NEW 2021 Graphite Design Tour AD HD Shaft Specs

[JNewsted]

On 9/7/2020 at 4:17 PM, MH2 said:

Would really like to hear more comparisons to the tour ad-tp 

Personal experience over the last month only...  the AD HD flies a bit higher.  I get lots of good carry with it.  The AD TP is a bit lower and flatter.  No clue which spins more or less, but I'm typically a pretty spinny player, and both do very well.  AD TP has the usual Graphite Design smooth kick to it, and the AD HD has it too, but I feel it's much lower in the shaft and later in the swing if that makes sense.  Both work very well for me paired with a standard Mavrik.  I'm a bit longer with the HD, and a bit straighter with the TP.

[EagleM.]

My current gamer is TP, so I'm definitely interested in HD. TBH - not for the performance gain but those damn pretty white & blue graphic... 

[dwboston]

I've been able to test out the HD 6S shaft across two range sessions and compare it to the other GD shafts I have - DI, TP, and BB (I've been using the BB this year). Driver is a Titleist 915 D2 with 12* loft, standard adapter setting of D4 for LH.  I also got fitted for a TM SIM 10.5* a few weeks ago, stock Diamana shaft, stock length, lofted up in the higher setting, and hit the two drivers head to head to compare. 

 

My swing speed is in the 100-105 range, with carry distance in the 240-250 range.  I hit the 915 generally pretty straight to a slight draw.  The SIM is definitely longer,  but more prone to go right.

 

First impressions of the HD are really positive.  I have it at a playing length of 45 inches and was carrying it as far as the SIM, which is 0.75" longer. The HD feels softer to me than the other GD shafts, with more kick at the bottom.  It definitely launches higher with a flat flight that carries a little longer than expected.  It's the smoothest feeling of the 4 GD shafts I have. I'd say the TP feels the stiffest, followed by the DI, then the BB, then the HD.  Having played the BB for most of this year, the HD plays like a higher launching softer version of the BB.  It feels like it unloads more at the bottom of the swing than the BB does.  It gives me the same straight to slight draw ball flight, just higher, which is fine for me since I've always launched it lower.

 

I'll definitely be putting it in play this weekend.   Looking forward to getting it out on the course.

[MH2]

7 hours ago, dwboston said:

I've been able to test out the HD 6S shaft across two range sessions and compare it to the other GD shafts I have - DI, TP, and BB (I've been using the BB this year). Driver is a Titleist 915 D2 with 12* loft, standard adapter setting of D4 for LH.  I also got fitted for a TM SIM 10.5* a few weeks ago, stock Diamana shaft, stock length, lofted up in the higher setting, and hit the two drivers head to head to compare. 

 

My swing speed is in the 100-105 range, with carry distance in the 240-250 range.  I hit the 915 generally pretty straight to a slight draw.  The SIM is definitely longer,  but more prone to go right.

 

First impressions of the HD are really positive.  I have it at a playing length of 45 inches and was carrying it as far as the SIM, which is 0.75" longer. The HD feels softer to me than the other GD shafts, with more kick at the bottom.  It definitely launches higher with a flat flight that carries a little longer than expected.  It's the smoothest feeling of the 4 GD shafts I have. I'd say the TP feels the stiffest, followed by the DI, then the BB, then the HD.  Having played the BB for most of this year, the HD plays like a higher launching softer version of the BB.  It feels like it unloads more at the bottom of the swing than the BB does.  It gives me the same straight to slight draw ball flight, just higher, which is fine for me since I've always launched it lower.

 

I'll definitely be putting it in play this weekend.   Looking forward to getting it out on the course.

Would you say tipping it a 1/2” would bring it closer to the tp?

[dwboston]

12 hours ago, MH2 said:

Would you say tipping it a 1/2” would bring it closer to the tp?

 

Most likely.   If you look at the GD shaft comparison chart (linked below), the HD and TP have the same butt section and mid section stiffness (Firm), but differ in the tip, where the TP is Stiff, while the HD tip is Firm+.  I'll just say that to me, the TP feels noticeably stiffer than the HD, but not everyone may feel that way.

 

https://proschoicegolfshafts.com/pdf-wood-comparison/

[mdl86]

I have all 5 shafts for my driver, DI, TP, IZ, VR, HD...6-s flex

 

Swing speed - Smooth 99, Avg 103, Hard 107

Handicap - 0

Length - 46 3/16

Load Style - Smooth Transition from the top, Medium Load Energy

 

DI - High Launching, Draw....2350 backspin, 14.2 launch.  Pronounced kick, very smooth feeling.

