a deal of wind, this caused problems keeping the flight down in the wind. I play off 8 and am comfortable playing the punch shots as required into the wind. With the zz65's this was still proving difficult.

I read many reviews regarding both Project X and also the black golds. After a conversation with my clubmaker, I decided on the Stiff flex black golds.

As these are very initial pointers I'll post back in a few months when I've many more rounds under my belt with these.... :cheesy:

So after only a round, here's my initial thoughts.

Looks - First class the finish on these is sweet. The clubmaker said they are one of the best shafts he's worked with, a pleasure to install (He's ordered himself a set already..... :D )

Performance - Well after one round this is difficult to say. Initial impressions are good. Played yesterday in a very heavy wind. A couple of shots with both the long a short irons spring to mind. A Pitching wedge into a par 5 that launched on a high arcing but flat trajectory through the teeth of the wind - Sweet no balloon.....

Perhaps the most memorable was a 3 iron into the wind into a two tier green with the pin on the top shelf. Mid launch from normal 3 iron ball position. Ball simply appeared to fly through wind with no deviation - Great flat hanging flight :D .

Finished with a gross 73 four over, best round of the year. I'll be honest and say that this was not all down to the new iron shafts. Short game and putting for the day way very hot. This was the first round with them and signs look very positive, didn't even see the range before the course. Ball choice for the day was a Pinnacle Exception, cheap but good. It will be interesting to see how they launch with a ProV1x, in competition.

WITB pics will be updated soon.

Hope this was a useful insight....

Got these shafts in x-flex to replace the stock dynalites in Mizuno MX-23's.

My goal was to bring the ball flight down and give myself a heavier shaft. Objective achieved. Not only have I been able to bring the flight of the ball down, I've also added 5-10 yards per iron. My ball flight was so high in the past the wind would just knock my shots down. Now it takes a more boring trajectory with great distance.

Love the feel, very responsive, great feeling shaft.

These shafts and clubs will be in the bag for a long time.

ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! :cheesy: :fool: ;) ;) ;)

just fitted black golds to my back up set irons -x tours - pulled 5.5 flited rifles - the x tours now have a more penetrating flight ,feel superb .. been very impressed with the black golds in my mp 60,s and cannot see me changing to any other shaft ..

Just tried out black Golds in my X Tours at driving range. :)

Without going overboard, my first impressions are that these shafts are fantastic.

Had reservations concerning them being too stiff and boardy.

Fitted S's but soft stepped, after TT man replied to my post re frequency.

Could not be better with SS of 84-85mph (5 iron)

Only tried 4,6 and 8 irons, but flight was medium height and penetrating, with very little variation in direction. Even fat shots flew straight with only moderate loss of distance.

The pure ones gave that feeling of great kick and "feel"

Tested along with same heads with Tour Concept shafts. No comparison for me.

Have tried 3 shafts in X Tours, and out of 10, the blacks are 9.9, the SL's are 8.5, and the Tour Concepts maybe 7.5.

Spined them myself, with spine at 9 oclock.

Now to play a full round!.

I recently tried these on my MP60's. I opted for the regular flex due to people saying it runs stiffer than advertised. Though I think the butt is stiffer, I think the tip may not be as stiff. I played TX-90 in stiff flex, with a rifle 5.5 in my back up set before these shaft. My shots with any iron with the Black Golds ballooned with just about any wind conditions. I think this may be due to a softer tip. The TX-90 was meant to be high launching but it never launch as high as with these shafts. I do concur with everybody saying that these shafts are smooth, but requires a really smooth swing. If you tend to jerk from the top like me, and really load the shaft, you may have the same trouble. I'm not exaggerating, but from 130, I had to hit an eight if there's even any breeze. I purposely thin my shots to get distance, and as everybody know, that don't feel too good. I'm still very impressed with these though, and am going to the get the stiff flex on my next set.

I recently tried these on my MP60's. I opted for the regular flex due to people saying it runs stiffer than advertised. Though I think the butt is stiffer, I think the tip may not be as stiff. I played TX-90 in stiff flex, with a rifle 5.5 in my back up set before these shaft. My shots with any iron with the Black Golds ballooned with just about any wind conditions. I think this may be due to a softer tip. The TX-90 was meant to be high launching but it never launch as high as with these shafts. I do concur with everybody saying that these shafts are smooth, but requires a really smooth swing. If you tend to jerk from the top like me, and really load the shaft, you may have the same trouble. I'm not exaggerating, but from 130, I had to hit an eight if there's even any breeze. I purposely thin my shots to get distance, and as everybody know, that don't feel too good. I'm still very impressed with these though, and am going to the get the stiff flex on my next set.

I'm glad i'm not the only person finding these coming up soft!

I've gone from a std rifle 7.0 to 'x' felx black gold and finding them coming up quite soft, i'm having to swing soft otherwise they just keep turning over on me or balloning!

Not to sure what to do now? Anyone else got any experiences?

Cheers,

Ben

(I almost wonder if i've got a stiff set marked up as 'x'?)

I will give my review and hopefully this will help some of you who are considering these shafts.

I am a +2 handicap with a swing speed of about 108 mph with my Driver

I generally would hit s300 hardstepped once or 6.5 softstepped once (project x), I have tried to get the right combo for myself for a few years now because I'm a weird fit as far as ball flight, stiffness, etc, I'm also probably the pickiest golfer in the world when it comes to performance, feel and proper fit, I am constantly testing things out to see if I can get something I like better.