 

TP - Mid-High Launching, Slight Draw...2100rpm, 12.4 launch.  Stable feel, lighter feel thru impact.  Can really feel like you can whip it thru.

 

IZ - High Launching, slight draw (but easier to work a fade with this than the others)....2100rpm, 14.8 launch.  Stable, smooth feel, very Pronounced kick.  You can see the flat, low spin flight working with this shaft.  At 101 mph 148 ball speed, im carrying it 262, with a 38 degree descent and 20 yards of roll.  When I swing hard...its 275 carry at 105.  Im hitting up on it 3 degrees.  I have these shafts in my 3 and 5 wood, 7-S.  Amazing shaft

 

VR - Mid-Low Launching, Shaped Draw, Pronounced Movement...2400rpm, 10.5 launch.  Stable feel, lighter feel thru impact.  Can really feel like you can whip it thru like the TP.  Great shaft for anti-right, controllable draw flight.  Great shaft for windy days.

 

HD - Contender to the IZ...Mid-High Launching, Zero Horizontal bias...2150rpm, 13.9 launch.  Stable feel, less kicky than the IZ, VR and DI.  Works well with a low spin, fade biased driver head in my opinion.  Can't get easy with this shaft, ot performs much better when you are going hard thru impact.  Probably the easiest shaft of all of them to work vertically and horizontally.  Each of the other shafts are sort of locked into their V/H biases...this shaft can be worked for what you need.  

 

All 5 shafts ratings 

 

Longest carrys - IZ

Straightest - HD (TP close 2nd)

Best Roll - IZ

Best Feel - IZ (HD close 2nd)

Best Load Feel - VR

Most Workable - HD

 

 

 

 

 

[toddmanley]

Great summary - given I have the 7x IZ as my backup shaft (currently gaming my Atmost TS Black 7s) it was good to see your detailed comparisons.

[MrShield]

9 hours ago, mdl86 said:

I have all 5 shafts for my driver, DI, TP, IZ, VR, HD...6-s flex

 

Swing speed - Smooth 99, Avg 103, Hard 107

Handicap - 0

Length - 46 3/16

Load Style - Smooth Transition from the top, Medium Load Energy

 

DI - High Launching, Draw....2350 backspin, 14.2 launch.  Pronounced kick, very smooth feeling.

 

TP - Mid-High Launching, Slight Draw...2100rpm, 12.4 launch.  Stable feel, lighter feel thru impact.  Can really feel like you can whip it thru.

 

IZ - High Launching, slight draw (but easier to work a fade with this than the others)....2100rpm, 14.8 launch.  Stable, smooth feel, very Pronounced kick.  You can see the flat, low spin flight working with this shaft.  At 101 mph 148 ball speed, im carrying it 262, with a 38 degree descent and 20 yards of roll.  When I swing hard...its 275 carry at 105.  Im hitting up on it 3 degrees.  I have these shafts in my 3 and 5 wood, 7-S.  Amazing shaft

 

VR - Mid-Low Launching, Shaped Draw, Pronounced Movement...2400rpm, 10.5 launch.  Stable feel, lighter feel thru impact.  Can really feel like you can whip it thru like the TP.  Great shaft for anti-right, controllable draw flight.  Great shaft for windy days.

 

HD - Contender to the IZ...Mid-High Launching, Zero Horizontal bias...2150rpm, 13.9 launch.  Stable feel, less kicky than the IZ, VR and DI.  Works well with a low spin, fade biased driver head in my opinion.  Can't get easy with this shaft, ot performs much better when you are going hard thru impact.  Probably the easiest shaft of all of them to work vertically and horizontally.  Each of the other shafts are sort of locked into their V/H biases...this shaft can be worked for what you need.  

 

All 5 shafts ratings 

 

Longest carrys - IZ

Straightest - HD (TP close 2nd)

Best Roll - IZ

Best Feel - IZ (HD close 2nd)

Best Load Feel - VR

Most Workable - HD

 

 

 

 

 

Great post! Especially when you’re seem to have identical swing resources like me 😊

 

Follow up questions.
 

Do you use any tipping? Since you average about the same as I it’s pretty close to X-flex and I’m aiming to order my Tour AD stiff shafts 1” tipped. Or I might actually go 7s for driver and 8s for fw. 
 

I have been very close to buy VR, but felt some doubts that it might be a very going left shaft. On the other hand I have a pretty strong draw to my irons, hybrids and fairways. BUT I always (if I don’t miss) hit small fades with the driver. This is coming natural, I don’t try to do it 🤷🏼‍♂️
 

Most interesting is the info about HD, this sounds very much what I’m looking for. But I like a bit of a kick to feel it’s alive, is there a big difference compared to the other shafts or a subtle difference?

[Ed Settle]

Quick little review.

 

I added the Callaway adapter and put it right into my Mavrik 10.5. I played the Ventus blue 6X all summer. It is a really good shaft but I wanted the graphite design “kick”.
 

I have played several GD Shafts over the last few years, TP/GP/IZand last the VR. Still really love the GP profile. And when I heard that the HD felt very similar then I knew I had to get it.

 

As I stated I just put the adapter on, no tipping and cut it to a 45 1/2 inch plane length. As I’ve gotten older I’ve gone away from the sex sex and so getting this in a 6S, I figured I would have to tip it a bit. If I end up tipping it 1/2” the oak would be 45. 
 

The shaft is very lively. I tried choking up on it a little bit to give me an indication of cutting it down to 45 inches and it just performed great. The flight was perfect and lost no distance vs the Ventus. 
 

Another great addition to the Tour AD line up. 

 

 

[Fourpar18]

Got this but had surgery while it was on its way...to be continued!

[MrShield]

On 10/26/2020 at 1:09 PM, Fourpar18 said:

Got this but had surgery while it was on its way...to be continued!

Now it’s time to continue 😉

[mokedaddy]

This is definitely my second favorite driver shaft right behind the gp.  For me it actually launches lower than the tp and feels better.

[tssgj65]

36 minutes ago, mokedaddy said:

This is definitely my second favorite driver shaft right behind the gp.  For me it actually launches lower than the tp and feels better.

I love the GP as well.  Did you tip your GP?  Did you tip the HD?  I just ordered the HD and a backup GP. 

[mokedaddy]

No neither were tipped.  I’m a low spin player with a neutral aoa.  Tipping is detrimental to my game.

[tssgj65]

1 minute ago, mokedaddy said:

No neither were tipped.  I’m a low spin player with a neutral aoa.  Tipping is detrimental to my game.

Didn't tip my GP X either.

[mokedaddy]

6 minutes ago, tssgj65 said:

Didn't tip my GP X either.

The hd will swing a little different then the gp because of the softer handle but I gained a bit of distance with the hd.

Edited December 29, 2020 by mokedaddy

[tssgj65]

Just now, mokedaddy said:

The hd will swing a little different then the gp because of the softer mid section but I gained a bit of distance with the hd.

How is your dispersion?

[mokedaddy]

2 minutes ago, tssgj65 said:

How is your dispersion?

Good enough for me.  I’ve never tried to quantify dispersion.  To me dispersion is all about the swing and the shaft is just meant to sync up timing.

[MrShield]

I find it fascinating that there is such a big difference in recommendation of swingspeed for HD vs IZ for example, and that they say HD is closest to XC, BB and to some extent GP (thought TP was an obvious comparison. 
 

And also that butt, mid and tip real measurements is so different from what GD specify (compared to IZ for example). 

 

Normally I’m between flexes in most GD shafts, but apparently a 6s will be my sweet spot for my 105mph smooth swing. 

Edited December 30, 2020 by MrShield

[mmaloney23]

On 8/20/2020 at 11:25 AM, third-times-a-charm said:

I'm not gonna lie I spend like hours every day reading about golf equipment and specs - and the Graphite Design company lines/specs/etc is the most confusing thing ever.

 

The way they describe and put out specs on their shafts is like no other manuf. and It's super confusing. 

I love their site. Very informative on each shaft and there is 2 diff diagrams. Either the frim, stiff, medium etc. or the color graph in list view on launch. I think it is one of the best breakdown from most manufacturers.

[lyzgaard]

As always what shaft you need depends on your swing. 

The feeling you get out of it is also individual. 

I have the last years Sim driver, went from Tour AD TP 70X (tipped 1 inch) to Tour AD HD 60X (tipped 0.5 inch). 

 

With this setup they are two completely different shafts feelwise. 

HD is much smoother, I get a little bit higher trajectory and little bit more spin (maybe this is why trajectory is higher).

 

Either way I love the feeling of my setup now in the start of the season, but maybe I change back to TP after a couple of months getting that swingspeed up 👌

 

My swingspeed is 112-114 now, I usually reach around 118 closer to summer. 

I have stopped swinging out of my shoes. 

Will see how everything plays out this season. 

Can always do my good old AD Di 7x if nothing is working! 

 

I don't use standard TM lengths, my shafts are always 45" playing length in driver heads. 

 

BUT the HD looks amazing in the Sim head with the blue Champ C8 grip, haha

Edited April 16, 2021 by lyzgaard

[Radeon962]

Have to agree with a lot stated here.  TP was my shaft for most of last season but I am now in the HD.  
 