I currently hit a set of tour issued 05 Rac CB, I decided to try the Black Gold shafts earlier this year, but I couldn't find someone locally that would fit them, so I just ordered a stock set of shafts from Golfsmith in a "Stiff" flex.

When the shafts arrived I immediately liked the look of them, a nice champagne type of finish that gets absolutely no glare, they are very pleasing to the eye.

FIT: the stock "stiff" flex fits me perfect, I couldn't be happier with these shafts, the ball flight is nice, I am able to control the trajectory when needed and the overall feel of the shaft is the best of any steel shaft I have ever hit

DISTANCE: these shafts are surprisingly a bit longer than the average steel shaft on the market, I generally hit a 7 iron about 160-165 with an S300 or Project x shaft, I now hit a 7 iron right at 170 yards since getting the black gold shafts, so I estimate that they are about a half club longer

PERFORMANCE: I think I have found the perfect shaft for me, these shafts feel better than anything I have ever hit, much better sensation than the project x, not even close to honest, the stock stiff flex is absolutely perfect for me in my mind

I couldn't be happier with my shafts and I can honestly say I will never consider anything unless they supposedly upgrade this version later, the look, feel and performance are all great for me and they give me the utmost confidence (which is what we are all looking for), I would absolutely recommend these shafts to anyone that is considering them, they are by far the best on the market in my opinion, save up some duckies and buy some of these shafts, you will be happy you did :drinks: ;)

Thanks for the nice post, LPM.

Do you think the trajectory of the Black Gold's is even higher than that of the Project X? I'm playing PX 6.0 in my irons right now. But since I want to make a change to titleist 660s this season, I am considering the Black Golds in stiff flex (my driver swing speed is ~105-110 mph). My hesitation is that I don't like the TT DG s300 very much. It is currently installed in the 660s which play about 5 meters shorter than the 735s with the PX 6.0, although other people have posted that they feel the 660s to be half a club longer than the 735s! I'd contribute this to the slightly lighter PX, more energy transfer blah blah etc., higher trajectory and more boring flight (although there is also 1° loft difference from #6-P).

So will the BG's be another improvement or should I stick to the PX?!

Greetings,

OnkelBenz

Since there seems to be such a variety in "soft" vs "perfect", wouldn't it make sense to just get (1) one iron reshafted, say your 7 iron, with the Black Gold, to see how you like it, instead of the whole set?

 

I've got the MP-60's as well and my shafts are too flimsy, so I'm very interested in this thread.

 

At 96=SS....smooth tempo, go I go Reg or Stiff?

 

I'm leaning Stiff.

If that 96 is with a driver I would go regular ...if it's with an iron I would say stiff for sure and maybe an X stiff.

I am really impressed with these shafts. I have been using my rac tp cb milled 3 iron which has a BG Stiff flex shaft in it.

First impressions of the shaft is that the appearance looks amazing!!! The shaft's smoothness is awesome and coming from DG you can certainly feel the more smoothness than the DG.

My only one problem is that these shafts do feel a bit stiffer than what you expect, i am currently playing the stiff flex standard install however i am really thinking about soft stepping the set as my SS with a driver is just below the 100 mph mark and the extra bit of flex might help with getting some more distance and consistent shot pattern,

anyhow if you can get fitted in to these perfectly; DO IT you will not be dissapointed!!!

My dad put a set of regular flex black golds in Tourstage z101 heads.He swings at between 95-100 with the driver and 82-85 with 6 iron. the lies and lostds were perfectly checked. after two days of playing he says these shafts are the best he has played and he has played them all. Butt stiff tip soft with feel and exceptional load. He was hitting his 4,5,6 irons 7 yrds longer but his 8 9 pw 3 yrds shorter. maybe due to extra spin he is getting from the brand new grooves in the heads. anyway he plans to strengthen the lofts on the 8,9 and Pw to 38,42 and 46, from 37, 43 and 47. then they should be perect. shafts are accurate great feeling and all together awesome.

My friend has just got these in X flex, SST Pured in his Muira's and he is playing the best golf of his life... (length and game of a tour pro, mind of a hacker...so a 4 hcp....hehehehehe) but he says he feels he just can't miss with the new shafts (2 iron 260, 5 iron 210, 8 iron 160)

I have tried them down the range and the swing weight, and smoothness through impact is fantastic, and am now looking to reshaft my irons probably in stiff flex.... will post results...

I picked up a set of Adams Idea pro forged irons after testing them in the states with these shafts after they felt so pure. Well, I didn't like the shape of the heads but chose to keep the shafts and put tthem into some Tourstage MR-23 US Spec blades and man are they wonderful. The smoothness, kick and general feel of these shafts are awesome! I have never felt anything like these shafts in irons. No boardy feel whatsoever. They seem to play true to flex but with the kick, seem more flexible if that makes sense. These are the real deal!

Iirc Adams soft step their black golds to make them play to flex, unless requested not to by customers. Playing these in 755's. Perfect. Used to have TFR 6.0's. Nice shafts, long irons went too high, and I couldn't really hit a low ball with them, no matter how i tried. Black golds? High or low, you name it, they'll do what you tell them. Lovely. Feel great in wedges too.