It takes all of the good parts of the TP and feels better.  Just a touch higher flight with similar spin but for my swing a much better feel.

 

105-108mph and both in 6s flex at 45” in my 10.5* Epic Max LS.

 

 

[Ereim]

Loving the HD in my TSi3. 

[tastywaves]

Recently had a driver fitting and the HD won for me. My main goal was to bring spin down without sacrificing too low of launch and erratic dispersion and it felt the best with the best numbers out of the 6 or so GD shafts I tested

[Abgolf1]

Hi does anyone have CPM measurements between the x and tx on the HD 7.

 

regards

 

Andrew 

[OspreyCI]

2 hours ago, tastywaves said:

Recently had a driver fitting and the HD won for me. My main goal was to bring spin down without sacrificing too low of launch and erratic dispersion and it felt the best with the best numbers out of the 6 or so GD shafts I tested

Can you give a comparison on the HD vs the IZ?

[tastywaves]

1 hour ago, OspreyCI said:

Can you give a comparison on the HD vs the IZ?

Sure, but I would take this with a grain of salt as I'm not a great driver of the ball. The IZ gave me pretty solid numbers but launched a little lower and spun slightly higher for me but also gave me some of my highest ball speeds throughout my testing. For me, the numbers with the HD were the most consistent and it also had the best FEEL and gave me the most confidence/best dispersion of all the GD shafts I tested. Hope this helps!

[OspreyCI]

13 minutes ago, tastywaves said:

Sure, but I would take this with a grain of salt as I'm not a great driver of the ball. The IZ gave me pretty solid numbers but launched a little lower and spun slightly higher for me but also gave me some of my highest ball speeds throughout my testing. For me, the numbers with the HD were the most consistent and it also had the best FEEL and gave me the most confidence/best dispersion of all the GD shafts I tested. Hope this helps!

Good stuff. I am getting back into the IZ for my second time. Fan of most all GD shafts. 

[The4TH]

On 10/17/2020 at 1:21 PM, mdl86 said:

I have all 5 shafts for my driver, DI, TP, IZ, VR, HD...6-s flex

 

Swing speed - Smooth 99, Avg 103, Hard 107

Handicap - 0

Length - 46 3/16

Load Style - Smooth Transition from the top, Medium Load Energy

 

DI - High Launching, Draw....2350 backspin, 14.2 launch.  Pronounced kick, very smooth feeling.

 

TP - Mid-High Launching, Slight Draw...2100rpm, 12.4 launch.  Stable feel, lighter feel thru impact.  Can really feel like you can whip it thru.

 

IZ - High Launching, slight draw (but easier to work a fade with this than the others)....2100rpm, 14.8 launch.  Stable, smooth feel, very Pronounced kick.  You can see the flat, low spin flight working with this shaft.  At 101 mph 148 ball speed, im carrying it 262, with a 38 degree descent and 20 yards of roll.  When I swing hard...its 275 carry at 105.  Im hitting up on it 3 degrees.  I have these shafts in my 3 and 5 wood, 7-S.  Amazing shaft

 

VR - Mid-Low Launching, Shaped Draw, Pronounced Movement...2400rpm, 10.5 launch.  Stable feel, lighter feel thru impact.  Can really feel like you can whip it thru like the TP.  Great shaft for anti-right, controllable draw flight.  Great shaft for windy days.

 

HD - Contender to the IZ...Mid-High Launching, Zero Horizontal bias...2150rpm, 13.9 launch.  Stable feel, less kicky than the IZ, VR and DI.  Works well with a low spin, fade biased driver head in my opinion.  Can't get easy with this shaft, ot performs much better when you are going hard thru impact.  Probably the easiest shaft of all of them to work vertically and horizontally.  Each of the other shafts are sort of locked into their V/H biases...this shaft can be worked for what you need.  

 

All 5 shafts ratings 

 

Longest carrys - IZ

Straightest - HD (TP close 2nd)

Best Roll - IZ

Best Feel - IZ (HD close 2nd)

Best Load Feel - VR

Most Workable - HD

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the great review.

In terms of stiffness/softness, how these 5 shafts compare?

[toddmanley]

Interesting to read the experiences of others (my ss is around ~115mph and a smooth transition). I’ve found that I really like my DI’s (driver - 6x tipped 1” playing 46” in 9* TSi3 turned down to 8.25*, 4w - 7x) and TP (3w - 7x) but never liked the IZ (tried both a 7x and 6x in my old SIM). Haven’t had the chance to hit the HD.